Three sturdy warships set sail with the wind, heading into the mist toward the opposite shore.
The lake's icy waves slapped against the rough timber hulls and boarding ladders.
The warriors aboard were now truly isolated, with no hope of aid. If the ships were destroyed, they would all perish in an instant. Their lives hung by a thread.
On the middle ship, Gron remained wholly focused on sensing every shift of wind and wave around them.
At the slightest sign of anything wrong, he would spring up and strike head-on.
Most of the warriors aboard were also doing their utmost at their posts. They held no goodwill toward this lake. Faced with the unknown, they wanted only to reach the opposite shore as quickly as possible. Nothing more.
Apart from the repair crews tending the engines, all three ships were filled with soldiers on the highest alert. It was only natural, yet worthy of both praise and lament.
Well...
Except, of course, for a certain Vessel.
The Little Knight was sitting on a bench in a room, writing and drawing on a scroll in its hands, then revising its marks.
It was clearly a very crude map. The Vessel kept adding simple, readily understood markings, looking relaxed and at ease.
It even added quite a few hidden passages that had gone undiscovered during the Expedition.
This was another of the Little Knight's abilities: a perfect visual memory. Or rather, it could revisit every trace of its memories with precision.
The map, quill, seal, and various other small items were all things it had bought from merchants in Iseldor Town.
Naturally, given the Little Knight's earlier bravery at the Blazing Gate, the merchants had charged it nothing.
Even the Little Knight did not quite understand why it was putting in