Chapter 349 - Episode 13: Sea Spirit Search
After the night of the full moon passed, the call for the sea spirit search was issued. In addition to those who went to Primordia, Beatrix, who has no plans to go to the village where she's a landlord until April, and Alex, who was hired as an interpreter, also participated. Incidentally, since it's in the sea this time, Fiona is unfortunately not participating.
Since we don't know where the sea spirits are, we'll apparently hit the reefs famous for mermaid legends in order. The first exploration site is a small island and the surrounding reef area to the west of Primordia. It's said to have the most sightings.
"Which means, a joint effort with Primordia?"
What, the second assessment already?
"Then, you know. Is that rumored huge Crown Prince coming too?"
When Beatrix brought it up, Beowulf was laughing.
"That's rude, Beatrix. The opponent is the Crown Prince-sama."
"But, he's bigger than Lord Roberts. I've never seen such a person."
"Well, that's true."
"He pushed open the heavy stone door with Beowulf."
Even Mary joined in.
Watching them, I'm on edge. "Hiyahiya."
"He's apparently scary-looking and has a loud voice, so everyone is afraid at first, but he's a kind person. The Royal Guard also said so."
"I-I see."
Beatrix reacted to the word 'kind' and raised one eyebrow.
Somehow, I really end up being conscious of it.
We are supposed to meet that Edward-sama at the cape at the western end of Primordia, in other words, the edge of the White Island.
As we approach in the bowl, the end of the long, narrow cape protruding into the sea with short grass growing on it showed a cliff. There's a stone building on top of the cliff. The upper part is like a bell tower. I thought it was a church, but it's something called a lighthouse. It's said that they light a fire in the bell tower part to inform ships that they have reached the cape at night or in bad weather. The route can also be confirmed, and they won't run aground on the rocks around the cape. Thinking about it now, the tower where I first met Fiona might have also been a lighthouse.
That lighthouse is the assembly point.
We are in the ultra-high-speed medium-sized bowl operated by Eleanor-sama and Wilson-san, and the other side is two small ones. Already, the handsome men who will be the decoys are staying in a nearby fishing village on a Primordia Royal Navy ship. I went to greet them on the way, but all three of them had their faces half-distorted from seasickness. No wonder. Since I know James-sama and Eowyn-sama, who are famous as handsome men, I feel that various things are insufficient, but I guess it can't be helped.
"I am sorry to have troubled everyone to come all this way."
It's Edward-sama. He seems to have gathered three handsome men from his direct army for the first group, and one ship is apparently already waiting offshore.
"He's really huge."
When the short Beatrix said, "Nice to meet you," her face was almost facing straight up. Edward-sama knelt on one knee to match her, and finally it looked right. It's no wonder an average woman looks like nothing but a child. He's that big.
"Shall we go immediately?"
"Yes. Please."
When Eleanor-sama asked, Edward-sama answered simply. As expected of someone who carries the blood of a hero, he has no hesitation.
The target reef is about half an hour away in a normal bowl. It's apparently the westernmost point on land where magic can be used. We'll land on that island in a state where our appearance is hidden and create a base. When the ship carrying the handsome men who won the contest approaches, we'll rise again. Once a mermaid is confirmed, Alex will call out. After that, it's negotiation.
The first group is the advance party. To prepare for high speed, Eleanor-sama and Wilson-san's pair bowl carried Henry-sama, Alex the interpreter, Beatrix, and me.
The second group is the next departure, and will arrive at the site around the time the ship approaches the island. It's a bowl operated by the Primordia Royal Guard, carrying two magic soldiers who operate it, Magdalena-sama, Miana, Sianya, and Bonnie.
The third group is support personnel, for backup if anything happens. It carries two magic soldiers including a holy magic user of the Primordia army, Harris-sama, Beowulf, and Will.
Edward-sama will be staying behind. Because he's too big, he would be a hindrance in aerial combat.
The first group landed on the island, and the primary goal is to create an observation base. If things go well, we might be able to contact the sea spirits as is. We departed in high spirits.
However, when we went there, the island was just a name, and it was just a large rock. It's about half the size of a field, but only short grass grows, and not a single tree is growing. Since it has a certain height, it wouldn't sink even at high tide, but it's full of seals and seabirds. Camouflage and Magic Reflection, which are effective against monsters and spirits, don't work against normal animals. It would be a problem if we were forced to descend and they made a fuss. We had no choice but to wait in the air, and before the effect of the magic expired, we decided to switch to a new bowl after Eleanor-sama dispelled the part for high speed.
To be honest, because I was kidnapped, I don't have a good impression of seals. Of course, the seals aren't bad, but I was almost killed.
However, looking at them again, they are indeed cute. They are the same as the ones I saw in the north of Finis, with black spots on a gray background and thick eyebrows. They have round black eyes. They all look peaceful as they lie down. Somehow their faces look like they are smiling.
There are pure white children here and there, and they must be mothers. Large ones are lying down next to them.
Whether they are going to catch fish, they move skillfully to the edge of the rock using their front flippers, then jump in with a splash, "Dobon."
Those coming up from the sea come up onto the rock all at once, as if jumping out from underwater. When they move forward as if hopping using their front flippers and find a place they like, they lie down with a peaceful face after all.
While I was enjoying the seals to my heart's content after casting Sight on everyone, I saw the ship. The handsome men are hidden in the back. If the rumors are true, a singing voice should be heard. It seems the low tide has already begun, and rocks that were hidden in the sea when we came are visible. When it becomes a neap tide, the area of the island will increase, and the reef will also expand further.
As the ship's shadow gradually began to approach, the seals all at once raised their bodies toward the ship and began to bark, "Gaa-gaa."
It's a terrible voice. It's like dozens of old men started gargling loudly, and it's not very pleasant to the ear. It looks like they are about to spit water out of their mouths at any moment.
It's far from a beautiful singing voice as in the legend. This is close to a scam.
No matter how I think about it, it seems they are intimidating someone who has come to invade their territory. The ship also seems to be in trouble, and its speed has dropped. In the meantime, the large ones began to jump into the sea, "Dobon-dobon." Raising their faces and barking, they approach the ship. The large ones are much larger than Edward-sama. They swim at a great speed. If they hit the ship one after another, what would happen? Since it's a sturdy ship of the Navy, it's fine, but if it were a fishing boat, it would surely be sunk.
The ship also wouldn't like it, but it's a mission. It's approaching bit by bit.
"Hey! What's that?"
Suddenly, Alex pointed to the rocky area of the island.
There's a woman there!
Gray hair with light waves. She's wearing something like gray underwear, but it's extremely short and only goes to around the solar plexus, so her navel is completely visible.
Moreover, the lower body is the same as a seal. No, to be precise, it's as if she took off the upper body of a seal costume, and the skin is hanging down at her feet.
I don't know if it's a mermaid or not. At most, it's a seal spirit. Alex, the spirit of the mine, also doesn't seem to know because the sea is not his specialty.
"There's another one!"
This time Eleanor-sama found one.
For the second person, only the part from the neck up is human.
No, that's wrong. Just as I thought she was touching both shoulders with her front flippers, the seal skin peeled off as if she were taking off a costume, and a human body came out from inside.
It's not just two people. There are four or five. They are all taking off their costumes and showing their upper bodies.
When they turned their faces toward the ship, the seals that were barking "Gaa-gaa" fell silent at the same time. In their place, the women whose skin had peeled off put both hands to their mouths and raised a voice like singing.
Beautiful. I heard a chorus in the Elven Village before, and it's comparable. It sounds like a simple melody repeating the same words.
"Alex. Do you understand?"
When Eleanor-sama asked Alex, who was listening intently, Alex started singing as he heard it.
Don't come, don't come, there's a reef
Don't come, don't come, it'll be low tide
Don't come, don't come, the ship will break
Don't come, don't come, you'll be swept away by the waves
Don't come, don't come, the Great Shark is aiming...
"This is bad. Have the ship withdraw for now. That's a warning chant. I don't know what the Great Shark is, but it's probably a monster. It's aiming for that ship!"
Since it's an emergency, first we signal withdrawal with Light. After confirming that the ship has started to change direction to the east, we change the bowl to the high-speed specification. We reveal our appearance. When we go above the woman wearing the seal costume who is singing, Alex calls out.
At the sudden event, the woman in the costume pointed here, and the seals all at once started shouting toward us. Alex shouted something in a loud voice, and although they were shouting at each other from above and below, somehow the fact that we had no hostility was conveyed. After a while, both sides seemed to have calmed down.
The woman in the costume is pointing at the ship and shouting something.
After Alex replied something, he said, "First the ship."
"She's saying the ship is in danger. Let's go support. The talk with them is for later."
"I understand. Alex, please get off here. Support will be by humans only."
"Well, I guess it can't be helped. You'd better pay me well."
"I will pay an additional fee."
When I decided immediately, Alex jumped off the bowl and went to talk to the woman in the costume.
The bowl rose rapidly and headed straight above the ship.
The ship, having received the signal to avoid, has already started to cut through the waves and proceed after changing its course to the east. It started to move after receiving the west wind in its large sail.
Just as I thought it was a relief. A huge shadow was seen approaching from underwater while circling around the ship.
Two triangular fins protruding from the sea cut the waves. The rear fin is moving slowly left and right. Red eyes can be seen between the waves. It's definitely a monster.
The people on the ship also seem to have found it, and are gathered in the watchtower holding bows and arrows, harpoons, and spears.
"What's that huge thing!"
That shadow is about the same size as the ship. Even though it's a small ship for thirty people, it's a naval ship equipped with watchtowers at the bow and stern where archers ride. The length is about twenty steps in large strides.
"That dorsal fin and tail fin are a Great Shark. Look around. It's leading several small sharks."
Sharks are, so to speak, like beasts of prey among fish, and I heard they occasionally attack humans. I heard large ones become larger than small fishing boats. However, the Great Shark is incomparable, let alone the small sharks.
First, we attack with lightning magic.
Eleanor-sama released a high-level Thunder Bolt, and Beatrix released a mid-level Lightning. But, whether it was a coincidence or intentional, the Great Shark and the small sharks were all quick to dive into the sea. Eleanor-sama's lightning, released with a thunderous roar, only ended up floating several normal fish that were around.
"Wilson. What do you think of the timing just now? To me, it doesn't seem like a coincidence."
"Most likely, it sensed the concentration of magical power and retreated."
"As I thought, you think so too?"
Apparently, magic doesn't work on the Great Shark. That said, it's reckless for humans with weapons to dive into the sea and fight.
"It seems like it'll be good training for the sea snake subjugation."
"Then, shall we try that?"
As the two of them proceeded with the talk, Eleanor-sama turned toward me.
"Jeanne. Please bring out several Fireflies. Harris, handle the enhancement. We'll use the secret weapon we were planning to use for the sea snake subjugation."
I don't know what the secret weapon is, but I bring out five Fireflies. When I floated them together above my head, Harris-sama fired five Holy Lances to enhance them. Even though the wind was still cold in early spring, I didn't feel the cold because of the five Fireflies that were emitting heat.
Next, when Eleanor-sama released Wind Barrier, she made it into a ball that completely covered one Firefly.
It's like a ball of light. She's saying she'll manipulate it and use it even underwater.
"I thought of it after hearing that you entered the lake inside Mel's bubble in Finis before."
She apparently developed it together with Wilson-san. In short, it's the underwater version of the bowl.
If she's so inclined, she can even let fire magic float in the water for two hours. When it becomes a battle between navies, it can sufficiently become a secret weapon. The enemy won't think that magic is coming through the sea. If she can pass through the bottom of the ship and jump fire in from the opposite side where magic defense isn't deployed, it'll already be a fire.
I narrowed the output and dropped it in front of the Great Shark. Eleanor-sama manipulates it and guides it to the tip of its nose.
"Now!"
At the same time as I maximized it, she dispelled the Wind Barrier. The light that had been confined in the ball of air burst out all at once. Even though it's in the water, it should have an effect.
The Great Shark that was heading toward the ship changed its direction at a sharp angle.
The bowl follows the trail.
Fortunately, the speed is about the same and we aren't pulled away.
The Great Shark, after slowing down and once moving away from the ship, drew a large arc and headed toward the ship once more. The small sharks are with it.
I prepare the second Firefly. This time I confine two Fireflies in one ball of air. Since it's double the previous one, the threat effect will also be high.
Unlike before, the Great Shark is in a deep position. The fins aren't visible, but it's obvious from above.
After manipulating it to fly through the air as if chasing, I had it plunge into the sea with a "Bosun." This time it's near the eyes. I release the two Fireflies all at once, and at the same time Eleanor-sama dispels the ball of air.
The Great Shark suddenly jumped up to the sea surface, jumping like a fish jumps.
Whether it was found out that we were flying right above, or it was a coincidence.
It opened a huge mouth like the entrance to a cave. Teeth like boar tusks are growing in rows. It might swallow the bowl whole.
But, unfortunately, we are flying much higher.
"Holy Lance!"
"Lightning!"
"Glaciate!"
As if waiting, Harris-sama hit it with mid-level Holy, and Beatrix hit it with mid-level lightning magic in its mouth. Just as it reached the peak of its jump, Eleanor-sama released high-level ice magic. I also utilized the instantaneous power of the cat stone, dispelled the Firefly, and was able to hit it with one Holy Lance.
The Great Shark seemed to have been momentarily paralyzed by the lightning and Holy, and fell into the sea as if lying on its side, raising a grand water column. In no time, its head part was covered by the growing iceberg. After falling into the sea raising a large water column, it's struggling hard, but the ice on its head is floating on the sea surface like a float.
The ship is running away in a hurry. The iceberg is moving. It's meaningless if it hits.
We also want to launch a pursuit, but there aren't many effective methods. Beatrix only fired several shots of lightning magic, and I don't know how much effect it had.
In the meantime, the ship moved sufficiently far away, so we froze the nearby seawater along with it with Cocytus, and finally settled the matter.