“It was a boat.”

“Yes. It was a boat.”

It was a boat.

Time moved forward, to the Southern Sea of Trees.

Having heard from Roylen that this Sea of Trees was not just a sea of trees but a sea and trees—and having confirmed it with his own eyes—Ziel pondered.

After that, the question arose: how exactly were they supposed to proceed from here?

And so, the “surprise upon arrival” that Eunice had hinted at finally revealed its true nature.

A boat.

There, a single boat awaited to cross the sea that cut through the jungle.

It was during the time of day when the sun had started to grow a little stronger.

Even though they had set out early in the morning, summer days advanced quickly. And though the phrase “a little stronger” might downplay it, the brightness of the sun was in no way comparable to that of winter. It illuminated the rich, vibrant green of the jungle and the deep blue of the sea in a dazzling white light, piercing the eyes with its brilliance. Even the shallow waters of the vast sea were warmed like a bath, and birds and insects buzzed lively above the surface. Summer. In the very heart of a season overflowing with life, the eight of them were there.

And Ziel was rowing the boat.

A single boat, traversing a calm, expansive sea. A boat inflated with air, its skin made from the hide of a magical beast. With long oars, moving back and forth, he rowed forward, creating ripples in the water, propelling them steadily with strong strokes.

“Are you sure you’re okay, though? With me and Professor Wilae here, we could just use magic to propel ourselves.”

“I get that, but Eunice, you were carrying this boat just a while ago, right? I figured you should take a break. And it’s not like this is particularly tiring for me.”

“Huh. Well, I have to say, out of all the vehicles I’ve ever been on, this one feels the fastest.”

Ziel chuckled a little. “You’re exaggerating.”

Eunice, however, did not laugh. Instead, he gestured with his palm, pointing at someone among the eight aboard the boat. Curious, Ziel turned to look.

The first person he saw was Lililia. She was sleeping soundly, snoring away in a way that seemed almost pleasant. Well, she was “rowing a boat” in her own way. Ziel wondered how she could sleep in such heat—maybe she was just that exhausted. But she probably wasn’t the one Eunice was pointing at, so he moved his gaze onward.

Next, Klaha came into view. She, unusually, hadn’t noticed Ziel’s gaze and was restlessly looking around. Her eyes sparkled—not merely due to the reflection of the summer light, but from sheer excitement. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Ziel figured he shouldn’t distract her and ruin her fun, so he moved his gaze further.

Then, Roylen.

Roylen was watching him intently, deep in thought.

“…Ziel, at this speed, how long do you think you can keep rowing?”

Ziel considered the question for a moment before answering honestly.

“At this pace? I could row all day. If we get into a fight, that’s a different story, though.”

“…I see. We may need to reconsider our plans…”

Roylen’s expression grew even more serious.

Ziel, feeling a bit awkward about staring too long, turned his gaze forward again.

The boat was large enough for about ten people.

Four sat in the front, four in the back, and two in the middle, facing each other. Ziel, facing opposite the direction they were moving, was controlling the oars. Across from him sat Eunice.

And so, their eyes met.

“See?”

What do you mean, “See?” Ziel thought.

But rather than digging deeper into the topic and getting backed into a corner, he decided to change the subject.

“Still, this is a pretty well-thought-out plan. Using the ‘sea’ part of the Sea of Trees to travel by boat… Is this a common method for adventuring?”

“Who knows? I’m not exactly well-versed in that kind of thing. Actually, shouldn’t you be the one who knows that sort of stuff?”

Ziel figured the one most knowledgeable about such things would be Klaha.

But he didn’t ask her. She was clearly having fun, and he didn’t want to disrupt that. Instead, Eunice turned around and asked in his place.

“What about you, Professor? Do you know?”

“Hmm? Ah, well, waterway use in daily life is common, so repurposing that for adventuring has been attempted since long ago,” Wilae answered from the back of the boat.

“However, there are only a few cases where it’s been practical. Fundamentally, there aren’t many areas where water travel significantly improves efficiency. And in combat, fighting aquatic creatures poses unique challenges.”

“I see. So, it really depends on having a magic user skilled with water?”

“Yes. In all the successful cases, such an individual was present. However, it’s unclear whether the water mage joined because the party was already traveling by boat, or if the party adopted water travel because they had a water mage.”

Ziel noted how smoothly Wilae spoke.

Her response came without a moment’s hesitation, as if she hadn’t even needed to think. It was impressive—but not surprising, considering she was Eunice’s mentor.

To be honest, before meeting her, Ziel had half-expected Eunice’s teacher to be something like a knowledge spirit dwelling in a library.

And now, even after meeting her, that image didn’t seem entirely off. She appeared to know everything. Rationally, he knew that couldn’t be true, but still.

“There have been adventurers who ventured out to sea, but they haven’t seen much success. Who knows? Maybe there are still many undiscovered labyrinths lying beneath the water.”

“…Wait,” Ziel unintentionally blurted out, then let out a quiet “Ah.”

“I see. Since labyrinths form where magic stagnates, they wouldn’t necessarily be limited to the land. I never really thought about that before.”

“It’s only a theoretical possibility. The deep sea is an extremely difficult environment to explore, and for the most part, it remains untouched by humanity. So, it’s hard to say for sure.”

“This planet has too much ocean compared to land. The depths of the sea are just as unknown to us as outer space. You could even say it’s another world entirely.”

Huh.

Intriguing as it was, just as Ziel was getting absorbed in the topic, Wilae abruptly shifted gears.

“By the way, are you two alright? Dewey, Ney—you’ve both seemed unwell for a while now.”

She was referring to the two beside her, slumped over.

Indeed, Ziel had noticed them out of the corner of his eye.

Dewey, the blond magic tool engineer, and Ney, Roylen’s assistant. Since boarding the boat, neither had uttered a word.

And unlike Lililia, who was dozing off, or Klaha, who was entranced by the scenery, or Roylen, who was deep in thought about their journey ahead—

Their silence came from something else entirely.

It was simply—

“No… sorry. I can’t do this…”

“…Man, I really am an indoor type…”

They had run out of stamina on the way to the boat.

Ziel wasn’t particularly surprised. He had lived with Dewey before and had a general idea of his stamina. As for Ney, placing herself on the same level as Dewey and her condition along the way had given him a rough idea.

It was only natural.

Summer expeditions were tough.

Hearing the conversation, Eunice also turned around. His profile showed a slightly concerned expression. So Ziel also turned back and called out.

“Lililia.”

“…No, I wasn’t sleeping.”

He hadn’t doubted that.

Because she had definitely been asleep.

Surprisingly, though, Lililia woke up with just a single call. Had she been in a light sleep? Wouldn’t that just make her more tired? Even so, her eyelids opened beautifully, and her eyes sparkled as they gazed at him. Before he could get flustered, he got straight to the point.

“Can’t you restore those two’s stamina? There was a holy magic spell for that, right?”

He remembered her using it in the highest-difficulty dungeon.

Especially near the end. That unbelievable, frantic rush to the final destination. Both he and Eunice had relied on that magic quite a lot.

He remembered, so he asked, but—

“Better not. That spell can actually drain more stamina instead.”

“…What do you mean?”

“When you’re tired, it’s best to stay tired. For example, I could move without sleeping at all if I wanted to, but Ziel, how would you see that?”

“…I’d think it was bad for your health.”

“Exactly,” Lililia said.

“Going beyond how your body normally functions can cause unseen issues. It’s better not to use it unless necessary. Besides, neither of them seems to have heatstroke.”

If they did, I would’ve already treated them, she added.

Ziel figured she was right. He trusted her completely. At the same time, he realized he might not understand his own body as well as he thought.

Next time he had the chance, he’d ask her more about this.

After all, his body was his weapon. And since Klaha also used holy magic, it would be good for him to have some knowledge on the subject…

“Oh. Ziel, can you stop around here?”

As he was thinking, a voice called out.

Following the instruction, Ziel stopped rowing immediately. But a boat naturally drifts with the current, so stopping the oars alone wouldn’t halt it. Before he could ask if he should properly anchor it, Roylen chanted.

“Grow, Glow.”

Vines stretched from the shore.

They coiled around, binding the boat in place. Ziel recognized them as a type of plant that lived in the southern jungle. He had seen them at the entrance of that long slope. A magic spell that controlled plants—an ability well-suited for a mage researching in this land.

It was reassuring.

At the same time, stopping meant only one thing—he could already predict what was coming.

“Our first investigation point is here.”

Silence.

The two being tended to by Wilae tensed up.

“So, we’d like to disembark immediately, but… can you two manage?”

“…………If I stake my life on it, maybe.”

“…………I refuse to stake my life, so no.”

“It would be a problem if you had to stake your life this early on, so either way is fine.”

“That’s a problem,” Roylen muttered.

Right then, Lililia chimed in.

“Then I’ll stay with them on the boat. As long as nothing crazy shows up, we’ll be fine until you all return.”

She added, as if it were her true intention, “Sitting and waiting is easier.”

Ziel, who had exchanged many letters with her, couldn’t tell if she was being sincere. But Roylen responded,

“That would be helpful. Then let’s—”

“Wait a moment, Professor Roylen.”

Just as they were about to settle on a plan, Eunice stopped them.

With this back-and-forth, Ziel wasn’t sure who to look at. He shifted slightly to the right to avoid getting in their way.

“Wouldn’t it be better the other way around? There’s no need for all of us to go together. Two of us will go.”

Two.

Ziel repeated the word in his mind, considering possible pairings.

“Me and Ziel.”

Before he could finish thinking, Eunice had decided.

He almost said “Huh?”

That pair wouldn’t work, would it? But then, something occurred to him.

Oh, right. Eunice’s terrible sense of direction only applied indoors.

“Professor Wilae may not show it, but she looks tired. Professor Roylen, you also seemed a little thrown off by the boat’s movement speed earlier. It would be better if you took a moment to discuss adjustments with Klaha.”

Ziel glanced at Wilae.

Their eyes met. For a brief moment, she maintained her usual composed expression before giving a small, knowing smile. “I suppose so.”

“…That would be best if you’re sure you can handle it. Are you familiar with the setup of the magical devices?”

“No problem. That’s why I attended the morning briefing. I have the manual memorized.”

“And if any issues come up, we’ll just bring it back. The two of us will be quick.”

Roylen pondered for a moment before responding,

“Then, I’ll take you up on that. Eunice, Ziel, I’m counting on you.”

“Of course. Leave it to us.”

“Yeah, got it.”

Ziel nodded. He had plenty of stamina. He was suited for the task. If anything, he would have preferred for Klaha to gain experience in this environment, but—

“Take care, Ziel.”

“Yeah. You be careful too. Klaha’s the only close-combat fighter left with you.”

There would be plenty of opportunities for Klaha later.

“Lililia, take care of things here.”

“Leave it to me. I’m a professional at staying behind. I can even fake being out.”

“You can’t.”

“We’re off, then,” Ziel said as he and Eunice crossed Roylen’s bridge of vines, stepping from the sea into the forest.