Volume 16 Chapter 1 On The Ship
'――The sea, yo.'
"The sea, yeah." "...It's the sea, yeah!"
"...It's a lake, though."
We had cleaned up Miss Fuuko's room, and the next day, we were on the ship.
We were going to block the river, which was the source of the monster influx.
Since Mars was on high alert, most of the Inquisitors were staying in the holy city, so there were few Inquisitors on the ship.
By the way, Cirrul was also staying in the holy city, citing her dislike of seasickness as the reason.
The only acquaintances on this ship were Miss Miimo and Ravuri.
"You're still energetic as ever, aren't you?"
Miss Miimo, who was on the same ship, let out a wry smile, looking frustrated.
"I mean, it's a pretty dangerous mission..."
"Sorry about that..."
"No, I'm not blaming you. I just think it's cool and enviable, that's all."
Miss Miimo started fiddling with a candy stick, looking restless. She seemed carefree, but might be feeling tense.
Indeed, this mission was quite dangerous.
We were sailing into the lake, where monsters were lurking, with no escape route.
And to make matters worse, Ravuri was on this ship. For the monsters, it was like a perfect target.
"But, I was surprised. I didn't think Princess Ravuri would calmly get on the ship."
"......Huh? ."
Ravuri gave a vague response, as if caught off guard by the sudden question.
Yeah...she's been down since yesterday. Maybe it was because we slept in the same bed, and that was a shock to hrt.
"Hmm..."
Miss Miimo gave Ravuri a probing gaze.
"Isn't Princess Ravuri scared of getting on the ship?"
"No, I'm scared, but...if I can be of help to everyone, I think it's lovely. And besides, Noo will protect me..."
"Really, is that so?"
"...Huh?"
"If I could control the monsters, I'd sink the ship first, and then have them attack from underwater. In that situation, how far do you think Noroa can protect you?"
"...Uh."
"No, Miss Miimo. Please don't threaten us too much. After all, we're in a position where we're cooperating with Ravuri."
That's right, the reason the Inquisitor went out of their way to get Ravuri on the ship is... to make Ravuri as 'decoy'.
Ravuri knew that and still got on the ship.
"...No, that was bad. But Noroa should be careful too. If we had some cursed equipment that would be useful when we fell into the lake, that would be different."
"You can't fight underwater, anyway."
I can't even swim, and just opening my eyes underwater is a struggle.
"So, we need to be extra cautious. If there are 'Cursed Users' on this ship... they'll definitely try to sink it."
"I understand."
Just then, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye...
"...?"
For some reason, Ravuri kept glancing at me.
It was as if she was afraid of something...
Yeah, it's natural to feel uneasy. For Ravuri, this place is like the enemy's territory. There are monsters lurking around, and there's nowhere to escape.
Of course, if Ravuri is here, the frequency of monster attacks on the ship will increase.
It's only natural to feel anxious.
"Don't worry, Ravuri."
"...Huh?"
"I'll protect you no matter what."
"Eh, ah... yeah."
Ravuri seemed distant for some reason.
But I didn't have the luxury to think about why right now.
"...!"
Suddenly, the Compass Eye's needle moved with a jolt.
I had left it in "search mode".
The needle was drawn to the magnetic force, pointing downward.
What it was pointing to was...
"――A monster!"
My voice was followed by tension spreading across the ship.
The next instant, monsters jumped over the ship's railing, flying in like birds.
There were countless fish-like monsters.
They moved quickly, but... if we knew where they were going to attack, it would be easy to deal with them.
I quickly jumped out to protect Ravuri.
"Get back!"
"Uh, okay."
"Noroa, please!"
"Yes, Miss Miimo!"
I used my Slime Shield to defend Ravuri while wielding my Slime Sword. Since the monsters were clustered together, the more I swung my sword, the more their numbers decreased.
"Is...this it?"
This time, it wasn't a huge group, and the battle ended quickly.
The Inquisitors took care of the remaining monsters one by one. They were already experienced in this kind of work, so their efficiency was impressive.
"Ravuri, are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine, I'm all lovely."
"I see, I don't quite get what you mean."
Well, if Ravuri was saying something like that, she was probably okay.
I had fulfilled my duty as a bodyguard without any issues.
"But, I'm sorry to rely on you so much."
"No...it was my strategy, after all."
――I had Ravuri lure the monsters, and then I'd attack.
By doing so, we could advance through the lake with the minimum number of people.
The risk of the ship and non-combatants being attacked was low, and we could allocate more personnel to counter Mars. This strategy was...working out so far.
However, since the burden was concentrated on me, if I failed even a little, Ravuri and everyone on the ship would be in danger...
That's why Miss Miimo called it a "dangerous mission".
"Well, while we're talking...we're almost there."
Miss Miimo, who was handling the aftermath of the monsters, pointed ahead.
What lay before us was...land.
A vast river had formed, as if the lake was being pushed back by the land.
We dropped anchor at the dock near the river.
"In the end, the ship didn't sink."
"Well, we made it this far. But we can't let our guard down until the very end."
"I understand."
"...Then, let's go."
Miss Miimo let out a dark smile.
"...From here on, it's counterattack time. We won't be pushed around anymore."
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