Chapter 43: Finding the Crows Part 4

The journey by sea began.

I put a bunch of seasickness candy in my mouth and looked out over the distant horizon.

The waves which looked between blue and pitch black undulated ceaselessly, while the salty biting sea breeze swept over us.

El seemed overwhelmed by the scene and her cheeks were reddened by the wind as she stared out at the sea without a word.

"Is this your first time sailing?"

"Yes. I've only heard about it from my father."

That made sense, given that the Reinhardt family's estate was inland.

A noble lady like her wouldn't have had many opportunities to sail.

"You might find yourself sailing more often in the future."

"Is that so!"

"Try to get used to it, then."

"Yes!"

El responded energetically.

The problem was with me.

The pre-made seasickness candies were somewhat effective but they couldn't completely eliminate the mild nausea that persisted.

I hurriedly popped another candy into my mouth.

I can't embarrass myself by getting seasick in front of El.

I had to power through it while relying solely on willpower since healing skills were of no use against seasickness.

Maybe I should go inside and rest…

At this rate, I wasn't sure if I could manage to eat properly.

"Theodore!"

That's when I heard my name. The merchant was calling out to me from the other side of the deck.

"There you are! Looks like you've unpacked everything. How's the cabin?"

I was able to stay in a fairly nice room thanks to the merchant's consideration.

It wasn't large, but it had a bed and, albeit small, a table and chair for various activities.

There was also a hammock installed, so there was enough space for El to sleep comfortably.

"Thank you. It seems like it's going to be a comfortable journey because of your help."

I nodded gratefully and offered a smile.

"Good, good! Then, how about you join me for a little tour of the ship?"

Aha.

I quickly grasped the merchant's ulterior motive.

He's planning to show me around the ship first before subtly hinting at using me as part of his crew.

Merchants are indeed cunning creatures.

But since I've received a favor, it's only right to repay it in kind.

I nodded my head and followed the merchant.

"Is that boy your servant?"

"He's my apprentice. An orphan I met in Gallopic whom I've taken under my wing."

"Then he'll make a fine druid!"

"Ha, not a druid, but a warrior. He was personally trained by the Red Bear Arturo. He's young but quite skilled."

"Oh!"

The merchant appeared pleased. He was likely thinking he had gained an additional guard for free.

"And that wolf… is it the same one from before?"

"Yes, it is."

"To have grown so large… You've raised it well."

"It's quite large for a Shadow Wolf. I'm worried it's still growing."

"That must cost a fortune!"

"Ha, perhaps it does."

We explored every nook and cranny of the ship with the merchant and even met the captain.

"The journey from Rabata to the Echaits Union isn't too treacherous. The weather is mild, and there's a good breeze. But…"

"But?"

"Pirates sometimes appear on such routes. Those damned things."

The merchant spoke in a hushed tone, as if speaking louder might actually summon the pirates.

"Typically, pirates target ships departing from the Echaits Union. Since they must have a relatively valuable cargo onboard."

"That makes sense."

"However, lately they've even been attacking ships departing from the inland, causing a lot of damage."

"That's strange."

"There's this young pirate causing havoc. He's to blame."

"A young pirate?"

"Yes. He's so tricky that he even manages to outwit the Union's navy on a regular basis."

"Could it be…"

Before I could ask further, the merchant interjected.

"But with you and your companions on board, our ship will have no problems! Hahaha!"

With a hearty laugh, the merchant repeatedly patted my shoulder.

I should have known when he eagerly invited me in.

So that was the story.

But contrary to the merchant's worries, the voyage went smoothly.

I spent some peaceful time on deck doing things like training El and Ayla, sharpening arrows or entering the dimensional garden to tend to it.

Occasionally, I accepted the merchant's invitation to eat with him, during which he shared stories about the Echaits Union. While the information wasn't particularly enlightening, the tales of merchant guild leader Katharina that he spun were quite intriguing.

I might need to meet her.

The merchant was hoping I would join Katharina's guild, so he eagerly shared stories about her, but my thoughts were elsewhere.

Perhaps through Katharina, I could find a way to approach Niram?

I just pretended to have great interest in the guild and listened to the merchant's various stories.

It was just another day, heading to dinner at the merchant's invitation, when suddenly…

-Boom!!!!

"...?!"

An unexpected explosion sounded and it wasn't too far off.

Could it be…?

The alarm bells immediately rang out, signaling an attack.

-Bang!

-Bang!

-Bam!

At the same time, explosions continued to erupt one after another.

It's pirates!

I turned on my heel and hurried back to the cabin. El had evidently heard the bombardment as well and was already preparing for battle.

"Master!"

"El, just do as we've trained. Focus on protecting yourself."

"Understood!"

I ascended to the deck together with El and Ayla.

The crew and mercenaries were already ready for battle.

"What's happening?"

I asked an old sailor.

"It's pirates. From the looks of their flag, it's them."

Them?

I turned to examine a ship approaching from afar.

A flag bearing a mermaid with a skull fluttered wildly in the wind.

"Are you talking about that young pirate and his crew?"

"Yes!"

The old sailor clutching a sharp harpoon tightly shouted at me.

"Get below deck!"

But I couldn't do that.

I ignored his words and dashed in the opposite direction. I could hear the old sailor shouting something at the back of my head, but his words were lost in the roar of the waves.

"Damn it, there's no time."

I held on to the railing at the back of the boat and caught my breath.

The sea breeze was so strong that I doubted whether a meaningful attack could be made with arrows. Being at sea made it difficult to use forest-related skills as well. A slight misstep could damage the entire ship.

But "that" could still be used.

"It's my first time trying it this way…"

I held on to the railing and looked down at the sea with dark waves rolling around.

As I closed my eyes and focused, I felt small lights that had not been visible until now twinkling in the sea.

And then I whispered to the brightest one among them.

"Forgotten sibling, please heed my call."

As soon as I invoked the [Beast Summoning] spell, I felt a significant, almost total drain of my magical power. I hastily downed a mana potion and caught my breath. Though I couldn't identify what lay beneath the waves, it was obvious that it was far larger, more powerful, and more mystical than I had expected.

Please hurry, please.

Even though my magical power was gone, the divine power gifted from Lynshaka still remained within me. This was a very fortunate thing. I could rely on this divine power while waiting for my mana to replenish.

The ship, or rather the pirate ship, was rapidly closing the distance between us. The crew fired the cannons, but the enemy's sailing skills were so superior that all our shots missed. The captain cursed and stomped his feet in frustration, but the pirate ship continued to approach quickly.

"El, they're going to throw ropes with hooks. Focus on cutting them down."

Sure enough, the pirate ship approached us in an instant and the pirates started throwing ropes with pitchforks toward our ship. El focused on fending off the ropes as I had advised, while I gauged the wind and aimed my arrows at the attackers.

The relentless, howling winds greatly hindered the accuracy of my arrows, yet occasionally, a pirate would shriek in pain as an arrow struck an arm or a leg.

Buddy, where are you? How deep are you to take this long?

Contrary to my desperation, the sea remained calm. Damn, had I made a mistake? Should I have used [Beast Transformation] to leap onto the pirate ship myself?

"Yaaaa!!!"

"Kaaah!!!!"

"Waaah!!!!"

Shrieks and screams erupted from every direction as the pirates surged onto the deck like a flood. One writhed in agony as Ayla tore into his leg, and another howled as El's blade severed his arm…

– Swiiiish!

-Bang!

-Thud!

I also frantically shot arrows at the pirates leaping onto our deck. The sailors and mercenaries fought valiantly, but the sheer number of attackers was slowly overwhelming us.

Shit.

We were outnumbered.

The overwhelming numbers made resistance futile, even for the skilled among us.

"Uryaaaaa!!!"

"Waaaaaa!!!"

Amidst the clamor of battle cries, the clash of swords, the roar of cannon fire, smoke, and flames…

In the midst of it all,

– Wooooooo…

A long, mournful howl echoed.

It's here.

– Wooooooo…

– Splash!!!

Fierce waves surged forward as if a massive mountain rose from the dark sea.

But it wasn't a mountain.

A huge body that looked like a black cliff.

Fins larger than a ship's sails.

Eyes deep as the abyss.

An overwhelming presence dominated the sea.

"You're finally here!"

I couldn't help but marvel at the sight before me.

Even though it was a vast sea, a particularly magnificent beast had heeded my call.

The Deep Sea Blue Whale, a creature as feared as the Kraken itself had come.

"Aaah, Aaahhh!!!"

However, the reactions of the others were quite different due to the dread the Deep Sea Blue Whale inspired.

"Don't attack! I summoned it!"

I yelled to the sailors and mercenaries.

"A- A druid can even summon something like that??"

I heard someone speaking in a frightened voice.

"El! Cover me!"

"Yes, Master!"

I gripped the railing to steady myself atop the rocking ship and then shouted towards the Deep Sea Blue Whale.

"Overturn their ship!"

The giant creature's eyes blinked slowly before its partially submerged body rose high once again.

-Splash!!!

-Goooooooooo!!

And then, the beast charged directly into the pirate ship.

It was a display of overwhelming power.

A huge wave engulfed the now-bisected pirate ship and swallowed it whole.

-Wooooooo…

Having completed its task, the Deep Sea Blue Whale gracefully returned to the depths of the sea before disappearing once more into the deep.