Chapter 382: Repelling the Monster Whale and a New Encounter

“Let’s do this, Boy. For the sake of our future livelihood.”

We managed to return above ground, but Panamera’s fighting spirit had also returned. From Panamera’s perspective, she might be thinking that she was only able to run away from the magic beast.

Personally, I want to escape this desert island soon, but having a monster whale in these waters might indeed be a bad thing.

“……Well, it can’t be helped. In that case, shall we put together a serious formation?”

“Oh?”

When I declared I would get serious, Panamera turned to me with an intrigued look. To begin with, I had been thinking too optimistically, assuming rescue would come immediately, so I hadn’t properly fortified the log house’s defenses.

Therefore, I set up ballistae to cover the entire coastline and sandy beach. It helped that Panamera had been subjugating magic beasts in the forest. While I was at it, I also crafted iron arrows, though I could only make two. Then, I hurriedly made a larger puppet for Arte. Its weapon was a greatsword reaching two meters in length.

“With this, Arte’s puppet can fight on the front lines, and we can support it with the ballistae. And for the finishing blow, Ms. Panamera can use magic……”

“I see…… However, Boy……”

Panamera had been silently watching me build the ballistae and make Arte’s puppet, but when I conveyed the strategy, she returned an indescribably complex expression.

Then, she pointed at the peaceful sea where nothing could be seen.

“……That large magic beast has already returned to the sea.”

“Wh-What……!? Since when……!?”

I replied, acting exaggeratedly surprised. At that, Panamera dropped her shoulders and hung her head.

“……Haa. It can’t be helped. It’s you, Boy, after all. You mean you won’t fight unless it’s a guaranteed victory, right? You took your time on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Eh? Th-That’s not true, you know?”

At Panamera’s sharp deduction, I involuntarily stuttered a denial. However, since Panamera stared at me silently with narrowed eyes, I folded immediately.

“I’m sorry. It was an impulse……”

“……It can’t be helped. I shall forgive you for groping my bottom.”

“I didn’t touch it!?”

What was she thinking? Panamera brought up the false groping charge incident again. This is beyond biased reporting. It’s a false, exaggerated, and misleading statement.

When I complained to Panamera while fuming, she shook her shoulders and laughed.

“Hahaha! It’s a joke, a joke!”

“Jeez!”

I puffed out my cheeks and complained to Panamera, who was like a mischievous brat that had simply grown into an adult.

At that moment, Arte looked at the sea and raised her voice.

“U-Umm……”

“Hm?”

“Is something wrong?”

Hearing Arte’s voice, I immediately turned my eyes to the sea. Having just escaped a threat, it seemed neither Panamera nor I had fully released our tension. We reflexively looked at the sea, searching for the monster whale’s figure.

Then, I saw the monster whale genuinely poking its head out just a little offshore.

“……It really is huge.”

“It’s a monster, a monster.”

The two of us let out such impressions. However, Arte shook her head at that.

“Ah, u-um…… I feel like there is something…… ahead of where that magic beast is heading.”

It seems what she wanted us to look at wasn’t the monster whale.

“Eh?”

Hearing Arte’s words, I narrowed my eyes and stared ahead of the monster whale. Even from hundreds of meters away, the monster whale was so massive it was almost too visible, but I couldn’t quite tell what was in front of it. No, I could tell something was swimming just below the surface of the water.

“……Hair?”

“Fumu, doesn’t it look like an Apkallu?”

Was the occasional glint bright blonde hair? Hearing Till and Panamera’s words, I finally understood that the entity fleeing from the monster whale was human-shaped.

However, I feel like the Apkallus’ hair colors were all bluish shades. That blonde hair was out of line with my image of an Apkallu.

“……Either way. We should probably help.”

“You’re right. Well then, it’s a little offshore, so let’s draw its attention with the ballistae and magic. Arte? If that thing comes ashore, I want you to stop its movements with the puppet, will you be okay?”

“I-I can do it!”

I came up with a countermeasure for the monster whale on the spot and confirmed it with Arte. Since we had nearly died just moments ago, I wondered if she was traumatized, but Arte replied forcefully.

“U-Umm, is there something I can……”

Amidst this, Till timidly offered to participate. In that case, I crafted the strongest axe and handed it to her.

“Till, you protect me while I shoot the ballista. With this, you’ll be fine. It’s the Super Ultimate Legendary-Class Wood Block Battle Axe.”

“Y-Yes…… wait, Lord Vaaan……!”

Holding the heavy-class axe in both hands, Till got teary-eyed. It was a joke, but since she looked so sad, I reconsidered and thought I’d teach her how to use the ballista.

“I’m joking. Later, let’s practice with the ballista together. Something like this might happen again, after all.”

“Y-Yes……!”

Confirming that Till had recovered her mood and smiled, I called out to Panamera.

“Until you move into your attack range, Ms. Panamera, I will attack with the ballista and draw its attention. Is that alright?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“Well then, shall we go subjugate a magic beast?”

When I turned around and announced that to everyone, the three of them each replied and sprang into action.