Chapter 91

Summary: After leaving Maranova on a large ship, Kuran endured the creeping seasickness. While enduring, he encountered the association staff member who had bothered him in Maranova. After that, the ship was repeatedly attacked by magical beasts, but with the help of the mercenaries and Yuki-shiro, they managed to escape the danger.

Food backpack setting change: It will follow the book version. If anyone other than Kuran tries to use it, it will only function as a regular backpack, and they will not be able to take out or put in a large amount of food.

Kuran was staring blankly into the distance.

Next to him, the warm breath mixed with alcohol and the lukewarm night breeze slowly flowed by.

Behind Kuran, the sailors and mercenaries, along with some passengers, were drinking and feasting on the meat of the spotted sea snake, celebrating the unscathed repulsion of the magical beasts that could have damaged the ship.

However, Kuran turned his back to them and was lowering a transparent thread into the dark sea. He didn't want to add seasickness to his already pressing issues, let alone hangover and drunkenness.

Ignoring such Kuran, Yuki-shiro and Azurona somehow joined the drinking party.

At first, they were afraid of Yuki-shiro, who had defeated a large spotted sea snake with two strikes and devoured its innards.

But as they got drunk, the sailors and mercenaries who had been avoiding Yuki-shiro seemed to lose the ability to distinguish between the beastman and Yuki-shiro, and they were sitting in a circle, drinking together.

Azurona, who had been regarded as eerie for her single eye, had somehow become like a child from another family and was being doted on by the burly sailors and mercenaries.

Kuran occasionally turned to look at the scene.

Just seeing Yuki-shiro and Azurona being accepted was enough to make him happy. If it weren't for the seasickness, he might have joined in for a drink.

The thread tugged, making a "kun" sound.

Kuran reflexively pulled the thread.

Not knowing the basics of fishing, he pulled the thread with all his might.

A hard sound was made as the catch was hauled onto the deck.

A large blue shrimp, so big it seemed like an optical illusion, was entangled in the thread. It jumped and rolled several times, making a sound like a bamboo stalk breaking.

"--- Hmm, a tail hammer shrimp. It's delicious when grilled."

Ovidio, the captain of the mercenary group 'The Unchained Anchor,' who had appeared with a drink, peered at Kuran's catch.

Indeed, the shrimp had a tail shaped like a hammer at the end of its arched body.

Kuran, who often suffered from seasickness, could only enjoy meals properly on nights when he had cast strengthening magic on his entire body to suppress the seasickness.

Thinking it would be delicious, he started preparing to eat, and after struggling to remove the thread from the tail hammer shrimp, he was about to start when---

--- The tail hammer shrimp was suddenly snatched away from in front of him.

Kuran glared at the thief with a resentful look, but Yuki-shiro, who had retrieved the shrimp with her tail, placed it in front of Azurona without caring about Kuran's protest.

Kuran was about to give up, thinking it was fine if it was for Azurona, but something seemed different.

Kuran suddenly felt something odd about Azurona's appearance.

The light from the light spirits floating on the deck illuminated the tail hammer shrimp, which was over thirty centimeters long. In comparison, Azurona's body and head were about the same size as the shrimp.

Compared to before they boarded the ship, or even before they were harassed by Ryuji, Azurona seemed to have grown a size larger. The blue scales covering her body, excluding her winged arms and abdomen, had taken on a luster and were clearly forming, and her tail was slightly longer than the basic form of a green mane flying dragon.

While Kuran was engrossed in the battle with Ryuji and then plagued by seasickness, Azurona had grown steadily.

While confirming Azurona's growth, which had been doubted for survival, Kuran also realized how much Ryuji's presence had been a burden, and he sighed in relief.

Although he felt some guilt for killing a person, especially a fellow Japanese, the fact that he had not lost his everyday life or freedom outweighed that guilt and justified his actions.

As Kuran was lost in a mix of joy and sadness, Azurona moved.

Crouching low, Azurona, who had planted the small claws on her winged arms into the deck, pounced on the tail hammer shrimp.

Using her tail and the undulation of her body, and with a powerful leap from the claws planted on the deck, Azurona's posture resembled Yuki-shiro's when she attacked prey, and she tried to bite the tail hammer shrimp.

--- Kuru

The tail hammer shrimp did a forward roll.

--- Gype

Azurona, who had received the tail hammer shrimp's forward roll tail strike head-on, was slammed face-first onto the deck with a "bechin" sound. A somewhat awkward cry escaped her.

Azurona instinctively braced for a follow-up attack and quickly got up, but her head, which had received the hard tail of the tail hammer shrimp, wobbled, and her eyes were slightly teary.

Yuki-shiro, who would not allow a follow-up attack from the tail hammer shrimp, caught it with her long tail and moved it away from the scene, faster than Kuran, who had been watching anxiously.

Azurona, who was dejected in front of Yuki-shiro.

However, Yuki-shiro did not scold her but moved her tail in a wavy motion and growled.

Azurona, holding back tears, tilted her head and said "gigi?" or nodded obediently.

Yuki-shiro seemed to have started Azurona's training in earnest.

Kuran, understanding this, reluctantly gave up on the tail hammer shrimp, but some men couldn't let it go.

Not that they wanted to eat the tail hammer shrimp. The sailors and mercenaries had somehow started betting on Azurona and the tail hammer shrimp.

"Damn, what's that?"

"An interruption? No way!"

"Shut up, that's just a joke."

"Unexpected events are part of the bet, you know! Come on, hand it over!"

The drunkards were arguing over the bet.

Entertainment on the ship was limited. There was something similar to cards, and something like chess. The chess was a basic form similar to what existed on Earth, with the option to add a spirit mage. The strength of the spirit mage varied depending on the compatibility of the two chosen from eight types of spirit mages.

However, the cards had become boring, and chess was not very popular on the rocking ship.

A tense atmosphere began to spread. Some were even grabbing each other by the collar.

Not only the drunkards, but Yuki-shiro as well.

Annoyed by the noise that interrupted her training of Azurona, Yuki-shiro glared at them. However, the drunkards, their heads spinning from alcohol and the thrill of the bet, did not notice.

Ah, it's over.

Kuran almost prayed for the sailors' souls but thought it was too risky and decided to intervene.

"--- Idiots!"

Ovidio, the third squad captain of the mercenary group 'The Unchained Anchor,' shouted. Then he added,

"Let's make the previous bet invalid and start over. You can bet not only on the outcome of the young flying dragon's fight but also on the arbitration of large hunting beasts. Really, use your heads a little!"

The sailors and mercenaries stopped glaring at each other and released each other's collars.

"Captain, you're smart!"

"Of course, you are!"

Ovidio scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Stop it, you idiots, it's embarrassing! It's your fault for not thinking of this!"

Then the betting resumed.

Azurona, who clearly showed no signs of combat experience, was a young flying dragon, albeit small.

On the other hand, the tail hammer shrimp, while not a significant threat to humans due to its size, required attention to avoid breaking the bones in the feet or fingers. Its shell was hard enough to resist the teeth of a young flying dragon.

Based on the drunkards' speculations and assumptions, the odds favored Yuki-shiro's arbitration and the tail hammer shrimp's victory.

After a few more rounds, the young flying dragon might learn how to fight, but for the next round, it was generally believed that it would still be no match for the shrimp.

Azurona took a deep breath and crouched, ready to pounce.

Yuki-shiro placed the tail hammer shrimp, which she had caught with her tail, a little distance away.

Azurona slowly closed the distance and, at the right moment, pounced with her whole body, just as she had before.

The expressionless face of the tail hammer shrimp, which seemed to suggest that it could only repeat the same move, looked somewhat annoying.

The tail hammer shrimp rolled.

--- A satisfying sound echoed.

The tail of the tail hammer shrimp hit the deck.

Azurona, who had pounced low, spread her winged arms and applied the brakes, dodging the tail hammer shrimp's strike.

The drunkards murmured in surprise.

Losing momentum, Azurona landed but immediately launched a second attack.

The tail hammer shrimp, having failed to counter, exposed its belly, and it was expected that Azurona would bite it.

However, it seemed that Azurona had miscalculated and passed over the tail hammer shrimp.

Taking advantage of the opening, the tail hammer shrimp rotated to regain its balance.

However, Azurona's tail was wrapped around the head of the tail hammer shrimp, and her winged arms were gripping the base of the hammer-like tail. In human terms, she had taken a complete rear position.

The drunkards were stunned, as was Kuran.

Only Yuki-shiro looked satisfied.

Azurona, who had passed over the tail hammer shrimp, applied the brakes with her winged arms at the last moment, wrapped her tail around the head of the tail hammer shrimp, and used the shrimp's attempt to return to its original position to grip the tail.

Azurona, maintaining her rear position, rolled over. Then, with all her might,

--- She twisted her winged arms and tail.

Despite being small, she was a flying dragon.

And the tail hammer shrimp, despite its hard shell, had several segments on its back, like a shrimp.

A hard cracking sound.

The tail hammer shrimp was stretched out by Azurona's full strength and died. The unchanged expression of the tail hammer shrimp, as it was flipped over, seemed to suggest an understanding of the impermanence of the world.

"--- Wooooo!"

The drunkards cheered.

"Here it comes!"

"Damn it!"

"Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe