[V13C31] Ride That Ship to the Horizon

After telling Wildianu to enter the front door wearing his new vest, Nero quickly circled around to the kitchen window of Monica’s house.

This window seemed too high for the average cat, but it posed no problem for Nero. Monica usually left it unlocked for his access, and the delightful aroma of grilled meat wafted through the slight gap.

Rather than opening the window immediately, Nero waited silently for Wildianu’s arrival.

Soon enough, he heard a knock from the front door, followed by the sound of movement inside the kitchen. Isaac could be heard saying, “I’ll get the door,” as he left the kitchen.

Isaac usually took the initiative in opening the door for visitors, especially in the evening, and Nero was aware of this.

(Good, good…)

Nero purred with a sly grin as he quietly opened the window with his front paws and snuck into the now empty kitchen.

His goal was to sneak a bite of tonight’s dinner.

He knew that he could get a full meal by waiting patiently for dinnertime, but that was not enough for him. Sneaking a bite had the unique appeal of outsmarting a foe and proving his abilities.

This was the result of draconic instincts at play, probably.

First, he checked the oven, but the food was not there.

Next, he peeked into the pot on the stove, which had meat simmering inside it. Since Nero smelled the scent of grilled meat earlier, Isaac had likely grilled it before simmering. According to him, this prevented the flavor of the meat from escaping.

Finally, Nero examined the counter, which was most likely to have the finished dishes.

But contrary to his expectations, the dishes were nowhere to be seen. The cutting board and knife were still lying around and covered in vegetable scraps.

Apparently, he had arrived a bit too early to sneak a bite.

(Dammit, is there nothing I can grab real quick…?)

Still in black cat form, Nero hopped onto the counter for a closer look. He noticed a small pot placed in the corner, filled with a dark brown liquid.

He approached the pot, wondering if it was some kind of sauce.

＊　＊　＊

Isaac, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard a knock on the front door. He headed out to answer it while still wearing his apron.

“Um, Ike, I can get it.”

Monica had been sitting on the sofa reading a book, but she closed the book and stood up. However, Isaac did not want to let her open the door at night.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” Isaac replied, reaching for the handle of the front door.

He was currently wearing his original face, scar included.

There could be trouble if the visitor turned out to be someone who knew Isaac by Felix’s face, such as Clifford or Anthony.

However, he knew that Wildianu was on the other side of the door, due to the contract between them. Isaac could easily sense the presence of his spirit with a little concentration.

“Hey, Wil. Welcome… back…”

Isaac looked into the pair of eyes in front of him. Not Wildianu’s, but the eyes on the summer vest he was wearing.

He calmly observed his contracted spirit.

Wildianu was in human form, having the appearance of a young man with silver hair. However, his usual jacket was replaced with a summer vest imprinted with a rose the size of a person’s head.

Moreover, the rose had eyes and a mouth for some reason. One must question the sanity and taste of whoever designed this abomination.

Perhaps some would consider the round eyes and smile to be cute. But why did it have to be a rose? Why put it on a summer vest? And why was his contracted spirit wearing it?

Unbeknownst to Isaac, the main reason was because Lana had accidentally murmured, “This vest is a rejected idea, so you don’t need to make it. Someone suggested adding eyes and a mouth, but there’s no way that will work,” when she submitted the designs to the artisan in charge.

But then, the artisan found the idea funny and decided to make it during their free time.

The summer vest was unfortunately completed, so Lana shoved it onto Clifford, saying, “Cliff, you take responsibility and wear it yourself.” Clifford, in turn, pushed it onto Wildianu.

As Isaac silently locked eyes with the rose on the vest, Wildianu offered his greetings.

“Master, I have returned.”

Isaac put his brain into full gear as he carefully considered how to respond.

Most importantly, it was crucial to determine whether Wildianu wore the summer vest willingly, or if someone forced him to wear it. If the latter, Isaac needed to find the culprit.

(I would love to say, “Who dared to insult you like this?” …but first, I have to check his reaction…)

As a spirit, Wildianu had a limited range of facial expressions, but he seemed to be smiling slightly. Was he embarrassed by the design of the vest, or maybe embarrassed to be wearing something different than usual? It was difficult for Isaac to tell, even after his long history with Wildianu.

It was then that Monica came from the living room. She peeked over Isaac’s shoulder and looked at Wildianu.

“Um, Wildianu-san, right?”

“Yes. I have not had the opportunity to greet you in this form before. I look forward to working with you, Silent Witch-sama.”

Wildianu went on to offer Monica a polite bow.

This motion caused the rose on his vest to twist into an awkward shape. From Isaac’s point of view, this looked like a funny face, forcing him to hold back his laughter.

“Oh, yes, nice to meet you too,” Monica returned the bow with a nod. “By the way, um, your vest…”

It seemed that even Monica recognized the vest’s bizarre appearance, despite her usual lack of interest in fashion.

“I received it from Lana Colette-sama’s secretary,” Wildianu replied with his usual serious expression, stroking the summer vest with his fingertips.

Lana’s secretary, aka, Clifford Anderson. Isaac grimaced as he made the resolution to complain directly to the man responsible.

Meanwhile, Monica was staring intently at the summer vest.

Clearly, she found the design incomprehensible… or not.

“If the rose’s mouth is shifted slightly, the center of the eyes and mouth can be connected to form a golden triangle. Oh, the golden triangle is an isosceles triangle where the ratio of the longer side to the shorter side is the golden ratio. By bisecting the base angle, you can create a new golden triangle, and by repeating this and connecting the vertices, you can make a logarithmic spiral…”

As Monica continued her explanation of the golden triangle, the expressionless Wildianu began looking somewhat troubled, repeatedly glancing between Monica and Isaac.

(What now…?)

Should he drag his beloved master back from the world of numbers? Or does addressing the design of the vest take priority? Isaac was not sure.

They were interrupted by a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Shortly after, Nero’s voice rang out.

“Hongyarabo!!”

That was certainly a peculiar-sounding cry. Isaac had not heard anything like it from any human, cat, or dragon.

Monica exclaimed, “Nero!?” as she hurried toward the kitchen, with Isaac and Wildianu rushing after her.

They found Nero lying on the kitchen countertop, foaming at the mouth. Beside him was the small pot that Isaac had yet to clean up.

The one that contained Monica’s well-simmered herbal tea.

Apparently, the Silent Witch’s special brew was powerful enough to defeat a black dragon.

“We had just parted ways in front of the house…” Wildianu muttered in confusion once he caught up with Isaac. “Why is he here?”

“I saw that… the junior was back…” Nero answered in a hoarse voice while convulsing. “So I thought… I could find some grub in the kitchen… Argh.”

This was enough information for Isaac to grasp the situation.

Nero had used Wildianu’s summer vest as a diversion to grab Isaac’s attention. Then, he intended to sneak a bite while Isaac was distracted.

And so, he decided to take a sip from the small pot, resulting in his current predicament. In other words, he brought this misfortune upon himself.

Isaac decided to ignore Nero and start cleaning up the kitchen. Monica and Wildianu followed suit.

“Ike, I’ll help too!”

“Master, please allow me to assist as well.”

This was where Isaac would usually say, “Don’t worry, I can handle it myself.” However, he swallowed those words and put on a smile.

“Sure, can I get your help?”

Monica and Wildianu replied, “Yes!” in unison.

The kitchen seemed a bit small for three people, but they continued their efforts while chatting about trivial matters, as dusk eventually settled in. How long had it been since they were able to do this?

Isaac wiped the kitchen counter with a dishcloth as he savored this peace and happiness.




Wildianu and Monica gathered the vegetable scraps, as instructed by Isaac. They would later be simmered with the fish and strained to make soup.

Once that was done, Wildianu approached Isaac.

“Master, may I have permission to own this vest?”

“…Do you like it?”

Wildianu looked down at the vivid rose on the summer vest.

To him, the sensation of “liking” something was ambiguous and challenging to understand. However, the idea of parting with the vest made him feel a bit lonely.

Perhaps he felt the same fondness one might feel for humans or animals, as the vest also had eyes and a mouth.

After pondering for a moment, Wildianu replied with his honest feelings.

“I cannot say for sure whether or not I like it. However, I do want to keep it as a record of today.”

As a spirit, Wildianu hardly owned any personal belongings. Whenever he needed writing utensils or other tools, he simply borrowed Isaac’s.

That said, Isaac was not going to deny Wildianu’s desire to possess something.

“I see,” Isaac replied, putting a smile on his usually intimidating face. “Then I’ll prepare a closet for you. Also…”

While throwing the vegetables into the soup pot, Isaac glanced sideways at Monica.

Monica nodded back and took two mugs from the cupboard, showing them to Wildianu.

“Um, Wildianu-san. Which cup do you prefer?”

“Cup? Who will be using it?”

“You.”

Wildianu was puzzled. Spirits possessed a different sense of taste from humans, and they had no need for drinking water. Both Isaac and Monica should be aware of this.

He turned to Isaac seeking an answer.

“Choose the one you like,” Isaac continued, stirring the pot with a wooden spatula.

“The one I like…”

Without blinking, Wildianu stared at the cups in Monica’s hands.

The cup on the right featured a black cat leaving footprints on the ground. The one on the left depicted a black cat playing with a leaf floating in water.

Wildianu picked the cup on the left.

“Do you like that one?” Monica asked.

“Yes, because this leaf…”

There was a woman who once floated a leaf in a small spring and said, “This is my ship,” with a proud smile. Thus, Wildianu performed a slight manipulation on the water to prevent the leaf from sinking.

Because he didn’t want to see her disappointed.

“This leaf looks like a ship.”

“Um, a ship?”

Monica blinked a few times and tilted her head. As someone who had seen real ships, she probably found it hard to grasp the resemblance between a leaf and a ship.

Isaac paused his stirring and looked at Wildianu.

“Do you like ships?”

“Yes, I do.”

Upon seeing Wildianu nod, Isaac’s expression suddenly brightened.

His sparkling blue eyes resembled those of the young prince who used to gaze at the stars.

“That’s great. I’ll let you ride on the pride of our fleet.”

His voice sounded much more cheerful than usual.

Monica came over and smiled up at Isaac.

“Ike, you like ships too, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I grew up in the mountains as a child, so I always dreamed about the sea and large ships.”

Isaac started reminiscing while breaking down vegetables with the wooden spatula.

About the time he and Silas played in the river with boats made of leaves and wood chips. Then, Silas slipped and nearly got carried away by the river.

He still remembered the teacher at school who owned a model ship. He stared at it everyday until eventually, he ended up getting his own copy.

Isaac had a tendency to get carried away when absorbed in his hobbies, which probably existed since childhood.

“In your lizard form, you could climb to the tip of the bow or even to the top of the mast, right?” Isaac asked with a mischievous wink.

It’s as if he was saying, I’d do that if I could turn into a lizard.

“Come with me, Wildianu. I’ll give you the best seat.”

However, Wildianu had a different idea in mind. To him, the best seat was on top of his master’s head.

Long ago, the spring he called home was drying up in both water and mana. But then, the beautiful woman carried him out, and after various twists and turns, he ended up here.

──Come with me, Wildianu. I will be your ship.

Wildianu replied with the exact same words as he did back then.

“Please take me with you, my Master.”

View the latest chapters at seeker142.github.io