Warm Southern Territory - 4
I never imagined I'd end up wandering around alone after coming all this way. Though I suppose I brought it on myself.
"Can't we go together? I heard it's beautiful..."
"Sorry. Being in the carriage so long still has me feeling unwell."
"Mm, then once you're better, we'll play together, okay?"
Yesterday at lunch, I had sent Luise away, pushing aside the strange premonition that my body might not recover anytime soon.
Even refusing her invitation left a sour taste in my mouth. Seeing her look so dejected made me want to agree on the spot and go with her—until the thought of the Audit Department Chief, whom I would inevitably run into if I stayed by Luise's side, made that impulse vanish completely.
With him nearby, the Emerald Beach would look more like a blood-red shore. I'm sorry, truly sorry, Luise. I want to be with you too, but it just feels impossible here.
So today, after hearing she had left, I headed somewhere else on my own. Coming all this way only to sit still would have been a waste.
It really is beautiful.
A soft gasp escaped me at the sight, as if I were gazing at a gigantic emerald. Fortunately the sea was vast, and the stretches classified as Emerald Beach were just as wide. As long as I avoided wherever Luise had gone, I wouldn't cross paths with the Audit Department Chief. I had deliberately chosen a place people rarely visited.
It would have been nicer to see it together.
The scenery drew awe all by itself, yet the loneliness of viewing it alone washed over me. This was all the Audit Department Chief's fault. I had planned to stroll happily with Luise, laughing at the little squabbles of the girls who liked her—until one single person forced me into this fugitive existence.
In that hollow mood I dipped my feet into the water and sat right there. What was the point of buying a new swimsuit if I was just going to wander alone?
He's the one who did something wrong.
I pouted and idly dug at the sand with my fingers. When he stood right in front of me, terror had swallowed me whole; now that he was out of sight, resentment and a sense of injustice welled up. Our family was the one that suffered. Our family was the one left with the grievance. So why am I the one running away like this?
Still, there was one small mercy. We had been stuck together in the carriage, but once we reached the resort I hadn't seen him at all. He didn't seem interested in seeking me out.
"You go on ahead. I left something behind."
He had even shown that strange consideration.
I hugged my knees and buried my face against them. My thoughts were a mess. That had definitely been consideration—no matter how I turned it over, he had been looking out for me.
That Audit Department Chief... showing consideration?
The vicious head of the Audit Department? Toward me? The most plausible reason was also the least convincing, leaving me with this bizarre situation. It would have felt more realistic if Luise had simply cursed him out and thrown a punch.
I don't understand. Better that he never appear in front of me at all. Better that he not confuse me like this.
Over something so small.
Don't make me waver like this. What was so special about putting a little distance between us?
Maybe it was simply because he was close to Luise, because he was Erich's older brother—I wanted him to be a good person. Maybe it was pure escapism: rather than tremble in fear every time I saw him, I wished he could just be decent. Or maybe he truly, truly was a good person.
But even if he is? Even if I could smile and get along with the Audit Department Chief? What about my family? Father, dragged away for something so unjust. Mother, who fainted from the shock. My older brother, who shouldered every burden and suffered for it. My little siblings, who were so young they could only cry without understanding a thing?
—Don't dwell on it any longer. It was simply bad luck. Nothing more than an accident.
That was what Father had said. So let it go; don't keep it in your heart. That was the best way to deal with the Audit Department. Holding onto grudges or lingering regrets wouldn't change anything.
"I hate him..."
But no one was listening, so I muttered the resentment under my breath. Consideration or not, no matter what face he showed me, this was the only way I could feel. Please, just stay somewhere far away where I never have to see you.
I lifted my lowered head and stared blankly at my toes. This was supposed to be a fun school trip, yet all I seemed to be collecting were more worries—
Huh?
A sudden violent rush of water and a shadow fell over me. What?
I raised my head a fraction and my whole body locked up. A monster beyond anything I could have imagined stood before me. A creature larger than most buildings, ten tentacles thrashing as it looked down at me—a giant squid.
—Krrrrrrr!
The eerie cry froze even the thought of running. My body refused to move; all I could do was tremble.
Why... why?
Why would a monster like that appear at a resort like this? Was it punishment? Had I been punished for lying to Luise, for entertaining the foolish fantasy that the man who was practically our family's enemy might actually be a good person?
But this was going too far. I had wished the Audit Department Chief would stay somewhere out of sight, but I never meant I wanted to go somewhere so distant I could never see him again!
—Kuuuuurgh!
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
As the monster swung a massive tentacle, I clutched my head. No, I don't want to die like this! Then the last words I exchanged with Luise would have been a lie, and the last person I thought of would have been that man!
And I refuse to die to a squid! A funeral after getting killed by a squid—I'd be too bitter to close my eyes!
Extreme terror of impending death mixed with the tiniest shred of shame at the idea of "cause of death: squid," and my body stopped obeying me entirely. It hadn't moved since earlier, but now it felt like my brain couldn't even issue commands anymore.
No, Father, Mother, Opp—
- BOOM!
A deafening roar exploded out of nowhere, and something heavy rained down over my head.
Wh-what...?
Had something else appeared?
"Irina, are you hurt anywhere?"
I carefully lifted my head. The last person I wanted to see stood right in front of me—
"Ah, aah..."
—and behind him, the headless Kraken lay smashed into the sea.
I'm... alive? Can I even call this being alive? I escaped the Kraken only for someone even more dangerous to appear. And he was holding a spear in each hand.
"Irina?"
"Hic—"
Every ounce of strength drained from my body.
It was a simple motion. He gripped the spear shaft with his right hand and twisted his waist. His right arm drew back, right leg following, settling into stance. Nothing special—an ordinary movement anyone could make, one you might see anywhere. That was exactly how the captain assessed the Audit Department Chief.
The sailors throwing harpoons whenever they had free time during the voyage looked just like that. The only difference was that the man before him was preparing to throw at a Kraken rather than some ordinary fish.
First he intended to draw the Kraken's attention. With luck the provoked beast would approach the ship, and the mages could unleash a concentrated barrage. Even if it fled again, at least no civilian would fall victim to its attack.
"It might rock a little."
"Pardon?"
While the captain prodded the mage commander—who was lying like a corpse—with his foot to wake him, the Audit Department Chief suddenly spoke. Understanding the words was difficult, but there was no need to understand them.
- BOOM!
His body experienced it before his mind could process it.
"Wh-what was that? Did the bastard come first?"
The mage commander, who had been twitching under the captain's kicks, bolted upright in alarm as the roar hit and the ship tilted.
"It appeared, yes."
"After all that running around, has it lost its mind? Where is it?"
The captain wordlessly pointed toward the place he had been watching. The mage commander, already preparing a chant, lowered his staff and stared blankly at the same spot.
"...Where is the Kraken?"
"Until a moment ago, it was a Kraken."
"Good grief."
The mage commander let out a hollow laugh of disbelief and shifted his gaze from the (former) Kraken to something else.
"So that's what the seafloor looks like."
"This is my first time seeing it this way myself. I've seen it often enough while diving, though."
The captain nodded at the mage commander's words. A casually thrown spear—yet the result was anything but casual.
The impact of the throw had shaken the ship. This was a vessel reinforced with magic; even a full broadside would barely make it rock. And yet a single spear throw had tilted it.
For a moment the sea from the ship all the way to the beach had split open. The Kraken? Who cared about some squid when the ocean itself had parted? The Kraken had already died the instant the Audit Department Chief threw his spear, its head bursting apart.
"Fortunately it didn't miss."
At the Audit Department Chief's offhand remark, the captain instinctively glanced toward the beach where the Kraken had appeared. The sound of that head exploding had rivaled a true explosion. If the spear had gone even a little wide and struck the cliff behind the sand, who knew what would have happened.
"Mage Commander. Let's head to the beach."
"Ah, yes."
The Audit Department Chief, who had already scooped up the remaining two spears from the railing, spoke to the mage commander. The way the man glanced at those spears made it clear he still couldn't quite believe it.
"Will three be enough? I know the Audit Department Chief is strong, but fighting on land and fighting at sea are different matters."
That was the same mage commander who had voiced those worries right up until departure, after looking at the spears the Audit Department Chief had requested. Yet it hadn't taken three spears—or even two. One had been enough. He might well feel a crushing sense of futility about all the time he had spent drifting on the sea.
Knowing just how hard the mage commander had worked trying to catch the Kraken, the captain felt a twinge of pity.
It had been a while since I last used a spear, so I asked them to prepare three just to be safe—but luckily one was enough. Right. If I couldn't even take down a mere Kraken in one throw, what would people say? Their memorial day is coming up soon and I have to pay my respects; I can't afford to give them something to laugh about.
Even that bastard Kagan, burning somewhere in hell, might laugh at me. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.
Still, just in case, I headed to the beach with the mage commander—both to confirm the Kraken was dead and to check on the civilian who had nearly been attacked out of nowhere. And there I found an unexpected face.
Irina?
Irina sat trembling on the sand, surrounded by pieces of the Kraken. I thought she would be with Luise—why was she alone? I told Luise yesterday that I'd be stepping away for a while. Did the news just arrive late?
"Irina, are you hurt anywhere?"
"Ah, aah..."
High chance she had wandered off alone trying to avoid me and ended up in this mess. I asked with genuine concern, but she couldn't even form a proper answer. She must have been badly frightened.
"Irina?"
"Hic—"
Irina, who had been shaking, suddenly teared up and twisted her legs together. Of course she might cry after nearly dying just now... Wait.
I hurriedly covered the eyes of the mage commander, who had been examining the Kraken's corpse.
"Chief? What's the matter?"
"You can go on ahead. I'll return with this girl."
The mage commander looked puzzled by my sudden request, but he still left as asked. He was curious why I had covered his eyes so abruptly, but that was a secret I absolutely could not reveal.
"Hic, hnnngh..."
"I-Irina?"
"Waaaaaah!"
Irina's shoulders heaved as she tried desperately to hold back the sound, but in the end the tears and wails of mixed terror and shame burst free.
And regrettably, Irina's tears were not flowing only from her eyes. She knew it too, which only made her cry harder.
I'm sorry. Anyway, I'm the one who's sorry.