Chapter 3 — Chapter 3

The captain looked at me with interest, seemingly having lost all his questions. Approaching him, I removed my circlet and placed it on his head. Holding down the resisting man with my hands, I waited for the artifact to recognize the language. After removing it and putting it back on, I turned to the entering dragon.

"Can we be of any service to you, ma'am?" he asked.

I shook my wings and ax, storing them away in subspace, then looked at him. The dragon radiated desire, making me shudder, and he just looked at me in surprise.

"Yes, you can. I need to get to the nearest land, to a large city."

"May I ask why? Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

"No! How long will it take to sail to the nearest land?" I didn't intend to tell them anything. All I needed was to get there and find a good search mage who could trace my child by blood.

"Two days, if we don't hit a storm or calm. And, of course, we'll need a favorable wind," he explained.

"Alright, then let me stay with you until we reach the land. I won't take up much space; I can even sleep on deck, in the sails. I have my own food."

"Oh, no, we'll find a place for you! Stay! Dinner will be soon, and we can chat! Yes, I am the captain of the ship—Morris, and this gentleman, the dragon, is our security officer, Anthony," and the man looked at me expectantly.

"Valkyrie. That will be enough for you."

They exchanged looks and went about their business. I went to the bow of the ship and stared ahead, thinking about the beginning of my new life.

Where would it lead me?

"May I keep you company?" the dragon stood next to me, but not too close. He must have realized not to breach my boundaries.

"Do you think I need your company?" I looked at him unfavorably.

"Are you always like this? Or rather, have you always been like this? Always hating men?"

"And I always will hate them. You are nothing more than a breeding element to me..." I paused for a moment. "Just for breeding, nothing more. And since I don't need that, you're of no interest to me."

"You speak like you've attended an academy..." he said thoughtfully.

"And that's another reason. You consider yourselves the pinnacle of creation, thinking that because you have balls between your legs, you're of higher status. Yet, you often think with them."

"Can't I change your mind?"

"No, I'm not impressed by your achievements or the size of your manhood."

"What about your actions?"

"What actions are you talking about? Though, I don't care about them either... We'll reach the shore soon, and you'll find a new object of desire."

Anthony stood there, fists clenched, examining my face. Specifically, my scar that crossed my eyebrow, eye, and part of my cheek, it was quite noticeable.

"Do you like what you see? Or did you first look at my chest and butt?" I snapped.

I grabbed him by the neck and extended my claws, piercing his skin before pulling him close, giving him a good look at my face. I closely monitored the man's emotions. His face twisted with hatred. Pushing him away, I turned my back. No surprise there.

"Who did this to you?!" he growled.

Turning around, I looked at him. What did he want? Deciding our conversation was over, I grabbed the rope hanging nearby. Ensuring it was securely fastened, I climbed the last mast and tied myself under the sail, drifting off to sleep. I was woken by a polite cough. Opening my eyes slightly, I saw a cabin boy, hanging upside down, observing me. Noticing my interest, he coughed again.

"Lady, the captain is waiting for you for dinner."

"Dinner sounds good," untying myself, I was instantly on the deck. Stretching my limbs, I headed to the cabin. On the way, I managed to rinse my face and hands from my flask, so I entered wiping myself with a cloth.

They were already waiting for me. Morris tried to be polite, but my gaze pinned him in place. I didn't join in the conversation and ate silently, only once answering the captain's question:

"What do you plan to do with your share?"

"A share of what?"

"The treasure from the pirate ships."

"Do I have a share?" I raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"The spoils are always divided among the participants. Your share is quite sizable. I would venture to suggest taking it in gems and jewelry, and I'll keep the goods since I'm trading anyway. I know the price and demand. The dragon took his share in gems, scrolls, and a couple of rare books."

"Gems will indeed be more useful to me; I'll have something to pay with..." I immediately fell silent, almost letting it slip. Anthony even froze, listening, while the captain continued to chatter. He probably didn't notice my words, going on about his shops, home, and family. After finishing the meal, I climbed back up the mast and hung a hammock there to sleep. I needed to spend less time around them. One more day and we'd be on land, where our paths would diverge.

The sun had almost set, and I watched it disappear, lost in dreams about meeting my baby and finding out its gender. I really hoped for a girl. A little doll with curly white hair. I imagined braiding her hair and telling her stories, true, after killing her father...

I felt a gaze on me, which was already infuriating. That dragon again. He even bothered me here.

"Who made you this way?" he decided to bother me again.

"This way? Ugly? Or strong?" I didn't fall for it.

"You're not ugly. Who inflicted so many scars on you? Why haven't they healed? Magical weapon?"

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Done?" I hoped he'd leave me alone.

"I invite you to stay at my place while you sort out your affairs. And a piece of advice—you should change your clothes; it'll attract less attention."

"No. Thanks for the advice," I demonstratively closed my eyes. The rope rustled. I peeked through my lashes, watching him. The man tied a hammock on the neighboring mast and lay slightly above me. What a nuisance! I just had to hold on until we reached land. The dragon rubbed his arm near the shoulder, wincing. Probably got hit by a projectile. He bent to check if I was asleep, sighed, and lay down to sleep.

With the first rays of the sun, I did a few pull-ups right on the mast, quickly descended. Entering the captain's cabin, I found Morris having breakfast. He beckoned me, and I sat to eat with him. A disheveled Anthony entered. He clearly hadn't slept well. I smirked. He shot me a look, and I responded mockingly:

"How was your sleep, Mr. Dragon?"

"Excellent!" he replied calmly.

"Good! You promised to help with clothes for landing on land."

"The captain will finish his breakfast, and we'll look. He has a couple of chests with women's dresses."

"I'll have to decline the dresses; they're inconvenient for punching faces and kneeing balls. I need pants and a shirt, perhaps a vest and a cloak." I gave a "friendly" smile.

The captain choked on his tea, coughed, and stared at me wide-eyed.

"I think there won't be a problem with men's clothes. I'll take care of it now!" and he quickly jumped up, rushing out of the cabin. Watching him go, I focused on my meal, savoring the tea with pastries, not even glancing at the dragon's piercing gaze.

Morris returned with two sailors who brought in a whole basket of clothes and shoes. I carefully chose a pair of leather pants, three shirts, a long vest with side lacing, and two cloaks, one thin and one warm. Instantly transferring my armor to my spatial bag, I was left in just one shirt, which thoroughly embarrassed the blushing captain. He quickly exited the cabin, though the show was for Anthony. Let him admire the slave marks; maybe it'll dampen his lust. Dropping the shirt, I was left in a loincloth and cloth wrapping my chest. I calmly turned my back to him, putting on the first shirt. I wanted the man to see the whip marks and my thighs covered in scars.

Beautiful.

Yes, I had changed, become more beautiful, but the deepest scars remained on my body, slightly diminished and smoother.

The shirt was too small in the chest, so I discarded it and took the next one. It fit. Setting it aside, I tried another and it also fit perfectly. Now for the pants. I tried a couple and guessed the size right. All this time, I kept tracking the dragon's movements—his sound told me he stood still. Only one pair of shoes fit; the rest were too big. But the chosen ones were quite suitable, better than sandals. Putting on the vest over the shirt, I tightened the lacing and attached the belt with daggers over it. Now that was better. I looked up at Anthony. He stood clutching the table with white-knuckled fingers, not looking at me.

Deliberately scraping my chair, I sat opposite the dragon, pulling a plate of meat towards me, pouring cooled tea, and observing the man with interest. He seemed to come to his senses and, sitting down in front of me, finally looked up. His eyes were a mix of emotions: anger, confusion, and something else. I waited curiously to see what he would say.

"In our worlds, there's one woman for every fifty men. Each is registered in a special book right after birth, and as she grows, the names of all suitors are listed beneath hers. Every man hopes to become her husband, dreams of being paired with the true one. The book selects the top matches, prioritizing true mates, then those of adequate status. In our worlds, doing this to a woman is unthinkable; the perpetrator would be quartered immediately. There were times of slavery, and such scars were found on those who were often punished. They were made with magical weapons and whips to be visible. You're not from our worlds, and I understand your hatred towards men. Are you seeking revenge? I want to help you."

"No. It's all no," I stood up and went to the deck. Strange, I was trying to push him away, but he was sticking closer. I wished we reached land sooner.

The captain returned.

"Your share is on the table in the cabin."

"Thank you." I nodded at him, staying put.

By evening, land finally came into view. I collected my share and returned to the bow of the ship. I wanted to fly, but decided not to show my wings on shore; you never know.

The ship docked while it was still fairly light. I left first without bothering to say goodbye. After asking about inns, I found one that looked cleaner, threw the payment for a room and dinner onto the counter, and asked for water to bathe. After cleaning myself and freshening up my clothes, I ordered dinner to my room and ate while they took away the water basin. Setting up protective wards and checking the bed for insects, I lay down in the clean sheets. In the morning, I had breakfast in the common room, inquired about powerful mages, and set off to find them, taking a messenger boy to show the way.

In this city, there were two mages, both strong enough to help me. I hoped they'd be up to the task.

Reaching the first house, I rang the bell. The butler opened the door and invited me in, going to notify the master. Soon he returned and escorted me to the office, where I entered and straight away asked:

"Can you find a being by a familial connection? By blood?" I specified.

"Of course, though it's energy-intensive, but if the being is in this world, I'll find it. Will the lady have sufficient funds?"

I silently threw a large gem onto the table. The mage looked at it with surprise.

"That will suffice, but you understand it won't be returned even if the result is negative?"

"A blood oath of silence," I demanded.

He nodded and recited the oath, cutting his palm with a dagger. Taking a bowl, the man asked for my blood. Generously slicing my arm, I let blood flow into the bowl and handed it over. Approaching the world map, the mage began dripping elixirs and sprinkling powders into the blood. The bowl ignited, and he ran it over the map, leaving a trail of fire and smoke.

"I'm sorry, but the being you're looking for is not in our world," he turned pale and wiped the sweat from his face.

"How do I get to the next world? And I need an artifact that will mark the worlds I've passed through," it was energy-intensive for me to force portals open myself, so finding a ready one was better.

"There's a trade portal that opens once a month for two days. The event is tomorrow. I'll have the artifact ready by tomorrow morning, for an additional fee, of course."

Throwing him another gem, I went to the second mage. I needed to verify if he was lying; I couldn't read his thoughts, they were completely shielded. Approaching another house, I dismissed the messenger boy, giving him a coin and warning I'd be back to sleep. I knocked on the door, and a young man opened it, surprised to see me, and said:

"The master isn't seeing anyone."

"Tell the master the payment for the work will be generous."

The young man left, and instead of him, a dragon came out. I slapped my thigh in frustration and turned to leave.

"Wait! I'll help without any payment!"

"You'll be even more of a bother!"

"I swear on my ancestors, I have no intention of harming you!"

"I need guarantees that this won't go beyond you!" I decided.

"Anything you want," and then I followed him into the office.

He silently cut his hand and swore an oath of silence.

"I need to find a being by blood in this world."

"Do you have someone else's blood?"

"By my blood!"

"A relative? Alright, let's start! Here's the bowl, I need your blood, and I'll prepare the ingredients."

Having gathered everything, Anthony started moving a crystal over the map, dipping it into the bowl of blood.

"It's not in our world," he stated.

I silently stood up and left. No matter, it was just the first world. There are twelve; I'll find it, I'm stubborn.

"Wait, please! Won't you tell me who you're looking for?" he tried to stop me.

"No!" I replied sharply, making it clear he'd already crossed a line.

Slamming the door, I wandered the city, buying some things from shops, returning to the inn only in the evening. After a quick meal, I went to bed. Tomorrow, the journey continues.