Volume 8 Chapter 4 Battle On The Ship
Elk, who was gazing at the sea, was brought back to reality when Sophia tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hehe. You can enjoy the sea slowly from the ship."
"S-sorry... wow, it's amazing, really."
"You're not a child anymore."
"Q-quit it."
Yato laughed mockingly, and Kaya joined in.
There were many ships lined up at the port. There were also a lot of fishermen carrying boxes filled with fish and shellfish.
As they watched, Yato said,
"They just got back from the morning catch."
"Fishermen... that's so cool."
"Hey, sorry, big brother!!"
"S-sorry!!"
Several strong fishermen passed by Elk, carrying large boxes.
Peeking out from the boxes were shrimp, fish, crabs, and shellfish. They all looked big and satisfying to eat.
Then, Sophia smiled wryly.
"Elk. I understand how you feel, but..."
"A-a, s-sorry!!"
It was rare for Elk to be so captivated.
Following Sophia, they came across a ship flying the flag of Galatine Royal Academy.
It was a huge ship that could hold hundreds of people. In front of the bridge connecting the ship to the port stood a young man with a beard.
"Eivor. Long time no see."
"Sophia!! Haha, how many years has it been? About 3 years?"
"It's been 2 years. Hehe, you've really become a man of the sea."
"Yeah. I spend more time at sea than on land... Now, let's catch up later. First, can you introduce those young boys and girls?"
"Sure. This is Elk, a first-year at Galatine Royal Academy, Ms. Yato, and Ms. Kaya. Everyone, this is Eivor. He's the captain of this ship and my classmate."
"Nice to meet you, young adventurers!"
Eivor shook hands firmly with Elk and the others.
As soon as they boarded the ship, they stopped on the deck.
"Getting to Yamato will take about 4 days. During that time, feel free to move around the ship. There might be sea monsters, but don't worry, we have adventurers on board for protection."
"Thank you, Eivor."
"Hahaha! It's my job, so don't worry about it. By the way, Sophia, how about we have a meal later? I have some good wine."
"Geez! What are you saying in front of the students?"
"Hahaha! Now, let me show you to your room."
Eivor was a cheerful man.
Elk thought it would be fun to have a meal together.
He noticed that Sophia's face was a bit red, but he decided to ask.
"Um, Miss Sophia. What do you mean by sea monsters?"
"Ahem... It means exactly that. We have to pass through an area called the Monster Belt, where monsters live, to reach Yamato. But don't worry, there are adventurers on board who specialize in sea battles. And if anything happens, I'll step in too."
Sophia was smiling. Strangely, Elk felt that if Sophia was there, everything would be fine.
They were guided by Eivor into the ship. Elk, Sophia, Yato, and Kaya split up to their cabins.
Elk looked around the cabin.
"It's pretty small..."
The cabin had a bed, a small table and chair, and just a shower room and toilet. It was impressive that the toilet and shower room were private, but Elk didn't understand that since he had no knowledge of ships.
There was only a small round window, and it didn't open.
They said they could move freely, but there wasn't much to do.
"Yawn... Oh, I guess I'll eat my lunch."
Elk took out the breakfast that Mamma made from his item box.
Inside were sandwiches, fried chicken, and salad. There was soup in the thermos.
Feeling hungry, Elk started to eat right away. In just 5 minutes, he finished everything.
He then collapsed onto the bed and let out a big yawn.
"...It was an early morning. I wonder if Emma and the others are having breakfast now... yawn."
Feeling really sleepy, Elk quietly closed his eyes... and just like that, he let go of his consciousness.
* * *
When he woke up, the ship was already moving.
Elk stretched and got out of bed, cracking his neck as he headed outside the cabin.
Since he was up, he decided to go up to the deck to look at the sea.
"Whoa... the sea is amazing!"
'Meow, meow, meow!'
"What's that? A cat...? No, is it a bird?"
'Meow.'
"Wait, there's a cat too... huh? Which one is it?"
A bird was making sounds like a cat, and a white cat was rubbing against Elk's feet.
Elk took out some cookies from his item box, crushed them, and offered them to the cat. The cat licked them up happily, not wanting to leave Elk, as if saying, "Give me more."
"By the way, why is there a cat?"
"Hahaha. That's because we need it to catch mice."
"Oh."
It was Captain Eivor.
Eivor picked up the white cat and held it.
"No matter how careful we are, mice always sneak into the ship's cargo. So, we bring a cat on board to catch the mice. Plus, living on the sea for a long time can be stressful, so having a cat around helps us relax."
"Wow~."
"Ten mice mixed in with the cargo ate all the food, and there are stories of crew members starving to death. There are also cases where people get sick from mouse droppings, or even have their ears bitten while they sleep... Cats are important companions and protectors for the ship."
'Meow!'
"I see. You're amazing."
"By the way, my ship has 2 cats. A white cat named Shiro and a black cat named Kuro. Pretty easy to remember, right?"
Kuro isn't here. Maybe he's looking for mice. While watching the sea with Shiro, Eivor says.
"We're supposed to deliver a letter to Yamato, right?"
"Yes."
"Be careful. Not just of samurai, but also assassins."
"Assassins?"
"Yeah. The samurai of Yamato aren't afraid of war. Even if you're a messenger from the Galatinne Kingdom, if they feel disrespected, they'll draw their swords without hesitation... And watch out for the assassins who are said to kill so swiftly that you 'realize you're dead' only after it happens."
"Y-yes."
"Hehe, well... as long as Sophia is with us, we should be fine. She's the strongest swordsman of my generation, despite how she looks."
Eivor looks proud.
Then──Shiro, who Eivor was holding, suddenly starts to squirm.
'Fuuuu!! Hisss!!'
"Oh? Shiro, what's wrong──... Huh!?"
"W-what's happening?"
"...Something is coming."
"Eh?"
Eivor sensed something. He starts running toward the front of the ship. Elk follows Eivor closely. When they look at the sea from the bow of the ship──white bubbles are rising.
"W-what the!? We're not even in the Monster Belt yet!? Ugh, emergency!! All crew, take your positions!!"
"Uh, um... what is it?"
"That bubble!! It's like a sign that a monster is hiding there!! You need to go back to the cabin!! Call the adventurers!! Get ready for battle right away───"
"Is it over there?"
Elk pointed his right hand at the bubble.
"For now... let's scoop up that whole area."
Telekinesis activated───... The seawater around the bubble was lifted up as if scooped by a spoon.
A floating sphere of seawater. Inside it, a giant shark monster was thrashing around.
"Is that the monster... Sorry, but if you're going to disturb this ship, you need to disappear."
As Elk tightened his grip, the seawater shrank rapidly, and the thrashing shark was crushed.
The ball of meat that used to be a shark fell into the sea, and the fish started to swarm around it.
"Alright, that should do it... um, did I do something unnecessary?"
"N-no... uh, thank you, Elk."
"You're welcome."
Elk picked up Shiro, who had snuggled up to his feet, and began to look at the sea again.
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