第８３１堀：船は揺れる (Part1)
Chapter 831: The Ship Rocks
The ship rocks.
Side: Yuki
The vast, open ocean stretches out before me. I suppose that whether monsters lurk beneath or not, the majesty of nature remains unchanged.
Above all, there is something truly wonderful about being aboard a galleon.
The sensation of the ship swaying with the waves is transmitted directly to my senses—it’s magnificent.
Thinking about how the sailors of old set out across these great seas, I can’t help but feel a profound sense of respect.
I was lost in these sentimental thoughts, pondering the people of long ago, when—
“……I am going to d-die.”
Right next to me, the Hero King was on the verge of expiring.
“Come now, pull yourself together. It’s just seasickness.”
“I f-feel so sick……”
“Ah, in that case, you should just throw up and lie down for a bit.”
The moment I said that, for some reason, the person next to him…
*Hurl…*
They were painting a rainbow toward the sea.
Ah, the "rainbow" is just a figure of speech, of course.
“Rurua, you too…?”
“I, I am so sorry. It’s just, this, sh-ship is…”
*Hurl…*
Surprisingly, even the handsome Captain of the Royal Guard couldn’t handle it.
Ships really do pick their passengers, don’t they?
“It is… the end for me. Aslin, forgive me…”
“You don’t have to hold it in, you know.”
“That is correct.”
*Hurl…*
It wasn’t just the Hero; even the Demon Lord couldn’t handle the ship, and she was down for the count as well.
Well, she suffered from motion sickness in cars too, so I suppose I should have seen this coming.
“Um, Senior? You shouldn’t push yourself…”
“……I am not pushing myself at all.”
And unexpectedly, even the perfect maid, Kirue, seemed unable to cope with this galleon.
And so, just by boarding this ship, more than half of our Weed personnel had been rendered combat-ineffective.
It lacks the stability of an aircraft carrier, I suppose.
Well, at least I’ve learned that much.
That aside…
“My, my. For someone who possesses such a magnificent ship, this is a pathetic display.”
“Ah, well, naval combat and operations aren’t exactly our primary focus…”
I turned to see Maran, the commander of the 5th Fleet and captain of this vessel.
“Then it is a waste of a treasure. In such a state, how do you intend to fight the monsters of the sea?”
“……Well, I’m sure we’ll get used to it soon. My apologies for the trouble.”
There was nothing I could say to that.
We’re here to cooperate in exterminating sea monsters, and yet we’re in this state.
It really is a waste of a treasure.
My argument has zero persuasive power.
No matter how I look at it, Maran’s point is sound; he doesn’t seem to be picking a fight for the sake of it.
“……Hmm. In that case, once you have finished purging your stomachs, I suggest you rinse your mouths with this water.”
“Oh, thank you for your consideration.”
“Do not mention it. It would be rude not to care for one’s guests.”
With that, Maran signaled his subordinates to provide us with fresh water, the most precious commodity on a voyage.
He really is a decent guy, isn't he?
“That said, I do not understand why you would employ such children, but since I may be entrusting my life to you later, I will go all out in our mock battle. I hope you will forgive me for that. Even if it is called bullying, I have dedicated my life to this country. I hope you understand that.”
“We, too, apologize for this situation occurring without any prior discussion. I wish we could have had more time.”
“It was an unfortunate turn of events for both of us. Now, I must return to commanding the mock battle. If you require anything, please inform my men.”
“Yes. Thank you very much for your kindness.”
With that, Maran headed toward the helm.
On a galleon, the command isn't issued from a tactical room; the captain stands on the deck with the crew to give orders.
Well, they might stay in the captain’s quarters sometimes, but in battle, they usually fight alongside the crew on deck.
“……He was surprisingly normal—no, he was actually quite a decent soldier, wasn’t he?”
Labyris and Firia said this while clinging to my legs.
“Indeed. That Maran is simply earnest. In that sense, I feel bad for him. By the way, Labyris and Firia, you don’t seem to be seasick?”
“Yes. No problem at all.”
“No problem at all! More than that, this ship is very interesting. It was built with such care, and you can feel the soul of the craftsman in it!!”
Yeah. Labyris aside, Firia is fine in a different sense.
Anyway, for now…
“It looks like it’s about to start, so everyone who’s feeling ill, gather ‘round. I’m going to cast recovery magic. At the very least, go sleep somewhere where you won’t be in the way.”
“““……Okay.”””
Our zombies stood up unsteadily.
Well, seasickness is rough, after all.
With that, I guided everyone to the guest cabins to let them rest, and while I was at it, I used a call to check on the situation at the aircraft carrier.
“Milly. How is it over there? Is anyone incapacitated by seasickness?”
『Yes. No problems here. Everyone is perfectly fine. The carrier doesn’t sway at all.』
“I suppose it’s the size of the ship, then.”
They say the stability is different.
I’ve experienced it myself now, so I believe it.
“How are the guests?”
『They’re just surprised by everything they see. I’ve kept them away from the classified areas, so it’s fine. Well, even if they saw them, I doubt they’d understand them anyway.』
“Better safe than sorry. Even if they don’t understand, please keep an eye on them.”
『Understood. I’ve been walking around the carrier, and now I’m watching from the bridge, so I think it’s fine.』
“I see. The view is good from there, so it’s easy to see the flow of battle.”
『Anyway, never mind us, are you okay over there? Yuki-san, is that captain saying bad things about you? Is he looking down on you? Tell me the truth. I’ll sink them.』
Does she mean sinking the whole ship to the bottom of the sea?
I couldn’t bring myself to ask.
Well, unlike the Milly who first came to Weed, she’s been more composed lately, so…
……I’ll assume that was a joke.
“No, as I was discussing with Labyris, he was actually quite reasonable. Right, Labyris?”
“Yes. I think if we show him the strength that earns his trust, he’ll treat us normally. Though, in a place where male chauvinism is the norm, it might be rare for him to be that polite even now.”
『Heh, I’m surprised Labyris would say that.』
“He said that since the survival of the nation is at stake, he can’t just be convinced by seeing Weed’s lineup.”
『……Conviction or not, well, that’s only natural. But does that justify him ignoring orders from above?』
“I suppose that’s just his youth. We should just think that the chances of him being convinced have increased if we show him our true strength.”
He didn’t seem like the type of person to throw a tantrum for no reason.
He felt like an honest, upright soldier.
Lacking in flexibility, perhaps…
“And what about Vilia and Hiiro, who are boarding this ship? How are they doing? They looked a bit nervous yesterday because it was all so sudden.”