Chapter 209: Small Island, Monster, and
Volume 2 – Drifting in the New Continent
「I’m so bored…」
「Yeah, King General. There’s no sign of land today either.」
Drake’s line, ‘There’s no sign of land today.’ was becoming a bit of a pattern.
But boredom meant safety.
While it was better to be safe, it was getting frustrating that more than half a month had passed since we headed west without a single sighting.
「This ship is definitely heading west, right?」
「It should be.」
「Okay, as long as we’re making progress. Should I help clean the deck?」
「No way, Your Majesty King General. You need to sit tight and keep your composure; it affects the crew’s morale. Just look over the nautical charts and pretend to gaze at the horizon for a good hour. If you and I are steady, the crew will feel reassured.」 I never thought I’d be playing the role of a spectator general on a warship.
They say it boosts morale, but I can’t help but wonder if it really makes a difference.
Well, it might be just the right amount of boredom. While I can just relax, Drake, the captain of our flagship, had quite a bit of work to do.
There was a star in this world that corresponded to the North Star, so he could determine latitude and longitude through celestial navigation. However, taking those measurements was also Drake’s job.
In this era of developing naval technology, the difficulties of sailing through unknown waters were unimaginable.
I understood the theory, but I had no long-term sailing experience. If it weren’t for veteran sailors like Drake, we’d be utterly lost.
Navigating the vast ocean without a map posed significant challenges.
The weather was unpredictable, and considering this is a world of fantasy, there’s a possibility that legendary unknown sea creatures could appear.
So far, we hadn’t encountered any such troubles.
Being able to complain about boredom might actually be a blessing. Meanwhile, the heavy responsibility and hardships that weighed on Drake’s shoulders as he charted these uncharted waters were immense.
I couldn’t thank the old admiral enough, who laughed it off, saying, ‘I’m doing this because I like it.’
Every now and then, when I returned to the Royal Castle of Silesie via the teleportation circle, I’d invite Drake to take a break, but he always firmly refused, saying a captain couldn’t just leave the ship.
That made me feel uneasy, as if it were a bad omen, and I knew I needed to have a serious talk with him.
No matter how careful we were, there was always the possibility of the unexpected. If this ship sank and Drake died, I would be in deep trouble.
「Drake, if you ever think sacrificing the ship will save your life, make sure to escape and survive. I value you more than the ten black cedar warships. I don’t care how many ships sink.」
「Well, you certainly value this old, withered geezer pretty highly.」
Drake, the former Pirate King, rubbed his white beard and started to chuckle.
Back when he was a pirate, he fought fiercely against the invincible armada of Castilia, but lately, he’d been saying things that made me worry he had become oddly enlightened.
「I don’t want my words to be just a joke for you. The rough-and-tumble former pirates follow you because you’re Pirate King Drake. We can always build more ships, but there’s no one else like you.」
「Hahaha, I see, I see.」
Drake laughed heartily, perhaps because he was getting too bored.
「What do you mean, ‘I see’?」
「Look, King General, you’ve got a lot of beautiful ladies around you. I thought you were using lines like that to charm them.」
「Keep talking!」
「Hahaha, I’m just joking. Don’t be so angry, King. I’ve survived plenty of naval battles against Castilia, so I’m not going to die that easily. At this point, I can’t die without seeing the edge of that ocean.」
「I’m counting on you, Drake, so please take care. I don’t expect to succeed on this voyage in one go. Opening new trade routes means going through repeated failures, right?」
「No doubt about it. You may be a hero of the land, but you sure know your stuff.」
I may have knowledge, but I still lack experience, so I really need Drake and the others to help me with everything.
「Well, if there’s anything I can do, just let me know. As you can see, I’m pretty bored.」
「Haha, it’s best if you just sit tight, King General. But let me tell you one thing: that earlier conversation was off base.」
「Hmm? What do you mean by ‘earlier conversation’?」
「Listen, even if I’m not here, the crew will follow your orders if you have confidence. You always say with certainty, ‘There’s a huge treasure island beyond the ocean that no one has ever seen,’ right?」
「Yeah, that’s because it’s true.」
「Exactly! That’s the most important thing. The captain must have that confidence. If you can tell the sailors that going there will make everyone happy, that’s a powerful motivator. That’s why everyone, myself included, is on your ship. As long as you don’t forget that, everything will be fine.」
Drake lightly patted my chest. I wondered if that was really the case.
According to Drake, not knowing what awaits ahead is the biggest strain on a person’s heart. That’s why the uncharted seas have remained unexplored for so long.
There may be legends of people who happened to wash ashore, but no sailor ever set their sails toward a potentially empty ocean.
Because I confidently guaranteed that there was hope beyond, everyone became enthusiastic about the voyage.
「My confidence comes partly from having the blessing of Asama, so I can’t really brag about it. Asama suggested there is something that resembles a new continent, so at least we won’t go there and find nothing.」
「Hahaha! The fact that the King General could speak directly to the Goddess of Creation is an incredible brag, you know.」
Even the old admiral seemed astonished by the scale of the Hero. But then again, Drake was the Admiral of the Silesie Navy, the world’s most renowned fleet.
While it may seem that we are both overstepping our bounds, there’s a certain thrill to it…
At that moment, a voice called out from the crow’s nest, where the navigator was peering through a telescope.
「Land! I see the silhouette of an island!」
Even when viewed through binoculars from the ship, it appeared to be a small island. Without needing to lower a boat from the black cedar warship, Kaara and Oracle took flight to confirm the sighting.
I quickly asked Oracle upon her return.
「What did you find, Oracle-chan?」
「It’s just a small, unremarkable island.」
That was a rather vague report. Clearly, Oracle isn’t cut out for reconnaissance. Just as I was preparing to lower the boat for a thorough exploration, Kaara returned with more detailed observations.
「Nation’s Father, I found a spring. I confirmed that the water is fresh.」
「Is that so? It’s dangerous to drink stagnant water as is, but we might be able to distill it for drinking.」
We landed on the island and began our exploration, finding it to be roughly the same size as the black cedar warship. The presence of fresh water was a welcome relief.
「It’s a small island, after all.」
「Well, King General. The existence of an island suggests that there could be a continent nearby. We should consider that there may be elevated terrain beyond the trench we just crossed.」
「I see, that’s an interesting perspective.」
「If this is the path to the New Continent, there’s hope ahead. We are indeed heading in the right direction. However, we’ll need to be cautious of reefs from here on out.」
「Shall we name this island ‘Hope Island’?」
「Haha, that sounds promising.」
Our spirits lifted at the discovery of the small island, and we felt invigorated. However, in the realm of grim fantasy, things rarely go as smoothly as one hopes.
Naming it Hope Island might have been a bad omen after all. That night, the Silesie Navy was caught in a tremendous storm.
The flagship, the ‘Beautiful Queen Silhouette’ rocked violently.
We had faced storms before, but this felt like being tossed in a gondola—it was truly extraordinary.
「Is Drake alright?」
「Who are you talking to? My ship won’t sink from a storm like this!」
It’s more than just a little storm; it feels like the ship is floating rather than simply swaying! The chaos is so intense that I wonder how the ship hasn’t capsized.
We thought we were getting used to life at sea, but this level of turbulence was overwhelming. Staying on deck only seemed to get in the way, and since Drake told us to sleep below, I had tried to rest down in the hold, but in these conditions, I couldn’t manage to close my eyes at all.
I felt nauseous from the rocking; I have a strong tolerance for seasickness, so I was just barely hanging in there. But some weren’t so lucky.
「I feel so sick…」
「Come on, Rara-chan, let’s get some fresh air.」
I could see that Rara-chan’s gray skin had turned a sickly shade of blue. If this continued, she would surely acquire the ‘throw-up heroine’ attribute.
Given the circumstances, I climbed back up to the deck, only to find it transformed into an incredible spectacle.
「Hey! Hard to port! We’re about to take off again! Everyone, hold on!」
「Waaaaah!」
Are we really flying? Oh no, the ship is actually soaring through the air! Wait, I just saw one of the masts break; maybe it would have been better to stay in the hold and vomit there.
「Hey! It’s dangerous to bring children to a place like this! You guys stay below and lie down!」
「Drake, sorry to interrupt while you’re busy steering, but… it seems we can’t ignore this any longer.」
From the swirling chaos of the stormy waters, a gigantic sea serpent emerged. No, its size far exceeded that of the ship; it was more than just a sea serpent.
「What in the world is that monster?!」
Even Admiral Drake seemed to notice, shouting in surprise. Sea monsters always seem to show up at the worst possible moments, don’t they?
「This is a great sea dragon. It’s my first time seeing one too, but according to the records of the demon race, it resides at the edge of the Siren Sea, stirring up storms and sinking ships.」
A great sea dragon. It looks more like a giant snake than a dragon; perhaps it has a massive belly hidden beneath the unseen depths of the ocean. Or maybe creatures living in the sea take on a more eel-like appearance.
Drake seemed to recognize it as well, exclaiming, ‘Is that the legendary great sea dragon?!’
「What’s that, Drake? Is it a well-known tale?」
「In sailor legends, they say that if you go to the end of the sea, you’ll fall off into the abyss and become food for the great sea dragon waiting with its mouth open. I thought it was just a fairy tale.」
After all, we’re in a fantasy world.
We know the sea is distorted from observation, so there shouldn’t be an end to the ocean where you could fall off. Yet it seems we shouldn’t underestimate legends and fairy tales as mere fantasies.
Even if there’s no end to the sea, the great sea dragon does exist.
「What should we do, King General? We can’t use the cannons in this storm.」
「Drake, focus on steering to keep the ship afloat. The fight against the great sea dragon will be handled by us, the combat specialists. Kaara, can you handle this?」
「Yes, Nation’s Father. Leave it to me.」
Well, I don’t intend to leave it all to Kaara alone. A great sea dragon. Just by its size, it’s clear we’re dealing with a legendary class monster.
Furthermore, we’re fighting in the stormy seas, which are advantageous to our opponent. I wish we had that creature with us that could fly and excel in close combat, but unfortunately, that creature has just become pregnant.
It’s a recurring pattern for our key players to become unavailable at critical moments, but we have plenty of backup. This time, Oracle-chan and the combat specialist are on board for protection.
「My lord, I’ve brought your backpack!」
「Louise, we’re dealing with a great sea dragon. I’m counting on you!」
With a smile that conveyed her eagerness, Louise pulled the ‘Dragon Slayer Great Sword’ from her backpack.
Louise was equipped with black cedar armor that floated on water, making her well-prepared for combat on deck.
My ‘Mithril Armor’ was light as a feather, so I should be fine even if I fell into the sea. Being on the water, it’s important to consider such things.
Louise retrieved a magic rifle from her backpack and attached a new magazine to it.
Now, the question is whether the magic rifle will be effective against that massive creature.
The great sea dragon extended its long neck, attempting to bite down on the ship with its enormous fangs, but it seemed to have been repelled.
In times like these, I’m grateful our ship is made of black cedar. If it were an ordinary vessel, the great sea dragon’s bite could have easily punctured the hull, leading to our demise.
「The key is to keep it away from the ship while defending the deck!」
「I can feel my skills coming alive again. Tomorrow’s breakfast will be dragon stew!」
Oracle and Louise moved to the front to engage in defense against the approaching great sea dragon. Meanwhile, Kaara began casting a wide-area attack spell.
「Kaara Demonia Demonicus, I humbly request, may the dark lord of dawn, shining far beyond the stars, manifest upon the earth from the void of time and space, bringing destruction to all!」
Here it comes, Kaara’s signature Meteor Strike.
However, perhaps the impact was lacking or diminished underwater. The meteor shower that pierced through the storm clouds caused the great sea dragon to writhe in pain but did not result in total destruction.
We were fighting in the creature’s preferred battlefield, lurking beneath the waves. Such situations can arise.
Moreover, it seems that the great sea dragon was not alone; there appeared to be two or three heads lurking in the stormy sea.
In any case, once they reach the deck, Louise would be there to behead them, ensuring our defense was perfect. All that remained was to finish them off with long-range attacks.
「I’m sorry, Nation’s Father! I’ll take another shot!」
「No, Kaara. Leave this one to me!」
I attempted to infuse my magic rifle with the power of the ‘Sword of Light’ but only a minuscule amount emerged. So, I decided to channel the power of the ‘Neutral Sword’ into the bullet and aimed for the great sea dragon’s eye.
With a sharp sound, the bullet flew and struck the dragon’s large eye with a direct hit. The moment it exploded, the intense power of the ‘Neutral Sword’ erupted, and the great sea dragon’s anguished roar echoed through the storm.
「Nation’s Father, we did it!」
「Monsters like this are always vulnerable at the eye.」
Next, I aimed to crush its head. With its eye destroyed, the great sea dragon’s movements weakened, making it even easier to target.
I fired shot after shot, smashing its head until it sank to the bottom of the sea.
Now, how many more were left? In any case, as long as I continued this way, victory was within reach.
Just as I thought that—
A scream rang out from the back of the deck. It was Rara-chan’s cry.
「Kyaaa!」
「Rara-chan!」
Oh no, I had completely forgotten that I had brought Rara-chan onto the deck. The seasick Rara-chan, still feeling groggy, was screaming at the sight of the great sea dragon approaching from the back of the ship.
I rushed to help her. I swiftly scooped her up and tried to carry her back inside the ship.
At that moment, the ship tilted dramatically. A massive wave crashed against us, sending Rara-chan and me soaring into the air.
If this continues, we’ll fall into the sea!
「Nooo!」
「Uwaah, not this pattern again!」
As we floated momentarily in the stretched-out time, I thought that my ‘Mithril Armor’ would allow me to swim safely, but contrary to my expectations, Rara-chan and I did not fall into the sea.
Instead, we were swallowed whole by the great sea dragon, which lay beneath us, mouth wide open and waiting.