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chapter 28
While Ananta was still ill, fortunately, the ship was sailing smoothly.
“Rinka, how’s the captain?”
“She should be up soon. Judging by her joking around, I’d say she’s almost there.”
“That’s a relief. The voyage’s going fine, too. At this rate, we’ll reach the Empire in about four days.”
“Faster than I expected.”
“Rinka, when we arrive, will you head straight to the capital?”
The sea was calm. Moonlight filtered faintly through the clouds, and the ship glided slowly over the vast darkness.
Then, suddenly, the air over the sea changed.
The surroundings fell into an unnerving silence.
“…Do you smell that?”
A sailor at the helm wrinkled his nose.
A fishy stench—but not just ordinary seawater.
It was thicker, more cloying… as if someone had pressed rotting seashells to extract the stench.
“Maybe some stagnant water collected in the hull.”
“No, this… this smells like it’s coming from the deep sea.”
At that moment, somewhere beneath the ship, a ‘thump, thump’ sounded against the hull.
At times, it seemed like ropes swaying in the wind were hitting the hull; at other times, it felt as though some tentacle-like creature was brushing against it.
“Uh…?”
Another sailor turned his head. Beneath the deck rail, something glimmered faintly in the dark blue water and slithered by.
The surface remained still, but the moonlight above seemed to shatter and ripple for a moment.
“Wait.”
“Did you see that just now…!”
But the glow disappeared back into the darkness. As if nothing had happened, only silence enveloped the sea.
“…That didn’t look like a fish.”
Digory muttered quietly.
The sailors instinctively took their positions, gripping their weapons.
“No wonder it felt so quiet.”
“Exactly. When the captain can’t fight, this always happens.”
Fortunately, no one seemed too panicked.
Rinka stood guard in front of the captain’s quarters. With Ananta still sick, she didn’t want anyone entering.
For a while, they waited, facing an invisible foe.
Then…
One of the ship’s sail ropes began to slowly melt with a soft click.
Sticky residue, as if melted by intense heat, clung to it.
Simultaneously, deep beneath the ship…
Dozens of small, fish-like monsters with limbs emerged, their translucent bodies overlapping in wide circles around the ship, rotating. Faintly pulsing red cores glimmered within them—one, two, three… ten, twenty, and more.
The sea was calm, but far from peaceful.
Suddenly, the monsters moved.
The ship shook violently with a thud.
“Something hit the hull!”
Screams erupted from the hold. Soon, on deck, the anchor ropes snapped, and tentacle-like sprays burst up at the helmsman’s feet.
“It’s the Shierin! Arm yourselves!”
Even without the captain, the sailors moved with no confusion.
Having crossed the seas together many times, they were used to the captain’s absence.
Besides, Ananta was never one to give orders much anyway, so they had always relied on their own wits to fend off threats.
Their coordination was rough but solid.
Digory raised the first protective barrier. A blue sphere tried to envelop the ship…
Suddenly, several Shierin surged like a wall. Their sticky, translucent bodies clung to the barrier, trembling, then burst apart in an explosive tear.
“The barrier won’t hold for long!”
Rinka gripped the captain’s door and watched the creatures leap.
Before her eyes, the scene resembled a hell where water monsters danced.
Shierin sprang from the railings and masts.
Each roughly the size of a human forearm, their scales glimmered like starlight, moving in swarms. Blocking them with magic was tedious.
Hundreds of Shierin swarmed the ship, obsessively probing gaps in the wood. The sailors began tiring under the relentless assault.
“The captain always gets sick on days like this!”
“Or maybe she chooses to get sick on days like this…”
Still, the sailors moved with spirits intact. Their swords flowed gracefully through the battle.
Clang—
Crash.
Though not pushed back, the sheer number of Shierin was overwhelming.
Rinka crouched, pressing her hand into the puddled seawater.
The wet sea vibrated beneath her fingertips, sending unfamiliar tremors through her senses.
The presence of the Shierin had fractured the sea itself.
She closed her eyes.
The subtle vibrations conveyed by the water spoke to her without words.
“Pearl.”
Rinka whispered, tapping the blue gem around her neck.
The method for awakening spirits, taught by Eden and her father.
“Pearl, wake up.”
Water droplets formed at her fingertips, slowly seeping into the gem.
“Just a little more…”
One drop.
Two drops.
Three drops…
Rinka’s eyes gleamed.
In her golden, gem-like eyes, the waves and moonlight shimmered together.
Heat condensed at the fingertip touching the gem.
The moist air thickened.
From it, a spirit with pale blue hair appeared.
—Child, you’ve finally done it!
Pearl sprang up as if she had been waiting.
At that moment, the Shierin lunged at her.
One, two… five.
But Rinka did not flinch.
Splash!
The newly awakened Pearl drew a massive water column from the sea, striking all the Shierin at once.
“Pearl, you seem stronger now?”
—Because you’ve gotten your senses back!
With her cheerful, cute voice, another surge of water shot up.
—We’ll wipe them all out…
“Pearl! Don’t destroy anything!”
—Eh?
“Nothing!”
—This is such a difficult spell…
Pearl frowned, concentrating, and blue flames rose from the water under her hand.
High-temperature steam glowed a vivid blue.
Rinka stood beside Pearl, moving her hands swiftly to direct the Shierin. With a gesture, the creatures fell apart.
Shrieking, the monsters dived back into the sea to escape the heat.
Soon, even the remaining ones fled.
“Pearl, make sure none cling to the ship.”
—Of course! I’ll scrape them off and toss them into the deep!
Excited after a long time, Pearl dove back into the sea.
Breathing heavily, Rinka knelt.
Why do I feel drained even though Pearl used her power?
Dizzy, she held her head and exhaled deeply. Again, with a rush of water, Pearl returned.
—Child! I’ve cleared them all… Are you okay?
“Yes…”
Why am I exhausted when Pearl is doing the work?
Perhaps she had voiced this unconsciously, because Pearl circled around, responding.
—That’s because I’m using your power. Didn’t you know?
“This… is my power?”
—Yes. Aren’t you a mermaid?
Even the sailors, who hadn’t stopped attacking the fleeing Shierin, paused.
One magician watching from the shadows murmured:
“Rinka had this kind of power?”
The cries quieted, and the dark blue sea returned to calm.
Ripples on the waves bore the remnants of the battle.
Drenched, Rinka grasped the captain’s door and stood.
Breathing heavily, her eyes still blazed clearly, like blue flames.
On deck, every sailor’s gaze turned toward her.
Hm, I knew this would happen.
