Chapter 53: Deep-sea Dungeon Raid Part 3

"Sharp!"

As if resonating with my shout, the surface of the water rippled and soon a huge wave rose, revealing a huge armored shark.

That's right, I named this armored shark "Sharp". There's a reason such practices exist in textbooks. When I called out his name, he came to me and became an armored shark… It was also a matter of convenience to give him a name. It wouldn't do to always call out, "Hey, you," or "Hey, armored shark!"

Anyway, my armored shark Sharp displayed exceptional skills. Stamina, speed, and more. His loyalty was so evident that my earlier worries dissipated.

-Splash!

Of course, all this was thanks to the hind leg of a clawed camel.

The moment I took out the clawed camel's hind leg from my space ring, Sharp leaped into the air, swiftly snatched it, and vanished. Through our mental connection, I could feel his immense joy. Yes, it must be a rare delicacy for the guy. Well, it was meat that could only be found in the desert…

Anyway, the training I was most worried about with the armored shark turned out to be much easier and quicker than expected. Sharp followed my commands almost like a puppy, and our friendship, strengthened by the clawed camel's hind leg, was as tough as the sinews of a desert bull. This made our combat synergy exceed expectations.

The real problem was something else.

"Argh! This is strange!"

El was floundering in the sea.

"...."

Lloyd didn't even come into the sea in the first place.

"Roshanak, teach El how to swim."

"She doesn't know how to swim?"

It was only natural since she was not from the seaside but was a girl of the empire. There was no way a noble from the capital of the Barak Empire would set foot in the sea.

"El is different from you. She saw the sea for the first time not so long ago."

"Really?"

"Please teach her well. You have a special lineage, don't you?"

Though many dismissed and scorned Roshanak as a mutant, to me, she was someone with unique abilities like no other. Roshanak seemed pleased with my words and shrugged her shoulders as if it couldn't be helped before leaping gracefully into the sea.

-Splash!

El began to frolic and splash about in the water.

Well, there's nothing like playing in the water to get accustomed to it.

-Swish swish swish swish!!!

-Splash splash splash splash!!!

…Is this too much? It seems less like a water fight and more like a water war.

Well, I'll leave that side to Roshanak.

"Mr. Lloyd."

The problem was on this side.

This man was unwilling to even dip his toes into the water.

"Do you really intend not to do it?"

"All I have to do is receive a blessing from the Donar Temple."

"True, but wouldn't it be better to learn the basics beforehand?"

Well, Lloyd wasn't entirely wrong. With a special blessing and protection from the Donar Temple, one could indeed move freely underwater. I too planned to seek help from the Donar Temple. But, isn't it wise to be prepared with the basics? Knowing how to survive in water is crucial.

Anyway, seeing that he knows about the Donar Temple, it doesn't seem like he's entirely inexperienced with deep-sea combat.

Lloyd's past piqued my curiosity. He seemed to be of noble birth, yet why would he have experience in deep-sea missions, something even mercenaries shy away from?

Could I learn more as we get closer?

Well, delving into this man's past might unearth some unpleasant truths.

"What if a special curse is placed on the deep-sea dungeon?"

"..."

"What will you do if the blessing from the Donar Temple becomes useless in such a scenario?"

"That's unlikely—"

"Anything can happen in a dungeon. You should know that, right?"

"..."

"Now, now, don't be like that and try this gill pill. It won't hurt to get used to it."

A flicker of emotion finally crossed Lloyd's impassive face. It was a kind of "disgust".

"The smell and taste might be a bit off-putting, but once you try it…"

"..."

"You'll get used to it quickly. Imagine how convenient it'll be to have gills. It might feel strange at first, but it's similar to breathing through your mouth."

I firmly placed the gill pill in Lloyd's hand. He looked down at it with evident reluctance for a while. I then muttered while pretending to talk to myself,

"Really, even children take it…"

It's not wrong. El ate it just fine, didn't she? At my words, Lloyd twitched an eyebrow but still didn't take the pill. Then, what he said as he returned the pill to me was quite plausible.

"Having webbed fingers might interfere with wielding a sword. So, I'll have to decline."

"..."

It does seem like webbed fingers could complicate sword handling… Why does such a convincing reason annoy me so much?

"Then, I'll try making one that only gives you gills."

I responded with a broad smile. It seemed like Lloyd's eyebrow twitched once again.

After completing our underwater training, we made our way to the Donar Temple. As discussed with Lloyd, it was to receive a blessing from the Temple of Donar. The Temple of Donar, which governed the sea, rivers, and flowing water, was filled with sailors setting sail as well as their families, merchants, and mercenaries. It was said that all life forms originated in the sea, but it seemed that things with legs had no choice but to have an instinctive fear of the vast waters.

In places like the island of Echait's Union or port cities near the sea, the influence of the Donar Temple surpassed even that of the Sun God Arzan. Receiving a blessing could take a day or even several days, but fortunately, with the funds from Katharina's merchant guild we could easily secure blessings.

-Clink, clink, clink.

Five gold coins per person was no small fee. It was an amount that could sustain a family for several months. However, when compared to the value of life, it seemed trivial. With five gold coins each, we received the most expensive blessings from the temple's highest priest. The idea of buying blessings with money rather than faith was somewhat unsettling, but such is the way of the world.

Lloyd and El paid an additional gold coin each to have their weapons blessed as well. Now, their weapons would not rust underwater and would become even sharper.

Since I planned to use a specially-made weapon, I did not receive a weapon blessing. The same went for Roshanak who would use magic.

"...I don't feel anything."

I suppressed a laugh and answered seriously to Roshanak's words.

"Blessings are often like that."

"How boring..."

"Shh. Let's keep such thoughts between us."

Once we emerged from the temple, we headed towards the shopping district to gather various tools for use in the deep-sea dungeon.

"Let's get everything we think we might need. Don't worry about the price."

"Really, Master?"

"Yes. After all, it's not my money."

Naturally, expenses like these were also covered by Katharina's merchant guild. I planned to take full advantage of this opportunity to scoop up all the items I had been eyeing for a while.

"Go ahead, choose whatever you need. Lloyd, feel free to pick out anything you might need without any reservations."

"Thank you."

We excitedly browsed the shops. The shopping district of the Ekaits Union was frequented by numerous ships from various nations, and so it was overflowing with rare items difficult to find on the mainland. There were unicorn horns obtainable only from the Elf Forest, salamander oil that could only be found near the volcanoes around the Abyss, and Ekaits' specialty, the sea serpent scales!

I bought several bags of high-quality sea serpent scales. I planned to have them processed at a forge to use as protective gear for the deep-sea dungeon. The scales, being non-metallic, were suitable for me as a druid to use, and since they were unaffected by seawater, they would be incredibly useful in the deep-sea dungeon.

I also bought teeth and bones to craft specialized arrows for the deep-sea dungeon. After all my purchases, it was almost as if I had bought an entire sea serpent.

El and Lloyd were picking out items for themselves, but only Roshanak seemed out of place, fiddling with something shiny with an awkward expression.

"Why are you like that, Roshanak?"

"..."

Roshanak hesitated and didn't respond to my question. When I looked closely, I saw that the shiny thing she was fiddling with was an ordinary seashell. It was just an ornament or a child's toy.

"Do you like that?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"..."

"Is there nothing you like?"

"No."

Roshanak's blue eyes clouded with hesitation. I looked down at her calmly.

"I told you, you can choose anything."

"But..."

"But?"

"I don't want to be in debt."

"Debt?"

Ah, I quickly realized what Roshanak was getting at.

For slaves, everything is a debt. Even their very lives are debts, which is why they cannot escape their plight as slaves. Of course, there are slaves who manage to buy their own freedom, like the famous merchant Otis from the West…

This might not be a story that resonates with Roshanak who was a slave until not long ago. Everything, from eating and drinking to even breathing, was a debt to her. I understand that life too. I experienced the terrible poverty and insurmountable debts when my father's business failed and our family was shaken to its core. Those are the things Roshanak is worried about, things too heavy and frightening for a child to bear.

I could empathize with Roshanak since I knew this feeling all too well.

It was heartbreaking.

"Don't worry."

"..."

I found a necklace chain that would match the shell Roshanak was holding. A thin silver chain threaded through the shell would make a fine necklace. Although it might be of no practical use, that made it all the more meaningful.

"Give it here."

I drilled a small hole in the shell Roshanak handed over, threaded it onto the silver necklace, and placed it around her neck. I paid the shopkeeper, but not with money from the Katharina merchant guild, but my own. Since she disliked the idea of being in "debt".

"It's a gift."

"..."

"It's different from a debt."

"..."

"It means you don't have to pay it back."

Roshanak fiddled with the shell in silence. She had an ambiguous face that I couldn't tell if she liked it or not. It reminded me of a toy my father, once drunk, had brought home for me. There was a time when my daily meals were just instant noodles. Then, one day, my father brought home a toy that cost much more than a box of those noodles, and I must have had a similar expression on my face then…

"Thank you."

I probably looked a lot like Roshanak then.