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A Journey at Sea 

Satou here. When I think of sunken ships, I tend to picture a treasure-filled sailing ship sunk in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Exploration. I’ve always found the image of a ship half-buried on the ocean floor to have a certain romantic appeal. 

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

Dressed in their pirate-y best, Arisa and company posed at the mast. 

Arisa’s eyes were sparkling, although one was hidden under an eye patch, and her lilac hair fluttered under her pirate hat. 

It was a fairly retro pirate costume overall, with a long-sleeve jacket, white trousers, a poofy blouse, and even a rapier in her belt. 

I’d been expecting more of a “pirate king” cosplay, but I guess I misjudged her tastes. 

“Aye-aye, sirrr!” 

“Yessir, sir!” 

Tama, with her white hair and feline tail and ears, and Pochi, with her short brown bob and matching dog ears and tail, 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 were both wearing 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.” 

A soothing voice marked Lulu’s reappearance; her beautiful black hair and eyes could sink a whole fleet, never mind a single ship. 

Her bright, summery maid outfit looked great with her smooth, straight hair. 

And Lulu wasn’t the only one who’d emerged onto the deck. 

“Master, we have brought accompanying snacks as well, I report.” 

Nana, a buxom blonde, was carrying a basket full of potato chips in one hand, her eyes sparkling despite her usual expressionless face. 

Since she had acquired new functions in the elf village, her cup size seemed to have been enhanced as well. As a result, she was now an F-cup, despite not yet being a year old. I knew she was a man-made homunculus, but I was still surprised to find a bust size option in the cultivation tank menu. 

I imagined such sudden growth would probably be inconvenient for her, so I had restrained myself and selected the smallest increase option available. 

“Shall I place the table here, master?” 

“Yeah, that’s perfect. Thank you, Liza.” 

The redheaded Liza of the orangescale tribe produced a heavy-looking table from the large Fairy Pack. Aside from the orange scales on her neck and limbs and her reptilian tail, she looked just like an ordinary human. 

“Satou.” 

Mia, who’d been standing on the observation deck gazing wistfully at the harbor, jumped down toward me with her arms spread wide as I stood at the helm. 

Her pale-blue pigtails flew back in the wind, revealing her slightly pointed elf ears. 

I gently caught her in my arms. 

“Be careful, Mia. You could’ve gotten hurt.” 

“Mm. Trust.” 

She wrapped her arms around my neck, nuzzling my face as if she were a cat. 

Behind her, the finfolk—mermaids, really—were already out of sight. 

All that was visible was the World Tree, stretching up into space. Eradicating the jellyfish up there with Aaze the high elf already felt like it was a very long time ago. 

I remembered the three or so months we spent in the tree house after we brought Mia back home to Bolenan Forest. Hunting in the forest, shogi matches, the public bathhouse, the curry parties… We made so many fun memories there. 

But now, we’d departed from Bolenan Forest to travel to Labyrinth City by sea. 

A shriek from Arisa interrupted my fond reminiscing. 

“E-excuse me! Mia, what are you doing?!” 

Arisa charged over, pointing at us accusingly. 

“Guiltyyy?” 

“Guilty, sir.” 

Tama and Pochi looked at each other and imitated Mia’s usual ruling of choice, then ran over to us after Arisa. Unlike Arisa, who appeared furious, Tama and Pochi seemed to be having fun. 

“You’re being way too clingy!” 

“Mm. Spouse.” 

“That’s not true, and you know it!” 

Arisa attempted to drag Mia off me. 

Mia’s statement of “spouse” referred to the fact that I had given Mia a kiss on the forehead, not knowing that this was an elf custom of betrothal. 

Since I hadn’t realized what I was doing, it was null and void, but Mia was refusing to accept that. 

I figured she would give it up soon enough, so I’d decided not to scold her about the whole “spouse” thing. 

“Forget your forehead nonsense. I’ve kissed him right on the mouth!” 

“Mrrr. Satou…” 

Mia furrowed her brow. 

Arisa was probably referring to that first night after we met, when she’d snuck into my bedroom and attacked me. 

“Kiss.” 

Mia puckered her lips and leaned her face toward mine. 

Sorry, but I’m not interested in little girls. 

“Kiiiss?” 

“Mwah, sir!” 

“H-hey, you two, stop that!” 

Copying Mia, Tama and Pochi climbed up Arisa’s back to rain kisses on my forehead and cheeks. 

Arisa’s protests about being used as their stepping stool fell on deaf ears. 

Imitating them in turn, Mia stopped waiting and moved to plant a kiss on me herself. 

Drawn in by the younger crowd, even Nana and Lulu approached me. 

“Master, a kiss to affirm your affection, I request.” 

“Th-then I want one, too, please.” 

Nana’s expressionless face smacked against mine, while Lulu’s cheeks turned bright red as she placed a quick peck on my cheek near my lips. 

It had been a long time since we traveled without any extra company, so they were probably a little overexcited. 

Always the serious one, Liza stood at attention nearby, but it looked like she wanted to join in, too. 

“Liza?” I felt bad having her be the only one left out, so I called to her and pointed at my own cheek. 

“V-very well. If you’ll excuse my insolence…” 

Liza sounded unusually nervous as she leaned in to kiss my cheek, her ears turning bright red. 

I was assuming the ticklish little lick to my earlobe as she withdrew was some kind of orangescale tribe custom. 

Everyone in our small group had actually grown quite a bit during our stay in Bolenan Forest. 

Since they trained with our elf teachers, their battle abilities had gone up as well as their levels, all of which had now reached 20. If they were ordinary knights, they’d probably be strong enough to be squad leaders or commanding officers by now. The vanguard group members had all learned skills like “Blink” and “Body Strengthening,” so they were now stronger and more well-rounded than they were in the old capital. 

Unfortunately, Liza was still the only one who’d been able to learn “Spellblade.” But since it was a rare skill that even many knights of level 30 or higher couldn’t use, that was no one’s fault. 

As for the rearguard, Lulu learned the “Self-Defense” skill, and while Arisa and Mia didn’t pick up any new skills, their magic seemed to be strong enough to take care of street thugs without batting an eye. 

Mia learned some new Spirit Magic, and Arisa acquired a new Space Magic spell book. 

Nana’s Foundation abilities had reached around the level of intermediate Practical Magic, but since she didn’t gain any extra magic power, that part would depend on her future growth. 

I picked up some secret moves from the elves myself, so I could now forge very cool metals, such as mithril, also known as fairy silver; scarlet ore, a very strong and heat-resistant metal; true steel, the density of which could be adjusted with magic, making it potentially harder than diamond; true silver, which was highly conducive to magic and ideal for wands, staffs, or magic tools; and gods’ gold, a valuable all-purpose metal. 

Of course, creating any of these magic alloys required a great deal of magic power, as well as Holytree Stone, a precious substance also known as Philosopher’s Stone. 

Only a small amount of Holytree Stone was required to produce a comparatively large amount of metal. However, since only the elves and I had enough Holytree Stone to make such things in large quantities, I couldn’t really use it for our usual equipment and armor unless I wanted to cause a big scene. 

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

“Good question…” 

Arisa and the others were all smiles, possibly due to the lovefest from earlier. Arisa told me that she had sufficiently replenished her supply of “masterium.” 

The figurehead golem at the front of the ship, called a “Scarecrow,” took care of the steering and sails, so we’d laid out a blanket on the deck to relax. 

It was possible to steer the ship manually, too, but it seemed easier and safer to let the golem handle it. 

Incidentally, instead of the usual statue of a woman, our figurehead was in the shape of a penguin, per Mia’s adamant request. 

“…It would probably take a normal ship about a month,” I answered as I looked at the map. 

Airships aside, at a rate of around five to ten miles per hour, it would be best to assume it would take the better part of a month to get there. 

But that would be the case only if this were a normal ship. 

“Master! The color of the sea is different up ahead, I report.” 

Nana called out from the prow. 

Sure enough, there was an arc-shaped line dividing this part of the ocean from a differently colored section. 

According to the map, this was the end of the Bolenan Forest area. 

“The sky, toooo?” 

“It’s true, sir!” 

Tama and Pochi, who’d been running around the mast earlier, had climbed up at some point and were now in the lookout area. 

They probably simply wanted to try climbing the rope ladder from the deck. 

“So it is.” 

“I wonder why?” 

Looking at the water from the area between the foremast and the main mast, Arisa and Lulu seemed nervous. 

“Don’t worry. We’re just entering open water.” 

With that, I activated the ship’s monster-repellent feature. 

A magic circle of blue light surrounded the ship, like a Holy Stone. 

It was pretty flashy, but there was also a stealth mode in which it didn’t emit light, in case we were passing villages or traveling with other ships. The stealth mode also halved the range of the effect, however, so we generally wouldn’t be using it. 

“…It’s very pretty.” 

Lulu and the others gazed at the light in admiration. 

Finally, the ship reached the line where the color of the sea changed. 

“Barrier.” 

I nodded at Mia and instructed everyone to gather around. Everyone but the pair in the lookout crowded close to the helm, where there were safe seats with seat belts. 

“Master, look!” 

Nana grabbed my shoulder, pointing ahead of us. 

As the ship approached the line, the barrier above the water opened like a gate. 

Of course, it was transparent, so it was only possible to see it faintly with the help of the ship’s blue light. 

“Master, 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.” 

Our ship was buffeted about by the raging waves, strong even by ocean standards. 

Once we passed through the barrier, it closed soundlessly behind us. 

According to the map, this area was called the Fairies’ Lost Ocean. 

“Steady as she goooes?” 

“I believe ‘full speed ahead’ would be more accurate, I correct.” 

Tama had only mumbled the phrase while dangling her legs off the side of the lookout post, but Nana heard it through the speaking tube. 

Since the communication system on this ship used wind stones, voices came through very clearly. 

Incidentally, this ship didn’t have any oars or propellers with which to go “full speed ahead.” 

“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!” 

The top of the mast was swinging back and forth, so Pochi was flying into a panic, which led Liza to start panicking as well. This was a stark contrast to Tama, who was going with the flow as usual. 

Pochi and Tama had lifelines tied around their waists, and in the worst case, I could always catch them with Magic Hand, but Liza and Pochi were too alarmed to realize that. 

Lulu and Mia looked pale as they latched onto me. Arisa, who was hanging on to the handrail in front of the seats, wasn’t looking too thrilled, either. 

“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 all kinds of neat little gimmicks that would make even the stormiest waters a breeze to sail through. 

According to the elves, these fierce currents shouldn’t last too long. Besides… 

“…Huh? Part of the deck opened up.” 

“There’s a window on the side, toooo?” 

The cover opened with a steady clacking sound, followed by the hum of an engine. 

A feeling of weightlessness enveloped us, reducing the rocking of the waves. 

Just as the feeling disappeared completely, a teary-eyed Pochi slid down the rope ladder from the lookout post. 

Tama followed, and together they landed on the deck. 

“Floatyyy.” 

“Master, the ship is floating in the sky, I report.” 

“Wait, what? The sky?” 

Arisa voiced her surprise and ran to lean over the side of the ship. 

The other children followed suit, undoing their seat belts and scattering across the deck. 

“W-we’re flyiiiiing!” 

Yes, our vessel was a flying ship with a built-in skypower engine. 

Feeling a tad smug, I explained the workings of the ship to my bewildered companions. All they really understood was that “this ship has a really amazing magic device,” but they were all happy that the ship wouldn’t rock back and forth anymore, so that was good enough for me. 

Of course, being in the air also meant we wouldn’t be dealing with the resistance of the water, so we’d move at least ten miles per hour in ordinary wind; if we used Wind Magic, we could reach a cruising speed of almost forty miles per hour. In fact, with a teardrop-shaped Canopy spell, we could probably go sixty. 

That might be slow for an aircraft back on Earth, but considering that the destroyer ship Shimakaze was hailed for its speed of forty-five miles per hour, I’d say it was pretty impressive for a ship like ours. 

“Are we gonna go higher?” 

“We can go up to two hundred feet above the water.” 

This skypower engine was pretty low-output, so the ship couldn’t move through the air as freely as an airplane. 

“Go figure… Wait, you didn’t load it with a jet engine or anything, did you?” 

“No, of course not.” That caused me to grin. 

This was supposed to be a sailing ship, after all. 

A lot of empty space still remained, and the vessel had a standard mounter that could theoretically hold a big airship-style engine powered by Holytree Stone or jet propulsion, so I could easily make a magic device like that with the stocks I had in Storage. 

However, I wanted to prioritize making this look like a real sailing ship. I liked the image of sails catching the wind to propel the ship, whether it was real wind or Wind Magic. 

As I was discussing this with Arisa, Liza called out a warning from up ahead. 

“Master, it looks like the fog is rolling in.” 

Opening the map, I checked our position. 

There were no obstacles or monsters up ahead, so losing a bit of visibility shouldn’t be a big deal. 

…Hmm? 

Something felt a bit off just now. 

“Meowww?” 

Tama, sitting at the bow with her legs dangling, seemed to sense the same thing. Looking through the gaps in the sailcloth, I saw her ears flick back. 

All at once, the fog cleared and bright light shone down on us. 

The waves calmed somewhat, and even the temperature grew warm from the sun’s rays—grew pretty hot, in fact. 

Checking on my map, I saw that the area name had changed from Fairies’ Lost Ocean to Seadragon Islands. 

I selected “Search Entire Map” from the magic menu, gathering information about this new area. 

“Master, what happened?” 

“Don’t worry. The Bolenan elves’ magic sent us somewhere far away, that’s all.” 

This must be what they meant when they said the stormy seas wouldn’t last long. 

I explained the situation to Liza and the others. 

Since I hadn’t asked about the details, this was only my assumption, but I thought that must have been the Wandering Ocean spell that was in the elves’ spell book. 

So the Bolenan Forest was protected by a spell similar to the Wandering Forest spell that kept the old spriggan’s store hidden back in the old capital. 

“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.” 

Once I explained this, everyone finally looked relieved. 

This area passed around a large empty space on my map and connected to the Ougoch Duchy area. 

I needed to set more seal slates for the Return spell anyway, so we could go north along the Seadragon Islands, pass into Ougoch Duchy waters, and head west along the continent. 

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 of the area. 

There was, however, a huge amount of monsters called “sea serpents”: almost two thousand of them altogether, averaging level 30 with 40 being the max. There were a few called “deep sea serpents,” too, which were over level 50. 

There were plenty of monsters level 20 or under, but they all seemed to live on or near the islands. 

“It’s pretty hot, huh?” 

“Yes, it really is.” 

Now that they knew we weren’t in danger, Arisa and Lulu immediately noticed the area’s heat and started fanning themselves. 

“Why don’t I improve the ventilation a bit, then?” 

I operated the protective magic device that guarded us from the wind, setting it to let a certain amount of the breeze through. 

I’d had it completely cut off before so the wind wouldn’t whip everyone’s hair around. 

“Nice smell,” Mia murmured. 

“Now that’s refreshing!” 

“What a nice breeze.” 

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. 

“Shore-y” was probably Pochi’s take on the word seashore, which she heard before we left. 

Oh, right. I should probably also use the UV-cutting spell I made—I think I called it Sunlight Protection—so they don’t get sunburned. 

“Master, the sunlight has become softer, I report.” 

Nana picked up on the change and reported it to me with a serious expression, so I quickly explained that it was my magic. 

Liza was squinting into the breeze, but then her eyes widened and she turned to me. 

“Master, perhaps we should take more precautions to monitor our surroundings.” 

I nodded at Liza’s proposal. “Good idea. I’ll leave it to you.” 

Since we’d just entered a new area, maybe we would see something interesting. 

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

 

“A boat in the waterrr?” 

“She’s right, sir! There’s a big boat underwater, sir!” 

As we proceeded on our way 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 practically turned into dollar signs as she rushed to the side of the ship. 

I thought she might keep going right into the water. 

“Panicking is unsafe, I warn.” 

“Mm. Danger.” 

Nana and Mia quickly attempted to calm Arisa. 

“Master, it appears to be a large bluish ship.” 

Standing next to Liza, I peered down into the water as well. 

Beneath the sparkling sunlight bouncing off the waves, I could see an enormous ship below. 

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.” 

It was difficult to gauge the distance due to the refraction of light through the water, so I opened my map to find out the details. 

In terms of displacement, the sunken ship was probably ten times the size of ours. Its upper deck was about three hundred feet deep. 

Surprisingly, the AR display showed that the hull was made of blue adamantite—the same alloy as Hayato the Hero’s Holy Armor. 

If I’d found this before I went to the elf village, I probably would’ve been thrilled, but now that I could make it myself, it was nothing but an expensive treasure. 

The easiest solution would be to reach down with my Magic Hand and put it straight into Storage, but the idea of exploring a sunken ship did sound like fun. 

Luckily, there weren’t any monsters nearby that were lethally poisonous or strong enough to be a threat to my companions. The only possible sources of harm were creatures with weak poison, like scorpion fish and jellyfish, or biting fish like moray eels and sea snakes. 

“All right! Let’s explore the sunken ship!” 

Everyone cheered in agreement. 

Not wanting to damage our equipment in the water, I opted for void suits instead of swimsuits. I would’ve enjoyed seeing the likes of Nana and Lulu in swimsuits, but I had to prioritize their safety. 

“Scarecrow, activate Dimension Anchor.” 

On my command, the ship came to a halt with a mechanical clank. 

I didn’t want the ship to get carried away by the wind while we were getting ready, which was why I had the figurehead golem take care of it. 

Dimension Anchor was a simplified, more magic-efficient version of the Space Magic spell Dimension Pile, which supported the World Tree. 

“The sexy Arisa is ready for her close-up!” 

“Mm. Sexy.” 

Arisa and Mia emerged from the cabin, wearing void suits resembling futuristic leotards. 

The void suits were normally worn with full-face helmets, but since those would float and prevent us from sinking properly, I’d chosen goggles instead. 

“So smooth, sir.” 

“Master, submit your appraisal, I request.” 

The other girls came out soon after. 

“You all look great.” 

Lulu seemed to be embarrassed by the clingy wet suit. Her cheeks were bright red, and she was fidgeting bashfully, which was very cute. 

“Lulu, do you want to wear this over it?” 

I felt bad leaving her like that, so I offered her a cardigan made out of the waterfeather cloth used by the finfolk. 

“Th-thank you.” 

I was sure Nana’s bust looked amazing in her suit, too, but the iron-wall pair of Arisa and Mia blocked me from seeing her. They’d forced her to wear a waterfeather cloth shirt, so sadly, I wasn’t able to confirm with my own eyes. 

I wished they’d at least let me get a glimpse before they did that. 

“Mia, once everyone’s gathered together, please cast Aqua Walk over the area.” 

“Mm.” 

Mia nodded and started chanting. 

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, it was a pretty convenient invention. 

As Mia finished her chant, I also 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 down at the sunken ship. 

Taking a look myself, I noticed the cloth attached to the ship’s mast was undulating gently in the water. 

Oops, that was close. I forgot to check the current. 

“Nana, can you cast Mana Light on this coin?” 

“Yes, master.” 

I produced a large copper coin, had Nana light it up with Foundation, and tossed it into the sea. At first the coin sank slowly, but then partway down, it was suddenly whisked away. 

“Huh, so the current gets faster in that area.” 

Watching the coin vanish, Arisa sounded impressed. 

If Tama and Pochi hadn’t noticed, that could’ve been pretty dangerous. 

“Guess we had better attach lifelines.” 

If I used the Practical Magic spell Magic Hand to hold the lifelines, it would probably be even more secure, but I showed everyone how to tie lifelines in case they ever needed to do it when I wasn’t around. 

“Here we go.” 

Using Magic Hand, I lowered everyone into the water. Then I hopped down myself with “Skyrunning,” and together we all sank into 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 since I could use “Skyrunning” underwater, it was no problem. 

We kept sinking past the thirty-foot mark, and my ears didn’t pop in the slightest. Magic really was convenient. 

Finally, we reached the mast, which was broken in the middle. 

I was a little concerned about what could possibly break a thick adamantite mast. 

“Maaast?” 

It was hard to hear speech when it was mingled with the sound of bubbles, so I adjusted for it in my mind with my menu. 

“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. Maybe the fast currents cleaned away the dirt and salt. 

“Master, 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. 

…That’s a pretty clean cut. 

Again, I was a bit worried about what might have cut the adamantite hull so cleanly, but it occurred to me that a Holy Sword or my “Spellblade” could do the same thing, as well as a highly concentrated Laser, so I decided not to think about it too much. 

I probably wouldn’t be able to figure it out anyway, so I just made a note of it in my memo tab. 

“It’s darker than I expected.” 

Lulu sounded nervous, so I handed her a pocket Mana Light made out of light stone. 

While I was at it, I had Nana put Mana Light on each person’s head. 

It wound up looking like the headlamps used by search parties. 

“Let’s explore the ship’s hold first!” 

“Aye-aaaye!” 

“Yes, sir!” 

“Mm. Onward.” 

Arisa led the younger crew farther into the ship. 

Since we were underwater, I’d given Tama and Pochi harpoons made from land urchin spines. Even Liza, who normally refused to give up her Magic Cricket Spear under any circumstances, was using a similar harpoon so that her beloved weapon wouldn’t be damaged by the seawater. 

Lulu, Nana, and I followed behind Arisa and company, and Liza was bringing up the rear. 

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

“That’s a pretty tall order…” 

Tama and Pochi were pulling it off pretty easily, but it seemed to be more difficult for Arisa and Mia. I used the Practical Magic spell Pure Water to clear away the dirt that was floating in the hallway. 

“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. 

Come to think of it, when I used Pure Water to help make an open-air bath back at the big river in the Ougoch Duchy, it did crystallize all the impurities. Maybe it had cleared away the salt of the seawater along with the sediment. 

After we were done exploring the ship, I’d have to figure out if I could use Pure Water to separate seawater into fresh water and salt. 

I had plenty of clean water and my Well Bag in Storage, so we wouldn’t have any shortage of drinking water, but the idea piqued my curiosity. 

“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 adamantite hull scattered about and occasional places where rusted metal pipes ran along the walls and ceiling. 

Most of them broke off partway through, leaving a mountain of rust fragments. I didn’t see a single thing made of wood. 

Contrary to what I’d assumed because it looked relatively clean from the outside, this ship must have actually sunk quite a long time ago. 

“A jaaar?” 

“It’s sparkly and gold, sir.” 

“What do you suppose it is?” 

“Vase?” 

The younger crew had found something in the corner of the hallway. 

“Octopuuus?” 

“The octopus is attacking, sir!” 

“Eek, don’t wave that harpoon around!” 

“Mm, danger.” 

They seemed to have agitated an octopus that was living in the golden vase, which 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. 

I used the Practical Magic spell Pure Water to clear up the ink. 

After a few similar incidents, we arrived at 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, there were 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.” 

Maybe there was some kind of anti-shellfish magic device or rune built into the ship itself. 

“Master, I have located a treasury over here, I report.” 

“There’s an armory inside, too, master.” 

Since there wasn’t much point in looking at rusted armor, I went to see the treasury Nana had found before checking out the armory Liza had discovered. 

“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.” 

Lulu giggled. “It is quite dazzling, isn’t it?” 

Pochi tried to rub her eyes over her goggles, but Lulu stopped her with a hug. 

The gold ingots, ceramics, and so on were one thing, but how were these sculptures and paintings still intact? 

“Fixed?” Mia murmured thoughtfully. 

She was right. The treasure in the room was protected with the Fixify spell. 

Fixify was a Practical Magic spell that put things in a “Fixed” state by covering them with a transparent shell. It was essentially a magic vacuum, so it was used to protect things like artwork and precious metals. 

Even our ship had been Fixed in the hangar of the World Tree for long-term storage. 

“Fixed? …I wonder if the ship’s power source is still functioning, then?” 

Arisa muttered a very interesting remark. 

Using my “Magic Power Vision” skill, I checked the air around us. It was so faint that it was barely visible, but there was definitely magic power circulating through the adamantite walls and floor. 

The magic hearth aboard the ship was definitely out of order, so it must have been some kind of backup electricity-like magic preservation system providing the power. 

“Everyone, gather around!” 

Disturbing things would break the Fixify spell, so I gathered everyone in one place to prevent them from touching things too much. The money and gold weren’t that big of a deal, but I didn’t want the art to get ruined by seawater. 

“…So, don’t move anything, okay? I’ll collect it all later.” 

“Master, I have already moved something. I apologize.” 

“I’m sorry, sir.” 

Nana and Pochi had already tried to pick up some treasure, breaking the Fixify spell on it. 

“Just a little bit isn’t a big deal. We can fix it up on the ship.” 

I gave them a reassuring smile to ease their worries. 

Next, we went to the armory deeper in the hold. 

There were some thick, disposable berserker-style weapons, tons of Small Magic Cannons, and ten or so bigger cannons on wheels. 

These, too, were intact thanks to 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.” 

The fort Liza was referring to was the former haunted house that was now technically my personal villa. 

Liza’s assessment that these Small Magic Cannons were similar was probably correct. Maybe this ship was a product of the same ancient magical culture that made the Magic Cannon. 

“Aren’t there any staves or armor?” 

“Maybe they’re in those boxes?” Lulu suggested. 

She was pointing at a stack of 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. 

Once we’d finished looking around the ship’s hold, we moved on to the captain’s quarters. 

There were a few minor incidents along the way, but we arrived without any serious injuries. Once or twice, there was an accidental slip that might’ve been brought on by some lecherous god, but for the sake of Nana’s and Lulu’s honor, I’ll keep that close to my chest. 

“It’s a door!” 

“Gaaap?” 

“Pochi can fit through this, sir.” 

The captain’s door was warped on its hinges, but Pochi was able to push herself through. 

Tama was starting to follow after her when Pochi returned in alarm, so their heads smacked into each other. 

“Owwwiiie?” 

Tama rubbed her head, but since I’d cast Enchant: Physical Protection on everyone, there shouldn’t have been any pain. She’d probably said “Owie” on reflex. 

“This is bad! This is super, super bad, sir!” 

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

“Calm down, Pochi.” 

“I’m totally calm, sir! Listen to this, sir!” 

Brushing off Liza, Pochi ran up to me urgently. 

“Master, 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!” 

Patting Pochi’s head, I checked the captain’s quarters on the radar. 

Sure enough, there was now a white dot in there, indicating a nonaggressive presence. 

According to the information on the map, it was the ghost of the captain of this sunken ship. 

He hadn’t been there when I checked the map before we dove in or when we first entered this ship, but thinking back, I remembered that the ghosts we saw in the Muno Barony had abruptly appeared at sunset, too. 

I guess that’s just how ghosts are. 

I’m not a fan of horror or thrillers, but I didn’t want to endanger my comrades by sending them in to face an unknown ghost, so I went in alone. 

Inside the room was a semitransparent man clad in a flashy military uniform. This must be the ghost, then. For now, we’ll call him “Captain Ghost.” 

There was a massive hole in the ceiling of the captain’s quarters, and the windows were still open, allowing a light current into the room. 

“?” 

> Skill Acquired: “Ancient Language” 

I promptly allocated some points to the “Ancient Language” skill and activated it. 

“<…They’ve already caught up to us?!>” 

Captain Ghost completely ignored me, talking to himself like an actor giving a soliloquy. 

“<Damn them—those wicked skyfolk…!>” 

Captain Ghost looked up at the sky and cried out resentfully. 

I wonder why his form keeps blurring like that? 

“<So even the high-speed battleship we stole from them can’t outmatch the mobility of their floating ships…>” 

The ghost strode toward the window. 

Evidently, this ship had been stolen from Captain Ghost’s adversaries. 

“<Impossible! Nunulie?! They’re even using the floating castles to chase us down!>” 

Captain Ghost was looking out the window, but of course there was nothing there. 

I thought this must be a memory of the moment he died. 

“<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 Captain Ghost gave this final cry of despair, he vanished, leaving behind a faint misty effect. 

Curious, I searched the map for this “Coffin” thing, but there wasn’t anything of the sort in the area. 

Remembering the damage I saw when we first arrived at the ship, I considered the captain’s words. 

This “Divine Wrath Cannon” must have been what sliced through the ship’s adamantite alloy so cleanly. 

I didn’t know if that weapon still existed, but if it did, I doubted our little flying ship could withstand it. 

I would prefer to keep a thing like that as far away from us as possible. 

“<…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…>” 

Upon turning around, I noticed that Captain Ghost had reappeared in the same spot as before. 

Exactly like before, he would occasionally become blurry, rendering his words unintelligible. 

Before long, he came back to a familiar phrase. 

“<…They’ve already caught up to us?!>” 

It looked like Captain Ghost was in an endless loop, repeating the same moment over and over. 

I tried talking to him a few times, but he didn’t respond. 

“Sounds like he’s stuck haunting this place.” 

When I poked my head out to update the rest of the group, Arisa made an interesting comment about Captain Ghost. 

“You’re right. Maybe we can help him pass on.” 

“Here’s a Holy Stone, master.” 

Lulu handed me a Holy Stone that had been hanging off her belt. 

She must have brought it along for the sunken ship exploration, just in case. 

After thanking her, I poured some magical energy into the Holy Stone and used it to exorcise Captain Ghost’s spirit. 

As he disappeared, I could’ve sworn I heard him murmur something. 

“<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. 

He never did acknowledge me, but since he seemed to have passed on now, that was good enough for me. 

We waited a moment to make sure he didn’t reappear, then went back to exploring the sunken ship. 

“Master, 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. 

I was sure she was thinking of a similar situation we’d encountered back in the labyrinth under Seiryuu City. 

However, Tama grabbed her tail and stopped her. 

“It’s a traaap?” 

Evidently, there was a dangerous trap in the hidden room. 

My “Sense Danger” and “Trap Detection” skills both reacted just as Tama spoke. 

“Can you disarm it?” Arisa asked me. 

I nodded. “I think so, but…” 

I didn’t want to risk messing it up and putting everyone in danger. 

“…I’d better not. There’s an easier solution, so I’ll get everything out that way.” 

My statement piqued everyone’s curiosity, so I ended up having to show them my trick several times during the remaining exploration. 

Once I brought everyone back up to the flying ship, I put the entire sunken ship in Storage. 

If I’d done it while we were still in the water, we might’ve gotten sucked into the space where the ship was and drowned. 

> Title Acquired: Salvager 

> Title Acquired: Treasure Seeker 

> Title Acquired: Sunken Ship Explorer 

Looking at my log, I saw that I’d gained a few titles when I stored the ship. 

Treasure Seeker seemed like one I should’ve already had by now, but it wasn’t like it had any special benefits or anything, so I’d just ignore that. 

“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.” 

Before we left the elf village, I’d let them see me store fresh food in Storage, so everyone but Arisa seemed satisfied with the explanation. 

“A whole ship… Your powers are always so broken.” 

My only response was a shrug. 

As a precaution, I warned everyone not to tell anyone what I did with the ship, especially Tama and Pochi. 

“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. This seemed like another one of Arisa’s weird jokes, so I didn’t bother asking about 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 that it had been at the peak of a large mountain underwater. 

Even with my “Night Vision” skill, I couldn’t see to the bottom, and it appeared to overlap into a different area on the map. 

With all that water pressure, I doubted some monster would suddenly come zooming up from the depths to attack; still, it would be stressful to be on guard against a surprise attack all the time, so I decided to do a little investigating. 

Leaving everyone else on the ship, I dove back into the ocean, used “Search Entire Map,” and resurfaced. 

At some point, I left the range of Mia’s Spirit Magic protection, so the water pressure was a little bit of a pain. 

I didn’t want to have to do that every time, so I decided to avoid sailing over deep waters whenever possible. 

“I’m back.” 

“Welcome back, master.” 

Arisa handed me some cool carbonated water to quench my thirst. 

On the deck, the group had 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 laboring away to unstick the shellfish, while Tama was intently polishing the coins they’d already taken care of. 

“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 jewelry over to Mia, who began a Spirit Magic chant. 

Lulu was spreading the polished coins out on a cloth so that they would dry in the sun. 

“Well, let’s look at the rest of our spoils.” 

I lined up some treasure boxes, and together we opened them one by one. I’d already confirmed in Storage that none of them contained traps or poison. 

We placed artwork, sheet music, and other things that might be damaged by the sun in the shadow of the sails. In order to prevent the wind from blowing them away, I blocked the outside air again and used an Air-Conditioning spell. 

“Whoa! Look at all these gold coins!” 

“Pretty jewels.” 

Arisa and Mia delightedly held up fistfuls of treasure. 

Since they’d been magically Fixed, the contents of the treasure boxes were perfectly clean. 

“Tama and Pochi, you can go look through everything, too.” 

The two of them had been looking up at me and fidgeting, so they were probably waiting for permission. 

“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!” 

Thus, we began peacefully sorting through our loot. 

“Sheet music?” 

“Those must be very old songs.” 

At that, Mia immediately began to read the sheet music with a serious face. 

Evidently, the elves were the ones who had spread sheet music methods to other cultures, so they could read scores from anywhere at all. 

“What a beautiful necklace.” 

Lulu was staring longingly at a string of large pearls. 

“We must find something even cuter, I propose.” 

Nana rummaged through the jewelry boxes, more interested in cuteness than 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.” 

You checked all of them already? That was fast, Liza. 

Were there not any bowstrings, either? 

I picked up one of the unstrung bows. 

“Oh!” 

I felt a tiny amount of my magic power being sucked into the bow, like when I pulled the trigger on a Magic Gun, and the bow transformed so that it now had a transparent bowstring. Clearly, it was a Magic Bow. 

When I pulled the string back, I felt a little more magic get siphoned away, and a transparent arrow appeared just like the bowstring. 

Judging by the feel of the bow, it was probably made cheaply with Practical Magic. 

“Hmm? It doesn’t take much strength to draw the string back, does it?” 

Apparently, even the physically inept Arisa could use these Magic Bows. 

“Gravity doesn’t seem to affect it, but it’s not easy to hit a target with, either. And it consumes a lot of magic power, too.” After a test fire, Arisa shared her thoughts. “It seems to be about as strong as Nana’s Foundation spears.” 

“Yes, master.” 

If it was as strong as Nana’s spears, that meant it was stronger than our Fire Rods and Thunder Rods. 

There were around fifty of these Magic Bows, so I decided to at least have Mia and Arisa take one each for now. 

“What do you think these are?” 

The rapiers were magical, too, but putting magic power into them only made them sparkle pointlessly, so they weren’t very useful weapons. 

When I gave one a swing, it let out a science-fiction-y vwoom sound effect and left traces of light in the air like an effect from an action game. 

“It’s like a Mementaider Rangers toy.” 

“So cooool?” 

“Awesome, sir!” 

The sparkling swords were a huge hit with the kids, who were waving them around and striking ridiculous poses. 

There were tons of these toy swords, too, so I let them put one each in their Fairy Packs. 

“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 in front of the ring and started producing stalagmites, which shot toward me so forcefully, they could’ve stabbed right through my buckler. 

“It takes up all my magic, so it wouldn’t be very easy to use.” 

Arisa handed me the ring, so I inspected it. 

As far as I could tell, it could be charged with magic power in advance and would then steal exactly enough magic from the user to pull the trigger when activated. 

If even Arisa, who had more magic power than most people, had all her magic used up just to trigger the effect, it must be a stunningly inefficient magic tool. 

Once Arisa and the others’ levels were higher, maybe they could carry them as an emergency self-defense measure. 

The other kids 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 150 feet and were almost as strong as a normal Icicle spell. 

Wearing multiple rings at once seemed to cause them to interfere with one another and make the effects difficult to produce. I was able to wear ten rings and activate them all at once, but that was probably because of my “Magic Manipulation” skill. 

There were a lot of other rings, too, but no translation or underwater movement rings. 

“Aren’t there any spell books?” 

Arisa sounded hopeful, but I had to shake my head. 

“There are maps of both land and sea, and reports on some magic tools, but no spell books.” 

The maps covered a wider expanse than the one I had, but many of the major borders and place names were different. 

The only ones that looked the same were the Valley of Dragons and elf territories like Bolenan Forest. 

“What do you think these different-colored dotted lines on the sea map mean?” 

“It says Nunulie, Nenelier, and so on.” 

If what Captain Ghost said was true, then these were probably the routes of the floating castles. 

“Isn’t Nenelier the place those ancient manuscripts you got at the dark auction came from?” 

Arisa’s words jogged my memory. There hadn’t been anyone in the old capital who could read Ancient Language, so I had been planning to ask in the elf village, but I completely forgot. 

Since I’d picked up the “Ancient Language” skill in the sunken ship, I could finally read those manuscripts later. 

Suddenly, an adorable growl rumbled from Arisa’s tummy. 

I guess it’s just about lunchtime. 

“Ahhh, that was some really good 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 other kids were patting their stomachs in satisfaction and dozing off on the mat we’d spread out on the deck. Mia hadn’t finished her octopus, but Tama and Pochi were happy to eat it for her. 

“The fish was good, too.” 

Lulu smiled happily, letting out a little sigh of contentment. 

The takoyaki alone wouldn’t have been enough food, so we boiled and grilled some of the scorpion fish, greenling, and other fish we’d caught in the sunken ship. 

“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.” 

The other kids chimed in eagerly as well. 

Arisa was the only one who knew what sushi was, but they must have figured it was some kind of delicious food. 

Well, I’m pretty full now, so maybe I’ll try to work this off a little. 

“What’s up, master?” 

“I thought I’d test out the thing we found in the ship’s hold.” 

As I responded, I stood over the water with “Skyrunning” and pulled out the Small Magic Cannon. 

Despite being “Small,” it was a full size bigger than the disposable berserker cannons. It was in good shape thanks to Fixify, so I needed to give it only a quick inspection. 

Once I’d distanced myself from the ship by a few dozen feet, I started setting up targets for the cannon. 

I activated eight Flexible Shields about four hundred feet away from me, lined up on top of one another. Layered like this, they could withstand even the black dragon Hei Long’s breath attack, so they should work just fine as a target. 

“I’m firing now,” I called back toward the ship, and then I loaded the Small Magic Cannon with magic power. 

A red conducting line extended from the muzzle of the cannon, and magic circles began to form around it. 

“Kind of looks like a cutscene from a fantasy game.” 

Suddenly, an unstable light started crackling along the line and the circles. 

Uh-oh. 

Just as I pulled the trigger, “Sense Danger” activated, and I produced Flexible Shields in front of myself as well. 

In the next moment, a flash of light dyed the ocean waves white. 

The sound of the explosion tore through the air. It was so loud, it nearly knocked me off my feet. 

After a few seconds, the flash faded, and my “Light Intensity Adjustment” skill restored my vision. 

More than half of my Flexible Shields still remained, but the excess energy of the Small Magic Cannon had carved a path through the waves along a distance of more than half a mile. 

Water went flying in every direction as it evaporated, and more seawater poured in to fill the gap the cannon had made. 

“Hot!” 

I used Wind Magic to fend off the wave of heat that came toward me. 

I returned the now-melted ruins of the Small Magic Cannon to Storage and headed back toward the ship, leaving the raging sea and the cloud of hot vapor behind me. 

“Looks like I used a bit too much magic.” 

Clearly, this weapon had similar properties to the magically overcharged Holy Arrows I’d used to defeat that demon lord; the cannonballs were made from monster cores, so they could be charged up with magic to create enormous destructive power. 

If done normally, it shouldn’t cause the weapon to collapse like the Holy Armor, but I guess I didn’t fully understand how that worked. 

Luckily, I still had thirty-one Small Magic Cannons left to use for research, so I decided to take one apart and examine it next time I had a free moment. 

If I really couldn’t figure it out, maybe I could even ask the research-loving elves of the Bulainan and Beliunan clans for help. 

“No more craziness, okay?” 

“Mm. Repent.” 

Arisa and Mia scolded me when I got back to the ship. 

“Sorry, sorry.” 

I’d gotten so distracted by the mesmerizing sight of the cannon activating that I had forgotten to adjust how much magic I was putting into it, so I really had no excuse. 

When I test-fired another cannon with the proper amount of magic later, the red line and magic circles still appeared, but there was no strange crackling this time, and it fired a steady shot. 

Using the rapid-fire function caused the cannon to overheat, so it seemed to require a cooldown time after a few shots. 

Firing it with a cannonball overloaded with magic power produced about half the strength of Hei Long’s breath attack, while firing it the normal way was about a tenth. Regardless, it was so powerful that it wouldn’t be easy to use. 

My intermediate Light Magic spell Laser was a lot easier to focus and control, so even with less range, it was probably still more user-friendly than the Small Magic Cannons. 

Concerning the experiment I’d thought of in the sunken ship regarding whether I could use Pure Water to turn salt water into fresh water, it turned out that I could produce completely salt-free drinking water and mineral-rich salt particles. Not only that, but I could do a whole barrelful of it in one go. 

The results were better than I expected, but it was still faster to use the Well Bag or put magic into a water stone if we needed fresh water, so I probably wouldn’t get a chance to use it very often. 

According to my spell books, even a veteran Practical Magic user could produce only slightly less salty water with that technique. 

 

“Master, unidentified object discovered above the seas ahead, I report.” 

“What is it? A UMA?” 

My AR revealed that the flashing light Nana was pointing at was actually the back of a sea serpent monster, not an unidentified mysterious animal. 

Maybe it was investigating the commotion I’d caused with the Small Magic Cannon? 

“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.” 

As Arisa and I chatted, the sea serpent raised its head above the waves and shot a ball of water at us. 

Its range was a lot longer than I expected: It flew more than three hundred feet. 

“Master, allow me to take care of this, I exclaim!” 

A magic circle glowed on Nana’s forehead, creating two transparent shields in front of her. It was a similar technique to the intermediate Practical Magic spell Flexible Shield, which I often used. 

Nana’s shields successfully intercepted the blob of liquid, but as soon as it hit, both shield and liquid went up in a puff of white smoke. 

Stealthily, I created a few Flexible Shields of my own beneath the ship itself. 

“Looks like those blobs aren’t just made of water. They’re globules of acid.” 

“Yikes, no thank you.” 

I had to agree with Arisa. I didn’t want to see any of my friends get a nasty chemical burn. 

“Fire.” 

Mia took aim and fired with the Fairy Bow she’d brought from home, but her arrow was blocked by a wall of water that appeared around the sea serpent. 

“Mrrr.” Mia scowled. 

“Master, I am running low on shields. Requesting backup.” 

“All right. I’ll take over.” 

I switched into Nana’s defensive position and used a Light Magic Laser on the sea serpent, which was still firing at us from far away. 

The Laser pierced right through the wall of water and obliterated the sea serpent with ease. I guess intermediate magic might’ve been overkill. 

The sea serpent’s blood began to dye the water red. 

Immediately, most of the other sea serpents on the map began making their way over to us. Like sharks, they could probably smell blood from a long distance away. 

Of course, the school of them traveling along the southern tip of the area didn’t react. 

“Scarecrow, bring the ship back a thousand feet. Stand by at maximum altitude. Engage evasive maneuvers as needed.” 

I gave some instructions to the ship’s golem. 

Sadly, it couldn’t respond out loud, so the only confirmation was text that appeared in my log. Next time I had a chance, I would have to add a magic-propelled steam whistle or something. 

“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.” 

Hmm? By “teachers,” they must mean the elf instructors, but what was “powelling”? 

“You weren’t there at the time, master? Hiya and the other elf teachers told us not to use power leveling. They said it doesn’t make you stronger because you won’t learn how to use your skills properly.” 

Arisa stepped in to explain. 

That was strange. The beastfolk girls had been power leveling with my help from the beginning, and they seemed stronger than soldiers and such around their same level, but… 

Well, all right, then. I think it probably varies based on the individual, but if this advice is coming from the long-lived elves, it’s probably in our best interest to listen. 

Besides, there’d be plenty of enemies for leveling up once we reach Labyrinth City. 

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

The group all shouted confident affirmatives, so I left the ship feeling reassured. 

Using “Skyrunning,” I made my way over to the area above the dead sea serpent and added more monster blood that couldn’t be used for potions to the mix. 

Reaching an insane speed of nearly ninety miles per hour, the swarm of sea serpents arrived, promptly tearing into the dead one floating on the waves. 

I guess sea serpents don’t have a problem with cannibalism. 

The monsters were completely focused on their meal, paying no attention to me floating above them. 

Taking a closer look, I realized that their heads looked more like that of an eel than a snake. If it weren’t for the sharp fangs peeking out of their mouths, they might just look like giant eels. 

I was willing to bet they’d be delicious, so I took extra precautions to not damage the meat with my attack. 

Picking serpents at random, I caught them with Magic Hand, lopped off their heads with a “Spellblade”-infused fairy sword, and put the corpses away in Storage. 

I was able to get through about half their number that way, but when the sea serpents ran out of meat, they all started firing acid attacks at me. 

Using “Skyrunning” and “Flashrunning” to avoid the attacks, I flipped acrobatically into the middle of the swarm. 

At first, I continued cutting off their heads with my fairy sword, but that started to become a pain in the heat of battle, so I wound up putting “Spellblade” directly on my hands and fighting them off that way. 

It wasn’t the most efficient use of magic power, but considering how much I had to spare, it wasn’t a huge deal. 

As I cut the sea serpents down, I quickly put the bodies in Storage one after another to ensure they weren’t picked off by the others. 

“…Ooh. It’s time for the big game now, huh?” 

A level-56 deep sea serpent emerged from the depths, gaping its enormous maw. 

It seemed intent on swallowing me, so I hopped right into its mouth, then spun my entire body—sword in hand—and cut off its head from the inside. 

A few more deep sea serpents attacked us, so I hunted each of them down. Finally, the last few sea serpents fled the scene, and the battle was won. 

I didn’t want to leave the sea in such a state, so I stored away the bloodiest parts of the water in Storage until it had thinned out to a reasonable level before returning to the ship. 

“You’re as overpowered as ever.” 

I shrugged at Arisa, then handed Lulu a big slice of sea serpent that I’d removed the blood from during battle. 

I’d had my spirit light on full blast, so the dangerous miasma in the meat should have been thinned out to a safe level. 

“It doesn’t seem to be poisonous. Want to try cooking a sample?” 

“Of course! Shall I broil it in soy sauce?” 

Lulu already had a mithril kitchen knife in hand. 

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

With that, I retreated to the captain’s quarters on the poop deck to change clothes. 

I’d used Practical Magic to clean off the grime and seawater from the battle, but changing into fresh clothes just makes one feel cleaner. 

“Smells good.” 

“Aye-aaaye!” 

“Sniffing it makes me feel all floaty, sir.” 

When I returned to the deck, Lulu was cooking on the oven magic tool, and Tama and Pochi were hovering around drooling. The other kids looked eager to try it, too. 

“Master, could you taste it first, please?” 

“Thank you, Lulu.” 

I started with the plain grilled piece. 

First, a bite with some salt… Yep, it was delicious. Its large size notwithstanding, it tasted similar to a conger eel. Lulu had removed the small bones carefully, so it was a breeze to eat. 

Next, I added a bit of lemon and took another bite. 

Mm. This would go perfectly with some dry sake. 

Finally, I tried a piece that had been broiled in soy sauce with a thick sauce on the side. The sweet dipping sauce beautifully complemented the light, flaky flesh. If there were white rice to go with it, I’d probably eat so much, I wouldn’t be able to move. 

“It’s delicious, Lulu.” 

“Thank you very much!” 

Lulu’s beaming smile could have made a field of flowers bloom. 

“The rest of you should try this, too.” 

At that, the girls all scrambled to get a taste of the broiled sea serpent. 

Even Mia, who didn’t generally like meat, seemed to enjoy the plain grilled fish with lemon. 

Guess we’ll have sea serpent for dinner tonight. 

A good majority of the sea serpent’s body was edible, so even if we grilled, broiled, or fried it every night, it would probably take half a month just to get through a single one. Its head might taste good broiled, too, so I’d have to try that sometime. 

“Tweeelve ships?” 

“Thirteen, sir.” 

“Reeeally?” 

I heard Tama and Pochi conversing on the lookout post. They were probably counting the number of sunken ships I’d recently collected. 

We were heading north along the archipelagos, picking up sunken ships as we went. 

We’d had our fill of sunken-ship exploring with the first one, so each time we found another, I just put it into Storage with no questions asked. 

In this area, we were finding one every couple of miles, but there seemed to be even more of them up ahead. 

“Another wooden one, huh?” Arisa murmured. 

“Approximately twenty percent have been metal, I inform.” 

Aside from the adamantite battleship we first found, we’d come upon only two metal ships, both mithril-alloy magic destroyers from the Flue Empire. 

The rest were all wooden, mostly Shiga Kingdom carracks and jib-sailed caravels, with the occasional galley ship of unknown origin. 

All of them were huge ships, ranging from three hundred to five hundred tons of displacement, and most were equipped with Magic Guns of various sizes, Foundation spear launchers, and so on, with about half of them having a Magic Furnace as well. 

Most of the Magic Furnaces could probably be used with a bit of repairs, but they wouldn’t be nearly as powerful as my Holytree Stone magic power sources despite being bigger, so they would probably just stay in Storage. 

“All right, I think that should do it.” 

Since I had the time, I was fiddling with one of the Small Magic Guns that had been Fixed in Storage to make it usable again. 

The Foundation spear launchers looked sort of like harpoon guns, but none of them had been Fixed, so I would have to do some maintenance over the next few days before we could test one out. 

“I wish to test fire it, I request.” 

“Sure. Aim for that rock over there.” 

I stabilized the ship and let Nana try out the Magic Gun. 

A bigger version of this was frequently used in Seiryuu City’s anti-dragon towers. It was like the weapon equivalent of a Fire or Thunder Rod. 

Normally, it would be supplied with magic power from a City Core or Magic Furnace, but this ship’s Holytree Stone engine didn’t produce much extra magic, so I was supplying the magic myself. I hadn’t overloaded it this time, so it should be fine. 

If we were going to use weapons aboard this ship, it might be better to trade out the Holytree Stone engine for a bigger one after all. 

“Firing now, I declare.” 

Nana pulled the trigger. 

The blast that roared from the muzzle looked like an average mage’s fireball made much bigger. It hit the water near the rock, sending up a huge splash. 

Though their names were similar, the Small Magic Gun seemed to be much less powerful than the Small Magic Cannon. 

“Huh, that’s stronger than I expected.” 

“About five times the strength of a Fire Rod, perhaps?” 

“Little more.” 

Mia’s guess was probably correct. To be precise, I would say it was about seven times stronger. 

“Rapid-fire is also possible, I report.” 

Nana fired five more times, after which the body of the gun became rather hot, so I had her stop the test. 

“Perhaps we could use it to dispose of monsters on our travels?” 

“…Th-this isn’t going to work. Maybe if it got its magic power supply from the ship, though.” 

While Nana was testing, Arisa had attempted to charge another one with magic power, but she threw in the towel. 

Evidently, this wasn’t the kind of weapon that any normal individual could fire multiple times in a row. 

Since this ship didn’t have a Magic Furnace, I’d equipped it with something like the magic collection device I’d learned about in the elf village. 

Incidentally, my salvaging also turned up a special Garage Bag that could also transport living things, Flying Shoes and a wooden Pegasus like the hero Hayato’s party had, and other such valuable magic tools. 

The Garage Bag that could carry living things didn’t seem to have solved the issues that the elves had told me about, so I would have to be very careful about using it. It must have been used as a pet carrier originally, since I found the bones of a small animal inside. 

 

“A rooock?” 

“It’s an island, sir!” 

Back up in the lookout post, Pochi had a longscope in hand. 

The biggest of the Seadragon Islands must have come into view. 

Before long, we were close enough that the island could be seen with the naked eye even from the deck. 

“Hey, doesn’t that look more like a sideways city than a rock?” 

Just as Arisa said, the large rock in the center of the island almost looked like a city that had fallen from the sky. 

That was a remarkable sight in itself, but there was something else that surprised me even more… 

“Emergency stop!” 

On my command, the figurehead golem stopped the ship. 

The city-rock wasn’t showing up on my map. 

That meant it must have some kind of power that hid it from my map somehow. 

“Wh-what’s going on?” 

“It might be a little dangerous here.” 

Everyone was looking at me in surprise, especially Arisa, but I couldn’t explain exactly what the danger might be. 

“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.” 

To be safe, I lined the deck with some Magic Bows, special Holy Swords and Spears without user limitations, and so on. 

Since the group wouldn’t have enough magic power to make use of the rapid-fire capabilities of the Magic Cannons and Guns, I didn’t put out any of those. 

“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 tugged my sleeve urgently, trying to stop me. 

The others all looked worried, too, of course. 

But if I didn’t find out why the city-rock on that island wasn’t showing on my map, I wouldn’t be able to travel with peace of mind. 

“It’s all right. Once I figure out the cause, I’ll come right back.” 

“Cause? The cause of what?!” 

I waved at the infuriated Arisa and took off toward the island with “Skyrunning.” 

The water around the island was quite shallow, giving a clear view of the ocean floor below. 

“Looks like there are a lot of sunken ships here, too…” 

Among the coral reef on the ocean floor were the forms of quite a few large ships. 

I gradually raised my altitude as I approached the island, until suddenly… 

“M-masterrrrrr!” 

My “Keen Hearing” skill picked up on cries from my party as I crashed into the ocean waves. 

My mouth and nose felt strange and my ears popped, like the sensation when one dives off a diving board, as I collided with a rock on the bottom of the ocean. 

…Ouch. 

Beyond the froth of white bubbles, I saw colorful sea creatures wildly fleeing from me. 

But no matter how long I looked at them, no information appeared in my AR. 

Kicking off the ocean floor, I floated back up to the surface. For some reason, I couldn’t use “Skyrunning.” 

“Are you okaaay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

My friends called out to me with worry, so I waved at them reassuringly. 

In the meantime, my research continued. My menu was displaying normally, and I seemed to be able to bring items into and out of Storage without a problem. Even my map appeared normal at a glance, but it wasn’t updating with any new information. 

Next, I tried selecting magic from my menu, but like “Skyrunning,” I couldn’t use any of it. 

Whatever the reason, it seemed that I couldn’t use magic or magic-related skills around this island. 

My unique skills seemed to be functioning fine, but there were evidently limits on their ability to acquire new information by way of magic. 

I moved away until I could use magic again, trying to figure out the range of the effect. 

By marking a few kinds of migratory fish and following their movements on the map, I was able to get a rough estimate of the range. Magic seemed to be invalidated in about a two-mile radius around the water near the city-rock. 

If there was something causing this, it would probably be at the center of that circle. 

I headed toward the central point at the speed of an Olympic athlete. 

I wasn’t very good at swimming, since my body kept popping out of the ocean, so eventually I just started running along the surface of the water at high speed. 

“A sea serpent welcoming party, huh?” 

I unloaded several harpoons from Storage into the depths below, eliminating any sea serpents in my way. Once in a while, bigger creatures showed up, too, like deep sea serpents and something that looked like a mosasaurus. 

Because of the huge difference in our levels, I was able to defeat them easily even without any magic or magical skills. 

However, since I couldn’t use Magic Hand, putting the corpses into Storage was a lot harder. Because I left a lot of them behind, the sea was starting to turn red, but I’d have to deal with that later. 

“This should be the center of the radius… Hmm? There’s something in the water.” 

On the ocean floor, I could see something that looked like a shrine surrounded by Grecian stone pillars. 

Once no more monsters were coming to attack me for the time being, I dove into the water to investigate. 

Occasionally supplying myself with fresh oxygen from Storage, I explored the seabed shrine. 

There was something written on the walls in what appeared to be Ancient Language. 

THE FLOATING CASTLE NONOLIE HAS FALLEN TO OUR DEVOURING TRAP. WE WILL USE THE HEART OF NONOLIE TO CREATE A SECOND AND THIRD TRAP. THE FLOATING SHIPS, THE FLOATING ISLANDS…AND FINALLY, THE SKYFOLKS’ CAPITAL, LALAKIE… WE SHALL BRING ALL OF THEM DOWN TO THE EARTH. FREEDOM SHALL BE IN OUR GRASP. 

The final sentence was written in a strange scrawl, with red staining the grooves of the carved letters. It definitely gave off a sense of madness. 

It was likely a trap laid by Captain Ghost’s people. 

The large amount of sunken ships near this area must have been caught in the magic-nullifying trap. Without magical defenses, the wooden ships especially would never have held up to sea serpent attacks. 

A ship made with a magical alloy might manage, but against a larger monster like a deep sea serpent, it would probably meet the same fate. 

I found a staircase leading downward and followed it to find an underground cavern. 

I swam along a slope lined with white stone slabs that looked like coffins. 

It felt as though I’d wandered into a graveyard. 

…Hmm? White hair? 

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a woman lying on one of the slabs. 

An icy chill ran down my spine as I whirled to face her. 

“…I guess I imagined it.” 

There was nobody there. 

If there had been, surely I would have noticed when I first passed it. 

Since coming to this world, I’d thought that encountering ghosts and undead kings and such had gotten me used to the supernatural, but I guess I still didn’t deal well with this kind of deathly atmosphere. 

When I reached the end of the slope, I saw an open space with a gigantic jet-black rock buried in the center. 

A magic circle was emanating from the black rock. 

This must have been creating the magic-nullifying space. 

It would be difficult to pull the stone out without magic, but if I left it alone, this part of the ocean would become a ship graveyard not unlike the Bermuda Triangle. 

I pulled out a blue-steel tool the kobolds had given me and dug out the rock. 

Once I put it in Storage, the magic nullifier was canceled and I was able to use magic again. 

Just to be sure, I confirmed that none of the items in Storage had lost their magic power. 

“I guess this case is closed.” 

Opening my map, I saw that I was receiving new information again. 

As I thought, the city-rock was the wreckage of the city called Nonolie. 

Once I dealt with all the strong monsters in the area, I returned to my comrades on the ship. 

 

“Land hoooo!” 

“Sir!” 

The ship had arrived on the beach of an inlet on the city-rock island, where I activated Dimension Anchor to keep it in place. 

I lowered the gangway to the beach, and everyone happily disembarked, with the little kids in the lead. 

“There are monsters and other dangerous creatures in the forest and beyond the cliffs, so don’t go too far.” 

I stepped down onto the sand myself as I called out a warning. 

Flotsam and jetsam from sunken ships were washed up all over the shore. 

I gazed at it all absently as I set up a beach parasol next to the sheet Liza and Lulu had laid out. 

The sunlight was strong, bright enough that it hurt my eyes bouncing off the sand. 

I handed out canteens to make sure nobody got heatstroke. 

“Ooh, that’s nice and cold.” 

“Bubblyyy?” 

“It’s carbonated, sir!” 

“Mm, yellorange fruit.” 

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

I followed them with the older group in tow. 

“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!” 

Arisa took off her shoes, and the rest of the younger crew soon followed suit, frolicking at the water’s edge. 

“There is a foreign object in the sand, I report.” 

“A shell, maybe?” 

“No, it seems to be some kind of rusted jewelry.” 

The older crowd had found a washed-up piece of flotsam from one of the sunken ships. 

“Gold coooin?” 

“I found a pretty rock, sir.” 

“Mm. Aquamarine.” 

After a little while of gathering shells, the group moved on to combing the beach for treasure. 

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

“Barrrrel.” 

For some reason, Arisa kept muttering barrel to herself and giggling. It was probably a joke from some famous game or anime series. 

“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 that was still usable. 

Unfortunately… 

“Eeeeeek! B-buuuugs!” 

…some of them had been infested by roaches or flies, so we had to proceed with caution. 

Lulu was clinging to me and trembling, so I patted her reassuringly as I spoke to Liza. 

“Liza, I’m going to go check out the city-rock a bit. Could you keep an eye on things over here?” 

“Yes, of course.” 

Liza nodded, but she looked like she wanted to say something else. 

It was Nana who stepped in for her. 

“Master, if you are going to investigate the city-rock, please bring a guard with you, I request.” 

Ah, I see. She doesn’t want me to go alone. 

“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.” 

The older girls looked worried, so I tried to reassure them as lightly as possible. 

I wasn’t too worried about monsters or other things I could detect in advance, but I didn’t want to risk putting them in danger of landslides, falling rocks, or that sort of thing. 

“And I’ll put a Return seal slate here, so I can come back at any time.” 

The trio still looked worried, so I showed them a seal slate, at which point they finally smiled in relief. 

“That’s probably enough salvaging for now…” 

I’d used “Skyrunning” to do a loop around the island, picking up treasure from sunken ships as I went. 

Most of the ships themselves were in pretty rough shape, so I put them back in the water to serve as fish reefs once I’d recovered the treasure and other remains. 

Some of the ships had rotted so severely that they’d lost their shape entirely, turning into piles of scrap wood and metal with the occasional treasure buried within. Since the anti-magic space had also canceled out the Fixify spells, the only valuables that were still intact were certain precious metals and gems that were resistant to rust and seawater. 

Among the relatively newer sunken ships, I found a few that seemed to belong to Viscount Emerin, who I’d met in the old capital. From those, I was able to recover the remains and articles of the deceased, as well as some Magic Furnaces and Cannons that were damaged but potentially repairable. 

Strangely, though Viscount Emerin had spoken of a lost fleet, there was one less ship here than the amount he mentioned. I was a little curious about this; perhaps it had broken apart and left no remains or sunk in a deep area that was part of a different map. 

Once we set sail again, I decided I would give the unidentifiable remains a proper burial at sea. 

These poor souls had probably been caught in the magic-nullifying barrier and slaughtered by a swarm of sea serpents near this beach, so I doubted they could rest in peace properly here. 

“Next, I guess I’ll investigate the city-rock.” 

I took off into the sky, leaving the waves far below, until I was high enough to look down at the city-rock. 

The side we’d been facing was merely bare rock, but when I came around to the other side, I could see just how bizarre it was. 

The image of buildings that were hundreds or even thousands of years old, all clustered together horizontally, was so strange, it seemed like something out of a movie. 

There weren’t any buildings as tall as you would see in modern Japan, but I thought it was pretty impressive that none of them had bent out of shape. They were still standing straight and tall, despite being tilted to one side for so long. 

When I came closer, I saw something else that intrigued me. 

“I’ve seen this crest somewhere before…” 

There were four crests engraved on the front gates of the city, one of which was made with a familiar-looking red stone. 

“…Oh yeah, the pyromaniac noble.” 

For some reason, it looked like the crest sported by the pyromaniac noble we’d encountered a little while before we went to the elf village. 

“I knew it. It’s the same one in the stone from the Crimson Cane.” 

When I produced the stone of his fiery weapon from Storage, I saw that they were one and the same. 

Still, that didn’t explain what the connection might be. 

I put the stone back in Storage and approached one of the buildings. 

Peering in through the window, I saw that the lower wall was severely indented beneath a heap of crushed furniture and equipment. 

From somewhere in this pile, I heard the flapping of wings. 

“…Birds?” 

The arrival of an intruder (me) seemed to have scared away some birds. 

The ruins of these buildings must be a bird paradise; there were countless nests in most of the buildings below a certain point. 

I passed the web of a giant spider that preyed on the birds, arriving at the ground. 

“Looking up at it from down here is impressive, too, in a different way from seeing it from the sky.” 

I landed near some kind of monument close to the city-rock. 

“‘Freedom shall be in our grasp’ again, huh…” 

That same phrase was engraved on this monument, a warped, sinister-looking stone. 

It was written in the same mad-looking penmanship I’d seen in the underwater temple. 

“What’s this, then?” 

There was a huge pit directly in front of the monument. 

“…Geh!” 

I used the Wind Magic spell Blow to disperse the leaves that had settled over the pit, shedding sunlight on its contents. 

“I mean, I knew there was no one left alive, but…” 

In the pit below, a huge amount of human bones was trapped in a cement-like substance along with pieces of junk. 

It was more like a landfill than a grave. 

“It looks like the survivors were killed in a pretty gruesome way.” 

In my mind, images of the events that must have transpired here arose unbidden… 

The floating city Nonolie must have fallen due to the anti-magic trap, and even those few people who survived were captured and killed. 

The sense of madness about this monument made it all too easy to imagine what kind of tragedies had befallen the people of Nonolie. 

It must have been the same kind of atrocities committed in the witch hunts of Europe in the Middle Ages. 

Imagining the kind of people who would invent such things made me sick to my stomach. 

Even if this had taken place a long time in the past, it was still horrible. 

Raising my eyes, I once again saw the twisted stone monument. 

After seeing the remains of this terrible tragedy, the word freedom now called to mind the demon lord–worshipping cult the Wings of Freedom. 

“I should at least bury them properly…” 

I knew this wouldn’t serve any purpose beyond making myself feel a little better, but it didn’t seem right to leave these remains tossed aside with the garbage. 

I sent my Magic Hand into the pit, collecting the bones, junk, and all into Storage, where I separated the human remains from the rest. 

According to the detailed information in my Storage screen, the cement-like substance was actually the solidified ashes of more of the deceased. 

I moved to an elevated part of the island near the city-rock, as far from the underwater monument as possible, and used the Earth Magic spell Pitfall to create a new grave, where I buried the massive amount of bones and ashes. 

One grave wasn’t enough, so I ended up having to make several large pits—since I was burying all the bones from the city-rock as well. 

It was easy to recover each one, since I found that I could successfully put the entire city-rock in Storage by touching it. 

But since I remembered that the city-rock was a historic landmark as well as home to countless birds, I decided to put it back. 

A few animals were sacrificed in the process, but I would make sure to use them for food in the future so they wouldn’t go to waste. 

I reinforced the base with the Earth Magic spell Wall, so there should be no risk of the city-rock falling. 

“This seems a little sparse…” 

I planted some of the flower seeds I’d received in the elf village in the earth above the graves, then used a Treespirit Pearl from the treants to speed up the flowers’ growth, turning the hill into a flower garden. 

Then I placed a meteorite from Storage near the graves and used “Spellblade” to carve the words HERE LIE THE PEOPLE OF NONOLIE into it. 

Finally, I said a silent prayer for the buried victims before leaving the place. 

Briefly, I remembered the bodies from the Valley of Dragons in my Graveyard folder, but I decided not to bury them here. 

Dragon corpses contained highly valuable ingredients, so if anyone found out I’d buried them, it could cause some serious problems. Besides, the high elf Aaze told me that the dragon god would eventually be revived and could use its power to revive the other dragons. 

They wouldn’t rot as long as they were in Storage, so I decided it was probably best to keep them there for the time being. 

“Welcome back, master!” 

After regrouping with the others on the beach, I found Arisa wearing sunglasses and relaxing in a beach chair. The other girls were still combing the shore for treasure. 

According to my map information, the rest of the younger kids had gone to an arch-shaped rock formation at the northern end of the beach, while the older group was at a cliff on the southern side. 

A bouquet of flowers was lying on the blanket set out next to Arisa. 

“Thanks… Were there flowers growing around here?” 

Arisa lowered her sunglasses. “These are artificial flowers we found in the flotsam. I figured we could leave them at those ruins later, so I washed them.” 

Arisa really was very considerate in her own way. 

She didn’t pry into what I’d been doing, so I sat down at her side, enjoying the sound of the waves and the distant laughter of Tama and Pochi. The soothing atmosphere was a balm on my soul after the atrocities I’d seen. 

As Arisa’s warm hand stroked my hair, I sorted through the articles and remains of the deceased from the sunken ships. 

For those who could be identified, I decided to mail them along with a letter to the families, saying that I’d acquired them from salvagers. 

For the ones I couldn’t figure out, perhaps I could find a way to put the information out for families to find. 

Arisa frowned up at the sky, holding out an open hand. 

“Is it going to rain?” 

Looking around, I saw gray 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. 

The older group seemed to have found shelter from the rain, but the younger kids were getting soaked as they ran back toward us. 

Danger. 

My “Sense Danger” skill suddenly kicked into action, just as countless red dots appeared on my radar. 

Fortunately, they weren’t too close to any of the girls. 

“Enemies! Everyone, get to the ship!” 

I used my “Amplification” skill to relay a warning to everyone. 

“Enemies? What kind?” 

I could barely see anything through the heavy rain. 

“Hang on a second.” 

I opened the map to get more information. 

A dozen or so large red dots, which hadn’t been anywhere on the map before the rain started pouring, had appeared around the city-rock. 

“…Ghost ships?” 

The dots were evidently undead monsters called “ghost ships.” 

Their levels ranged from the low 30s to the high 40s, with skills like “Float” and “Spirit World Passage.” 

As I was watching these ghost ships, I saw new dots appearing on my radar near my companions and myself. 

These smaller red dots were appearing from the large dots of the ghost ships closest to the city-rock. 

The ships were producing various kinds of skeletons. 

Once that ended, the ghost ships floated upward as if they had no other business here, joining the rest of the ghost fleet patrolling around the city-rock. 

I quickly searched the skeletons by level, checking for any that were too strong for the girls to handle. 

Luckily, the only ones that were level 20 or above, and therefore a potentially serious threat to my comrades, were all near the ghost ship fleet. 

I decided to keep an eye on those while supporting the rest of my party, letting them take the lead so they could get stronger. 

“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, while more skeletons dressed in tattered pirate clothes leaped out from behind it, brandishing rusty cutlasses. 

“There’s quite a few of them.” 

I selected Remote Arrow from the magic menu, wiping out most of the lesser skeletons. 

“Come on—leave some work for your beloved Arisa, would you?” 

“Don’t worry. I left five or so for you.” 

“Oh, master! You’re so thoughtful!” 

Her mood improving considerably, 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 was starting to let up as I heard Tama’s voice approaching. 

Her Magic Sword glowed red as she cut through the skeletons blocking her path. She seemed to be using the Soft Stun effect on the skeletons, since their resistance to blades was high. 

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.” 

As I praised Tama and the other two, I operated my magic menu. 

“I’ll take care of the rest.” 

My Remote Stun spell rained down on the skeletons who had avoided the swamp, evaporating bones and blades alike into dust. Technically, this spell was supposed to be for knocking people out, but its power was equivalent to being hit by an average soldier with a mace, so it was very effective against brittle bones. 

“Mia, use Water Hold, please!” Arisa called out, pointing at the large skeletons that were dragging themselves along with 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. 

My companions weren’t wearing armor today, so I used Enchant: Physical Protection on all of them. 

Okay, looks like these four can take it from here. 

“Master! Requesting backup, I entreat!” Nana called out from elsewhere in the rain. 

I thought that Liza and Nana should be able to handle all the monsters near them easily, but when I turned, I saw a giant skeletal snake chasing the three older girls. It was a level-30 monster called a “bone snake.” 

Nana, who was bringing up the rear, was using her Foundation abilities to keep the snake in check, and Liza protected Lulu from the front while fending off any other enemies who got in their way. 

Even Lulu, in the middle, wasn’t just letting herself be protected. She was screaming, yes, but she was also shooting at a kangaroo-like skeleton monster called a “skeleton hopper” with her Magic Gun. 

I was impressed she was able to hit her target while running. 

I selected Short Stun from my magic menu and used it to take out the skeletons, starting with the bone snake. I hadn’t intended to defeat them, but they ended up getting reduced to specks of dust. 

Next, I produced a large shield from Storage and held it out to Nana as she rushed over to me. 

“Master, I am terribly sorry to have troubled you.” 

“Master, thank you for the shield, I declare.” 

Liza and Nana handed Lulu to me, then ran to help the others fight off the large skeletons. 

Lulu seemed to be panicking, so I held her steady as I instructed the Scarecrow golem to prepare the ship for departure. 

“Mere piles of bones should not be working together, I exclaim!” 

With her shield at the ready, Nana used her “Taunt” skill to draw the monsters’ attention. 

The five large skeletons had somehow fused together, turning into a single bone snake. Combining seemed to raise their level, which had gone from somewhere in the teens to level 30. 

I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, so I used Enchant: Physical Protection on the older girls, too, and prepared to intervene just in case. 

“Shield!” 

Nana combined her Foundation shield and her real physical one to parry the bone snake’s attack. 

Then Mia’s Water Magic came in. 

“… ? Water Hold Mizu Shibaru.” 

The rain hitting the bone snake’s body merged into watery tentacles, wrapping around the monster and holding it in place. 

“My turn! Dimension Pile!” 

Once the bone snake was immobilized, Arisa’s magic created invisible poles that pierced through the creature, rooting it to the ground. 

“Good work!” Liza called. “Tama, Pochi, aim for the core!” 

“Aye-aye, sirrr!” 

“Roger, sir!” 

Liza, too, came in to attack the snake head-on. 

Tama and Pochi attacked the glowing red core from either side, but the bones transformed to defend it, then shot at them with bullet-like bone fragments. 

“Whoosh, whooooosh!” 

“Waaah, don’t attack so much, sir!” 

Tama managed to dodge all the bones, but Pochi wasn’t so lucky and wound up falling back to a nearby rock. 

Her Enchant: Physical Protection was in danger of breaking, so I recast it right away. 

“It is cowardly to split in two, I declare!” 

The bone snake’s head had split in two, with one half attacking Liza, the other attacking Nana. 

Liza twisted around to dodge the oncoming head-butt and tumbled onto the sand. 

“Aah! Take this!” 

A part of the snake’s tail had been sneaking up on Lulu, but she shot it down with her Magic Gun. 

The two magic users, Arisa and Mia, were too busy keeping the snake trapped to do anything else. 

“O Magic Spear, feel my burning blood—” 

Liza stood, kicking up sand, and started weirdly muttering with her spear in hand. 

“—pass through my arm and gather at thine spearhead!” 

Liza’s body let off a faint red glow, and the patterns on the Magic Spear pulsed with red light. 

“Come forth, ‘Spellblade’!” 

With that final shout, the light on the spear gathered at the tip, turning into the bright-red glow of “Spellblade.” 

Liza charged toward the bone snake, leaving a streak of red light like a comet. 

With the help of her “Blink” and “Body Strengthening” skills, Liza moved far faster than the scattering of the snake’s bone bullets, leaving a spray of sand in her wake as she leaped toward the heart of the bone snake. 

The monster attempted to counter her with a head-butt, but— 

“Not a chance!” 

Arisa’s spirited Space Magic blocked it. 

“Begone, bone beast!” 

Liza’s “Spellblade” pierced right through the bone snake’s skull, the overflowing magic cracking it into pieces. 

“There’s that legendary move!” 

“Mm. Awesome.” 

Arisa and Mia praised Liza’s “Spellblade.” 

Evidently, Liza’s bad-fantasy-novel-sounding chant was actually a spirit-focusing incantation taught to her by the elf Gurgapoya, her spear master. 

Deliberately invoking “Spellblade” could be difficult when one was still learning, so he suggested using keywords like those to help activate it. 

“Miss Liza, watch out!” Lulu cried. 

The snake’s other head was going straight for her. 

“Do not get distracted, I warn.” 

Nana fired a Foundation spear at the skull, using “Taunt” to draw its attention from Liza back to her. 

“Pochiii!” 

Realizing the snake was no longer focused on them, Tama called out to Pochi. 

“Charge, sir!” 

Using the “Body Strengthening” and “Blink” skills, Pochi came in at incredible speed from the bone snake’s blind spot to stab through the bone protecting its heart. 

The bone shards flew across the beach, and Tama dodged among them like a shadow. 

“Now, Tama, sir!” 

Having lost her momentum, Pochi shouted at Tama. 

“Nooo problemooo!” 

Tama leapfrogged over Pochi’s back, sneaking through the gaps in the bone snake’s body to arrive directly at the core. 

“Meowly Stone!” 

With this joking cry, Tama poured magic into the Holy Stone, and a pillar of bluish-white light enveloped the glowing red core. 

HISSSSHAAAAAAAAH! 

The bone snake let out an angry roar at the unexpected attack. 

“You are wide-open, I report.” 

Nana’s large shield smashed into the bone snake’s unprotected jaw, and Liza’s “Spellblade” slashed through its neck. 

With its head gone and heart purified, the bone snake fell apart into smaller skeletons. 

“Finish it!” 

“ ? Ice Koori.” 

Arisa’s Space Magic and Mia’s Spirit Magic delivered the finishing blows to the remaining skeletons. 

“Good work, everyone! We’ll take a break once we return to the ship.” 

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

“Master, the ghost ships are coming this way.” 

Sensing a change, Liza alerted me. 

Evidently, defeating the bone snake had drawn the ships’ attention to us. 

“Don’t worry, Liza.” 

Once we got off the coast, I could use my intermediate attack magic to wipe them all out in one go. 

If I did it here, I might accidentally destroy the city-rock of the grave of the Nonolie people in the process. 

“Master, 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. 

By now, the rain had let up from an intense squall to an average downpour, but 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 powerful defensive dome made from the cornea of the giant monster fish Tobkezerra. It could ward off even my Fire Ball or a concentrated Laser. 

“Shiiips?” 

“There are lots and lots of them, sir!” 

Tama and Pochi, who had changed into armor and fastened their seat belts, pointed frantically back in the direction of the city-rock. 

The 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 and Lulu trembled as they looked at the oncoming ghost ships. 

“Master, shall I produce Flexible Shields? I inquire.” 

“I think I can slow down one or two of them.” 

“It’s all right,” I reassured Nana and Arisa. I appreciated the offers, but we were on track to put a perfectly safe distance between us. 

“Master, at least allow me to guard from the stern—” 

“No, you could fall.” 

Liza, who had changed into her armor, looked eager as well, but I shook my 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 a matter of seconds. 

Besides… 

“I’ll take care of the rest. You all just stay here and watch.” 

I smiled at everyone, then used “Skyrunning” to take off from the poop deck. 

The figurehead golem should be able to take care of steering the ship. 

“Wow, they really are ghost ships, all right.” 

As I came closer, I could see the ships more clearly. 

They weren’t merely different sizes—they were from all different places and eras, too. 

All the ghost ships in the fleet had tattered sails, and some even had broken masts or huge holes in the sides. 

They were each trailed by a black cloud, giving the illusion that they were burning from a direct cannon hit. 

All they had in common was the fact that they were floating in the sky and that they were all captained by ghosts or skeletons with rusty cutlasses. 

It was a fantastical scene and all but a little bit too horror-flavored for my tastes. 

“Okwabeetouga!” 

Beneath the sounds of rain and whipping winds, I heard a skin-crawling voice shrieking. 

> Skill Acquired: “Hallowed Language” 

The inflection was similar to Ancient Language, but apparently, it wasn’t the same. 

I quickly put skill points into “Hallowed Language” and activated it. 

On the map, I could see that my comrades’ status condition had changed to Fear. That shriek must have had a similar effect to the black dragon’s roar. 

I felt bad for them, but I would probably have to deal with this situation first. 

“<Ye covetous whelps who dare target the gods’ floating island Lalakie! For as long as there be living light in these eyes, I, the Skeleton King, shall never surrender the key to Lalakie!>” 

The bearded skeleton captain of the largest ghost ship shouted from the deck. 

Um, aren’t you dead, though? 

“<You misunderstand! We care not for the key to Lalakie.>” 

Just to be safe, I searched my Storage and the map for it, but the key didn’t seem to be anywhere around. 

“<Any thief would say the same. But you shall answer to the Skeleton King, companion to the final queen of Lalakie!>” 

The Skeleton King swung a dark-red rapier, and all the ghost ships turned their sides toward me. 

“<Fiiiiire!>” 

Boom! The ghost ships shot at me with a dull sound and clouds of black smoke. 

Cannonballs flew toward me, blazing with black flame. 

My Flexible Shields or the ship’s defenses could probably ward them off, but there was no need to put everyone in danger like that. 

Instead, I changed my title to Hero and brought out the Holy Sword Claidheamh Soluis. 

“<Dance,> Claidheamh Soluis!” 

On my command, the Holy Sword transformed into thirteen blades and began counterattacking the cannons. 

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

Upon hearing the Skeleton King’s words, I finally understood. 

The ghost ships were all different because they were the shades of the Skeleton King’s victims. That explained why the crews’ clothing ranged from that of pirate lackeys to navy uniforms. 

The ghost ships attacked at the Skeleton King’s command. 

They were led by former pirate ships, which had naval rams on their bows. 

The ghosts who were able to 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. 

Giving a brief, silent prayer for their souls, I swung my raised hand down. 

“<Dance,> Claidheamh Soluis—bring the dead to rest.” 

My slightly dramatic words scattered on the wind. 

The blades of my Holy Sword let off a bright-blue light as they zoomed around like guided air-to-air missiles from a certain mecha anime. 

WHOOOSH. 

Claidheamh Soluis reached the first of the ghost ships. 

The black clouds of the ghost ship and the blue glow of Claidheamh Soluis clashed for an instant, but the latter quickly won out. 

When the flash of light faded, the ghost ship was gone, leaving nothing but white ash falling amid the rain and gusts. 

All over the stormy skies, the same scene was playing out. 

One by one, the ghost ships turned to ash along with their skeletal crews and disappeared. 

I thought I heard the skeletons sigh with relief as they vanished, but it might have been my imagination. 

“<Impossible! How darest thou destroy my elite troops with such ease?!>” 

The Skeleton King shouted with rage as his ghost fleet disappeared. 

His pompous mannerisms reminded me of the jet-black greater hell demon I’d encountered in Seiryuu City. 

“<Hang in there. It’s almost your turn.>” 

“<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 had no idea what the Skeleton King was talking about at that point. 

“<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—>” 

For some reason, the Skeleton King was glaring into the swirling black clouds. I’d thought he was talking to me, but it seemed he was shouting at some other person in his memories instead. 

“<—and I shall see that promise through, no matter who or what I must sacrifice to do so!>” 

This all sounded very grandiose but also maybe a little crazy. 

World domination was the kind of goal that should show up only in children’s stories. 

As I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, my Holy Sword returned from sweeping away the ghost fleet. 

All that was left was the Skeleton King’s flagship. 

“<Save that kind of ambition for the living, please.>” 

I had a bad feeling about it, so I put a marker on the Skeleton King and his ship. 

If conversation was possible, I preferred to settle things with words rather than trying to kill each other, but… 

“<Foolish vermin. Feel the wrath of the Magic Cannon granted to me by the gods.>” 

The bow of the ghost ship opened, revealing a giant cannon. 

Red particles of light began to gather at its muzzle. 

…Clearly, this guy was out to kill me. 

The red light began to form into a straight conducting line. 

This Magic Cannon must have the same firing sequence as the Small Magic Cannon I’d tested before. 

“<Tremble in fear, thou earth-crawling worms!>” 

Magic circles began to spawn around the red line. 

…Yeah, I’m not going to just let this thing fire. 

I would’ve let him go if he was harmless, but having a phantom ghost ship with a grudge against us roaming around would be bad for my mental health. 

From Storage, I produced a Holy Bullet that had been overloaded with magic power, and then I flung it toward the Magic Cannon with all my might. 

A blue flash evaporated the nearby raindrops, piercing the Magic Cannon along with the ghost ship itself. 

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?” 

Within moments, the rain let up, and the clouds began to disperse. The Skeleton King appeared to have been the cause of the storm. 

A dark voice spoke to me 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…>” 

Just as I suspected, the Skeleton King had some tricks up his sleeve. 

According to my marker, his current location was now the Spirit World. He must have used the “Spirit World Passage” he and the ghost ships had. 

The Skeleton King had next to zero HP left. He must have fled to this Spirit World place moments before the attack could kill him. 

The marker I’d attached to the ghost ship had disappeared, so I’d successfully destroyed that, at least. 

I searched around for the source of the voice. If I could hear him, there must be a gate to the Spirit World somewhere. 

“<…Let us meet again, elsewhere in time.>” 

Finishing his monologue, the Skeleton King’s presence vanished completely, leaving the echo of an ominous laugh. 

I didn’t manage to find the gate, but my “Sense Danger” would be on high alert for this guy. If we did “meet again,” I would dispose of him with no questions asked. 

You had to deal with guys like that before you wound up with some kind of fated adversary. 





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