Chapter 52: Lion's Ship and Whale Extermination

“We’re getting close to the river mouth.”

Barn-san tells us, who overcame the monster attack.

“The sudden monster attack was surprising, but we must brace ourselves for whether it’s monsters or giant sea fish waiting for us in the outer sea.”

“That’s right.”

Barn-san also seems wary that the monsters from earlier might have been a prelude to encountering Megalo Whales again.

“Don’t worry! If Bro Rex is here, there’s no problem!”

“Hmph, you’re trusted, boy.”

Whether he got courage from Jairo’s energy or found his innocent trust in me endearing, Barn-san smiled. As expected, it seems better to keep Jairo near Barn-san. Even though he says all that, his legs are still trembling, after all.

No no, if I think about it, this person has had terrible experiences on this ship twice, yet this confident attitude is rather amazing, isn’t it? He might have unexpectedly strong mental fortitude.

“Captain! Multiple ship shadows confirmed about 3km ahead!”

A crew member in the crow’s nest atop the mast reports loudly to Barn-san.

“Can you tell the affiliation and number of ships!?”

At Barn-san’s instruction, the crew member stares into the distance.

“Our lookouts employ those who can use visual acuity enhancement magic. Thanks to that, they can even see a scene through a needle’s eye 100m away.”

Ooh, a user of pinpoint Body Enhancement Magic, that’s rare. Usually, users of such specialized magic are often skilled in handling basic magic techniques.

Could it be that many crew members of this ship are excellent Body Enhancement Magic users? Maybe that’s why they are lively even after having terrible experiences twice. Not bad, as expected of men of the sea.

“Number is 3! The crest is a lion with spread wings!”

“Lion with spread wings, Vertino’s naval fleet huh! But 3 ships? That’s an odd number for an operational maneuver. Any other information!?”

“Liliera-san, what is Vertino?”

“Umm, sorry. I don’t know well either. I was only doing requests in the Demon Beast Forest.”

“Vertino is the name of a seaside country. Near the river mouth of the Inner Sea is Vertino’s territory.”

It was the thief Meguri who answered my question.

“Heeh, so there was such a country.”

“Yeah, Vertino is a town famous for delicious fish and beautiful sandy beaches. I wanted to go there once.”

Ah, sounds fun somehow. Is she thinking of landing in Vertino if possible? Actually, considering the investigation, Barn-san and the others will probably have discussions with Vertino’s bigwigs, so the possibility of landing seems high.

“Captain! About Vertino’s fleet, something is strange! Every ship is tattered, and they are forcefully accelerating by hitting the sails with wind magic!”

“What did you say!?”

The lookout crew member’s report smells fishy.

“Were they attacked by pirates, or…”

In this situation, the answer is probably ‘or’.

“Captain! Multiple black figures confirmed behind Vertino’s fleet! The size of each one is 4 times that of Vertino’s ships! But they are not ships! Their speed is also faster than Vertino’s ships, they will catch up soon!”

Black and bigger than a ship, huh. This is probably bingo.

“Boy, what do you think it is?”

“Well, I think the answer is the same.”

“Then shall we answer together? Ready, set.”

“”Megalo Whale””

Yup, that’s right. The monsters from earlier escaping from Megalo Whales was probably the correct answer.

“So what are you going to do? At this rate, we’ll pass Vertino’s ships and collide with the Megalo Whales.”

The width of this sea route is only wide enough for about three large ships to barely pass each other. However, that’s just a problem of size, considering detailed maneuvering, two ships would be the limit.

I think we can pass Vertino’s ships without problems, but honestly, I think it’s impossible to avoid all the Megalo Whale horde that is fully intending to collide with us.

“Helmsman! Can you turn around and sail back!?”

“It’s not impossible, but we won’t make it in time! If we do it now, we’ll turn sideways and block Vertino’s ships!”

If that happens, we’ll probably collide with Vertino’s ships and be hit by the Megalo Whales coming from behind, capsizing again.

“……”

Barn-san falls silent and thinks. A serious face. I thought he was a bit overly passionate and troublesome person, but it seems he can work seriously when push comes to shove. And seemingly having made a decision, Barn-san turns his face to us.

“Do you have any good ideas!”

“…Eh?”

I take it back, he was no good even when push comes to shove.

“Umm, in times like this, shouldn’t the captain come up with good ideas?”

“Hmph, don’t underestimate me! If the opponent were normal pirates or monsters, I could fight without problems! But I am not capable enough to come up with a turnaround idea in a desperate situation against an abnormal opponent!”

Amazing! This person is amazing! He fully affirmed his own incompetence! In a sense, it’s refreshing!

“I’ll ask just in case, does the Vice Commander have any good ideas?”

“No, I also don’t possess means to oppose an absurd opponent. Let’s sincerely hope for the skill of the highly skilled adventurer recommended by the Adventurer’s Guild here.”

Amazing, these people! They completely entrusted their fate to us whom they just met!

“After all, we almost died twice. If we can survive, pride doesn’t matter.”

“Umu, that’s right.”

Oh… words filled with the reality of people who almost died twice are heavy. Does it mean they have grown enough to admit their own shortcomings? Yup, let’s think so.

“So, do you have any good ideas? If possible, it would be very, from the bottom of my heart, truly helpful if you could answer quickly.”

“I also sincerely hope for an idea that will keep me from wetting myself.”

I glance at Jairo and the others.

“Bro is sure to come up with an amazing idea!”

“We are normal adventurers, so we’d be seriously troubled if you expect things from us.”

“Sorry we can’t be of help.”

“If worse comes to worst, abandon ship and escape. With this river width, we can escape to land.”

Casually, Meguri’s idea is harsh but true. Even if the ship breaks, as long as we are alive, we can build another ship.

Next I look at Liliera and Fluffy.

“Unfortunately I don’t have any ideas either, so whether we intercept or escape, I’ll follow whatever you choose, Rex-san. Because everyone believes that if it’s what you decided, we can definitely survive.”

When Liliera says that, everyone also nods in agreement. Can I take this as being trusted?

“Gyuuuu!!”

And she had firmly secured Fluffy, the only one trying to escape, with Body Enhancement Magic. Liliera’s mental strength has also been trained quite a bit, hasn’t it.

“Let’s see… If Megalo Whales are faster than Vertino’s ships, if we escape, Vertino’s ships will eventually be caught up and destroyed.”

Moreover, the fact that Megalo Whales are right behind Vertino’s ships means that even if they abandon ship, they will probably be attacked by Megalo Whales before reaching the shore. If those huge bodies approach, they wouldn’t be able to swim properly due to the waves either.

“Abandon them and escape, or go save them knowing the danger… Personally, I’d like to go save them.”

Here I dare to propose my personal opinion. Since they threw the whole problem at me, it’s fine to say this much selfishness, right?

“Specifically, what do you intend to do? Unfortunately, our ship doesn’t have weapons that can win against them.”

“We realized that painfully in the previous battle.”

“Vice Commander, be quiet for a moment.”

“Understood.”

These two get along well. But well, maybe subordinates don’t have to be nervous if their superior is this lighthearted?

“If it’s weapons, we have one.”

“What?”

I point to our feet and say.

“It’s right here.”

◆

I instruct the crew members to tie their bodies to the ship.

“What do you mean this ship is a weapon!?”

While tying his own body to the mast with a rope, Barn-san demands an explanation of the operation.

“This ship is made from materials of Ancient Plant, an S-Rank monster harder than iron. In other words, it’s safe to say this entire ship is a lump of iron.”

Yes, the sturdiness of this ship has been confirmed in previous battles. Only its sturdiness.

“Don’t tell me it’s a ramming attack!?”

The protrusion at the bottom of the ship’s bow is called a ram, and hitting an opponent’s ship with it is called a ramming attack. And I was thinking of utilizing that.

“But this ship is too light compared to a Megalo Whale’s weight. Won’t we be the ones blown away if we collide?”

The Vice Commander’s words are correct. But that’s if we do a normal ramming attack.

“Yes, I know. Therefore, we will accelerate the ship with magic, and further charge at the enemy in a state where defense power is increased to the limit with enchantment magic.”

“Enchantment magic on a ship!? Is such a thing possible!?”

The crew mages raise voices of surprise.

“It’s fine because I’ll draw a special magic circle on the ship and cast enchantment magic.”

“Enchantment magic on a huge structure… does such Lost Magic exist!?”

Lost Magic, if I recall correctly, it means magic lost in this era. I think there are quite a few people who can use it if you look for them, though.

“Then I will draw the magic circle, so mages please fix your bodies to the rear of the ship, and when there is a signal, accelerate the ship with full power.”

“Understood! Leave the acceleration to us!”

“I’ll go help with acceleration too.”

Mina runs to the rear of the ship holding a rope.

“Oi Bro! Another horde of monsters came!?”

Looking forward at Jairo’s words, I could see aquatic monsters heading towards us at tremendous speed again.

“It’s the second wave of monsters escaping from the Megalo Whales. If they come up on the ship, intercept them! You can ignore the others!”

“Understood! Leave it to us!”

“Eat this!”

“I won’t let you come up on the ship!”

Gyro, Liliera, and Meguri start attacking the monsters coming up from the ship. Meanwhile, I draw a magic circle on the ship’s deck and prepare for enchantment magic.

“Captain! Confirmed Vertino’s ships with naked eye!”

A crew member who continued working near the bow until the last minute reports.

“Understood! You guys also step back and fix your bodies! Helmsman, move to the edge and open a gap for Vertino’s group to pass through!”

“Roger that!”

When the helmsman turns the rudder at Barn-san’s instruction, the ship approaches the river bank.

『Abandon ship and escape! There’s a ridiculously huge horde of monsters behind us!!』

A warning from Vertino’s ship can be heard via wind magic.

“Thank you for the advice! But please escape without worrying about us!”

To that, we also reply with wind magic.

『This is no joke! They really are there!』

They must be worried about us, a serious voice can be heard.

“It’s okay! We have countermeasures!”

『Countermeasures!? What on earth…』

While talking like that, our ships pass each other. Tattered ships pass right next to the Good Loser. And from behind them, pitch black mountains were coming towards us.

“Activating enchantment magic! High Guard Castle! High Shock Absorb! Full Metal Body!”

Multiple enchantment magics strengthen the Good Loser through the magic circle.

“Now! Everyone please accelerate!”

“”””Yeah! Storm Bringer! Air Pressure! Aero Burst! Wind Boost!””””

The ship accelerates all at once with various wind magics.

“Liliera-san and others, please stop dealing with monsters and fix your bodies too!”

“Understood!”

Liliera and the others hurriedly step back and fix their bodies with ropes. Monsters on the water surface are blown away by the accelerating ship.

And the figures of Megalo Whales towering in front of us became larger.

“Oi oi, is this really okay.”

Someone mutters.

“Collision incoming! Everyone close your mouths! You’ll bite your tongues!”

Barn-san shouts and everyone closes their mouths. And just before the collision, I activated further enchantment magic.

“Gravity Iron!”

Immediately after, Good Loser’s hull sinks unnaturally and collides with the Megalo Whale.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!! A tremendous impact sound resounds, and vibrations like an earthquake echo to the core of our bodies.

“”””…!!?””””

Everyone grits their teeth and desperately endures while clinging to the ship. Is it really okay, everyone frowns in anxiety.

But still, no sound of destruction was heard from the hull.

“Now! High Boosted Accel!!”

Here, as a final touch, I activated another enchantment magic. And suddenly, the impact that was assaulting us disappeared.

“…?”

When everyone fearfully opened their eyes, the black mountains that were in front of them just a moment ago were nowhere to be seen.

“Eh?”

Everyone has a blank expression as if wondering if what they were seeing until now was an illusion.

“Where are the Megalo Whales?”

Everyone looks around restlessly, but the figures of Megalo Whales are nowhere to be found.

“They’re over there.”

I, the only one who knew what happened to the Megalo Whales, pointed up.

“Up?”

In the sky I pointed to, there were figures of Megalo Whales that had jumped over the Good Loser, and incidentally also jumped over Vertino’s ships, flying far away.

“Eh? Why are they flying!?”

“Could whales fly? Is it because they are monsters?”

“W-What does this mean!?”

Liliera and the others demand an explanation from me.

“The answer is this ship’s draft.”

“Draft, you say?”

Liliera and Gyro and the others tilt their heads wondering what that is, but the crew members immediately look at the sea surface from the side of the ship.

“What!? The ship is sinking more than usual!?”

“Don’t tell me there’s a hole in the ship’s bottom!?”

“Eh? Eh? What does that mean?”

“Draft means the depth of the part of the ship’s main body sinking below the water surface. And as the crew members say, this ship is currently sinking deeper than usual.”

“What does that mean? And why does that lead to Megalo Whales flying in the sky?”

Everyone’s gaze gathers on me again.

“Then shall we check the answers. Actually, just before colliding with the Megalo Whale, I cast a certain enchantment magic on this ship.”

“Enchantment magic?”

“Yes, magic to increase weight.”

“””Magic to make it fat!?”””

Liliera and the other women make faces of heartfelt disgust. No no, it’s not magic with that meaning.

“This is magic that manipulates gravity, it can temporarily make it many times heavier than its original weight.”

Saying that, when I release the magic, the ship whose weight returned floats up and the hull sways heavily.

“I-I see, so you made this ship’s weight heavier than the Megalo Whale with that.”

The Vice Commander understands my words.

“That’s right. Good Loser collides with the Megalo Whale at high speed while sinking, but since its weight is increased by magic, it’s not blown away, and since defensive magic is cast, there’s no worry of the ship breaking.”

I cross my right and left hands with extended fingertips in front of my chest, lower my right hand and pass it under my left hand. Then I warp my left hand diagonally upward.

“And the Megalo Whales that came towards us at high speed slide up onto this ship along the ram. Moreover, here I activated further enchantment magic on the Megalo Whales.”

“Enchantment magic on Megalo Whales!?”

“Yes, it’s also acceleration magic that speeds up the opponent’s movement. By receiving this, the Megalo Whales floated up while accelerating, and finally soared into the sky.”

Everyone who heard my explanation has dumbfounded faces.

“Using enchantment magic on enemies…”

“Enchantment magic can also become attack magic depending on how you use it.”

Ooh, cheers rise from those who can use magic.

“I’m surprised. I never thought of such a way to use magic.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if I can apply it, but it’s a good reference.”

“Or rather, weren’t you going to do a ramming attack?”

Barn-san raises his voice saying it’s different from the plan.

“No, I never said I would do such a thing.”

Besides, even if we defeat one, there are followers.

“Haa, but it’s surprising that you managed to do something about Megalo Whales with such a method. Simple ability is one thing, but your ideas are also outrageous.”

Liliera stares at me with a face mixed with amazement and admiration.

“Kyu kyu!”

Fluffy snuggled up with a face saying ‘I believed in you’, but you were trying to escape with all your might earlier, weren’t you.

“No, but still, it’s joyous! Our ship, which kept losing until now, finally achieved victory!”

“Come to think of it, that’s right!”

“It’s our first victory!”

Barn-san rejoices at the first victory, and the crew members are also excited.

It was at that moment.

From far away, along with a sound like DOOOOOOOON, the ground rumbles. Looking, a particularly large water column is rising in the distance.

“It seems the Megalo Whales fell into the sea route.”

Lucky fellows to fall onto water. With that, seawater might act as a cushion and there’s a possibility they survived…

“Ah.”

“Eh? What?”

Liliera and the others stare at me with blank faces and ask what’s wrong. However, the answer came from behind the ship before I could answer.

It was a mountain of huge waves generated by the Megalo Whales jumping into the water surface.

◆

“I really want to learn flight magic quickly.”

As expected or perhaps again, Liliera, rescued from the capsized Good Loser, said that first thing.

Or rather, wouldn’t it be better to change the ship’s name?