Chapter 98

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"Alright, here we go!"

A cheer rose from the stern (ship's tail) for the fourth time today.

At the end of the rope being dragged behind the ship was a special wire made by bundling threads of the mineral Grifite, and at the end of that, a small magic squid was rigged as bait.

The Grifite wire is resistant to rust and has excellent tensile strength, though it is somewhat expensive. It is often used for fishing large fish like this.

I am very concerned about what's happening behind me, but I am standing in the center of the ship, knocking down the sea falcons that are flying towards the ship from all directions with iron arrows, so I don't have the time to look back.

By the way, Dan is steering the ship, so the fishing is being done by the employees of the Nagefukusho Company.

The sea falcons glide in a straight line with their wings half-folded at a shallow angle.

At first, it was difficult to aim due to the ship's rocking, but now I'm used to the rhythm of the waves, and it's no problem.

Additionally, Dan's steering skills are excellent.

I can tell from when I tried steering the ship myself.

Thanks to his delicate steering, which minimizes the ship's rocking when I release the arrows, the rhythm is so steady that I could yawn.

Even during large movements like tacking or jibing (turning the ship to head downwind), Dan communicates with me through eye contact, so there are no issues.

I'm so worried about what's happening behind me that I'm desperately trying to look back, but all I can see is Dan's potato face.

He's even giving me a thumbs-up...

I can't see what's happening with the fishing at all.

After knocking down about 300 of them, Katsuo, who went to check the situation behind me, returned and, while replenishing the arrows in my quiver, said:

"...But... you have incredible skills.

After missing a couple of arrows at the beginning, you've been hitting every single one...

When the lady said she would pay 1 million reals as a reward to Ren, I was surprised, but the work of a top-class explorer is really something else.

The fourth catch is almost up in the back.

Dan is skillfully steering the ship to weaken Duraize while reeling in the rope, so it looks like it will be over soon.

We can't bring any more back, so once this one is up, we'll be done with the fishing."

Dan...

I didn't realize at all that he was supporting the fishing while adjusting to my sniping...

His steering is on a completely different level from my amateur attempts.

"I'm not really a top-class explorer—"

Just as I was about to speak, a murmur came from behind, along with the words, "It broke?"

"What? Did the Grifite wire rig break?"

The moment Katsuo muttered this, the back of the ship was lifted up.

A moment later, the ship was slammed back onto the sea surface with a floating sensation.

The employees of the Nagefukusho Company, who were fishing, shouted:

"Orcas!"

◆

Dan instantly righted the ship, which was almost capsized, and turned it towards the Solcoast while opening the sails.

Katsuo, standing next to me, shouted with a pale face:

"Right, the orcas must have been attracted by the smell of the sea falcons that Ren has been knocking down!

This is the worst! I underestimated their sense of smell!"

"Dan! Give orders!

...The cause doesn't matter now.

Can't the magic device that repels monsters be turned on to no effect?"

I shouted for Dan to give orders while asking Katsuo.

Dan immediately gave instructions:

"Ren, prioritize dealing with the sea falcons until we pass through the Corrida Strait!

If there's a hole in the sail, we're done!

I'll deal with the orcas for now!

Old Con, I need your help with the rudder! I need to focus on the line!

Everyone else, bring Duraize to the center of the ship and crouch down in the middle so you don't get in Ren's line of fire!

Shift the center of gravity to the middle!"

Katsuo ran to help carry the fish and then, while crouching, answered my earlier question with a trembling voice:

"That magic device emits a sound that sea monsters hate, preventing them from getting close.

I've heard that turning it on after they've been caught only angers them and has no effect."

I don't think the Canardia Monster Compendium covers all sea monsters, but I'm sure it mentioned the orcas.

They can grow up to 10 meters in length and weigh up to 12 tons, with a white tail and a shape similar to an orca.

They are very aggressive and hunt in groups, relentlessly pursuing their targets once they've been targeted.

Their cruising speed is about 15 km/h, but their top speed can reach nearly 80 km/h for a few seconds.

It will be difficult to outdistance them with this ship's speed.

I narrowed the range of my detection magic to focus on nearby sounds as much as possible.

Seeing the orcas' attack as an opportunity, the frequency of sea falcons flying in increased.

As I knocked them down one by one, the orcas would swallow them whole with their huge mouths as soon as they hit the water.

Meanwhile, the orcas were ramming the ship.

It doesn't seem like the ship will be punctured anytime soon, but capsizing would be the end.

Dan, even when the ship was lifted to the point of floating, immediately righted it.

When he couldn't avoid a ram, he adjusted the angle at which the orcas hit to prevent capsizing.

Based on this short exchange, there are six individuals, ranging from 6 to 10 meters in length.

"Dan! Probably six! Do you understand?!"

Dan, with a stern face, gave a thumbs-up while operating the line.

...It's fine, but I'd prefer a verbal response.

◆

I'm shooting iron arrows at the sea falcons and then targeting the orcas as they surface to feed, but the distance and the slippery, elastic nature of their skin make it difficult for the arrows to penetrate.

There are still plenty of iron arrows that Mimosa loaded, but I only have five Macagates arrows.

Given the limited options, I'd like to save them as a last resort.

I jumped onto the top of the steering wheel to get a better angle for the arrows to penetrate.

I lured the sea falcons to their limit and shot them down.

I immediately pulled out a second arrow from my quiver and, at close range and with an angle, pierced the head of an orca that had surfaced to feed.

One down.

I returned to the center of the ship.

Dan might be able to stand there the whole time, but I risk being thrown off if the ship makes a sharp turn.

"Let's time it!

Leave it to me!"

Dan, immediately understanding my aim, gave a thumbs-up.

...No, you're busy with the lines, so the thumbs-up is unnecessary!

The orcas circled the one I had killed, as if mourning its death, before resuming their pursuit of us in a straight line.

I wanted to take down another one with the same tactic, but after that, no matter how many sea falcons I knocked down, the orcas no longer fed on them.

...They are quite intelligent monsters.

They probably communicate with each other, like dolphins or orcas on Earth.

This is going to be more troublesome than I thought.

By the time we passed through the Corrida Strait, the sea falcons had stopped flying in.

The orcas continued to pursue us persistently but changed their strategy to ramming the ship from underwater as much as possible.

They only surfaced to breathe from a considerable distance, and while I was shooting iron arrows, they wouldn't penetrate even if they hit.

Using the Macagates arrows would be a high-risk move.

The detection magic doesn't work underwater, so I narrowed its range to focus on the nearby surface.

We are still holding on, but one mistake in steering or the ship's structure failing would be the end.

I jumped back onto the top of the steering wheel.

"Unfortunately, what if we abandon Duraize?

It must weigh about 1.5 tons in total."

I asked Dan, but he shook his head.

"I've considered that.

While it would increase our speed, it wouldn't be enough to shake them off.

Right now, I need its effect as a ballast to prevent the ship from capsizing."

...I thought Dan would have realized this, but he's prioritizing its ballast effect.

"Understood.

But this is a losing battle.

I have five high-power arrows.

Let's reduce their numbers.

I'll do it on the starboard side!"

Saying this, I stood on the starboard aft deck.

Dan would understand with just this much.

I'm ambidextrous but better at shooting with my right hand.

I nocked an arrow and focused on the signs of the orca surfacing on the starboard side, calling out.

The sound of the water is impossible to detect with magic, so I relied on the slight disturbance of the waves and the sound of bubbles to sense their approach.

"Starboard... jibe!"

At my signal, the rudder was sharply turned to the left just as the shadow of the orca was about to appear on the surface.

I shot a Macagates arrow into the water where the ship had been.

A red blood spread in the water. I must have hit its head.

Four left.