Warlock Apprentice

“What’s up? The danger’s gone, right?”

Helen was a bit startled by Angor’s voice.

“Sir-sir.” She tried to bow to show respect, but she then felt a gentle force stopping her. “It’s strange, sir. I mean, the sea is strange in these days.”

“Why? Isn’t it common for Devil’s Water to be so hazardous?”

“It’s not the weather…” Helen considered but didn’t find the right words to explain. “This may sound weird, but do you think the sea is being awfully quiet?”

“Quiet?” Angor listened to the blowing wind, clashing tides, and the ominous bubbles that suggested hidden turbulence below their position. “Can you elaborate?”

Helen shook her head. “I don’t know how to say this but… this route, I’ve taken it many times, and it used to be more ‘lively’. But now, it’s dead.”

Angor could only consider the obscure expression as Helen’s instinct. But still, he failed to understand.

Helen lowered her head and sighed. “Perhaps I’m being too edgy, sir.”

She told the same thing to Erwin earlier, who only told her to get some rest. She knew neither Erwin nor Angor was blaming her for speaking madness, but she still felt bad.

She wanted to convince herself that it was only a false delusion that haunted her mind, but something else told her otherwise.

“Not quite,” said Angor.

“You-you believe me?” Helen looked up.

“Perhaps you’re right. As an experienced sailor who spent so many years on a ship, your body has learned how to foretell danger. You just can’t find a way to express it.”

“My body?” Helen looked away as she tried to sense something again.

“Maybe not exactly your body. My point is, you have developed something that reads environmental factors that people cannot normally see. And when something worth noticing is happening, you would feel it. If you have time, Officer Helen, please tell me what you can.”

Helen looked at the sea again and sensed no imminent danger approaching. “Alright, sir. Where should I start…”

Angor suddenly glanced at the top floor, from where he sensed someone’s prying eyes.

“Let’s talk in my room, if you don’t mind.”

Helen looked a little surprised, before she nodded, blushing.

As soon as they entered the cabin, Angor deployed a spirit barrier around them.

Just now, he sensed that Roman was listening in to their conversation, which was weird since Roman didn’t seem like a man who cared about daily chitchat.

Or was that man simply watching ME? he wondered.

Angor wished to figure out what Roman was up to. And since Roman meant to eavesdrop, he could further provoke Roman’s action by talking to Helen in private.

As he expected, a spirit feeler soon came to his spirit barrier and probed around.

As soon as Roman noticed the barrier, which suggested that his “intrusion” was discovered, he canceled his spirit feeler.

Angor made sure Roman’s trick completely stopped before speaking to Helen again.

Helen, on the other hand, realized that what she was expecting did not happen. It seemed “mister wizard” took her into his room just to talk.

…

Meanwhile, Roman showed a grim look in his own room.

He can’t possibly discover that matter, can he? Neither Erwin nor Helen would mind what I did.

But what does that Padt guy have to tell Helen in private? Wait… that woman was blushing, wasn’t she?

“Heh. I see, a loser who’s interested in a middle-aged fatso.”

He walked to the window and gazed at the seawater with an evil grin.

Salty wind entered his room and flipped a book on the desk open, causing a piece of paper stuck in the book to fall on the floor.

The paper showed the general shape of Devil’s Water, as well as a giant shadow lurking around it.

…

In Angor’s room, Helen slowly explained her psychological condition and changes.

“So you felt worried for no reason starting from half a month ago?”

“Yes. It’s nothing serious at first, but these days, it grew so strong that I can’t sleep well anymore. There’s this… boulder, tied to my heart, making it hard to breathe.”

“Did anything happen half a month ago, when this strange feeling started?”

“I don’t think there’s anything special…”

Helen explained her job and schedule, while Angor listened carefully so that he might discover anything worth noticing.

“Wait up. You asked Roman’s opinion when choosing the route?”

Helen nodded. “There is more than one route that allows us to reach Ferran Land, and they are always changing in different months. We need to readjust our direction once in a while.”

“But why Roman? Can’t you and Erwin do it?” Angor frowned.

“Mister Roman always tells us more accurate information beforehand, such as unexpected ocean current or traces of monsters. We need his help to evade possible threats.”

“Do you need to ask Roman for suggestions every time you set sail?”

“No. Sometimes we have another wizard protecting the ship. But as long as Mister Roman comes, we will discuss with him to choose the best course. Speaking of Mister Roman, this terrible feeling began just after he decided our next move. Is there something wrong with our route, sir?”

“Maybe…” Angor pondered. “But I think HE is the bigger problem right now.”

“He-you mean, Mister Ro—”

Helen didn’t believe that Roman would harm the ship since he was an employee of the White Clam Association, while The Limpet was the association’s ship. Roman might be a bit bossy, but he had no reason to betray his company.

“That can’t be, sir. The incident between you and Mister Roman was one week ago when we had been traveling on this route for some time.”

“Do you think I’m accusing Roman because of that argument we had?”

“It’s-it’s not?” Helen thought this to be rude but still asked.

Angor shook his head. “I’m indeed displeased with Roman’s way, but I won’t do anything against him as long as he does not directly attack me. There are many people like him in the wizarding world. I don’t have time to worry about every one of them. I said Roman might have something to do with your ‘warning’ because of another possibility.”

He was almost sure that Roman stole the nightmare stone on the ship, probably to sell it for big money and buy something valuable.

However, Angor couldn’t understand why Roman was so confident in his plan.

Sooner or later, someone from Floating Mech City would notice that the precious nightmare stone was missing. How would Roman explain to them then?

In Angor’s view, Roman was an extremely suspicious figure who knew how to set up thorough plans. If that man wished to cover up what happened to The Limpet, combined with Helen’s warning…