An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Meredy urged, waving her hands vigorously.

"Chris~ What are you doing~? I'm going to kill you~"

Mei'er swung the water whip, and Chris's lustful expression seemed to be discovered.

Chris screamed, "Oh no!" and tried to run away. Oscar and Nez nodded to each other, thinking, "They really do look like sisters." They smiled and headed off to eat.

evening.

Over the western sea, the setting sun emitted a glow similar to Mei'er's magical light and gradually sank.

Under the reflection of the sea, an orange road stretched out from the horizon. Even though I had been watching this scene for a month, I still didn't get tired of it.

Meredy, Oscar, and Nez sat on the Melkine's observation deck, their feet dangling in the air, gazing at the beautiful sunset.

Meredith was in the middle, the three of them sitting side by side. But for a sunset-watching person like me, Meredith's expression was gloomy. While sunsets can inexplicably evoke a sense of loneliness, Meredith's expression was a mixture of loneliness and sadness, an ambiguous one.

I only heard Meredith suddenly say:

"Let's go back to Andica first."

Oscar and Natsu exchanged glances over Meredith's petite head.

Oscar pushed up his glasses and asked:

"Have you given up?"

"I'm not giving up, not at all!"

It seems like he wants to go back because he hasn't admitted defeat.

"I think I've become close to her and know a lot about her, but Sister Mei still won't let me cross the last line of defense."

As expected, Meredith believed that besides the purpose Mel had stated, she had other hidden secrets.

"...She said she wanted a place to live. Doesn't that sound like she's lying to me?"

"Yeah, I think that's true, but there's probably more to it than that."

"Do you have any basis for this?"

"No, although not..."

She knew everything she needed to know, but Mei still refused to join...

If that's the case, then it's time to give up. Mei'er isn't alone; she has many companions and a family. She doesn't need protection. Even if she's hiding something, whether or not to reveal it ultimately depends on Mei'er's will.

The same thing happened with the pirates. Over the past month, no one had expressed interest in joining the Liberator. Despite sincere conversations with Milady and the others, they continued to claim to be members of the Melkines family.

Therefore, continuing to persuade them would be an act that would hinder their "free will".

That is why Oscar has to ask:

"You're quite dependent on Mei, aren't you? Are you comparing her to that person?"

"——!"

Mireddy was startled and turned to look at Oscar. Then she seemed a little shaken and asked in a hoarse voice:

"Depend? Did you see me being teased? Besides, who am I combining her with—"

"Miledi, you don't have to hide anything from me and Natsu. I can't say I understand your feelings 100%, but I believe I do understand a little bit, because you've been so honest with us."

“Oh…”

Meredith looked at Oscar with a confused expression. In the sunlight, Oscar's expression was hard to discern, but Meredith could vaguely sense that Oscar's face was gentle.

She looked at Natsu, who was looking directly at Meredith with a smile on his face.

The atmosphere they exuded made Meredith feel sure that no matter how she looked or how she felt, they would never feel embarrassed or disappointed.

Seeing her feelings understood, she seemed to have given up resistance, but a hint of joy lingered in her expression. Meredith pulled her legs back from the air and sat down on the observation deck, hugging her knees. She rested her chin on them, her eyes fixed on the distance, perhaps even the distant past.

"From the first time I spoke to her, I always felt like she was that person—she was like Belle."

Belle—Bertha Liebbel. This woman restored Meredith from the "young executioner of Rasen" to a "human girl," and was also the beginning of everything.

Mireidi adores her as a sister, and she has shaped Mireidi's current personality, making her more like a family member than real relatives.

She is very different from Mei'er in both appearance and image.

However, she always had a smile on her face, and regardless of other people's moods or inconveniences, she would play people around. Although she loved teasing Meredith, her eyes were very gentle when she looked at her...

And Meredith would unconsciously get really angry, take her anger out on others, get upset over trivial matters, and throw tantrums for no reason...

It was indeed a kind of dependence, and Meredith did overlap the figures of Mel and Belle.

Perhaps she had experienced times like this when she lived with Belle.

If Belle hadn't died, they might have spent time like this.

“…I’m the leader of the liberators, determined to wage war on the world, yet I’m chasing after fantasy. I’m holding back because I can’t forget the past. How shameful of me…”

"As for being unable to forget the past and being unable to move forward, I have more experience than you do. After all, I was indecisive and troubled for more than ten years."

"Xiao Nai..."

Amidst these self-deprecating words, it was clear that Natsu was trying to comfort Meredi, "So don't worry about it."

Meredy's expression fell, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Mirandy, you're also a human being, and a girl of only fifteen or sixteen. Whether you hesitate or take a detour, we won't blame you. We'll be where you are, and if you want to move forward, we'll move forward with you."

"Um."

Meredith buried her face in her knees and remained motionless for a long time.

Oscar and Nez did not rush her, but continued to wait while gazing at the sunset.

Time passes slowly like the setting sun.

Finally, when the burning light disappeared beyond the horizon, Meredith raised her head quietly.

"Thank you, Ao, Xiaonai. I know very well that Sister Mei'er is not Belle. Although I stay here because I don't want to be separated from her, this is the last time. In the end, I want to confirm Sister Mei's true wish, no, confirm Sister Mei's other wish. I feel that wish should be in Andika, in the place Sister Mei is pursuing."

"What if what she told us is the whole truth? Or even if there is 'that wish', Mei's will remains unchanged?"

"Then I'll give up! I'll support Sister Mei's way of life! I won't interfere with the free will of the Melkine Pirates!"

As if to blow away all the gloom, Meredith slapped her cheeks and stood up.

Then, the light in the sky's eyes returned to its original state, and Meredith gave orders to Oscar and Nez.

"That's it, Oh! Nai-chan! Let's leave early tomorrow morning!"

"Understood, Chief."

"receive."

In order to put an end to this, Miledi and others took action again.

The next day.

After Miledi and the others told them that they wanted to go back to Andika, Mei'er and the others readily agreed.

I thought someone would be worried that they would reveal the location of Ship Island to Andika, but no one thought so at all.

Just as Meredith and his crew had gotten to know the Melkines Pirates over the past month, the Melkines Pirates had also gotten to know the Liberator and Meredith, and a close relationship of trust seemed to have been established between the two. No, because Oscar had connections with the treasure vault, he was even being asked to do many things.

"As expected of a pirate, you don't know how to be polite..."

Walking in the port of the Antika Outer Circle [Aerogan Region], Oscar looked at the notebook in his hand with a tired expression on his face.

"Ahaha, there's nothing we can do about it, Oh. Besides what we can take from other pirates, like seasonings and daily necessities, we can only occasionally take what we can carry."

The pirates would sneak into Antica or the mainland's port cities with a small number of men at night, quietly purchase items, and then return under the cover of darkness.

It was indeed quite hard work. The sea was rich in seafood, and crops could be grown by laying soil inside the multiple ships. However, it was impossible to be self-sufficient in seasonings, clothing, small props, etc.

"Forget it, we'll go shopping later... Let's go to Wanda Hotel first."

As if urging her to do so, Meredith trotted forward.

As Mireidi said, they were now heading to the Wanda Hotel.

After the attack, Miledi and the others went directly with the Melkine Pirates, so they never saw Chiara again.

Chiara's current situation is worrying, and if we want to stay, that hotel is better.

"Oh, here we are, they are definitely open~"

Meredith felt a little relieved and took the lead in pushing open the door of the hotel.

"Welcome, please take a seat—"

"Ahhh~ Xiao Qi! I'm so glad to see you're safe."

The moment she saw Meredith, Chiara's rabbit ears suddenly stretched out and her whole body froze, while Meredith greeted her easily.

Marcus and Bella, along with the regulars, froze as Chiara finally seemed to reboot.

"M- ...

“Guwaa!?”

Chiara charged out like a cannonball, landing squarely on Meredith. Her head collided with Meredith's stomach, sending both tumbling to the ground. Chiara immediately straddled Meredith, grabbing her by the front of her shirt, her eyes half rolled back, and shook her violently.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot! Meredith, you really are an idiot! Where have you been all this time?! Daddy told me you rushed out the door to save us and never came back, and I thought... Uwaaaaaaaaaa! Great! Meredith is an idiot!"

Every time Chiara shook Meredith, the back of her head hit the ground hard.

Meredy's eyes rolled back completely. The leader of the 'Liberators', who could even repel the 'Apostle of God', had nearly died at the hands of the bunny-eared girl in the inn.

After that, they finally succeeded in calming Chiara down, and cheers erupted from the shop. Nez had been putting out fires and treating the wounded, so everyone remembered the incident. Mireddy and Oscar had saved Marcus, and some had also witnessed them chasing pirates out to sea, so seeing their benefactor return naturally heated up to the max.

They started the party in the daytime and continued drinking and celebrating until the evening.

Furthermore, Qiara and the others only had vague memories of what happened after they were captured, just like the legend of the saint. However...

For some reason, Chiara asked Meredi, "Meredi, one of your special moves is called Meredi Flying Kick, right?"

If the presence of Meredith and the others were revealed, people eager to learn about the Saint's identity would surely flock to her. Although Meredith managed to get away with it, Chiara kept showing a puzzled expression, tilting her rabbit ears and muttering, "Why can't I get the phrase 'Meredith's flying kick' out of my head?"

After some trouble, Miledi and his team successfully obtained the base and began to investigate again.

"If Sister Mei has another purpose, it must not be Antica itself, but the 'something' at the center of Antica."

A few days after beginning their investigation, Mireidi and the others inquired in the outer circle to see if there were any interesting rumors or legends, but they found nothing.

Then we'd head to the central district—but this required some mental preparation. Even now, a month after the commotion at the casino, the men in black seemed to still be searching for Meredith and the others, so heading to the central district was a dangerous undertaking.

I heard that the urban legend of the "Strange Gentleman with Devil's Glasses" is popular in Chuo Ward, and notices are posted everywhere saying "If you see anyone wearing glasses, report it and absolutely do not talk to them, otherwise you will be stripped of your clothes."

Needless to say, Oscar had an indescribable expression on his face, muttering, "I don't understand..."

Therefore, the three of them were now holding a combat meeting in a deserted bar on the edge of the central district, not far from the central district.

"Asking for information on the streets of the central district could be very risky..."

Oscar said in distress, and Natsu replied with a serious expression:

"On the other hand, if you enter a casino, you might not attract attention because there are so many people inside."

"On the other hand, those men in black will probably be watching us. Should we disguise ourselves?"

As the two were agonizing over how to gather intelligence, Meredith, who had been lost in thought, finally spoke:

"As a rule, important things are hidden deep underground. I've heard the underground is like a maze, so if I want to hide something, I think it's the perfect place."

"Indeed. Meredith, you don't mean to..."

"Right, why don't we just go underground and see?"

Indeed, rather than gathering intelligence in the central district, infiltrating underground is more likely to yield insights. The problem lies in the method...

"If you're going to a place you've never been to, or a closed place like underground, it would be dangerous to use my teleportation."

If they were to move inside the so-called "walls", it would be disastrous.

"Hmm, regarding that, I heard earlier that the characteristic of this island is that seawater can't enter the underground space, right? Although the cave leading to the sea seems to be blocked by iron bars..."

In other words, first dive into the sea, find the way to the underground space, and then invade from there using refining or transfer methods.

"Well, as things stand, we can only start with what we can do, and I think this is a good approach."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Okay, let's do it."

The three nodded in agreement and decided to invade the center of the island.