Author: Yume Neiji

After the encounter with Leviathan-sama, the ship deviated from its planned course and took a straight course due east.

“Oh no, the sea breeze makes my skin rough.”

“Dominique is most proud of how beautiful your skin is after all. Here, this is my moisturizer.”

“Thank you Leila. But, as I’ve said many times, my name is Catherine, Catherine.”

“Oh, that’s right. Sorry, Dominique.”

On the deck, Dominique, the spear wielder, and Leila, the shield wielder, were sitting against the rail and were having such conversation.

If you only listen to their voice, it sounds like a conversation between women. No, they’re women. It’s a bad habit of mine to try to judge people’s gender based on their physical bodies. Recently, I’ve only noticed that Dominique and Leila looked like a man, physically that is. To put it simply, they are ga—……Oops, it looks like someone is coming.

“Leila, a minute please. I have something to talk to you about.”

“Okay. I am about to talk to you too.”

Leila runs up to Liberto and hugs him. As a bystander, they look like lovers. In fact, these two seems to be really dating. Despite the twists and turns, Liberto accepted Leila, and she seems to have accepted him too.

“Hey, does anyone know where Tanaka-shisho is? I’ve been looking for him but I can’t find him anywhere.”

“Why don’t you just give up? If you really want to train, there is Freya or Liz. Ah, but if it’s Pero-sama, I’d like to take some guidance too. He is a noble, big-hearted and kind person. Unlike Tanaka.”

“Hey Marga, don’t call our masters that way, especially Tanaka-shisho.”

Tina and Margaret wander to the deck looking for me, but they soon started a standoff.

I knew that Margaret had been calling me names behind my back, it seemed like I am much hated. However, it can also be said that this is exactly what I am aiming for. Wielding the whip on my apprentice is basically my, Shinichi Tanaka’s job. Freya and Liz are also assisting with the training, so they serve as half-whips. Pero, on the other hand, is like the candy. He is kind to the apprentices and shows them care. Erna…… well, she’s down, so she doesn’t have a specific role. That’s how I decided how we behave when training them.

“Okay, okay, stop fighting both of you. As for Tanaka-shisho, I haven’t seen him either.”

“I haven’t seen him since this morning either. I wonder if he is hiding somewhere and eating again.”

When Liberto and Leila said that, Tina sits down on the edge of the ship and dangles her legs. Her face was like a child who couldn’t buy a toy, and her boredom was clearly reflected on her face.

“Liberto and the others don’t know where Master is huh. I was thinking of letting Master see my new skills you see.”

“That’s interesting. I wonder what kind of trick you came up with this time.”

“Oh, Dominique wants to see my new technique? Then I’ll demonstrate it now!”

Tina jumped off the edge of the ship and raised her fist towards Dominique. Then, a familiar red aura is emitted from her body.

Did this girl learn superhuman skills?

“Tina-style corkscrew uppercut!!”

The next moment Tina made an uppercut, a swirling wind whirled around her. The other four are blown away, and I also braced himself to stay put.

“O-ouch….That’s too much, Tina. You caught me by surprise.”

“Sorry, sorry. I got stronger that’s why. So, how was my new move?”

“From what I see, it doesn’t look like a technical skill. Mmm, I wonder if it’s because of that red aura.”

Tina switches off her skill and answers Dominique’s confusion with a big smile.

“As expected of Dominique, you noticed it well. That’s right, this superhuman skill seems to increase my power many times over!”

“It’s not Dominique, it’s Catherine! But that superhuman skill is not that big achievement. It’s a rare skill that is rumored to be only available to high humans. I’m sure that Tanaka-san doesn’t have that skill either.”

“Eh? I heard that the master has the skill of superhuman transformation though?”

“……That’s a lie, right? How many skills does he have?”

The four of them, except Tina, were shocked. Among them, it seems that it is already common knowledge that I have a large number of skills. Of course, I didn’t mention in detail what kind of skills I have, so it should be recognized that I am a mysterious person in many ways. On the other hand, since I have Analysis+ skill, I know the status of the five people perfectly.

Tina sits down on the edge of the ship again, seemingly satisfied.

“I want to show Master my new skills as soon as possible. I wonder where he is.”

“Hmm, I wonder if Tina likes Tanaka-san? She’s quite fond of him, isn’t she?”

“Muu, Dominique and the others like to talk about things like that right away. Generally speaking, I don’t really understand what romantic feelings is. I just think he’s a mentor I look up to.”

“Is that so? But you’ve always thought of becoming his apprentice. You even said for a while that you don’t want to be taught by someone else.”

Hearing Dominique’s words, Tina bashfully scratches her head. She looked somewhat embarrassed.

“I used to go to a martial arts dojo you see. My teacher there was a Spartan, and I followed him because I believed he was a very strong person.”

“Well, you can’t be taught by a weaker person. I also believe that the one who should teach me how to use the spear should be the strongest of all.”

“Exactly. Well, one day I suddenly thought to myself. I wondered how strong my teacher was. Then, one time, I hit my teacher for a little joke. But he was stunned by a single blow, and at that time, my respect for him collapsed. Mmm, I think it’s more accurate to say that it cooled down.”

Tina laughs wryly as she dangles her legs.

I can understand her feelings. She was able to respect that teacher because she thought he was stronger than her. It is natural to be disappointed when she finds out that he was weak. It’s a common story.

“That’s why I swore that I would only learn from people who were stronger than me.”

“So Tanaka-san is a match for you then?”

“Stop saying that. I just knew by instinct that Tanaka-shisho was strong. He’s way stronger than anyone else. He may even be the strongest of all races. Besides, I had heard a lot of rumors about him until now. I thought there was no doubt about it. This time, it’s someone I can trust.”

“That’s similar to love. It’s love at first sight.”

“Dominique really like stories like that huh. But I think it’s close. I think I fell in love with Tanaka-shisho’s strength. Oh, of course, I respect Pero-sama as well. He got the same fighting style as me, so I’m aiming for him too.”

“Aah~, that’s nice. Such a pure heart of a young maiden. Moreover, the heart that swings between the two men is just youth. If I had such body as a woman, I would have been able to make a wonderful love.”

Dominique wiggles his body and makes awkward movements.

Liberto called out.

“Do, Dominique….…”

“I’m sure I said it’s Catherine! Shall I tear off that ○○○○ and make it ○○○○! Ha!? Huh!?”

Dominique, who was overwhelmed, grabs Liberto’s chest and spoke in a loud voice. At the sight of it, I vowed to never to call “Catherine” Dominique again.

“No, uh-, Domi—Catherine. Look at that, that.”

“Oun? Eh?”

In the direction Liberto pointed was a land. It’s quite large and you can’t see the whole picture well.

Is that the forbidden island?

I unlocked my stealth skill and runs to Baja, who is at the helm.

“Eh!? Master suddenly appeared!?”

I could hear Liberto and the others exclaiming behind me, but now is not that time for them.

Baja puffed on his pipe and squinted at the island in the distance.

“Baja, is that the forbidden island?”

“Maybe-nya. We won’t know anything until we go ashore, but I guess Leviathan-sama knows a lot about it-nya.”

At that moment, something huge appeared from the side of the ship. A white mane with emerald green scales that grows from the top of the head to the back. Two long beards grew under its nose, and his long pupils looked at me.

It’s a ridiculously big dragon.

It seems that I had a terrible misunderstanding. Leviathan-sama was not a fish, but a dragon species.

“That’s the island of the God Tree, and from here on out, you can go alone.”

“Aren’t you going to follow us? There’s still quite a way to get to the island, you know?”

“We have already reached a position where you can see it with the naked eye. There is no point in guiding you anymore. I have told the Sea People who protect the island about you. Don’t hesitate to step on the island.”

After saying that, he sank his face into the sea. I hurriedly asked Leviathan-sama,

“Where is the God Tree on the island!? Who is the person who want to meet me?”

“That person is in the center of the island. The answer is already within you. Go back to your memory.”

After that, Leviathan’s voice could no longer be heard.

The answer lies in my memory? If so, have I ever met him?

Looking back, I can’t find anyone who looks like it.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll find out if I go there.”

“That’s what he said-nya. Let’s head to the island at maximum speed-nya. Open all the sails-nya!”

“Got it-nya! To the island-nya!”

The sailors and Lena followed the instructions and opened all the sails of the mast. The ship picks up speed and heads straight for the forbidden island.

“Shinichi, you guys are going to the island by yourselves-nya. We’re waiting for you offshore-nya.”

“I understand. We’ll be back within a week at the most. If we don’t come back after the deadline, leave us behind.”

“I’ll do that-nya. But I think I’ll have to wait about two weeks-nya.”

I smiled at Baja who grinned at me.

　◇◇◇

The ship was anchored offshore, and we landed in the sandy beaches of the island via small boats. The ones who came to the island are the Homeless, the Sword of Glory and Lena, who insisted on accompanying us.

As for Lena, I told her to wait on the ship, but she didn’t listen and was adamant to join us. Apparently, she is worried about us. I was touched. And, as a former military adventurer, she won’t die prematurely.

“Haa~, the air is so good. Land is really great. I don’t want to leave here anymore.”

Lying on the sand in large letters is Erna, who is free from seasickness. With such a lively expression, that previous emaciated state was no longer seen.

“Erna-neesan, let’s keep going.”

“I don’t wanna. Let me rest a little longer. It’s been a long trip and my mind and body are in tatters. I haven’t fully absorbed the land energy yet.”

“If you say that, you just don’t want to walk. You can ride on my back then.”

“Yay! Pero grew up to be a really good kid. I think it’s because of my education.”

Erna rides Pero’s back with an excited look on her face.

What is land energy? I’ve never heard of it.

“On Pero-sama’s back…… Kuuu, I’m so jealous.”

Freya bit her thumb, the flame of jealousy is vivid in her eyes. Liz, on the other hand, is sleeping soundly, as usual. No matter how many times I look at it, it is strange after all. For instance, her being able to move while sleeping.

“Master, what should we do?”

The Sword of Glory led by Liberto exudes a thrilled atmosphere. I could have left them on the ship, but we came to an island where there was a high-ranking dragon. It will be a good experience for them to train here as well. I used my metal manipulation skill to remove the rings they were wearing.

“This…… My body is so light. It feels weird.”

“Prepare to protect yourself. If we are to be defeated, flee immediately without helping us. Understood?”

“Yes. We will do my best to meet my master’s expectations.”

The five of them bowed to each of us.

I don’t think they’re going to be a hindrance. In fact, while on the island, they may reach a second evolution. Actually, I have high hopes for their success.

“This island is a strange island-nya. Magic stones are all over the place-nya.”

Lena’s eyes widened at the pillars of magic stones growing on the beach. No wonder she wants to say that. The beach where we landed is a very beautiful place, but there are countless pillars of magic stones growing from the rocks and sand. It doesn’t matter what the attributes are, but colorful magic stones such as fire, water, wind, and earth elements are noticeable. In a word, it’s insane. This island is a mixture of magical powers of various attributes.

“Are you guys ready? Let’s go!”

We then stepped from the seashore into the lush forest. Our goal is to reach the God Tree, which is said to be in the center of the island.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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The ship continued eastward and finally reached half of its intended route. When we arrived in this area, we often see uninhabited islands. Maybe the reason for this is because it is too far from the continent. In addition, the magical beasts that inhabit it are more ferocious than those on the continent. Even the weakest goblins are as good as orcs.

I even sometimes saw dragons. Of course it is mostly wyverns, but there are several types of drakes as well. Drake is a dinosaur-like dragon that is classified as a medium sized dragon. It looks like a tyrannosaurus, and each type can be identified by its body color and size. The weakest and smallest are the Yellow Drake. Their body length is about 3 meters. On the other hand, the strongest and largest is the red drake. It is more than 10 meters long, has an abnormally sharp sense of smell, and once it bites, it will not let go until it kills the opponent. In addition, they use skills and magic, so ordinary humans have no chance of winning against it.

“Uhiiiiiii! M-master, please help us!”

Liberto and the others, who had gone out hunting, dashed desperately towards us who are grilling meat on the beach of the island.

Beki beki beki beki beki.

Countless birds fly from the forest. I then heard the sound of trees snapping, and a red drake appeared on the beach through the forest. Judging from the situation, Liberto and the others seem to have been eyed as prey.

“Goooooooh!”

The Drake stops and roars, then snorts and starts running towards us. Every time it lowered its foot, the ground shook and it was already right behind Liberto and the others who continued to flee.

“Freya, Liz, help the five of them.”

“Understood. Let’s go, Liz.”

“It’s troublesome. But for the sake of my disciple, it can’t be helped.”

The two of them stood up and walked towards Liberto and the others. As soon as the five of them realized that help came, they hid behind the two of them.

“I’m going to use my divine power to seal its movement. Liz will finish it off.”

“Okay. I’m going to give Drake’s meat to Oniichan.”

Freya sticks out her left hand and made a squeezing movement. The Drake floated lightly, and its feet cut through the air. Straightaway, a dark cloud envelops the enemy’s body and forcibly invades through its mouth. In the next moment, countless black spines protruded from inside the Red Drake’s body. Out of breath, the Drake dropped to the ground with a thud.

Liberto and the others were stunned by the sight. The mid-level dragon was killed that easily.

Well, considering that a single Red Drake can turn a large city into a sea of fire, it is understandable why they are so shocked. However, Drake is also a relatively easy dragon to defeat. Since wyverns, are flying dragons, even if they are of the same race, the Drakes are slightly weaker.

　◇◇◇

“Ugh, I feel sick. I want to get back to the land as soon as possible……”

“Are you okay? If you feel like vomiting, just do it, don’t overdo yourself.”

“Thank you Pero. My stomach is empty now and I don’t have anything to throw up.”

In the cabin, a haggard Erna is being rubbed on the back by Pero. It’s been more than two weeks since we started our voyage but she still hasn’t gotten used to traveling by sea and is suffering from seasickness. In the bed next to her, Liz was snoring heavily. She seems to have gotten used to it.

When I was fishing for bonito, Erna was also making a fuss about how she didn’t like ships. Freya, sitting on a chair, is dexterously peeling an apple with the tip of a spear. She cuts it into pieces, puts it on a plate, and offers it to Erna.

“You can eat some fruit, right? You better eat some.”

“Thank you as always, Freya. I’m so indebted to you.”

“Please stop. It’s like you’re dying.”

“I’m probably going to die. This seasickness is an incurable disease. It must be so.”

A weakened Erna looks at the sea out of the cabin window and lets out a dry laugh.

This is serious. I’m sure she’ll get used to the sea soon, but I’m not sure if she’ll keep her spirits up until then. I’ll have to cheer her up later.

Then, suddenly, the door to the room was flung open and Margaret enters. For some reason, she looked angry.

“Enough already! Can’t you just come around from seasickness already? As a mage, you’re the only master I can have. I don’t want to be forced to train like a warrior every day. Or, are you inferior to me so you can’t teach me?”

“That’s not true…… I’m just not feeling well right now.”

“Then I want you to demonstrate the ability of those who wear that dark brown robe. That is, show me what a master-level mage is. I don’t like to ask people who are inferior to me to teach me. That’s all what I’m trying to say.”

Margaret waved her hand and walked out of the room. I had noticed that she had a strange rivalry with Erna from the time I met her, but I didn’t expect her to provoke Erna at this time. Suddenly, I glanced at Erna and saw that she was about to get out of bed with her staff as a cane.

“H-hey, you’d better still rest.”

“I can’t rest. As a master class mage, it’s frustrating to be ridiculed. If she wants me to show her my ability, I’ll show her! I’ll prove what I’m capable of. The magic of Great Mage Erna…… Uoh?!?”

I held Erna as she fell. Apparently, she is weaker than I imagined. I placed her on the bed and put a futon on her.

“I’m sorry. I felt lightheaded.”

“It’s okay, just take a rest. It’s not too late to do Margaret’s training after your seasickness subsides. I’m sure she’s just here to vent her frustrations with her current training.”

When I said that, Erna gives a small nod and smiles.

“But I kind of understand how she felt when she said that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Human mages are often compared to elven mages. Elves had high affinity for magic after all. That’s why I think Margaret has followed the path of magic to prove that she is not outdone by the elves.”

If you ask me, I feel that there is indeed such a tendency in the kingdom. This is because just being an elf, they are expected to be able to use powerful magic. If so, it’s not surprising that Margaret harbors something close to hostility towards Erna. As a mage, she is jealous of Erna.

“Still, rest for now. You are an important comrade and a force to be reckoned with after all.”

“Comrade…..? Haaa~”

“Uh-, y-you are also a dear person to me. So just rest well.”

“W-what did you just say? Come on, what did you say~?”

“Eei! D-don’t cling to me! Wait, you’re fine!”

I pushed Erna’s face with my hand and tried to push her away.

I’m screwed. It seems that I said too much.

“……What are you doing-nya?”

Lena, who opened the door and came in, looked at me with a shocked face.

　◇◇◇

Baja and I were both holding a glass of liquor while looking at the map. We are discussing the journey so far and the future route we’ll take.

“It’s been three weeks since we’ve sailed-nya. It look’s like we’re going to get to our destination ahead of schedule-nya.”

“Then how much longer will it take to reach the island?”

“About a week if there’s no trouble-nya. But it’s been going so well so far that it is quite scary-nya.”

“….Those sea dwellers, right? They will probably only appear when we get closer to the island.”

“In fact, it wouldn’t be strange if they come out right now-nya. We entered the waters that the islanders said we shouldn’t be in-nya.”

On the map, the location of the island we are heading to was marked with a red X. There is a wide area with a no-trespassing word written around it. That said, it doesn’t mean that something will immediately happen when we enter it though.

Right at that moment I thought so, the ship that was sailing smoothly just now shook violently. Baja fell out of his chair and the glass of liquid was even poured on his face as he was about to drink.

W-what?! What happened!?

I rushed out of the captain’s cabin and moved to the deck while coughing.

“M-Master…… These guys suddenly got on ship….…”

On deck, Liberto froze with his hands raised high up. A three-pronged spear was attached to his neck, and it was held by a blue-scaled man. His eyes were sharp as a shark’s, his fingers and toes were webbed, and he also wore a metal armor. There were about five other similar men on board, and like Liberto, the members of Sword of Glory had a spear pointed at their necks.

The man glared at me and opened his mouth.

“What’s the purpose of you humans in these area? Answer well or I’ll kill them right here.”

“Wait. I’ll be honest with you, so don’t kill them.”

“I can’t promise that. Don’t lie, just tell me what you’re here for.”

The man presses the tip of his spear tightly against Liberto’s neck. I can’t make a bad move because I don’t know who the other person is. I have no choice but to respond to their demands for the time being.

“We are on our way to the Forbidden Island. Our purpose is to meet the God Tree.”

“For God Tree-sama? What is your aim Human?”

“It’s going to be a long story, but if I had to make it short, it would be for the sake of this world.”

“I don’t know what you mean. Are you making fun of us sea people?”

It seems that I have spoiled the man’s mood. But in the first place, it is difficult to only talk about the main points. Even me, a person involved, is still in a state where I don’t fully grasp the whole picture.

Angels, Barrier, World Tree, Gods…… These are the ones I want to hear.

“Do you know what the World Tree is?”

“I don’t know. We don’t know about the land.”

“It’s the entity that creates the barrier that protects this world. Ah, to be more precise, it’s the God Tree who did it. However, the World Tree is known as one of the Six Sacred Beasts which are the key pillars of this world, and it has recently been killed.”

“The Six Sacred Beasts…. Key Pillars……”

The man finally seemed agitated. He turned his face to the other men and exchanges words with his eyes.

“You are lying! There is no such thing as six sacred beasts on land.”

“Wait! I’m telling the truth!”

“I’ll punish you for speaking nonsense! This is your punishment for encroaching on our territory!”

Just as the man was about to put more force into the spear, a voice came out of nowhere, “Stop, Mars.”

“I didn’t expect Leviathan-sama to come to a place like this.”

“I have come because I was told that a guest is coming. Please leave them with me.”

“Yes! As the order of Leviathan-sama who sits at the top of the Six Sacred Beasts.”

The man called Mars moved his spear away from Liberto’s neck. However, the owner of the voice is nowhere to be found. He was said to be the leader of the Six Sacred Beasts, but I feel doubtful whether it is true.

“Human, if you are a guest, you are welcome. But if you behaved disrespectfully to Leviathan-sama, I will behead you immediately.”

“Not being rude or anything like that, I can’t see the Leviathan-sama you spoke of though?”

“Kuku, Kuhahaha! Can’t people of the land see Leviathan-sama’s great figure?”

Mars leans forward and looks directly under the ship. When I also looked into it in the same way, I saw that a huge object was moving under the surface of the sea. No, this is the torso. The enormous body, which is as thick as four ships lined up side-by-side and wriggles like a snake beneath the ship. Although its total length is unknown, it looks like a sea creature with a long body that extends several kilometers. I can barely tell that it is a fish because I can see the scales, but the size is too large to fit in that category. It’s a monster that humans can’t beat for sure.

“It’s so ridiculously big. I almost believe it’s actually a sacred beast.”

“It’s true! Leviathan-sama is a sacred beast! Kuu! Nevermind, it’s a waste of time to argue with you. At best, you should imprint the sublime form of Leviathan-sama in your eyes.”

After saying that, Mars jumps into the sea with his comrades. I used my analysis skills to peek at them at the last minute. As it turned out, their race was Merman. In terms of stats, they are only slightly stronger than Liberto and the others.

I changed my mind for the time being and decided to talk to this Leviathan-sama guy, that is swimming beneath the surface of the sea. Although he said we are a guest, but his purpose is currently unknown.

“What should we do now? If possible, we would like to go to the Forbidden Island.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been asked by God Tree-sama to pick you up. I’ll show you the shortest way to the island.”

“Then thank you for that. By the way, is it true that you are one of the Six Sacred Beasts?”

“Indeed. In the ocean of this world, there are six secret sacred beasts, including me. Normally, the Six Sacred Beasts on the land are responsible for creating the barrier that protects this world, but in an emergency, we, the Sacred Beasts of the Sea, will be the energy source of the barrier.”

“Six Secret Sacred Beasts you say…….?”

Then, there were a total of 12 major holy beasts in this world?

Now that I think about it, it is strange that the Sacred Beasts are concentrated only on land. It is a given that there are living creatures in the sea too. Then it is rather normal that they have one underwater too. I finally found out why the barrier had been repaired.

“You—the person who want to meet you, Shinichi Tanaka, is waiting on the island.”

“Is it a person who want to meet me? Isn’t it the God Tree?”

“You’ll understand if you go there. Follow me.”

Leviathan-sama begins to move forward leisurely, taking me and the others with him.

What kind of person is waiting for me on the forbidden island?

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“What do you think-nya? This is the new ship of the Zañas family-nya.”

“It’s bigger than it used to be, and it looks like it’s going to go faster.”

Looking at the new ship, I nod as I watch the crew load the cargo. Next to me, Baja was watching in the same way while puffing his pipe. The ship that is currently docked at the harbor is what we would call carrack on Earth—in other words, it is a medium-sized sailing ship. It is easy to understand if you imagine the Black Pearl in a certain movie. There are also cannons on it, and it was built with the assumption of naval battles. Apparently, pirates often appear around that area. It seems that a herd of magical beasts can also attack the ship, and fishermen must always be prepared for battle.

“Tsu! Ugigigi! Agigigi!”

“I can’t do it anymore! I can no longer stand this!”

Liberto and Margaret carry luggage along with the crew. The two of them are sweating while holding the crate in a desperate manner. However, their progress was slow, and by the time the crew was able to make two round trips, they just finally brought the crate they are holding to the desired location.

“I just can’t understand! Why do we have to be used so badly!?”

“Okay, okay, calm down Margaret. Think that this is part of training……”

“Is this training!? Being ordered by those guys for convenience is training!?”

Margaret was complaining on the ship when they finished transporting the crate. Moreover, it was so loud that it can be heard by many people, including me. Margaret, who can’t contain her anger, grabs Liberto around his chest to express her irritation.

“This is all because you told us this absurd thing like becoming an apprentice! What is so amazing about Shinichi Tanaka!? Your stupidity is really amazing!”

“Hey, really, calm down Margaret. Everyone is listening.”

“You know what? Let them hear as much as they want! Most of the time you pull the team too far with your own opinions and prejudice! Who said we wanted to become a master level!? We never said a word like that, did we?! It’s all you! It’s all good as long we can indulge in luxury and have a good man to attend to us! It’s just you, you, you!”

“Abue, Bubue, Fugue!”

Enraged, Margaret punches Liberto’s dovetail repeatedly. Baja was laughing as he watched.

“They are lively guys-nya. They are going to live a long life-nya.”

“I suppose so. Alright, it’s time for me to go and help too.”

Just as I stood up, Tina came running up to me with a crate in her hand.

“Master! Where should I take this!?”

“It’s a cannonball, so keep it near the cannon. The sailors will put it in the storage room later.”

“I got it! Get out of the way! Tina-sama is on the way!”

With a light footstep that seemed to have no sound, she headed towards the ship. Dominique and Leila don’t seem to feel much weight either, they are quietly helping load the luggage.

It is only on the third day of training but the difference between the five of them began to appear. As I can see, Liberto and Margaret are not much different from the first day. As for Dominique and Leila, they are already overcoming the weight of the equipment. However, not only did Tina overcome it, but she is also now stronger than when she wasn’t wearing it. Well, this is as expected. The day after she put on the equipment, she was moving around normally after all. She even asked me and Pero to be her wrestling partner. It’s one thing to dismiss it like this, but I guess you could say it is all about qualification and talent.

By the way, the five of them are High Human. When it comes to special-class and master-class adventurers, there are quite a few who have evolved to the next level. As expected, it seems that those who are going to evolve for the second time can be counted on one hand.

“Father, these cannonballs should be placed near the cannon, right?”

“Yes. You can ask Tina for the exact location.”

Pero carried two crates full of cannonballs on each shoulder. Freya, who is right behind him, is carrying the same number with her four arms, and the two of them climbed up to the deck without any danger.

It’s about time for Erna to arrive, but I wonder why if she is still taking time to leave.

“I’m sorry, I’m late because I was dealing with the kids.”

Erna came to the port with Liz on her back. Beside her is Lena, accompanied by her mother and younger brothers and sisters. I looked into Liz’s face to see her state.

“It looks like it’s not over yet. It can’t be helped, just carry her to the cabin.”

“Okay. See you guys.”

She waves to Lena’s younger siblings. They responded with a smile, “See you soon, Elf-oneechan!”

During the few days she stayed at the Zañas house, Erna was completely accepted by the children. Just like in Mana, she is well liked by children. She herself, said that she likes children. Being friendly is one of her forte.

As for Liz, she started to evolve early this morning. The predicted outcome of the evolution is Novania, a race of primitive humans or just like Freya’s. But considering what had happened so far, it will not necessarily be the case. It is quite possible that she will evolve into something else as well. For the time being, she chose Novania after discussing it with me, but Liz looked a little dissatisfied. When I asked her why she was grumpy, she said, “Four arms is already Freya’s characteristics”. Anyways, to sum it up, Liz is currently evolving.

“Loading complete! Master, the vice-captain said we could go anytime!”

“Hn? Is that so? I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“It’s not a problem at all. But I want you to train us without holding back during the voyage.”

Although Tina has an innocent personality, her attitude towards receiving instructions was the best of the five to be taught. Maybe she has been trained by someone in the past. She bows, saying “Osu!” and runs off to the ship. She’s energetic and pleasant to watch too.

“Alright, we’re going to set sail now-nya. Let’s all get on board-nya.”

After finishing his cigarette, Baja lifted his heavy hips to signal the time of departure. As we boarded the ship, the sails were unfurled, and the ship slowly began to move away from the harbor.

Lena, who is on deck, waved to the young children of the Zañas family.

“We’re going-nya! Look forward to souvenirs-nya!”

“Wait a minute, why are you here?”

“Shinichi, what are you talking about-nya? I decided to go with you guys-nya.”

“Eh?”

“nya?”

Lena tilted her head, and I also felt confused. I wonder if I had done such a conversation with her. Well, I don’t have a problem with her coming with us. Since Baja gave permission, it would be rather convenient. In this case, there’s no reason for me to say no. The captain is Lena’s father after all.

The ship continues to accelerate to the far horizon with the tailwind. We are getting further and further away from Sarasvati, and before I knew it, it was out of sight.

“Please give me a break! Ugue!?”

“No way! It’s too naive of you to ask for forgiveness at this level! You think that mages can only do things form long distance!? Unfortunately, you don’t have enough power to beat me! Ora, ora, oraa!”

Liberto and Margaret were still fighting. It’s one-sided though. Maybe it’s a usual occurrence as the other three pretended not to see it. Still, I have to change my perception of Margaret. It doesn’t matter what equipment it is, she can move it steadily. At this rate, it might be okay to move on to the next step.

“Your apprentices are amazing-nya. I wanna try fighting them-nya.”

“Maybe it’s best not to make that mage girl too angry.”

“That’s right-nya. It’s really absurd that even your apprentices are weird-nya.”

“What do you mean?”

“Put your hand on your chest and think about it-nya.”

Lena walked to the cabin leaving such meaningful words behind.

I put my hand on my chest as I was told, but I couldn’t think of anything….

　◇◇◇

A week has passed since we left the port of Sarasvati. The ship continues to move due east, passing through some islands. The islands are mainly inhabited by beastmen, but surprisingly, I also saw glimpses of the other five races.

According to Baja, there was once a time when the humans ruled the world. It was called the Age of Exploration. The six races all ventured into the open sea, scrambling to secure land and resources. However, that too came to an end. The world war has begun. It was said that the battle spread across the continent, and many people fled to the islands by boat to escape the war. As a result, the great war was won by a coalition of five races, and the people who had taken refuge on the island returned to the continent.

However, there are some who did not return. They decided to abandon their homeland and settle on the islands they were in. The people who live on those islands today are the descendants of such people. The inhabitants of all those islands welcomed us with open arms. Although they are now natives, they are compatriots who lived on the same continent and in the same kingdom after all. For them, it must have felt like a distant relative had come to visit. We also actively shared some of our cargo with the inhabitants, including sharing information about the continent.

The main reason why I went to the island was to gather information. I was hoping that they would know something about the Forbidden Island. As a result, there were some gains.

First of all, there is an area of the sea far to the east that should not be approached. Next is that if we encounter a sea dweller, we are told to never attack them. In addition, it was said that there are monsters that cannot be defeated by humans that lurk in the open sea. There were several other pieces of information as well, but I thought that these three were the most important ones.

Currently, the ship had completed a quarter of its planned course.

“…M-master, please give me a break. I’m really going to die!”

“Not yet, you still have a long way to go. If you keep faltering like this, the name of Sword of Glory will be ruined.”

“That absolutely can’t happen! I’m swimming a few kilometers in armor though!?”

Liberto, with a rope tied around his belly, was chasing the ship hard while doing butterfly strokes. I am holding the end of the rope as I fly directly above him. As part of his training, I made him swim in full armor with a goal of 10 kilometers. It’s quite a hard task, but unlike on earth, the people of this world are blessed in many ways. If he doesn’t work hard, he may not even be able to train. In fact, being a high human, he can easily do 10,000 push-ups. Their equipment is no longer even a load.

“I can’t do it anymore! I’ve been seeing mom’s face flashing in my head for a while now!”

“You can stop. You just made ten kilometers.”

“Yes! Hurry up -uh, hurry up please. Please pull me up! Please!”

I pulled up the rope and Liberto, dripped in seawater, is lowered onto the deck of the ship. There, three more are also lying in the same state. Margaret, in particular, was knocked out, her eyes were unfocused with drool dripping from the corner of her mouth.

“Alright, today’s training ends here, you can do as you like.”

Even if I said so, the four of them remained collapsed and did not move from their position. Then Tina comes over, munching on a bread.

“Master, are we done with our training?”

“For this day, yes. Did you steal bread from the pantry again?”

“Why do I feel so hungry after training? Ahaha”

As usual, Tina is the only one who is tough. The other four probably don’t have the energy to eat.

“But bread alone is not enough, so I’ll have to ask Liz-san’s help as usual.”

“Did you call?”

Liz appears out of nowhere after hearing Tina’s voice. Now she has a stealth that I myself, cannot detect.

Her appearing like this so suddenly is really bad for the heart.

“Liz-san, I’m going to ask you for a big one today too.”

“Understood. I’m going to pitch in and help my pretty apprentice.”

Darkness is born around Liz, and it grows like smoke, expanding upwards and upwards. When one large round mass forms above the ship, countless tentacles-like darkness extended from the mass and stretched into the sea. The tentacles then quickly caught the creatures in the sea and threw it onto the deck.

In no time at all, several large fish were caught.

“As expected, Liz-san’s dark cloud is amazing!”

“You can get it if you evolve into a Dark Human. Or, if you become a Darkness Dimensioner, you can use it as much as you want.”

Liz has evolved into a new and powerful race. I secretly peek at her status with my analysis skills.

【Analysis Result: Liz Schmidt: The third daughter of the Schmidt family. Not long ago, she was suffering from seasickness, but recently, she have become accustomed to it and is already enjoying the boat trip. She’s a little happy to be relied on by Tina. Rarity: SS, Overall Ability: SS】

【Status】 Name: Liz Schmidt Age: 15 years old Race: Darkness Dimensioner Occupation: Adventurer Magic Attributes: Water, Darkness, Dark Magic: Aqua Ball, Aqua Arrow, Aqua Wall, Aqua Cure, Shadow, Desire Ball Skills: Telepathy, Shinobi’s Vessel Special: Fist King Technique Advanced: Sword King Technique, Eyesight Enhancement Intermediate: Danger Prediction Beginner: Super Ninjutsu, Decapitation, Physical Enhancement Z, Awakening, Disguise   Evolution: Conditions are not met < Evolution Requirement: Super Ninjutsu (Special Grade), Sword Emperor Technique (Special Grade), Awakening (Special Grade), Impersonation (Special Grade) >

Ninjutsu has evolved into Super Ninjutsu, and a new skill called Decapitation has been added. In addition, with the added new skill, Disguise, she has grown into a shinobi that is even more promising.

As for the dark cloud, it is incomparably bigger than before. At its condensed size, it is about the size of the ship we are currently on, and when it is enlarged, it can fit about 10 ships. Thanks to this, we now move the entire ship in the dark cloud on windless days. Liz doesn’t like it though as she won’t be able to take a nap.

Glancing sideways at Tina, who was devouring the fish, I stared beyond the horizon.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Lena’s home was about one or two minute’s walk from the port. It is a small house built of the same white stone as the surrounding area. I halted when I tried to knock on the wooden door of the front door as it opened by itself before I could knock on it.

“Who are you, big brother?”

A little girl with cat ears was peeking through a gap in the door. Come to think of it, Lena once said that she has a lot of siblings. I wonder if this child is also her sister or something.

Then Erna crouches down and speaks to the child.

“We are your sister’s friend. Is Lena at home?”

“Yes, she is here. I’ll call her.”

The little girl leaves the door open and runs to the back of the house, her footsteps are echoing with pattering sound. I could only see a glimpse of her, but she was a very cute girl. If a lolicon guy was here, he would probably have been extremely excited. From the back of the house, I heard a voice that seemed to be Lena and the voice of the little girl I mentioned earlier.

“Unya? My friend?”

“Yes, she said they were your friend.”

“How many people-nya?”

“Uhm, well-, one, two, three…… a lot!”

“Oh, it’s stupid of me to ask Luna-nya.”

Shortly after, Lena came to the front door and opened the door, which was already slightly open, all at once. And the moment she saw our faces, her eyes widened.

“Nya! It’s been a long time everyone-nya!”

“Uh-, oh, well, since our vacation here, y-yeah, long time no see.”

Lena jumps at me who was right in front of her and kisses me on the cheek. As usual, she is only wearing a bikini on top and hot pants on the bottom. A soft object is pressed against my body, and I involuntarily breathed heavily.

This is good. It’s really awesome. Mufufu.

“Lena? Do you want to turn into ashes here?”

Erna had a scary smile on her face as she exudes anger. In addition, Liz held a kunai in her right hand.

“Hiii! I’m sorry-nya! I was so happy that I just did it-nya!”

“Good. I just need you to know. I don’t want to get into a useless fight.”

“That’s right. I’ll be sad to lose a close friend too.”

After Erna and Liz said that, they then glared at each other. Lena was terrified as she hid behind me.

“Why don’t we end our reunion greetings here and talk somewhere quiet? This time, we came here not for a vacation, but for work.”

“You guys didn’t come here to play-nya? Well, let me hear about it inside-nya. The house is small and messy, but please don’t hesitate to enter-nya.”

Led by Lena, we went inside the house. Though she described it as “small and messy”, everything was clean and tidy. If anything, it just seems that there are a lot of things. Well, it’s a large family so it’s normal.

After we were led to a large room that seemed to be a living room, we each sat down on something like a round cushion. However, my apprentices remained standing. This is also their training.

After a while, a woman who seems to be Lena’s mother, served us a drink. She was in her early forties. Still, she is a beautiful woman who seems to be only in her thirties. Unfortunately, unlike Lena, she wore less revealing clothes.

“It’s a special juice made by Zañas family. I hope it suits your taste.”

“Thanks. You don’t need to be so polite though. We are grateful to have it. By the way, Ma’am did not add “nya” to the end of your words huh.”

“That’s just because of Papa—Baja’s influence. Not all of the Sea Cat tribe have such an ending in their words. Oh, I’m sorry. You guys have an important topic to discuss with my daughter, right? Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Lena’s mother greets us lightly and then opens the door to the room. Perhaps they were secretly observing us, but behind the door that their mother had opened, several small children were running away in a hurry. I think she said she has about 20 siblings. Our sudden arrival must have been a nuisance huh. I’ll give them something as an apology later.

“Well, what is the work you were saying-nya?”

“Technically speaking, it’s not really a work but it’s kind of similar. By the way, has Lena heard about angels?”

“The Beast King has been gathering his forces in preparation for battle, so I know all the gossip about it-nya. But the people of Naji are not so interested in the identity of the enemy because we have decided to defeat the enemy who wants to kill Airavata-sama unconditionally-nya.”

“I see, then I think it would be better to explain it from the beginning.”

I told Lena a rough story about our encounter with the angel and the battle that took place the other day. Of course, I did it with the intention of not only letting her hear it, but also the members of “Sword of Glory” who were here. I thought that those who are going to the island had the right to know the whole story. In addition, I thought that it would be better to have a sense of mission rather than jumping into a dangerous place without knowing anything.

Sure enough, Lena and the Sword of Glory were at a loss for words.

“—Are we fighting against God-nya? I can’t believe it-nya!”

“You are free to believe it or not. Anyway, we are here as we want your father to tell us about the island.”

“I’d like to do that, but I think it’s difficult-nya. Actually, Papa doesn’t seem to be on good terms with grandfather, and he really doesn’t like to talk about the old Zañas family-nya.”

“We should do something about that. This is an important matter related to the survival of the world. I want Lena to convince him as well.”

“…………”

Lena furrowed her brow and looks worried. She crosses her arms and glances at me. Somehow, I could guess what she wants to say.

“The family budget is tight this month-nya~. I’m sure Papa is also worrying about it a lot-nya~”

“Then, how about this, a gold coin?”

“We don’t make a fool of child-rearing expenses-nya~”

“Ten gold coins.”

“I heard about your conversation-nya. What do you want to know-nya?”

The door opened, and Lena’s father suddenly appears. Lena quickly pocketed the ten gold coins and gave her seat to her father. With a smile on his face, Baja Zañas sat down and gulped down Lena’s Zañas family’s special juice.

“You tricked me. How long have you been at home?”

“Munya? It’s been about an hour now-nya. It’s your fault for not noticing-nya.”

“Now then, is it a lie to say that you are not on good terms with your father?”

“That’s true-nya. I used to fight with my dad a lot-nya. If you didn’t offer money, I wouldn’t even talk about those old stories-nya.”

Lena apologizes to us, saying, “My family budget is really tight this time-nya. We need money-nya.”

Well, considering that I paid for a valuable information, this is not a big problem. Still, I think it’s quite expensive.

“Alright. I want to know the story about the island that your father went to.”

“It’s the mysterious island-nya. My dad used to say that while drinking-nya. I don’t know the details either, but I remember how to get there because I was told about it till his death-nya.”

“What!? Can we go to the island!?”

“That’s what you really wanted to hear, right-nya? When my dad was still alive, he wanted to go to that island again, but apparently, the inhabitants of the sea made him promise never to come again-nya. He didn’t tell me until the end what the inhabitants of the sea were, but I thought they were probably mermaids-nya.”

We have made a lot of progress here. I didn’t think he would know the route to the island. But then again, it’s too early to tell. Let’s make him take us to the island first.

I took out a hundred gold coins from my bangle. Then, with a loud, coin clinking sound, I placed it in front of him.

“There are a hundred gold coins here, please take us to the island.”

“Nya-nyan….this lot of money…… Who the hell are you-nya?”

“I’m Shinichi Tanaka of Homeless.”

“T-that Shinichi Tanaka-nya!? W-well, do excuse me-nya! I’m sorry for showing you something so embarrassing-nya! Hey, hurry up and bring me a good drink-nya! Vishu-sama’s best friend has come to our house-nya!”

At her father’s behest, Lena hastily brings a bottle from the next room. He on the other hand, prepared a glass, took the liquor from his daughter and poured the amber liquor into the glass. After receiving it, I immediately put it in my mouth and nodded at the taste. It’s certainly a fine drink.

“I told you beforehand that they were the Homeless party-nya.”

“Oh, you fool, tell me the name of the individual first, not the name of their party-nya! And if we deceive his friend, we will be blown away by Vishu-sama.”

“Papa should be beaten by the Beast King once-nya.”

Baja tried to return the money he had received earlier but I refused. I paid for it as a legitimate information fee. On the contrary, it is troublesome if it is to be returned. Besides, his guilt is also convenient for us. The voyage will be a long journey. There are bound to be a lot of problems on the way. Therefore, I think that we should establish an equal or better relationship with the captain, who has the greatest say on the ship. It’s easier to deal with problems that way, and he may be more supportive.

“So, will you be able to take us to the island?”

“Nyahahaha! I can’t even find the words to say no since I’ve been loaded with this much-nya. Leave this job to Baja Zañas, Naji’s best sailor-nya!”

I felt relieved as he slapped his chest. Now, we can go to the island. All that’s left to do is meet the God tree and listen to its story.

Suddenly, a question crossed my mind. It was a story told by an old man in the harbor.

“I’d like to ask you one thing though, is the fruit that your father said he brought home still somewhere in this house?”

“Ah, that mysterious fruit-nya? It was rotten a week after my dad came home. My dad was so sad about it that he kept it bottled up for a while-nya.”

“Rotten? Didn’t that fruit remain inconsumable even after how much it was eaten?”

“It’s strange even now that I think about it-nya. It was as if it had finished its role when my dad came home-nya. Maybe it had some kind of will-nya.”

Is there something like a will on a fruit……? Perhaps it was the fruit of the God Tree.

I already understand that the tree we are looking for is extraordinary. It may be possible for the God Tree to give permanence to the fruit. If that’s the case, it’s a monster in some sense.

When our conversation ended, my five apprentice, who were standing behind me, sat down exhausted. In terms of fatigue, Margaret is the most exhausted. Then Liberto and Dominique. Tina is next. Finally, there’s Leila. As a large shield user, her endurance is by far the best among the five. Still, it looks like she could not bear the weight of the equipment. Leila was lying limp, resting on Liberto’s side.

“By the way, who are they-nya? Are they new members-nya?”

“They are my apprentices. They are known to be operating under the name, Sword of Glory, in the Kingdom.”

“Heh~, there are also humans who were into such things-nya. If you become an apprentice to Shinichi and the others, the common sense you have cultivated will be destroyed-nya.”

“What do you mean? That—”

“It’s as I have said-nya. It’s even scarier because you don’t realize it-nya.”

This impolite girl. I lived my life while respecting the common sense of this world. What this cat girl means is a good sign. I resolutely interpret it like that.

“You can stay at my house for a couple of days-nya. We must prepare for the voyage and discuss the route-nya.”

“I’m grateful for that. Please let me know about the preparation cost. Also, I don’t know if you can call this a souvenir, but please take it.”

I took out meat and vegetables out of the bangle and offers them to the Zañas family. In an instant, the living room was filled with foodstuffs, and Baja and the Sword of Glory team stiffened as if they had been taken aback.

“Thank you so much-nya. I’m going to make Mama cook a treat tonight.”

“We are going to be taken care of by a friend’s family so this is only natural. Oh, and as you can see, you don’t have to worry about food. I have enough savings to live on the ship for a year.”

“That’s why I said so-nya. You’re breaking the common sense-nya. Okay, I’ll carry the ingredients to the kitchen-nya.”

Lena grabs the meat and vegetables and walks out of the room after saying that. Behind me, Liberto muttered, “We might have become the apprentice of a dangerous person……”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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