Surviving a Harsh Fantasy with Cheat Items (WN)

We were sailing along the eastern coast of the Abyss Continent, two black-cedar warships tied together.

Though we kept close to the continent, we made sure not to approach land too much, avoiding any chance of being spotted by the enemy.

「Drake, aren’t you lonely without Asatte-san around?」

「Haha, don’t be ridiculous, King General. I get a lot more done without her around, believe me!」

He sounded annoyed at first, but I knew better. Despite his complaints, he had grown pretty fond of Asatte-san, who, in her own way as a Dragon Maid, had taken good care of him.

He’d never admit it, but he definitely misses her.

This voyage isn’t just about gathering food resources through deep-sea fishing; it’s also a rehearsal for the surprise attack on Times Square six months from now.

With Admiral Damons, who knows these waters better than anyone, serving as our navigator, we sailed smoothly. In exchange for his guidance, Drake had been teaching him how to map the seas, a skill still underdeveloped on the Abyss Continent.

「Admiral Drake, this is the first time I’ve seen such a detailed sea chart. It’s remarkably easy to follow.」

「Looks like you guys didn’t have compasses before, huh?」 For near-shore sailing, experience and intuition could get you far, but with proper measurements and charting, even a novice could sail safely by following the route laid out, including recording ocean currents and wind directions.

「The sea breeze feels great, doesn’t it, Drake?」

「You’re right, King General. Getting here was tough, but once we arrived, it’s been a peaceful and beautiful sea.」

The wind was favorable, and at this pace, we could have reached the naval base at Times Square in a single day. Of course, we weren’t planning to approach the enemy’s stronghold this time—just to a deserted island nearby, then turn back.

「By the way, do fish even bite in these waters?」

「Oh yeah, this sea’s overflowing with fish. There are loads of crabs too, your favorite, King General.」

That sounds fantastic. Looks like we’re having a crab feast tonight.

Our nets were already filled with crabs, but they’d had to stop bottom trawling halfway through. Apparently, we were catching way too much.

There was no point in overfishing on the way there—we already had more than enough food for the journey. Now, everyone was just casually casting their lines for fun.

「You all catching anything?」

「Yes, Onii-sama! This is my first time fishing, and it’s really fun.」

Sherry and the others were enjoying themselves.

These former slave girls had worked hard as experts in their respective fields on the island, and now that the settlers’ lives were stabilizing, the development of Antil Island had reached a good stopping point.

So, this voyage was also a chance for some recreation. It was time for them to have a break.

「Look, look! I caught something huge!」

Roll showed off the fish she’d caught. What the heck, it was enormous. Bigger than Roll herself!

「Is this a swordfish?」

「I’m not sure, but look at that spear on its head!」

I was amazed to see such a creature. It was still thrashing about energetically—so fresh—but now I was wondering how we’d even cook such a massive fish.

「Roll, how did you even reel this in?」

「I don’t know. I just kept pulling, and it came up!」

As I marveled that the line hadn’t snapped, Sherry came over to explain.

「We used great sea dragon meat as bait.」

「Oh?」

「The rod and hook are also made from the bones of a great sea dragon, and the fishing line is crafted from its whiskers.」

With such high-quality fishing gear, it’s no wonder we’re catching such impressive prey. There are also plenty of more common fish like Spanish mackerel and flounder.

These are familiar fish, so cooking them should be easy enough. I’d like to simmer them, but since we don’t have soy sauce, maybe I’ll make a meunière instead. Fish are being caught left and right as I watch—it’s actually quite fun when they bite this often.

I borrowed a rod from Sherry and tried my hand at fishing. Though I didn’t manage to catch another swordfish, it seems dried great sea dragon meat works wonders as bait.

Every time I bait the hook and cast the line, the fish bite instantly.

「Master, I caught something weird!」

「Eek! What is that? It’s so gross!」

Viola had reeled in a giant squid. Not just one, but three large ones!

「It’s a squid.」

「What’s a squid? It’s scary!」

「Is this your first time seeing a squid?」

「It’s a monster! It has to be a monster!」

Well, giant squids are considered monsters too, but this one is just a regular big squid. Despite catching it, Viola was struggling as the large squid wrapped its tentacles around the fishing line.

Hearing it’s edible, Colette stepped in to help. However, the suction cups on the squid’s long tentacles had stuck fast to the deck, and now they were both struggling.

「Ahh! It’s crawling into my clothes!」

The three squids attacked Colette all at once as she tried to put them into a bucket, their tentacles wrapping around her and slipping inside her clothes.

「Gross! Master, h-help me!」

「Are you alright?」

Though it’s just a squid, and its grip is harmless, Colette was clearly panicking. I hurried over to pull the tentacles off her, but the squid clung on stubbornly.

「Master!」

「Stay still, I’ll get them off you.」

Not just me—Roll also came to help rescue Colette from the squid’s embrace.

「Whoa!」

Just as Roll finally grabbed hold of one of the squids, it squirted a blast of black ink from its mouth. Both Roll and Colette were splattered, their faces now completely black.

「Hahaha!」

「Master, it’s not fair to laugh!」 「You’re so mean!」

「Sorry, sorry. Go wash your faces.」

「I’ll help them clean up.」

Feeling guilty, Viola used her water magic to wash their faces. Though now, they were drenched.

「This is so slimy and sticky.」

「Yeah, squids are pretty slimy. How about we take a swim to wash off the rest? It’ll be refreshing.」

We were almost at the uninhabited island, our destination. In fact, we were supposed to meet up with Kaara and the others, who had infiltrated the northern Abyss Continent.

It was supposed to take us another day to get there, but with such favorable winds, we arrived too early. We’d have some time to swim and relax before continuing on.

「Swim in the ocean? Uh, we’ve never swum before…」

「You won’t have to worry about drowning as long as you stay near the shore where your feet can touch. The water’s clean, and we can have some fun on the beach.」

Since we were close enough to the island, we dropped anchor and prepared to go ashore by boat.

※※※

「Hahaha, I’m a seaweed monster!」

「Ahh! What are you doing, Roll?!」

Roll had wrapped herself in seaweed drifting in the water and was scaring the others. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

「Well, it’s a good thing I prepared swimsuits for everyone, just in case.」

The slave girls who had never left the Silesie Kingdom experienced the sea for the first time after arriving here.

Playing on the beach was also a new experience for them. The crashing waves seemed to fascinate them, and they played around joyfully.

「Haha, Master! Seaweed!」

「I get it, seaweed already. But Roll, you’re the only one who can swim so well.」

Since it was their first time at the beach, none of them were expected to swim. Yet Roll was swimming effortlessly, which was quite remarkable.

「Well, I swim in the bath and the river too.」

「Oh, I see.」

It makes sense. There’s no need to go to the sea to swim; she can swim anywhere, be it a bath or a river.

Roll was happily splashing around. The others, inspired by her, were trying to mimic her swimming with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

Noting that Roll only swam using a dog paddle, I decided to teach her the breaststroke and freestyle. Sherry quickly picked up the techniques and was swimming freestyle with a graceful form.

「As expected, Sherry is a genius.」

「Master, I’m tired, so I’m going to the beach…」

However, Sherry had limited stamina. Unlike Roll, who could swim endlessly, Sherry struggled to keep up with anything beyond the dog paddle.

「Roll dislikes baths but loves the sea, huh?」

「Well, baths are hot and cramped, and everyone tells me to stay still.」

I see. For someone like Roll, who always wants to move around, just sitting in the bath is quite uncomfortable.

I find it relaxing, but everyone has their preferences.

「Alright, let’s wrap up the beach time and head back.」

「But, Master, let’s swim some more!」

「No, Roll. Before that, where did your swimsuit go?」

「It went somewhere.」

「Somewhere? It seems she lost her swimsuit while swimming around vigorously. Without elastic or stretchiness, a swimsuit tied only with strings can easily come off.」

For now, Roll’s body was covered with seaweed, so her private parts were hidden. We decided to get her on land and put some clothes on her.

This was a small, uninhabited island located conveniently close to the major port of Times Square, the capital of Times Province.

Even though it was a small island with no permanent residents, boats came regularly, and there was a fishing hut we could use for changing.

After finishing the beach activities and washing up with fresh water, it was already evening. We gathered wood on the island for a barbecue. Damons and the others, who had been here before, brought back some coconuts.

Now it was time to prepare dinner. Grilled fish would be good, but the main dish would be the squid.

After cleaning the three large squids and removing their innards, I scored the flesh, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and began grilling.

The aroma was delicious. Although the squid had been a nuisance when wrapped around Colette earlier, it smelled great now.

「Ugh, onii-sama, are we really eating this?」

「Grilled squid is delicious.」

Sherry was looking at the grilled squid with a mix of fear and curiosity.

「I want to eat it!」

Roll immediately dug into the grilled squid, munching on the tentacles. Colette, still traumatized from the earlier squid encounter, approached cautiously.

As expected of a head chef, he seemed quite intrigued by the new ingredients and hesitated before trying them.

After that, we enjoyed grilled fish and boiled crab, waiting patiently for Kaara and the others.

I was a bit worried since they were late past the scheduled meeting time. However, late into the night, Kaara, Oracle, and Lyle-sensei, who was being carried by the two, finally arrived.

「Kaara, you’re a bit late.」

「Apologies, Nation’s Father. This being our first time here, we had difficulty locating the island.」

Navigating at night must have made finding the island even harder. A slight delay was understandable.

「You must have taken care to avoid detection by the enemy. In any case, you’ve had a long journey. Would you like something to eat?」

「Yes, please. To be honest, we barely had any decent meals while in enemy territory…」

「We’re absolutely starving!」

Kaara and Oracle were devouring the grilled fish with great enthusiasm. If they needed more, I’d be happy to prepare extra.

On the other hand, Lyle-sensei looked quite exhausted and had slumped down on the sand.

Flying with magic was tough, but being carried for such a long time must have been even harder.

「Would you like something to eat, Sensei?」

「No, I have no appetite. If you have any drinks, that would be appreciated.」

I brought him some coconut juice.

「Are you alright?」

「Yes, thanks to this, I’m feeling much better.」

「How was the Abyss Continent?」

「Well, it was worth the trip.」

It seemed that Lyle-sensei and the others had established connections with the local demon forces and laid the groundwork for diplomacy. With high-ranking demons like Kaara and Oracle present, negotiations went smoothly.

The former ruling demon factions, suppressed by the current Demon King, naturally harbored resentment. They wouldn’t just agree to ally with us on sight. To secure their cooperation, we’d need to successfully capture the Times Square fortress and demonstrate our capability.

「In six months, we’ll see how much we can prepare.」

「To wage war, we must win without fail. Despite the considerable difficulties we faced, it was a significant gain to inspect various places on the Abyss Continent firsthand. It has given us valuable insights.」

It appeared that Lyle-sensei and her team had managed not only diplomacy but also battlefield reconnaissance in this short period. It was crucial for a strategist to personally experience the terrain of the battlefield.

「Anyway, thank you for your hard work.」

「Yes, it was challenging, but it was worth it.」

Despite being completely exhausted, Lyle-sensei’s brown eyes sparkled with excitement. She spent until late into the night showing me the maps and discussing the surprise attack plan for six months from now.

It seemed that the prospect of the upcoming grand war had greatly energized her. Her enthusiasm was reassuring.