Chapter 308
Having returned to the construction work on the surface from Shiitake's laboratory, I spent the day demolishing buildings with Cal. It was simple work, but it wasn't bad in its own way.
The next day, when I logged in as usual, it was unusual to find that no one else had logged in. If no one was here, I might as well go out with Cal. As for our destination... I know, let's go there.
Fortunately, by yesterday, all the buildings scheduled for demolition had been properly taken care of. It would be nice to take a stroll with just Cal again after so long. I immediately headed to the plaza in the capital, which had become Cal's usual spot.
"Hmm, I feel like more and more children are clinging to Cal. I suppose I should be happy about that... but I can't help feeling a little lonely."
When I reached the plaza, I found not only Centaurs but also Scar children napping beside Cal. Some were even lying on Cal's back and drooling. They were getting far too familiar with Cal.
I didn't mind as long as Cal didn't, but I wanted them to move away today. I had things I wanted to do as well. Just for today, I wanted them to prioritize me.
"Cal, wake up. We're heading out."
"Gwooh... ooon."
Cal had been sleeping soundly, but when I called, Cal opened those eyes and let out a huge yawn. Then Cal used those wings skillfully to lower the children on the back gently to the ground without waking them.
The spot where Cal stayed had cushions laid out for the children who gathered there, so they would be fine. Shichiko had suggested this. It might be rude to call it unexpected, but he was a surprisingly thoughtful man.
After placing the children on the cushions, Cal arched the whole body and stretched, then floated lightly into the air and descended in front of me. Cal bent four legs, crouched down, and turned that back to me. Cal was clearly telling me to get on right away. Naturally, I climbed aboard!
"Come on, Cal! Shall we go?"
"Gwon!"
Cal gave a short reply before shooting straight up into the vast sky. The capital grew smaller and smaller, and before I knew it, we were floating in a sky with no one but us in it. As expected of Cal—what a powerful flight.
"Gwooh?"
"Don't rush, Cal. I've already decided our destination. Let's head to the shore where Anne and the others have pitched their tents."
When none of our clan members were around, I came up with the idea of checking on Anne and the others of the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew,' whose involvement with us in Konrad's conspiracy had already been decided. Since they had come to the neighborhood, I was simply curious about what they usually did.
I had only just come up with this plan, so I hadn't made any arrangements at all. They might turn me away or find my visit a nuisance, but if so, I would leave without fuss and do something else.
"Oh, I can see it now. There it is."
"Gwooh!"
About ten minutes after we began heading south on Cal's back, we found Anne and the others' camp. Several tents had been pitched among the rocks along the shore, making the place so conspicuous that it was easy to find.
Anne's companions on the ground seemed to notice my approach as well, and they waved while looking up at us. They had visited the capital before, so of course they knew Cal and understood that there was no need to be wary of Cal.
"Izam... and Cal, was it? What brings you here?"
"Anne?"
The person who greeted us after we landed near the cluster of their tents was Anne, the captain of the Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew. She still wore her trademark tricorn hat and had thrown on a crimson, military-style outfit she hadn't been wearing yesterday. She looked exactly like a pirate boss.
Anne crossed her arms and boldly asked us our purpose. I had no particular reason to hide anything, so I answered honestly.
"No, I didn't have anything particular to do. I was simply curious about how you were getting along."
"Huh. You're surprisingly free, aren't you, King? Want to come along on our hunt?"
"Oh, that's a fine idea. I'd be delighted to join you."
"...Even when I say hunt, we're going out to sea, you know. You understand that, right?"
When she said we were going out to sea, I was at a loss for words. Thinking about it calmly, they were pirates. The ships they attacked were merchant vessels, and sea monsters were their primary opponents. That was only natural for pirates.
I had fought monsters near the water before, but this would be my first time fighting sea monsters. I had crossed the sea to other continents twice, but the first time had been via spatial teleportation, while the second had been an aerial journey aboard Shiratsuki. I had never once floated on this game's ocean.
I didn't need to breathe, so I could dive into the sea. However, I had no idea how Cal would be able to move in the water. Thus, even if I accompanied them, I would have to make sure I didn't fall into the sea.
"That's fine. I don't need to breathe, and Cal can fly. As long as I don't let my guard down, there shouldn't be a problem."
"All right, then come along. Let's go, lads!"
"Aye, Cap'n!"
At a single shout from Anne, the pirates present immediately sprang into action. Without hesitation, they dove into the sea, and intermittent splashes rose from the surface.
The pirates who had dived into the sea soon resurfaced. However, they weren't alone. Every one of them was riding an orca with a saddle strapped to its back.
This was the Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew's true strength. Surprisingly, Anne's Job was in the same Tamer class as Sei's, and the crew members traveled by riding orca monsters she had tamed with her power. They were able to call themselves pirates and operate without owning a ship solely because of Anne and her familiars.
The pirates riding the orcas waited for Anne's instructions. Every one of them was already ready to fight at any moment, holding a weapon in one hand and an orca's reins in the other. Seeing them, I rudely thought they looked like a biker gang, but I kept the thought to myself.
Anne and the others began moving across the sea in a well-ordered formation. Anne was at the front, of course, and the orca she rode was a size larger than the others. Its entire body also gave off a metallic sheen, while the section from its brow to the tip of its nose was especially well developed.
According to Anne, the orcas ridden by the other members were Large Orcas, ordinary animals. As she said, their icons were the color used for animals. However, her mount alone was a monster called a Ram Orca, an evolved form of the Large Orca.
The Ram Orca was superior to the Large Orca in every respect, but its swimming speed and defensive power had apparently been enhanced especially dramatically. Its head, its greatest distinguishing feature, was as tough as it looked, and a full-powered charge could punch a hole in an ordinary ship's hull. It was a monster perfectly suited to its name, 'Ram.'
It was only natural that the captain and master of the orcas would ride the strongest one. Anne was also a first-rate warrior, and apparently she sometimes entered through the holes she opened in enemy ships and engaged them in close combat. She proudly told me that she had sunk several warships by ramming them. Their weapons had been looted from those warships. The source of their unusually good equipment and Anne's military uniform was NPC warships.
At present, only one orca had become a monster, but I expected more of them to transform while fighting alongside the pirate crew. With this many of them, I felt that they might evolve into various kinds of monsters. As time went on, the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew' would grow stronger and stronger.
"All right, we're offshore now! This is the end of the easy waters where only small fry that can do nothing but flee from us appear! Don't let your guard down!"
"Aye, Cap'n!"
Powerful monsters rarely appeared anywhere in the sea near land. The reason was simple: the stronger monsters became, the larger their bodies grew.
Large bodies were difficult to maneuver in shallow water, and the prey available to hunt was small, making such areas poor hunting grounds. Thus, the stronger an individual was, the more it preferred the deep waters offshore.
However, sea monsters boasted strength beyond their levels. That was because they forced ordinary players to fight underwater, where they were placed at a tremendous disadvantage. For Anne and the others, who could fight underwater, though, the monsters seemed to be no stronger than their levels warranted.
"This may be a little late to ask, but are there monsters that target us while we're in the sky?"
"They do. Quite a few creatures hunt birds. Here, take a look at that."
I had Cal fly low so that I could approach Anne, then asked her the question that had occurred to me. Anne pointed the tip of her weapon to the right, where I saw a flock of seabirds flying over the sea under attack.
Apparently, fish resembling flying fish were shooting out of the water at arrowlike speeds and biting the birds. Their fins, which resembled blades, seemed to injure the seabirds' wings and shoot them down so they couldn't escape. Normally, seabirds ate fish, but here the fish simply occupied the higher position in the food chain.
"There are some that will go after something about as big as your Cal. But those predators are much bigger."
"So there are some, after all..."
"Now that you know, keep to a certain altitude. You'll be more vulnerable to surprise attacks if you stay close to the surface."
"Ah, then I'll do that."
The sea was apparently a more dangerous place than I had expected. Following Anne's advice, I climbed to a somewhat higher altitude. Since sea monsters would target Cal first, it was only natural that I should be cautious.
As we flew for a while, watching the surface of the sea, I noticed several large shadows in the water heading toward Anne and the others. The shadows were quite large, and there were many of them. I couldn't tell what they were, but some kind of school seemed to be approaching.
"Anne!"
"Yeah, something's out there! Lads, we're under attack!"
"Ooooooh!"
Anne and the other pirates pulled a potion from inside their clothes and downed it in one gulp. It was a potion that enabled underwater breathing, and it could be made easily by processing seaweed that grew in every sea.
This potion was indispensable to anyone involved with the sea. The pirate crew had a fair number of members who could use 【Alchemy】 specifically to make it, and they had prepared a plentiful supply. After drinking it, they dove into the sea and charged toward the school ahead.
The sea was reasonably clear, but it was still frustrating that I couldn't see the battle clearly enough from the sky! I could tell that the pirate crew was surrounding the school of monsters, though. There was no doubt they had the upper hand... Hmm?
"Whoa!? It came this way!?"
"Gwooooooooooh!"
As if punishing me for letting my guard down, one of the fish the pirates were surrounding and wiping out shot out of the water toward us! I was too surprised to react, but Cal did not flinch and slammed the fish with a powerful blow of the tail. The giant fish was split cleanly in two by that single blow.
Almost simultaneously with the fish, cut in two, landing on the surface, the pirates rose from the water, cheering. Apparently, they had already finished the fight. I was disheartened that I had been completely useless, but I gave no sign of it and continued accompanying them.