“Ah~ Hello, everyone! Thank you for boarding the Go Wherever You Want to Go ship. I am your captain and navigator, Dr. Gundo. Our vessel is scheduled to depart for the Zramun Archipelago in exactly 13 minutes….”

Why does he call himself a doctor if he’s the captain and navigator?

Maybe "Doctor" is his last name.

For a small port town’s captain, he sure has a strong sense of service. He even uses extremely polite language to detail the navigation plan—this is definitely modern.

“The ship is surprisingly big.”

Lucy’s surprise was understandable. Even though it was the only ship going to the Zramun Archipelago, it was the size of a full-rigged ship.

“And there are so many people on board.”

Despite the size, the ship was packed with as many passengers as it could hold. Lin, brimming with the memories of his past life as Mr. Lee, explained the reason to Lucy.

“The Zramun Archipelago is in the middle of a festival right now.”

“A festival?”

“A festival to honor the Second Hero.”

“Is that so….”

Lin had already told Lucy about the Second Hero and the Demon Sword. Like him, this hero was betrayed and falsely accused by his comrades. Both the Second and Fourth Heroes were stabbed in the back. To be precise, the First and Third Heroes died defending against the demon invasion, while the Second and Fourth were betrayed. Lucy at least had the unique achievement of having completed the Demon King’s subjugation.

Come to think of it, both were betrayed right after accomplishing their greatest feats.

“The festival is held to honor the achievements and spirit of the Second Hero. Although it’s not widely known, it seems like a decent number of people attend every year.”

“…What’s the point of honoring someone after they’re dead?”

Lucy grumbled in a gruff tone. The Second Hero’s story seemed to remind her of her own, and it irritated her.

“If I had died right after defeating the Demon King, as they wished, they’d probably hold a festival for me and call it a day, right?”

“Hmm, it’s a bit different. Very few people actually know that the Zramun Archipelago’s festival is in honor of the Second Hero.”

“Why is that?”

Lin gave a bitter smile. This wasn’t something he was eager to tell Lucy.

“The Zramun Archipelago is the Second Hero’s homeland. Since they couldn’t openly hold a funeral for the hero who was executed as a traitor, the hero’s sister and the people of the archipelago started this festival instead.”

“What the hell….”

“The whole idea of a festival to honor the Second Hero not being widely known doesn’t really make sense, does it?”

“Right.”

Lucy accepted it easily enough, but she still wasn’t satisfied. She leaned her head on Lin’s shoulder.

“It’s frustrating. I don’t like it.”

Lin also wasn’t a fan of the Second Hero’s story. In the game, the only thing explicitly revealed was the goddess’s punishment after the hero’s death; the rest was hinted at through Easter eggs scattered throughout the game. So, even Lin didn’t know the full story of the Second Hero.

“Hey, Lin.”

Lucy snuggled closer to Lin.

“After the Second Hero died, the goddess herself delivered divine retribution, didn’t she?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I think you’re the person the goddess sent to save me.”

She buried her face into his shoulder, embarrassed.

“I’m so lucky. The Second Hero received retribution only after the betrayers’ grandchildren had grown up, but I was saved by you before I even died.”

Lin felt a bit awkward. Considering that he had intentionally taken actions after awakening his past life memories, Lucy wasn’t entirely wrong. But being praised like this made him feel a little embarrassed, even though it was just between the two of them.

The goddess, huh….

To be honest, the demon god is the real problem here. While the goddess typically strengthens humanity, the demon god secretly weakens or turns them against each other, especially heroes. The random events where the demon god offers the hero party members deals they can’t refuse were explicitly designed to frustrate the player. When a party member turned against you, the only option in the original game was to reset.

However, because this event drew so much ire from players, the developers deleted it entirely with the release of a DLC. If it was going to be removed, they could’ve just patched it before the DLC, but game companies are always sharp when it comes to sniffing out money.

Anyway, even though the event was removed, I should still warn her.

“Lucy.”

“Yeah?”

“If some unknown entity approaches you and offers to grant a wish, you must be suspicious.”

“A wish?”

“For example, changing the past?”

This was the wish that corrupted Arsil.

“Or changing your personality or nature?”

This was Naydrean’s wish.

“Or erasing a certain someone?”

This was Tigria’s, though I still don’t know why she wanted that. There’s no information on it.

“Something like that?”

“They seem like simple but complicated wishes.”

And every single one was something Lucy would be tempted by. Lin was just listing the wishes of his party members, but Lucy, at this moment, wanted all three. She wanted to change the past where she mistreated Lin, to change the person who had yelled and said cruel things to him, and to erase the existence of Reinbold, the biggest stain on her love for Lin. How could she not be tempted?

But Lin had told her not to do it. If Lin said not to, she shouldn’t do it.

“Okay, I’ll just cut down anyone who approaches me like that.”

“No, don’t just go cutting people down.”

“Hehe.”

She inhaled deeply, savoring Lin’s scent while her face was still buried in his shoulder. His smell always brought her comfort. And now, Lucy was incredibly pleased that she had finally managed to have a casual conversation with Lin, just like Ravin did. She felt so happy. No, she shouldn’t get ahead of herself. She should live only for Lin, always by his side.

Naturally, it wasn’t a one-day trip to the archipelago. Lin and Lucy spent their days on deck, passing the time in pleasant conversation.

“Apparently, a few people fell overboard last night.”

“People?”

That was Lucy’s doing.

“They were a troublesome bunch, causing issues all the time.”

While Lin slept soundly, Lucy had taken it upon herself to patrol the deck at night and overheard the troublesome group’s plans.

“I remember them. They were always drunk, picking fights.”

“That’s right, you were planning to deal with them, weren’t you?”

When they talked about killing Lin and then having their way with her, Lucy threw them all into the sea on the spot.

“And that’s not all.”

“There’s more?”

“Those women who wore heavy makeup and revealing clothes?”

“…….”

“What’s wrong?”

“Since when were you noticing how they dressed?”

“Why does it matter how they dressed…?”

And so, Lucy threw those women into the sea as well. After dealing with the troublesome group, she overheard more conversation.

“That pretty brunette next to that dark-haired guy, she seems reliable, doesn’t she?”

“What? Is she the next target? That’s surprising.”

“You’re clueless. Those reserved types are the ones who save up a tidy sum of money. It’s perfect for a quick score. Once I get my hands on her purse, I’ll slit her throat and dump her in the sea.”

“But the girl she was with was pretty. Think she’ll come around?”

“You don’t get it, do you?”

The woman who planned to seduce Lin arrogantly raised her chin.

“Would a girl who knows she’s pretty go for a guy like that?”

So Lucy revealed herself and asked.

“What’s wrong with Lin?”

“Who… Ugh!”

If they screamed, it would wake Lin, and that would be a problem. She punched the two women in the stomach with all her might and then tossed them into the sea by their collars. The waves were so rough that there wasn’t even a splash.

“Compared to Lin, I’m nothing.”

After confirming that no one was around, Lucy looked up at the bright moon and smiled sweetly.

Goddess, today I protected the world for Lin again.

“Lucy? Lucy?”

“Yes, Lin, I’m listening.”

“Anyway, let’s be careful on deck. Don’t go too close to the railing.”

“Thank you, Lin, for worrying about me.”

It was exhilarating to receive his concern. But she shouldn’t show it too much. Lin might feel troubled, so maybe just a little kiss on his neck….

“Ah~ Hello, everyone! Thank you for boarding the Go Wherever You Want to Go ship. I am your captain and navigator, Dr. Gundo. Our vessel will arrive at the Zramun Archipelago in exactly 13 minutes….”

The sudden announcement startled Lucy. The village that operated this ship was small, yet the vessel was the size of a full-rigged ship and even equipped with magical broadcasting devices. There were many mysterious aspects to it.

“Lin, we’re almost there!”

“Let’s get ready.”

Lucy felt a mix of disappointment and excitement for the upcoming journey. She hadn’t done anything to upset Lin while on the ship and had enjoyed the casual conversations she had long dreamed of having with him. Although the ship journey was ending, the Zramun Archipelago was in the midst of a festival. Lin had warned her that there might be demons, but she was eager to obtain the Demon Sword, defeat them, and enjoy the festival with him, even just a little.

Finally, the ship docked at the pier.

“Lin, what should we do now?”

She asked with anticipation.

“Don’t worry, Lucy. I’ve got everything planned out.”

“Really?”

“We’re going straight to the festival.”

“Really?!”

Lucy was overjoyed. So Lin had the same thought—he wanted to enjoy the festival with her. A festival date… No, no, Lucy, don’t get ahead of yourself. You haven’t been chosen by Lin yet, and you haven’t been forgiven. Don’t get too excited. But it was hard to suppress the smile creeping across her face.

“We won’t be able to enjoy it completely, but we’ll have some fun and make some money.”

No! See, he said we can enjoy it! And make money too! …Wait, what?

“How will we make money?”

Lucy asked, dazed.

But before Lin could answer, a large figure suddenly burst onto the dock, shouting.

“Hey! All you festival cargo workers, get your asses over here!”

“Me! Me!”

Lin raised his hand high and shouted as he ran over. Seeing him so excited was a bit unfamiliar.

“Oh! I like your enthusiasm! What’s your name?”

“Chun-sik! Lee Chun-sik!”

“Okay, Chun-sik! Are you alone?”

“No!”

Lin waved at Lucy.

“Soon-yi! Come on, hurry! These spots fill up fast!”

The old Lucy would’ve felt deflated and disappointed here. But now, just seeing Lin smile and wave at her made her heart race uncontrollably.

“Soon-yi!”

“Coming!”

Soon-yi ran cheerfully to Chun-sik’s side.

“What’s your name, girl?”

“I-I’m Soon-yi!”

She quickly mimicked Lin’s surname. It almost made them seem like a married couple.

“A girl, huh… It’s going to be tough, but can you handle it?”

The large man asked with concern. Soon-yi flashed a bright smile and pointed at Chun-sik.

“If I’m with him, I can do it!”