The swaying hull of the ship rocked violently as red souls flew one after another toward the ferry. Their amorphous forms could only be described as vengeful spirits. Most of them had yet to be purified by Roel’s Heal.
In this chaotic situation, Roel, who had seemed like a different person just moments ago, had completely reverted to the Roel I knew.
“What’s happening?! What’s going on?! Lua-chan, what should we do?!”
I supported Roel, who was about to topple over from the shaking. I had no answers for her. But one thing was certain: the ghosts were targeting Bottom. If this continued, Bottom would be in grave danger. Holding Roel tightly, I leaped toward the ferry.
Even when I brushed against the flying spirits, I passed right through them. They dispersed like mist when I collided with them, only to reform moments later. It seemed that the spirits had no interest in me at all. Their speed wasn’t particularly fast, and I quickly outpaced them, returning to the ferry ahead of them.
“Bottom! Hide!”
“Ahh… please… spare me…”
As soon as I landed on the ferry, I called out to Bottom, but he only wept and begged for mercy, not moving an inch. With no other choice, I hoisted him up and tossed him into the cabin.
“Roel, Heal them!”
“T-There are too many of them…”
“Just purify as many as you can!”
Prompted by my words, Roel cast Heal on one of the approaching ghosts. However, instead of calming their rage, they transformed even further. The red souls began to take shape, slowly materializing into something that resembled monsters.
[Mortal Ghost x4 has appeared! HP 322]
[Evil Spirit x5 has appeared! HP 257]
[Sword Wight x3 has appeared! HP 490]
Not just the ghost Roel had healed, but nearly all the spirits began to morph into monsters one after another. I couldn’t even count how many souls were pouring out from the ship.
“What are you doing?! Prepare to engage!”
Silva, Gijinia, and the soldiers began to fight back. I couldn’t afford to be stunned; I had to protect this ship at all costs.
[The Sword Wight slashed with a cackle! Silva took 66 damage! HP 99/165]
[Gijinia took 81 damage! HP 80/141]
“Ugh! M-My body…”
Silva dropped his bow and fell to his knees, unable to move. It was likely the Paralysis Status Ailment. That monster was fast and could slash in a wide area, and it also inflicted status ailments. I was sure the Mortal Ghosts used area magic as well; I had to act before the damage escalated.
“I don’t know what happened, but if you’re going to harm this ship, I won’t hold back!”
I struck down the Sword Wight that was about to make its next move, and with a single swing, I dispatched the others within my line of sight. The deck was unstable, but I kicked off the hull to maneuver, managing to stay on my feet. The slain monsters let out pained groans before dispersing like sand.
[Lua’s attack! Dealt 368,461 damage to Sword Wights!
Defeated the Sword Wights! HP 0/490]
“Heal! Heal! Heal!”
Roel was doing her best, huddled with the soldiers. While they were being purified one by one, there were still far too many of them. These ghosts were quite powerful. Even Silva and Gijinia, who were skilled fighters, had been pushed to the brink in one hit. This was no foe the soldiers could handle alone.
“Roel! Leave this to me! You focus on healing Silva and Gijinia!”
“Y-Yeah!”
Now that I thought about it, Roel could use magic to heal status ailments. Just treating their wounds would make a significant difference.
[Sword Wight x5 has appeared! HP 490]
More appeared; they must have been the souls of those on that ship. I had no idea how many had been aboard, but this was getting out of hand. Holding my sword, I spun around the deck, ready to strike.
[Lua’s spinning slash! Dealt 361,982 damage to Sword Wights!
Dealt 371,022 damage to Mortal Ghosts!
Dealt 359,649 damage to Evil Spirits!
Cleared the monsters!]
The monsters scattered into dust in the air. This was how it ended up. If Roel’s Heal had gone smoothly, we wouldn’t have faced this situation. Why did these spirits turn violent the moment they saw Bottom?
No, I couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. The ghost ship was changing course, heading straight for us. Despite the lack of wind and its tattered sails, it slowly advanced toward the ferry. Suddenly, it charged forward, ramming its hull into the ferry.
The ferry rocked violently. If this continued, it would capsize.
“Hey! Do something!”
The crew and soldiers were in a panic. There was no other option; we had to destroy that ship. As I prepared to unleash the Sonic Ripper, black mist erupted from the ghost ship. The mist gradually coalesced, forming something.
A massive humanoid shape emerged, its upper body seemingly connected directly to the ghost ship. It was a misty figure, no, a skeleton. What shocked me was that the skeleton wore a hat identical to those of the ferry’s crew. With a black stripe, it had to be the captain. I remembered the captain greeting us when we boarded; Roel had told me that the hat indicated who held authority on the ship.
The misty skeleton captain appeared to be controlling the ghost ship with both hands.
[The Ghost Captain has appeared! HP 4444]
“Stop it!”
I realized Bottom was being dragged out of the cabin by the monster-turned-ghosts. Entangled by three of them, he couldn’t resist at all, crying out in terror.
“Bottom!”
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have abandoned you… but at that time, I had no choice… I couldn’t possibly stand against such powerful monsters. I was scared… before I knew it, I was escaping in a lifeboat…”
Without thinking, I rushed to save Bottom. I slashed at the monsters that were holding him, freeing him, but he continued to scream in fear. In his panic, he tried to jump into the sea, but Silva and Gijinia hurriedly stopped him.
“You really knew about that ship, didn’t you?!
From that distance, you could tell it was a ship, but to recognize it as a ghost ship is unusual!
That ship was in use until about twenty years ago! You were on that ship, weren’t you?”
“Silva… On that day, I took the escort request for that ship, believing I could do anything. A week into the voyage, the ship was attacked by monsters… I ran away. I boasted that I would protect everyone, and they all looked up to me… I betrayed them… It’s only natural for them to resent me… I still can’t forget the face of the child I saw as I turned back…”
Bottom stood up, unsteady on his feet, and began to walk. Had he gone mad from fear? He wasn’t crying out like before. I protected him from the onslaught of monsters. The anguished groans of the vengeful spirits echoed around us.
“I continued this escort job as a form of penance… But today, the ship that sank that day has appeared… In the end, it was just self-satisfaction… Silva, Gijinia. I’m sorry for hiding this from you. I met you both afterward… I had fun. I never thought I’d find people I got along with so well at this age… Thank you.”
With another step, Bottom approached the ghost ship, which was now in contact with the ferry. He knelt down, sobbing quietly, repeatedly muttering apologies. But his actions didn’t reach the spirits; they continued to swarm toward him without hesitation.
Still, Bottom remained motionless. No matter the circumstances, he couldn’t be spared. But this time, it was not my place to intervene.
Flames erupted around Bottom, casting a protective barrier. Though it didn’t defeat them, the startled ghostly monsters recoiled from him. Silva nocked an arrow, and Gijinia began to chant again.
Bottom noticed the change and raised his head.
“Y-You guys…”
“We will fulfill our duty. Is it alright to sink this ship?”
Silva’s arrow pierced a ghost, and Gijinia’s magic effectively drove them back. Groans erupted from the multitude of vengeful spirits, sounding as if they were saying, “Don’t interfere.”
What Bottom had done might indeed be the lowest of acts. But Silva was right. There were many innocent people aboard this ship. There was only one thing to do.
“Silva is right.”
I swept aside the encircling Vengeful Spirits with ease and caught sight of the Ghost Captain above on the ghost ship. His hollow, skeletal eyes were clearly fixed on us. It was a pity, but I couldn’t afford to die here either.
“Let’s do this! I’ll destroy the ghost ship!”
“Sonic…”
“Wait, Lua-chan!”
Roel was barely hanging on to the ship’s railing, her breath ragged. It was evident that she had purified a considerable number of monsters with her Heal. The decreasing numbers were surely a testament to her efforts. I hurriedly supported her body.
“Let me handle this…”
“Don’t push yourself any further. I’ll take care of it.”
“It’s fine. I’ve become stronger than I look…”
I could tell immediately that this wasn’t just bravado. Roel had fought alongside me for a long time. If what Ord had said about party dynamics was true, then Roel’s level must have risen significantly. It would be alright; I could trust her.
Holding the Fire Rod horizontally with both hands, Roel closed her eyes. Gradually, light enveloped her. She looked even more divine than when she had purified the ghosts on the ghost ship’s deck. But Roel was definitely a Healer. What was this power she was wielding? Was it just another Heal?
“Ugh…”
Perhaps frightened by the light, the skeletal figure of the mist recoiled slightly. But that moment was fleeting, as a hand of mist came crashing down from above, as if to crush the entire ship. Silva and Jijinia, who had been fighting on the deck, braced themselves to counter it, but the misty hand never touched the ship.
The mist dispersed, seemingly avoiding Roel, and vanished into thin air. From the palm to the wrist, then the arm, the dispersal began, and finally, the entire figure of the Ghost Captain was fading away.
“Ooooh… Bottom… Boo…ttom… I won’t… forgive you…”
Those were his first and last words. Just that was enough to convey the depth of the ghost ship’s resentment. The skeletal face of the Ghost Captain reverted to that of a human, but it was only for a brief moment. I wondered how many others had witnessed that fleeting moment alongside me. Soon, the mist completely vanished without a trace.
“Did… did we do it…?”
“Yeah, thanks to Roel…”
Silva looked at Roel with a mix of disbelief and awe. I could hear him mutter, “Who is this girl?”
What remained was the ghost ship, once a vessel that had carried many souls on its journeys. It had been a ghost ship just moments ago, but now it was quietly sinking. The hull tilted and began to capsize, returning to the sea.
“The ghost ship is sinking…”
“Hey, the skies are clearing up! We can see the horizon!”
One of the soldiers shouted. It seemed the mist that had appeared with the ghost ship had also dissipated. The waves returned, and sunlight once again illuminated the ship. The remaining transformed Vengeful Spirits had vanished without a trace. Perhaps it was because the captain had been purified; I couldn’t believe that such deep resentment could simply disappear.
“Phew… is it over…?”
“Roel!”
Roel opened her eyes, drenched in sweat. It seemed she had exhausted all her strength, nearly collapsing on the spot. Perhaps relieved by the sight of the sinking ghost ship, she closed her eyes once more.
“Roel, are you alright? Roel!”
“She must have overexerted herself. I think she’ll be fine, but you should have the ship’s doctor check on her just in case.”
Jijinia, who had also appeared quite exhausted, told me this. Given the number of monsters we had faced, it was only natural. Miraculously, there were no casualties, and that was surely thanks to Roel. The effort she had put into purifying the Vengeful Spirits and healing those people simultaneously was immeasurable. I wiped the sweat from Roel’s forehead.
“I… I’ve made a terrible mistake…”
Bottom stared blankly at the sinking ghost ship. A single tear, different from the tears he had shed in fear, rolled down his cheek. He sniffled and quietly began to cry again.
“I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry…”
“Bottom, I understand how you feel! But I won’t say that. We don’t despise you. If I were in your position, I might have done the same. But now, you’re here, regretting and shedding tears. And there are lives that you’ve protected until today. That’s a fact that cannot be denied.”
Silva stood beside Bottom, gazing at the sinking ghost ship. He didn’t say anything more. Together with Jijinia, the three of us quietly watched the sea.
Thinking of the ghost ship—no, of that vessel—made my heart ache. If it hadn’t been attacked by monsters, it surely would have continued to sail somewhere. Though it had harbored resentment until the very end, I wanted to believe it had been purified without suffering, thanks to Roel.
“Roel, you really did well.”
Looking at Roel’s face, I felt that sentiment deeply. We should head to the ship’s doctor. Jijinia had said there was no need to worry, but I was still concerned.
Suddenly, the ship lurched violently, and a sound of destruction echoed from behind us.
When I turned around, pieces of the ghost ship were scattering through the air. Everyone ducked down to protect themselves from the falling debris.
“Yeeehaw!”
With a high-pitched shout, something burst forth from beneath the ghost ship. The sunlight made it hard to see what had destroyed the ghost ship, but it was unmistakably human, emerging from the depths of the sea.
As it splashed down onto the surface, I caught a glimpse of it: the upper half was human, while the lower half resembled a fish. Half of its face was covered in scales, and fins sprouted from where its ears should be.
The splash from its landing drenched us all.
“What… what just happened?!”
In response to Jijinia’s shout, the creature surfaced from the water, floating as if it were swimming on its back. It was a man with gill-like ears, his scaly face slightly darkened.
From the muscular body, it was clear he was human, but I already knew he was something else entirely.
“That was one hell of a show! After the ghost ship, how about playing with me next?”
The gill-man grinned, showing his white teeth. He was looking directly at me, the one peering over the edge of the ship.
“Hey, you must be Lua, right? I can tell without you saying a word! Come on, let’s play a game!”
My anger towards this creature, who had deliberately destroyed the ghost ship to make an entrance, was already boiling over.