Day Two of the Regular Ship to Port Platz on the Haliart Continent
Even after a night had passed, the view remained a vast expanse of ocean. I wandered around the ship, my curiosity piqued. How do they cook on a vessel like this? Where do they store the food? This was my first time on a ship, and I was endlessly fascinated. While I couldn’t enter the control room, the kind chef in the kitchen showed me around.
Food stored in iron boxes, a well-organized kitchen. I couldn’t cook at all, but I was impressed by how well everything was arranged. Back in the Abyss Cave, I had been anxiously preparing to butcher monsters whose edibility was uncertain. If that could be called cooking, then I must have been a cook too. I fondly recalled the days of hunting delicious monsters and carrying them with me.
As I wandered aimlessly, I eventually found myself on deck. The waves were calm, just like yesterday. The Bearded Uncle was absent from the bow, replaced by two soldiers who hadn’t been there the day before. It seemed they were taking turns keeping watch.
“Yawn… Any abnormalities?” one soldier asked.
“None. It’s so boring that it’s almost pointless. You can sleep a bit longer, Bottom,” the other replied.
The Bearded Uncle, Bottom, appeared, scratching his body. After stretching widely, he noticed me and ambled over, still scratching himself.
“Hey, how’s the voyage treating you?”
“It might be a bit boring…”
“Wahhahaha! That’s right; the only excitement is the food!”
His exaggerated laughter sent spit flying. It was true; once meals were finished, there was nothing left to do but kill time. Roel seemed to have made friends with a child from a family, entertaining them. I wasn’t good at that sort of thing, so I could only watch from a distance. But seeing Roel’s smile made me happy enough.
“Hey? What’s that ship…?”
Silva, the archer, shielded his eyes with his hand and gazed into the distance. There was indeed a ship ahead. It was still too far to see clearly, but I wondered if it was another regular ship. Just as I was thinking that, Bottom shouted with a pale face.
“That ship is trouble! Captain, evade it!”
Bottom rushed into the captain’s quarters, rolling as he went. What on earth was happening? The passengers, curious about the approaching ship, gathered at the bow to get a better look.
“Mommy, a ship!”
“Oh my, could it be the regular ship to Avangarde?”
“Looks like an old ship, and the sails are torn too.”
As we got closer, the ship became clearer. It was indeed old-fashioned compared to ours. It resembled the kind of ship I had imagined. Yet, our ship was veering further away from it. I couldn’t understand why we were moving away when a collision seemed unlikely.
“Damn it, Bottom’s judgment was right! Evacuate the passengers to the cabins!”
Silva and the wizard, Jizinia, turned pale and began issuing evacuation orders. A sense of dread washed over me; it was still morning, yet the surroundings were growing dim. The visibility was slowly fading to white.
It was mist—white mist began to drift around us. By the time I recognized it, I could barely see a foot ahead. Yet, for some reason, the ship ahead remained clearly visible.
This was bad; Roel should have been nearby. I needed to hold her hand tightly and stay close; I couldn’t predict what might happen.
“Lua-chan, there you are!”
Roel spotted me from a distance. Had everyone else already gone into the cabins? There was no one else in sight. That meant those two had acted quickly.
“This is insane… how could this happen?”
Bottom appeared, scratching his head in distress. I heard a voice coming from the ship.
“Hey… help me…”
A weak voice calling for help drifted from the wooden ship. But Bottom and the others showed no intention of going to rescue them. Our ship was supposed to be faster, yet the wooden vessel was already drawing near. Its sails were tattered, and planks were peeling off, floating strangely.
“Hey, what’s that ship…?”
“That’s a ghost ship! Don’t listen to the cries for help!”
“It’s a vessel of the dead, wandering this sea for decades…”
When I asked, Bottom and Silva held their breath. So that ship was a Ghost Ship. Ghosts—I recalled a past incident that had left me bewildered. Understanding their despair made me sympathize with Bottom and the others.
But I thought about it. The owner of that frail voice was calling for help. Francoise didn’t end up like that by choice. The people on that ship had once been alive. If they hadn’t died, they might have been here, laughing and enjoying the voyage with everyone else.
“There’s no need for sympathy! You’ll be dragged in by that sentiment!”
Jizinia sensed our thoughts. Being dragged in was a concern. But if we couldn’t escape, there was only one thing to do.
“Bottom, I’ll handle that ship somehow.”
“No matter how strong you are, that’s reckless… If only we had a specialized Exorcist…”
The ship had come to a halt without me noticing. A crew member with a pale face emerged from the control room.
“It’s no use; the engine has stopped…”
“Why… why now of all times…?”
Bottom curled up like a pill bug, muttering the same words as if chanting something. He trembled, refusing to move. Seeing this, Silva and Jizinia gently patted his back.
“Bottom, what are you doing being scared too? It’s our duty to protect the passengers!”
“Please, please…”
Silva’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Bottom trembled in fear, even dropping his spear. He had looked so cool when we were attacked by the shark monster, but now he seemed pitiful. Silva and Jizinia were the ones who appeared more composed.
“Lua, Lua-chan, can you really do something about that?”
“I have to. Roel, wait here.”
“I-I want to go too!”
Her body trembled more than Bottom’s. There was no way I could take her with me in this state. Just as I was about to gently refuse, Roel firmly grasped my hand with both of hers.
“If I keep being scared, I won’t be able to go on adventures. I want to go to more places with you, Lua-chan. You might have a purpose for going to that… village, but I want to be with you more and more. So I’ll become stronger…”
She bit her lower lip, trying to stop her trembling by holding her body with her own hands. I almost told her that I would protect her, but I stopped. It felt wrong to say that. If Roel wished so strongly, I should accept it. I had already decided to protect her from the start. There was no need to hesitate.
“Okay, then I want you to come with me.”
“Yay!”
I didn’t know why she stumbled over her words, but it must have been because she was scared. I felt a pang of sympathy, but there was no turning back now. The question was how to deal with that Ghost Ship. I could probably destroy it with the Sonic Ripper, but was that really the right choice?
If it were just a Ghost-type Monster, I could end it there, but I couldn’t bring myself to make that decision. There was no time to waste. In this thick mist, that Ghost Ship remained oddly visible.
This was the only way. I scooped Roel up in my arms.
“Lua-chan, are you…?”
“Yeah, I’m going to jump to that ship.”
Without waiting for Roel’s reaction, I leaped from the bow of the regular ship to the Ghost Ship. From above, the Ghost Ship looked more decayed than I had imagined. Rotting wood piled up, and the floor had holes in several places. Just as I thought I might fall through when I landed, it was too late.
I crashed through the deck of the Ghost Ship, splintering the floor beneath me. Dust and wooden fragments scattered everywhere.
Ghost Ship
“I really messed up… Am I going to get scolded?”
“Scolded? There are only ghosts here…”
It was dark, and I couldn’t see well, but I had landed in the kitchen. It was rusty and smelled terrible, having been unused for a long time. I instinctively pinched my nose.
I heard the creaking of the floor behind me. When I turned around, it was no surprise to see something that wasn’t of this world standing there.
【A Skeleton has appeared! HP 103】
A skeleton—there was no other way to describe it. It held a knife in its bony hand, so it must have been the cook from this place. It had long since lost its former self, but this being had surely cooked with those hands when it was alive. I wished it wouldn’t attack me, but that wish was not granted.
Of course, the knife was swung down at me. It was unfortunate, but I had no choice. The slow knife would never reach my body; instead, my kick shattered its ribs into pieces.
【Lua’s attack! Dealt 331022 damage to the Skeleton!
Skeleton defeated! HP 0/103】
“The skeleton was moving… it was moving…”
“Of course it was moving…”
It’s not typical for them to move, but in this situation, it would be unnatural for them to remain still. More importantly, it was a mistake to take them down with such force. If I was going to do this, I could have just unleashed the Sonic Ripper on this ship without boarding it.
What was I here for again? Ah, right. To do something about this Ghost Ship.
Even so, with so many surrounding me, I couldn’t think of any other way but to fight. The creaking of the floor beneath multiple footsteps, groans, and ragged breaths echoed from all directions.
“Roel, let’s head back up for now.”
Once again, I scooped up Roel and took to the air. Thanks to the hole we had fallen through, we could easily reach the deck. I worried about the floor collapsing again, but this time it held firm. However, the moment we landed, it became clear that this hadn’t solved anything. A group was slowly approaching, swaying as they came closer.
They were translucent, flickering, and steadily drawing near. Their bodies were waterlogged and flabby, and some appeared to have half their heads bitten off. There were all sorts, from children to adults.
“Roel, stay back.”
“Wait, Lua-chan. Let me try.”
“Try? You, Roel?”
Roel pushed my hand aside and stepped forward, her trembling had ceased without me noticing. In fact, she seemed unnaturally calm. After being so frightened, what had changed so suddenly?
Roel took one slow step after another toward the swaying Vengeful Spirits.
“…Heal.”
After Roel quietly whispered, one of the ghosts was enveloped in a soft light, momentarily returning to its living form. The expression on its face when it became human again was one of relief from pain, a serene look that was unmistakable.
A single tear rolled down its cheek. It seemed to be saying something, and then, in mere seconds, it vanished from its feet to its head.
“Everyone, you don’t have to suffer anymore. So please, find peace.”
Whether her words reached the spirits, they suddenly stopped in unison. Then, all at once, tears began to flow from their eyes.
I didn’t know what had happened to them, but it was clear they had suffered. It seemed so unreasonable to endure pain even after death. I didn’t want to die, but at the very least, I wanted to find peace afterward. Surely, everyone must feel the same way.
I was surprised by Roel, but I was also curious about what had happened on this ship.
“I think… the reason healing magic is effective against Undead monsters isn’t just because it’s a weakness, but because it’s perhaps the only means to free them from their suffering.”
“But these people aren’t monsters. Roel, what did you do?”
Roel didn’t answer. Perhaps she didn’t even understand herself. Yet, she wore a knowing expression, one I had never seen before. It was strange that she had come this far with me despite her fear, but maybe she had been confident from the start that she could do this.
“Heal… Heal… Now you too…”
Roel purified their souls one by one with her healing magic. Just before they vanished, they seemed to whisper something.
At first, I didn’t understand, but then it clicked. Thank you. Though I couldn’t hear their voices, I could tell that’s what they were saying. Roel, enveloped in light, took my breath away with her expression.
She smiled gently, but it wasn’t the Roel I knew. There was something more mature and composed about her smile.
To me, who only knew the innocent laughter of Roel, this felt strangely alien.
“Roel…?”
“Yes, it’s okay now…”
Perhaps she couldn’t hear my voice, but I didn’t want to interrupt her. If I left it to her, maybe she could do something about this Ghost Ship. It seemed my role here was unnecessary.
“Let me go! No! Get off me!”
“Bottom, what’s happened to you? Hey, don’t just stand there—hold him down!”
“Y-yes!”
That was coming from the regular ship. I turned to see Bottom thrashing about, being restrained by several people. Silva, Jijinia, and a few crew members were piled on top of him, finally managing to subdue his movements. Yet, he continued to struggle.
What on earth had happened to him? He was supposed to be our protector, but now he was a burden.
Just as I thought that, a chorus of groans erupted from behind us.
The spirits were acting strangely. Their eyes glowed red, and they all turned in unison.
Their focus was on the regular ship. No, that wasn’t right. The spirits weren’t looking at the ship; they were definitely fixated on someone.
“Stop! Please, let me go! Forgive me! I’m sorry! I’ll do anything, just spare my life!”
The ghost—or rather, that soul—was now completely engulfed in red. It looked as if it were burning with rage.
Then, the entire Ghost Ship shook.
Monster Compendium
Killer Shark HP: 190
A shark that leaps from the surface of the sea to attack ships occupied by humans.
Whether adventurers can cross the sea often hinges on their ability to defeat these Killer Sharks, as they inhabit a wide range of waters.