第８０１堀：おさかなさん (Part1)

第８０１堀：おさかなさん (Part1)

Chapter 801: The Fish

Side: Mikos

I know that Aslin keeps all sorts of monsters.

We’ve been well taken care of by many of them, and I’m aware that some are fluffy and incredibly cute.

Well, I also know there are some that are, conversely, quite repulsive.

That said...

*SPLASH—!!*

"I don't think this is quite right..."

"Senior, you can't say that. It’s Aslin’s pet."

Solo is saying something beside me, but this isn't about that level of logic.

"What do you think? Kagura, Enola, isn't it a cute pet?"

"...I, I think it's cute."

"No comment."

Kagura is holding onto her diplomatic pride, but Enola, a fellow diplomat, is avoiding the question entirely.

Well, that’s only natural, isn't it?

Because right in front of us is Aslin’s pet...

"This is Sheila-chan."

Behind Aslin, who announced this with a smile, a giant coelacanth poked its head out.

Looking at it, the head alone seems to be three times the size of Aslin.

Just the head.

Which means its total body length is outrageously massive.

"Ho. Surprisingly large. How big is it?"

"Hmm, let's see. It's ten meters long!"

A ten-meter-long monster fish.

And it’s Aslin’s pet?

It’s laughable. I know for a fact that even if we all attacked it together, we wouldn't stand a chance.

Anyone who picks a fight with Aslin is definitely destined to become monster feed.

While we were stunned, Yuki-sensei and General Lake continued their discussion.

"So, there is no mistake?"

"Yes. It’s not quite as large as this one, but there’s no doubt. The one appearing at Sea-Sipho is about half this size."

Even at half this size, it doesn't look like something a human could fight.

"Half this size, you say? Aslin, can this one shrink?"

"Eh? I wonder? What do you think, Sheila-chan?"

When Aslin spoke to the monster fish, it opened and closed its massive maw, seemingly replying, but...

From the outside, it just looked like Aslin was about to be eaten.

Sheila-chan’s mouth is lined with jagged, razor-sharp teeth, and drool is dripping from it; I can’t imagine any other interpretation.

But for Yuki-sensei and the others, this seems to be a normal occurrence; they didn't flinch at all.

General Lake and his men, however, instinctively stepped back the moment Sheila-chan opened its mouth.

Understandably so.

While I was thinking that, Sheila-chan’s body began to shrink rapidly until it was about half its original size.

"Oh, amazing, amazing! Sheila-chan!"

Aslin praised it, and it seemed happy, flapping its jaws again.

But it still just looked like a scene where someone was about to be devoured.

"General Lake. Is this about the size?"

"Y-yes. But, is that young lady alright? That is a monster that has devoured many ships and sailors..."

Right in front of Yuki and the others, who were having that conversation, Sheila-chan suddenly leaped up with its mouth wide open...

"Fwah!?"

It ate Aslin... It actually ate her!?

"Wait, hold on!?"

This is bad, Aslin got eaten!?

"Awa-wa-wa!?"

"C-calm down, we have to rescue her immediately!! If we drop lightning on the water surface with maximum magic power..."

"Kagura, calm down! If you do that, Aslin will get electrocuted too!!"

In contrast to us, who were panicking, Yuki-sensei and his group weren't flustered in the slightest. General Lake’s men, however, were just as panicked as we were.

"Lord Yuki!? The young lady, the young lady is!!"

"Ah, it’s no problem."

"It’s fine. It happens all the time."

"That’s right. There was no killing intent; it’s just playing around."

"We have been staying in the New Continent, Haiden, for a while now, after all."

As they were saying that, a giant shadow suddenly appeared on the surface of the sea, and Sheila-chan, who had just "eaten" Aslin, leaped out of the water and flew toward us.

"No way!?"

Is it planning to eat us too!?

I thought that, but the situation seemed strange. It didn't target us at all and instead crashed into the ground.

"Geez. You got me all wet!! No pranks allowed!"

As soon as I heard that voice, Aslin descended from the sky.

Huh? Wasn't she eaten?

"I, I saw it. Aslin threw Sheila-chan over here from the surface."

"I saw it too. Aslin probably escaped on her own immediately and tossed it."

That giant body? Thrown from underwater?

No, I knew Yuki-sensei had been teaching Aslin various things, but is she really this incredible?

Because to handle a monster from the sea, you’d need an overwhelming difference in strength...

While I was trying to escape from reality, Aslin poked one hand into Sheila-chan’s mouth and lifted it up.

Well, "lifted" might be an exaggeration since Sheila-chan is taller, so she was just lifting its head a little, but it was clear who was in charge.

She turned the lifted face toward us...

"See, everyone is surprised. Say you're sorry."

"I am sorry."

Sheila-chan bowed its head.

Wait, it talked!?

"What. So Sheila-chan could talk?"

"Ah, yes. I’m usually underwater, so there’s no need to talk, and at first, I forgot how."

There’s something irritating about the fact that it speaks in a young man’s voice.

"I see. Well, you won't forget how to talk from now on. You'll have more people to talk to."

"People to talk to?"

"Yeah. But before that, isn't it hard for you to be on land?"

"No, it’s fine. I can breathe on land too."

"You can breathe with lungs?"

"Yes. Princess Aslin was so happy, saying I was amphibious. Moving on land is surprisingly easy with these fins... heave-ho."

On the spot, Sheila-chan used its fins to lift its body, standing up in a quadrupedal fashion.

"Are you a fish that's about to evolve onto land?"

"Well, I’ve always admired the romance of leaving Mother Ocean to walk on land."

"You’re surprisingly adventurous."

"Oh, not at all~."

Yuki-sensei and Sheila-chan were chatting normally, but for us, this meant that a creature we thought was safe as long as we stayed away from the sea could actually come up onto land.

And it was surprisingly agile, too.

"...Do you think we could win against a wild one?"

"I have the confidence to be eaten."

"What kind of confidence is that... though I have the confidence to be eaten too. What about you, Kagura?"

"Impossible. We have no experience fighting underwater monsters; we’d be at an overwhelming disadvantage. It’s wiser to run."

"But it says it can come up on land and chase us, you know?"

"…In that case, we’ll have to intercept it with everything we’ve got, with the resolve of a desperate battle."

While we were discussing whether or not we could win against Sheila-chan, Yuki-sensei’s conversation moved forward...

"Ah, my kin has caused you trouble... I’m sorry about that."

"Oh, no. It’s not Sheila-dono’s fault. Please don't worry about it."

"Thank you for your concern. But, may I make one correction?"

"Hm? Did I say something wrong?"

"My name is 'Sheila-chan.' I’d appreciate it if you remembered that."

"..."

As usual, Aslin’s monsters insist that the "-chan" is part of their name.

Ah, well, people like Kirika-san are different.

But the animal types almost always follow this pattern.

"Well, we’ll have to fix that gradually, but for now, Sheila, you’re coming with us on this operation."