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Traveler – Part 05

“Brian?” Victorique said with a hint of reproach.

Brian smiled bitterly. Scrunching up his face, he let out a deep laugh.

“I’d appreciate it if you did not make the same face as Cordelia. It makes it hard to breathe.”

“What exactly are you hiding? Shall I use my extraordinary intellect to figure it out?”

“How unsettling.”

Brian attempted to sit up, but unable to summon the strength, he sank back down. Like a weakened wolf, he shuddered, his red hair bristling.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t mention it. For creatures like us, squirt, leaving the Old World where the power of the gods resides is difficult.”

“Difficult, you say?”

“Yeah. I had acquaintances—ancient wolf tribes and folks with the blood of mysterious creatures—who tried to go to the New World or other continents in the past. But as soon as they boarded ships, things got weird. They vomited blood, had seizures, and their proud fur and wings withered away. Most didn’t make it to the New World, crawling back, some dropping dead along the way. Seems like stepping into godless land is forbidden for us.”

Victorique sat down on the edge of the bed, gazing silently at Brian.

Her own face was just as ashen. Whether it was due to the lingering effects of the drugs or the conflicting forces of wanting to venture into the outside world and the force trying to pull her back, it was unclear. Pained moans escaped her glossy, cherry lips.

Brian hung his head. “We discussed that with Cordelia. But she believed in the cub’s potential. She said you would survive and reach the New World. Well, either way, staying hidden in the Old World just puts you at a high risk of getting caught by Marquis Albert de Blois again.”

“But what about you?”

“Cordelia said that the one staying behind should send you to the port.”

Victorique stared at Brian intently. A subtle hint of unease flickered in her ice-cold, green eyes.

“So what you’re saying is…”

“…”

“Cordelia never instructed you to take me to the New World. You fulfilled your promise with her the moment I safely boarded the ship. She knew you would suffer if you came with me.”

“Yeah.” Brian nodded weakly.

“Then why are you here now?”

Victorique’s hoarse voice quivered with fear.

“Why? Because you were much more immature than I thought. You cried incessantly in the carriage. Also…”

“Wh-What is it?!”

“When we boarded the ship earlier,” he said somberly, “I looked back, but felt no indecision. A world without Cordelia Gallo is not worth living.”

Brian lapsed into silence.

In the dim cabin, Victorique sat motionless on a chair, her golden hair gleaming like a river of gold.

The whistle sounded. The sound of waves pushing and pulling drifted in through the porthole.

---

A few days later…

Walking along the narrow corridor, slowly ascending the stairs, Victorique and Brian emerged onto the deck.

It was a sunny afternoon. Gentlemen and ladies from the spacious first-class cabins, as well as weary travelers occupying the third-class cabins, all converged on the deck for sunbathing.

Lending her shoulder to Brian, Victorique slowly advanced and settled on a bench. Brian’s face was pallid, his cheeks gaunt, and his once-fierce eyes considerably sunken.

“Look over there, squirt.” Brian pointed with his thin, trembling fingers.

“What is it?”

“Our peers.” He chuckled. “They look miserable.”

“Peers?” Victorique glanced over briefly.

Most people on deck, though showing signs of fatigue, didn’t seem unwell. In the distance, a thin middle-aged man sat hunched on a bench.

Brian pointed elsewhere. “That one as well, I think.”

A young woman was leaning against the railing, her head drooped. Both possessed translucent, pale skin, long arms and legs, and striking beauty. Surrounded by an ethereal white light, they seemed to float with both feet off the ground.

“Well, they’re not our kind… not Gray Wolves, but they’re ancient beings nonetheless. There’s a few of them hiding on this ship, probably trying to escape the dying Old World. Now the question is: will they safely reach the promised land?”

“If you’re going to talk so much, how about I kindly put this into that open mouth of yours?”

Victorique tore off a piece of muffin she had brought from the cabin and placed it in Brian’s mouth.

Chuckling, Brian chewed and swallowed slowly. Victorique was not acting like herself today, desperately trying to feed Brian another bite.

“Enough already… You’re getting annoying.”

“No. You must eat. You must live!”

“What’s with you, squirt? You probably hate… No, you probably don’t feel anything towards me. I thought you didn’t care about worthless strangers.”

“Hmph.” Victorique turned away. “If you’re gone, I’ll be alone,” she said, glancing at Brian with concern.

“What are you talking about? In the stone tower or the library, you were always alone.”

Victorique gently stroked the gold coin pendant on her chest, curling up.

Brian observed her face for a while, then sighed softly. “Let’s call a truce, squirt. No, let’s make peace.”

Victorique, with a pallid face but not as exhausted as Brian, smiled weakly. “Very well. Let’s be friends.”

“Hanging out with a dull brat like you is boring, but I suppose a chat can serve as a good distraction. Hmm… I’ve got nothing much except tales about Cordelia. How about the time she took forever to get out? You probably don’t know about that.”

“No…”

On the cold and desolate deck, two pale-faced Gray Wolves huddled together, sharing endless stories. From Cordelia’s Mechanical Turk to their nomadic life and delightful memories. When it was Victorique’s turn, she stuttered through her initial meeting with Kazuya, recounting a terrifying night aboard a cruise ship.

“And then the next morning, we were rescued from the sinking ship and transferred to another one, where Kujou and I had a brief conversation.”

“Hmph. What did you talk about?”

She recalled what she said back then.

I like beautiful things.

And when she heard it, something gentle and very soft slowly spread across Kazuya’s face, illuminated by the morning sun.

What was it?

Kujou…

Abruptly, her chest tightened, and Victorique, overcome with discomfort, felt an inexplicable surge of anger. Cursing at Kazuya, she narrowed her green eyes.

Then in a soft, raspy voice, she added, “He said we will watch the sea again someday.”

“Someday, huh?” Brian said weakly. “Sounds nice.”

“Does it?”

“It does. The future is calling you.”

Brian closed his eyes, his eyelids quivering.

Lending her small shoulder to Brian, Victorique helped him up, and they returned to the cabin.

The ancient creatures had vanished from the deck. Waves swelled and receded. As far as the eye could see, there were no continents, islands, or other ships. The vessel was steadily moving away from the Old World, crossing the winter ocean.