Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 101

The land was barely visible, having already become a distant memory. It wasn’t that Walm had overslept when the ship set sail. Just that on the upper deck, sailors were bustling around, adjusting the sails to catch the wind, leaving Walm and the other passengers with nothing to do but quietly pass the time on the middle deck.

As the ship finally caught the wind and left the harbor, the passengers who ventured out to the upper deck each found their own way to pass the time. Walm, among them, enjoyed the sea and the wind, but that enjoyment didn’t last long.

Despite his complaints, Walm was lucky. The sailing ship, constantly tilting and swaying with the wind, caused some of the land-lubber passengers to empty the contents of their stomachs over the rail, polluting the sea. Amidst the sound of waves, one could hear the sickening noise reminiscent of a clogged drain.

“What a pity.”

Though managing to hold on for now, some were on the verge of breaking, spending their time clutching buckets. This would continue until they reached port. Even atheists would likely be praying to the gods by now, thought Walm, sympathizing with them.

From the moment the ship left the dock until it caught the wind, the sailors had been busy adjusting the sails and running up the shrouds that supported the mast and hull. Now that things had settled, aside from the passengers vomiting, the deck was peaceful. Sailors were stationed in the mast’s crow’s nest for watch and sail handling. Walm decided to learn how to kill time on the ship from the veterans and started observing the crew members off duty.

Some were napping wedged between barrels, others were carving something with a knife. What caught Walm’s interest, however, were the sailors fishing with lines from the upper deck and the sterncastle. Among the sailors enjoying fishing, there was a familiar man having a great time.

“Did you catch anything, Sarshef?”

“Oh, nothing big, but it looks like a good-sized swordfish.”

Sarshef, wiping sweat from his forehead, replied with a beaming smile. The fish, which took several men to haul up, had a sharply developed upper jaw resembling a sword. It looked much like a marlin to Walm, though its upper jaw was far more menacing.

“Looks tasty. But that jaw is pretty sharp.”

“This jaw cuts well. Sometimes people get their throats or limbs cut by it and die, so you have to make sure it’s properly finished off.”

As Sarshef said, the swordfish had a harpoon deeply embedded in its gills, bleeding profusely as it struggled and then went still.

“Want some, Walm? It’s not part of our rations, so I can give you a good price.”

“If it’s a good price, I’ll gladly take it.”

For Walm, who had lived without sea fish, a fresh marlin-like fish was the best meal he could hope for. Even if he got slightly overcharged, he was eager to have it in his stomach.

“Let’s wash this up. Too much mess, and the deck chief will have our heads.”

“Let’s take it to the chef.”

“Let’s remove the hook now.”

The other sailors, who had helped with the fishing, deftly washed the blood off the upper deck and removed the hook from the swordfish. Walm had expected the hook to be entirely made of metal, but while the part that was removed was metal, most of it lacked the typical metallic sheen.

“A lure… made of bone?”

Walm’s question was answered by a sailor.

“Close. The body is made of cow horn, with seabird feathers. Some people use carved bones.”

Walm studied the lure and nodded in understanding. Crafting homemade lures seemed to be a popular pastime on the ship.

“This swordfish’s upper jaw can also be used for the body. It’s a fish with no wasted parts.”

The sailor boasted to Walm. The swordfish was then tied with a thick rope and transported to the lowest deck via a winch.

“The kitchen isn’t up there?”

“You can’t cook properly with all the rocking. The kitchen, which we call the galley, is on the lowest deck. It’s made of stone around the furnace. Even if a fire starts, we have plenty of water to put it out. The smoke is vented out through hatches and dedicated vents.”

After hearing Sarshef’s explanation, Walm looked at the hatch again. Mixed with the marks left by ropes and barrels, there were soot stains, proof that it served as ventilation.

“Sarshef, you’re good at explaining.”

Sarshef responded to Walm’s candid comment with a straight face.

“Praise me all you want, but all you’ll get is swordfish.”

“That’s fine with me.”

Walm muttered while watching the swordfish being lowered to the lowest deck.

◆

The sea surface swayed, illuminated by the twin moons. A man assigned to lookout duty in the crow’s nest sighed at the unchanging scenery.

The man was a crew member of a merchant ship belonging to the Libertoa Trade Federation. The area where his current ship, the Major, was sailing was not the dangerous outer regions of the Archipelago Countries but a well-established route with a long history, considered safe.

Large monsters were either hunted down by military ships or the sea dragons that the Archipelago Countries boasted of, or driven out of their territories. The only creatures that might be present were Sahagin, also known as Sea Goblins, or various unnamed carnivorous fish.

Taking a swig of the rum stashed in his pocket, he gulped it down vigorously. The warm alcohol flowed from his esophagus to his stomach. Exhaling, the man resumed his watch, but suddenly, he sensed a shadow passing over the sea surface.

“What was that?”

Leaning out of the tower to get a better look, he saw no shadow; the sea remained calm.

“Did I drink too much?”

As he glared at the rum bottle, about to stash it away again, a shock ran through the ship, throwing him to the floor.

“Aground?! No, that’s impossible.”

They were in the open sea, far from the coast. The route was frequently traveled, and there were no reefs to run aground on. Yet, the reality was that the ship shook violently, and the shock grew stronger.

At that moment, the man inhaled an unbearable stench. It was a smell of decay, as if fish had been left out under the scorching sun for days—a smell any sailor would recognize.

“No way, it can’t be…”

His deepening suspicions were confirmed by screams from the deck. Amidst the shouts, the ship’s alarm bell rang frantically.

“Let go of me! Aaaahhh!”

“We’re under attack! Wake up, wake up NOW!”

The screams of his familiar comrades rang in his ears. Struggling to his feet, the man finally grasped the nature of the attackers.

“Damn it, of all things—”

He pulled out the mounted crossbow and attempted to load it by stepping on the loading ring, but his body tilted sharply. The side stays supporting the main mast were snapping one after another. The ropes whipped around wildly, entangling the crew on the deck. His comrades, unable to put up much resistance, were already being massacred.

With more than half of the side stays lost, the mast began to lean. The crossbow and rum bottle were hurled into the void, and the man, unable to hold on, followed.

“Ah, ahh, AHHHHHH!”

Though he flailed his limbs as he fell, he caught on the ratlines that served as steps to the crow’s nest, slowing his descent. However, he couldn’t avoid the fall entirely.

His limbs twisted as he hit the deck, and his ribs shattered extensively. Splinters from the broken deck pierced his side, making it hard to breathe. Gasping shallowly, he tried to breathe, but it didn’t last long.

“Stay… away…”

The source of the stench was right there. Paralyzed by fear and unable to move, his injuries rendering him powerless, all he could do was scratch at the deck and scream.

One by one, the death cries ceased, and the sea returned to its quiet state as if nothing had happened. Thus, the crew of the Major vanished from the sea.

Translator – Lyxxna