Nigoru Hitomi de Nani wo Negau

The sea voyage, which felt like crossing an endless horizon, finally showed its end with the appearance of land for the first time in nineteen days. Seeing the shadow of the land, passengers let out a sigh of relief, and even the sailors felt joy in their hearts.

“You may still be in the mood for a voyage, but sure enough, it’s been an unexpectedly long time.”

The upper deck, which had felt so spacious before departure, perhaps as a result of getting used to it, felt narrower than before. At the same time, Walm was unable to shake off his loneliness.

It would be the case.

After all, fourteen sailors who died in the battle with monsters set off first without seeing the port. Many injured had returned to good health quickly thanks to the recovery magic of the ship’s doctor, but there were still those who had not fully recovered. So, it couldn’t be helped that it felt slightly quiet and dull.

Walm looked up and heard the yards extending from the mast creaking.

As a result of the emergency repair, the sail was restored and the ship became self-propelled again, but still, couldn’t reach full speed even once. If normal loads were applied to the flooded parts, such as the ship’s bottom, or the temporary yard, it would inevitably break, and when that happened, repairs would begin while drifting.

Because of that, the ship was forced to live at sea much longer than planned.

Sure enough, the ship had already been loaded with food and drinking water for an emergency, but by adding the portion of those who no longer needed them, somehow the people on the ship, including Walm, didn’t starve.

And now, the sight that everyone had been waiting for, could be seen clearly.

The Ship that entered the port docked at the pier while being guided by small boats.

The sailors had to coordinate with the port manager and unload the increased cargo.

The passengers said goodbye to the sailors and disembarked one after another. There were a lot of people who were carrying heavy loads, and there were very few people like Walm who were light in loads.

The number of passengers continued to decrease while struggling to pass the gangway. Finally, it was Walm’s turn. The Captain, who was seeing off the passengers, held out his hand to Walm.

“To have you on board, we were so lucky. Let me say this once again. Thank you, you have my gratitude.”

Walm faced the Captain and grabbed his hand deeply.

The Captain had wrinkles that befit his age, but his hands were rough and hard, with many scars on them. Such was to let others know that he had a history of penance and was truly a hard worker.

“Don’t mind. Not only did you let me on your ship, you even let me make some money.”

“If you need another voyage, please be on my ship. I’ll always welcome you.”

Walm put his foot on the plank after a short greeting. The plank, which felt terribly unreliable when boarding, didn’t feel as inconvenient now that he had become used to the sea. As he stepped down onto the pier, a strange, tingling sensation surrounded him. The sailing ship was always tilting, and it continued to sway not only forward, backward, left, and right, but also three-dimensionally. Now that it settled down, somehow the stability made Walm feel a sense of discomfort.

“Huff, now it feels uncomfortable without the shaking, huh?”

At first, Walm was worried about the tremors, but after finishing it, he felt that the sea was normal. Even though his body had been with him for many years, Walm couldn’t help but get astounded by its simplicity.

“Hmm? Are you getting off now? I’m sure you will miss this ship so much that you start thinking it’s better to be a sailor.”

Saachef, who assisted the passengers to disembark, said with a big laugh. He was truly a jolly guy all the way through.

“I’ve had enough of the sea. Now, it’s time to enjoy the land.”

“That’s a pity. You could be a good sailor. Come if you’re having trouble with money. Of course, you’re welcome to come as a guest. And, of course, when you want to get on board, talk to me, ‘kay?”

“If I ever need the service again, I will. Until then.”

“Yeah, I wish you luck in the Labyrinth City.”

Slammed the pier with boots and looked over the ship from the mooring quay. The holes made in a part of the hull were randomly blocked. The painful wounds stood out very much. Yet it had not lost its majestic appearance.

Walm bowed to the statue and left the place.

This port was much larger than the previous port city, Selimus, which was an intermediate base for shipping. Ships resting from a voyage were cramped on the pier, as the crew busily unloaded the cargo.

Leaving such a lively place, Walm continued walking, trying to regain his sense of being on the unmoving ground. The destination would be the Labyrinth City, which wasn’t that far away. It was a distance that could be finished in two days by foot soldiers accustomed to marching.

Right before he could leave the place, Walm heard someone call out to him.

“You don’t seem to be very busy.”

It was a familiar voice that Walm had heard in the morning, noon, and night, for the past days more than enough, to the point he had gotten tired of hearing it.

“It’s you.”

It was the peddler, carrying a load that exceeded his height. What was impressive was that such a slender body could carry such a load. Considering how he used the hatchet lent to him until the blade got chipped, he might be the type that had more power than how he looked.

“Even though you’ve just arrived on land, why don’t you take a little break to celebrate your safe return?”

“Having said that, didn’t everyone drink a lot on the ship, including you, right?”

“This and that are different…… That aside, are you planning to leave here already? Like, right away?”

“Yes. After all, life is short.”

There wasn’t much time left for Walm. He had to get his hands on one of the Three Hidden Treasures of Healing that everyone pursued, risked their lives, and gathered dazzling amounts of money for. In any case, no time could be wasted.

“You’re still young, aren’t you?”

“Do I look so?”

It was rare for a person to say that Walm, whose age was never mentioned to the person, was young.

“Well, there is a condition that I think so. I need to look at you, day and night, in a small space, for a few days.”

“I see… That aside, didn’t we talk more than enough on the ship? To stop me now, what is it?”

Walm didn’t hate roundabout conversations, but he had talked more than enough. So, he cut the main topic.

“Well, I haven’t heard your name.”

“Ah, come to think of it, you’re right.”

Among the passengers, they called each other ‘politely’, such as “You,” “Oi,” and “Hey.”. Sure enough, Walm didn’t know the name of the peddler in front of him.

“My name is Hugh. As you can see, I’m a humble peddler.”

“Walm….. phwahaha, what is this? We had spent that much time together, and only now we’re introducing ourselves properly?”

When Walm, who could no longer stand it, leaked a laugh.

Hugh was caught in and laughed with him.

“Well, I thought it might be a good chance to get acquainted with a skilled mercenary, so as a sign of gratitude for what you did on the ship and our bond, here…”

Hugh held out a jar full of Kraken meat pieces.

With a serious face, Walm quietly opened his mouth.

“Oi, oi, please give me a break. It’s Kraken’s meat, isn’t it? We all got enough to rot, right?”

As souvenirs, salted krakens were also distributed to the passengers. Even Walm had enough salted kraken meat and tooth sleeping in the magic bag. He then lamented that the peddler was just trying to give out unnecessary stocks.

“It would be a problem if you’re carelessly treating it the same as a salted pickle. Hear me, this is made from the good part, above all, this can be used as medicine. It’s clearly a high-class item.”

Hugh protested as if he were angry. It would be different if she was a girl, but his action was clearly not cute at all.

Rejecting such unpleasurable sight to the eye, Walm reflexively wanted to reach for the longsword. Luckily, he could hold that urge.

“That’s, my bad. You see, my eyes can’t tell the difference, but well, to receive something precious, I’m more than happy.”

Honestly admitting the fault, Walm put the jar in his magic bag.

“In return, that magic ba―― just kidding. Please don’t stare at me with those eyes. Then, if you managed to hunt or find something rare again, please let me know.”

“You, seriously. You think I can always get a chance to fight those and win…… No way, it won’t happen again.”

The monsters he had fought in the past crossed his mind, and Walm, who couldn’t say that, answered in a sloppy manner.

“Then, I’m sorry for calling you in such a hurry. Really. I sincerely hope, to see you again, Walm-san.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to that day too. Then, see you, Hugh.”

Thus, Walm was really left alone.

Surely, it was a busy and dangerous voyage. The sailors who died were regrettable, but the life and encounters on the ship weren’t so bad. At least Walm thought so.

And with those new memories in his heart, Walm blended in with the people coming and going, to finally have his shadows melted and disappeared in the crowd.