First, Kail found lodging to stay here. Since the nobles who realized they couldn’t swim in the sea had already left long ago, it was very easy to find accommodation.
After securing the lodging, Kail blankly stared at the sea with Yuri at a place overlooking the seaside.
Emerald Beach. The sea of the Emerald Realm. A sea that shimmers like a gem, just like the name of the territory.
Gazing blankly at that sea, it was easy to understand why the nobles made this place a vacation spot and visited every year.
‘……If only there were no restrictions.’
Thinking so, Kail slightly turned his head to look at Yuri sitting next to him. As befitting a resort, there were some clothing stores, and he had newly purchased outfits suitable for her from one of them.
The attire, which exposed most of the skin as expected from clothes sold by the seaside, was somewhat concerning, but Yuri herself didn’t seem to mind.
“It’s hot.”
“Huh?”
“I want to go into the sea.”
However, she seemed unable to handle the warm sun shining down on her, fitting for a Grand Duchess who had lived in the North where frosty winds blew every day.
Sweating profusely just sitting there doing nothing, and slightly gasping for air—watching her, Kail thought it would be nice to let her swim as soon as possible.
The problem was─.
“You must not enter.”
“Step back. We are controlling the area.”
The soldiers of the territory controlling access to the beach, and beyond them, a large fish using the sea like its private bathing area.
For the people of this territory, that fish called the Sea Deity was the issue.
***
Seeing the Sea Deity controlling the sea, the first thought that came to mind was, wouldn’t it be simple to just cut it down?
However, unfortunately, that thought had to be dismissed right away. After visiting inns and shops to ask about opinions regarding the Sea Deity, it was realized that the residents didn’t hold particularly negative thoughts about the Sea Deity.
“The Sea Deity? He’s a good being. When he appears, it means a great harvest for fishing that year.”
“What about getting rid of the Sea Deity? Haha, it’s only been a few decades since nobles started coming to this territory for vacations, but the Sea Deity has protected our territory for hundreds of years, or even longer. Are we really going to drive away the Sea Deity just for a bit of money? All the residents of the territory will oppose it.”
Most of the residents held positive thoughts about the Sea Deity. Of course, Kail knew that it was just a myth born out of blind worship over a long period of time.
In the 21st century on Earth, such an old belief would have faded away due to gunpowder and bullets. At the same time, Kail also knew what would happen when faith was crushed by force.
‘This isn’t good.’
Nobles were practically the masters of commoners, so if the lord of this territory ordered the residents, they would obey the lord’s command despite their dissatisfaction.
But they wouldn’t carry it out sincerely, and it’s impossible to achieve a goal with uncooperative people.
No matter how skilled Kail was, he couldn’t walk on the sea and fight the Sea Deity. There was a reason he couldn’t do that.
‘It’s not just a big fish.’
If it were just a big fish, the people of this world would have driven away the Sea Deity long ago. No, there wouldn’t even be a reason to call a mere fish the Sea Deity in the first place.
The Sea Deity wasn’t just a large whale-like creature that ate plankton. It was truly the god of the sea, a being that ruled the seas.
It was a monster born with immense power.
‘The sea is its domain. Even traveling by boat is dangerous; approaching it by creating stepping stones with Aura could be perilous.’
In a situation where its abilities weren’t known in detail, what if it had the ability to scatter Aura upon blindly approaching it?
One would fall directly into the sea, and no matter how skilled an Aura Master might be, fighting that large marine monster underwater would be impossible.
Most likely, it would toy with him unilaterally, like playing with an insect caught in a collection jar, before easily devouring him.
‘A ship is needed, a navigator to safely sail that ship, and someone who harbors resentment towards that Sea Deity and wouldn’t hesitate to hunt it down…’
Realistically, it was an impossible task. It seemed quicker to just give up. Kail sighed and returned to the lodging.
He felt sorry for Yuri, but they could come back to the sea another time. Considering she was a student at the Academy, it would be impossible this year, maybe next year… But it was better than forcibly hunting the Sea Deity.
Kail, pondering what to say to Yuri, stopped in his tracks upon seeing her waiting inside the lodging.
“…Yuri?”
“Oh, Kail.”
Seeing Kail return, Yuri cautiously removed the coat she had been using to cover herself, revealing the swimsuit hidden underneath.
A white bikini that emphasized her pale skin even more, paired with translucent frills that seemed to both conceal and reveal her skin.
The sight was like a fairy tale fairy appearing right before his eyes, causing Kail to gulp as he looked at Yuri.
“How is it? I tried it on once…”
“Beautiful.”
“…Thank you.”
Hearing Kail’s compliment, Yuri seemed satisfied and began putting the coat back on. Watching Yuri quickly hide her swimsuit figure, Kail grabbed her arm regretfully.
“Are you changing already?”
“Yeah. It’s a swimsuit.”
“No, wear it a little longer…”
“Do I need to keep wearing it if I can’t swim?”
Yuri’s words were justified, and Kail couldn’t find a rebuttal.
At the same time, a resolution formed in Kail’s heart.
“…I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Again?”
“Yeah. I’ll be back by dinner time.”
He had to defeat the Sea Deity.
Only then could he see that swimsuit for a little while longer.
***
To catch the Sea Deity, Kail chose long-range attacks. It was something he realized while dealing with the terrorist group that secretly infiltrated the Academy—the Iron Zealot organization member, Kaines.
He lacked the ability to deal with long-range threats. Since then, Kail had honed skills to attack distant opponents.
“How much is this?”
“Harpoon? Two million cash each.”
“Give me all of them.”
“Thank you, customer!”
First, he bought harpoons from the shop. Spears would have been better, but as expected by the seaside, there were far more tools used for fishing than spears.
Among them, the harpoon was a tool with a good throwing shape. While rowing a boat and navigating the sea, when a fish was spotted, it could be thrown to hunt it.
Compared to professionally crafted javelins, it had a shorter range and was inefficient, but considering what could be obtained in such a place, it wasn’t bad.
Kail confirmed the trembling harpoon infused with Aura and carefully moved to find a good spot for throwing.
Close to the sea yet with a low probability of entering it, Kail stood atop a cliff without soldiers’ surveillance and waited for the Sea Deity to appear.
‘Come.’
After some time, the sea began to swirl. Riding the high spiraling whirlpool, the Sea Deity soared into the sky.
A fitting play for a fish that played with the sea. Observing this scene, Kail carefully stood up and infused the harpoon with Aura.
The technique of maintaining Aura on an object detached from the hand was learned from Kaines. Now, the Aura-infused harpoon wouldn’t dissipate until it reached the Sea Deity.
─Woooooong-!
“Huuuup─!”
When the Sea Deity rode the whirlpool again, Kail seized the moment and threw the harpoon. Though zero adjustment hadn’t been done and the distance seemed farther than expected, Kail manipulated the Aura contained in the flying harpoon to change its direction.
Just like a missile adjusting its trajectory using boosters mid-air, the harpoon Kail threw changed direction using Aura and flew towards the Sea Deity.
The Sea Deity sensed something amiss and protected itself with seawater, but it wasn’t enough to block the Aura-filled harpoon.
─Gweeeeeeeeeek!
The Sea Deity’s scream echoed widely, making the sea tremble. Kail smirked upon seeing the harpoon embedded in the Sea Deity’s eye.
There were still many harpoons left. If they all hit, whether it’s the Sea Deity or anything else…
“─Huh?”
However, unfortunately, Kail’s plan didn’t come to fruition. The Sea Deity, with a harpoon stuck in its eye, panicked from the unfamiliar pain and immediately disappeared.
Kail scratched his cheek while watching the Sea Deity’s retreating figure far out at sea.
‘……If it’s resolved, then it’s fine.’
In the distance, the residents were seen flocking to the seaside, wondering what had happened.
Now they could use the sea. Kail imagined Yuri’s joyful expression and returned to the lodging.
