After several days at sea, when they returned to the sunlight, Captain William was already at the bow of the Iceberg, chatting animatedly with Kraft about their next port of call.
After getting to know each other, the two had quickly become friends. So when Kup finally managed to adjust to life aboard ship and returned to Kraft, clutching his stomach, he was quite surprised to find that he, Kraft's Squire, wasn't the person on board who knew Kraft best.
As he realized this, the already-frigid night wind seemed to grow even colder. Kup rubbed his hands together and headed for the bow, ready to fulfill his duties as a Squire—at least in theory.
He figured someone capable of driving off that thing probably didn't need much guarding. And after spending several days weakened by seasickness, he hadn't even done any odd jobs for the crew. Getting paid without working left him feeling uneasy.
The night wind howled over the sea. Vivid scenes from the captain's terrifying stories, which Kup had been listening to for days, flashed through his mind. He shivered, tightened his clothes, and hurried toward the two figures silhouetted in the darkness.
The sturdier figure on the right pointed ahead, toward a darkness like the world at its beginning, before God had called for light.
"That's right, over there. We'll see it soon."
"Are you sure?" asked the young voice on the left, sounding unconvinced. Kup followed his gaze, and the same question crossed his mind. What could there possibly be to see in the middle of the night?
"Trust an old captain's valuable experience. You'll see it any moment now. And I strongly recommend you go down and have a look around. It's a rare opportunity—you won't regret it." He left them hanging, just like in