Chapter 54

"Look alive, mateys! The great Captain Arisa is setting sail!"

Arisa was in a good mood today as she posed by the mast. Dressed as a pirate, Arisa's eye that wasn't hidden behind an eyepatch sparkled as her violet fluttered from under her pirate hate. She wore a long-sleeve jacket, white trousers, a poofy blouse, and a fake harmless rapier sheathed in her belt.

"Aye-aye, sir!"

"Yes, sir, sir!"

The cat-eared girl Tama and her partner in crime, the dog-eared girl Pochi, both hopped up eagerly in response to Arisa's declaration. They were dressed like pirate lackeys, wearing striped half-sleeve shirts and three-quarter-length pants. Both were equipped with pirate short swords, although, like Arisa's, they were dull replicas for costume purposes only. They wore eye patches, but while Arisa's was realistic, Tama's and Pochi's were cutely shaped like a cat and dog head, respectively.

"Master, I brought you a drink,"

The beauty that was Lulu was the type of young lady who would look good in any outfit. Her bright, summery maid outfit with smooth, straight, dark hair looked great.

"Hero Kura, we have brought accompanying snacks as well, I report,"

Nana accompanied Lulu, carrying a basket full of potato chips in one hand, her eyes sparkling despite her usual expressionless face. She had recently been upgrading during our time in the elf village, and for some reason, her upgrades caused her cup size to have been enhanced as well. She was now an F-cup despite not yet being a year old. I am so jealous since my has barely grown at all.

"Shall I place the table here, master?"

"Yeah, that's perfect. Thank you, Liza,"

Liza of the orangescale tribe stepped onto the ship's deck carrying a heavy-looking table with ease. Aside from the orange scales on her neck and limbs and her reptilian tail, she looked like an ordinary human.

"Master,"

Pearl, a strong rabbitfolk warrior I had fought beside before becoming a hero, nodded at me as she took the chairs out of her fairy pack. Her rabbit ears look like they are not handling the wind as they are being blown around as much as our hair.

"Kura,"

Mia, who'd been standing on the observation deck looking at the view of the nearby harbour, jumped down toward me with her arms spread wide as I stood next to Satou, who was at the helm. Her pale blue pigtails flew back in the wind, revealing her slightly pointed elf ears. She was lucky I had such good reactions, or she could have gotten hurt.

"Be careful, Mia. You could've gotten hurt,"

"Mm. Trust,"

She wrapped her arms around my neck, nuzzling my face like a cat. Behind us, all that we can see is the World Tree. The harbour and finfolk who were swimming beside us have all vanished from sight. The tree is so large that it still seems so close despite being so far away.

"Arisa's turn!"

It didn't take long for Arisa to jump into Satou's arms and start to nuzzle his face.

"What are you two doing?"

The last member of our group finally stepped on deck. Sara, an oracle priestess of Tenion Temple and a person I helped bring back from the dead. Despite the smile on her lips, I can't help but feel a shiver go up my spine.

"Guilty!"

"They're guilty, sir!"

Tama and Pochi looked at each other and imitated Mia's usual ruling of choice, then ran over to Sara's side. Tama and Pochi seemed to be having fun as they giggled and laughed.

"Mm. Spouse,"

"That's true, and Satou is my hubby,"

"You two shouldn't make jokes like that,"

I know where Mia can get the idea that we are engaged. It is a fact that I had given Mia a kiss on the forehead, not knowing that this was an elf custom of betrothal. But that didn't count. Mia just refuses to accept that.

"Forget your forehead nonsense. I've kissed Satou here right on the mouth!"

"Mrrr,"

I don't remember anything like that happening, but since Satou gives me a look saying, "Don't ask," I'm guessing it was true. Mia meanwhile puckered her lips and leaned her face toward mine.

"Kura, kiss,"

"Kiiiss?"

"Mwah, sir!"

"H… hey, you two, stop that!"

Mia's actions set off an unexpected chain of events. Starting with Pochi and Tama climbing onto Satou, planting kisses on his cheeks and forehead, and ending with Arisa struggling to not be thrown off Satou. Mia, meanwhile, wasn't free from that chain of events as Sara rushed over, pulling her from me.

"Hero Kura, a kiss to affirm your affection, I request,"

"Th… then I want one, too, please,"

Nana and Lulu came over, wanting to join in for some reason. But while Nana was expressionless as she kissed my cheek, Lulu was bright red when she did the same for Satou. To be safe, I moved closer, afraid she would faint like Aialize had. Fortunately, it didn't come to that. Everyone must be excited as even Liza comes over and kisses Satou's cheek.

We have all certainly gotten stronger during our stay in Bolenan Forest. We all gained plenty of new battle skills, and there isn't one of us who isn't under level twenty.

"So, master, how long will it take to get to Labyrinth City?"

"Good question. It would probably take a normal ship about a month,"

Satou answered, but it wouldn't take our ship that long. This ship is far from normal. The figurehead golem at the front of the ship, called a "Scarecrow," took care of the steering and sails so we could relax and enjoy the trip. Instead of the usual statue of a woman, our figurehead was in the shape of a penguin, per Mia's request.

"Hero Kura! The colour of the sea is different up ahead, I report." Nana called out from the prow.

"The sky, toooo?"

"It's true, sir!"

Tama and Pochi must have climbed up the mast at some point as they called down from the crow's nest.

"So it is,"

"I wonder why?"

Lulu and Arisa stared at the water between the foremast and the main mast. It was nothing unexpected. This was the end of the Bolenan Forest area.

"Don't worry. We're just entering open water,"

Satou assured them as he pressed a button. A magic circle of blue light surrounded the ship as the monster-repellent feature of the ship activated. There was also a stealth mode that didn't emit light, but it had half the range, so we only planned to use it when passing villages and other ships.

"It's very pretty,"

While Lulu and the others were mesmerised by the light, the ship reached the line where the colour of the sea changed.

"Barrier,"

Mia commented. As the ship approached the line, the barrier above the water opened like a gate. We passed through the magical wall surrounding Bolenan Forest and the adjacent area without issue. It was transparent, so it was only possible to see it faintly with the help of the ship's blue light, but it wasn't a problem for us. Once we passed through the barrier, it closed soundlessly behind us.

"Hero Kura, the ocean on the other side appears stormy, I report,"

"The elves told me they deliberately keep the currents strong here to protect Bolenan Forest,"

I tell her as the first wave starts to rock the ship. It was pretty bad and way worse than when I was caught in storms when taking a ferry. But Satou did an excellent job making this ship. It rocks, sways and jumps, but never once have I feared we might capsize.

"Steady as she goooes?"

"I believe 'full speed ahead' would be more accurate, I correct,"

Despite the distance between them, Nana could still speak with Tama up in the crow's nest thanks to a series of speaking tubes.

"Whoooa! Wheeee!"

"S… so shaky, sir! W-we're going to fall into the ocean, sir…"

"D… don't move, you two! It's dangerous!"

Pochi panicked as the mast started to swing back and forth, causing Liza to panic as well. Tama, meanwhile, was having the time of her life. Those two should be fine. They had lifelines tied around their waists, and Satou and I could use magic to save them if something went wrong. Lulu was holding onto Satou, looking as pale as a ghost. Sara and Mia looked pale as well as they latched onto me. Arisa was hanging on to the handrail in front of the seats and wasn't looking too good.

"Maybe we shouldn't have tried sailing the ocean in such a small ship?"

"It'll be fine,"

The ship was a small galleon with a displacement of about a hundred tons, but it had plenty of features that made sailing in stormy seas like this a simple feat. Besides, we were told these stormy waters won't last long. Still, Satou pressed a button to help speed things up.

"Huh? Part of the deck opened up,"

"There's a window on the side, toooo?"

A second later, a cover opened with a steady clacking sound, followed by the hum of an engine. This was quickly followed by weightlessness and the waves seemingly losing their ability to affect us. Tama and Pochi used this moment to escape from the crow's nest.

"Floaty,"

"Hero Kura, the ship is floating in the sky, I report,"

"Wait, what? The sky?"

Surprised, Arisa led the charge over to the side of the ship. Leaning over the railing, she realised the best feature of our ship.

"W… we're flying!"

Arisa was right. We were flying. Our ship could travel by sea and by air. Satou tried to explain how it worked, by it was too technical to understand. All I could get out of his speech was a hidden skypower engine and a powerful magic furnace that allowed this ship to fly. Still, despite no one really understanding Satou, they were glad that the waves stopped rocking the ship.

"Are we gonna go higher?"

"We can go up to two hundred feet above the water,"

"Go figure… Wait, you didn't load it with a jet engine or anything, did you?"

"No, of course not,"

I wouldn't be surprised if Satou did make a jet engine or something to add to the ship. But he wanted to make this ship look as much like a regular ship as possible. But before Satou could stay more, Liza called out a warning.

"Master, it looks like the fog is rolling in,"

"Meowww?"

Sitting nearby Liza and dangling her legs off the ship's side, Tama sensed the same change I did. The sea and wind were suddenly calmer, and the smell slightly changed. Her ears flicked back and forth as the fog cleared and bright light shone on us. It was so warm. The temperature suddenly increased. Despite being warned this would happen, I didn't think the change would be so dramatic.

"Master, what happened?"

"Don't worry. The Bolenan elves' magic sent us somewhere far away, that's all,"

"Forced teleportation? That's pretty rough. Do you know where we are now?"

"Yes, it's fine. We seem to be in the Seadragon Islands, so if we go north from here, we'll reach the Shiga Kingdom,"

Satou confirmed what had happened with that cheat map skill of his. The Seadragon Islands was a curved archipelago spanning nearly two hundred miles and containing over a hundred islands of all shapes and sizes. All the islands were uninhabited, so there wasn't a single resident. That didn't include monsters, though.

There was a considerable amount of monsters called "sea serpents". Satou said there were almost two thousand, with levels between thirty and forty. There were also a few called "deep sea serpents" over level fifty. Finally, plenty of weaker monsters around the islands were around level twenty.

"It's pretty hot, huh?"

"Yes, it really is,"

"It isn't usually this hot this time of year,"

Now that they had calmed down since the ship stopped violently rocking back and forth, Lulu, Sara, and Arisa noticed the heat and started to fan themselves.

"Why don't I improve the ventilation a bit, then?"

Satou operated the device controlling the ship's barrier. He changed the setting to allow some wind to pass through the barrier.

"Nice smell," Mia murmured.

"Now that's refreshing!"

"What a nice breeze,"

Sara, Arisa and Mia let the breeze cool them off.

"Saltyyyy?"

"The breeze is shorey now, sir,"

Tama and Pochi licked their lips, tasting the ocean spray carried by the wind. "Shorey" was probably Pochi's take on the word seashore, which she heard before we left.

"Hero Kura, the sunlight has become softer, I report,"

Nana tugged on my arm, but I quickly told her it was a feature of the ship's barrier. I had no idea how it worked, but I understood that much from the time Satou tried to tell me how it worked. At that point, Liza, squinting into the breeze, looked back with her eyes wide.

"Master, perhaps we should take more precautions to monitor our surroundings,"

"Good idea. I'll leave it to you," Satou nodded at Liza's proposal.

On Liza's command, Tama and Pochi clambered back up the rope ladder to the lookout post. They kept watch from above while Liza looked ahead with a longscope, and Nana volunteered to keep an eye out from the ship's rear.

<0 >

"A boat in the water?"

"She's right, sir! There's a big boat underwater, sir!"

As we advanced toward the Ougoch Duchy, Tama and Pochi called down to us from the lookout post.

 "A sunken ship! We'll be rich!"

Arisa's eyes turned into dollar signs as she rushed to the ship's side, nearly falling overboard in her excitement.

"Panicking is unsafe, I warn,"

"Mm. Danger,"

Nana and Mia quickly grabbed Arisa before she fell and tried to calm her down.

"Master, it appears to be a large bluish ship,"

Pearl and I, who had been practising with our swords on the ship's deck, peered over the side. I could see the ship beneath the sparkling sunlight bouncing off the waves. It was far larger than I expected, at least ten times the size of our own ship. Its hull was a metallic blue, noticeable even through the blue of the water as it caught the light.

"Hmm. Looks like it's pretty deep down there," Satou commited.

It felt like a waste to leave behind when I thought about what we could find on board. I guess I have something in common with Arisa regarding sunken ships. Luckily, there weren't any monsters nearby that posed a threat to us, so we could have fun exploring the sunken ship.

"All right! Let's explore the sunken ship!" Everyone cheered in agreement with Arisa's declaration.

We changed into void suits instead of swimsuits. The area had poisonous monsters like scorpion fish, jellyfish and biting fish. The void suits would offer more protection against them.

"Scarecrow, activate Dimension Anchor,"

On Satou's command, the ship came to a halt with a mechanical clank.

"The sexy Arisa is ready for her close-up!"

"Mm. Sexy,"

Our sunken ship outfits resembled futuristic leotards. They were modified void suits with the helmets replaced by goggles that clung tightly to our skin. They are a bit embarrassing to wear. Arisa and Mia couldn't help but strike a pose the moment we returned to the deck after changing.

"So smooth, sir,"

"Hero Kura, submit your appraisal, I request,"

It's a dangerous look. Nana's void suit looks like it might burst as her chest stretches the material. I make a mental note to never let Nana wear it in public. And I need to ask Satou to modify it. He refused to stop staring until Arisa forced a waterfeather cloth t-shirt onto her. I felt like wearing one, too, but we only had three, and Lulu and Sara are wearing the other two already.

"Mia, once everyone's gathered together, please cast Aqua Walk over the area,"

"Mm,"

Since it was getting a little embarrassing standing here like this, I felt we should get started. Mia nodded and started chanting as we all moved closer together. The Aqua Walk spell was a Spirit Magic spell that fortified the target against water pressure and allowed them to breathe underwater. A combination of Water Magic spells like Water Breathing and Resist Water Pressure. As Mia finished her chant, Satou used Enchant: Physical Protection on the group.

"The flag's flappiiing?"

"Is there wind underwater, sir?"

While we wrapped up our preparations, Tama and Pochi gazed at the sunken ship. As unlikely as it sounds, the flag was flapping despite being under the sea. I almost didn't believe it at first, but there is no denying what I am seeing. But there is a straightforward explanation for this.

"Nana, can you cast Mana Light on this coin?"

"Yes, Hero Kura,"

I took out a large copper coin, had Nana light it up with magic and dropped it into the sea. At first, the coin sank slowly, but then, partway down, it was suddenly whisked away. The current looks bad down there. It was good that Tama and Pochi spotted the flag because we forgot to check for currents.

"Huh, so the current gets faster in that area,"

Watching the coin vanish, Arisa sounded impressed. That could've been pretty dangerous if Tama and Pochi hadn't noticed.

"Guess we had better attach lifelines," Satou pulled out some rope as he suggested that and showed everyone how to tie a proper lifeline. "Here we go."

A few of us jumped. Pearl, Nana, Liza, and Tama had no problems diving into it. As for the others, Satou and I used 'Magic Hand' to gently lower them into the water. Once we were all gathered together, we dived under the water.

Thanks to Mia's Spirit Magic spell, 'Aqua Walk', we were able to breathe underwater. The ocean water made everything taste a little salty, but that was a small price to pay. The current did get faster partway down, but we found ways of dealing with that. We kept sinking past the thirty-foot mark, and my ears didn't pop. Finally, we reached the mast, which was broken in the middle. It must have encountered a powerful monster because the mast was made out of some tough-looking metal.

"Maaast?"

It was hard to hear speech when it was mingled with the sound of bubbles, but it wasn't impossible.

"Let's use this mast to get down to the deck,"

There was no rope attached to the mast, but there were grooves where there seemed to have been speaking tubes attached, which worked just fine for handholds.

"Maaade iiit?"

"We're here, sir,"

One by one, everyone made it down to the deck of the sunken ship. The deck looked cleaner than I'd imagined. It was like the ship only sank yesterday.

"Everyone, I have found a potential entry point, I report,"

"Let's go in that way, then,"

We entered through the crack that Nana had located near the front of the ship. I would hate to come across what caused that damage. The hull is made of the same tough metal as the mast and is twice as thick. Yet it looked like something had sliced through the hull of the ship with little difficulty.

"It's darker than I expected,"

Lulu sounded nervous, but Satou handed her a pocket Mana Light made of light stone. Meanwhile, I asked Nana to put Mana Light on each person's head. By the time Nana was done, it looked like we were all wearing headlamps.

"Let's explore the ship's hold first!"

"Aye-aaaye!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Mm. Onward,"

Arisa led the charge with the younger kids. They should be fine by themselves since Arisa and Mia could still use their magic while Pochi and Tama are armed with harpoons. Liza and Pearl were also armed with them.

"Arisa, try not to touch the floors and walls too much. The sediment will get everywhere,"

"That's a pretty tall order…"

We followed after the kids, seeing the mess Arisa was making while Pochi and Tama appeared to have no problems. Satou and I took turns using the Practical Magic spell 'Pure Water' to clear away the dirt that was floating in the hallway, but that unexpectedly caused some surprise among our group.

"Hmm? Did the seawater just turn into fresh water?"

"You're right. Visibility appears to be higher, too,"

Arisa and Liza looked around in surprise, but Satou and I cleared it up and admitted to what we had done.

"Little fiiish?"

"Weird creatures, too, sir,"

"Are those seahorses?"

"Mm, pretty,"

We avoided the floating matter and small fish as we proceeded down the passage. There were patches of exposed hull scattered about and occasional places where rusted metal pipes ran along the walls and ceiling. Most broke off partway through, leaving a mountain of rust fragments. I didn't see a single thing made of wood. It looked completely different to the clean outer hull.

"A jaaar?"

"It's sparkly and gold, sir,"

"What do you suppose it is?"

"Vase?"

The younger group had found something in the corner of the hallway, leading them to fall victim to a sneak attack.

"Octopuuus?"

"The octopus is attacking, sir!"

"Eek, don't wave that harpoon around!"

"Mm, danger,"

An octopus was living in the golden vase they had found, and it came out and attacked Pochi.

"Pochi! Drop the harpoon and use your short sword!"

"A… aye!"

Pochi was in panic mode, but Liza's instructions brought her back to her senses, and she freed herself from the octopus's tentacles with her short sword.

"Gotchaaa?"

The octopus sprayed a cloud of ink and attempted to flee, but Tama ran it through with her harpoon. Satou cleaned up the ink, but it wouldn't be the last time. Every once in a while, we would disturb some creature's home and get attacked for it. The attacks slowed us down, but not by much, and it wasn't long until we reached the ship's hold.

By then, the net attached to Liza's belt contained several different kinds of fish, while Tama's net was full of shells she'd picked up on the way. Pochi was carrying a rolled-up octopus. Nana and Lulu were in charge of transporting the valuables.

"Gold coooins?"

"Lots of shells, sir,"

Just as the hallway had been buried in pieces of rusted metal, the ship's hold was full of rusty gold coins and other riches. As Pochi said, cockscomb-like shellfish stuck to many of the coins.

"Why are they sticking to the coins and not the walls or the floor?"

"That's a good question,"

"Hero Kura, I have located a treasury over here, I report,"

"There's an armoury inside, too, master,"

Nana and Pearl returned from scouting ahead as I had no idea why they stuck to the coins, not the walls or the floor. Since the treasury was closer, we headed there first.

"Ooh, look at all the gold, silver, and pearls!"

"So sparklyyy?"

Arisa and Tama exclaimed with glee. Nana had placed Mana Lights throughout the room, which reflected off the treasure to create a beautiful effect. Farther inside, there was artwork like sculptures and even paintings.

"It's too bright, sir,"

"It is quite dazzling, isn't it?" Lulu giggled.

Pochi tried to rub her eyes over her goggles, but Lulu stopped her with a hug. Something wasn't right here. Everything looked too good to be treasure lost in a sunken ship. I could understand the gold and pearls, but there were also paintings that didn't look damaged by the water.

"Fixed?" Mia murmured thoughtfully.

She might be right. I have seen nobles using the 'Fixify' spell to protect their expensive pieces of art and family heirlooms. 'Fixify' was a Practical Magic spell that put things in a 'Fixed' state by covering them with a transparent shell. It created a magical vacuum used to protect the items. The spell protected even our ship during our time in Bolenan Forest.

"Fixed? …I wonder if the ship's power source is still functioning, then?" Arisa commented.

She is probably right. Something must power this spell to keep it going for so long.

"Everyone, gather around!"

Satou gathered us all to him to prevent anyone from breaking the spell. Just touching something under the effect of 'Fixify' could be enough to cancel out the spell. The money and gold weren't a big deal, but there were pieces of art that would be destroyed the moment the spell was gone.

"…So, don't move anything, okay? I'll collect it all later,"

"Master Satou, I have already moved something. I apologise,"

"I'm sorry, sir,"

Pochi and Nana had already moved a few things around. None of it was stuff that would suffer significant damage from the sea, fortunately.

"Just a little bit isn't a big deal. We can fix it up on the ship,"

Satou smiled reassuringly to ease their worries before we moved onto the armoury. It was located deeper in the hold and protected by a sturdy-looking door, but it was no problem for us to get through. There were some thick, disposable berserker-style weapons, tons of Small Magic Cannons, and ten or so bigger cannons on wheels inside, preserved by the 'Fixify' spell.

"This is a lot more than I expected,"

"Yes, and I believe this weapon resembles the one we saw in the fort in the Muno Barony,"

Liza was talking about the one we found at the fort, which has now become Satou's property in the Muno Barony. But I can't remember much about the cannon, only the battle we fought against the undead who previously occupied the place.

"Aren't there any staves or armour?"

"Maybe they're in those boxes?"

Lulu suggested. She was pointing at several boxes in one corner of the room. Opening them would break the Fixify spell, so we'd have to see what was inside later. After looking around the ship's hold, we moved to the captain's quarters. There were a few minor incidents along the way, but we arrived without severe injuries. Although Satou seemed to enjoy the times, Nana and Lulu slipped and pressed against him.

"It's a door!"

"Gaaap?"

"Pochi can fit through this, sir,"

"Owwwiiie?"

The captain's door was warped on its hinges, but Pochi could push herself through. Tama was starting to follow after her when Pochi returned in alarm, so their heads smacked into each other. Tama rubbed her head, but since Satou and I cast 'Enchant: Physical Protection' on everyone, there shouldn't have been any pain.

"This is bad! This is super, super bad, sir!"

Pochi flailed her arms around in a panic, her eyes darting wildly.

"Calm down, Pochi,"

"I'm totally calm, sir! Listen to this, sir!"

"Hero Kura, I have located a ghost in the captain's quarters, I report."

Nana, who had found another entrance, called out calmly.

"Exactly, sir! That's what I was trying to say, sir!"

Peaking my head into the room, I saw it. There was a semitransparent man clad in a flashy military uniform. There was a massive hole in the ceiling above him, and the windows had been left open. But something seems different about him. This man is not like any of the ghosts I have seen before. Stepping into the room and calling out to me is pointless. He doesn't even notice me.

"…"

The ghost started speaking strangely, but I picked up the "Ancient Language" skill and put a few points into it to understand what he was saying.

"They've already caught up to us?!"

The ghost ignored me, talking to himself like an actor giving a soliloquy.

"Damn them… those wicked skyfolk…!"

The ghost looked up at the sky and cried out resentfully.

"So even the high-speed battleship we stole from them can't outmatch the mobility of their floating ships…"

The ghost stepped toward the window.

"Impossible! Nunulie?! They're even using the floating castles to chase us down!"

The ghost was looking out the window, but all I could see outside was the vastness of the sea.

"Do they plan to use the floating castle's Divine Wrath Cannon?! You fools! What if the Coffin you're looking for is on this very ship?!"

As the ghost gave this final cry of despair, he vanished, leaving a faint misty effect behind. I don't remember seeing anything that could be this "Coffin", the ghost mentioned in the hold, so it probably wasn't on this ship.

"The key to Lalakie… Stolen. Now Lalakie…can no longer fly. All that remains is to bring the Coffin to His Majesty the Emperor in the Room of Reality…"

The ghost had returned. Standing exactly where he was the moment I first saw him.

"They've already caught up to us?!"

It looks like he is trapped here. A poor soul doomed to repeat the moment of his death for who knows how long.

"Sounds like he's stuck haunting this place,"

"Yeah, it does,"

Satou and Arisa were right behind me. I was so focused on the ghost that I didn't even notice them enter.

"Please give me a moment," Sara was with them, standing in the background, but now she steps forward as an elegant golden light shines around her body. "I'll free this soul and help him reach the afterlife."

The whole room seems to feel lighter. Sara softly chants with the voice of an angel. The golden light covers the room and wraps around the ghost. For the first time, the ghost man reacts. His body relaxes, and he appears more at ease by the second. The ghost stops talking and moving altogether and slowly starts to fade. But as he finally disappears, I hear one last thing from the ghost.

"Aaah… Finally, freedom is within our grasp…"

The pile of white bones where he had appeared crumbled and was carried out into the ocean by the current. Hopefully, we put an end to his suffering. We waited a moment to ensure he didn't reappear, then went back to exploring the sunken ship.

"Hero Kura, the back of this painting is suspicious. I report,"

"I bet there's a room full of treasure behind it!"

Pochi's eyes sparkled, and she reached out for the painting. However, Tama grabbed her tail and stopped her.

"It's a traaap?"

Tama's good. She stopped Pochi just as my 'Trap Discovery' skill reacted. A few seconds later, Pochi could have been killed.

"Can you disarm it?" Arisa asked her master.

"I think so, but…" Satou nodded. "…I'd better not. There's an easier solution, so I'll get everything out that way."

Satou's a cheat. He took everything out of the trapped chest with his 'Storage' skill. Why can't mine do that? Satou even showed off that trick several more times before we returned to our own ship. And then he took it a step further by putting the entire ship into his 'Storage'. Arisa sometimes calls me a cheat, but I feel pretty average compared to Satou.

<Title Acquired: Salvager>

<Title Acquired: Treasure Seeker>

<Title Acquired: Sunken Ship Explorer>

"Whoooosh?"

"The ship disappeared and made a whirlpool, sir!"

Tama and Pochi peered down at the water where the ship had been.

"I showed you before, remember? It's magic, sort of like the Fairy Pack,"

"A whole ship… Your powers are always so broken,"

Satou just shrugged at Arisa's comment before reminding Pochi and Tama to keep the skill a secret.

"Our lips are seeealed?"

"We'll clam up, sir,"

They mimed zipping their lips shut, then hugged their knees to their chests in an apparent imitation of a clam. Arisa probably told them to do it.

"Ravine,"

"Looks like that ship was on top of an underwater mountain,"

Mia and Arisa were looking down at the water now that it had calmed. With the ship gone, I could see it had been underwater at the peak of a large mountain. We were lucky it didn't tip when exploring the ship and taking the treasure. It is so deep. Even with all my skills, I can't see the bottom. Something must have been down there because Satou dived back under as the rest of us changed out of the void suits.

"I'm back,"

"Welcome back, master,"

Arisa welcomed Satou back and offered him some carbonated water. It had taken him some time to do whatever he was doing, but he didn't look injured doing anything dangerous. While he was gone, after we had finished changing, we started working on removing the dirt and shellfish stuck to the coins and valuables we'd found in the passageways of the sunken ship.

"Pochi, please be more careful. You're scratching the coins,"

"Yes, sir. This is hard, sir,"

Liza and Pochi were labouring away to unstick the shellfish while Tama was intently polishing the coins they'd already finished with.

"Scrub-a-duuub?"

Looking at her handiwork, Tama let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Mia, we must remove the dirt from these grooves, I advise,"

"Mm. Magic,"

Nana brought jewellery over to Mia, who began a Spirit Magic chant. Lulu spread the polished coins on a cloth to dry in the sun. Meanwhile, I picked the locks and disarmed the traps on the treasure chests I had put into my 'Storage.'

"Well, let's look at the rest of our spoils,"

Satou lined up some treasure chests, and together, we opened them one by one. We let the other open the ones that weren't trapped while Satou and I took care of the trapped ones. Artwork, sheet music, and other things that might be damaged by the sun we placed in the shadow of the sails.

"Whoa! Look at all these gold coins!"

"Pretty jewels,"

Arisa and Mia delightedly held up fistfuls of treasure. Thanks to magic, the treasure inside the chests was perfectly clean.

"Tama and Pochi, you can go look through everything, too,"

Satou nodded at the two girls staring up at him, looking like they also wanted to play with our loot. Pochi and Tama dived in right away, kicking off the task of sorting through all the treasure.

"Yaaay!"

"Arisa, is there meat, sir?"

"No, but you could buy enough meat to fill your bellies with just one of these coins,"

"For reeeal?"

"That's amazingly amazing, sir!"

"Sheet music?"

"Those must be very old songs,"

Mia began studying the sheet music with a determined look on her face. It seemed that the elves were the ones who were responsible for spreading sheet music and its associated methods so that people of any culture could read music scores.

"What a beautiful necklace," Lulu stared longingly at a string of large pearls.

"We must find something even cuter, I propose,"

Rummaging through the jewellery boxes, Nana paid more attention to the cuteness of the items than their monetary value.

"Master, there are weapons in these boxes here,"

"That's a lot of bows and rapiers… Aren't there any arrows?"

"I'm afraid not. I checked every box, but there was none to be found,"

Liza must be a fast worker to check every chest and box quickly. The bows didn't have strings, but Satou soon figured out why. It transformed when he picked one up, so it now had a transparent bowstring. Clearly, it was a Magic Bow. When he pulled the string back, a transparent arrow appeared like the bowstring.

"Hmm? It doesn't take much strength to draw the string back, does it?" Even someone with little strength, like Arisa, could easily pull the bowstring back. "Gravity doesn't seem to affect it, but it's not easy to hit a target. And it consumes a lot of magic power, too." After a test fire, Arisa shared her thoughts. "It seems about as strong as Nana's Foundation spears."

It was stronger than our Fire and Thunder Rods if it was as strong as Nana's spears. There were around fifty of these Magic Bows, so we decided to at least have Sara, Mia and Arisa take one each for now.

"What do you think these are?"

The rapiers held a magical aura, yet the enchantment within them yielded only a simple sparkle, thus proving to be a relatively ineffective weapon. A sci-fi-like vroom reverberated when we waved them around, and a light trail akin to a videogame effect trailed behind them.

"It's like a Mementaider Rangers toy,"

"So cooool?"

"Awesome, sir!"

The sparkling swords were a massive hit, with the kids waving them around and striking ridiculous poses. There were plenty of toy swords, too, so we let them take some.

"What about these rings?"

All of them were Magic Rings that were activated by magic power.

"Whoa! What's up with this one?!"

Arisa exclaimed after putting magic power into a topaz ring. A magic circle appeared before the ring and started producing stalagmites, which shot toward me. Still, I blocked them with a magic barrier. They were pretty strong and could have gone through shields and armour.

"It takes up all my magic, so it wouldn't be very easy to use,"

Arisa handed Satou the ring so he could inspect it. The others were picking up various rings and testing them out, too.

"Wha…?! It made a shield!"

"This one produces stone spears,"

"Master, ice spears have appeared, I declare,"

Lulu's sardonyx ring produced a Practical Magic Shield spell, Liza's onyx ring created black obsidian-like spears, and Nana's aquamarine ring created ice spears that floated in the air. The ice spears went flying in whatever direction Nana pointed. They had a range of about one hundred and fifty feet and were almost as strong as a normal Icicle spell.

"Aren't there any spell books?" Arisa sounded hopeful, but Satou shook his head.

"There are maps of land and sea and reports on some magic tools, but no spell books,"

Suddenly, an adorable growl rumbled from Arisa's tummy, signalling that it was time to stop for lunch.

<0 >

"Ahhh, that was some delicious takoyaki!" Lulu blushed at Arisa's compliment.

"It's only because the octopus was so fresh,"

For lunch, we'd had takoyaki made with the octopus Pochi defeated.

"The fish was good, too," Lulu smiled happily, letting out a sigh of contentment.

"Yes, they had just the right amount of salt,"

"The soy-boiled fish was delicious as well, I report,"

Liza and Nana both looked pleased.

"Let's make sashimi and sushi sometime soon, too,"

"Yes!" Lulu exclaimed. "I can't wait."

Satou left us again after lunch. He wanted to test the magic cannons and headed to a nearby island. The rest of us planned on spending the time Satou was away training. But we couldn't in the end. The explosion from his cannon was so powerful it left the younger kids too shaken to train. I would hate to be the target of those cannons. Satou was a few miles away, and we still felt our boat shake and saw the bright flash of light from the explosion. Arisa made sure to thoroughly scold Satou when he returned for scaring everyone like that.

<0 >

"Hero Kura, an unidentified object discovered above the seas ahead, I report,"

"What is it? A UMA?"

Nana pointed towards a giant sea serpent with a long neck and countless scars covering its black-scaled body. It stared at us for a second before swimming away. It was probably Satou's fault, and that creature was only investigating the commotion he made with the magic cannons.

"Looks like a sea serpent,"

"Whoa, it's huge! What is it, level fifty?"

"No, the one in front of us is level thirty-one,"

But as Satou and Arisa talked, the sea serpent turned its head and shot a ball of water at us.

"Hero Kura, allow me to take care of this, I exclaim!"

A magic circle glowed on Nana's forehead, creating two transparent shields before her. Nana's shields successfully intercepted the blob of liquid, but as soon as it hit, the shields and liquid went up in a puff of white smoke.

"Looks like those blobs aren't just made of water. They're globules of acid,"

"Yikes, no, thank you,"

Arisa quickly jumped back from the railing at Satou's comments.

"Fire,"

Mia took aim and fired with her bow, but her arrow was blocked by a wall of water that appeared around the sea serpent.

"Mrrr," Mia scowled.

"Hero Kura, I am running low on shields. Requesting backup,"

"All right. I'll take over,"

I switched with Nana, but it was not necessary. Before I could even put up a shield, Satou struck. He used the 'Light Magic' magic spell 'Laser' on the sea serpent. The Laser pierced right through the wall of water and obliterated the sea serpent with ease, causing the sea serpent's blood to dye the water red in a sickening scene.

"Scarecrow, bring the ship back a thousand feet. Stand by at maximum altitude. Engage evasive manoeuvres as needed,"

We must still be under attack as Satou orders the ship's autopilot to take over and stares into the sea. Before long, hundreds of sea serpents have arrived, tearing apart the one Satou killed in a horrifying frenzy.

"It looks like a bunch of sea serpents are swarming because of the blood. I'll distract them, so can you girls attack them with Magic Bows from above in order to level up?"

"Nooo?"

"Teachers said powelling is bad, sir,"

"You weren't there at the time, master? Hiya and the other elf teachers told us not to use power levelling. They said it doesn't make you stronger because you won't learn how to use your skills properly." Arisa stepped in to explain.

"In that case, Arisa, Kura, Nana, and Mia, please defend the ship. Lulu and Sara stay by the helm and keep an eye on the steering. Tama, please take the lookout post, and Pearl, Liza and Pochi, watch the front and rear of the ship!"

In the end, Satou took care of everything, slaying all the monsters, even not slowing down when a more powerful foe arrived. Despite the bloody work, when Satou returned, there wasn't a single dot of blood on him.

"You're as overpowered as ever,"

Arisa commented, but Satou paid her no mind as he handed Lulu a slice of a sea serpent.

"It doesn't seem to be poisonous. Want to try cooking a sample?"

"Of course! Shall I broil it in soy sauce?"

"That sounds good. Since we want to see how it tastes first, could you grill one piece plain, please?"

Satou disappeared to change his clothes and wash off the blood while Lulu and I started to cook. By the time Satou returned, we had attracted a small audience.

"Smells good,"

"Aye-aaaye!"

"Sniffing it makes me feel all floaty, sir,"

Lulu and I were using an oven magic tool while Tama and Pochi were hovering around, drooling. The others looked just as excited, but none were getting as close as those two were.

"Master, could you taste it first, please?"

"Thank you, Lulu,"

While taste-testing, I found it tasted similar to a conger eel. We had made it in several different ways, but personally, I found that boiling the meat in soy sauce was the best way to prepare it.

"It's delicious, Lulu,"

"Thank you very much!" Lulu smiled, looking so happy to hear that.

"You did a good job too, Kura,"

"Yeah, but now you are going to make something twice as good with half the effort, right?"

"Maybe later, but first, the rest of you should try this, too,"

With those words said, Said started the large-scale taste-testing. Everyone scrambled to try a piece. Even Mia, who didn't like meat, was trying a small piece of the sea serpent. We should have plenty of the meat to last us for a long time. A good majority of the sea serpent's body was edible. It would probably take half a month to get through a single one. We won't be running out soon since Satou probably has a few hundred in his storage.

<0 >

"Tweeelve ships?"

"Thirteen, sir,"

"Reeeally?"

Tama and Pochi were up on the crow's nest counting the ships we passed by, and Satou collected. We were heading north along the archipelagos, picking up sunken ships. Since changing every time we wanted to explore was a pain, Satou used his cheat skills to pick up the ship and put everything into his storage. We did explore a few that looked interesting, but we mostly let Satou pick them up. We found one every few miles, but there seemed to be even more ahead.

"Another wooden one, huh?" Arisa murmured.

"Approximately twenty percent have been metal, I inform,"

Apart from the adamantine battleship we first found, the remaining ships were primarily wooden. We did come across a couple of ships made from mithril-alloy that were used by the Flue Empire. The wooden ships mainly were Shiga Kingdom carracks and jib-sailed caravels, with the occasional galley ship of unknown origin. All of them were huge ships, and most were equipped with Magic Guns of various sizes, Foundation spear launchers, and so on, with about half having a Magic Furnace.

A few hours later, it was starting to feel like a peaceful cruise as we continued to sail. Satou set to work on repairing magical weapons we found while the others trained. Liza and Pearl were sparing, with Pochi and Tama cheering them on while Nana was looking for danger. Meanwhile, Sara, Mia and Arisa were practising with their new bows, shooting targets I created off the ship's side with magic.

"Bullseye,"

As expected, Mia was the best of the three, hitting the target every time, but Arisa and Sara weren't that bad either. They still miss the occasional shot, but that isn't so bad. They just need a bit more practice.

<0 >

"A rooock?"

"It's an island, sir!"

Up in the lookout post, Pochi had a longscope in hand. The biggest of the Seadragon Islands must have come into view. It wasn't long before we could see it from the ship's deck. But it doesn't look like an ordinary island.

"Hey, doesn't that look more like a sideways city than a rock?"

As Arisa said, the large rock in the island's centre almost looked like a city that had fallen from the sky.

"Emergency stop!"

But within seconds of seeing the island, Satou ordered the ship to come to a halt, causing us all to stop what we were doing to stare at him.

"Wh… what's going on?"

"It might be a little dangerous here," Satou tells us before jumping off the ship's side. "I'm going to go take a look at that island. If I don't come back before sundown, return to Bolenan Forest and ask Miss Aaze for help."

"W… wait a minute! Why would you go out of your way to investigate something dangerous?! Let's just ignore that island and go right by it!"

Arisa tried to stop him, but it was too late.

"It's all right. Once I figure out the cause, I'll come right back,"

"Cause? The cause of what?!" But Satou had already gone before Arisa could finish calling out to him. "Aren't you going to stop him?!"

"I can't," I shake my head as Arisa turns to me. "Aialize will be the only person who could help him if something goes wrong."

I don't know what is causing it, but the area Satou is speeding off to is sucking up MP at an alarming rate. If I went in there, I would probably only last about ten minutes before collapsing. I explained the situation to the others, but that was a mistake since it only made them worry more. Ultimately, I had to put my own barrier around the ship to stop Liza and Arisa from chasing after Satou.

It will be fine. There is no way something like this will bring down Satou.

When Satou returned unharmed, I felt silly for momentarily worrying about him. It turned out that the area was a trap set up to snare the flying islands and ships of the Skyfolks', but Satou managed to disarm it. Then, he seemed to have had fun fighting monsters around the area. That didn't stop Arisa from giving him an hour-long lecture about being reckless when he returned. I would have felt sorry for him if I hadn't seen him staring at Nana's wet shit after a fishing mishap.

<0 >

After Satou's lecture, we decided to land on the island and set up camp for the night. Thanks to Satou exterminating the monsters early, it should be a safe place to set up camp. As a bonus, we get to spend the rest of the day enjoying the beach.

"Land hoooo!"

"Sir!"

Tama and Pochi were the first to step out of the ship once we were done changing. Tama was wearing a peach-pink two-piece swimsuit, while Pochi wore a similar getup in yellow. The bottom of Tama's was skirt-shaped, while Pochi's consisted of shorts. Liza was behind them in a crimson two-piece with a rose-patterned decoration over her chest, with her beloved spear resting on her shoulder.

"Kura,"

Mia did a twirl, showing off the white-and-aqua-striped bikini she was wearing. Her usual twin tails were braided into buns.

"Hero Kura, is it okay to play on the beach? I inquire,"

"Go right ahead,"

Instead of a bikini, Nana was wearing a plain one-piece suit. She did own a bikini, but after seeing Satou staring earlier, Arisa insisted she wore that one-piece instead. But thanks to her oversized chest, Arisa's plan may backfire. I swear those things are going to burst out of her suit.

"Master! Get ready to fall in love with your adorable Arisa!"

"Arisa! It's dangerous to run!"

Arisa was wearing a classic old-fashioned school swimsuit. A name tag on the chest even said ARISA in hiragana. She ran ahead with Lulu, trying to stop her from getting hurt. Lulu really could make it a supermodel. Clad in a pink cardigan over a black-and-white one-piece with a low back. The cardigan covered her back and shoulders, but the open front revealed her cleavage and cute belly. It's a shame that people can't appreciate her beauty.

"Master, I will be going on ahead,"

Pearl left next, wearing a navy blue bikini.

"Kura… is it okay to be wearing these… these kinds of things…"

Behind me, Sara calls out. She is wearing a white one-piece swimsuit under a grey cardigan. Arisa spent a lot of time convincing Sara and Lulu to pick a swimsuit design, but it was worth it in the end since we could enjoy the beach together. But Sara is struggling as her face grows redder.

"It's fine," I assure her. "These clothes are meant to be worn so we can enjoy the beach. Besides, it looks good on you."

"R… really…"

"Mmm,"

I may have said too much. Sara is turning even redder, but Mia starts dragging me down towards the beach before I can say another word.

"There are monsters and other dangerous creatures in the forest and beyond the cliffs, so don't go too far,"

Satou called out as we all emerged onto the beach. He was wearing a pair of knee-length bathing shorts. Arisa initially wanted him to wear some thong-like swimwear, but Satou turned that down. It's strange. Satou is so strong, but at the same time, he looks so weak. I can't see any muscular build-up on his body at all. But I am the same. Looking at my body with only a black bikini on, I still look like a weak little girl. If anyone were to see me, I doubt they would believe I have defeated a demon lord.

Plenty of flotsam and jetsam from sunken ships were washed up all over the shore, but it was still a lovely beach. The sand is warm and feels pleasant under my bare feet. I helped set up our camp. While Lulu and Liza laid down a sheet, I set up a beach parasol beside them before starting a small fire for cooking while everyone else set up tents. Once we were done, Satou handed out canteens.

"Ooh, that's nice and cold,"

"Bubblyyy?"

"It's carbonated, sir!"

"Mm, yellorange fruit,"

"Hee-hee, you can't come to the beach without dipping your toes in a little."

"Mm. Nice,"

"Feels funnyyy?"

"It's amazing, sir! There's sand moving between my toes, sir!"

The younger kids thanked Satou and ran off to play by the water.

"There is a foreign object in the sand, I report,"

"A shell, maybe?"

"No, it seems to be some kind of rusted jewellery,"

It wasn't long before we started finding washed-up pieces of flotsam from one of the sunken ships.

"Gold coooin?"

"I found a pretty rock, sir,"

"Mm. Aquamarine,"

Arisa dragged Lulu over to look at some barrels washed up onshore.

"Barrel,"

"This one smells of alcohol,"

Some of the hardier barrels still had their contents intact. There were all different kinds, including a handful that contained food, drink, or liquor, but…

"Eeeeeek! B… buuuugs!"

Some of them had been infested by roaches or flies, so we had to proceed cautiously. Lulu was clinging to Satou and trembling, so he patted her reassuringly as he spoke to Liza.

"Liza, I will check out the city rock a bit. Could you keep an eye on things over here?"

"Yes, of course,"

"Master Satou, if you are going to investigate the city rock, please bring a guard with you, I request,"

Nana was the only one to object to that plan.

"Don't worry. I'm only going to fly around and collect some treasure from the sunken ships nearby, plus take a little peek while I'm at it. And I'll put a 'Return seal slate' here so I can come back at any time,"

With that, Satou flies off. I wish I could master the 'Return' spell. I can use it but still struggle to hone in on the correct 'Return seal slate'. Last time I tried, I ended up several miles away from my intended target, but Satou makes it look so easy.

"Kura,"

Not long after Satou is out of sight, I am pulled over to the sea. It looks like everyone is now searching for coins and gems buried in the sand and under the sea. Most of the ship's cargo had been destroyed, but there was still plenty to find, and it was fun diving in the shallows to see what I could find. Even if what we found was very little.

Still, the fin didn't stop there. Volleyball, spearfishing and a sand-building contest all took place. It was a good thing Arisa's sand sculpture of Satou was recently stood on by Pochi and Tama because he would probably have something to say about how adult-rated it was. We never did find out who won the sand-building contest. Arisa's tantrum over what she called her masterpiece destroyed everyone else's constructions.

"Welcome back, master!"

By the time Satou returned, Arisa had managed to calm down. Most of us relaxed on the sheet we set down earlier as she greeted him. A bouquet of flowers was lying on the blanket next to Arisa.

"Thanks… Were there flowers growing around here?"

"These are artificial flowers we found in the flotsam. I figured we could leave them at those ruins later, so I washed them,"

Satou sat down beside her as I enjoyed the sound of the waves and the distant laughter of Tama and Pochi as a bad feeling started to creep up on me. It's probably nothing. Satou would have said something by now if we were in danger. Arisa stroked Satou's hair as he looked deep in thought. But then Arisa frowned up at the sky.

"Is it going to rain?"

Looking around, I saw grey clouds on the other side of the city-rock. Large, sparse raindrops began to hit the beach here and there, sinking into the sand and tapping on the parasol. Before long, the light rain became a squall as everyone ducked under the parasol for cover.

My "Sense Danger" skill suddenly activated, and I quickly took my holy swords out of storage. Seeing this, everyone else follows suit, arming themselves with weapons we stored in a magical bag. I can't see anything, but I know something is out there.

"Enemies! Everyone, get to the ship!"

Satou called out, and we all ran without hesitation.

"Enemies? What kind?"

I could barely see anything through the heavy rain.

"Hang on a second… Ghost ships?"

"Master, skeletons are coming out of the rain!"

With that, Arisa produced a Fire Rod from her Fairy Pack and fired at the head of an almost-ten-foot-tall skeleton soldier. The creature emerged from the steam and smoke with a single skull. At the same time, more skeletons dressed in tattered pirate clothes leapt out from behind it, brandishing rusty cutlasses.

"There's quite a few of them,"

Satou, Nana and I imminently let loose a volley of 'Remote Arrow' spells, thinning their numbers.

"Come on… leave some work for your beloved Arisa, would you?"

"Don't worry. There are still five or so left for you,"

"Oh, master! You're so thoughtful!"

Arisa fired off some chant-less Space Magic. I didn't know which spell she used since there wasn't any incantation, but five of the big skeletons hit the ground, their shins shattered.

"Masterrr!"

The rain started letting up as I heard Tama's voice approaching. Her Magic Sword glowed red as she cut through the skeletons blocking her path. Tama was followed closely by Pochi, who was carrying Mia over her shoulder.

"… Create Swamp Sokonashi Numa,"

As Pochi held her up, Mia waved her staff. The rain hitting the sand swirled into a whirlpool, forming a bottomless swamp that swallowed the skeletons chasing the three.

"Made iiit?"

"Good job, you three,"

"Mia, use Water Hold, please!"

Arisa called out, pointing at the large skeletons dragging themselves along their arms.

"Mm,"

Mia nodded and began the chant.

"Tama, Pochi! Take out any skeletons Mia's spell doesn't reach!"

"Aye-aye!"

"Yes, sir!"

At Arisa's directions, Tama and Pochi readied their Magic Swords and glared at the big skeletons. Since none of us wore armour today, I cast 'Enchant: Physical Protection' on everyone.

"Hero Kura! Requesting backup, I entreat!"

Nana called out from elsewhere in the rain. When I spotted her, I saw a level thirty giant skeletal snake chasing Liza, Nana and Lulu. Nana brought up the rear and used her Foundation abilities to keep the snake in check. Liza protected Lulu from the front while fending off any other enemies who got in their way. Meanwhile, Lulu was shooting her magic gun with great accuracy despite how scared she looked.

"Dance, Claidheamh Soluis!"

One of my holy swords split into multiple blades and sliced the snake to pieces in less than a second. At the same time, I used my 'Ice Storm' spell to clear the sky as several skeleton birds dived down through the clouds towards us. Still, it wasn't me that significantly impacted the battle.

"…Turn Undead!"

Sara instantly turned multiple skeletons across the beach to dust with her 'Holy Magic'. Pearl also appeared to have taken out multiple skeletons, and she gave Sara enough time to cast her spell.

"Thank you for your assistance,"

"It was nothing,"

Despite shrugging Sara's thanks off, Pearl still looked pretty pleased with herself.

"Good work, everyone! We'll take a break once we return to the ship,"

I led everyone back toward our ship as Satou, and I praised their teamwork.

"Master, the ghost ships are coming this way,"

Sensing a change, Liza alerted us.

"Don't worry, Liza,"

As soon as we set sail, Satou unleashed an impressive magical attack, wiping out a small fleet of ghost ships.

"Master Satou, we are prepared for departure, I report,"

"All right, let's set sail!" The skypower engine let out a roar, and our ship took off into the sky as the rain had let up from an intense squall to an average downpour. Still, in exchange, the wind had gotten much stronger and stormier. "Dome, close!"

A transparent dome covered the helm and the other seats on the deck. It was a mighty defensive dome made from the cornea of the giant monster fish Tobkezerra. It could ward off even my Fire Ball or a concentrated Laser. We decided to use the opportunity to go below deck and get changed into armour in case we were attacked again.

"Shiiips?"

"There are lots and lots of them, sir!"

But before we could get changed, Tama and Pochi spotted more enemies approaching, back towards the island where more ghost ships were approaching through the curtain of heavy rain, wreathed by black clouds. It was hard to see clearly in the rain, but the silhouettes of the ships ranged from small sailing ships to galleys.

"Big,"

"Th… they're quite fast,"

Mia clung to my side as she and Lulu trembled while looking at the oncoming ghost ships.

"Hero Kura, shall I produce Flexible Shields? I inquire,"

"I think I can slow down one or two of them,"

"It's all right,"

I assure them. We are moving faster than the ghost ships and should lose them soon.

"Master, at least allow me to guard from the stern…"

"No, you could fall,"

Satou shook his head. Perhaps due to the intense rainfall or the appearance of the ghost ships, the formerly calm seas were becoming increasingly tempestuous. If someone fell in there, they could drown in seconds.

"I'll take care of the rest. You all just stay here and watch,"

Satou smiled, then used 'Skyrunning' to take off from the poop deck. Cannonballs soon fly towards Satou, but he dodges every shot, and I use Claidheamh Soluis to intercept any that look like they might hit the ship. Our ship will probably survive the barrage, but why take the chance. I send Claidheamh Soluis to destroy the cannons before they can reload.

"Okwabeetouga!"

Beneath the sounds of rain and whipping winds, I heard a skin-crawling voice shrieking, and I gained the skill 'Hallowed Language'.

"How impudent for a measly thief! Go forth, undead army! Drag these thieves into the next world as your comrades!"

As soon as I put some points into my new skill, the shrieking voice started to make sense to me. The ghost ships attacked at the Skeleton King's command. They were led by former pirate ships with naval rams on their bows. The ghosts who could fly took off like carrier-based aircraft, and the deck-bound skeleton soldiers began to fire with guns and bows.

"AWUOOOOOOWN!"

The skeletons' cries echoed through the stormy sky. There was no meaning to their words. I commanded Claidheamh Soluis to take everyone out in the sky as Satou took care of the ships. One by one, the ghost ships turned to ash along with their skeletal crews and disappeared until only one enemy remained.

"Impossible! How darest thou destroy my elite troops with such ease?!"

"Hang in there. It's almost your turn," Satou tells him.

"Such insolence! Art thou perhaps with Doghead?! Then destroying the god-granted floating islands and floating castles was not enough to slake thy bloodlust… thou hast turned thy hand toward the sea-hidden Lalakie as well?! I shall not allow it! Lalakie shall someday return to the skies, destroy the false kings who run rampant on land, and reign over the world once more. This I swore to my wife on her deathbed… and I shall see that promise through, no matter who or what I must sacrifice to do so!"

"Save that kind of ambition for the living, please,"

"Foolish vermin. Feel the wrath of the Magic Cannon granted to me by the gods,"

A new ghost ship suddenly appeared out of thin air, flying through the sky. Its bow opened, and a giant cannon extended out of the ship. Red particles of light began to gather at its muzzle then the light began to form into a straight conducting line.

"Tremble in fear, thou earth-crawling worms!"

Magic circles began to spawn around the red line. But then the ship exploded, leaving a few rings of black dust.

"Was it wasteful to use a Holy Bullet when a few of them could kill a demon lord?"

I heard Satou mutter under his breath as the dust settled. Within moments, the rain let up, and the clouds dispersed. But when I thought it was over, a dark voice spoke from the seas below.

"Foolish vermin… nay, demon who dareth harm me and hide thyself from the spirit world! I shall return Lalakie to the skies, even if thou standeth in my way! No matter what I must offer up in exchange… let us meet again elsewhere in time…"