A gentle bump roused Gaius from his mediation, and the boy squinted as light streamed in from the windows. The twilight hours had passed by swiftly, but more importantly, the ferry was now moored what looked like a port town.

Moments passed in silence, and then the boy realised the significance of what he was seeing. It wasn’t any old town — it was the town of a new continent, the North, the Mortal Light Dynasty. It was a nation currently led by someone who came from Earth, a place of innovation in all sectors. And most importantly, it was a nation explicitly hostile to the great gods, the Human God in particular.

A door opened. Isabelle and Nakama walked out of it, their eyes brimming with curiosity. Like him, it was their first time in the Northern Continent, and the prospect of walking on solid ground once more had infused them with more eagerness than when they visited the Eastern Territories previously.

The three of them headed out of the cabin, where the other members of the Kusanagi family were already finishing up a briefing by Kenouji. Most of his words revolved around common sense, although there was something odd in his insistence that no one was allowed to head to a place to eat en masse. There was probably some truth in that, but that particular instruction was the one that met with the most grumbles out of everything.

After the Kusanagis dispersed, Gaius walked over to Kenouji. “The location of the vault is near this town?”

“Quite,” he replied. “It’s around twenty kilometres to the…north-east. All things considered, we should be there after a few hours of fast travel.”

“You’re only bringing the young ones with you, then?” Gaius asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “We just need to get enough funds to get a place to settle everyone down, and then the rest will do their own things. The seniors of my family are experts in their own fields, and they’re also very eager to step up to the plate in this foreign land.”

The youngsters began to form up into a small contingent, their eyes fixed on Kenouji. As for the elders, they had broken up into little groups, discussing for a few minutes before making moves to disembark.

“Where are they all headed to?” Isabelle asked, her eyes following the groups of men and women hobbling off the ferry.

“To the Information Brokers, probably,” Gaius replied. “Know yourself and your enemy, and victory is assured.”

Kenouji grimaced. “They’ll be sleeping in a shed or on the ship if we don’t bring back some money tonight.”

“Better not waste time sitting around, then.” Gaius turned to Isabelle. “Can you handle our lodgings? I’ll go with them.”

“We’ll just tag along,” said Isabelle. “Nakama’s light enough that she wouldn’t slow me down while we fly.”

“Light enough?” Gaius frowned and turned to his little sister. “Did you lose weight?

After a moment of contemplation, the boy realised that he had just asked a stupid question. It went without saying that the trip had definitely done a number on everyone, and Nakama was probably holding back to prevent them from worrying too much. He felt a pang in his chest, and then resolved to get her some real food afterwards.

Nakama shook her head mutely, but it just made it worse. Gaius repressed an urge to grab a nearby chef, and acted like a normal person instead.

“We’ll get you some food before heading off,” said Gaius. “What’s the signature food of the North? Wouldn’t hurt to try it out.”

Kenouji looked at the port town, and swallowed. “I suppose getting the others some food is a good idea, especially for those following me.”

The contingent of youths pricked their ears up at his words, and began to chime in during that moment of weakness.

“Man, I might not have the strength to fly!”

“Yeah, food onboard sapped my energy away,” said another. “Porridge? Bleh.”

“Some proper meat in our bellies will go a long way, right?”

Kenouji rubbed his head. “You guys…fine, get something into your tummies. Not a full course meal, but something nice and filling. We’ll meet here in an hour.”

The others cheered for three seconds, and then filed out of the ship within moments. A few of them had the sense to stay behind to guard the ferry, with the others promising to bring some food back, and the young family head nodded in satisfaction.

“Promising bunch of youths, aren’t they?”

Gaius wanted to point out that Kenouji was probably the youngest one amongst them, but on second thought, decided that that sentiment didn’t need to be voiced out. It was probably something similar to what the others thought when he did something out of his age group, now that he thought about it.

He shared a glance with Isabelle, who was clearly thinking along the same lines, and stifled a giggle. Isabelle glared back, only for her expression to falter a moment later.

“Are you guys okay?” Kenouji asked. “Your expressions don’t look that good.”

Gaius cleared his throat forcefully. “We’re fine, thanks. Just a bit…ah, overcome with the prospects of stepping on solid land once more.”

“Oh, I can totally understand that feeling,” Kenouji replied. “Come on, let’s get onto real stable ground. This swaying sensation really bugs.”

He nodded at the hastily-gathered guards, and then left the ship, his robes swishing in the wind as he walked down the gangplank. A few Northerners did a double take as the dashing young youth walked past them, elegance oozing out of his every movements.

“Didn’t know he had this side to him,” Gaius muttered. “Was he an alumni at Kishi Gakuen with over a dozen admirers?”

“You could ask him that,” Isabelle replied, “but I don’t really think he’s going to answer that.”

“Bummer.” Gaius gently descended onto the port, and then began looking around in interest.

“Interesting,” said the boy. “News about me has spread, it seems.”

“News?” Isabelle asked.

Gaius grinned. “You will not believe this.”