Ghost Ship on the Horizon
The sky over the sea was slowly brightening. As dawn crept forward, fishing boats began gliding back toward the harbor, and the market's atmosphere shifted little by little. A few vessels were already bustling with preparations to set sail since before sunrise. Among them was the Sally, the ship that would help me with today's request.
The voyage itself wouldn't take long, so there wasn't much cargo to load. While I waited for everything to be stowed, I found a suitable spot to sit and skim through the request form. The title was [Ghost Ship Investigation], and the details weren't far from what the name suggested. The specifics read as follows:
In the waters near Suckbiyan floats a ghost ship known as the Split Sail. For decades it has remained anchored in the same spot, but it has suddenly begun moving from its position. Please investigate the cause.
I had heard of undead phenomena involving ghost ships before, but this kind of incident was honestly unprecedented. Even after considering every possible explanation, nothing quite added up. All I could do was repeat to myself, '...Is this even possible?'
I had investigated ghost ships in the past, but cases like this were simply too rare to draw from—especially one where a ship that had sat motionless for years suddenly decided to move.
"Wizard, sir!"
Suddenly, a woman's voice called out from somewhere nearby. My attention snapped toward the sound. Far off in the distance, a human silhouette was waving and approaching. Wondering who they were looking for, I glanced the other way, but there was only the empty sea. When I turned back, the figure had come much closer.
She wore deep navy priestess robes, which gave me a rough idea of what this was about.
"Wizard, sir!"
The moment our eyes met, she stopped waving and calling out. Instead, she began running toward me with everything she had. By the time she reached me, she was panting heavily.
"Haa... haa... You're the wizard dispatched by the guild, right?"
"Yes. I've been sent by the guild."
She let out a sigh of relief and immediately began rummaging through her bag.
"Thank goodness... I got so lost. There are just so many docks in Suckbiyan..."
But her hands didn't stop searching. A moment later she even buried her face in the bag, desperately hunting for something.
"Huh? I'm sure I put it right here. J-just a moment! I'll find it right away!"
From her frantic reaction, I could already guess what she was looking for.
"Um... You don't need to show me the request form."
"Really? But everyone said I absolutely had to..."
The request bore a seal that wasn't from our guild. It was the image of two wings climbing up the spine of a book—the mark of the church.
"According to the manual, yes. But you have your priestess credentials, don't you?"
"Yes. I always carry them with me. Here!"
She pulled out her priestess ID from the bag and showed it to me. The name and ordination number matched exactly what was written on my request form. When I handed it back, she wore a slightly awkward expression.
"Is... is that all?"
"Since it has the church's mark, the name and ordination number are enough."
A ship's horn sounded. It was the signal that departure was near. We decided to board first and continue our conversation afterward.
Once on deck, my view rose higher and the horizon drifted farther away. The deep purple abyss of the sky was swept away in an instant, and soon the day had fully dawned.
"Thank you. My mind had gone completely blank earlier."
"No need. I just didn't want to come all this way only to turn back."
The horn sounded once more, and the ship slowly began to move. She was staring out at the distant sea. It didn't seem like she was thinking about anything in particular—just gazing.
"How would you like me to assist with the work?"
When I asked, she glanced over in surprise.
"Pardon?"
"Um... weren't you dispatched as the investigation supervisor?"
"Y-yes, that's right!"
"That's why I asked how you'd prefer to proceed to make the investigation easier."
She stammered with a few "Um... uh..." before finally managing to speak.
"H-how is it usually done?"
"Usually we both go aboard, and I either provide cover or check the deck first to make sure there are no hazards."
"Then... could you come up with me?"
I agreed, but an uneasy feeling refused to leave me. Still, for now it was just a hunch. However, as the waves grew increasingly violent and the hull began to rock wildly, I became certain it wasn't merely my imagination.
Despite the ship's rough motion, the priestess sat quietly. But her complexion was gradually turning the grayish color of a fish that had flopped onto dry land. Anyone could see she wasn't doing well.
"Are you alright?"
It was an obvious question, but I asked again anyway. She gave no verbal reply, only shook her head weakly with exhausted eyes. That small movement seemed to be the final trigger. She immediately turned her head toward the sea and...
...No. To protect her dignity, I'll stop the description there. At any rate, her expression cycled between looking terrible, turning away, and seeming slightly better. Watching it all left even me feeling nauseous.
About two hours later, fog began to roll in. By then her face had settled into a somewhat stable, albeit low-spirited, expression.
"Are you alright now?"
"Yes... somewhat..."
She could barely move her head, but she looked better than before.
"There's something I didn't get to mention earlier..."
She slowly opened her mouth, her tired eyes lifting. I thought it might be better if she stayed quiet, but she continued while lightly covering her mouth.
"When a ghost ship that has been stationary suddenly starts moving, it's often because living people have taken control of it. It's such a rare occurrence that I'm not entirely certain, but... I felt I should tell you anyway..."
"...Understood."
I held a scroll in one hand and fixed my gaze into the fog. The colder the wind grew, the quieter the surroundings became. Within the thick mist, only the ceaseless slapping of waves could be heard. The cold strait was so impenetrably opaque that nothing in the distance was visible, as if frost had settled over the sea. It was utterly silent. Only the faint whispering of the fog could be heard.
That was when it happened.
A long, spear-like mast emerged from the mist. It slowly passed alongside our ship, and the rest of its form—connected to the mast—gradually followed, dragged out from the fog.
It was an incredibly old vessel. Not only were planks rotting everywhere, but some had decayed so badly that their original shape was impossible to discern. It felt like watching a human corpse with rotting flesh still wandering the middle of the street. The ship looked precarious enough to sink into the sea at any moment, yet it also emanated an even more wretched sense of dread.
There was no doubt about it. This was unmistakably a ghost ship. If it had any distinguishing feature, it would be that it was far larger than most ghost ships.
"Shall we board?"
She nodded. Soon a ladder was placed between the two vessels, and we stepped onto the ghost ship.
I kept my breathing as quiet as possible. Since it hadn't attacked when our ship approached, it seemed that while there might be people aboard, they had no intention of fighting. Still, I couldn't let my guard down.
But all that caution turned out to be completely pointless.
"W-wow..."
The priestess beside me suddenly let out a sound like a child seeing something for the first time.
"This is my first time boarding a ghost ship!"
Please. I raised a finger to my lips in a clear signal to be quiet. I even demonstrated it plainly. But she didn't seem to fully grasp the meaning.
"Before this, I always conducted my research sitting in the lab, using only books and documents..."
She didn't stop talking. In the end, I grabbed her shoulder and turned her toward me. Forcing her gaze to meet mine, I emphasized the gesture again—shaking my finger two or three times for good measure.
"Huh?... Ah! Oh!"
Only then did the priestess seem to understand. She clapped both hands over her mouth.
...I scanned our surroundings. Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone preparing to attack us, nor any commotion that would suggest such a thing. In fact, there weren't even any traces of anything having passed through here recently. It was hard to imagine not only living people but even anything resembling the undead.
It wasn't unheard of for a ghost ship to lack any undead, but this case had far too many exceptions. Still, the absence of enemies was at least a relief for the moment.
"It seems safe for now. But please keep your voice down."
The priestess kept her hands over her mouth until I spoke. Only then did she lower them.
"Yes... I'm sorry..."
"You don't need to apologize."
We immediately headed toward the interior of the deck. Yet that inexplicable, suspicious feeling refused to fade.