Mila's vision swam as she found herself swaying dangerously and unsteadily with each swell of the waves. She was absolutely, positively and utterly exhausted. She was no longer hungover, but the lack of sleep and dehydration combined with the constant drain of her powers, were causing her to struggle to stay awake. She could feel the pull of blissful unconsciousness tugging at her brain, dulling her senses. A strong, warm hand on her lower back snapped her back into focus. She looked over her shoulder to see Fujimoto standing just off to her side, eyes respectfully averted.

"Forgive me for touching you, Princess Sama. I tried calling out to you but you did not respond. I worried that you would fall and injure yourself. I accept any punishment you wish to dole out for my transgressions."

Mila shook her head as she tried clearing the cobwebs from her brain. She rubbed groggily at her eyes and stifled a yawn.

"Are all the people of Orientalis this obsessed with getting punished for things, or just you Fujimoto?"

Fujimoto smiled wryly at the Princess.

"It's not so much about the punishment as it is about dishonor, Princess Sama. My people take honor very seriously. We have very strict codes for behavior and conduct. Doing something dishonorable not only brings shame down upon you, but also your family and all those associated with you. So transgressions, when they do happen, must be punished without question. There is no greater fear than falling into disgrace."

Mila smiled warmly at the Royal Guard.

"I see. My people also have a strong sense of honor and fairness, with proud traditions dating back centuries."

Mila felt her eyes trying to close and her knees gave a slight wobble. Fujimoto was standing in front of her, concern written all over his face.

"Forgive me for overstepping my authority Princess Sama, but you absolutely must rest. Your body cannot hold out much longer."

Mila looked at the guard with heavily drooping eyes.

"But…we don't have time…we can't waste it…we must…faster."

"Our Lignum Magi are rested enough that they can take over propulsion duties from the sea animals while you rest, Princess Sama. You are most honorable for pushing yourself beyond your limits and have earned my sincerest admiration and respect. I besiege you, rest a while."

Mila simply did not have the strength to argue with the man anymore. She turned to the sea and released the two whales that had been helping push them so smoothly through the water. She directed them to a nearby shoal of sardines and thanked them for their service. Completely drained, she slumped over and fell forward. She was whisked off her feet by a pair of strong and gentle arms, fully asleep before her feet even left the ground.

Fujimoto carried the sleeping Princess below deck and onto a clean cot. He instructed the female servants to bathe her and dress her in a training uniform. They looked questioningly at each other, but did not dare speak out about the guard's strange request. Fujimoto had a feeling that the foreign Princess cared little for fancy robes or ornamental clothing. He had seen it earlier in the way she had run toward them. She had been the perfect vision of some wild forest spirit, someone used to having the freedom to run at will. His eyes had had a hard time believing that the 'spirit' was actually a svelte woman with hair like an auburn flame and strangely pointed ears. He had been even more surprised to find out she was a Princess. He had always heard the rumors that Occidentis was a strange land, but had never expected it to be so strange. And, just when he thought that he had reached the limit for bizarre revelations, the Princess announced her ability to speak to animals. That one was wholly surprising to him, for he had not expected such abilities to exist outside of Orientalis. He found himself looking forward to meeting the other interesting characters this strange land had to offer. I wonder what their ruler will be like. Will he be honorable and strong like our Emperor or will be as bullheaded and boorish as the rumors? Fujimoto summoned the four Lignum Magi and asked them if they were sufficiently rested and ready to resume their duties. Every single one stated their willingness to serve. He nodded appreciatively at them, before asking them all to work together and use their powers simultaneously.

"I'm sorry to make such an unreasonable demand of you at present, but time is not a luxury we have. We must reach Mumei no Shima as quickly as possible. A potential war hangs in the balance. Princess Sama has exhausted herself to the point of unconsciousness to give us a head start. We must not allow her efforts and sacrifice to go to waste!"

A chorus of "はい、藤本さん!"rang out on deck before the wood mages assumed their strategic positions on the ship and activated their powers. The ship hummed with magic as it slowly picked up momentum before easing into a comfortable speed. Fujimoto looked on, pleased with the results of the mages' determination. Hopefully, it would be enough.

…

King Nikiforov spent most of the trip pacing the ship's deck distractedly. He busied himself developing and creating as many contingency plans regarding Squire Plisetsky in his head as possible. They ranged from potentially captured, to severely injured, possibly incapacitated, and least-favorably; irreversibly dead. His mind raced ahead and kept making him second-guess himself. He growled in frustration. He just wanted to be there already. He just need to know...so he could move ahead with one of his measures. Not knowing was the worst. It was also making the journey feel like it was taking years instead of hours. He had paused a few times to scan the horizon, feeling increasingly annoyed by the lack of any land. The vast sea stretched out infinitely, as if mocking him. He had never been to the Nameless Island before. It was not prominent in any treaty or territorial dispute. He had sent the reconnaissance party to scout things out based on the persistent rumors that demons had taken hold of it and were operating from it. The sources were very credible and it wouldn't hurt to have the area properly mapped, so he had sent them off. His fatal error had been to send Squire Plisetsky with them. That little пятно дерьма, he is going to regret this fuckup for the rest of his life. I'll make sure of it.

The King took out his telescope and scanned the vastness of the blue sea around them. His excited gasp drew General Altin to his side immediately.

"Sire?"

"General Altin, land ho!"

The General took the telescope from the monarch's hand and confirmed with his own eyes that land had indeed been sighted. He handed the telescope back to the King and strode to the middle of the ship's deck and made an announcement too all those on board. He informed them that it appeared they would be making landfall in about two hours. Everyone was to finalize preparations and ready the supplies for efficient disembarkment. The General returned to the King's side once more.

"What is the plan once we reach land, your majesty?"

"The first thing we must do is locate a suitable encampment site. We can send the servants and staff off to do that while the three of us meet up with the two assassins. That'll make five of us in the search party. One hour before we make landfall, I will send Ciocco out with a message. She will make quick work of finding her master, and informing them of our arrival."

The General nodded slowly.

"And you are certain that you wish to personally lead the search party, Sire?"

"I am certain, General Altin. I must be there when the Squire's condition is revealed to us. I must sight him with my very own eyes."

The General placed his right hand over his heart and bowed deeply toward the King.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

...

Michele Crispino found his sister's tracks with ease, for he knew the prints her boots made quite well. The damp earth made it even easier to track her, as they preserved the prints beautifully. When he reached the spot where the brat's trail ended, he saw his sister's continue. He frowned as he saw the large gap between prints. She must have set off in a big hurry. He looked around at all the trees surrounding him and set his sights on the tallest one he could find. He walked up determinedly at it before pulling himself upon the lowest branch. He climbed the tree effortlessly until he was high enough to get a good look at the terrain. He was not prepared for the sight that awaited him. There was massive camp not even one kilometer away from his position. It was a huge camp, filled with at least a hundred people. He just knew that Sara was in there. Dammit! If only there weren't so many people! I would run in there and save her myself! Michele's eyes narrowed as he glared at the campsite with as much disdain as he could muster. He watched it helplessly as he seethed with growing anger. Don't worry Sara, I WILL get you out of there. I'll kill anyone who dares to get in my way!

_terminology_

はい、藤本さん! (hai, Fujimoto-san) – Yes, Mr. Fujimoto!

пятно дерьма (pyatno der'ma) - shit stain