Chapter 761
An undead made from the bones of a baby Underworld Whale, Simon’s exclusive unit for naval battles.
Deimos let out a thunderous roar.
Standing on the ship, Simon stretched his finger toward Deimos.
<Cloud>
A turquoise line shot forth like lightning, wrapped itself around Deimos’ body, and then swiftly returned into Simon’s hand.
Simon gave it a strong pull, as if yanking on reins, and soon steadied the ship.
“Let’s show them, Deimos!”
—Kiiiiiieeeeh!
Deimos surged forward with a mighty cry. The ship jolted for an instant, then shot forth at an incredible speed.
“Kwahk!”
“Kyaaah!”
The members instantly clung flat to the deck, grabbing the ship tightly. Simon alone stood tall, lips curling into a grin as he shook the reins.
Swaaahhhh!
Like the sea itself splitting, torrents of water surged upward on either side, and between them Deimos charged straight ahead.
Kinter’s eyes widened.
“That crazy bastard…!”
He snapped his head back at his companions and shouted.
“What are you doing! Break that thing!”
“What?”
“Anything’s allowed except directly attacking students! Summons are fair game!”
“R-right, that’s true!”
But the true essence of Magical Combat came out in close-range battles and brute strength.
Riding a ship like this, he could maybe throw an Impalement from a distance, but both power and speed were lacking. Even then, Deimos dodged and kept closing the gap.
“W-wait! Below us!”
Swaaahhhhhh!
Bubbles frothed around Deimos, and all sorts of marine creatures rose in pursuit.
The ability of the Underworld Whale, ‘Domination’. Undead Deimos could reproduce this power, and every marine creature within his influence responded to his call.
“They’re going to catch us, Kinter!”
“Grrgh!”
Kinter pushed his Dark Robe’s output even higher, but something felt wrong.
The ship simply wasn’t moving.
He scowled and looked down.
Wriggle—
Tentacle-like limbs, likely from sea monsters, coiled around the vessel. Crabs scuttled up onto the deck, while schools of fish plastered themselves beneath the hull.
With the ship dragged down, Kinter had no choice but to release his hands and stop channeling black magic. In no time, the ship was completely surrounded by sea monsters and fish, brought to a standstill. The others glanced about in terror, shifting nervously.
“We’re going ahead!”
“See ya, idiots!”
With Dick’s taunting voice, Simon’s ship, driven by Deimos, shot forward. Simon issued a new command through Absolute Order.
[Take them on a little cruise through the western sea.]
Deimos let out a cry, and soon Kinter’s ship began to move. The sea creatures clinging around it started dragging the vessel along.
“No way…!”
Swaaahhhh!
The ship moved in the complete opposite direction of the grasslands. Kinter’s furious curses echoed across the sea.
“Nice!”
“You’re amazing, Simon!”
“Kami, you were great when you dove down too.”
Meanwhile, the four of them clapped hands together, celebrating their victory with high-fives.
It was a victory born of teamwork.
Watching their rivals drift further away, shoved along by the sea creatures, Dick chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Whew, now I can finally relax!”
“Then let’s set course for the grasslands right away.”
Simon tugged on the reins. Deimos cleaved through the currents, surging forward.
* * *
“…….”
“…….”
The mood among Kinter’s group was the worst.
They had no idea where their ship was headed, and the distance between them and Simon’s team was already too great.
Time passed, and as Deimos’ command began to fade, the marine creatures gradually dispersed, but still, plenty of them lingered around.
It looked like it would take quite some time before they all scattered.
“What do we do now, Kinter?”
Kinter sat on the deck, grinding his teeth in frustration, glaring in the direction where Simon’s group had vanished.
“…Get ready.”
“R-ready for what?”
Kinter stripped off his top and began stretching.
“We abandon ship and cross the sea to the grasslands with our own bodies.”
“What?!”
The other three shot to their feet.
“Are you serious right now?”
“If we want to catch up, that’s the only way. Before they get any farther, we dive in and swim.”
“N-no way! Swimming across is too reckless…!”
“Did you all forget our training sessions in the sea during major classes? For Magical Combat majors, as long as you manage Darkness properly, you can cross just fine.”
With that, he stirred up Darkness and leapt overboard.
Krrruuuummble!
He dove past the swarming fish and sea monsters, piercing the water in an instant, his body darting forward like a fish.
“He’s out of his mind.”
“…We just came here for a fun trip, and now this…”
“Let’s go with him! Kinter!”
The other three, belatedly, kicked off Darkness and dove from the ship.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Cutting through the waves, they swam like fish. Kinter’s eyes gleamed.
‘Wait for me!’
* * *
Simon’s group pressed forward on their ship.
For a while, only horizon stretched ahead, until suddenly, land appeared in the distance. Dick shouted.
“We made it! That’s the river mouth of the grasslands!”
“Yeah, I see it.”
Simon nodded.
This was the territorial waters of the Shahed Kingdom, and beyond lay Shahed’s domain. Everyone lifted their heads, gazing ahead.
Beyond the sea, mist rolled, and an overwhelming wilderness revealed itself. Sheer cliffs and cascading waterfalls struck awe into their hearts.
“The forest looks really deep!”
Kamibarez exclaimed.
They saw lush flowers and vines wrapping elegantly around tree branches. Parrots of every color burst into the sky, their flapping wings painting a rainbow.
“So pretty.”
Maelyn murmured in a daze, then shrugged.
“But it feels more like a jungle than a plain.”
“Ah, that’s because dense forest has grown along the river.”
Dick spread out the map and explained to everyone.
“This is where we are now.”
He pointed at the border of the sea and river.
“From here, we follow the river upstream.”
Green forests spread thick along the riverbanks. If they continued up the river, they would reach a flat region mixed with light green and ocher hues.
“It’s all part of the Mekria Grassland, but where we are now is the lower section. The upper section is farther inland. Professor Hongpeng is located right around here.”
It was the middle ground between the jungle-like lower grasslands and the grassland-like upper grasslands.
Dick pointed at a village.
“You know Professor Hongpeng’s full name is ‘Hongpeng Tun Sokum Marlat’, right? The Marlat tribe are a minority people roaming exactly around this borderland. You can experience both the upper and lower grasslands with them.”
Simon smiled softly.
“You’ve done your homework, huh?”
“Heheheh! I am the intel officer, after all. Just leave it to me!”
Simon’s ship left the sea and entered the river mouth.
Being the lower stream, the current was swift and the water strong, but Deimos cut through the waves head-on, charging upriver.
Soon after passing through the rapid currents, the water grew calm as if it had all been a lie. Simon recalled Deimos, whose Darkness was completely drained, into subspace, and Dick turned on the mana engine attached to the ship.
The ship moved forward slowly, and the four of them began a boat ride.
“Ah! The bread got squashed here!”
“Just eat it!”
They spread a simple wooden plate on the deck, poured tea, and enjoyed the desserts they had prepared.
Maelyn sat demurely, brushed her hair back, sipped her tea, then gazed once at the river, and once more at the fluttering, colorful leaves drifting down.
Soon, as if savoring all of it, she closed her eyes.
“Haa.”
Her face bloomed into bliss.
“I love this, I’m so happy.”
The others too relaxed as the warmth of the tea spread through them.
They chatted merrily as the boat drifted on. The exotic scenery was delightful, the tea was delicious, and above all, the company was precious. It was the kind of weather that made one want to write poetry.
“The river looks really wide!”
Kamibarez poked her head outside the boat and said. Dick waved his arms with a “woah” sound.
“Be careful until we reach midstream, Kami. If you stick your head out, monsters from the riverbed might react.”
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
Startled, Kamibarez shrank down and glued herself to the deck. Maelyn shot Dick a glare.
“Don’t scare our Kami like that!”
“But it’s true. Boating is nice, but safety comes first.”
“You’re right. I’ll be careful.”
Then, the smoothly running mana engine gave a sudden thunk! and died. Dick inspected it briefly, then said the equipment was old and needed to cool down for a bit.
Simon rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
Swoosh—
Swooshhh—
With strong strokes, Simon rowed the boat. Surprisingly, it sped forward no less than with the motor, and Maelyn and Kamibarez clapped in delight.
On his exposed hand and forearm, veins bulged beneath his skin. Well-balanced muscles contracted and expanded with each pull.
The women’s eyes were fixed only on Simon. Dick, fumbling with repairs, let out a strangled groan and closed his eyes.
“This is the tragedy of an engineering major.”
“Idiot, just fix it already.”
“Yes, Milady.”
Still, Dick boasted that they would reach the upper grasslands by the end of the day.
Swaaaahhhhhhh—!
But suddenly the sky darkened, and a torrential downpour lashed the grasslands. The rain was heavy, the wind was fierce, and the boat rocked and swayed.
“Uwah! They weren’t kidding when they said the grasslands had fickle weather!”
In an instant, the peaceful boat ride turned upside down.
Dick quickly pulled out a makeshift pillar, fastened it to the boat, and stretched cloth overhead to shield against the rain. But it only blocked what came from above, not the rain slashing in from the side, and soon it tore in the wind, leaving holes.
—Grrrrrr!
And as the rain poured down, giant crocodile monsters burst from the green river, raising their heads with mouths gaping wide, as if to drink the falling water.
Luckily, they were too focused on drinking to notice the boat. The four held their breath tightly and slipped past the crocodile zone.
“It’s raining harder than I expected.”
Only after the crocodiles vanished did Kamibarez whisper in relief. Drenched in rain, Simon finally made the decision.
“For safety’s sake, we should get to shore and wait out the storm.”
“Yes! That would be best!”
“I agree.”
The four decided to disembark. Fearing the boat might drift away, they hauled it fully onto land, secured it with stakes and ropes, then began exploring the area.
Plip-plip—
Swaaahhhh—!
Still, once they reached land, the dense trees and leaves lessened the rain somewhat.
Around them grew unfamiliar flowers and plants. Occasionally, the cries of beasts echoed.
“Guys! That tree’s huge over there!”
“Perfect to shelter under.”
With the rain pouring down so heavily, avoiding a cold came first.
The four pressed their backs against the massive tree, hiding from the rain, and shared warm tea to heat their chilled bodies.
“Puhah.”
But just as they tried to sip the magically heated tea, raindrops plopped in. Maelyn, brushing back her drenched sky-blue hair, laughed.
“Ah, come on, really!”
Pfft!
Ahahaha!
Unable to hold it in any longer, everyone burst into laughter. Simon too laughed wholeheartedly, and Dick wheezed with raspy chuckles.
“Hey, but isn’t this fun? These surprises are what make traveling great!”
“As long as I’m with you all, I’ll enjoy anything!”
A gust of wind blew Dick’s hat away.
He stumbled and chased after it, but each time he got close, the hat whisked farther away. He cried out in frustration, while the others laughed until their sides hurt.
Finally, Dick shouted, “To hell with it!” and ran out of the tree’s cover, letting the downpour drench him.
“Grasslands’ crocodile!”
He opened his mouth wide, pretending to drink the rain.
“Ah, stop it already, you’re killing me!”
Maelyn held her stomach, laughing. Then Dick dropped to his knees, reciting a famous line like a tragic stage actor, “If the world abandons me!” but water rushed up his nose, leaving him sputtering. The others laughed like mad.
In its own way, wasn’t this youth? The four shared stories under the tree, waiting for the rain to end.
‘Hmm.’
It was fun, but Simon began thinking of practical matters.
Though the storm’s fury had lessened, the rain showed no sign of stopping.
Looking around once more, Simon made up his mind.
“Let’s camp here for the night.”
At those words, a subtle tension flickered across everyone’s faces.
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