Chapter 63: The Trap
There was a time when I feared the sea.
A time when I couldn't even go near it, let alone fish.
But as technology and magic advanced and humanity flourished, the sea was gradually conquered as well.
Unlike the land, there had always been the terror of not knowing what lurked beneath its surface, yet through countless sacrifices, humans managed to tame even that vast expanse.
And Florian was the place where those achievements shone brightest.
People enjoying the water along the shore. Fishermen casting nets far out into the deep. Even exchanges with other races across the sea.
"There has been much progress. And with it, much has been learned. Still, the sea remains a place we must call an unknown world."
At my explanation, the princess and Tanya nodded quietly.
We had come to the meeting point to keep our promise with the elf Audrey. Since she hadn't arrived yet, I was warning my companions about the sea.
I glanced around.
Me, the princess, the lady, and Tanya. Plus seven knights and twenty soldiers. Since no one else had been brought along, the soldiers had been provided by Loana, making our total force thirty-two for this subjugation mission.
Hm? Did I miscount by one?
Ah, right. Almost forgot.
I turned my gaze toward the woman with short dark-blue hair standing off to the side, staring out at the sea.
Leisha Bisain, the potion professor of the First Prince's faction, her identity still shrouded in mystery.
She had joined this mission as well.
According to her, she had already spoken with Audrey beforehand. Whether that was true or not, having one more mage was always welcome, so I let it slide.
My eyes returned to the soldiers.
They joked among themselves while handling their gear, every movement seasoned and confident.
'They really did pick skilled ones.'
Their relaxed demeanor said it all.
In a way, it was hard to tell who were the knights and who were the soldiers.
'Still, where the hell is that elf?'
The moment the thought crossed my mind, Beres shouted.
She's coming!
'Where?'
The sea! She's on a ship!
I snapped my head toward the horizon.
Sure enough, a single vessel was approaching against the setting sun.
From a distance it had been hard to judge, but once it neared the harbor, my companions and I couldn't help but stare in shock.
It was an enormous ship.
At this size, it was practically a warship...?
Far too large for a simple monster hunt.
Upon closer inspection, Elvish script covered its hull.
"Have you waited long?"
While we stood there dumbfounded, a woman appeared on deck.
It was Audrey, the one we were supposed to meet here.
"Is this your ship?"
"It is. Come aboard."
She lowered the gangplank.
We exchanged glances before I took the lead, and one by one we boarded.
The moment I stepped on deck, I began examining every corner of the vessel.
A mage's burning curiosity toward the unknown was practically a given... and this was the first Elven ship I had ever seen. My long-dormant mage instincts flared to life.
'An old ship.'
Not an ordinary one.
'What do you mean?'
But the answer came from right beside me.
"Yordan is no ordinary ship."
Shit, she startled me.
How does this woman never make a sound?
When I turned, Audrey smiled brightly and continued.
"This is a very special vessel. Even among elves, there is only one like it."
"A special ship?"
Just then, the princess approached and asked her a question, scanning the deck as if searching for something.
"Audrey. There are no sailors. How exactly did you sail here?"
No sailors?
Now that she mentioned it, no one else was in sight.
I had assumed everyone was below deck, but even when I spread my mana sense, I detected no signs of life.
Not even...
"I was about to explain that. This ship requires no crew."
"What do you—"
"Because it runs on mana!"
The moment she raised her hand, the ship began to move.
The sudden motion startled not only us but even the battle-hardened soldiers of Florian.
"The ship—the ship is moving!"
"It's sailing by itself?!"
It picked up speed, racing toward the sun that was sinking into the sea and losing its light.
The sheer velocity forced everyone to drop flat on the deck just to keep their balance.
"See? This is Yordan's—huh? What are you doing?!"
Audrey suddenly looked flustered.
When I turned, Bella was sprinting toward the stern with a mischievous grin.
This felt bad...
Before the thought even finished, Bella grabbed the helm and struck a dramatic pose.
Then she started fiddling with the controls.
The ship lurched left and right in response.
"Aaaagh!"
"S-save me!!"
This crazy—!
My mind snapped into focus.
"Bella!"
"Kyaaah~ Go, go!!"
"Stay still...!"
Damn it. I was getting seasick.
No matter how much I shouted, she didn't seem to hear.
Far from staying put, she grew even more excited at the ship's response, yanking the helm hard and sending us into sharp turns.
The ones suffering were the rest of us.
"Kuaaaagh!"
"Hiiiik!!"
We clung to whatever we could grab, but the situation looked dire.
Especially the soldiers—the relaxed confidence they'd shown at the harbor had completely vanished.
Kick-kick-kick. Our little madwoman is something else~
"Bella!!"
I poured every ounce of strength into the shout.
She pressed one hand to her ear and answered anyway.
"What~~~ I can't hear you~~~"
That damned woman.
Even Audrey, who I thought might stop her, was hopping up and down in delight. (?)
In the end, the only one close enough to intervene was me.
I used magic.
Between my feet and the deck.
'Adhesion. Release. Adhesion. Release.'
Step by step, I moved forward, sticking and unsticking my feet with magic.
I stumbled and fell like a drunkard along the way.
When I finally reached her side, I gave her a sharp flick on the forehead.
Thwack!
"Ow!"
Only then did the ship sail smoothly again.
Whew. Even that short shaking had left me dizzy.
I looked at Bella.
Worried the hit might have upset her.
But she was grinning from ear to ear, saying it felt good.
She turned to me, beaming as if she was happy I'd come over.
'Yeah... that's Bella, all right.'
I chuckled at the sight and tried to relax—only for her to reach for the helm again.
A chill ran down my spine. I snatched her hand before she could touch it.
Then I pulled her away.
The lady glanced between my hand and the helm, torn.
Her expression said she couldn't decide between fun and love.
In the end, she seemed to prefer holding my hand and followed obediently.
You'd better keep an eye on her from now on. Looks like she's developed a taste for this.
Haa. I was already busy checking the ship...
Couldn't she just behave for once?
Surprisingly, the problem solved itself.
"Lady Bella! Do you have any sense at all?! Huh? Mutter, mutter..."
The princess dragged Bella away and started scolding her like an older sister.
It went on for over thirty minutes. Only after Bella promised with a disgusted face that she wouldn't touch the helm again was she finally released.
Wow. Even the wet boy can overpower our madwoman sometimes?
Apparently so.
They actually got along surprisingly well.
The sun had completely set.
In the darkness, the ship continued sailing far out to sea.
Unlike before, it had slowed to a gentle glide across the water.
Even so, the waves were rough enough that the ship should have been rocking violently...
Yet the vessel itself was so well-made that the motion was barely noticeable. None of us suffered from seasickness.
Still, one growing concern remained.
'How far is she taking us?'
We were traveling much farther than I had expected.
The soldiers seemed to feel the same; uneasy murmurs spread among them.
"Haven't we already passed the boundary?"
"Just what are we hunting out here...?"
The faces of the princess, the lady, and even the imperial knights—who had assumed this wouldn't be too dangerous—grew darker with each passing minute.
Finally, an older-looking soldier stepped forward as their representative.
"Your Highness, I greet you. My name is Galleon."
"Speak. What is it?"
"May I ask what exactly we are hunting?"
But the princess hadn't received a clear answer from Audrey either.
Whenever she asked, Audrey would rattle off something in Elvish before simply saying we were going after a big one. Since there was no proper way to translate it, the princess had let it go.
She studied the soldier in silence for a moment.
Fear was plain on his face.
Even she, usually oblivious, could tell.
"May I ask why you're asking this?"
"O-of course. About an hour ago, this ship left Florian's territory."
"What do you mean?! The boundary for monster subjugation is set at the edge of Florian's domain. Going beyond it is strictly forbidden... and we've already crossed it."
"...What are you saying?"
Tanya, who had been listening quietly, rose to her feet.
She strode toward the door, finishing the soldier's words for him.
"It means we've entered an extremely dangerous area, Your Highness. We should cancel this agreement and turn back immediately."
"Then I'm going too. I'll speak with her myself."
With the princess in the lead, everyone rushed outside.
There was nothing left to do indoors anyway, and they were curious how the conversation would unfold.
I followed right behind her for the same reason.
A pitch-black night sea where even moonlight barely reached.
Aside from the magical lanterns hanging on the ship, there was no light to be seen.
"Audrey! Where are you?!"
At Tanya's shout, a reply came.
Audrey had been surveying the surroundings from atop the mast.
"What is it?"
"Audrey. We need to talk. Come down for a moment."
"Understood."
She leapt down, spinning once before landing lightly on the deck.
Even for an elf, dropping from over fifty meters without issue drew gasps of admiration from everyone.
"Whoa... like a cat. Should I try that too?"
"Bella, control yourself."
"Don't worry~ It'll only hurt a bit. I won't die!"
That was a terrifying thing to say.
I ruffled Bella's hair once and focused on the conversation between the princess and Audrey.
Whatever we were hunting, I was going to hear it this time.
"So to summarize, if we go any farther from land, you'll turn back?"
"That is correct. I have a duty to ensure the safety of those who followed me."
Audrey nodded, showing she understood.
Then she smiled.
"Don't worry! We've already arrived at our destination."
"...What do you mean?"
"We reached the destination some time ago. I was simply circling to pass the time while waiting for the monster to wake up."
The monster waking up?
The moment I heard those words, I knew something was terribly wrong.
Not "monsters," but "the monster." Not waiting for it to appear, but waiting for it to wake?
This feels really ominous.
'We have to stop this.'
But before I could do anything, the change occurred.
Thud.
The sea trembled.
Actually, was it only the sea?
The vibration that rose from beneath the ship was so powerful it felt as if the entire world had shaken.
And in that instant, I saw it.
The horrifying expression on Audrey's face as she looked down at the deck.
She wore a smile so wide it reached her ears, her eyes gleaming with a chill that made it impossible to believe this was the same cheerful elf we knew.
"It has awakened...! (Elvish)"
This was bad.
Very, very bad.
Everyone was probably thinking the same thing.
"Audrey!!"
At my shout, she turned to look at me.
Her expression had softened slightly, but the unsettling aura remained as she regarded me curiously.
I yelled at her.
"We're pulling out of this fight!"
But she refused outright.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"What?"
"The war has already begun. And you are the sacrifices for the new seal! No one will leave this ship."
With that, she drew the sword at her waist and raised it high.
The ship rocked violently.
She flipped the blade downward, drove it into the deck, and shouted.
"Come, my brethren! It is war...! (Elvish)"