Chapter 35 — Participation
"Dock the ship. We're getting off."
Once the warship slipped into the waters of the Sibia Archipelago, Zephyr gave the order without hesitation.
The battleship anchored at a relatively open stretch of the unfinished pier. Zephyr disembarked with his two students—Binz and Ain—in tow.
All three paused the moment their feet touched the ground.
They had expected a remote, impoverished island.
Instead—they found a half-constructed but massive new port.
"Didn't Senior Enchi say this place was remote and poor?" Binz muttered, unable to suppress his confusion.
"Where'd they get money for a project this big? Did we go to the wrong island?"
"Enchi wouldn't lie to me."
Zephyr frowned thoughtfully, then chuckled as he looked at the halted construction.
"Well, that's not important. Let's just find someone and ask where that brat Eiger is."
"Yes, Zephyr-sensei." Binz scanned the area and added,
"But… where is everyone? A port this big and there's not even a guard? Did they run out of funds midway? Should I check the nearby villages?"
Before Zephyr could respond—
Ain, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke:
"No need. Someone's approaching."
Zephyr turned.
Sure enough, a villager was walking toward them—hesitant, wary, but curious.
The old Marine was just about to greet him when—
"Marines?"
The villager glanced past them at the massive warship, his expression shifting from doubt to realization.
"You must be here for Eiger!"
"..." ×3
The trio froze for half a second.
Then Zephyr recovered instantly, grinning widely.
"That's right, friend. We're here to find Eiger."
"I knew it!" The villager puffed up proudly. "You must be from the 315 Branch! Colonel Enchi didn't come?"
He didn't wait for an answer before breaking into an excited smile.
"I can't believe Eiger even invited the Marines to join the opening ceremony! And you came with such a huge battleship! Amazing!"
"?!!"
Opening ceremony?
What ceremony?
Enchi definitely hadn't mentioned that.
But Zephyr, though bewildered, kept smiling.
"Yes! Yes! We're here exactly for that! Hahaha! Did we arrive too early?"
"Too early? Not at all! You came just in time!"
"???" ×3
The three Marines lifted their heads in unison, staring at the blazing midday sun overhead.
A feast at noon?
What kind of island starts celebrations at this hour?
Did something big happen?
Before they could ask—
"The feast has already started! Hurry! This way!"
The villager waved eagerly for them to follow.
Zephyr and the others exchanged looks, shrugged, and walked after him.
As they made their way toward the village, Zephyr asked cheerfully,
"So, my friend, what kind of celebration is this?"
"You don't know? Didn't Eiger tell you?"
The villager blinked in surprise before shaking his head.
"Ah, he probably forgot. Let me tell you!"
He puffed out his chest with pride.
"It's the grand opening of our new distillery!"
"A distillery?" Before Zephyr could react, Binz blurted out,
"You people have a distillery? But Enchi said this place is dirt-poor! How could you afford to build something like that? Were we lied to?"
"We did NOT lie!"
The villager bristled instantly, glaring at Binz.
"Sibia may be poor, but our island produced a very important person—and thanks to him, we finally have a future!"
The villager puffed up even more, practically glowing with pride.
"This distillery? Eiger funded it!"
"Eiger…"
Hearing that familiar name from a stranger's mouth caught all three Marines off guard.
A retired ensign from a tiny Western Sea branch… investing in his hometown?
Zephyr's lips curled upward in amusement.
He cast another look at the half-finished port behind them, as if pieces of a puzzle had fallen neatly into place.
"So that dock over there…"
Before he could finish, the villager cut in—clearly delighted someone had asked the exact question he wanted to brag about.
"That's right! Eiger funded the port too!"
He jabbed a thumb forward, bursting with hometown pride.
"Look—everyone on the whole island's celebrating! The five village chiefs all said it: once we have a real port and a distillery, our lives will finally change! And we won't let those greedy traders crush our grape prices again! Every time they come, it's all lowball offers!"
As he spoke, Zephyr, Ain, and Binz followed his gesture.
Sure enough, in the distance, crowds of villagers gathered around an open square. Even from afar, laughter carried across the wind.
And further back stood a freshly built structure—the distillery.
"I'll go find Eiger and Chief Marin to let them know you're here!"
The villager, swept up in excitement, waved them forward.
"You three coming or not? Today's the debut of our special green-grape wine! There isn't much—if you walk any slower you'll miss out!"
Before they could reply, he dashed off toward the festivities.
The three Marines were left standing there, half amused, half bewildered.
"Zephyr-sensei…"
Ain suddenly pointed ahead. "There. That's him."
"I see the brat."
Zephyr grinned broadly, already striding forward.
"A celebration, huh? Looks like my recovery period won't be boring after all!
Come on—you two, let's enjoy the feast!"
---
"HAHAHA! Having a feast, are you?! Looks like old me arrived at the PERFECT time, brat!"
"…"
Hearing the unmistakable booming voice, Eiger—who had just been told a Marine ship had arrived—slowly turned.
Three figures approached.
When he saw the tall man with the thickly bandaged arm—already reattached—Eiger's eyelid twitched.
Z—ZEPHYR?!
Why was this old man here?
But seeing that it was these three and not some higher-ranked officers, Eiger let out a small sigh of relief.
At least it wasn't the worst-case scenario.
Yet before he could greet them, Zephyr marched up with his usual hearty grin—
—only for the smile to freeze the moment his eyes fell on Eiger's hand…
and the woman Eiger was holding.
His brows knitted sharply.
"?!"
Eiger's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no.
He noticed.
Before he could say anything—
Zephyr straightened, face turning stern, eyes shifting between Eiger and Nico like a judgmental parent.
With a deep, grave voice, he muttered:
"No wonder this brat refused to come join Headquarters."