Lone: The Wanderer

Book 1: Chapter 36: Lady Malik and Acting

The galleon pulled up alongside Lone and Sophie's ship, clearly intent on investigating it much to Lones dismay.

Ideally, he wanted to meet civilisation on dry land. At least it didnt seem to be a pirate-run vessel. That was one of Lones concerns but if that were the case he had a feeling their ship would already be sinking.

Peering up at the ornate railing of the galleons, Lone saw several heavily armoured and professional-looking knights.

One of them shouted down at him, "Anchor your vessel, or we will be forced to sink it!"

Okay, thats not intimidating at all, Lone thought though he nodded his head and replied, Of course. One moment, please.

With his acute fox hearing, he picked up one of the knights mumbling, Ah, the animal speaks Common Human. Thats a relief.

Animal? Well, thats pretty fuckin rude, he thought as he left the helm and went down to the ships lower deck.

He then furled up the sails and picked up the ship's anchor before tossing it overboard. The ship was really rather simple.

Lone wished it had a winch system for its anchor, sadly though, he had to hoist it up manually if he wanted the ship to move again.

The man who had ordered him nodded his head approvingly before he left the galleon's railing and, consequentially, Lones line of sight.

Lone stood behind the seated Sophie and scanned the galleon's crew. Or, at least what little of the over 50 he could see.

From what he could tell, every single one without a helmet on was looking at him like he was nothing more than a piece of trash.

Of course, he was no expert at reading people nor facial expressions, but the men on that ship were definitely not trying to hide their disgust. 'Okay. Good thing I put some trust in the elves attitudes. Slave and master is certainly the right approach here. Still, are the humans of this planet really that openly judgemental, or are these guys just unique?'

Earth was no stranger to racism and all sorts of discrimination but this seemed almost hostile. It was honestly kind of discomfortingly.

He pondered over the matter for a few more seconds before he shook his head. 'There's no use thinking about this. They don't like me, but they seem indifferent to Sophie... I think? She's in her adult body so shes pretty damn attractive... Hopefully that doesnt complicate things.'

Lone took a little bit more time to inspect each of the men's armour. They were all slightly different, clearly tailor-made for each man and woman aboard.

One thing of note though was that they all shared a small crest of a dragon, or perhaps a wyvern right by their hearts. Lone wasnt sure which of the two mythical beasts was being depicted.

'Men belonging to a kingdom? Guards? Border patrol? Defenders of this sea route? Maybe they are pirates who've killed said people and stole their clothes and armour to raid unsuspecting victims?' Lone's mind was racing with possibilities.

'If they are pirates... I'll use mental destruction on the captain to prevent him from giving orders, then I'll have Sophie cripple the one with all the magic that Soph pointed out. 50 grown men shouldn't be much harder than 50 gobs, right?... Unlikely. Training can make a hell of a difference plus the sheer mass difference. I really hope they aren't pirates. I don't particularly want to kill people... I'm not sure if I could handle that,' Lone pondered.

It was at that moment when someone different in appearance from everyone else approached the galleons edge.

He was a tall man with a well-trimmed beard and sharp eyes which matched his chiselled face. This man was maybe in his late thirties, or perhaps his early forties.

At his side stood a young girl of maybe 15 or 16 years. She was wearing very expensive-looking clothes and her amber eyes opened wide when they landed on Lone.

"Wow! He's so handsome!" she exclaimed.

The tall man next to her frowned. "Lady Malik, please, control yourself. These people may be criminals."

'Lady Malik? Lady? Someone important? Maybe a noble? Does this world have nobles? Milindo is a kingdom from what Snapper said, so that would make sense. Why is she on that ship? Is she on some sort of seaward excursion? Was she kidnapped but she's still in a favourable position due to her political standing? I need more information,' Lone concluded internally.

Lone coughed lightly and approached the edge of his own ship once more. "I apologise if I am speaking out of turn, but would it be okay if I asked who you people are? My master is both blind and mute, so please forgive this slave for speaking up."

A lot of eyes fell onto Sophie, and once they noticed that her eyes were grey and lifeless, Lone's words suddenly had a lot more stock in them despite their clear distaste of him.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4.

'Wow. Three levels for one lie? Fuck me. Is it based on the number of people I can convince of my act in one go?' Lone wondered.

The short teenaged girl bounced around and happily responded, "Hi! I'm Emma Malik. What's your name? Oh. You're a slave. Do you not have one? Can I call you Mister Handsome?"

Lone looked at the tall man who he was assumed owned the title of the ship's captain. The man was stroking his well-trimmed beard and seemed very suspicious of both him and Sophie.

'Well... Fuck it. Let's lie some more. If this'll devolve into a fight, I want to get as much out of it as possible first,' he thought.

Lone was more than aware that some people simply could not be convinced. He already had a pretty clear idea of how this man and his crew felt about non-humans like him.

Either way, Lone was hoping to work off of the girls enthusiasm with his good looks.

"I do, indeed, possess a name. My master is very gracious and was kind enough to bestow one upon me," Lone claimed with a very short bow in Sophie's direction to show her his respect.

She nodded in response and waved dismissively just as a graceful noble might.

Emma clapped her hands. "Oh! What is it? Do you mind telling me?"

"Of course. Due to me being the first and only Golden Foxkin that my illustrious master has ever met, she gave me the name 'Lone'," he said. 'Let's assume surnames are reserved for nobles. Just 'Lone' will do here.'

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Persuasion] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.

'Oh, persuasion too? What does that imply? They were under the impression I was nameless but Ive successfully convinced them - or at least her - that I do, in fact, own a name?' Lone noted mentally.

It was at that point that the ship's captain finally decided to speak to Lone. "Slave. Where is your collar?"

Lone's expression cracked slightly. 'Fuck. Collar? Is that normal? Like, a slave collar? Is it magical, or is it just a physical object to show that I belong to someone else? Time to make a gamble.'

Lone lowered his hands to his feet. His sudden movements made the galleon's crew far more wary of him, so they drew their weapons and were prepared to attack immediately.

In that instant, Lone used his Creation Magic to make a small anklet of steel and he pulled the hem of his trouser leg up to expose this new anklet.

"Please don't be so hasty, good knights. I was merely displaying my slave collar," he explained.

"Why isn't it around your neck?" the captain asked with a stern tone.

'This is good. He didn't call it out for being a fake. I can work with this,' Lone thought before he raised his torso and smiled once again. "My master thought it would be a waste to hide my neck. She's quite fond of me, you see. Apparently, my neck and collarbone are particularly to her liking. As are my tails."

The captain narrowed his eyes. She is blind. That makes no sense.

Lone smiled. My master still possesses the sense of touch, good sir.

Emma nodded fervently as she closed her eyes. "I can imagine it. That's totally understandable. I guess they must feel really good then since she's blind and whatnot. Why the neck though?"

Lones smile gained a few hints of wryness to it. Its from when she was a child. Due to her disabilities, I was charged with carrying her around everywhere, you see.

Sophie snapped her fingers in a displeased manner.

Ah, my apologies, Lady Malik, Sir, Lone said. My master does not like how accusatory your statements have sounded. Are we under suspicion for anything?

Emmas eyes opened wide. Wow. You can infer that much for so little? Thats impressive.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 6.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 7.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Persuasion] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3.

The captain finally nodded his head. "I apologise. To answer your previous question, Slave, we are a part of the regional guard of the harbour city, Ros. This young woman here is Lady Malik, daughter to the duke, Henry Malik."

"Well I never, A duke's daughter," Lone said as he bowed politely. "I did not know that I was in the presence of such a great person. Forgive my prior rudeness, please."

Lone thought that his acting was a bit over-the-top, but regardless, the crew and Emma seemed to believe him if his Acting skill levelling up was any indicator to be trusted.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8.

Emma waved her hand dismissively. "I don't care. Honestly, noble traditions are stupid. Don't worry about offending me or anything. I won't take revenge on you and your master or do something stupid like that. Speaking of her, she's very pretty. What's her name?"

Sophie's cheeks flushed slightly. Lone wasn't sure if that was genuine embarrassment from the cold girl, or if she was just playing the part.

"My master's name is Sophie Vladimirovich. Since her surname can be hard to pronounce, please call her by her first name. She is much like you and doesn't care much for the traditions of nobles," Lone explained.

"Perfect! What country are you two from? Or are you from an empire? Maybe the Taslo Empire? Though you two aren't tanned... Hmm..." Emma asked as she clapped her hands playfully.

'And here's where it gets tough... Well, I can only do my best, I guess,' Lone shrugged mentally.

He took a deep breath and said, "My master is currently participating in a family tradition for her coming of age ceremony. As a part of that tradition, she is only allowed to bring one of her servants with her - which would be me - and she is not allowed to reveal who she truly is nor where she is from.

Ohhh that sounds exciting! I wonder why Milindo doesnt do anything like that? What I wouldnt give to get out more Can you tell me more about it? Emma asked excitedly.

Lone nodded happily. Of course. The point of all of it is for my master to make a small name for herself in a foreign land and to procure a certain amount of wealth before I have permission to bring her back home."

"Oh! That sounds incredibly fun!" Emma said with a certain sparkle in her eye.

The ships captain nodded his head once more. "Such traditions aren't unheard of. Some foreign nobles are known to be a bit... peculiar. That would answer my unasked question of why you are in Milindo's waters."

He walked to the edge of his galleon and looked right into Lone's eyes. "If you'd let my men check your ship for any illegal contraband, then we'd be willing to show you the way to Ros once dusk is upon us considering your unique circumstances. Well even assist in helping you purchase temporary citizenship."

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 9.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Acting] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 10.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Persuasion] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Persuasion] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Persuasion] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 6.

'Holy shit. He actually bought that? Are my charm and charisma stats influencing him, or is he just a naturally trusting person once his biggest suspicions are cleared? Maybe Sophie's luck is playing a role here?' Whatever the answer was, Lone was glad that things had been resolved peacefully.

He really didn't want to be forced into killing people. Lone turned and looked at Sophie. She gave him a nod of approval very slowly, so he looked back at the guard captain.

"Please, your men are most welcome. My master has no qualms with you inspecting her ship's hold," he said.

The matter about buying temporary citizenship worried him somewhat though. There were coins in the goblin-run dungeon but Lone had no idea if they were the correct currency or what their value was.

Only time would tell, really. Perhaps hed have to bullshit his way out of that. If nothing else, he had a story to fall back on. After all, he and his master had little wealth since they had only just begun their journey.

The captain sighed with relief. "That's good. Men! Be gentle with their ship! These people arent pirate scum, so your pay will be docked to act as compensation if you mess with a foreign noble's belongings!"

Oh? Kinda want them to fuck with shit now. Could use that compensation, Lones more opportunistic side thought.

"Aye-aye, Sir!" the crew of armoured knights boomed back in response.

A group of soldiers soon lowered the boarding plank to connect the two ships, and then they carefully walked onto Lone and Sophie's ship.

20 minutes later, they left and reported that they hadn't found anything illegal.

Lone was thankful for his Dimensional Storage. He kept almost everything in there, which was why he couldn't care less if their ship was checked.

Had they actually found something, Lone was worried that the men would have planted it to frame the two of them as an excuse to fleece them for coin or extort the ship from them. Luckily, this crew of regional guards seemed to be a decent sort.

'Luck, huh? Maybe if Sophie wasn't here, would I have encountered pirates or corrupt guards instead?' As he was entertaining such an idea, the captain called out to him. Could have got racially profiled too. They really dont seem too fond of me.

"Hey, Slave." The captain gazed at Lone from top to bottom before he asked, "My men said that they couldn't find any food stored below deck. How are you two keeping yourselves fed?"

Lone flashed a handsome and warm smile as he immediately answered, "By fishing, of course."