kscans

Chapter 112 - The Battle on the Ship and Inside the Galley

We boarded the galley. Thanks to Marmi's Water Magic, the flames had weakened, but I had a feeling it was only temporary. It was a wooden ship; the fire was bound to spread. The water-soaked deck was slippery. I wanted to avoid an embarrassing end where I tripped and fell into the fire.

There was a hole in the deck blasted open by the cannonball. The water Marmi had rained down was now pouring through that hole into the lower levels. The shattered planks were sticking up. The wooden hull was no match for the cannonball's power; it must have punched through the deck and then exploded inside the ship, causing this damage. If so, the interior must have suffered even greater damage.

The bodies of those struck down by Laciel's arrows had been washed against the ship's rail by Marmi's deluge. Following me, Famu, Mizuki, Myra, and Aira came aboard. I wished Avea had come, but I had no right to ask.

The rowing benches, the seats used by the oarsmen, were arranged from bow to stern. On deck, the upper tier of benches was built to protrude from the hull. A section of them had been destroyed by the explosion and fire, falling into the river. There were no rowers at the intact benches either.

"I'm heading below deck. Myra, Aira, could you two check if there are any survivors among those on the deck?"

My waterlogged clothes felt heavy, clinging to me.

"Are you planning to save them?"

Aira asked.

"Is that a problem?"

She shook her head.

"If it gets dangerous, you don't need to wait for us. Get back to the sailing ship."

I handed them some mana recovery potions, just in case. The door leading inside was broken and open. A blast of hot air from below rushed out, and I instinctively shielded my face. But water had flowed in here too, so it looked like the stairs and corridors were still passable. I led Famu and Mizuki down the stairs.

"Master, you have regrets,"

Famu said.

"Yeah, I do. We beat the pirates and were about to become millionaires, and now we're forced to flee practically naked. Getting involved with people carrying the weight of a nation never leads to anything good,"

I replied with a joking tone.

"The regret you're feeling isn't about that, is it, Master?"

Her hair and ears were soaked, lacking their usual fluffiness, yet she was as sharp as ever.

"From your perspective, Famu, is what I'm doing strange?"

"I do not know. But the people you really want to save are the ones lying on the deck."

"You… can you read my mind?"

That went beyond just being sharp. Did she have psychic abilities? If she was this perceptive, I wouldn't even be able to have lewd fantasies in front of her.

"I cannot read your thoughts, Master. But you left Myra and Aira, the healers, on deck. That's not like you. You're usually so cautious."

"Are you against saving them, Famu?"

"I… I am against it. They tried to shoot you down with crossbows, Master. I cannot forgive them. And they are pirates. They attack and kill innocent people. The very people you are trying to rescue now are their victims."

"You're right."

I nodded. Famu looked like she had more to say. I waited for her words.

"Master, while you are trying to forgive them, you told Laciel-sama that you would not forgive the people who attacked my village. There is no consistency."

"…You've got me there. But it's not like that."

I hadn't wanted Famu, of all people, to know what I'd said to Laciel. But it seemed she'd heard.

"I understand. I also do not like to let a single emotion paint over all other feelings."

With that, Famu turned around.

"I will ensure your wish is granted, Master. I will go help Myra and the others."

"Famu…"

Her words made my eyes sting a little. I forced a smile so no one would notice. I watched her back as she left, then descended to the lower level. The floor was damp and, fortunately, not engulfed in flames, but oars were scattered about, some of them burning. The walls and pillars were also on fire. We navigated around them, searching the ship's interior. The cannonball had pierced this level as well. This middle tier of rowing benches was partitioned into forward, central, and aft sections. We had been told the slaves were chained on the lowest level, but we searched this floor just in case, to make sure no one was left behind. We found no one.

"The chained ones must be at the lowest rowing benches,"

I said. Mizuki nodded. The heat was starting to dry our clothes. I used Water Magic to wet them again. I opened the door to the deck below. A blast of steam and heat washed over us.

"It's hot."

Mizuki winced. I instinctively covered my face with my arm. It was like a sauna's löyly. Come to think of it, I hadn't been in a sauna in a long time. It wasn't exactly a hobby of mine, but the thought made me nostalgic.

"I wonder if they have them in this world. Saunas."

As if reading my mind, Mizuki murmured the thought aloud.

"One of the transmigrators probably introduced them, don't you think? A sauna seems easy enough to build,"

I replied.

We started down the stairs. This level should have the lowest tier of rowing benches. Its structure was similar to the middle deck. Just as we started to walk, the ship lurched violently. Another cannonball must have been fired from the enemy ship. Since we could still stand, it likely landed some distance away. Mizuki had a worried look on her face.

"It's okay. Cecily will complete the defensive spell to block the cannonballs."

"Yeah. I trust Cecily too."

Mizuki nodded at my words. We searched the forward rowing benches, but there was no one there. Moving to the central section, we found that this level also had a hole in the ceiling and floor created by the cannonball. Peeking through the hole below, I saw water had collected to about half my height. Even as I watched, I could tell the water level was rising. The hull was damaged and taking on water.

"Mizuki, we're on a sinking ship. It's really like we're following the plot of a movie."

If we followed the story, she'd be the only one to survive.

"I don't want an ending like that!"

"Mizuki, when this battle is over, let's g—"

"Stop trying to raise weird death flags!"

she cut me off. Mizuki left me behind and started checking the central rowing benches. Since she went to the port side, I checked starboard. No one was left.

"Mizuki, did you find anyone over there?"

"Nope, no one."

She shook her head. Only the aft section remained. We made our way toward the stern, dodging flames. It was so hot. It was like being attacked by water and fire at the same time. Mizuki was wiping her face, but I couldn't tell if the droplets were from the steam or sweat. I opened the door to the aft section. Inside, the fire hadn't spread. Being sealed off must have saved it. However, I didn't know how it got in, but hot, humid air had settled like a thick fog. The windows for the oars had been closed, likely in preparation for battle. I couldn't tell if it was the heat or the lack of oxygen, but it felt incredibly stuffy. There were twenty rowing benches in the stern. Men with Slave Marks carved into them were seated there. They were limp, overcome by the heat. We rushed to one of them. His leg was chained, restricting his movement from the bench. With a Slave Mark, such restraints shouldn't have been necessary. Their master must not have been on this ship. Mizuki placed her fingers on the limp man's neck to check his pulse.

"He seems okay."

"You're used to this,"

I said, impressed by her practiced movements.

"Yeah, we learned first aid as part of our swim club activities."

"D-don't tell me you went around saying 'artificial respiration doesn't count as a kiss' and then… with hundreds of guys…"

"I did not! And where did you get the number 'hundreds' from?"

"That's a relief. A-anyway, let's open the oar windows. We'll pass out from the heat too. And as for the key to these chains…"

As I spoke while opening a window, the man Mizuki had been checking on stirred. I spoke to him.

"I'm an adventurer. I've come to rescue you. Do you know where the key to your leg restraints is? A crewman said they left it where it belongs, but…"

"It's on the deck below, in the room directly under this one."

The man's words made Mizuki and I look at each other. With the flooding, it wouldn't be an easy place to reach.

"I'll go."

"Wait! That's dangerous. I'll go."

"I'm a better swimmer than you, Mash. Let me handle it."

With that, Mizuki started taking off her clothes, revealing her swimsuit.

"Mash, you open the windows and ventilate this room."

"Mizuki…"

Ignoring my worry, she threw her arms around me. Then her lips pressed against mine.

"This is for artificial respiration. The real kiss is for when I get back."

And with that, she left the room.

After I'd opened all the windows, it felt like a significant amount of time had passed. I checked my phone, but not as much time had gone by as I'd thought. However, in that interval, the floor had begun to tilt. This ship was going down. We had to cut it loose so it wouldn't drag the other ships down with it, which meant we had to get back before then. I waited for her return, my heart filled with prayer. The fact that I felt the need to pray meant I didn't trust her.

I should have just run. I'd dragged her into this mess because of my own stupid pride, something I couldn't even explain properly to anyone, not even myself. I'd said it would be the six of us, but now I was alone. There was one jolt from a cannonball. It missed again. I pictured Cecily's confident face. All I could do was believe and wait.

"Hey, are you with the Empire?"

One of the slaves called out to me, and I nodded. Thanks to the ventilation, the room's temperature had dropped. The stagnant air was gone, replaced by fresh air from outside. All the slaves were now awake and seemed clear-headed. I was relieved I wouldn't have to carry them out.

"Whereabouts are we?"

"Between Fruch and Heilon."

"That's a pretty wide range. But we're on the Empire's side, right?"

I didn't have a good sense of the geography, so I couldn't explain it well. I decided to fill them in on the current situation. As I was doing so, Mizuki rushed back inside.

"The lower deck is already flooded up to my head. I had to dive to get there, it was tough…"

She bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath. A key was clutched in her hand. I wanted to hug her, but with the slaves watching, I gave up and took the key from her.

"You rest, Mizuki."

I went around and unlocked the slaves' shackles. As each one was freed, I sent them toward the deck. They had been sitting as rowers for a long time and couldn't walk properly; some of them stumbled, but they seemed to be okay. I unlocked the last man's shackles and sent him to the deck. The water was already starting to flood this level as well. It was up to my ankles. The tilt was getting worse. We needed to hurry.

"Should we go too?"

I asked Mizuki. She wrapped her arms around me. We held each other and shared a kiss.