Perspective: Fir

Location: Daikof Island

"Alright, let's land here."

Flying above a vacant space at the harbor, I slowly descended with Oyado in my arms.

"Ugh, my legs are numb."

Aliyah walked towards us, twisting her joints as she walked.

I set Oyado down on the ground and looked at Aliyah.

"Want me to give you a massage?"

"Sure... Oh, no, I'll do it myself."

Aliyah hesitated, seeming a bit embarrassed.

Honestly, feeling embarrassed at a time like this... oh well.

"Then let me just give you a quick healing."

With that, I cast a healing spell on Aliyah, and after a moment, her expression relaxed.

"Magic really is convenient... and it's lucky you learned healing magic."

"Well..."

I shrugged.

"Alright, let's start exploring."

I glanced around.

"At first glance, it doesn't seem like much, but up close, it's quite eerie."

Upon closer inspection, the entire harbor seemed like it had been abandoned for years. The docks had all but collapsed, and the bridges had partly submerged into the water with unknown plants growing out of them.

However, something odd caught my eye - there wasn't a single ship in the harbor. I wondered if they had all sunk or sailed away.

"These houses look strange too. It feels like... they've decayed rather than weathered by sea winds."

Aliyah, now recovered, began her investigation. After examining the houses in the village, she spoke up.

"This doesn't make sense, this was clearly a harbor."

"This just confirms what I said. This harbor wasn't abandoned naturally; it was affected by accelerated magic use... And, I have a very unsettling suspicion that the people here didn't leave, but rather aged rapidly due to the acceleration!"

"Aged rapidly!"

Aliyah shivered.

"That's a terrifying way to die, but if that's the case..."

"Yes, it would mean the other party had to fast-forward time by at least 50 years or more. Of course, I am completely unfamiliar with time magic, so I don't know the exact details."

"True..."

"Anyway, let's check inside the houses. There might be some clues."

With that, I headed towards a nearby building.

However, just as I took a few steps, something felt off. Turning around, I saw Aliyah and Oyado huddling behind me.

...

"Um, why are you two following me if you're scared?"

I asked with a wry smile.

"Well... We just felt like we should come along, right, Oyado?"

"Yeah, Aliyah is right."

"...Alright, but be careful on your own. I'm not familiar with time magic, so if things go south, just run or stay close to me, I can use blink to get away."

"Okay."

Seeing them nod, I turned and pushed the door.

Clang.

Unfortunately, the door was so decayed that with a gentle push, it collapsed into pieces.

"This quality is really low..."

Even Aliyah commented on it.

"Never mind, let's check inside."

We entered the house.

The interior was as rundown as the exterior, with things arranged as if someone had been living there, yet strangely devoid of dust despite being dilapidated.

"It seems like people were living here not long ago."

Aliyah observed.

"But there are no signs of bodies. They weren't killed by magic?"

"Well... hard to say. But I think accelerating another person's time with time magic must not be a simple thing. On the other hand, accelerating an object might be simpler."

Although it was just a guess based on previous gaming knowledge.

"Wait!"

Oyado, standing by the dining table, suddenly exclaimed.

"To the east!"

"What about the east?"

"It sounds like there are other people's movements coming from the east."

Oyado said seriously.

"Let's go check."

As I spoke, I left the house from the doorway.

Looking east, a group of people in sailor clothing was approaching from outside the village.

"Hey!"

I called out.

The group noticed me, paused for a moment, then rushed towards us.

Soon, they had surrounded us effortlessly; there were about twenty of them, enclosing us without much effort.

I looked closely at their titles and chuckled.

"You're pirates?"

"Right! Where did you three kids come from? Where's your ship? Hand it over!"

With that, they unsheathed their knives all at once.

"Ugh."

Aliyah yawned beside me.

"Fir, should I go first, or you?"

"Well... Your call."

"I think... you should go. I might end up causing casualties."

"...What kind of reason is that? Like I wouldn't."

I shrugged.

"Hey! What are you guys talking about? I know you're scared! If you don't want to die..."

"Ugh, here we go..."

Before he could finish, I lifted him with one hand and hurled him towards the others.

The throw knocked down two more, and I nodded in satisfaction, looking at the stunned pirates.

"Let me tell you something, you lot. I can take on fifty of you, so talk to me."

I grinned at the baffled pirates, then continued.

"You want to take turns or come at me all together?"