Chapter 11

――――――This girl, who called herself Ruri, seemed to be an apprentice merchant.

After some time had passed, we moved away from the scene and were in the process of burying the bodies of the slain guard adventurers in a hole made with earth magic. This was a kind of etiquette from my adventurer days; it was necessary to bury the bodies of fellow adventurers. There were two reasons for this: to prevent monsters from gathering around the corpses and to prevent the bodies from being left to rot and turning into undead due to the surrounding magical energy. The first reason was straightforward, but the second was a bit more complicated.

When humanoid creatures die and are left in nature, they can absorb the local magical energy and turn into undead. This is common knowledge among adventurers. While undead themselves are not particularly powerful, being only a C-rank threat, there have been cases where a good friend turned into an undead and couldn't be killed, leading to them being eaten. To prevent such situations, this was a necessary task. It wasn't the kind of thing you could complain about being too troublesome.

After finishing this, Ruri and I righted the overturned carriage and had the horse, which had stayed and not run away, pull it along the road. Ruri was holding the reins.

"Still... for a kid like you to be a merchant..."

"Don't call me a kid! And I've already told you, I'm an apprentice! A-p-p-r-e-n-t-i-c-e!"

Oh, right.

This girl, Ruri, had accompanied her grandfather, who was a merchant, and helped with his work. However, her grandfather had passed away from illness a few days ago. She had gained considerable experience in the merchant business, but her grandfather never recognized her as a full-fledged merchant, keeping her as an apprentice.

"...But if I can deliver this brooch to the continent of the demons, maybe my grandfather in heaven will recognize me."

Her goal was to deliver the brooch to someone on the continent of the demons. It seems that her grandfather had taken on the job of having the brooch repaired when he visited the demon continent, and had already been paid. All that was left was to deliver it.

"My grandfather died while trying to deliver the brooch... So I, his apprentice, have to deliver it properly."

"...And just as we set out, we ran into that situation on the way..."

"..."

I looked at the goods piled in the carriage. Mostly miscellaneous items, with no fresh produce, but there were dried meats and other preserved foods in bags. These seemed to be proper goods, and it appeared she had planned to do some business on the demon continent while delivering the brooch. She was indeed the granddaughter of a merchant...

"I put out a request for a guard, but I couldn't hire any high-ranking adventurers... I managed to hire them with the bare minimum of funds."

Those were the ones who were killed.

"Well, you can't hire high-ranking adventurers without a lot of money..."

To hire an S-rank or higher, you'd need more than three months' salary. From the equipment of those guys, they were probably around C-rank, the kind you could hire with a bit of effort, but not very reliable.

"Um... I was wondering, is it really okay if I can't thank you properly?"

"I said it's fine, didn't I? Just telling me the way to the port town is enough."

In exchange for riding in the carriage to the port town, I accepted the role of guard. She was alone now, and it felt wrong to leave her and run off on my own. It would be the worst if she was attacked again and sold after I had saved her...

"But..."

"Once you finish delivering the brooch, treat me to a meal."

"Eh!? You're coming with me!?"

"Hmm? Yeah... my destination is the demon continent too."

If we were going to the same place, it wouldn't be a big time loss to accompany her. I couldn't take care of her all the way back, though...

"Really!? By the way, why are you going?"

"To visit a friend. I haven't seen him in about five years."

"I see..."

At least I should give him a punch when I see him... or is he in the demon king's castle? He might be absent during the war...

(Well, if he's not there, I'll just sit on his throne and wait... hehehe.)

What would he think if he saw someone he didn't know sitting in his chair?

"Setsu-san, you have a really scary look on your face..."

"Oops, sorry."

I couldn't help but think about teasing him. He talks big, but his reactions are amusing, making him fun to tease. Imagining how he'd react to my teasing made me smile to myself, but something nagged at the back of my mind.

"Hmm?"

"Is something wrong?"

I couldn't figure it out... something was bothering me.

"No... it's nothing."

"? Is that so?"

We continued searching, but the nagging feeling in my mind didn't go away.

---

After driving the carriage all night, we finally arrived at the port town at noon the next day.

"We're here, Setsu-san!"

"Yeah... the smell of the sea is strong."

I had been to the sea a few times in Japan, but that was when I was young. Seeing this endless blue expanse again after so long was very refreshing.

In the town, various fish were sold in shops, and the shopkeepers shouted to attract customers. It reminded me of markets in Japan.

"I've been to this port town a few times, and I love the smell of the sea and the atmosphere of the shops."

Ruri's eyes sparkled as she looked at the shops along the main street leading straight to the sea. As a merchant, she probably studied how people sold things.

"Let's not get too distracted by the town. We should check the ship schedules first, and maybe grab some lunch."

"Right... the sooner we can leave, the better."

We decided to buy grilled fish skewers for lunch and headed to the seaside where the ships would be.

...Huh? Wait a minute?

--- A ship?

"Aah!!"

"Huh? There are no ships? It's wartime, you know."

Grrr!! I knew it!!

"Such... such a thing..."

Ruri visibly deflated in front of me.

The nagging feeling I had yesterday was about this.

(--- Of course, ships don't run during a war, you idiot!!)

If a ship from the enemy continent arrived, it would be attacked immediately. Even if it showed no resistance, there was no way to be sure it wasn't a trap. The same would apply to our side.

The moment the option of a ship was completely off the table.

"There's no way to travel between continents right now. You should give up and go back."

"..."

We ended up retracing our steps. The horses pulling the carriage seemed to be depressed too... or maybe it was just reflecting Ruri's deep disappointment.

"...Don't be so down."

"It's impossible... this was my chance to become a full-fledged merchant..."

Seeing her on the verge of tears made me want to help her. There was one way, but...

"Hey, Ruri?"

"Yes?"

"There is one way..."

Ruri's demeanor changed completely, and she eagerly asked,

"What is it!? Please tell me!!"

"No one will know, right?"

"I won't tell anyone, I promise!!"

If that's the case...

"Then follow me."

I took Ruri's hand and led her to a place where we could find the solution.

---

"--- This place should be fine."

After walking along the coast for a while, we found a secluded, rocky area with few people. This should work.

"We're here."

"Here...? Um..."

Ruri's face was downcast, and she seemed to be frozen in place.

"What's wrong?"

"Um... can you... let go of my hand..."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

I had been holding her hand the whole time. I might have made her uncomfortable.

"I should have been more considerate. I'll be more careful in the future."

"Eh!? No... okay."

Hmm? Is she blushing because I held her hand? Haha, this kid.

"Come on, let's go."

"Wh-What!? I'm not blushing!"

"Alright, alright, just follow me."

"You don't understand! Setsu-san is being mean!"

I apologized, but she was a fun one to tease. I'd have to push her buttons a bit more in the future.

I led the way, navigating the rocky terrain. I was looking for a specific spot.

"Ah, here it is---"

"What is it?"

"Just watch... here we go."

I squatted down and put my hand in the water, which was close to the rocky surface.

"--- I summon you, Leviathan."

I whispered, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Nothing's happening..."

Ruri said, but I knew something was about to happen. The waves were getting stronger, and the water in front of us started to rise.

"It's coming."

"What... what is this..."

The water rose to reveal a massive dragon's head. Covered in blue scales, it had sharp teeth and narrow, red eyes that exuded power. The head alone was as big as a house, and the rest of its body was unknown, but it was enormous.

"Hey, it's been a while--- Leviathan."

"--- I told you to stop calling me that, Setsu. Where have you been for five years? I was waiting to carry you."

"Sorry, sorry, a lot has happened."

The dragon's head, which had emerged from the sea, spoke in a young woman's voice. Despite its expressionless face, the corners of its mouth were slightly upturned, giving it a somewhat cheerful aura.

"Well, as a sea god, I have a broad heart like the sea. I'll forgive you."

"I'll flay you."

"Sorry."

You haven't changed, still as playful as ever... it's reassuring and nice to see that some things don't change even after so many years.

"Um... what is this..."

Oh, I almost forgot about Ruri.

I told the dragon to introduce itself, and I asked Ruri to listen carefully.

"Hem... I am the sea god Leviathan, the ruler of these waters. It's rare for me to show myself to a human, so be grateful."

"H-H-H-Huh!?"

Ruri's eyes widened in shock. The name of the sea god was well-known in this world, so it was no surprise she recognized it. However, while the name was famous, actual sightings were almost nonexistent. It was understandable for her to be this shocked to see a mythical creature in front of her.

"As you can see, this is the SSS-rank monster, the sea god Leviathan, whom I summoned. She's a bit of a show-off, but she's interesting."

"Hey!! What do you mean by 'show-off'!?"

The show-off is saying something, but I'll ignore it. I've been saying this for a while, so she should start to realize it.

"Did you summon this, Setsu!?"

"Yeah. The method I mentioned is her."

"Y-You... can't be serious..."

"Come on, let's get on her head."

I said with a grin, and Ruri let out her second scream of the day---

---

The next chapter will start with the story of Setsu and the sea god's relationship.