HTWBB Chapter 26

The original plan had been to go to Siern, which was at a midpoint, and rest briefly. However, to arrive at the capital in time for the Founding Festival, they needed to delay as much time as possible. They couldn't go too far, so Clémora, a port city in a straight line, was suitable in many ways.

The unit members had never taken proper rest, so it would be fine to consider it a few days' leave. Michel, who had been the first to smell the sea, brightened.

"Ah, that place is famous for that!"

"What now?"

"That alcohol, you know, 'Mermaid's Heart.'"

Margot's eyes gleamed.

"What's gotten into you to say something right? There's no better liquor than that."

"Then can we drink there?"

At Michel's last question, the scattered unit members jumped up.

"What? Alcohol?"

"We're drinking?"

In the suddenly noisy surroundings, Alcaide roughly gave permission and put one unripe tree fruit into the empty message tube. Chris, who had eaten the remaining few red fruits, beat his wings loudly and flew up. The hawk quickly disappeared toward the capital.

Alcaide rose from his seat silently and turned in the opposite direction. It was the direction where Clémora was located.

The interior of the sea, where not a single light entered, was so dark that only faint shapes could be distinguished, making it difficult to move forward easily. Fortunately, the current was weak enough to be similar to stagnant water. Rietta, who had been about to go straight down the stairs, changed her mind and headed toward the back of the deck, which hadn't been visible from outside.

The ship hidden on the isolated island was larger and dirtier than expected. Rietta, who had attached herself to the half-destroyed railing, carefully brushed a relatively intact spot with her hand. Slippery moss and seaweed that had flowed in from who knows where were stuck there in abundance.

She turned her gaze to a distant place. The deeply submerged part was close to pitch black beyond absolute darkness.

"Are you going all the way down?"

"I have to."

It was a conversation underwater, yet somehow it was heard as clearly as usual. It seemed he hadn't cast the spell to only allow breathing.

Having reached that conclusion, Rietta slowly swam forward. As she began to move, the small spheres of light she had seen in the cave floated up here and there.

The revealed place looked like a battlefield. It was far more horrific than what she'd seen from outside. Torn sails and wretchedly shattered masts tangled together and hung like clotheslines obstructing the view, and boxes and all sorts of junk were tangled everywhere, crammed in carelessly.

She left that place behind and went up first. It was the direction where the wheelhouse was located.

"It seems the power source is also here."

"Power source?"

"I looked below, but there were no oars. It was a ship that moved by magical power."

Rietta didn't dismiss Abel's words lightly. If the power source was still alive, she needed to move carefully.

Fortunately, entering the wheelhouse was easy. She had also considered the possibility that the entrance might be blocked, but whether it had taken a direct hit from the collapsing mast, the ceiling and two walls had completely disappeared.

Rietta swam inside. Various seaweeds were growing on the desk rolling on the floor in half. She stuck her head slightly to the side and discovered something sparkling. Broken into about four or five pieces with its original form unrecognizable, it was unmistakably a mana sphere.

Rietta realized this broken mana sphere was the power source Abel had mentioned. Abel, who glanced over from the opposite side, spoke quietly.

"We don't need to worry about it moving."

"For that size, it would have required quite a lot of magical power."

"Right. It wouldn't have stopped without continuous replenishment."

"The helmsman must have been a mage."

"It would be more accurate to call them a mana supplier, but if we must classify, then yes."

She silently turned her body and came back down. First, the remaining place was that dangerous-looking interior.

Without a moment to catch her breath, Rietta skillfully navigated between the forest of masts. Visibility was difficult, but whenever boxes that looked relatively intact came into view, she gave them attention.

Covered in sticky mud or dust, even the seams were uncertain. She felt no trace of magical treatment either, so there was no need to go through the trouble of opening them.

"Do you see anything particularly notable?"

"No. Just garbage."

"We have the same eye."

Finding nothing to gain, Rietta turned without regret. Even without thinking deeply, there was no way such an important item would be exposed to external dangers. If the legend was true, it was more likely to be inside the ship than on the deck.

Rietta stared at the white sail that swayed slowly with each weak current. Part of what appeared to be a merchant ship's emblem barely remained on the torn edge.

After briefly looking around, she slowed down considerably, passing slowly through the collapsed masts as if searching.

"What's wrong?"

Her eyes were sharp as she surveyed the surroundings. Rietta, who gestured for Abel to follow, only straightened her body after arriving near the stairs leading inside.

Then she habitually reached toward her lower back. The cold, hard sensation faithfully clung to her skin.

After exhaling lightly, she turned to him. Small air bubbles that came from her mouth scattered around.

"Something's strange."

"You felt it too."

Rietta nodded.

"There's no sign of life at all."

At first, she had thought something must be hiding somewhere. Stranded, abandoned ships were usually used as homes by sea creatures.

Because there were many places to hide from predators. Moreover, this merchant ship was large, so its masts were also large, leaving many broken fragments.

However, even among the debris scattered in places perfect for hiding, behind boxes placed here and there—nowhere, anywhere, was there the breath of a living thing.

All Rietta had seen here was seaweed without a single barnacle, which was amazing that it was still holding on.

'It was eerie, like dipping my toes in ice-cold water.'

It might be related to that chilling sensation Nick had felt. Rietta stepped down one step onto the stairs. As if reading her mind, the light orbs that had been guarding her side like escorts headed down first.

Following the trajectory of scattered light, the stairs submerged in darkness were brightly illuminated. Because the ship was tilted at an angle, it looked deep at first glance, but fortunately, it was shallow enough to be confirmed with just the small lights.

"There's a door."

It was as Abel said. Unlike the expectation of seeing the inside hall immediately, the last step of the stairs was connected to a small door leading inside. It was clearly the door Nick had mistaken for a cabin.

Rietta leaned her body and moved her legs. Only two or three movements were enough to reach the destination. She felt Abel following quickly.

She placed her palm on the door without even a small window. A chilling unpleasantness swept through her entire body, enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Slightly frowning, she lowered her gaze to the bottom of the door.

"Is there a problem?"

"...No. Must be my imagination."

She felt a momentary sense of déjà vu but immediately denied it. It couldn't be. Rietta put strength into her raised hand and pushed the tightly shut door. The entrance door that had been locked together without a single gap opened more easily than expected.

Her hair fluttered as if a wind were blowing. Wind. It was something that could never happen underwater.

As soon as she sensed the abnormality, a torrent of densely concentrated water poured out like a waterfall from inside. The current, which definitely felt denser than outside, stopped as if it were a lie in the time it took to exhale once.

Rietta blinked and stared at the opened interior. Another staircase going down was positioned in a faint outline.

"Abel."

"Let's go together."

Abel suddenly extended his arm to block Rietta. When she looked up questioningly, he gestured with his eyes toward Rietta's abdomen area. It was the wound sealed with magic.

"Will you be okay with that body?"

There was no reason it wouldn't be okay. Until now, she had always been injured, so adding one scratch that wouldn't show wasn't a problem. What was important was magical power rather than this mere body. However, Rietta obediently stepped back. She didn't have the strength left to bicker.

Abel also seemed to find it quite unexpected and took the lead without another word. The mass of light stretched down along his hair like a veil trailing behind. Rietta quietly left alone the lights that rolled over playfully brushing against her cheek.

"I'll go from the lower floor."

"Not bad. Since there were only two floors from the outside, let's start from the very bottom."

Just as before, he was speaking as if he had already seen the lower part of the ship. Rietta stared at Abel's back, which showed only minimal swaying, even while descending the stairs.

Looking closely, he wasn't fully stepping on the floor but walking through the water like land in a slightly floating state. It was an action as familiar as daily life.

She followed him at a regular distance, thinking he must have explored the exterior in a similar way. If she carelessly touched the wreck, it might tilt like when she first stepped on the deck.

"You seem familiar with the sea."

At the words thrown out suddenly, Abel slightly tilted his head.

"That's sudden. For what reason?"

"Everything."

The right side of his face revealed itself somewhat darkly as it received the faint light. Even his calmly settled purple eyes appeared close to black.

Abel, who blinked slowly, eventually turned completely toward Rietta.

"Does it seem that way?"

Abel, who muttered like a whisper, slowly raised his hand and lightly touched the coral-colored hair swimming randomly in the sea.

Like terrestrial mimosa shrinking its body, it retreated then returned to him again.

"It's the same for you."

"If it's the whale story, forget it."

"Since that includes it, let's forget it."

Abel laughed.