Early the next morning, while the sky was still a shade of deep violet, the winds
blowing along the surface of the ocean carried a light mist that blanketed the port at
the foot of Landfrea.
A group of sailors—the crew of the docked Rievbelta—bustled about in the fog as they
prepared the ship to depart.
Chiyome and I watched, excitement rising at the thought of our upcoming voyage,
though the feeling apparently wasn't shared by our travel companions. Ariane and
Ponta stifled yawns and tried rubbing the sleep from their eyes, while Goemon stood
by stoically, arms crossed over his bare, muscle-bound chest as he silently gazed out
at the ocean.
Chiyome looked back behind her at the masses of people moving about the dock
facilities. Her voice betrayed her amazement. "I can't believe they have contraptions
to move cargo between the ships and the buildings. That must be a huge help in
transporting items between the upper and lower levels."
I looked in the direction she was facing. The thing she was talking about looked a lot
like what we'd call an elevator or a lift back in my world. However, it wasn't mechanical
in nature, but rather seemed to be powered by magic, giving the whole scene a rather
fantastical feel.
"There sure are a lot of convenient devices in these elven villages." I nodded in agreement
with Chiyome's assessment, but Ariane only offered up a disinterested response.
"Oh? Well, I guess I'm glad to hear that."
Her white hair flapped about in the sea breeze, and she shuddered slightly, holding
her arms tight to her chest, though some amethyst-colored skin still managed to peek
through. The port had been warm yesterday afternoon, but the early morning breeze
left us feeling the chill.
A group of purple-skinned dark elf men whistled excitedly as they walked past the
sleep-deprived Ariane. I hadn't seen any dark elves other than Ariane back in Lalatoya,
though they were practically everywhere here on the dock. I supposed it made sense,
since they were typically stronger than other elves. The mountain people milling
about, likely from the southern continent, also boasted rather powerful frames.
A man called to us, stepping through the rough-and-tumble crew with a confident
stride and a bright smile. I figured him to be a dark elf, though his skin was closer to a
purple-hued ash than the delicate amethyst of Ariane's skin. I probably looked similar
to him currently, given the dark skin of my elven form.
"So, you're the passengers the elder told me about, yah? I'm the captain of the
Rievbelta. Why don't you come aboard? We're about to cast off any minute now, so feel
free to find a place on deck, but just stay out of my crew's way."
The large man waved grandly toward the docked ship and, with the introductions now
through, spun on his heel and made his way back toward it.
Before he reached the ship, however, he suddenly turned back around, as if he'd just
remembered something. "I don't plan on watching you guys, but whatever you do, stay
out of the ship's hold! If everything goes as planned, we'll be arriving in Plymouth by
tomorrow morning. Later!"
This time, he truly was done with us, and didn't turn back again as he started yelling
instructions to his crew.
Ariane stretched for a moment before starting after him, with Chiyome and Goemon
following in a quick jog, their bags bouncing on their backs.
I stood there, fixed in place, my mind on the captain's warning.
Ariane looked back quizzically. "We're gonna leave you behind if you don't hurry up,
Arc!"
"Is what he said true?"
Ariane cocked her head. "What he said about arriving tomorrow morning?"
I'd been looking forward to this voyage for a while, and was stunned to learn that it
would only last one day. Upon hearing this, Ariane looked at Chiyome with a puzzled
expression.
"What's wrong with arriving so soon? Isn't it better to get the trip over with and not
have to spend days floating on the bottomless sea? I don't get it, Chiyome."
Chiyome nodded. "Honestly, I'm glad to hear that we won't be spending too long on
the ocean. Though I admit I was pretty surprised to hear the southern continent is so
close."
Ariane looked up at the ship, a certain pride in her voice as she spoke. "The only reason
we can make it to the southern continent in just one day's time is because we're
traveling on the Rievbelta. The trip would take four days on a human ship."
I looked up at the Rievbelta as well. If what she said were true, it meant that this ship
was four times faster than anything the humans could make.
Like chasing after a speeding comet…
While we were talking, a large bell aboard the Rievbelta began to ring. Ariane
frantically threw her bag over her shoulder and began jogging toward the ship.
"Arc, that's the departure bell! If you don't hurry up, we'll be left behind!"
"Ah, right!"
"Kyiii!"
I adjusted my own bag and took off toward the ship. I couldn't find Goemon for a
moment, until I discovered that he was already standing on the deck, looking down at
us. Leave it to a ninja to sneak onto the ship while no one was looking.
Shortly after we boarded, the plank leading up to the deck was removed, and the crew
began hurrying about their business. With one more loud clang from the ship's bell,
the massive ship began slowly drifting away from the cove. We tried to stay out of the
crew's way by moving to the front of the ship, where I could see the waves breaking
against its bow down below.
I watched as the people still standing at the docks waved goodbye to the ship, then
slowly turned my gaze upward. Something strange caught my eye.
"Hey, Ariane… the sails aren't even up. How are we moving?" I blurted out my
observation in surprise, completely unsure what I was looking at.
Ariane leaned against the ship's railing, unfazed. "The Rievbelta is a magical ship. No
wind blows down here in the harbor, so it has to move under the power of magic until
it gets out into the open sea."
Chiyome was also taken in by the mysterious sight of a sailing vessel moving without
wind. The look of surprise as she stared at the empty masts and the neatly folded sails
was plain on her face.
This meant that the vessel had to have some sort of engine aboard, and the warning
the captain had given us earlier was probably an attempt to keep us from entering the
engine room. Considering that humans still didn't have access to magical ships or their
technology, it only made sense to forbid any and all entry, in order to maintain the
secrecy.
"Do you know what kind of system the ship uses to move, Ariane?" Out of pure curiosity,
I figured I'd ask Ariane about the inner workings of the Rievbelta.
She leaned back against the railing and offered up a cool, disinterested response.
"Nope. I'm not an engineer or anything, you know. I have no idea how these things
work."
As Ariane gazed up at the sky, her large bosom bounced in sync with the waves that
gently rocked the ship. I stared out of the corner of my eye and slowly scratched my
chin.
She was right, of course. Someone without an engineering background would have a
hard time describing how it works. I mean, most people know that cars have engines
that make them move, but very few people can explain how they do it. If the ship did
have some sort of engine on board, then I could easily believe that it was four times
faster than what the humans were building.
It was unfortunate that our voyage would be over in just one day, but it wasn't the end
of the world if I could get to this exciting new land all the sooner.
Or at least, so I told myself.
Just then, I felt a strong breeze come up from behind us and heard the calls of men
yelling to draw the sails. A bell began chiming as the three sails were slowly but surely
drawn up their respective masts.
We had apparently broken out into the open sea and were now floating past several
islets and rocks jutting up from the water. The boat slowly picked up speed and
crashed through the oncoming waves as it skirted these obstacles.
A few moments later, however, the bell began sounding more frantically.
Ariane stood up from the railing and looked off toward the aft of the ship.
"Pirates…?"
She narrowed her golden eyes as her white hair billowed about in the strong sea
breeze.
I looked in the same direction and could barely see the outlines of two boats pulling
out from the far side of one of the islets.
"Are there really pirates out here?"
We were still pretty close to Landfrea's port. I had to question the sanity of any pirate
who would launch an attack this close to land.
The boats pursuing us were about half the size of the Rievbelta. What's more, while
the deck of the Rievbelta was reinforced with dragon scales, these ships looked like
they were made completely out of wood, and they were far slower than us.
We quickly started pulling away from them, making their surprise arrival all for naught.
"I've heard that the humans operate under the guise of pirates in order to get their
hands on elven ship technology. But it looks like we can probably just ignore them."
Ariane shrugged as it became apparent that they were no match for us.
The "pirate" ships were nothing compared to our vessel, though they were clearly a
step above the kinds of ships pirates might usually command. They looked to be more
in line with the countless ships I'd seen docked back in the port town of Lamburt.
Before I could dwell on it further, my thoughts were interrupted by two thunderous
blasts that rocked the ship. I looked over and saw that two of the large cannons on the
deck had just fired on the pirates.
A loud whistling sound cut through the air. The next moment, a large splash erupted
near one of the pirate ships.
The first shot missed, sending a pillar of water high into the air. The next shot,
however, struck the ship's mast, smashing it in two. Even at a distance, I could hear
the crew shouting aboard the injured vessel.
I remembered hearing once that naval combat was incredibly difficult, since the
slightest wave could rock the ship and dramatically alter its aim. However, direct hits
weren't necessary when you were using explosive rounds—they would destroy
everything in their vicinity. In that respect, they were a lot like the Burst Spheres I'd
seen in the Houvan uprising.
With one of the ships taken out of the fight, the other immediately reduced its speed
to assist its companion. The Rievbelta began picking up speed again, leaving the two
ships in its wake.
I was truly impressed at the sight. "Those human ships are no match for the likes of a
mana cannon…"
"Well," Ariane replied, "they're generally meant for fending off monsters, not fighting
off pirate ships."
"Oh?"
It wasn't until she said that that I realized there might be monsters in the ocean. I
supposed it only made sense that things would be much the same on the water as they
were on the plains and in the forests.
The early morning light reflected off the expansive blue sea, broken only by the
occasional whitecap. I placed my hand right above my eyebrow and squinted my eyes,
looking out at the endless ocean and sky, but couldn't see anything among the waves
that looked like it could pose a threat to the Rievbelta.
Back on land, I'd run into grand dragons, massive stone frogs, and even a Dragon Lord.
It stood to reason that similar monsters lived out here in the ocean.
While I was doing my best to enjoy the scenery, I decided to ask Ariane for more
information. "What kind of monsters require such powerful weaponry?"
Goemon's ears perked up at this, apparently intrigued as well. Whatever it was had to
be enormous in order to necessitate those massive cannons.
Chiyome looked up from where she stood at the edge of the deck. "Probably the most
well-known and dangerous monster out here in the South Central Sea is the kraken. I
haven't actually seen it myself, but it's said to be so massive that it could swallow a
ship whole. It has a large head, with countless tentacles stretching out from it… or so
I hear."
Chiyome focused her azure eyes off into the distant waters, her arms resting on the
ship's railing. She wasn't one to get easily excited, but judging by the way her tail was
swishing back and forth, there was something about this seafaring voyage that made
her more animated than usual.
While I gazed at the young cat girl, I tried conjuring up the mysterious kraken she'd
just described.
"Larger than a whole ship, and a head connected to countless tentacles, huh?"
When I thought of a kraken, I imagined something like a giant squid, octopus, or
mollusk. If one assumed that everything from the eyes of a squid up was its head, then
I supposed it fit the description.
I shook my head to rid it of the image of a monster big enough to smash the Rievbelta
in two. The thing would have to be at least a hundred meters long in order to be a
match for this ship.
"I'm betting human ships without armaments like this don't stand a chance against a
kraken."
I wasn't sure even cannons would be enough to properly fight back. In the case of
humans, who didn't have such technology, their bell would pretty much be rung the
moment they ran into the kraken… unless they had some sort of other long-range
weapons.
Chiyome looked up from the water. "The story of the kraken really began spreading
back during the military campaigns that preceded the Revlon Empire splitting in two.
The empire sent out a great fleet to expand its lands on the southern continent. Every
single ship was wiped out by the kraken."
As Chiyome spoke, I recalled the story about how the Jinshin clan's founder, Hanzo,
operated behind the scenes as the empire began falling apart. She'd mentioned this
before our attack on the Etzat slave market, back in the capital of the Rhoden Kingdom.
It was partially thanks to Hanzo's string-pulling that the various factions had broken
off over who would assume the imperial throne, leading to the empire eventually
splitting into two.
After digging up this long-forgotten memory, I turned my attention back to Chiyome.
"You mentioned before that your founder, Hanzo, got caught up in some… activities, in
an attempt to relieve his people of their role as imperial spies. Was the failed southern
campaign the impetus for that?"
She nodded. "They actually sent two large fleets, but both met with complete disaster,
causing the seated emperor to lose influence."
I had no idea how much these fleets might have cost, but even a single boat was hardly
cheap. Losing two fleets on campaigns in foreign lands would have been more than
enough to rob any ruler of their influence.
The kraken had been the tipping point that caused an entire empire to split in two.
And yet…
"That had to have been quite a streak of bad luck for the emperor."
Ariane shook her head firmly, finally breaking her silence. "The kraken saw the
shadows of the ships on the sea floor and mistook them for a school of fish. If you take
a fleet into the kraken's waters, it's only a matter of time until it's littering the ocean
floor. That's why ships out here always travel alone."
"Huh. I see."
Ariane let out a dramatic sigh and shrugged her shoulders. But judging by the
interested looks on Chiyome and Goemon's faces, this was all new to them. I decided
to follow suit and nod along as well.
Given that our ship was far larger than anything the humans sailed, it struck me that
we were a rather conspicuous target compared to most ships that made the voyage
alone. I asked Ariane about this, but she simply cocked her head, then looked over the
side of the ship at the water below.
"I don't know the specifics, but maybe this ship's too fast? Besides, the human vessels
didn't have any weapons capable of fending off the kraken."
While Ariane was talking, a strong wind blew across the ship, whipping Ponta's tail
into the air and sending my furry companion into a panic.
"Kyii! Kyiiiii!"
As if on cue, the ship's bell began chiming.
An elf standing watch in the crow's nest atop the ship's highest mast started shouting,
pointing toward something near the front of the ship.
A moment later, a man's voice boomed all around us, echoing through a metal tube
installed throughout the ship. He issued a simple warning to the whole crew.
"The kraken has been sighted off the ship's bow! I repeat, the kraken has been sighted off
the ship's bow!"
The man began issuing orders, and silence enveloped the ship as the crew moved to
their stations with a cool confidence.
I looked where the man had been pointing and focused my eyes on the vast ocean that
spread in every direction. I couldn't believe I was about to see the kraken that Chiyome
had told me about only moments before.
However, all I could see was the unending ocean. I pushed myself up onto the ship's
railing in order to get a better look, but I still couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
I decided to ask if Chiyome was having any better luck.
"I don't really see anything that looks like a kraken over here. How about you, Chiyome?"
She gave her head a firm shake, apparently also coming up empty. "Nope, nothing here,
either."
Goemon cast a stern gaze across the waters, but also seemed to be coming up emptyhanded.
The ship started taking evasive maneuvers, swerving through the waters like a snake
and tilting drastically from side to side. Above us, I could hear the slapping of the sails
as the wind buffeted them with incredible force.
I glanced across the ship and noticed that all of the elf crew members and passengers
were staring starboard. The mountain people, all the other passengers, were frantically
looking around in every direction. I wondered if maybe…
I turned my gaze toward Ariane, who shot back a brief smile and nod before returning
her attention to the sea.
"Can you sense it, too, Arc? Whenever the kraken breaks through the surface, it
summons up a gust of wind to serve as cover. At this distance, there's no way to spot
it. Only elves are able to pierce its veil, thanks to our ability to see mana."
I once again looked starboard and squinted hard.
As an elf myself, technically, I could do the same, but it seemed like my ability to see
mana was weaker than even that of dark elves, which was already inferior to other
elves.
Maybe it was just too far off, but for some reason or other, all I could see was the
endless blue sea.
"By blending into the scenery, you won't even know it's on you until it's too late…" I
was stunned to silence as I realized just what kind of power the kraken had.
Chiyome made no effort to hide her surprise. "I didn't know the kraken could do that…"
The kraken must have had some sort of camouflage. I knew that squids, octopuses,
and the like were able to change the colors of their bodies to blend into their
surroundings, but the type of active camouflage at play here seemed like something
entirely out of this world.
…Or maybe not. The fact that people who could see mana were able to see through the
illusion implied that this was some sort of magical beast using a magical ability to pull
this off.
"We don't know what brings the kraken up to the surface, but it's the elves' job to spot
it as soon as they can, even when it's hiding in plain sight. This one's pretty big, almost
like a mountain peeking out of the ocean." Ariane sounded rather proud of her people
as she spoke, though her surprise was evident in how wide her eyes went as she
estimated the size of the as-yet-unseen kraken.
A part of me was disappointed that I wasn't able to see this rather impressive spectacle
unfolding before us. I let out a sigh and put my chin on the ship's railing, hoping we'd
make it through this safely.
The other non-elven passengers moved uneasily about the ship, looks of disappointment
on their faces as they returned below deck.
"Is the kraken not going to take up the chase?"
I stared blankly out at sea as I watched the deck slowly clear out of the corner of my
eye.
Ariane stretched out her back and knocked on the ship's railing. "A kraken can't keep
up with a ship this fast, at least… not one that's older than a youngling. And running
into one of those is incredibly rare."
Before she'd even finished this sentence, Ponta began fidgeting atop my head. A
moment later, the ship rocked violently, and the cottontail fox slid backward down my
helmet.
"Kyiiiiii!"
"What was that?"
I pushed Ponta back up and scanned our surroundings. Goemon was looking at the
rear of the ship with a hard stare, evidently having picked up on a strange presence.
I heard a shout from the stern.
"Youngling kraken spotted portside!"
Everyone on the deck froze.
A moment later, I heard a loud, eerie screeching noise as the monster struck the ship.
It sounded almost like a cry of joy.
"Everyone, to the aft of the ship!"
"Anyone who isn't at their station loses his share!"
"We've been waiting for this moment, kraken!"
The mountain people, who just moments before had been forlornly heading back
down into the ship's holds, were now scrambling back up to the deck, armed to the
teeth and racing toward the aft of the ship.
The sight was almost beyond belief. They were running like the doors had just opened
at a department store during a closeout sale.
The elven crew and passengers, however, looked on with more than a bit of confusion
at the scene unfolding before them. A trait shared by these both species was that
neither of them appeared to be overcome or surprised by the sudden monster attack
at sea, something that, under normal circumstances, could be a tragedy in the making.
"It feels almost like a festival is about to start. I guess maybe we should join in too?" I
spoke aloud, to no one in particular, as I drew my Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg
and took off toward the aft of the ship. Goemon followed closely after me, clanging his
gauntlets together as he ran.
Once I arrived, I was confronted with a hellish scene. The mountain people were doing
their best to attack what looked like a massive, ten-meter-tall squid. For what was
supposedly a youngling kraken, it certainly seemed more than big enough to pose a
threat. However, with all those heavily armed mountain people moving about, it
looked like a field of flowers being trampled by a herd of cattle.
Still, it certainly deserved its reputation as a demon of the sea. I watched as it used its
huge tentacles to slam the mountain people into the ship's deck. That didn't stop them,
of course. The mountain people pulled themselves up, wiped the blood from their
faces, and rushed back into the fray with their weapons raised. It was quite an
inspirational sight.
One mountain person—a wolf perhaps—severed one of the kraken's thick tentacles
and let out a piercing howl. I caught sight of another of the kraken's long tentacles
coming in toward the wolf's back, but before I had time to react, a large figure brushed
past me.
It was Goemon. Just before the tentacle could strike the wolf, Goemon caught her and
yanked her down to the deck with one arm, the tentacle slicing audibly through the
air over their heads mere moments later.
I closed in after Goemon and swung my sword in a clean, upward motion, cutting the
tentacle in two. It slammed down hard on the ship's deck with a dull thud.
"Don't let your guard down!" I called out to the wolf, whose forehead was starting to
turn red from where Goemon had slammed her into the ship's deck. I shook the water
off my blade.
"Th-thanks for the save!"
Goemon caught my eye as he stood up. I could see a smile forming on his lips as we
each threw out an arm, our fists connecting.
I heard a cheer and turned my gaze back toward the mountain people, who were
already cheering as they closed in on the rapidly weakening kraken. I slid my sword
back into my sheath.
"That was a lot easier than I expected."
The wolf we'd saved walked over to me, carrying with her the severed tentacle. She
tossed the unwieldy appendage to me. "This is all yours! What will you do with it?"
Judging by everyone's cheers and how they were acting, I could only come to one
conclusion. "You don't actually… eat it, do you?"
While the kraken might be considered a monster, it was, at the end of the day, a giant
squid. Cooking and eating it was the only real use I could think of.
Apparently, I was spot on.
"That's right! It's mighty tasty when it's fresh like this, maybe with just a sprinkle of
salt. Or you could always roast it up and have it with some liquor. It's absolutely
magnificent!"
"Kyii kyiiiiii!"
"…"
Ponta was quick to respond to the wolf's recommendations. Though Goemon
responded in his usual, stoic manner, he seemed to be keenly eyeing the tentacle.
Ariane and Chiyome finally arrived just as the wolf was finishing up her long speech
on the many ways to eat a kraken. I held the tentacle up in their direction and asked if
they were interested, though their reactions were split.
Ariane, for her part, shook her head quickly and stepped away, while Goemon and
Chiyome closed in toward me, the latter's tail wagging about excitedly.
I could feel Ponta smacking its paws against the top of my helmet, demanding attention.
"Fine, fine. Calm down, Ponta. I'll make sure you get your share."
"Kyiii!"
Now that the battle was won, the crew were busily spreading out, cutting up, and
preparing their take of the kraken right on the deck of the ship. The once-massive tenmeter squid was now gone. In its place were large pieces of meat strung up by the
ropes that held the Rievbelta's sails in place. They looked almost like macabre flags
fluttering in the wind.
After talking it over, Goemon, Chiyome, and I decided to roast it as the wolf had
recommended. But before we could cook the meat, we'd need to let it dry. After
washing away the blood with some sea water, I cut the flesh into thin slices to help it
dry out easier. It was all a rather simple affair, but my mouth watered at the thought
of our upcoming feast.
The very idea of roasting squid immediately brought to mind the taste of soy sauce
and sake, but unfortunately, even the elves didn't have any good substitutes for those.
Besides, it wasn't really the time or place to complain about the lack of creature
comforts.
Ponta and Chiyome's tails swished back and forth in sync as they looked up at the
drying kraken meat. It was a rather heartwarming sight.
After digging through my bag for a bit, I pulled out my waterskin, slid a straw through
the opening, and took a sip of the water I'd again taken from the hot spring at the base
of the Lord Crown that morning. I then pulled the drawing supplies I'd bought in
Landfrea out of my bag. We still had some time until the kraken would be ready to
cook.
I sat down on the deck, crossed my legs, and flipped the book open to the first page.
"All right, this helmet's getting in my way now…"
Speaking to no one in particular, I took off my helmet and set it down next to me. I then
picked up my drawing implement—essentially a stick of charcoal sharpened into a
primitive pencil—and began drawing.
After sketching the rough outlines, I started filling in the basic details. As I looked up
at the still-life inspiration laid out before me, I absently wondered how long it had
been since I'd sat down to draw like this.
Ponta and Chiyome were standing at the ship's railing, their tails wagging gently as
they looked out across the sea, while Goemon stood at the front of the ship with his
arms crossed tight across his chest, cutting an imposing figure as he glared ahead.
A gentle smile crept across my face as I sketched the scene in front of me. Ariane
appeared at my side and looked down at my drawing.
"Wow, you drew that, Arc? You're pretty good!" The surprise was evident in her voice.
"You think? I'm just an amateur, really."
I thought back to my previous life. When I was younger, I'd been pretty good at art; I'd
even had some of my works put on display. One day, a girl in my class complimented
my work, but frankly, I thought she'd done a better job overall than I had. In the end,
however, it was my picture that was put up on display. I felt really bad about that.
I wondered absently where that girl was now and what she was doing.
I averted my gaze as I got lost in these memories, prompting Ariane to look closer, her
golden eyes wide as they bore into me.
"Arc, what's wrong?"
It seemed that, while I was back in my elven body, I could feel homesickness and other
emotions welling up inside me.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and took a nice, deep breath of ocean air. Then
I turned my gaze back to Ariane's large chest. I immediately felt better.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just worried you might have gotten a sunburn on your cleavage."
No sooner were the words out of my mouth than Ariane's fist came flying toward my
face, her cheeks flushed.
"You don't need to concern yourself with that!" She crossed her arms protectively over
her chest and turned away.
Tears formed in the corners of my eyes from the strong blow she'd delivered to the
bridge of my nose. I let out a deep sigh. Up above, the thinly sliced slabs of kraken meat
wafted in the wind like flags. Despite all the downsides, I was starting to think that
maybe there was some good to my change, since it allowed me to actually look forward
to the upcoming meal of roasted kraken.
The sun slowly approached the horizon, bathing the sea around us in the deep scarlet
shades of nightfall. The people who had hung their kraken meat to dry were now
scrambling about the ship to prepare their meal.
It seemed as good a time as any for me to do that too. I untied the meat from the ship's
riggings and checked the texture. Thanks to the constant sea breeze that blew across
the ship, the surface of the meat was nice and dry, while still maintaining a nice
springiness to it, despite having shrunk a bit. Overall, it seemed to have come out well.
"Seems to have dried out quite nicely." I held the meat under the light of the setting
sun and nodded confidently.
Ariane spoke up, her face in a grimace. "You're not really going to eat that, are you?"
I thought back on the massive sea monster we'd fought earlier that afternoon and let
out a rueful laugh. Considering that Ariane's hometown was much farther inland, I
realized she probably wasn't used to eating seafood.
To be fair, while I'd eaten roasted squid, kraken was new for me as well.
"I've never tried kraken before, so I figure I might as well give it a chance."
I looked around the deck of the ship and discovered that a number of grills had been
set up all over while I had been preoccupied. Skewered meat rested on the grates,
roasting away. A few people carried out barrels of liquor from below deck and began
setting them up. It was starting to feel like a proper party.
However, as I looked closer, I realized that the only people enjoying the feast of roasted
kraken were the mountain people. There were no elves to be seen. I wondered if this
was a cultural difference.
On one of the grills, I saw half a tentacle roasting away. Elsewhere, Chiyome and
Goemon were helping the others untie their food from the rigging lines.
Could we really eat all this food? But first things first—I'd need to actually try it.
"Well, let's give it a taste!"
"Kyiii!" Ponta let out an impatient mew from atop my head.
I made my way to one of the nearby grills that wasn't being used and began spearing
the kraken meat on skewers before laying it down to roast. The aroma was divine.
Right around the time that the meat had worked up a nice char, Chiyome leaned in,
her large tail wagging.
"Well, it certainly smells good."
Goemon nodded.
Ariane seemed to be in agreement on the smell at least, though she furrowed her brow
and stared intently at the meat as the flames licked it. Apparently, she still couldn't get
the thought about where it had come from out of her mind.
I took three of the cooked skewers and handed them to Chiyome and Goemon before
removing the meat from the third and setting it down in front of Ponta.
Taking another, I turned my attention to Ariane, but she didn't seem in any hurry to
try it. She shook her head for added emphasis.
"Sorry to eat in front of you, Ariane."
I took a bite and chewed at the roasted kraken, trying to get a feel for its flavor.
It honestly tasted a lot like roasted squid. I continued shoving more of the slightly
charred, flavorful meat into my mouth as Chiyome and Goemon followed suit. The
moment they did, both of their eyes lit up, their tails wagging about slightly. In a matter
of moments, the skewers were picked clean.
Apparently, they liked it.
Chiyome was staring longingly at the remaining hunk of meat, so I put some more on
skewers and placed it on the grill. Down at my feet, Ponta used its magic to summon
up a burst of wind to blow across the steaming meat and cool it before testing the
temperature with its tongue.
Chiyome watched intently as I worked, slowly roasting the second round of skewers.
"It'll be ready in just a moment," I said. "It tastes a lot better if you get the char just right."
Chiyome's ears went stiff, and she leaned back, shaking her head from side to side. The
normally calm and collected young girl frowned and tried to make up an excuse, her
face twisting into a frown.
"N-no, that's not what I meant. I-I was just going to ask you about something!"
I nodded, urging her to continue.
What she had to say took me by surprise.
"Would you be willing to sell me several cuts of kraken meat?"
There was a seriousness in her deep azure eyes and a slight flush to her cheeks that I
usually didn't see, making her look a little more childish than usual. The image brought
a smile to my lips. Goemon stopped eating for a moment and looked over at his young
ninja companion.
I responded with a gentle laugh. "Goemon and I did this together, so there's no need
for me to sell you anything. Half of it is already yours anyway. It looks like you've really
taken a liking to the roasted kraken, huh, Chiyome?"
Chiyome turned her gaze back to the roasting meat and brushed her cheek lightly. "I
can't remember the last time I ate something so good. I figured that my brother would
like it, too, so I was hoping to bring some back to him as a souvenir."
"Oh, you have a brother?" This took me by surprise. It was the first I'd heard of
Chiyome having a family.
Ariane's ears also perked up.
Chiyome shook her head at this.
"Well, he's not a brother in the traditional sense. I'm taking about one of the six great
ninja of our clan, the one known as Sasuke."
She frowned slightly and turned her gaze toward the sky, looking off to the west at the
remnants of the setting sun. Goemon, having long since finished his roasted kraken,
still had the skewer sticking out of his mouth as he listened intently to our conversation.
The name sounded familiar. Back in the hideaway, I faintly remembered hearing
Chiyome talking with the twenty-second Hanzo about such a person. Something about
how they weren't able to find him.
It was hard to see clearly in the fading light, but a look of sadness seemed to have
clouded Chiyome's azure eyes. I stroked my chin, recalling the eagerness Chiyome had
shown when she asked about Sasuke's whereabouts. I'd only happened to overhear
the conversation and hadn't been given any other background information, so I
figured it best to not pry and let the conversation trail off there.
"Well, we've got quite a lot of meat left, so we'll leave it somewhere safe once we hit
the port."
Ariane still wasn't interested in eating anything, and I could only polish off so much
food on my own. It'd be a pain to try and lug all this meat around with us as we traveled
the southern continent. Maybe I'd try to Transport Gate to bring the food back to
Chiyome's village, as a test to see how far I could teleport. We'd still have quite a bit
left over, even if I gave half to the village. For the rest, I was thinking of cutting it up
really thin, drying it out, then frying it up. Fried kraken sounded pretty good to me.
Maybe I could even slip some to Ariane without her noticing.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I could feel Ariane's gaze drilling into me, like
an elbow to my gut. Ariane could read me like a book even when I was an expressionless
skeleton, so there was little chance of getting away with devious thoughts in my elven
form.
I tried to keep my cool and turned my attention back to the roasting skewer, checking
on the grill marks. Stay calm. Just gotta stay calm.
The next morning, I woke up in my armor, lying on the hard bed in the small cabin
we'd been provided below deck. A little furball moving around my face had woken me
up. Apparently, the motion of the ship had knocked Ponta from my chest onto my face.
The fox yawned a few times, eliciting a smile from me as I picked it up by the scruff of
the neck and tried to set it down next to me.
Ponta was fully awake now, though, and kicked its legs about in the air before curling
up and clutching onto my arm.
"Kyii!"
"Huh, you up now?"
Ponta ran up my arm and onto my shoulder as I looked around the cabin.
Though illuminated by rays of sun that managed to make their way in through the
small, circular port built into the wall, the cabin was rather spartan and dimly lit.
Several bunks, reminiscent of coffins, ran along both sides of the cabin, with a narrow
passageway running between them. This was where Ponta and I had spent the night,
joined by our roommate Goemon, who'd slept in a sitting position with his back
against the wall.
It wasn't clear to me if Goemon was sleeping, or meditating with his eyes closed in
search of some sort of higher consciousness. It didn't seem to me like that position
would be very relaxing.
Not like I was one to talk, though. After all, I'd fallen asleep in my armor.
I decided to head up to the deck and see if I could get a sense for where we were. After
adjusting my helmet, I stepped out through the doorway, careful to duck low so I didn't
bump my head.
I walked down the hallway with both hands outstretched, fingers gliding along the
walls as I moved to keep from falling over as the ship swayed from side to side. After
making my way up to the deck, I was greeted by the sound of sails flapping in the vast,
blue, early morning sky.
I turned to look toward the front of the ship, then off to the right, where I saw a large
continent, still blanketed in the deep purple hues of dawn. The darkness kept me from
getting a good look at the land that stretched out before us, but from what I could see,
it was a rocky coastline made up of sheer cliffs. Definitely not a good place to dock a
ship.
"Wow! So we've already made it to the southern continent?"
One of the mountain people heard me talking to myself and came on over to join me.
"Yer a weird one, wearing armor out on deck like that. This yer first time to Fobnach?"
The cat man let out a lazy yawn and leaned heavily on the railing as he looked up at
me, confused.
I nodded. "I'm interested in this country ruled by the mountain people that I've heard
so much about, as well as the various spices, tomatoes, and other goods that grow
down here."
The man looked back at me curiously. "What are mountain people? Us beast people
are the ones who founded the Great Fobnach Kingdom."
It was now my turn to look confused.
"Oh? I thought that that the term 'beast people' was an insult used up in the north to
refer to your people. Is that not so in the south?"
Chiyome had told me humans had coined the term "beast people," but the preferred
term, which they used for themselves, was "mountain people." After I explained this
to the cat man, a look of realization came over his face, and he nodded firmly.
"Ahhh, so that's the term they use up in the north? Down in the south, Fobnach's
founder brought the many beast clans together to found our great country."
I could sense a certain amount of pride in the man's voice as he spoke, and no negative
connotations to the term. Apparently, customs changed depending on the region, or in
this case, continent.
"Besides, most of us down in the south have never even seen a human."
"Oh, so most of the people living on the southern continent are… beast people like
yourselves? No humans live down there?"
The man smiled wryly at this. "Off to the west, beyond the large plains, there are some
lands ruled by the humans. However, their push into these lands contributed to the
formation of Fobnach as we know it today."
I saw no hostility in the man's face as he talked about the humans. When I asked him
about this, he laughed and shook his head.
"The humans built a large wall along the plains, which they never cross. Some brave
souls of ours live and work beyond that wall, but if the humans were ever to come out
and try to drive us off, the highly skilled warriors of Fobnach would put a quick end to
them."
The cat man's chest puffed out with pride as he spoke.
With the humans separated from the north by the vast South Central Sea, it was clear
that the southern continent belonged to the mountain people.
Personally, I felt it would make the most sense to just gather up all the mountain
people in the hideaway village and bring them down here to the southern continent.
However, as an outsider, that wasn't my decision to make.
Judging from what I'd heard so far, the village I'd seen was just one of many, and the
Jinshin clan was still busy rescuing their enslaved comrades, so they couldn't leave the
northern continent anytime soon. You can't solve problems that have built up over
generations in just one day.
I couldn't help but wonder how Chiyome and Goemon would tell the people back at
their village what Fobnach, a country built by the mountain people, was like. At least,
I assumed that was why they'd come along.
I felt a presence approach me from behind. I looked back and spotted Ariane coming
toward me, trying to brush out her mussy hair as she moved. All eyes on deck turned
toward Ariane's voluptuous body as she approached.
Ariane seemed to be unaware of the eyes on her as she stretched her body, loosening
up her muscles after being confined to such narrow quarters. This only increased the
intensity of the gazes directed her way.
"Good morning, Ariane."
Even though she seemed to ignore the looks she was getting from everyone else,
without fail, she'd always lay into me if I looked at her that way. She had quite the
bittersweet personality.
Though, honestly, I couldn't recall a time when she'd actually been sweet to me.
Ariane rubbed at her lower back and let out a sigh. "Morning, Arc. That bed was just
awful to sleep in. I'm sore all over."
Just as I was about to reply, I noticed everyone around me turn their eyes away from
Ariane and look straight ahead. Following their gaze, I spotted a town shining in the
early morning sun off to the right.
Chiyome spoke up from beside me. I had no idea when she'd appeared, but there she
was, her azure eyes—the color of the ocean—fixed on the town.
"Looks like we've arrived at Plymouth."
She squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight as the sea breeze blew her ears ever
so slightly from side to side. There was no trace of the sadness I'd seen on her face last
night.
Goemon lumbered up behind her. I let out a deep breath and looked back toward the
sun-bleached town ahead.
I was finally going to set foot on the southern continent.