kscans

Chapter 93 - The Wrecked Ship and the Missing Children

We got back into the boat.

"You know, I'm starting to feel bad about this. Should I row?"

"No, it's fine. Rowboats are a man's romance."

I said something I didn't quite understand myself, trying to sound tough. Myra gave me a troubled look, probably thinking I was just being stubborn.

"It seems we don't have to return the boat to the other side; we can just leave it at the landing here. Let's take the ferry back."

I felt a profound sense of relief at her words, but the hand that had started rowing froze.

"Where's the shipwreck?"

I looked around, but the wrecked ship we had seen from the shore was gone.

"...Could it be some kind of mirage?"

We were only about twenty meters from the shore. Do mirages even appear that close?

"No helping it. Let's just try to get closer to where we saw it."

Curiosity won out over caution. I started rowing again. I could see a crowd of people on the bank. They didn't seem to be an illusion. Someone was pointing at us and saying something. It appeared they could see us as well. For a moment, a gust of wind swept past. The instant after I blinked, the shipwreck materialized right in front of us.

"Whoa!"

We collided with the ship. The boat rocked violently, but since we weren't moving very fast, it didn't capsize or get damaged. After checking that Myra was alright, I scanned the shipwreck, looking for a place to board. There was a large hole in the hull, and it looked like we could get inside without having to climb up to the deck.

"Mash, look at the shore!"

"Hm?"

I shifted my gaze to the bank. The scenery hadn't changed, but the crowd of people that had been there just a moment ago had vanished.

"They probably got tired of all the commotion and went home,"

I muttered, trying to sound casual, but I was fully aware of the danger we were in.

I quickly tried to turn back, aiming the bow toward the boat landing and starting to row. But I was met with an impact, as if we had hit a wall. Despite the landing being in plain sight, we couldn't move any further toward it.

"It seems we're trapped. We're already inside a dungeon,"

Myra said.

"A dungeon like this exists?"

"This is a first for me as well, but since we seem to be trapped in a different dimensional space, I believe we're in a dungeon."

"...I see. Let's circle around the outside and look for a way out."

"Let's find the children first."

Myra took out her weapon and prepared for battle.

"And what's the plan after we find them? Are you going to have them charge into the Area Guardian's room?"

"Mmph..."

She frowned at my sarcasm.

"Just kidding. You decide, Myra."

She was about to say something when I thought I saw the water's surface near the boat swell slightly.

"Myra, there's something in the water. Be careful!"

As soon as the warning left my lips, an alligator erupted from the water and lunged at Myra. She scrambled to her feet and slammed her mace against the alligator's snout. The creature splashed back into the water and retreated. The impact rocked the boat, and I hurriedly caught her as she nearly lost her balance. Peering into the water, I could see the alligator swimming beneath our boat. It was easily more than twice my height. And it wasn't alone; there seemed to be several of them. An alligator shot up toward my face. I yanked my head back just as its fangs snapped shut where I'd been. The boat rocked again.

"This river has alligators?"

And here we were, casually rowing a boat in such a dangerous place.

"They're most likely monsters. We're at a disadvantage here. The footing is unstable, and we're sitting ducks. Let's move into the shipwreck."

We couldn't fight off alligators from a wobbly boat. If we fell in the river, we'd have no way to counter the monsters' mobility. We'd be easy prey. I rowed frantically toward the hole in the ship's hull. Myra held her mace at the ready, but I wasn't sure if it was doing anything to deter the enemies in the water. Just as we were about to reach it, an alligator attacked from behind. Myra once again fought it off with her mace. The alligator, relentless in its attempt to bite, started to climb onto the boat. The boat lurched violently.

"It's no good! We're going to capsize! Jump for the ship!"

Myra leaped into the shipwreck, and I tried to follow. But the boat swayed hard, and I lost my balance. The alligator was closing in from behind, its fangs bared.

"Mash, your hand!"

I grabbed Myra's outstretched hand. She pulled me with all her might, and I managed to tumble into the shipwreck in the nick of time. When I looked back, our boat was floating upside down, and the alligator that had climbed onto it was glaring at us, baring its teeth.

We watched the alligator for a while until it seemed to give up and disappeared back into the water. There was no sign of it trying to enter the ship.

"...Is this game bugged? Aren't dungeons supposed to start with weak enemies? Who could possibly beat something like that?"

It had been a terrifying experience. I took a deep breath to calm my trembling. I couldn't help but imagine the worst—that the children and the adults who came to help them had been attacked by the alligators.

"It's a newly formed dungeon. There are bound to be some instabilities. Shall we look for an exit?"

Myra asked in a calm tone. I shook my head. To do that, we'd first have to flip the boat back over. I couldn't imagine succeeding at that while fending off alligator attacks in the water.

"I'd rather fight an Area Guardian than face those alligators in the water. Let's explore the ship. We might find the children and their parents."

"Mash, my judgment was wrong. We should have gone to the knights or the guild first."

"No, my tone was too harsh. It's only natural that you'd push back. I'm sorry. Besides, I was your hero, wasn't I?"

I drew my katana from storage.

"This has turned into one hell of a date."

I chuckled wryly and surveyed our surroundings. The floor was slanted, and barrels were scattered everywhere. It looked like a storeroom. It was dim, but not so dark that we couldn't see. Like other dungeons, it seemed we wouldn't need a light source. I could see a door. We should be able to move through the ship. I took the lead and started walking.

"I'll be the vanguard. You use your bow, Mash. I am not some woman who trembles in the back."

Myra said, her expression tense. She clearly felt responsible.

"Quiet. Leave it to me. Just shut up and tremble behind me."

I said, flashing her a grin. Myra's hand reached out and grabbed the back of my shirt.

"Very well. In that case, please use your strength to stop my trembling."

Myra smiled back, her tone somewhat theatrical. I turned around and pulled her into a hug. Of course, she wasn't trembling at all. She stared at me for a moment before closing her eyes. I pressed my lips against hers.

"Let's go through that door and see what's inside the ship."

Myra nodded. I cautiously opened the door and peered into the next room. There was no sign of monsters. A carriage sat in the middle of the room. Just the carriage itself, no horses. I could also see another door leading deeper in and a staircase going up. We approached the carriage. It wasn't the type we rode with the caravan; it was smaller but lavishly decorated with a glossy finish.

"Why is there a carriage in the ship's hold...? Is it for a noble?"

It wasn't the type you entered from the front or back; it had a step and a door on the side. Myra moved closer to peek inside, but she froze.

"...There's something inside."

She raised her mace.

"There are more around us, too."

As if seeping out from between the floorboards, four green slimes materialized. Slimes, I could handle. I raised my katana to strike, but at that moment, the slimes' bodies began to glow.

"They're about to cast a spell!"

Myra shouted. An arrowhead made of ice formed in front of one of the slimes and shot toward me. I barely dodged the first shot, but the other slimes began to glow one after another. Myra moved quickly, smashing one with her mace. The monster vanished. I tried to slash at the closest slime, but its spell was faster.

"Tch!"

One of the three arrowheads aimed at me sliced into my arm. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I cut down one of the slimes. In that time, Myra had defeated the second. The last one melted back into the cracks in the floorboards and escaped.

"Slimes that cast magic... give me a break,"

I grumbled. Myra began to heal my arm.

"There's one in the carriage too, right?"

Myra nodded. I wished Cecily were here to just blast the carriage with a fireball. I prepared to launch a stone sphere from my Earth Magic as a deterrent.

"W-Wait!"

A voice came from inside the carriage. The door opened, and children came out. Two boys dressed like commoners, and a girl who was slightly better dressed than them. All three looked to be around seven or eight years old. Myra rushed over to them.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah,"

one of the boys nodded, and Myra patted his head. The other boy started crying and clung to Myra. As she rubbed his back, the first boy hugged her as well.

"..."

I wish I were a kid again, I thought as I watched. Then, I met the girl's gaze.

"I'm Ensha. Those two are Kirim and Yuris."

Ensha pointed to the two boys clinging to Myra. The one who had started crying was apparently Yuris.

"I'm Mash. And that lady is Myra."

"Mash, I'm hungry."

"Haven't you eaten anything?"

The girl shook her head.

"We were exploring, but then monsters showed up and we couldn't get back."

So that's why they were hiding in the carriage.

"Were there any alligators when you came here?"

The girl shook her head again.

"When we were exploring, monsters appeared. We tried to escape outside, but the ship was gone, and there were alligators swimming around."

I took some sweets from my storage, used Water Magic to fill a cup, and handed them to her. I had bought these sweets at a stall to share with Myra. They were made from a dough mixed with honey, ginger, cinnamon, and other spices. Apparently, they were called gingerbread. The boys stared intently as Ensha ate.

"Want some?"

They both nodded. I gave the rest of the gingerbread to the boys.

"Before you eat, there's one thing you need to know. That lady there is mine, so don't you forget it."

The boys, who were stuffing their faces with sweets, just stared at me with blank expressions.

"What should we do now?"

Myra asked.

"Let's head up to the deck. There might be a lifeboat. The kids hiding here haven't seen their parents. They might have entered from a different spot."

"Is my father here too?"

Ensha asked.

"Yeah, you'll probably see him soon,"

I nodded. We had to find the dungeon's exit somehow, but it was likely outside the ship. It seemed our best bet was to defeat the Area Guardian and get out. The problem was whether we could defeat it with the children in tow.

"Before we go up, shouldn't we check the room in the back?"

"Good point."

Myra seemed to be the type to explore every nook and cranny. I took the lead. The children followed behind me, and Myra brought up the rear to protect them. Ensha tightly gripped the hem of my clothes.

"I need to tell everyone something, too,"

Myra said. "That big brother is mine."