kscans

Chapter 46 - The Sea Forest and the Little Person ~Six~

"Is that it? Something's not right."

As they surmounted the surging waves, they reached the horizon where the city of Lumiere was just barely visible. That was the edge of the Sea Forest.

However, there were several tubes piercing the surface.

Those things, with hatches on top, had turbines powered by wind magic tools spinning. They were shaped like cones stuck straight into the sea. Chihiro climbed onto one of the tubes, which was about three meters in diameter, and had Dolphen open the hatch.

"Try turning it to the right. That should probably open it."

As instructed, Dolphen turned a round, wheel like object to the right and opened the hatch. Inside was a ladder, and about two meters below, another hatch was visible. It was a double structured entrance with an air intake powered by a wind magic tool. And all around the pillar, large bubbles were rising with a bokoboko sound.

In other words, this is...

The stone tube was about fifty centimeters thick. A mesh of steel beams supported it from the inside, making it a sturdy construction. It would likely withstand even a monster's attack.

"...It was you!!"

The Kobito-san turned to Katsumi, who was swaying alone on his Paanyu, and her eyes shot daggers.

"You built this for poaching, didn't you! A straight shaft down to the seabed!!"

Katsumi's body trembled violently as he gave a small nod.

"They asked me to... They said large ships couldn't escape the monsters and would be sunk. ...But small, maneuverable boats couldn't fish safely. So I thought, why not build a place that could serve as a base... I never thought it would turn into something like this."

According to Katsumi's story, he had been consulted by people who said the monsters were preventing them from harvesting coral, and he had helped them. He made multiple tubes about a meter high, sunk them into the sea in order with precision down to the millimeter, and reinforced them by fitting pre-made iron fences on the inside. Then, he attached a double hatch and an air intake to the top, drained the water from inside, and reinforced any leaks with natural asphalt or tar. The bottommost tube had two man sized holes, which the fishermen would use to enter and exit for their harvest. The air drawn in from the upper intake supplied oxygen and maintained the space inside. It was a process made possible by knowledge of modern civilization's mechanisms. The Japanese technology that had taken root in Kilfan had enabled it. All they had to do was sink and reinforce the tubes. It didn't require many people or a large scale facility. Since people generally stayed away from the Master's Forest, Frontier's patrols had likely overlooked it. Positioned at the very edge of the horizon, you wouldn't notice anything was amiss unless you got close.

"To put it simply, it's like sinking a cup upside down in water. There's air inside, and if you put a double door on top and enter while keeping one closed, the air inside won't leak out."

Understanding dawned on Romel and the others at the Kobito-san's analogy. They looked at the swarm of sea snakes, which seemed agitated and ready to surge towards them at any moment. For some reason, after entering the forest, the monsters had stopped dead in their tracks. However, the murderous intent in their eyes was real. Romel shivered at their glowing, vertically slit pupils and looked down at the Kobito-san.

"Didn't you realize this was a monster's forest when you were told?"

Katsumi, not understanding the meaning of her words, tilted his head slightly. The Kobito-san turned a bitter face to him and shouted in a low, piercing voice.

"You know Kilfan has no magic power and no magic, right? Naturally, there are no monsters either. That means the sea area with monsters is Frontier's territorial waters! You aided in the illegal poaching in another country's sovereign waters!!"

At her shout, Katsumi's eyes flew open.

"Ah... But, no one told me that."

"Of course they wouldn't, a bunch of people trying to do something bad!!"

As the enraged Kobito-san was about to press him further, a high pitched voice echoed in her head.

<>

It was a soft voice, like the tinkling of a small bell.

As Romel and the others looked suspiciously at the suddenly frozen Kobito-san, a large sea snake appeared with a nururi slither. Without a sound, without even a splash, it truly did just slither into view on the sea's surface. Its raised head alone must have been five meters tall. If its head was this big, what was its total length? Overall, it looked similar to the sea snakes that were likely its children. But its back and outer shell were adorned with sharp, flowing fins.

Is this less a sea snake and more a sea serpent? Well, I guess a sea serpent is a kind of sea snake.

As a modern Japanese person, Chihiro had played her share of games. Naturally, she knew the quintessential sea monster.

Flicking its red tongue with a chirochiro sound, it brought its face close to the motionless Kobito-san.

<>

"Aren't Masters... not supposed to attack humans needlessly?"

<<...............>>

With a faint smile, the sea snake slapped the Kobito-san into the sea with its tail.

"Chihirooo!!"

Romel's scream was in vain as the Kobito-san's form vanished beneath the waves in an instant. Dolphen held back the frantic Romel, who was about to dive into the sea, and watched as the frogs swam in pursuit of the Kobito-san. The bees followed suit, flying after them.

I believe in you. I'm counting on you to protect Chihiro-sama.

Among the flustered and panicking knights, only Dolphen remained calm. Having been by the Kobito-san's side and in close contact with the monsters, he knew they would not harm Chihiro. He also knew they would protect her with all their might. He placed more complete trust in the monsters than anyone else there.

If they couldn't protect the Kobito-san, no one could.

Ignoring Dolphen, Katsumi stared at the great sea that had swallowed the child, his eyes wide with terror. Suddenly, a large frog's face popped up in front of the motionless Katsumi. The frog leaped at the surprised and frozen Katsumi, dragging him into the sea.

It happened in less than the blink of an eye.

It was some time before the people around them noticed that Katsumi was gone.

"What is this...?"

In the sea she had been swallowed into, the Kobito-san was at a loss for words. Despite being underwater, she wasn't struggling to breathe. The frogs surrounding her emitted a faint light, forming a soft membrane of air around her.

Molt said that water's calamity would not befall me, so this is what he meant.

Understanding that she was safe, the Kobito-san looked around once more. There stood many desolate, bone white objects. They were crumbling with the surging ocean currents. Gleaming in the moonlight, they were the corpses of dead coral. Unlike those on Earth, these were gigantic corals, perhaps twenty meters long.

Romel said they were big, but this is...

The coral reef she had seen on the way to Lumiere was no different from Earth's. The forest made by the gods must be something else entirely. But something was wrong. She could see that most of the coral spreading across the seabed had lost its color and was dead. Only the periphery was affected. The coral reef that stretched further out to sea maintained its vibrant, lively colors.

She didn't even need to think about it. This was surely the result of what the Kilfan poachers had done.

The Master of the Sea Forest slithered close to the Kobito-san, who was looking on with a pained expression, and a dangerous light appeared in its eyes.

<>

"Yeah."

<>

As it spoke, the giant sea snake looked down sorrowfully.

When the curious Kobito-san asked for details, she learned that its children were being held hostage. The Master's children had noticed the imperial subjects intruding from deep within the seabed. They had followed the intrusion route back and attempted to eliminate the poachers. However, the imperial subjects had anticipated this and captured them. The Empire, having fought them before and estimated the general strength of the Master's children, had been waiting in full readiness. They were caught helpless in the trap of Kilfan, with its modern technology.

With its children held hostage, it could do nothing but endure the days, glaring resentfully at the poachers.

The Forest Masters are very affectionate.

For several years, it had done nothing but grit its teeth and watch with a pained expression as the coral withered and died.

And then came the good news.

A person of importance to the Kilfan Empire, a 'sought one', had entered Frontier. Furthermore, they had come all the way to the territory of the Sea Forest.

A once in a lifetime chance. Could they capture the sought one and exchange them for the children?

The Master sea snake had sent its children to secure the sought one who had come near. In other words, this monster attack was not a stampede.

The Kobito-san let out a small sigh of relief.

But her eyes froze at the Master's next words.

<>

Say what now!!

It was a reason that made sense when you thought about it, but wasn't it the height of injustice? That the sparks should fall on Frontier, which had tried to protect the forest.

The situation was more dire than she had thought.

Slapping her small hand to her forehead with a pachin sound, the Kobito-san murmured to the person gasping behind her.

"You heard that, Katsumi. What are you going to do?"

Standing there was Katsumi. Clinging to a toddler sized frog, he stared at the coral forest with a face that looked ready to cry.

"I did this...? It's my fault?"

"No, it's the powerful people of Kilfan. When the ones at the top are fools, the ones below commit crimes without knowing. Fools shouldn't be at the top."

Katsumi's whole body trembled at the quiet desolation of the ghostly coral's final form, crumbling to pieces. A fine white powder drifted before his eyes.

"I didn't want this... I thought it was just ordinary coral... Why, why is it like this?"

For Katsumi, who only knew the common sense of Earth, such a vast and enormous coral reef was likely beyond his imagination. He must have envisioned a base at a much more ordinary depth. In fact, the area around Lumiere was an ordinary coral reef. The Kobito-san too had enjoyed the sight of the beautiful, endlessly stretching reef in the shallows. The base Katsumi designed could only have an entrance at the very bottom due to its structure. That was why the poachers had scraped away the coral at the base, which was easy to harvest. Even if the Master didn't interfere, they could likely only harvest around the base to avoid other monsters.

"Not knowing isn't a crime. Not trying to know is the crime. You've been in Kilfan for about two years, right? Did you make an effort to learn about the outside world?"

"They didn't really let me out much. The places I could go were restricted. This time, I kind of snuck out in secret. My allies helped me, and it was the first time I'd left the Empire... I'm sorry, I really am..."

The young man looked down, frustrated. He probably thought he was clever. He must have felt superior by showing off his knowledge. In reality, he had just been spoiled and used by the Empire. It was a pathetic state of affairs. But everyone makes mistakes. What's important isn't what you did, but what you do now.

"Are you a fool too? If you have time to cry, then let's do something about this!!"

The Kobito-san approached the Master and touched its left eye.

"Will you make a pact?"

<>

To the faintly smiling sea snake, the Kobito-san showed a bright, cheerful grin and unleashed her golden magic power. Countless ribbons of it writhed and spread, then burst into a great light that swallowed the Sea Forest.

Overwhelmed by the brilliance, Katsumi instinctively closed his eyes and turned his face away. The next moment, when he tentatively opened them, he was stunned by the sight before him.

There stood a dense forest of vividly colored coral. From vibrant primary colors to pastels. The coral reef, filled with life like a paradise, had been magnificently restored.

"What in the world...?"

A little child smirking slyly, and a giant sea snake. In the sea snake's left eye was a brightly glowing golden pupil.

"Time for a counterattack. You're going to help, Katsumi♪"

Though it was the smile of a child not yet of age, Katsumi trembled at the cruel atmosphere it held and instinctively hugged the frog next to him.

S...scary!

Flanked by countless frogs and sea snakes, with a sea serpent over ten meters tall rising behind her.

You could call them the Kobito Squad.

Leading a host of monsters whose name belied their power, the Kobito-san headed for the surface. It was a charming sight that Katsumi was being dragged behind her, flailing his arms and legs.

The Kobito-san forges her own path. The fate of Kilfan, which stood in her way, hung by a thread.

Prayers for the Empire's future♪