Chapter 386: To the Other Side of the Island

A challenging spirit is important!

And so, I carved up the meat of the magic beast subjugated by Panamera’s hand the other day along with the monster whale, and tried offering it to Rilda together with the fruit we had stored.

Now then, is the monster whale edible? From a mermaid’s perspective, it’s a mighty existence that one would consider a natural enemy. Incidentally, it doesn’t look very appetizing either.

“……You’re giving this to me?”

“Will you eat it? Should I cook it more?”

“……Raw is fine.”

Saying that, Rilda gently took the box containing the meat and fruit in both hands. I was involuntarily left speechless by her shocking statement. Monster whale sashimi? You’ve got to be kidding me.

“……Thanks.”

Perhaps her wariness had faded slightly, she thanked me from right up close and returned to the sea. At her words, my brain finally rebooted.

“No, no, thank you~!”

After replying like that, I suddenly thought of something.

“Ah, if you’d like, I can make a raft, so to the other side of the island……”

Before I could finish my sentence, Rilda disappeared.

“Ah…… I was wondering if you could take us there if possible……”

I muttered that toward the empty sea with a slightly wistful feeling.

“You got rejected, Boy.”

“……No, it’s not like that, but for some reason, I feel a sense of loneliness……”

I answered with a sigh while being laughed at by Panamera. Then, Till lowered the outer corners of her eyebrows and smiled.

“It’s okay. I’m sure you will meet again.”

“No, no, please don’t make it seem like I actually got rejected, okay?”

Till’s words of encouragement felt too real. The innocent Van, who hadn’t cared that much, ended up heartbroken receiving unnecessary encouragement. So pitiful.

That being said, I can’t stay depressed forever. For now, thanks to super useful information, I obtained the objective of aiming for the opposite side of the island.

“What should we do? Go through that forest?”

Saying that, I looked back and saw the terrifyingly dense forest on the pointed mountain. From time to time, the cries of mysterious monstrous birds and the roars of what were clearly medium-sized or larger magic beasts could be heard. The danger level seems comparable to the Wolfsburg Mountains.

“No, that would be difficult.”

As expected, Panamera answered plainly. In addition to not having magic beast experts like Ortho’s group, Panamera’s magic is difficult to use in the forest. It’s the obvious answer.

I nodded at Panamera’s response, and pointing toward the end of the coast, I offered an alternative.

“Then, it’ll be like going all the way around along the sea. Avoiding the forest, moving during the day, and building a house to rest at night……”

“Building a house every time is an amazing feat, but even so, it will take quite some time. We haven’t grasped the size of the island yet, but will it take two or three days?”

“It can’t be helped. But if we just keep waiting here, it will take even longer, so we have no choice but to somehow get to the other side. Besides, I’m worried about Rilda saying there are lots of monsters. If they keep searching in a sea like that, even Dee and the others might lose their lives.”

When I said that, Arte and Till nodded anxiously. Seeing their reaction, Panamera also crossed her arms and nodded in agreement.

“……Indeed. Then, shall we start moving right away? However, it is too late to set out today. We will pack our luggage and depart tomorrow morning.”

Told that by Panamera, the three of us complied without hesitation. The words of Panamera, who had overcome various dangers in war, carried a different level of persuasiveness.

It’s not like it’s because she’s the oldest or anything. Yep.

The next day, as soon as the sun rose, I dismantled the house. I turned it into a Wood Block cart. Since I made the wheels large and attached springs, it can handle somewhat rough roads.

The luggage consists of Wood Blocks and magic beast skins that will become materials for the ballista. For food, we packed fruits and wild vegetables into bags that we are all carrying on our backs.

“Lady Panamera, are you alright?”

Walking along the coast, Arte asked with concern. Pushing the cart, Panamera nodded with a laugh.

“Hahaha! Transporting this level of luggage is no problem at all. A few years ago, I used to walk through the mountains wearing full iron armor and carrying luggage about the same weight as myself.”

Saying such reliable things, Panamera followed along.

“As expected of you, Lady Panamera! Yo! Strongwoman!”

“……I wonder why? The Boy’s words contain malice……”

Following Arte, I tried cheering on Panamera, who was working hard at manual labor, but it seems I failed.

“Come on, that’s not true, you know? Ah, maybe ‘unrivaled Herculean strength’ sounds cooler.”

“……Boy, you’d better remember this later, alright?”

It seems I failed again. Panamera said that from behind with half-lidded eyes.

Jokes aside, among the current members, Till and I actually have the most free time on our hands. Arte is acting as a guard, accompanied by her puppet, and Panamera is the baggage carrier.

Meanwhile, Till and I, while claiming to be on lookout, are mostly just walking while gazing at the beautiful sea.

Man, I feel bad. I’ll make up for it by properly preparing lunch and such.

Walking without resting for about three hours while thinking such things, we found a slightly open area on the coast and stopped.

Alright, I’ll build a wonderful gazebo right here and we’ll have an elegant lunch……!

Thinking that, I was full of motivation and reached for a Wood Block—when it happened.

Arte noticed something and raised her voice.

“U-Umm! Out in the sea, mermaids are……!”

“Huh?”