Chapter 329 - 329. Shamonto Island and Its Challenges
The journey proceeded smoothly, and we arrived at Shamonto Island in five days as planned.
It was a massive mid-river island, so large you had to look up at it. The upstream side was a sheer cliff over a hundred meters tall, with a rocky mountain rising straight into the sky.
"There's a monastery on top of that rocky mountain," Maira said.
Near the summit she pointed to, I could see white buildings scattered about. It was said to be a training ground for those who worshiped the Fifty Gods.
The fleet took a course to avoid that rocky mountain and headed toward the tidal flat area spreading downstream. On a tiny patch of flat land no bigger than a cat's forehead, a city had been built, densely packed. Buildings overflowed from the flat ground, lining up even on rafts. Small boats wove through the gaps, coming and going.
I recalled the explanation from Mercedes of the Mateo Trading Company as I gazed at the scenery.
This place was originally a secluded area isolated from the world, lined with several monasteries. However, after the fall of the Old Empire's capital, it became a receptacle for citizens who had lost their place, transforming into a city. Now it was the westernmost city of the Demon Kingdom, a commercial hub where merchants from the Empire and the Demon Kingdom flocked, acting as a buffer zone between the two countries.
In just ten years, it had transformed into a city where the Merchant Guild held power. Still, the monastery's influence seemed strong, as it looked down over the city from atop the cliff.
The fleet carrying us detoured further around the city built on the tidal flats and approached a long wooden pier.
We had to arrange passage from here to the Demon Kingdom's capital. I wondered if Karpana and the Wandering People had already passed through this city. They should have chosen to travel by land, but their current whereabouts were unknown. It was highly possible they had already arrived at the capital.
"Well then," I said.
Even though it was time to prepare to disembark, our luggage was still stored in the inventory, so there was no need to organize anything.
I let go of the handrail and turned back to the deck, where everyone was already gathered. Fam, Mizuki, Maira, Mami, and Nefy.
"Are you already ready to disembark?"
Their luggage was also in the inventory, so everyone looked light and unburdened. After waiting for them all to nod slightly, I turned my gaze to Nefy. Perhaps because of the two horns growing from the sides of her head, she looked especially tall.
"From here on, it's the Demon Kingdom," I said.
"Yeah," Nefy nodded lightly.
"So then, Nefy. I'm expelling you from Levant (East Wind)," I declared, pointing my finger at the tip of her nose. But before Nefy could react, Mizuki rushed over, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to the opposite side of the deck.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing!" she said, keeping her voice low but with her brows sharply raised.
"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to say it once. Besides, the agreement was only until the Demon Kingdom's capital. By now, there's no reason for Nefy to stay with us. So I said it first, before she could slap a kikudarihan on me."
"Are you a child!" Mizuki pressed her forehead and made a gesture of looking up at the sky. Back in our original world, she would never have reacted like that, but she had fully adapted to this world.
"Nefy is a comrade, right? We've traveled together from Migul to this city. If she wants to, she can continue traveling with us from now on, can't she?"
"No, I said it as a joke. Besides, I haven't received the reward from Nefy for escorting her this far."
Mizuki frowned at my words.
"Hey. Did you really travel with her all this way just for that?"
"It's not like that. But just as we have a purpose for our journey, Nefy must have her own purpose. We don't know what she intends to do from now on. And also..."
"Also?"
"We're going to rendezvous with Hyakka and the others from now on. I can't let them meet someone who used the Messiah to find and kill other summoned individuals."
Hyakka had her comrades killed by the Messiah. She hadn't forgiven that group, and that feeling was unlikely to change in the future.
"But through our journey so far, we've seen that Nefy isn't a bad person, right?"
I faced Mizuki directly. She stared back at me with those beautiful blue eyes. If worst came to worst, I'd have Mizuki pay the reward I didn't get from Nefy.
"Were you thinking about parting ways like this from the start?"
"No..."
Honestly, I had been lured by Nefy's condition of "I'll let you have me" and hadn't thought about the future. But that promise had been postponed and still hadn't been fulfilled. I was interested in her body. I wanted to embrace her right now. But somehow, I resisted having her make the first move. I thought my principle was to embrace any woman who seemed doable, but apparently I had some kind of attachment I didn't understand myself. In fact, that surprised me.
Mizuki leaned in close.
"Mash, listen. If we part ways with Nefy here, and she meets Hyakka and the others without us knowing, it will be irreversible."
"..."
I frowned. Mizuki was right. There was a possibility Hyakka would challenge Nefy to a duel. If that happened, no one could stop it.
"I have no intention of leaving Levant (East Wind)," Nefy's voice came from closer than I expected.
I turned around and saw not just her, but Fam, Maira, and Mami all close by, eavesdropping.
"Hey! There's no need to come eavesdrop on our conversation in this situation!"
"I don't understand why you two have to hide and talk in the first place!" Maira retorted.
"It's because of you..."
It was Fam and Maira who had originally warned me that she was suspicious. I couldn't say that in front of her, so I turned my gaze to Nefy. Even though she must have heard our conversation, she wore her usual faint smile. I got a little annoyed and tried to jab her chest with my elbow, but the ship's rocking changed. I lost my balance and staggered. Then my elbow sank into Mizuki's chest. A soft sensation enveloped my elbow.
"Hey! Don't act randomly in a place like this!"
"I-I just stumbled," I said.
I cleared my throat and looked around; a sailor was tying ropes from a galley to a post on the pier.
Even though we had gotten off the ship, my feet still felt unsteady. It was a strange sensation. The wooden floor creaked with every step.
"What should we do now?" Maira murmured.
Looking around, there was quite a lot of foot traffic. Voices calling out for unloading and loading flew from all directions, mostly from sailors. There were merchant-like men, groups of adventurers, and knights clad in silver armor. I also saw a few demons here and there, but the overwhelming majority were humans. Compared to the city of Heilong, the frequency of seeing other races seemed slightly higher.
"For now, we need to arrange lodging for today and secure a way to the Demon Kingdom's capital," I said.
I also wanted to gather information about the summoned Isaac. Finding his whereabouts was like looking for a needle in a desert, but he had a partner named Barbaros. If he was a pirate leader, news would likely reach him easily. Still, even thinking about such troublesome things made my shoulders heavy, and I couldn't help but sigh. Maira seemed to read my expression; she put her thumb on her chin and made a thoughtful gesture.
"I think we can borrow lodging at the monastery. Whether we go by ship or on foot, we can probably get information there. If we want to take on a caravan escort job, that would be at the guild," she said.
"The monastery, huh."
I could see the steep cliff on the west side of the city. There was a narrow crack in it, with a steep stone staircase carved into it. It seemed like climbing up and down every time would be exhausting. I wanted to handle our business and then move all at once.
"There's a dungeon called the Training Cave near the monastery," Maira said.
"Do people train by defeating the monsters there?" I asked.
Maira nodded slightly.
"Yes. The training isn't limited to that, but it's a rare dungeon that remains even though it's been conquered," she said.
Dungeons should collapse if the Crystal Core in the deepest part is destroyed. They must have left it intact to use as a training ground. If it's a dungeon with known strategies, it wouldn't be bad to dive in for a few days to earn some pocket money.
While I was pondering where to go, I noticed Fam staring intently at the eaves of a stall.
"Is that pot-shaped thing a fish? It's blotchy and shiny like a frog," she said.
Several catfish were hanging under the eaves. They were much larger than the catfish I knew. They also seemed to have more whiskers. Beneath them, a large pot was bubbling, and the smell of spices wafted up. Peeking inside, it looked like fish soup.
"It smells good, but I wonder if it's tasty..." Fam's throat made a small sound.
"I think if they've removed the mud, it should be good..." I said.
The catfish looked like monsters. I glanced at the other members; perhaps intimidated by the grotesque appearance, no one opened their mouths. Mami in particular had a clearly disgusted frown.
Still, it was being sold at a shop. It couldn't be inedible. The shopkeeper, a man whose face crinkled into a friendly smile when he met my eyes, said, "Welcome."
To satisfy Fam's curiosity, I took cups for all the members from my inventory and had him fill them with soup. It contained chunks of white fish on the bone, served with root vegetables resembling carrots and turnips.
We held the cups with both hands, sat on chairs placed beside the shop, and sipped.
"The saltiness and spice flavor are good. The fish is fluffy and tasty," Fam said, sounding like a food commentator, narrowing her eyes and letting out a soft breath. Hearing her endorsement, the other members finally started drinking the soup. Just then, I saw a galleon with large sails gliding into the harbor. In response, the city began to buzz, and even the flow of people seemed to change.
Nefy stopped eating and stood up.
"That's... a Demon Kingdom military vessel..." she said.
"Is it?" I asked.
She nodded at my words.
"That's the Chancellor's flag. You know that the Demon Kingdom currently has no king and is ruled by a triumvirate, right? That means three chancellors are the center of the country. That flag indicates that one of them has come to this place," she explained.
"Do you know which one?" I asked.
Nefy shook her head.
"In the Demon Kingdom, family names aren't used. I can't tell that much..." she said.
Just as Nefy muttered that, a scream rose from the opposite direction of the harbor. Then, along with the dull sound of a door being kicked in, a cry of "Thief!" rang out.
At the same time, Mizuki kicked her chair and stood up.
"Mash, let's go!" she said.
Before I could answer, she started running. Fam also stood up and kicked off the ground, chasing after her.
"Hey, wait!" I said.
I reached out to grab Fam's arm, but my fingers only grasped air. I turned my gaze to Mami, who was still sipping her soup, while I remained behind.
"...Are you okay not chasing them?" I asked.
"I want to confirm the situation before moving. Why is Mizuki so hot-blooded?" Mami said, not raising her eyes, and tilted her cup.
"...Don't ask me," she replied.
"Tch," I clicked my tongue.
As I stood up, Maira also rose.
"For now, let's chase after Mizuki!" I said.
We ran off in the direction of the alley where Fam had disappeared.
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