The Developer Reborn As Archmage

“Princess?” Fominel crouched next to Darya, offering his hand.

“How the hell are you here?” Darya asked, completely flabbergasted by his flashy entrance.

Fominel let out a chuckle, helping her sit upright. “An RCMF ship paid a visit to the island I was on. Killed them all, took their ship. Thought it was a fine opportunity to get to Galtea, and well…” he gestured at the surroundings.

Why, of course, he can annihilate a ship full of pirates.

Fominel looked at her wounded leg. “I must say, you look terrible. What happened? Where is Seris?”

Darya clung to his arm like a Koala. “Back that way,” she muttered. “Can you get us out of here? They sank the only boat.”

Fominel turned to the pier and clicked his tongue. “I flew here when I saw the commotion from far away. Didn’t bring a boat. More chasing you, I assume? No matter, I’ll kill the rest of them.”

“Then you have to head that way- see the cliff? There’s a tunnel they’re coming through. Collapse or seal it. That’ll buy us more time.”

“I see.” Fominel squinted his eyes at the cliff. “I’ll be back. Get Seris to heal your leg, please.”

“We’re out of mana.” Darya let go of him.

Fominel dropped two battered-looking mana crystal orbs on her lap. “Should be enough for now.”

He burst with yellow bursts of energy, growing two golden wings, and took off over the trees towards the cliff while drawing his manablades.

Seris came running a few seconds later, distractedly looking at the golden blur that took off from the beach. “Was that…Fom?” she asked, panting. “Sarka said so, but I couldn’t believe it!”

Varken Carednor Defeated

Damage Dealt: 678 (11%)

EXP: +121 (View Axes)

He just finished someone off.

“Yeah, he’s here with a pirate ship,” Darya said, tossing the mana orbs at her.

“Whoa? he brought gifts as well?” Seris absorbed both and hurriedly blasted Darya’s leg with green mana. “This is not enough to fix things, but I’ll stop the bleeding.”

“Save it for the Seer- is he even alive?”

“Hopefully,” Seris said, interrupting the healing spell as the cuts on Darya’s leg glued shut. “Come, I can carry you.”

“Go take care of him. I’ll get there,” Darya said, getting into a crouch with a grunt. Her ankle was burning.

Seina Runell Defeated

Damage Dealt: 1,121 (32%)

EXP: +281 (View Axes)

It took her way longer than she thought to get back to the treeline again. The limping was almost meditative. She didn’t bother using any of the commands now that Fominel was here. She needed the walk to clear her head.

Lokarn Domel Defeated

Damage Dealt: 2,121 (47%)

EXP: +481 (View Axes)

She reached Seris and the group around the same time Fominel circled back, flying low for a landing. Nerima was back in her own body, and she looked permanently terrified. Sarka was trying his best to sweet-talk and soothe the girl. He was telling her how the soulstone ring wasn’t the worst place one could be.

We just gave this kid an existential crisis.

Seris had pulled the Seer out of his battered armor, closed all the bleeding wounds, and wiped the blood off him. He remained unconscious just the same.

Fominel landed behind them in a flurry of golden mana feathers.

“Fom!” Seris jumped into his arms. Fominel carried her a few inches off the ground as he walked.

“Swordsman! You rescued us from the jaws of death.” Saraka said, pausing his talk with Nerima.

“Everyone’s beaten up. I’m going to need an explanation…” Fominel said, looking over Seris’s shoulder. His eyes wandered in the direction Sarka spoke from, and his voice trailed off. “…wait? what in the—”

Placing Seris firmly on the ground, he walked over to Nerima without another, mouth half open and eyes wide. “A—a mermaid?” he asked, almost in a trance. “Why is there a mermaid?”

“Long story, Fom,” Darya said with a smile. “This is Nerima, Lurim’s sister. She’s a Seer, and over there is the Seer we wanted to find.”

“A mermaid Seer?!” Fominel walked a circle around Nerima as if he were trying to analyze her iridescent scales. She kept staring at him awkwardly, doing her best to shrink into herself.

“Fom, you got rid of all the chasers?” Darya asked, interrupting Fominel’s fish inspection.

“Yes, and collapsed the tunnel.” He said, grabbing something from the back of his belt. “I found this dagger along the way; a ghost gave it to me.”

He showed Darya the half-bent ritual dagger that she had left on the hip of the mage that she had stabbed with it.

“That was my Manacer. Wait, a ghost gave it to you?” Darya asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Yes, a lady in black. She was made of mana. A mana ghost.”

Darya looked at Seris. “What?”

“Eternal Demoness, princess. I think she wants you to have it.”

Is it cursed after all?!

“Gods can just meddle directly like this?”

“Uh? sometimes,” Seris shrugged as if this was nothing new. Things weren’t that straightforward with the gods in the VRMMO. If Seris was used to this, that meant Dovarists also experienced similar things.

She took the bent dagger from Fominel and shoved it into her belt. It was time to focus on their escape.

“Fom, can you fly over back there?” she asked, looking at the sea. The ship was a dot on the horizon.

“Yes, I’ll get going!” Fominel looked at Seris. “Give me a signal if you’re attacked!”

Fominel burst with mana again, ready to take off from the beach.

“Wait!” Nerima spoke, startling everyone in the vicinity. “I can bring the boat back faster, p-princess!” she said nervously.

That was an unexpectedly brave offer from the shaken young girl.

“Nerima, you don’t have to do it. We have time,” Darya said in a soft voice; she felt the poor girl had been through enough.

“B-but faster is better, right? I want to do it. Water horse. Like you said!” she said, clenching her fists on the sand.

I just had to give her the idea, didn’t I?

“Fom?” Darya asked.

“If she’s a fast enough swimmer, why not?” He shrugged, extending his hand to her.

“I’m very fast!” Nerima said excitedly. Fominel nearly lost his footing when she grabbed his hand.

“I shouldn’t ask a lady’s weight, but seven hells!” he said, adjusting his posture to pick her up better.

“I-I’m sorry!” Nerima laughed uncomfortably.

“Swordsman. Don’t be rude!” Sarka said.

“Shut up, you’re in a ring,” Fominel grunted as he carried Nerima to the water.

Darya looked at the treasure bag lying half buried in the sand.

There’s one more thing he needs to break his back for. Maybe I should drag it down the beach. Shouldn’t be too hard.

Nerima turned into a white line across the water as Fominel disappeared in a burst of golden mana. Darya and Seris dragged the other two items to the beach. Seris quickly healed Darya’s ankle with leftover mana, barely enough for her to put some weight on her ankle again.

Using the rest of her energy, Darya dragged the treasure bag down the beach into the wet sands.

Fominel flew back, circled above them, and went back to the ship, presumably to prepare it for sailing. Nerima came with the boat a while later. From a distance, the way it bounced off the waves almost looked like a motorboat.

“That’s just—” Seris exclaimed as the boat neared. “I’ve never seen a boat so fast!”

“Not bad for a water horse, eh?”

“Don’t call her that!”

Nerima slowed down as she neared the shore and brought the boat to a smooth stop, touching the beach. She seemed to have considerable experience dealing with boats before.

They hauled everything the last stretch into the boat, and Nerima began pushing the boat the other way as they both watched her large fish tail propel them over the water.

Holding onto dear life, Darya thought about recruiting the mermaid into her pirate crew.

Fuck all that Seer stuff. She’s a crazy water horse!

A few minutes later, they were all climbing the rope ladder of the decrepit pirate ship. Nerima rested on the water, floating on her back while Darya and Seris helped Fominel add more ropes to pull up the heavy boat.

Nerima came onto the ship the same way, even though she was really glad to be in the water. Darya was grateful she had made that decision on her own. There was a good chance of them getting chased by RCMF if they detected a valuable mermaid. It would be all better if Fominel could sneak them out the same way he sneaked in.

“What is this bag, princess?” Fominel asked, rolling it off the boat with all his strength. “I didn’t notice it before. Why did you bring it here?”

“Well,” Darya laughed, looking at Seris and Nerima. “Who wants to tell him?”

“Be careful with the treasure, swordsman!” Sarka said. “That is at minimum thirty-five million gold.”

Fominel looked at them with a flat expression. The words took a while to soak into his brain. “Thirty-five—” he mumbled, looking at the bag between his feet. “—million?!”

“No more money problems, Fom.” Darya smiled at him. “For a while at least,” she added, remembering all the things that she wanted to do.

It might not be enough.

“Thirty-five million!” Fominel howled into the winds. “You three have some major explaining to do!”

His hands trembled as he grabbed the bag again. It was the first time Darya ever saw the unshakable man tremble.

“Why don’t we get out of here first?” Darya said, grabbing Nerima’s hand to pull her onto her back.

Fominel carried the treasure bag like a first-time mother carrying a newborn. He didn’t want to drag it across the floor after hearing the big number. He took it somewhere below deck while Darya, Seris, and Nerima settled in the wardroom.

Fominel set the course, and they darted away from Galtea with wind on all viable sails.

Darya was almost drifting to sleep on Seris’s lap when she got one last message.

Sarka Vol Recaldor Defeated

Damage Dealt: 11,221 (80%)

EXP: +6,921 (View Axes)

“Oh, Sarka, your body just died somewhere,” Darya muttered sleepily.

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