I Only Summon Villainesses

After a few hours of smothering silence, Gilbert’s ship finally plunged its whale-like head out of the surface of the water, and nature’s brilliant light burst forth, making me realize how much I had missed seeing the light of day.

The light in the depths of the ocean was enough, but unless one came back to experience true light at the surface, one wouldn’t realize how much they had lost… true light.

“When last was it since I breached the surface world…?”

White Feather looked outside her window with a warm smile on her face.

“I miss this…”

’Of course you do! Light is awesome!’ I thought, allowing myself a small smile.

Belatedly, I suddenly got a bad premonition about my thoughts. Mentioning light brought to mind a very despicable and notoriously ugly killer, whom I had managed to make even more ugly with my own two hands.

Remembering the firefight that night, and the thought that his face was never going to remain the same, filled me with so much self-contentment.

’Bastard, I hope you’re living the rest of your days loathing me, never able to carry that face of yours around anymore…’

I thought about the possibility of us meeting again.

’If he is ever unfortunate enough to cross paths with me, he will regret it much more this time.’

Hatred boiled in my heart as I thought about him and his people.

Nightyell groaned and lifted itself off the surface of the water like a bestial vessel finally spreading its wings after days of nestling on the ocean.

It was gliding toward the island directly above us. At the base of the island was a deep groove that looked like some crude metallic anchor had eaten deep into it.

I glanced around through the window.

Several small ships with a dragonfly shape fluttered around the surface of the water, all whirling towards different direction in an almost hurried and chaotic pattern.

“Why does it seem so crowded?”

Just as I asked, a few flying vessels immediately surrounded Gilbert’s ride. I could already hear him cursing from the piloting section.

Looking at me, White Feather said in a reassuring tone,

“You don’t need to worry, Lord Cade. I have dealt with the Chain Guards several times.”

She paused, observing.

“But their number baffles me. This must mean something troublesome is going on…”

I gave her a grave look.

“Do you think it has something to do with him?”

White Feather considered my words before responding.

“I don’t know what the bastard’s motive is. He was someone whose grandfather assisted the growth of my business and originally hailed from the Solarium Continent. After a long time, he came to settle down in the Waterlands.”

The airships had surrounded us fully, resounding with a thundering echo.

“Dock at Jadecrest for identification. I repeat, dock at Jadecrest…”

With more curses slipping from his mouth, Gilbert steered the ship toward the island we were already ascending toward, flanked by four smaller, azure-colored air vessels. He glided up first, then slowly descended on the edge of the island.

There was one much larger airship resting on that edge. It was a fearsome vessel, far larger than anything I had seen, seeming to span close to 150 meters, with a gigantic hull that dwarfed everything beneath it. Gilbert’s vessel was immediately lost in its shadow the moment we docked.

Four men walked toward our airship as we landed.

Before stepping out, Gilbert turned from the pilot seat and gave me a dark look.

“What? There’s no problem… right?” I asked with a tentative tone.

Last time, he was illegally driving around. I didn’t think of why I believed he had somehow turned over a new leaf, especially since he might have brought the whole White Feather mission to Levi.

But this son of a frog looked me dead in the eye and said:

“It’s a stolen ship.”

I blinked.

“What?”

I was silent for a whole second, lost for words.

“Gilbert, you clearly said…”

“Listen, I know what I said, alright, and I also know well what I didn’t say… I didn’t say the parts I used in upgrading Nightsinger were originally procured by me.”

I gazed at him, blinking in disbelief.

“…Yeah… you clearly didn’t.”

He nodded with a relieved smile, then fixed me with a serious gaze almost immediately.

“So, what do we do? Lie?”

White Feather’s voice entered at that moment.

“There’ll be no need for that. I am acquainted with the Chain Guards. Let me take care of this.”

I turned to her, my eyes watering with gratitude.

“Then I will leave it to you.”

She nodded at me with a smile, then gracefully left the ship. I followed behind her.

Two other men were inspecting the ship from the left side and the rear, while the other two waited for us at the entrance on the right side.

One of them touched his sword and grimaced at White Feather.

“Identify yourselves,” the soldier said in a slightly vigilant voice.

White Feather brought out a white jade badge.

“I am the Matriarch of the Boundless Wave Clan,” she said, then glanced at me. “And this is my consort.”

Immediately, their eyes darkened as they heard her. They drew out their swords in a single furious motion and held them against us. The other two also raised guns with long nozzles, resembling miniature shotguns.

White Feather’s delicate brow furrowed.

“What is this nonsense? I demand an audience with the Harbormaster.”

The soldier’s face twisted more viciously.

“You dare?!”

Another scoffed humorlessly.

“She must think we are to nothing but toys to play around with.”

They looked at White Feather with deep aversion, as though they held an intense grudge against her.

White Feather felt conflicted and puzzled.

“Jadecrest has been the home of storage for the Boundless Trade Hall for two centuries, and in those times, every Harbormaster of this island has maintained a cordial relationship — one with benefits that your entire lineages could never repay, even with their wretched lives. Are you sure you want to incur the wrath of your superiors by damaging that relationship?”

Despite White Feather’s brutal warning, these people didn’t bat an eye. Instead, their grimaces seemed to grow more dim, a wicked and loathing light igniting in the deep of their eyes.

“I’m sure our superior would be very happy that we have caught the criminal who dared to place a kill on the Harbormaster’s head.”

White Feather froze.

“What?”