Chapter 41: Ba-Bump!

While the girls were off enjoying the spring, the boys went back to the beach. Gazing at the battered shoreline, Sion crossed his arms.

“Well. What should our next move be?”

“Good question.” Abel pursed his lips. “For starters, I don’t see any signs of a wreckage, so...”

Searching through the flotsam along the coast revealed nothing that looked like it came from the Emerald Star, nor were there any injured sailors or drowned bodies.

“We need to be sure though. Whether or not that yacht is still afloat will decide our course of action. If it’s moored somewhere else on the island to shelter from the storm, we can just wait until it comes back. Even if it sustained some damage, as long as it can still sail, we can send it back to Ganudos to request help. That being said...”

“That storm was a doozy,” said Keithwood, picking up as Sion trailed off. “Lady Esmeralda sounded pretty confident about her yacht’s durability, but...”

“I don’t know how much we can trust her judgment. I don’t mean to be rude, but the way she talks, she sounds like every other noble bigwig. Confidence from someone who subscribes to that school of thought isn’t very reassuring.”

Sion nodded in agreement with Abel’s assessment.

“Agreed. At the very least, we should take what she says with a grain of salt. For all our sakes.”

“We should probably proceed under the assumption that the yacht went under.”

If the Emerald Star was intact, then the plan would be straightforward: they could simply wait. A few days of survival might be necessary, but it wouldn’t take long for help to arrive. They could camp here for a week or so without much trouble. If the Emerald Star had sunk, their outlook would change significantly.

“Finding a way off this island ourselves...is not very realistic,” muttered Sion.

Abel grimaced as well.

“Yeah, we’d have to build a new boat, and I don’t think any of us are up for that... But who knows? Maybe Mia will come up with some sort of brilliant idea like she always does.”

Mia’s shoulders, it seemed, were something of a burden magnet, attracting the hopes and expectations of others without her consent.

“Our most realistic method of rescue is probably to have either Princess Mia’s vassals or someone from the House of Greenmoon realize that something’s wrong and send out a search party. That Ludwig fellow in particular seems pretty sharp from what I’ve seen...”

“In that case, we’ll need some way to mark the position of this island for them.”

“Maybe we should send up some smoke signals or something?” Abel, true to form, offered a predictable but nevertheless sensible proposal.

“Sounds good. All right, we’ll focus on two tasks for the time being. One, raise smoke signals to call for help. Two, secure a supply of food,” concluded Sion before pausing with an amused chuckle. “Speaking of food, what Mia did back there sure took me by surprise.”

Keithwood nodded somberly in agreement.

“Yes. Who’d have thought that under circumstances like these, she’d give out her own rations so freely? And to us attendants as well.”

“Considering the policies she’s been implementing in Tearmoon, it’d be foolish to think she doesn’t understand the importance of food supplies. Which makes it all the more remarkable that she’d part with her own so willingly. I never doubted her integrity, but even so... She’s a marvel.”

As he spoke, Sion turned his thoughts inward.

If we’re going to live on this island, we should decide on a leader. I was debating between me and Mia, or maybe Abel...but after seeing that scorching sun, I don’t think I have the nerve to nominate myself anymore.

Mia and Anne were first to rendezvous at the beach. The former’s clothes were dry, whereas the latter’s were still a tad wet. Anne had smiled and said, “It’s all right. They’ll dry while I’m wearing them,” when Mia looked at her with concern, but now, as the full heat of the sun beat down on them, she wondered if she’d made a mistake as she enviously eyed the cool dampness of her maid’s attire.

“Ah, Mia, you’re ba— Hm? Where’s Lady Esmeralda?”

“She said she’d wait for Nina to wash her clothes.”

Sion gave her a puzzled look, which was shared by the other boys. Only after Anne offered a supplemental explanation of Esmeralda’s insistence on proper divisions of labor did they roll their eyes in understanding.

“Well, figures, I guess...” sighed Sion. “We have some important matters to discuss, so let’s wait until she’s here.”

An hour or so passed, during which they’d finished the preparations for a signal fire on the beach, before Esmeralda finally appeared with Nina in tow. Sion looked at each of them in turn, making sure the whole team was present, before speaking.

“Until we manage to get ourselves off this deserted island, I believe we should decide on a leader for the group.”

“Hm, I think you’re right. They do say too many captains make a ship sail for the moon, after all,” Mia agreed before putting a finger to her chin in thought.

Hmm... If it’s a leader we need, then I think it should be me.

She felt fully qualified for the role. It seemed very likely that among the members of their group, the one most versed in the art of survival...was her. She could tell which plants were edible, and she knew how to catch fish. Well, river fish, at least. An amateur, she was not. With all that she’d learned, she now had confidence that even the distinguishing of poisonous mushrooms from edible ones—a feat said to be difficult—was within her grasp. Which was true, so long as it was her confidence that was being talked about. In a complete departure from her usual laziness, she was ready to volunteer herself for the job. Her own safety was at stake. There was no room for indolence in the matter.

However, I suspect things might get messy if I nominate myself... she thought as she stole a glance at Esmeralda. Being the host of this seafaring voyage, it did seem natural for her to take charge. How odd though. For some reason though, I can’t help but feel that if Esmeralda becomes leader, none of us will make it out of this alive.

Her internal danger sensor threw a fit at the thought. Not Esmeralda, it seemed to plead. Pick someone else for leader! Anyone else! As long as it’s not her! Mia decided to follow its desperate advice.

“Since being the leader can be a rather heavy burden, I think one of these fine gentlemen would be best suited for the task. Don’t you agree, Esmeralda?” she said with deliberate indifference, picking her words carefully to avoid any hint of self-nomination, thereby also subtly nudging Esmeralda’s train of thought away from wanting to take on the role herself.

“Yes, I suppose I would indeed prefer a gentleman to take the lead in this situation. I think you’re right, Miss Mia,” Esmeralda replied, apparently convinced by this logic.

Mia’s manipulation proved successful. It was a shrewd move on her part, taking advantage of the fact that Esmeralda tended to hold conservative beliefs about such things.

“I...guess that’s true,” said Sion, clueing into Mia’s strategy. He studied Esmeralda briefly before nodding. “Yes, of course. Either Abel or I will be leader then.”

“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but I’ll let you have that particular honor,” said Abel.

“How come? You realize there’s no need for modesty right now, yes?”

Abel looked down to hide a grimace. Then, he shook his head.

“It’s...not that. I’m just...looking to optimize things. I mean, I already know what it’s like to command an army. I figured I’d let you take charge here so you can build up some experience. Even the playing field, you know?” he said with a good-natured smirk. “As for me... I think I’ll just focus on keeping Mia safe this time around.”

Abel’s smirk concealed his conflicted emotions. Deep down, he wanted very much to be the leader. Who took charge here was a matter of pride, and Sion knew it. That was why he’d framed it as a discussion, inviting input from Abel.

I can try to be the hero, and I know I want to...but if my ego ends up putting Mia in danger, I’d never forgive myself.

He knew himself. Too well, perhaps. Discipline and effort, these were qualities he could muster. He would neither slack off nor give up. But excellence? Brilliance? Those would never be his, they belonged to Sion. In the end, he took a step back and asked Sion to be the leader. That was the best way to protect Mia. He knew this. It was the right choice. And yet...

Being right...doesn’t make it any easier to swallow, does it?

So, he smirked. The casual spread of his lips allowed him to swallow his chagrin.

“As for me... I think I’ll just focus on keeping Mia safe this time around.”

The subtle pain in his words went straight over Mia’s head.

“Oh my, Abel...”

Ba-dum!

Mia’s heart gave off an audible flutter. All she heard, bless her lovestruck soul, was the promise of a whole lot of alone time with Abel.