7th Time Loop WN Vol. 6 Fan Translation

205

When Arnold landed with a thud, the sailors on deck were startled and shouted. "Whoa!? W-who are you!!"

"Stop the ship." Arnold commanded.

"W-what...!?" The sailor's scream came as Arnold pointed the tip of his sword at the man.

"Damn it!!" The sailor, his face turning pale, rushed down the stairs leading to the lower deck. Arnold clicked his tongue softly and turned back to the "cargo".

His pause was likely because he noticed Rishe, who had followed him.

Rishe bent down to the 'cargo' sack and started speaking, "Are you alright!? Please hold on, I'll help you right now!"

Arnold sighed, "Rishe..." as he watched Rishe trying to untie the tightly bound hemp sack.

"Your Highness Arnold, I'll handle this! Please, just take care of yourself."

"――Don't just jump onto a pirate's ship with only a short dagger for self-defense." Arnold removed the scabbard with the sheathed sword from his waist and tossed it to Rishe.

As Rishe caught it, she asked. "By borrowing this sword, wouldn't you inconvenience yourself, Your Highness?"

"I'll find something on the boat," he replied.

"P-please be careful!" Though worried, Rishe also believed in Arnold as he headed into the ship.

(For now, above all else...)

Drawing Arnold's sword, Rishe swiftly cut the ropes with its black blade. Inside the hastily opened bag, a woman with tear-stained face emerged. Her face distorted as she saw Rishe.

Rishe spoke to the woman, "Don't worry, you're safe now!"

Cutting the ropes binding her hands and feet and removing the gag, Rishe reassured her. The woman briefly sighed in relief and then fainted.

(She's not dehydrated. There doesn't seem to be any fatal health issues, but this fainting... it's not psychological. Perhaps she was drugged with a sleeping potion?)

There were several more sacks. Hurriedly cutting their ropes, Rishe found more sleeping women inside.

(If it's like this on the deck, then what about the lower hold?)

Ensuring the women were lying in positions that didn't obstruct their breathing, Rishe grabbed Arnold's sword and dashed downstairs.

Rishe leaped into the hold just as one of the sailors, kicked by Arnold, crashed into a pile of barrels.

"Ugh...!! Damn it!!" The barrels collapsed noisily. The sailors, shaken, attempted to attack Arnold.

They wielded cutlasses shorter and more curved than normal swords, suitable for use in the cramped ship interior.

Unarmed, Arnold remained unfazed, effortlessly dodging their attacks and seizing one by the collar. Arnold's knee struck the sailor's abdomen, eliciting a muffled groan. Taking the cutlass from the man, Arnold spun it in his hand for better grip.

"This guy's underestimating us...!" The sailors shouted as their swords all came at Arnold at once. But Arnold deftly parried them all with a single cutlass, then calmly kicked one of the surprised men in the chest.

"Gu...!"

(He's so amazing...)

A precise combination of martial arts and swordsmanship. Rishe wanted to return the borrowed sword, but it would only be a hindrance now.

At that moment, Arnold threw a command. "Rishe. Handle the back."

"Got it!" It was reassuring to be entrusted with this. While Arnold dealt with the sailors, Rishe dashed past them.

Opening the door to the cabin, she found about five women held captive inside who started screaming.

"Please, calm down! I've come to help, you're safe now!" Rishe reassured them.

Though frightened, the women showed relief upon hearing Rishe's voice. Understanding they had been calmed even a little, Rishe hurriedly assessed the situation.

(Unlike the women on the deck, these are fully conscious. Perhaps they were not yet given the drug or it has worn off... So they're locked in the cabin, not on the deck.)

Among the five, four seemed to be in good health.

But the red-haired woman in the front lay curled up with her wrists tied behind her back.

"Ladies, when did this woman start behaving like this!?"

Though asked, they seemed too distressed to answer. "P-please, get us out of here...!! We have to escape, or they'll catch us again!!"

(Of course, the women are in great distress. But I shouldn't untie them yet; if they move around separately inside the ship, it could be dangerous with the fight on the deck..)

Feeling deeply apologetic, Rishe first tended to the collapsed woman's condition before untying the others.

"Excuse me. Please respond if you can hear me!"

"......mnh..."

"I'll have you lie on your back, is your breathing alright?" Rishe moved the woman so her position was better for breathing.  The woman was tall, wearing a red dress. For her, Rishe cut only the ropes binding her hands and feet, allowing her to assume a more comfortable position. Her long hair spread was spread out on the cabin floor.

Her breathing is calm, and she looks healthy. Rishe blinked and looked down at her to check her complexion. And then, as Rishe stared at her beautiful face again, she tensed up abruptly.

(Huh?)

The face was so familiar because it belonged to someone Rishe had encountered in a past life.

(...There's no mistaking it. This person... It's someone I know very well...)