The final ship assignments were decided as follows:

On the smaller ship, there were four people—S-rank adventurer Linford, A-rank adventurer Adelie, and two B-rank adventurers (one male, one female). The rest of the members boarded the other ship. Since only one pair had incompatible elements—fire and water—the assignments were fairly simple.

After finishing lunch, we were now heading to the rendezvous point at the port. Since we had spent time accompanying Nir’s endless appetite as usual, we might have been a little late.

“Alright, no need to be sneaky about it, so let’s go all out.”

As we walked toward the port, I rotated my shoulders to loosen up.

“Ahaha, didn’t you say if we overdid it, it might cause a massive tsunami?”

“Nah, that was half a joke… I mean, unless we summon a giant meteor or something, I think we’ll be fine.”

That was just a hunch, with no real basis. Besides, if a giant turtle was about to trample the city, a little tsunami would be a small price to pay. This wasn’t the time to be holding back just to protect the city.

“Well, whatever happens, happens.”

Or rather, things would only turn out the way they could.

When we arrived at the port, Linford’s small ship had already finished boarding.

“You’re late. Hurry up.”

As expected, Rex clicked his tongue and threw a complaint our way before immediately boarding the ship. At least they didn’t leave without us.

“Alright, everyone’s here. Our ship is slower, so we’ll go on ahead.”

“Understood.”

As we boarded, Linford’s ship began accelerating. Meanwhile, the ship we were on showed no signs of movement—the engine hadn’t started yet. It seemed like they weren’t quite ready to depart.

Well, even if we weren’t technically late, I could understand why those who arrived earlier might be annoyed. Though, it wasn’t like there was much to do while waiting anyway.

“I guess adventurers from a port city would naturally know how to handle ships.”

While I lazily observed the port from the deck, an increasingly irritated Rex approached.

“Hey, you guys, go call a shipwright.”

“Huh? Something wrong?”

I was more surprised by his sudden commanding tone than anything else. What was this about?

“Tch, the ship’s propulsion is acting up.”

“Ah, I see.”

Since these ships were disposable for this mission, they had probably assigned us an older one. It wouldn’t be surprising if it was malfunctioning.

“Alright, I’ll go check.”

“I’ll go too.”

Though I could handle it alone, Rio decided to come along. Given the foul mood aboard, it was understandable. I also wasn’t keen on sticking around.

Nir followed behind us as we disembarked. He didn’t have many long-range attacks, but leaving him behind felt cruel.

We entered a building in the port where the ships were managed and found someone to explain the situation to. Since this was a guild-sanctioned mission and a matter of the city’s survival, they responded quickly. After waiting a bit, a shipwright arrived, and we led him to the dock where our ship was supposed to be.

“Huh… it’s not here…”

“…Seems that way.”

However, when we arrived, the ship we were supposed to board was nowhere to be seen.

“Maybe the issue got fixed?”

“Ah, I see. So they set off.”

“Look, you can see the ship in the distance,” Rio pointed.

Following her gaze, I saw the ship shrinking into the horizon. Expanding my detection range, I confirmed Rex and the others were on board.

“Since it’s moving, I’ll take my leave,” the shipwright said before bowing and heading back.

“Well… they left us behind, huh?”

With a sigh of exasperation, Rio placed her hands on her hips.

“They probably think lower-ranked attacks won’t make a difference. But we can’t just let this slide.”

“Yeah… we need to make sure we do our job properly.”

Rio and I exchanged smiles and nodded.

“Woof!”

Nir was fired up, though I wasn’t sure if he’d have much of a role.

“Let’s get ahead of them.”

“Right. If I remember correctly, we’re supposed to attack from the west side of the Sea Emperor Turtle, heading east.”

“Yeah. The turtle is moving north toward Lebros, slightly eastward. If we can nudge its course even further east, that would be ideal.”

“Got it. Come on, Nir.”

Rio and I gently lifted off the ground, floating into the air. Nir followed, kicking off the air like climbing invisible stairs.

To avoid being spotted, we took a wide detour around the ship before heading toward the western side of the Sea Emperor Turtle, slightly ahead of its path. Traveling by ship would have taken time, but by air, we reached our destination in no time. Looking back, I could now see the entirety of the landmass. Previously, only the tip of the cape had been visible—meaning the turtle had gotten considerably closer.

It seemed Linford’s ship hadn’t arrived yet either. I wasn’t sure how close we needed to get, but we’d wait here until they spotted us.