The New Gate Volume 8 - Chapter 1 – Part 2

Chapter 1 – Part 2

The sea travel proceeded smoothly; except a brief stop at a port town, nothing worth mentioning happened.

The only thing notable was that they met the young girl and her attendant a few more times. As it was inconvenient to not know each other’s names, they briefly introduced each other.

The young girl with the unique speech style was Kujou Kanade, a level 159 Archer.

The samurai-like woman’s name was Saegusa Karin, a level 221 Samurai and Kanade’s escort.

Even without fighting, s.h.i.+n felt that those two had strength surpa.s.sing their ages. They could even be Chosen Ones.

“The weather’s pretty bad today.”

“Indeed, you can feel a storm brewing.”

Whispered s.h.i.+n, while looking at the cloudy sky. Kanade nodded in reply, Karin was standing next to her too.

It was almost dusk, but the setting sun was hidden by thick clouds.

“You two are headed to Hinomoto, was it?”

“Indeed we are.”

“I too would like to visit it if I have the chance, what kind of country is it?”

s.h.i.+n thought it was a good chance to ask about Hinomoto. Both the country name and the two women’s names reminded him of j.a.pan.

“It is said that Hinomoto came to be when, at the time of the natural disasters, islands detached from the continent were conquered by several groups of people. At present the two representative families of Kujou and Yaejima rule over its eastern and western regions.”

The guilds that Gaien -the Dragnil s.h.i.+n met during the escort mission to Beirun- talked about apparently only ruled over parts of the country.

“I see…oh? Lady Kanade, you are a Kujou too, aren’t you?”

“I am indeed. I might look like just a little girl, but I am one of the Kujou, the rulers of east Hinomoto.”

“Milady, you are aware that we should not mention such things in public.”

Kanade’s words were met with a reprimand by Karin.

“I know that full well, but we do not need to fret if it’s them.”

For some reason, Kanade seemed to place some trust in s.h.i.+n’s party after a few conversations. He didn’t feel Karin’s piercing look anymore either.

Incidentally, s.h.i.+n had to address Kanade politely because not doing so would have attracted intimidating looks from Karin.

“It’s a country overflowing with nature.”

“It reminds me of my homeland. But is it alright for a lady of such a household to leave the country? Having just Karin as an escort seems odd too, to be honest”

“In truth, I left the country in secret. The situation is…rather complex.”

“For a member of the Kujou house to become an adventurer is unheard of, after all.”

“Don’t be like that. You know well there was no other choice, Karin, that’s why you accompanied me. Am I wrong?”

“No, that is correct, but…”

Judging from Karin’s grim expression, one could a.s.sume that the “complex situation” Kanade mentioned could not be solved without leaving Hinomoto.

“That’s enough. We obtained what we were seeking after all. We just need to return now.”

s.h.i.+ps for Hinomoto leave from the port s.h.i.+n’s party will disembark at.

“It started raining.”

They expected it to rain, considering the amount of clouds in the sky. What they didn’t expect was the force with which the rain battered the s.h.i.+p, and the sudden increase of the wind.

Just seconds after the first raindrops, an incredible deluge started pouring down, followed by powerful gusts of wind that stirred the sea.

Around the same time, a group of monsters entered s.h.i.+n’s perception field. They were closing in on the s.h.i.+p at an alarming speed.

“Monsters. They’re coming straight towards this s.h.i.+p.”

“Is that true? Karin, can you feel it?”

“No, nothing at all.”

s.h.i.+n’s perception field was quite large, thanks to the combined use of skills. s.h.i.+n didn’t know the range of Karin’s field, but it would likely take a little more time until she could detect the monsters.

“I don’t know if you will believe me or not, but I detect 10 units, and quite large ones at that.”

While explaining to Kanade and Karin, s.h.i.+n contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.

Schnee and the others had also detected the monsters’ arrival; she replied that Filma had gone to talk with the captain.

s.h.i.+baid, Wilhelm, and Tiera were also headed to s.h.i.+n’s position.

“My companions will come soon. Lady Kanade, what will you two do?”

“If they are headed towards the s.h.i.+p, barricading ourselves in our cabin will do little good. Fortunately, I have some skill with the bow. I shall lend you my aid.”

“I too offer what little strength I have.”

Kanade pulled out a card from her drenched kimono and materialized it.

The next instant, the middle Legend-grade bow 『Fiery Diamond』appeared in her hand.

It was a large weapon, close to a longbow size, which came accompanied with the quiver. Its long range was its major characteristic.

Karin materialized her battle gear as well; her left hand was holding a katana with a red sheath.

It was the middle Legend-grade 『Vermilion Orchid』, a fire elemental katana.

“Did we make it?”

“Just in the nick of time.”

“T-too fast…”

s.h.i.+n had just drawn his『Kakura』 when s.h.i.+baid, Wilhelm, and Tiera arrived on deck.

At Tiera’s feet were both Kagerou and Yuzuha. They were all members capable of defense and long distance attacks.

“What about the others?”

“Lady Hermie is in her room. For added safety, I had Milt and Konig stay with her. Filma went to speak with the captain, and Schnee will come after bolstering Lady Hermie’s defenses.”

Milt, a water spirit user, was a powerful ally on the seas.

“Have you noticed anything?”

“The monsters appeared roughly at the same time as when the weather turned rough. From that, I suppose that they are either serpent or mollusk types.”

s.h.i.+n quickly answered Wilhelm’s questions with his hypothesis.

There are monsters that influence the weather when they appear. The types of monsters mentioned by s.h.i.+n often cause storms with their coming.

“Esteemed pa.s.sengers! We shall deal with the situation, please return to your cabins!”

Maybe they heard from Filma, or detected the presence themselves, but the crew members came to advise s.h.i.+n and the others to take shelter.

The crew probably also acted as a monster protection team; they were carrying bows, rods, harpoons, and other weapons.

“We shall help too.”

“But sir….!? I understand. Thank you for your a.s.sistance!”

The crew members were reluctant at first, but changed their mind after seeing s.h.i.+n’s party’s postures and equipment.

The s.h.i.+p, battered by the waves, made it difficult to stand straight. While it also depended on the opponents, the more numbers they had the better their chances would be.

“They’re coming!”

Moments after s.h.i.+n’s warning, the seawater swelled greatly. Then, from the raging sea emerged the silhouettes of several monsters.

“Gale Serpents!”

The monsters appeared from the sea and glared at the s.h.i.+p were Gale Serpents, also called “Dragon of the Seas”. Part of the dragon category, this monster favored attacks such as water breath, roar, and tackles.

Its level usually ranged from 500 to 600, but facing it in an unstable battlefield such as the sea made it more powerful than the level indicated.

“What numbers!”

“And just when we needed to return to Hinomoto…!”

Kanade and Karin reacted with frustration at the sight of the Gale Serpents, emerging one after the other. No matter how st.u.r.dy the s.h.i.+p was, under the attacks of 10 Gale Serpents it was inevitable for it to sink, or so they probably thought.

In fact, the crew members that came on deck also stood still, pale after seeing the monsters.

“Wilhelm, Tiera! Don’t let them get any closer! s.h.i.+baid, block their long-range attacks!!”

While shouting these orders, s.h.i.+n let his『Kakura』flash.

The Mallet and Wind combination skill 【b.e.s.t.i.a.l Drive】 created a fierce gust of wind which blew away the rain and wind with a single hit, while also crus.h.i.+ng the head of one of the Gale Serpents surrounding the s.h.i.+p.

Even among the battering wind and rain, the sound of the skill’s impact boomed clearly through the deck and the ears of everyone present.

In the span of a few seconds, the Gale Serpent with the smashed cranium gradually sank below the waves.

“Let’s finish this quickly!”

“I won’t lose either!”

After s.h.i.+n’s attack, Wilhelm threw his h.e.l.l Spear 『Vakira』and Tiera started shooting arrows.

The Gale Serpents, stopped in their tracks by the sudden fall of their comrade, tried to avoid the attacks’ trajectory with agility ill fitting their huge bodies.

Their response, however, had been too slow; the Gale Serpent closest to the s.h.i.+p was. .h.i.t by an arrow on one eye and by 『Vakira』on its body.

“——————————!?!”

The monster did not die on the spot, but unleashed a scream like grinding metal and collapsed among the waves.

“You are far from the average traveler, I see.”

Not just the monsters were surprised by s.h.i.+n’s movements. While aiming an arrow at a Gale Serpent poking its face from below the water, Kanade talked to s.h.i.+n.

s.h.i.+n replied that he was just a common traveler and focused again on his perception field. The Gale Serpents were swimming around the s.h.i.+p, alternatively getting closer and farther.

“Is it just me, or is the s.h.i.+p shaking more and more?”

“It’s probably caused by the monsters.”

Karin also felt something was off, and agreed with s.h.i.+n’s observation.

“Tch, the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds went underwater and won’t show up anymore!”

“Hey, s.h.i.+n!! The s.h.i.+p isn’t going to turn over, is it!?”

Even if she had come closer, Tiera’s voice was almost drowned out by the ever stronger storm’s howling winds. Her concern was well placed, as even the crew members could barely stand without support, that’s how violently the s.h.i.+p was shaking. They all grabbed handrails or sail masts, sticking their weapons on the floor to keep standing.

Only s.h.i.+n and s.h.i.+baid still managed to stand straight.

“s.h.i.+n! Looks like they’re going to attack!”

s.h.i.+baid’s words made s.h.i.+n look all around himself, only to find 9 Gale Serpents emerging from the waves, open their jaws wide and point them at the s.h.i.+p.

“A breath attack, huh. s.h.i.+baid, take care of the ones in front. I’ll handle the rear.”

While sprinting through the shortest path on the s.h.i.+p, s.h.i.+n pulled out the same s.h.i.+eld s.h.i.+baid had equipped, the『Great Sh.e.l.l s.h.i.+eld of Collision』. Then, he activated a fully-powered anti-air barrier.

A barrier composed of interlocked hexagons appeared in midair and repelled the Gale Serpents’ water breath.

“s.h.i.+t, the rain and wind make it hard to aim…”

s.h.i.+n unleashed several magic attacks while holding up the barrier, but because of the storm rocking the s.h.i.+p and the distance between him and the targets, none reached their intended destination.

Even bow users such as Tiera and Kanade could not reach the monsters with their attacks.

Seeing this, Yuzuha made a proposition.

“Should I support?”

“Please.”

s.h.i.+n earnestly asked for help.

“I should have lowered the numbers more with the first attack.”

Fighting on a s.h.i.+p during stormy weather was even harder than s.h.i.+n had expected.

The clouds kept the sunlight from filtering through, making the surroundings constantly dark. The rocking s.h.i.+p made it hard to stand, but they had to fight off the monsters and protect the s.h.i.+p at the same time.

s.h.i.+n’s party would survive even if the s.h.i.+p sank, but they couldn’t save all the crew members and pa.s.sengers. If things continued like this, their situation would get worse little by little.

s.h.i.+n regretted choosing the wrong skill for the first attack.

“Kuu.”

Yuzuha cried and activated a skill, which caused the rain and wind to temporarily weaken.

“There’s no time to hesitate anymore. Yuzuha, cover me!”

“Yes sir!”

Taking advantage of the instant the breath attacks stopped, s.h.i.+n leapt from the s.h.i.+p.

“Sir s.h.i.+n!?”

He turned back to see Kanade and Karin, hanging onto the s.h.i.+p handrails, looking at him. They had left the front to the reinforcements and rushed to his aid.

“Don’t go falling into the sea!”

Thinking that he didn’t need any help, s.h.i.+n gave a short warning and kicked the sea.

“What in the…!?”

Accompanied by Karin’s exclamation of surprise, s.h.i.+n rushed towards the Gale Serpents while causing bursts of water.

As long as the Movement-type Martial skill 【Water Pa.s.sage】was active, one could fight using water surfaces as footholds.

The first monster s.h.i.+n targeted was the one hit in the eye by Tiera’s arrow. s.h.i.+n swung 『Kakura』from the monster’s blind spot and chopped off its neck.

“One down!!”

At the same time, s.h.i.+n spun and kicked the Gale Serpent’s fallen head sending it cras.h.i.+ng into the next Gale Serpent.

“———!?!”

As the Gale Serpent lost its balance, s.h.i.+n activated the Light-type magic skill【Avraid Ray】. Thanks to the weakened storm, the light ray pierced two serpent heads.

“Two down!!”

There were 7 remaining Gale Serpents.

As s.h.i.+n was searching for the next monster, an explosion echoed from the front of the s.h.i.+p.

In the dim darkness, a silver flash reverberated.

Looking at the map, s.h.i.+n could verify that, among the 5 serpents in front of the s.h.i.+p, 3 had already disappeared. As s.h.i.+n expected, the reinforcements had arrived.

“Let’s finish this once and….hm?”

As he was about to say “for all”, s.h.i.+n detected that something else was coming closer.

2 new signals were closing in on the s.h.i.+p, much faster than the other Gale Serpents.

“(Schnee! s.h.i.+baid! Two more coming!)”

While taking down another serpent, s.h.i.+n informed Schnee and s.h.i.+baid via Mind Chat about the two incoming monsters.

“(We have sensed them as well. Who would have expected such an a.s.sault though.)”

“(Indeed, were we not on board, the s.h.i.+p would have sunk by now.)”

s.h.i.+n received a somewhat jaded response via Mind Chat. The location made it difficult to fight, but they did not feel particularly cornered.

With Schnee and s.h.i.+baid on deck, the s.h.i.+p would be sufficiently protected.

“They split, huh.”

The new monsters’ signals separated along the way; they were now heading one towards the front and one towards the back of the s.h.i.+p.

The sea swelled even higher than before, sending water spraying all around and revealing the silhouette of a Gale Serpent almost twice the size of the previous ones.

“I see, the Queen and King showed up.”

Even before using【a.n.a.lyze】on the new monster, clearly different from the 10 Gale Serpents which appeared before, s.h.i.+n had seen through its ident.i.ty.

“Gale Serpent Queen – Level 702”

The monster’s details appeared at the same time as s.h.i.+n’s words.

As expected, the monster name included the word “Queen”. The King was likely headed to the front.

Many monsters had “King” or “Queen” in their names, and most of them were escorted by monsters of the same species.

“I guess they built a nest around here.”

It was confirmed that monsters too, had the notion of territory. Considering their “King” and “Queen” names, these monsters were probably a couple. If so, the serpents that attacked the s.h.i.+p first could have been their children.

“Why did they come and attack the s.h.i.+p I wonder. There should be plenty of other prey.”

Maybe they were chased by a bigger monster, or wanted to practice hunting. s.h.i.+n couldn’t know what the reason was, but in any case, what they had to do didn’t change.

The prey retaliating against the hunter was also a fact of nature.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t let you sink this s.h.i.+p.”

s.h.i.+n ran towards the Queen.

He was about to strike it with『Kakura』, while avoiding the breath attacks it unleashed, when the sea showed an unnatural movement.

The rumbling sea created a gigantic wave between s.h.i.+n and the Queen, forcing them apart.

Then, as if in response to the giant wave, a series of 60 cemels long harpoon-like jets of seawater shot towards s.h.i.+n.

“【Aqua Lance】, huh? Sorry, that won’t work on me.”

s.h.i.+n made the lances, coming at him from all sides, focus on one point, then leapt away.

As it used real seawater, this 【Aqua Lance】had a higher number of lances, power, and resistance to magic than an ordinary one, but it wasn’t enough to stop s.h.i.+n.

With one swing of『Kakura』, s.h.i.+n blew past the barrage of water lances created by 【Aqua Lance】. It wasn’t necessary to deal with all of them.

“Sorry to do this when you just arrived, but…”

s.h.i.+n dodged a newly unleashed water breath, slashed through the giant wave and closed in on the Queen.

He then held 『Kakura』’s hilt with both hands, gripping it forcefully.

“The curtains are already closing!!”

With a shout, s.h.i.+n pounded 『Kakura』into the Queen’s cranium. With a thunderous sound that silenced the winds, the Queen’s skull visibly caved in.

The power of the attack strengthened by the Mallet skill 【Fierce Impact】was not something even a Queen could sustain.

It was a superior species, with a sh.e.l.l that acted as a helmet, so its head was not crushed to bits. The shock did not kill it on the spot; the Queen’s body swung down to sea level, floating powerlessly on the waves.

“W-What in blazes is going on!?”

Kanade, who had been watching s.h.i.+n’s battle, lost her balance because of the sudden shaking. s.h.i.+n looked back and saw the shadow of a Gale Serpent beneath the s.h.i.+p.

“Trying to sink the s.h.i.+p now? You got a good beating, time to retreat.”

Of course, s.h.i.+n would not let the monster succeed.

s.h.i.+n immediately dove underwater to punch away the Gale Serpent before it could tackle the s.h.i.+p

Thanks to the marine environment, however, the serpent was not killed right away and slithered away from s.h.i.+n.

“Guess it doesn’t work as well as aboveground.”

This was s.h.i.+n’s first underwater battle after coming to this world. The response he felt on his fists was also lighter than usual.

“The currents are a pain too.”

He had to move while kicking the water to prevent his body from being dragged away. The invisible water currents were swirling all around s.h.i.+n.

In an underwater environment, without a solid foothold, even s.h.i.+n who still retained his memories of his experiences during the game era had to focus at all times or he would lose track of the direction he had to face.

s.h.i.+n returned temporarily to the sea surface, and jumped in midair while kicking up jets of seawater.

In the same instant, he saw Kanade as she was about to jump into the sea.

“Hey, what are you doing!?!”

Following Kanade, Karin jumped into the water too.

s.h.i.+n then noticed that the s.h.i.+p was severely tilted. He wanted to chase Kanade and Karin right away, but couldn’t leave the s.h.i.+p like that.

As s.h.i.+n tried to get closer to the s.h.i.+p with the Movement-type Martial skill【Flying Shadow】, the seawater around the bottom of the s.h.i.+p suddenly froze.

The ice spread as to cover the s.h.i.+p, acting as a floating tube with the surrounding seawater.

The waves were still tall, but not enough to knock over the s.h.i.+p now supported by the ice. Unless the frozen surface was crushed, the s.h.i.+p would not sink.

“I see they’re almost done too.”

From his position in midair, s.h.i.+n saw Filma unleash crimson sword slashes towards the King and felt positive that the battle would be over soon .

“Then I will—–!?”

s.h.i.+n turned to quickly chase after Kanade and Karin, when a breath attack was unleashed in his direction. It was from the serpent that he had failed to defeat just before.

“I’m busy enough already!”

s.h.i.+n kicked the air to dodge the breath attack, then pointed a finger towards the Gale Serpent, which was preparing another water breath, to activate a magic skill.

A light blue beam froze the Gale Serpent along with the surrounding water, instantly creating an ice pillar.

It was the Light and Water combination skill【Freezing Ray】.

This beam of light, characterized by high activation speed and freezing properties, froze the Gale Serpent until deep within its body.

Seconds later, the frozen pillar broke off in large and small blocks of ice.

“It made me waste too much time…they’ve already gotten far.”

s.h.i.+n checked for Kanade and Karin’s signals and fell down to the water while grumbling. The two women had been swept away farther than he had expected.

“(Schnee, I’m going to pick up two women that fell into the sea. Can I leave the rest to you?)”

“(Understood. We will eliminate the remaining monsters very soon. Be careful.)”

s.h.i.+n exchanged a Mind Chat with Schnee and kicked the water. Gaining distance by moving through the air, he rushed on the seawater while jumping to avoid the waves.

“There isn’t much time left.”

Kanade and Karin were apparently trapped in a sea current and were moving towards the edge of s.h.i.+n’s perception field.

They were probably getting swept away by the current. Their signals were moving in a fixed reaction, but the trajectory was highly unstable.

“If I chase after them like this, we won’t be able to return to the s.h.i.+p.”

s.h.i.+n considered their movement speed and the distance to the s.h.i.+p, then reached a conclusion.

Kanade and Karin were in the perfectly opposite direction to the s.h.i.+p. The s.h.i.+p would disappear from his perception field before he reached the two women’s signals.

“I’m sorry for Hermie and the others, but I have to go.”

The option of prioritizing the return to the s.h.i.+p and abandoning the two women did not exist for s.h.i.+n.

During the sea trip, they had exchanged words several times. He couldn’t think of them as strangers and leave them alone anymore. For this reason, s.h.i.+n decided to prioritize rescuing them.

“Let’s go to Karin first.”

Since she had jumped into the sea later, s.h.i.+n managed to reach Karin first.

s.h.i.+n deactivated【Water Pa.s.sage】as he hit the water and dove into the sea. He proceeded while cutting through the currents swirling around him and caught Karin as she was being tossed about by the waves.

“There’s not much time left.”

s.h.i.+n cast【Dive X】on Karin and sped up.

s.h.i.+n was holding her torso with an arm and keeping her still, but there was no response from Karin. Considering how much time had pa.s.sed since she had jumped into the sea, it was not possible for her to be still breathing.

“Don’t tell me I came to rescue them and they’re both dead…!!!”

With a shout, s.h.i.+n charged through the water. As soon as Kanade entered his sight, he drew the white-sheathed katana 『Hakuramaru』from the item box and swung it vertically very quickly, easily overcoming the water’s resistance.

Katana and Water combination skill 【Deepwater Cleave】.

As if tracing the slash itself, the sea was cleft in a V-shape.

s.h.i.+n, carrying Karin over his shoulders, jumped in midair and kicked the horizontal sea surface.

In the air, s.h.i.+n kicked again. He rushed towards the center of the sliced V, towards Kanade.

“Here too?”

s.h.i.+n, with 『Hakuramaru』in his mouth, carried Karin with his right arm and Kanade with his left. Before the cleft seawater returned to its original state, he kicked against the horizontally sliced sea surface. After jumping back in midair, s.h.i.+n activated 【Clairvoyance】and looked around.

As he was focused on chasing the two women, He didn’t know where he currently was. He looked around to see if there was any land in the surroundings, and found a promising shadow on the right.

“Hang on, please!!”

s.h.i.+n ran as fast as he could.

A mad rush straight towards land, leaving water spouts in his wake.

Maybe because the rain clouds had not reached this stretch of land, the waves near the coast s.h.i.+n reached were very calm.

s.h.i.+n reached the sandy beach, quickly laid the two women down and checked their breathing and pulse.

“No, don’t tell me.”

They were both in a state of cardiac arrest.

Trying to suppress his growing impatience, s.h.i.+n thought of a way to solve the situation.

With【a.n.a.lyze】, he saw that both women’s HP were slowly reaching zero. The decrease speed was more or less the same, but Karin seemed to have incurred damage somewhere, as she had 10% less HP.

The only solution s.h.i.+n came up with at the moment was to cast【Heal】and then perform CPR on both.

He first performed CPR on Kanade. Even if slightly, she had jumped into the sea earlier than Karin. As she was younger, s.h.i.+n decided that she was the more urgent case.

“Cough! Cough!!”

“Great, one’s done!!”

With relief at a resurrection quicker than expected, s.h.i.+n put Kanade in a more comfortable posture and made her spit out the water.

He then left her and performed CPR on Karin. It didn’t go as well this time, so s.h.i.+n, relying on a hazy memory, tried to perform a heart ma.s.sage.

“….h…n…? What…are you…?”

s.h.i.+n was too focused to hear what Kanade was saying.

Was her breathing adequate? Was the heart ma.s.sage’s strength and rhythm correct? Was there still time for her to come back to life?

That was all s.h.i.+n could think about.

“Kah!! Cough!!”

“Yes!!!”

s.h.i.+n’s emergency procedure seemed to have worked, as Karin sprang back to life as well.

Looking at Karin spitting out the seawater, s.h.i.+n let out a shout and, at the same time, felt all his strength leave his body.

“So this is what it means to be scared to death…”

s.h.i.+n mumbled after a deep sigh. Life support procedures are not to be made while relying on hazy memories.

Karin’s breath had stabilized and she had woken up, so s.h.i.+n told the two women to rest while he went to gather dry wood.

It apparently had not rained in their location, so he was able to quickly gather a good quant.i.ty of dry wood.

At the same time, s.h.i.+n looked for any huts or caves where they could rest.

“Oh, this place looks just right.”

It was at a fair distance from the place they came ash.o.r.e, but he found a naturally formed cave. It was also deep enough that, even if it rained, they would be protected.

s.h.i.+n placed the dry wood in the item box and returned to the beach.

“There’s a cave over there. I think it’s better to move before the sun sets, but can you walk?”

“I’m all right, but I suppose that Karin would still have trouble walking.”

The two women had fallen into the sea at roughly the same time, but Karin was more exhausted.

s.h.i.+n had cast healing magic at the time he performed emergency procedures, so their HP was recovered, but both of them were not in good condition. Recovering HP did not mean that one’s condition returned to normal as well.

The sun was already setting over the beach, so after asking permission, s.h.i.+n carried the still exhausted Karin on his shoulders.

Kanade had recovered enough to be able to walk without problems, so they walked towards the cave at a pace relaxed enough not to tire her.

As they arrived at the cave, s.h.i.+n let Karin down and prepared to light a fire.

“Let’s use a small Fire spell and…OK, it lit up. Lady Kanade, please use this to warm……what-are-you-two-doing?”

What s.h.i.+n saw when he turned around was Karin, stripped of her armor and wearing only her kimono.

Her wet hair, sticking to her cheeks, and half exposed chest emitted, in total contrast with their current situation, an aura of sensuality. Karin was apparently the type that looks leaner when clothed.

Judging from the situation, Kanade had probably removed her armor.

“I certainly can’t leave her in those drenched clothes. It is quite unbecoming to show skin in front of a gentleman, but warming Karin up takes priority.”

“Definitely. Then allow me to offer new clothes, a towel, and a cloth for her to lie on.”

In a situation like this, s.h.i.+n wouldn’t just keep staring at Karin. Prepared for the fact that he might be interrogated about it later, he materialized several items from cards.

The mantle s.h.i.+n took out for Karin to lie on possessed an HP recovery effect. He didn’t know if it could help relieve her exhaustion, but it was still better than nothing.

“From the number of cards you possess, I am more positive that you certainly are not an ordinary traveller.”

“Rather than that, I suggest that you rest for now. You must be fatigued too. I will stand guard, so please try to rest.”

s.h.i.+n’s clothes were generally equipped with an underwater mode too, so they weren’t wet at all. He hadn’t lost much energy.

“Atchoo!”

Kanade’s sneeze, echoed within the cave, as she warmed up beside the fire. No matter how close she was to the fire, as drenched as she was, her body couldn’t not feel cold.

s.h.i.+n told Kanade to also change into another kimono and went outside.

While they were changing, he used a monster repellent item to prevent monsters and wild animals from coming closer to the cave.

Some monsters could come closer despite the item, so for added security s.h.i.+n set some traps that would damage them the instant they stepped into the cave.

“You may return!”

s.h.i.+n returned inside the cave to find a changed Kanade and Karin sleeping, wrapped in a blanket.

First, s.h.i.+n tied the ends of a rope to two short daggers and stabbed them in the cave’s walls, to hang the wet kimonos from this improvised clothesline.

“We are in your debt.”

“As they say, when in trouble people should help each other. Lady Kanade, you should also sleep a little. Are you not tired?”

“However…”

“I will stand guard. First priority is recovery now.”

Kanade’s eyelids were already closing. She was probably at her limit.

“I will repay you for everything one day…”

s.h.i.+n made sure that Kanade started sleeping too and sat down near the fire.

(Even if they almost drowned, their fatigue is too much for someone who simply fell into the sea. Is this normal when someone nearly drowns? Or not?)

This was the first time s.h.i.+n had seen someone nearly drown before his eyes, so he didn’t know if their condition was normal or not. But more than 10 minutes had pa.s.sed between when they fell into the sea and s.h.i.+n began emergency treatment on them.

He didn’t know how long they had been in cardiac arrest, but s.h.i.+n thought that the possibility of not saving them must have been higher.

(Both of them are probably Chosen Ones. Maybe when stats and level are high, at times like this the survival rate increases too?)

While dwelling on such thoughts, s.h.i.+n waited for them to wake up. Until then, he decided to try contacting Schnee.

“(s.h.i.+n here. Can we talk now?)”

“(Are you alright? Here the storm pa.s.sed and the s.h.i.+p departed again. Are the people who fell into the sea safe?)”

The Gale Serpents must have been exterminated. Other than s.h.i.+n and the two women, no one else fell into the sea, fortunately.

s.h.i.+n explained their current situation and told Schnee to give priority to protecting Hermie.

“(Understood. Please let us know your location once you know where you are. Let’s choose where to meet then. Also, Yuzuha is quite restless, could you summon her by your side?)”

“(Yuzuha?)”

“(She seems to feel down because although you had left those two ladies in her care, they fell into the sea.)”

“(Ah….I don’t think that was Yuzuha’s fault in any way. Anyway, I understand.)”

s.h.i.+n confirmed his understanding of what Schnee related.

Rather than falling, Kanade had thrown herself into the sea, so Yuzuha didn’t have to feel responsible. Yet Yuzuha herself certainly didn’t think so.

s.h.i.+n contacted Yuzuha via Mind Chat and called her with a Tamer skill.

“Kuuu…”

“Don’t feel so down, that wasn’t your fault Yuzuha.”

Yuzuha cried weakly, and s.h.i.+n patted her head while talking.

For s.h.i.+n too, it was a complete mystery as to why Kanade had leapt into the water like that.

◆◆◆◆