Chapter 388: The Mermaids' Cooperation

“Excuse me, but our comrades might be on the other side. If you take us there, we can cooperate in repelling the magic beast!”

I proposed that to the mermaids. It took a little time for discussion, but ultimately they accepted the proposal.

“Man, that’s a big help~”

“If we can secure your cooperation, we have no reason to refuse.”

“Ah, please wait a moment~”

We gathered at the boundary line—the edge of the land and the edge of the sea—and began our discussion. Since it was a slightly rugged coastline with exposed rock surfaces, four of the mermaids were sitting on the rocky area.

One was the male mermaid, looking to be in his thirties, who had been handling the negotiations since earlier. The others were a female mermaid of about the same age, a male mermaid in his fifties with a valiant atmosphere, and Rilda—making four in total.

I had the four of them wait, and hurriedly built a boat in the meantime. To make it easy for the mermaids to transport, it was a small boat that could seat about five people. Just in case, I also loaded it with as many Wood Blocks as it could carry.

“……Alright, is this about right? Sorry to keep you waiting!”

When I called out to Rilda and the others while saying that, they returned dumbfounded expressions.

“……Are humans capable of such things?”

“So that is why they multiply before we know it.”

“Humans are scary……”

Receiving such impressions, I panicked, thinking This is bad. We’re planning to cooperate from here on out, so being feared isn’t a good start.

“W-We aren’t scary, you know? Ah, maybe I’ll give everyone some weapons. Here, please take this as a token of our new acquaintance.”

Smiling gently, I used a single Wood Block to create an easy-to-use-looking dagger and presented it to him. When I handed it over, the male mermaid accepted the dagger with a suspicious look on his face.

Then, he tried cutting a piece of driftwood that had washed up nearby.

It sliced cleanly in two without a sound. Thank goodness. Anyone would be happy with a present like this.

Or so I thought, but the other mermaids watching this backed away more than a meter.

“Humans are scary……”

“I’ve never seen a weapon like that……”

“……He made a thing like that in an instant.”

Anxious voices could be heard one after another. It seems it had the opposite effect.

“……Boy. Are you doing this on purpose?”

In the end, even Panamera ended up saying such a thing to me.

There were various problems and unfortunate misunderstandings, but we somehow got them to agree to push the boat. Incidentally, because I had unthinkingly made it in the exact shape of a boat, there was a limit to the number of people who could push it from behind, so I improved it by attaching rings to the bow so it could also be pulled from the front.

As a result, through the power of thirty mermaids, the boat transformed into a motorboat.

“Whoa, this is fun!”

“It’s so fast!”

“The wind feels great.”

Till, Arte, and I rejoiced, returning to our childhood innocence. Well, Arte and I are solidly children, though.

“At this rate, it won’t even take a few hours.”

Panamera also said this in a good mood. Having your movement speed increase is something everyone is happy about. Being a professional soldier, that might be even more true for her.

“Is it shaking too much?”

Suddenly, a voice called out from the front of the boat. Looking over, I saw Rilda’s figure; she was clinging to the bow with both hands and poking her head out.

“It’s fine. It’s so fast it’s actually fun.”

When I smiled and told her that, Rilda smiled just a little, nodded, and returned to the sea.

As I watched her go, Panamera formed a smile full of implications.

“Hmm……?”

“Eh? What is it?”

I asked back at Panamera’s strange reaction, but she just kept smirking.

“There’s absolutely nothing going on, you know?”

“What is ‘nothing’?”

I tried to nip it in the bud defensively, but Panamera just tilted her head, looking somewhat delighted. Anyone could tell what she was imagining just by seeing her expression and reaction.

“Jeez! That’s impossible! You think so too, right, Arte?”

I threw the question to Arte, intending to gain an ally, but for some reason, there was no reply. Feeling something was off, I turned around to find Arte averting her gaze and keeping silent.

“……Lord Van does have a precedent of getting engaged to little Ladapriola…… no, but this time it is someone a bit older, so……?”

Arte muttered strange things under her breath. Seeing that, Panamera laughed out loud.

“Hahaha! See, you have no allies!”

Because Panamera said such a thing so happily, I looked at Till, thinking That’s absurd. Then, Till nodded with a beaming smile.

“It is okay. Lord Van’s charm transcends race and will surely……!”

“It doesn’t need to transcend anything!?”

An off-the-mark follow-up came in, and I involuntarily retorted. Watching Panamera hold her stomach and laugh at that made me resent her a little.

While we were having an exchange that felt like a comedy skit, this time the male mermaid called out to us.

“We are about to reach the other side, but do you recognize that ship?”

“Eh?”

Astonished by the unexpected words, I looked in the direction the man pointed.

There, the figure of the large ship I had built came into view. And right next to the ship, the shadow of what looked like a massive magic beast……