Chapter 47: The Sea and the New Battleship
“What should we do today?”
Petting Fluffy, who I was holding, I looked at the request board.
“Well, there aren’t any great requests right now, so I think taking it easy until a high-ranked request comes up is also an option.”
After the large-scale subjugation ended, high-ranked requests had disappeared from the Royal Capital’s Adventurer’s Guild. Until recently, there were various ranks of monsters near the Royal Capital, so there were high-ranked escort requests and subjugation requests, but now only weak monsters that were missed in the subjugation remain around the Royal Capital, so the work has disappeared.
“Jairo and the others are taking jobs regardless of that, though.”
Yes, Jairo and the others, who decided to stay in the Royal Capital, were taking various jobs at random to raise their ranks. Having shown their ability in the large-scale subjugation, they are now famous as an E-Rank party that everyone in the Royal Capital knows.
Eh? You say they should be F-Rank? Actually, Jairo and the others were promoted to E-Rank due to their active role in the large-scale subjugation. Incidentally, Liliela was also promoted to A-Rank for the same reason.
That’s something to celebrate in itself, but with Liliela’s adventurer rank also increasing, it became difficult for us to take jobs.
The reason is that the requests currently posted at the Royal Capital’s guild are mostly E and D ranks, and even the highest are only C-Rank requests being recruited. So, since we are S and A ranks, if we take low-ranked requests, the guild staff told us that the clients would be confused. Also, we were told that if we take low-ranked requests, we would actually be taking jobs from adventurers for whom those are the appropriate ranks.
That’s why only we were in trouble, unable to take jobs. In fact, Rody and his group, who are also S-Rank, returned to their home country for similar reasons.
But our home is this country, you see.
“We still have money, so we won’t have trouble living, but lazing around without working forever is also something to think about, isn’t it.”
For that reason, I checked the request board from the morning today too, looking for high-ranked requests, but as expected, high-level requests still hadn’t been posted.
“Then why don’t you try going to a town on the Inner Sea?”
“Eh?”
Suddenly spoken to, I turned around, and there was a surprising person.
“Guild Master!?”
Yes, that person is Urzu, the Guild Master of this Adventurer’s Guild Royal Capital Branch.
“What is the Inner Sea?”
I asked about the Inner Sea the Guild Master mentioned. Honestly, it’s a word I’ve never heard before.
“What, you don’t know the Inner Sea? The Inner Sea is a large geographical feature created by the Great War with demons long ago.”
Saying that, the Guild Master began to explain.
“Apparently it was originally a plain, but the war created a huge crater and an awfully deep and long canyon-like terrain. And since that canyon was long enough to connect to the sea, seawater flowed inland along the canyon, accumulated in the crater, and formed a small sea.”
“Heeh, so such a land existed.”
I haven’t heard of it in my previous life or the life before that, so is it an event after I died?
“And so a part of our country also faces the Inner Sea, making it a rare inland country that has a sea.”
Wow, somehow it’s an exciting story.
“So, why do you recommend we go to the Inner Sea?”
Liliela asked a pointed question, wanting to know the Guild Master’s true intentions.
“Ah, well, a guild in a town along the Inner Sea is recruiting adventurers, so I thought if you guys are free, why not try going there.”
“Recruiting adventurers?”
“That’s right. You guys haven’t done jobs by the water, right? Anyway, it doesn’t seem like suitable jobs for you guys will appear in the Royal Capital for a while. Then how about going there while doing some sightseeing?”
“How did you know we haven’t done jobs by the water?”
“Well, I can’t imagine any adventurer in this country who doesn’t know the Inner Sea has experienced jobs by the water.”
Apparently, the Inner Sea is famous among adventurers.
“Did you know about the Inner Sea, Liliela?”
“Well, just the name. I’ve heard about it from adventurers and merchants who drifted in from other towns.”
Hmm hmm, I see. But jobs at sea, huh. I’ve fought battles with the sea as the stage in my previous life, but I’ve never seen the Inner Sea, and it might be interesting to go there once.
“Let’s see… Then since it’s a good opportunity, shall we try going to the Inner Sea?”
“As always, I’ll follow you.”
“Kyuu!”
Not just Liliela, Fluffy also replied.
“Thanks to being connected to the sea, the Inner Sea is also rich in seafood. you can eat your fill of fresh seafood!”
Oh, that might be something to look forward to!
“Kyuuu!”
Oops, hearing about seafood, Fluffy is fully motivated to go.
“Then shall we go when Jairo and the others return?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. The job they took will take several days, and leaving a note at home should be enough.”
Eh? Is that okay?
“In the first place, they are a different team from us, so there’s no need to specially get permission or invite them every single time. If they want to come, they’ll head there on their own feet, so no worries.”
Hmm, well if you say so, I guess that’s true. Anyway, once we go there, we can freely come and go with Gates in the future.
“Then let’s go as soon as we’re ready!”
“Yes!”
“Kyuu!”
◆
“Ah, it’s visible!”
Having left the Royal Capital and headed for the Inner Sea, we found a very large river spreading beyond the land. Surely that must be the canyon of the Inner Sea. Since we are flying in the sky, the opposite shore looks close, but if seen from the ground, the opposite shore must look quite far away.
“That’s fine, but when can we get down?”
“Kyuuu.”
Liliela and Fluffy, who were being held by me and flying in the sky, asked groaningly.
“If we fly a little more, there’s a town, so just a little more patience.”
“Understood… as quickly as possible, okay.”
“Kyuuu.”
It seems Liliela and Fluffy are still not good with flying in the sky. Since there was quite a distance from the Royal Capital to the town on the Inner Sea, I decided to move by flying in the sky. As always, Liliela and Fluffy disliked flying in the sky, though. I think it would be different if they could fly by themselves, but it seems impossible for the two of them yet.
◆
“Okay, we’ve arrived.”
Strictly speaking, we haven’t arrived at the town yet, but if we land near the town, it will cause a commotion. So we landed a little before the town.
“Haa, it’s the groound.”
“Kyuuu♪”
Liliela collapsed on the ground, and Fluffy rolled around enjoying the feeling of the ground.
“Then shall we enter the town?”
“Nn, right. If we’re going to rest anyway, I want to rest at an inn.”
When Liliela heavily got up, I also picked up Fluffy. And we set foot in the town on the Inner Sea.
“Welcome to the town of Fizio.”
The gatekeeper gave us welcoming words.
“We can’t offer very good things right now, but if you wait a few more days, you’ll be able to eat delicious things, so please bear with it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Caught by the gatekeeper’s words, I asked for the reason why.
“Ah, did you come without knowing? Actually, the Inner Sea is currently occupied by troublesome monsters, and because of that, ships can’t go out to the offing.”
Heeh, so such a thing happened. Ah, maybe that’s the reason for gathering adventurers the Guild Master mentioned?
“So right now, the only way to catch fish is fishing for small prey along the coast.”
Speaking of seafood, it’s fishing out in the offing, after all. But if it’s occupied by monsters, that’s out of the question.
“What do you mean by a few more days? Were some countermeasures taken?”
Liliela, recovered from the fatigue of air travel, also joined the conversation.
“Ah, actually, the country decided to assign a newly built battleship to monster extermination. So, if that guy defeats the monsters, the fishermen will be able to go out fishing in the offing, that’s the plan.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Yeah!”
A battleship newly built by the country, huh. It must be very strong and big.
“The ship’s departure is tomorrow. If you want to see it too, you should go to the port.”
“Understood! Thank you very much!”
Having heard the circumstances from the gatekeeper, we entered the town seeking an inn.
“It’s exciting to be able to see a new ship.”
“Is it? I don’t really care though.”
However, it seemed Liliela had no interest in the new battleship. Ah, come to think of it, maybe girls aren’t interested in these kinds of things. Even in the village, it was only the boys who showed interest when new tools were unveiled. Other than them, it was just the village uncles, right?
“Even so, this town smells quite strange.”
Liliela, unaccustomed to the smell of the tide, covered her nose with her hand unpleasantly. Well, it might be tough for people who aren’t used to it.
“I think it will be a little better inside the inn.”
“Right, let’s quickly decide on an inn. Being in the sky for so long really tired me… yawn.”
Liliela let out a sleepy yawn. Certainly, there was quite a distance from the Royal Capital, so maybe fatigue has accumulated.
“Then shall we go there?”
We chose an appropriate inn we found and entered it.
“The store name is… ‘Invitation from the Deep Sea Pavilion’, huh. What a strange name.”
◆
“Welcome.”
Despite the gloomy store name, we were welcomed by a relatively normal clerk.
“We have three types of rooms, each costing 8 copper coins, 3 silver coins, and 1 gold coin per night. Of course, the amount is directly connected to the quality of the room and service.”
A refreshingly easy-to-understand explanation.
“Then two rooms for one gold coin. Also, can this Fluffy stay together with us?”
“If it’s trained for peeing and such, there’s no problem.”
“That’s fine. It’s quite smart.”
Saying that, I held out two gold coins.
“Yes, thank you for your patronage! Ah, also, sorry, but the dining hall can currently only serve ordinary food.”
The clerk apologized apologetically.
“Is the cause that monster disturbance?”
“Yes, our inn’s selling point is fish dishes as you can tell from the store name, but we can’t go catch fish, so we can only prepare ordinary ingredients.”
Honestly, I couldn’t imagine that at all from the store name.
“Well, that’s fine.”
“Thank you very much, here are the room keys. When going out, please temporarily leave the keys at the reception.”
“Understood.”
And having received the keys, we headed to our rooms to leave our luggage.
“Noow then, shall we go for a meal or some… Liliela?”
I was about to invite Liliela to dinner, but when I realized it, she was leaning against the bed, completely fast asleep.
“I mean, even though we took two rooms.”
Can’t be helped, I guess I’ll sleep in the other room.
“It’s bad to wake her up, shall we go eat by ourselves?”
“Kyuu!”
Having laid Liliela on the bed, we quietly left the room without making a sound.
◆
The next morning, we woke up and came to the port to see the rumored battleship.
“Wow, it’s full of people.”
It seems everyone had the same idea, the port was crowded with onlookers.
“Wouldn’t that area be good?”
Liliela pointed to the roof of a brick building that seemed a bit troublesome to climb. Yup, if we don’t get caught, it should be fine?
“Then let’s intrude just a little.”
We enhanced our bodies with Body Enhancement Magic and landed softly on the building’s roof.
“Ah, this is a good spot.”
And at the same time we secured our seats, a grand fanfare resounded. Then the door of a large building facing the sea opened, and a ship emerged from there.
“Gentlemen, I truly thank you for coming to the departure ceremony of our country’s proud newest state-of-the-art battleship today!”
A knight in luxurious clothes stood at the tip of the ship, speaking to everyone who came to the port while amplifying his voice with magic.
“As you all know, this Inner Sea is currently suppressed by very powerful and dangerous monsters. Because of that, many fishing boats and merchant ships are in trouble, unable to depart!”
Voices of agreement leaked from the people at the port.
“Until now, many battleships have succumbed before the monsters. Their long, detestable legs broke masts, capsized ships, and took many lives.”
The knight clenched his fist in frustration. Hmm, quite the actor.
“But rest assured! This ship is different from previous ships! Because, this ship uses materials from that legendary! S-Rank monster, Ancient Plant!”
“””””Oooooh!!”””””
“A-Ancient Plant!?”
Eeh!? Wait a minute, could that be!?
“Could it be the one Rex subjugated before?”
As I thought.
“Furthermore, A-Rank monster Elder Plant is also used as ship material! Gentlemen, have you ever seen a ship made only from S-Rank and A-Rank monster materials before!? No, surely not! Even for me, this is the first time! However, the country viewed this incident shaking the Inner Sea with importance, and spent a large amount of money to embark on the construction of this ship to protect your lives!”
“”””Ooh!””””
“Heeh, the country’s bigwigs are pretty good.”
“Even though I thought they didn’t care one bit about our lives.”
Well, sorry to interrupt while you’re moved, but those materials aren’t that big of a deal, you know? No, but I can’t say that when everyone is happy…
“Now, witness the moment our ship crushes the devil of the Inner Sea! Good Loser, setting sail!!”
“Do your best!”
“We’re counting on you!”
The townspeople shouted encouragement to the departing ship. Wow, I wonder if it’ll be okay. I’m worried.
While that was happening, the ship went out to the offing. And it was a little while after going out to the offing. The ship that was proceeding smoothly shook violently, and then stopped abruptly.
“W-What happened!? What is it!?”
Perhaps the magic amplification effect is continuing, conversations from the scene can be heard.
“U, uwawa.”
And the next moment, the ship that was floating on the water floated in the air. No, that’s wrong, it didn’t float in the air, it was lifted up.
Many long white tentacles extending from under the ship are lifting it up.
“O, ooooh, c, counterattack! Counterattack!”
Following the knight’s instructions, attacks are released towards the sea. But the attacks don’t reach the monster directly below, and just veer off to irrelevant places.
And as the tentacles drew an arc, the ship simultaneously drew an arc too. The next moment, the tentacles holding the ship were swung quickly towards the port side.
“No, that’s wrong!”
Yes, it was wrong. The movement of the tentacles wasn’t a swing. It threw it. The tentacles forcefully hurled the new battleship they were holding towards the port town.
“”””Uwaaaaaaa!?””””
Loud screams rose from both the ship and the port.
“Wha, run!?”
Panicked, Liliela started to get up to run away.
“Please take care of Fluffy!”
I entrusted Fluffy to Liliela, activated flight magic, and flew into the sky.
“Physical Boost!”
And I stopped in front of the new battleship flying towards the port town.
“H-Hey you, run away!?”
A nearby resident warned me to run away. But it’s too late. The ship is right in front of me.
And I caught that ship thrown with such tremendous force.
“Hmph!!”
“”””””Whaaaaaaaat!?””””””
The ship’s hull, accelerated to crush my body, applies its weight. But I, further improving my physical abilities with Attribute Enhancement, can withstand it.
Although my body was pushed back just a little, I successfully caught the ship, walked a few steps forward, and returned the ship to the sea surface.
“Phew.”
I exhaled heavily after finishing a job. I caught it as gently as possible, so I don’t think the ship’s crew are seriously injured either.
“Y-Are you okay?”
The townspeople called out to me after I lowered the ship.
“Yes, thanks to the ship being lighter than expected, I managed to avoid injury!”
Yup, if this was made entirely of Mithril or Orichalcum, even I would have had a hard time.
“””””Wait, why do you get off with just those words after a ship collided with youuuuuuuuu!?”””””
Huh? Was something strange?
