170 - The God of the Sea
――Novem watched as Lyell was swallowed by Thracy's mouth.
There was no sense of tragedy. After all, he had dove in while holding Monica's cannon in his hand. Then, Thracy, having closed its mouth, arched its body deeply and pointed its head toward the sky.
The area from its neck to its stomach swelled rapidly, and then it opened its mouth.
Out came Lyell, holding the cannon in his left hand and cradling Vera in his right.
"Lyell-sama!"
Novem watched Lyell, who had revived and was using the third stage of the Physical Enhancement skill—a skill used by the first generation of the Walt family and subsequently lost.
Through Lyell's Connection skill, information regarding which skill Lyell was using flowed in.
Novem wondered how Lyell had managed to revive a lost skill, but for now, the enemy before them was more of a nuisance.
Changing the tip of the staff in hand into a great scythe, Novem began slicing through the surrounding Sahagins.
"Step back. I will not let you do as you please any longer," Novem muttered, purple eyes glowing faintly.
"Burn."
Not with a magic incantation, but with a simple word, Novem manipulated mana to manifest flames. Pale blue fire clung to the surrounding Sahagins, burning them away.
The fire was not extinguished by the rain or spray, yet it did not spread across the deck.
Once a landing spot for Lyell was secured, Novem turned their gaze toward Thracy. It had stopped its charge and fallen slowly onto the sea surface, creating a pillar of water.
However, it had not been finished off.
"It's still not enough."
As Novem gripped the staff and poised to release magic, Lyell landed on the deck.
He tossed the cannon aside, and the rain and spray hitting the barrel evaporated, emitting white smoke.
After carefully setting Vera down on the deck, Lyell put a hand to his ear.
"I forgot to put them in, but they were useful."
Blowing away the surrounding Sahagins, Monica approached Lyell.
"Honestly. Forgetting something like that makes you a hopeless chicken coward. Though, that part of you is also quite cute."
As Lyell drew his saber――
"Tell me I'm cool!"
――he cleaved through a Sahagin that had approached.
Then, Shannon's voice echoed in his head. Looking toward Shannon, he saw her being carried under May's arm. May was kicking away the surrounding Sahagins and generating lightning to char them black.
'Thinking that forgetting earplugs is cool... honestly, just do whatever you want.'
Though Shannon looked exhausted, she was using her Magic Eye to capture information on Thracy and the movement of mana in the vicinity.
Thinking that she was playing a major role this time, Novem turned their gaze back to Thracy, which had reappeared from the sea surface.
It was somehow still alive, but its insides were in worse shape than its exterior. It roared toward Lyell, but its voice lacked power.
From the bridge, the captain fretted over Vera's safety.
"My Ladyyyyy!!"
Vera stood up slowly.
"Concentrate on maintaining the ship! There's no point if we sink here!"
Feeling a strong will that had not yet given up deep within her eyes, Novem nodded with satisfaction.
Lyell pointed his saber toward Thracy.
"Port side cannons, fire all at once!"
Responding to that voice, the ship's port side cannons spat fire. They hit Thracy's torso directly, and perhaps because its resistance was weak, blood leaked from the surface where they struck.
Seeing this, Lyell――
"Still too hard, huh..."
Lyell threw the sabers in both hands to take out two Sahagins, then reached for the jewel.
"You endured well. Here is your reward... I'll show you my trump card."
Saying so, Lyell gripped the jewel and made a motion as if snapping a chain, and the silver greatsword he had seen before appeared.
The shape of the greatsword was truly menacing. While it was shaped to cut down enemies, it was also beautifully decorated, perhaps because the silver filigree had formed the shape.
Novem brushed aside a side-tail fluttering in the wind that was obstructing their vision.
Then――
"Lord Basil's appearance... it's not just a resemblance."
Novem felt the presence of the ancestor of the lordly noble Walt family, the first generation, Basil Walt, in Lyell.
The appearance of the greatsword was also similar, and Novem felt that the reason for the resemblance was not merely that Lyell inherited his ancestor's blood.
"As I thought..."
Then, Thracy summoned its last strength to charge the ship. No, it tried to slam its head into Lyell.
It slammed its body into the ship to stop its movement, and as the ship shook violently, it tilted so much that no one could remain standing.
Amidst that, only Monica and Novem maintained their balance, watching Lyell.
"This thing is the most troublesome. I wonder if it's like its owner? It sucks up as much mana as it can get. That's why it's hard to use for long periods. Also, be happy... the current me... the me who has experienced growth can handle this thing much better!"
Lyell ran up the tilted deck and started sprinting as if to challenge Thracy's head.
A pale blue light emanated from the silver greatsword, leaving a trail of light behind Lyell as he ran.
As Thracy opened its massive mouth to swallow Lyell, Lyell continued straight forward and entered the mouth.
Then, before the mouth could close, lines of pale blue light were seen emanating from Thracy's body. Multiple lines of light emerged from Thracy's body, and as they reached the neck and torso area――the part where the neck had previously split――they cleanly severed the neck, and Lyell leaped out from there.
A blade-like object extending from the crown leaped onto the deck and pierced it, and then the slowly severed torso slid down the side of the ship, leaving a trail of blood.
However, due to the weight of the central head pierced into the deck, even after the ship's tilt returned to normal, it began to lean slowly to the left.
"At this rate, we'll sink. I'll immediately freeze the sea surface――"
I'll freeze it.
It was at that moment.
The sea surface froze before Novem could move, stopping in a way that supported the ship. Novem didn't think the enemy was still alive, but they moved to look at the frozen sea surface.
Thracy's head, pierced into the deck, widened its eyes as it watched Novem pass by.
Novem whispered, "Go to sleep now," and as they passed, Thracy slowly closed its eyes.
Vera, the crew, and everyone else who had come onto the deck looked toward the frozen sea surface.
May, holding Shannon, looked at the ice.
"Whales... only now."
Large whales, as well as smaller ones, had gathered. A vast number of whales were congregating around them.
Novem watched the scene. Among them, they looked at the largest, white whale.
"Even the White Whale."
Then, the White Whale that approached the ice took on a human form. She was clad in attire that barely covered her, hiding only the essential parts.
In her left hand, she held a golden spear, and a tiara sat upon her head. A large woman stood upon the ice, looking at the ship.
With light blue eyes that matched her hair, she looked at Thracy.
"I went through the trouble of gathering them, only to find it was already slain by human hands... No, a Kirin is here."
The divine beast, who looked like a queen, looked at May, then at Thracy pierced into the ship, and then scanned the humans who had shown their faces.
Then, her movements stopped as she looked at Novem.
"...I see. You didn't come; you were called. Or perhaps you didn't intend to call us, but... hmm."
Her gaze then turned toward Vera. Then, the woman began to laugh.
"Ahahaha, splendid. However, you're in tatters. I shall ensure you don't sink for a while. Also, I'll have a representative come down."
At those words, Novem looked back.
There, Lyell and Monica were looking at Thracy's head.
"Representative... as I thought, it's me!"
"I love that overconfidence of yours, but normally thinking, it would be Vera Tres-sama. However, I wonder how much this will sell for?"
"...No way! You're planning to tell me to hand over Thracy's crown! This is mine! I don't know who you are, but I won't allow you to come along later and snatch it away! I'll complain!"
And so, Lyell jumped from the chaotic deck, attempting to land on the ice.
However――
"Ah, Lyell-sama is..."
Novem reached out, and Vera covered her face with her left hand.
"He tripped."
The divine beast woman looked down with a blank expression at Lyell, who had tripped spectacularly upon landing――
"Hahaha, I can't believe you landed right in front of me and just tripped. You're an interesting human."
"Right? You're welcome to fall for me."
"I'll pass. I'm remaining faithful to my late husband. However, I'm surprised you defeated this thing. May I ask your name?"
Saying so, the woman, whose hair extended almost to the ice, rested the golden spear on her shoulder and reached out a hand to the fallen me.
The moment I landed, I fell backward and hit the back of my head, but it seems I emit an aura even when I trip.
I think it was an artistic way to fall.
From within the jewel, the fifth generation spoke.
'You, why in a place like this... no, it was good, though. The timing was actually perfect!'
He was overjoyed.
Taking the woman's hand to stand up, I spread my arms.
"Lyell Walt... the god-slaying man who defeated this so-called God of the Sea. If we had met sooner, you surely would have fallen for me."
Then, the woman tilted her head.
"What? Is that how this one is called? A hundred to two hundred years ago, he was treated as a mere monster... Also, my husband was a man from three hundred years ago. You weren't born yet... However, Walt, huh. I've heard stories that there was such a hero on land."
The one who reacted to those words was the third generation inside the jewel.
'Lyell, confirm it... who that Walt was.'
Divine beasts live long lives. And their memories are often hazy. Since they don't live in the human world to begin with, they are often uninterested in the finer details.
"Someone with the same surname as me three hundred years ago? May I ask the name?"
The woman tapped her spear against her shoulder, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"I can't recall. I remembered the name Walt. Other than that, was it Fox? There seemed to be a Ban-something as well. They lived on land with my husband, but that was three hundred years ago. Oh, they brought it."
Then, a whale brought a large red stone on its head. The woman took the large object with one hand and tossed it to me.
When I received it, it was heavy enough that I needed the assistance of a skill to hold it with one hand.
The woman saw this.
"...I thought I'd give you a painful experience as payback for hitting on me, but I suppose you're capable of defeating this thing."
"What, are you angry? Rest assured. It's my policy not to lay a hand on human women."
The woman looked a bit exasperated, but she was smiling slightly.
"You really are an interesting human. You want the magic stone, right? I had them recover the one that sank to the bottom of the sea. The purity is high, so it should sell for a lot. Now, this ice will last for a while. It'll probably melt by the time you deal with the head stuck in the ship."
I looked at the large magic stone in my hand. The last time I'd seen a magic stone of this size was from the boss of the fortieth underground floor――Alamsars.
The fourth generation's voice spoke.
'...In the end, we couldn't hear the name, huh. I was curious.'
Then, the woman turned to return to the sea, and finally said to me.
"Ah, if you really want to know, you should look it up in a book. It was a famous story back then, so you can surely find at least the name. After all, they were the ones who fought to defeat the beauty who could topple nations――Agrissa. I don't know the details, but it was very famous at the time."
Hearing that name, I reached out my left hand.
"Wait a sec――"
Immediately after, the large white whale raised its fluke high and dove deep.
The surrounding rain clouds cleared, and as the sea was dyed orange.
I received the crown... the head of the dismantled Thracy, and collected it using the seventh generation's Box skill.
"This will surely sell for a lot!"
As I was rejoicing, Shannon, with an exhausted expression, looked at me.
"You're so noisy, you idiot! Do you have any idea how many times I almost died because of you!"
Looking at Shannon, I could imagine the reason she was angry.
"What, did you want me to whisper words of love? I'll whisper them right here, so don't be angry."
The seventh generation was desperately holding back laughter.
'N-no... I don't think that's it, Lyell.'
The successive heads were enjoying themselves, but they seemed to have a few questions this time. He was quieter than before, and very boring.
Shannon shouted.
"Don't mess with me! Don't think that everyone will just fall for your smooth talk and forgive everything! Don't think everyone is a pushover, idiot Lyell!"
I gave a knowing chuckle.
"You shouldn't deny it so strongly. It makes you look even more like a pushover, Pushover-non."
Then, a provoked Shannon swung her arms and charged at me, so I pressed down on Shannon's head with my left hand.
"Who are you calling Pushover-non, you bastard!"
"Oops, excuse me... you're so cute I wanted to tease you. You're cute, Shannon."
"Why are you... you bastard!"
Shannon raged even more, but as everyone laughed on the deck, Vera-san approached.
"I've dealt with the Sahagins that entered the ship. The emergency repairs are also finished. We're departing, but is there any problem?"
Then, Aria spoke.
"Ah, no problem on this end, so please do as you like. Also, regarding the request fee... the talk of cancellation..."
Vera-san shook her head.
"You did the job. I wouldn't mind paying an additional reward myself. Well then, shall we depart?"
I released my hand from Shannon and approached Vera-san with a serious face.
"No, there's still an important matter."
"W-what is it? I mean, why the serious face..."
Approaching Vera-san, who was distancing herself slightly, I took her hand and pulled her close.
"The previous kiss doesn't count. I want you to give me your first kiss. Become mine, Vera."
Vera-san's cheek twitched, and the crew members watched the scene from around them.
"He spoke to a divine beast without fear, so he does have guts."
"No, but for the Young Lady, you need a man like this."
"But he's going to be the heir, right? I mean, is that okay?"
The crew members were relatively positive. It seemed they had realized my value.
"Now, won't you give me your answer?"
Then, an exasperated voice was heard from the surroundings.
Eva, who had changed clothes because she was drenched in sweat, looked at me.
"...This guy, doing this so boldly in front of us."
I turned sharply toward Eva, pointing to myself with my thumb.
"Confessing in secret isn't my style!"
As I shot back, the third generation burst out laughing.
'No, the premise is wrong, Lyell-san!! You shouldn't confess to another woman in front of her!'
The fourth generation was the same. A voice could be heard as if he were clutching his stomach and laughing.
'Even though normally you can't even confess!'
Novem, giving a wry smile, said nothing to my opinion. In other words, even from Novem's perspective, I had passed.
(My eyes didn't deceive me. Vera is a woman worthy of me!)
Then, Vera, who had distanced herself from me, crossed her arms and stood her ground.
"I see. Since you've done this much, I suppose I could consider it. However... let's have a contest."
"A contest? I, Lyell, am a man who may lose for the sake of victory, but in the end, I always win. Are you sure you're okay with those conditions?"
As I said this while brushing back my hair, Vera laughed and gave instructions to the crew.
"We have that strong liquor and the cup we acquired, right? Bring them here."
The crew members replied.
"Ah, that one... but I don't think Master Lyell knows about it?"
"That's why it's a contest. Bring it quickly."
Before I knew it, the crew had started calling me Master.
(Now, what should I do about this contest...)
On the deck where emergency repairs had been made, lighting was prepared, and Vera and I stood across from each other with a table between us.
There was a cup like a large round plate, with a sturdy base. It was a cup unfamiliar in Banseime, likely a foreign item.
Vera prepared the cup and a liquor barrel.
"If you can drink a hundred cups of this, you can do whatever you like with me. Well, even if you fail, I'll be generous with this time's reward, so don't worry."
The crew members watched us from around, and Novem and the others looked at me with concern.
The barrel contained liquor with strong alcohol, and the cup seemed capable of holding a considerable amount.
Then, the fourth generation spoke with interest.
'Ah, this is that kind of thing... one that requires a bit of thinking. Normally thinking, a hundred cups with this container is impossible. If you force it, you'll ruin your body.'
The seventh generation added.
'...This girl is testing Lyell. Now, let's get this over with quickly. I don't want Lyell to overexert himself. Lyell, try flipping the cup over.'
As told, when I turned the cup upside down, the base part was designed so that a small amount of liquor could be poured into it.
Vera's eyes narrowed, and the surrounding crew members whistled.
"Did you know about that?"
"Well, if you think about it a bit, you'd notice."
"Is the Young Lady's marriage decided then?"
Vera let out a small sigh.
"My loss."
But I――
"What are you saying! I haven't drunk a hundred cups yet. You should watch me drink this liquor dry. It'll surely be fun."
Saying so, I dipped the cup into the barrel and scooped it up. Bringing the cup, filled with a small amount of liquor, to my mouth, I――
"Ugh..."
I collapsed just like that.
"...Eh?"
Vera had an exasperated expression. Novem rushed to my side.
"Lyell-sama, come to think of it, have you ever drunk alcohol before..."
Miranda looked at me.
"...He hasn't. It was always water or tea."
Aria put a hand to her forehead.
"Why are you always so lacking in composure..."
Clara added.
"...It was good that he noticed, but. This is a failure no matter how you look at it."
Eva was laughing with her hand over her mouth.
"Were you weak to alcohol? That's somehow cute."
May looked at me.
"Your face is red. After talking so big, to think you'd actually lose."
Monica immediately prepared water and made me drink it.
"Even if he's weak to alcohol, the chicken coward is my Master. Now, wake up and whisper words of love to me. This is definitely being permanently preserved."
And finally, Shannon pointed at me.
"How pathetic!"
She laughed boisterously. The successive heads as well.
'It doesn't end well, does it. What? Is the fever time over?'
'A lot of things came out this time. For me, it's "Confessing in secret isn't my style!"'
'Wouldn't "I have the confidence to make even a goddess fall for me" be better?'
'The landing failure in front of the divine beast was also a nice touch. Fifth generation, you didn't react to the divine beast this time.'
To the seventh generation's question, the fifth generation replied.
'When they're that big, it's beyond the dimension of being cute. You can't exactly dote on something bigger than a ship.'
Such voices could be heard.
(Y-you fools... this was for the sake of victory...)