Chapter 435
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Strolling at the Sea
After spending a night at the Cerulean Shrine, the following day, we left and went for an underwater stroll.
“”Teiya~!””
When Allen and Elena spotted monsters, they swiftly swam towards them, changing their postures along the way and kicking with both feet while maintaining their momentum.
(Mumu. Underwater combat is indeed challenging~ I can’t switch my movements as smoothly as they can.)
(Allen-chan and Elena-chan are really skilled at this, aren’t they?)
(In my case, I just need to plunge my head, or rather my beak, into things, so I don’t need to change my posture. It’s not a problem. But Joule and the others can’t just dive in headfirst, obviously.)
(Kuh! I’m going headfirst, no matter what!)
(I’m definitely not cut out for underwater combat! Everyone, do your best!)
(Radian can’t do it~ Tak.u.mi Onii~chan, let’s play~)
Joule and the others have only gone underwater twice this time. Their swimming has improved significantly, but unfortunately, they still seem inexperienced in underwater combat.
“If you do it a few times, you’ll get used to it!”
Kaiser was diligently supervising the children. Although underwater combat is probably something Kaiser is used to… that’s when he’s in the form of a Leviathan. Can he fight in human form? Well, if it comes down to it, he can always revert to his original form, so it might not be a big deal if he can’t.
“Kaiser, can you keep an eye on the kids… especially those who are actively fighting?”
(Umu? I don’t mind, but are you going somewhere?)
(Mile, Radian, and I are going to gather some things. It’s hard to come by underwater items, so we’re going to search for various things.)
(I see. Understood, leave them to me.)
(Yeah, please.—Mile, Radian, shall we go explore the seabed?)
(Let’s go!)
(Play~!)
I took Mile and Radian, who seemed a bit bored, and headed to the seabed. However, we weren’t that far away, so I could still see the kids splas.h.i.+ng around overhead.
“Radian, don’t stray too far.”
(Got it~!)
Since Radian was still swimming somewhat clumsily at the seabed, I warned him not to wander too far, as there were monsters down there.
(There are lots of seaweed!)
“Oh, it’s kelp and wakame.”
(What, what~? Can we pick these~?”
“Yes, we can. Radian, can you help too?”
(Yeah, will help!)
Mile quickly found common seaweed, so I, along with Mile and Radian, gathered plenty of it.
(Tak.u.mi Nii, look at this! This seaweed looks like a vegetable!)
(N? Oh, you’re right. This is… Water Greens?”
As I was gathering seaweed, Mile found something that looked like vegetables. It was called Water Greens.’ However, the watercress I knew in this world was called “Blue Greens,’ so it must be a different plant.
(Is it edible?)
“Yeah, it seems safe.”
This plant called Water Greens that grew on the seabed seemed similar to jute mallow. Well, just the fact that it was growing underwater made it different from the vegetables I knew.
(Anyway, let’s collect it!)
“Yeah, we won’t know if it’s delicious until we try it.”
It might turn into a slightly salty ohitas.h.i.+ with just boiling, so let’s gather as much as we can.
“Yay~! A big one is coming!”
As we were collecting Water Greens, I heard Vector’s excited cry.
(Vector is having a blast!)
“By ‘big one,’ he means a monster, right? What’s coming…—!?”
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I looked at Vector, wondering what had happened, and saw a Sea Serpent approaching from the direction of Vector’s gaze.
(What’s tha~t?)
“That’s a Sea Serpent. It’s, um… a snake-like monster, I guess.”
(Strong?)
“Yeah, I think it’s quite powerful.”
It does have a resemblance to a Leviathan in terms of appearance, but it’s not a dragon. Well, in the category of sea monsters, it’s probably one of the stronger ones.
But well, it shouldn’t be too much trouble for Vector.
“Ah, but, depending on his swimming skills, it might be a bit challenging?”
(Even if it’s challenging, I don’t think he will lose!)
“You are right there.”
(Vector Onii~chan, do your best~)
It might take some time to defeat it, but I can’t imagine him losing.
“Oh, he went straight for it~”
(That’s so like him!)
Vector went straight towards the approaching Sea Serpent and collided head-on.
“Wow, that was quite a bold move~”
(Vector is really tough! That would normally hurt anyone else!)
“Indeed~ Oh, he’s biting now.”
Seems like a head-on collision wasn’t enough to finish it off, so Vector successfully bit the motionless Sea Serpent’s neck. Then, he vigorously shook the Sea Serpent with all his might.
(Ah, the Sea Serpent went limp!)
“I thought it would be a bit more of a struggle, but he defeated it surprisingly easily~”
(Vector Onii~chan, so amazing~)
Radian, who was excitedly watching Vector’s heroics, swam towards Vector.
“I should remind Radian not to mimic that fighting style.”
(Those moves are only possible because it’s Vector! He must never try to imitate them!)
I’ll make sure to caution Radian not to imitate Vector’s combat style out of respect and admiration.
(Niichan, did you see that?)
“Yeah, I was watching. You took down a big catch effortlessly.”
(Ehehe~ The stuff I killed, I immediately put it in my magic ring, so I’ll give it to you later.)
“That’s right. Your ring doesn’t affects the flow of time.”
(I have to keep my promise with Joule, or he might confiscate it, so if I ever forget, make sure to remind me, Niichan!)
“Hahaha~ understood. I wouldn’t want to receive it here, so I’ll take it as soon as we reach the land.”
Joule’s threats seem to be having a solid effect, as Vector was committed to fulfilling the conditions for holding onto the magic ring.
(I wonder if Sea Serpent is delicious. I’m looking forward to eating it~ Ah, I’ve spotted Sand Crabs! Niichan, I’ll be right back!”
As soon as Vector spotted the next prey, he swam towards it.
(Vector is quite busy!)
“Well, isn’t that just the way he is? While I do get surprised or exasperated by Vector’s actions at times, I have a feeling that if he suddenly became polite and well-behaved… I’d be thrown off balance~”
(That is true!)
He may be a bundle of trouble, but Vector being Vector is the most comforting.
“Now then, are you guys satisfied yet?”
“”Satisfied~””
“Alright, let’s head to the land before it gets dark.”
“”Yeah~””
After encountering the Sea Serpent, we continued to hunt monsters and gather seaweed for a while, obtaining a good haul. We decided to head to the land before the sun set.