Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 102

Four days had passed since the ship set sail. The passengers, who had been clutching their buckets and groaning on the floor, polluting the sea with their sickness, had finally started to settle down. Walm, having regained his composure, engaged in conversation with the now calmer passengers and even deepened his interactions by playing an unfamiliar board game with them.

“…I resign.”

Walm threw down the piece he was holding and looked up at the ceiling. Naturally, from the middle deck, all he could see was the dirty floor, which also served as the ceiling of the lower deck, made of wooden planks.

“Then, I shall take this.”

The peddler scooped up all the beans on the small dish and began to devour them right in front of Walm. Those roasted beans were something Walm had painstakingly grown, almost like raising a daughter. The fact that a mere peddler had taken them was a humiliation that twisted Walm’s face in anger.

“You’re not bad at this. But I’ve been playing for a long time.”

The peddler, who had spoken, banged on the board cheerfully. Despite his flippant attitude, he had lost more games than he had won yesterday and had treated Walm to the ship’s unappetizing food. The peddler’s aim was simple: to stir up emotions and dull Walm’s hand in the next game.

“…I’m honored by your compliment.”

“By the way, next time I’d like some chilled water.”

“Say whatever you want. You’ll be treating me to that terrible food again tonight.”

Walm smirked at the peddler, who responded with a vulgar grin. The peddler was addicted to the chilled water produced by Walm’s magic. For Walm, who possessed water attribute magic, creating water was easy. However, he wasn’t generous enough to do it for free. Using magic that wasn’t his forte consumed mana, which made him feel lethargic and hungry. While skilled maritime mages could efficiently separate salt from seawater using their magic, it was a difficult feat for Walm, who wasn’t adept with water magic.

According to the ship’s rules, gambling profits were capped at one small silver coin per day, so the stakes and prizes were replaced with insignificant items. For Walm, these amounts, items, and efforts were insignificant, but no one liked to lose.

The gambling wasn’t limited to board games. There were various kinds of bets, such as who would catch the first fish or who would catch the biggest one. It was almost like a casino ship. In a confined space with few entertainment options, it was natural for gambling to thrive, and Walm joined in.

Despite preparing for revenge and rearranging the pieces, Walm noticed the deck’s bustling activity. Since it was happening right above him, he didn’t need to strain his ears; the sounds could be heard even from the lower deck.

“Did they catch a big one?”

Walm’s voice was eager in response to the peddler’s words.

“That’d be great. It’ll be tastier than salted fish.”

Walm and the other passengers headed up to the main deck. The sailors were leaning over the ship’s side, pointing at the sea.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

Walm called out to a nearby sailor, who responded.

“Debris on the port side. It’s pretty big.”

To see for himself, Walm grabbed the railing and leaned over. Though still far away, something was indeed floating on the water. Even at a distance, Walm’s sharp eyes recognized the object.

“Wood?”

As Walm muttered, the surrounding sailors provided more precise details.

“That’s part of a hull.”

“And the keel. With that thickness, it must be a large ship.”

Even Walm, who had little knowledge of ships, knew what a keel was. It was a critical part of the ship’s structure, like the backbone of a human body.

“Did it wreck?”

“That’s ridiculous. The sea hasn’t been rough.”

“Even so, no survivors?”

Everyone on the deck, including Walm, stared at the sea, but there wasn’t a single person in sight. Only countless pieces of wood scattered over a wide area.

“What do we do, Deck Chief? Should we investigate?”

One of the sailors pointed to a small boat tethered to the deck, suggesting they might use it to examine the wreckage. The deck chief, who had made an unfunny joke to Walm when they boarded, now wore a grim expression.

“No, we won’t lower the small boat… Whether it was an accident or not, it’s better to be cautious. Wake everyone up.”

The sailors resting inside the ship began to wake up one after another, grumbling as they did so. Amidst the commotion on the deck, the ship’s captain, the master and commander, appeared.

“Captain, it’s a wreck. But the damage is unusual…”

The deck chief reported, and the captain, who had been scanning the sea, quickly made a decision.

“Stay on high alert. Move the passengers to the middle deck and assign the fourth squad for guard duty.”

The sailors scattered through the ship like they were spring-loaded.

“Move it! Open the armory!”

“If you don’t want to get hurt, get back to the middle deck.”

With shouts and prods, the sailors herded the passengers to the middle deck. Not one for being manhandled, Walm quickly descended the stairs back to his hammock. Moments later, the passengers, driven by the sailors, crowded in, discussing the wreckage.

“Damn, that ship was out of luck.”

“I saw the flag on the surface. It seemed like a merchant ship from one of the northern countries, belonging to the Libertoa Trade Federation.”

“They must have gotten greedy and overloaded it.”

Walm frowned at the mention of the country that had destroyed his homeland. Although it was a hated enemy nation, they hadn’t directly caused him any personal harm. He didn’t want to scorn the unfortunate sailors.

After all, on a national level, that merchant ship was also the lifeblood supporting Libertoa’s economy. If ordered as a soldier, he might have burned it down with some choice curses. As Walm mulled over this, a bitter, sour aftertaste of self-loathing welled up within him. What was he thinking, now that he was just a defeated soldier?

The urge to gulp down some rum arose, but Walm controlled himself. He had finally started to wean himself off alcohol after days of drinking. It was best not to drink unless absolutely necessary. Even distracting himself with tobacco was difficult on the ship, where handling fire was strictly regulated, and smoking areas were designated.

The cramped space where passengers and crew huddled together to enjoy their cigarettes and exhale purple smoke felt both foolish and nostalgic. Walm’s thoughts wandered back to distant memories.

Lost in thought, Walm was abruptly brought back to reality by the stench that wafted over and the passengers’ retching. He moved swiftly, narrowly avoiding several vomiting attacks about to begin. Fortunately, no one had yet released a full “breath” of vomit.

“Ugh… urgh… blegh…”

Most passengers had gotten used to the ship, but there were always exceptions. One man, still unaccustomed, turned pale. The cause of his nausea was likely the foul odor.

“What is it? What smells so bad?”

The man barely held back from vomiting. Walm was puzzled, unable to identify the source of the stench.

“Did the bilge water overflow?”

The pebbler’s suggestion had some credibility. Seawater and various liquids collected in the bilge. Though Walm hadn’t smelled it directly, Sarshef described it as resembling the stench of boiled excrement.

“Sure, the smell is bad, but don’t vomit here.”

“Hold on a bit longer. Can you make it to the upper deck? Use the ventilation hole to throw up.”

The passengers all voiced their disapproval at once. Even Walm, accustomed to the various foul smells of the battlefield, found the odor pungent, similar to the stench of a decaying corpse left unattended for days.

The man did as instructed and headed for the ventilation opening on the ship’s side. Relieved that he had avoided the mess, Walm sighed in relief. Just as the man reached for the edge, the ship shook violently, tossing the passengers around. Walm managed to steady himself by bracing with his legs, but several others rolled across the deck.

“Hey, what did you do?!”

“I didn’t do anything!”

The man shook his head, insisting he did nothing. Walm scoffed. It was absurd to think that mere vomit could cause the ship to rock.

“Then what? Did we hit something?”

The passengers’ queries were answered in the worst possible way as a shout came from the lower deck.

“Water is flooding in from the right bilge!”

The sailors went into a frenzy at the scream from below.

“Quickly, use the bilge pumps to drain the water!”

“Move, get out of the way. Hurry up!”

“Bring the patches and planks, press them against the breach!”

The crew, carrying emergency repair materials, rushed down the stairs at breakneck speed. The passengers’ faces twisted with fear. Understandably so, as the thought of the ship sinking in the middle of the sea was nightmarish. However, there was nothing Walm could do to help, being a specialist in neither field.

As Walm watched the crew at work, he heard a strange sound coming from outside the ship. Initially thinking it might be someone working on the exterior, Walm soon realized something was amiss. The damage was at the right rear of the hull, while the strange sound came from the central left, which didn’t add up.

“Did you hear that sound just now?”

“Huh? Yeah, what is that? It’s creepy.”

As Walm listened intently, he realized there were multiple sources of the sound, and one of them was approaching the opening.

“Move away from there immediately but do it slowly.”

“What? Why—ahh, no way!”

The man looked puzzled, but when he heard the crawling sound right by his ear and saw Walm draw his longsword, his face turned even paler. As he took a few steps away from the opening, it happened.

“I can’t— AAAAH!”

The man, trying to move away from the opening, was suddenly dragged across the deck, his body bending like a bow. While the other passengers watched the man, Walm kept his eyes on the hole, where the assailant lurked.

“A tentacle?!”

A massive tentacle widened the opening, scattering wooden splinters as it forced its way into the ship. Screams and shouts mixed with the sound of the tentacle’s slimy movements. The tentacle, oozing with sticky fluid, slithered towards Walm, seemingly intent on embracing him.

Translator – Lyxxna