Rishe savored the cool morning air and took in the sea around her. She stood on the deck of a small sailboat wearing brown shorts and a short sleeves white shirt, leaving her belly exposed and her pink hair in a ponytail. Despite the early hour, Rishe spotted many boats and ships already on the water, heading to and from the port. Rishe's mind flashed back to her fist life after spotting several merchant vessels and started theorizing what they might be carrying, and how she might make deals with them.

"Rishe, are you paying attention?" Arnold said with a playfully stern look.

Rishe yelped after realizing she was steering them straight for some rocks. Arnold took her hands and eased their mast in the other direction. The sailboat glided away to safety and the princess sighed in relief.

"You've lived seven times and never sailed?" Arnold chuckled and pinched one of her now red cheeks.

"Well, that's what this life is for," Rishe muttered. "How are you so good at it?"

"I've had to lead stealth attacks by sea before."'

Rishe grimaced a little, but supposed she should have expected such an explanation from Arnold. The morning soon disappeared as he guided her hands to help Rishe steer and maneuver the boat faster with the growing wind. Adrenaline raced through the young woman when the sailboat tilted a little.

"It's alright, I've got us, this is normal," Arnold assured her.

Rishe still trembled and wrapped both arms around him tight. She could swim fine, but the idea of their boat capsizing, especially as a pod of orcas swam around them, made her weak in the knees.

"Orcas are friendly, Rishe, I've ridden one before, relax."

Arnold reached town and tickled her exposed belly. Rishe almost jumped and burst into uncontrollable giggles until tears fell from her eyes. However, the moment he stopped, she glared at him.

"You think that's funny?" Rishe grinned and looked down at his exposed chest, toned and full of muscle. With pink cheeks, she reached for his six pack and with both hands tried to tickle him. Yet after almost a minute, he just smiled back at her without making a sound. Rishe puffed up both cheeks and grumbled.

Despite this, she started beaming again after one of the orcas swam up beside them and let out a squeaking nose while smiling. Still trembling, Rishe leaned down to pet the huge dolphin who leaned up and kissed her cheek.

"Careful, my husband is very jealous," Rishe giggled.

She looked back but realized Arnold was not smiling anymore. His face hardened in a way she only ever saw on him when someone threatened her. Rishe stood back up and was about to ask what was wrong, when a voice howled through the air in terror.

"Tasuke te!"

Rishe recognized the language as Kagai. It was used by the Kagai Empire, an island archipelago beyond the sea. Rishe visited it once during her first life as a merchant. Rishe's heart pounded as the cry for help echoed through the breeze once more.

Then she saw him. A young man with long black hair struggled to keep his sailboat steady as a longboat perused him. He looked somewhat pale and a maybe even ill judging by his heavy breathing.

"Rishe, take the boat and get back to shore," Arnold said in a steel tone while drawing his sword. The royal knights still ashore scrambled to try and find boats, but Rishe hardened her gaze and glanced down at the two swords hidden in the boat's deck.

"I'm not leaving you," she declared.

Arnold gritted his teeth, especially when a dozen surely men with thick brown beards rose up. Each wore a back tunic with or without a chainmail hauberk. A round helmet topped each of their heads while one or two axes rested in their hands.

"Pirates," Rishe grimaced. It was not her first time dealing with them.

In her first life as a merchant, they were a constant threat, but could only ever avoid them or hire protection. It was not until her sixth life as a knight did she ever fight them herself. Her heart leaped when the pirates caught up and hurled grappling hooks onto the other sailboat. Arnold donned his cloak and wore it like a cape before leaping up through the air and landing before the other young man.

Rishe's cheeks turned scarlet as the raiders charged onboard, axes and round shields raised. They swarmed while roared through their scrubby beards. Rishe held her chest as Arnold moved his sword like lightning, knocking the axes aside and smashing their shields to pieces with his kicks. One by one, he cut the raiders to pieces, slashing through their bodies where no armor protected. Rishe trembled as her mind flashed back to her sixth life, where she watched Arnold cut down her knight brothers before doing the same to her.

She shook the thoughts aside. That was a different Arnold, not her beloved husband. Despite his lethal assault, the raiders kept coming. Rishe glanced down at her swords again and pondered helping him. As dangerous as Arnold was, the scars on his neck were a constant reminder that even he was not invincible.

The thought of her precious Arnold dying sent a shiver down Rishe's spine, but something in the water snapped her back to reality. One of the raiders threw off his helmet and tunic and swam through the waves, attempting to grab the young man.

Rishe steered the sailboat just as Arnold showed her and came close enough to take him by the hand. With a tug, he stumbled onto her boat, but the raider burst up after him. He lunged at Rishe who jumped back and snatched her two swords just in time to catch the man's axe. He roared and almost threw Rishe overboard with the force of his blow.

She had to dance around the boat but had little room to maneuver. Closer and closer he came, Rishe had to watch ever step to avoid tumbling overboard. Her arms ached with each successful parry. Just then, she noticed the mast and ducked under it while parrying the axe again. Once behind it, Rishe kicked it over and knocked the raider off balance before slashed at his throat. He gasped before tumbling overboard.

Yet even then, another raider emerged from the sea and charged. Rishe narrowed her eyes and panted. The young man still needed saving and she caught the incoming axe before lunging inward, stabbing the man's heart. He collapsed and Rishe quickly grabbed the mast.

"Arnold!" Rishe yelped when the longboat collided with the young man's vessel, and both began to sink.

However, moments later, her husband emerged, standing on top of an orca. Arnold jumped aboard and pulled Rishe into an embrace.

"Are you unharmed?" he said, surveying her closely.

"I'm fine. But he's not," she gestured down to the young man who turned green and started vomiting.

"It's alright," Rishe said in Kagai as she knelt down and sat him into a better breathing position despite Arnold's protective stare. "What's your name?"

"Suzaka," he muttered. "Prince Suzaka."