Kays Translations

Chapter 170

“I-It’s kind of scary when it’s time to actually get on… I-It’ll be okay, right? It’s not going to sink, right? I’m not very good at swimming, you know! My tail soaks up water and gets heavy…! Are you sure it’s safe!? It won’t flip over!?”

Ahh, this girl is just too cute.

As we were about to board the ferry, Melt’s legs trembled at the pier, so I gently patted her head.

“It’s fine, it’s fine! The island’s only an hour away by boat, we’ll get there in no time. The sea’s calm, and the ship’s solid—it’s the kind of ship that could go way farther than this little trip. So don’t worry at all.”

“Really? But if it capsizes, we’re doomed for sure.”

“It’s okay. Look, they’ve got lifeboats too—see those small ones? If anything happens, we can use those.”

“Wait, so they have lifeboats because it might sink!?”

“It’s fine! Besides, with your magic, couldn’t you just freeze the sea and escape across the ice?”

“…Ah! You’re right, the sea is water! Salty, but still water! I’ll try it out!”

Melt’s “Nature Magic” could manipulate anything that existed in the natural world.
Of course, there were limits to what she could control, but she had changed water into ice plenty of times before—so even salt water should be no problem.

She didn’t freeze it with cold air, but by directly altering the water’s state.
…Which meant, if she got creative, there were all kinds of possibilities—
like spewing scalding steam… or just blasting someone with boiling water.

“It froze! Now I feel safe!”

“Good! Then let’s get on board.”

Well, everyone’s nervous their first time, so it can’t be helped.

After reassuring Melt about the ship’s safety and what to do in case she fell overboard, we finally boarded the ferry.

“Oooh… how do you think this thing moves?”

“Hmm… It’s not a sailing ship, but it doesn’t have paddle wheels either… Probably some kind of power source attached to the back.”

“I see, so it’s running on magic, huh? That’s amazing… crossing such a vast, empty sea like this…”

“Yeah. If it takes an hour to reach the island, I wonder how long it’d take to cross to the next continent.”

“Right? Oh, I almost forgot—I need to take my medicine first.”

“Oh, seasickness pills?”

“Yup! The chewable kind. It’s like a not-sweet candy.”

“Huh, convenient.”

Melt popped a small black tablet into her mouth and chewed noisily before swallowing.

That kind of tablet would definitely sell well—no water needed.

The pharmacist had said, “Since you confirmed its effect firsthand, I’ll buy it for two gold coins per vial.”
Seems the guy really did pay that much.

“When we reach the island, we’re meeting Awa-awa—uh, Shuris-san, right?”

“That’s the plan. She should’ve arrived before us.”

We left the city of Izbel first, but Shuris-san hadn’t stopped by Lindblum—she went straight through to the port town.

And the Glory Knights’ carriages were said to be top-class, with better horses and sturdier builds, able to travel long distances with fewer rests.

“The banquet Awa-awa’s attending… I guess I can’t go, huh?”

“Probably not. It’s a formal dinner for welcoming foreign guests—you’d need a certain level of status. That’s why someone like Shuris-san was chosen.”

“I see…”

So she wasn’t worried about me attending with Shuris…

“Still, being on an island in the middle of the sea, there’s definitely going to be amazing shrimp dishes… I’m so jealous…”

“…Ah. So that’s what this is about.”

Yep, I was wrong.

The voyage went smoothly, with hardly any rough waves.

But apparently, because the natural dungeon ‘The Dead Sea that Devours the Earth’ was slowly eroding the seabed, whirlpools had started forming more frequently in this region. Sometimes ships even had to halt mid-route and wait for the waters to calm.

That, of course, delayed transport and trade—and even affected fishing hauls.
No wonder they wanted the dungeon conquered and sealed as soon as possible.

After an hour at sea, the ship that departed in the morning arrived just before noon.

“Ugh, it’s so hot! That’s weird! It was chilly back at the harbor!”

“You’re right, it’s much warmer here… Maybe because it’s southwest of the continent?”

“Ughhh, and I just bought this coat too… I’ll have to take it off!”

The island’s climate felt like pure springtime.

I thought the closer we got to Lindblum, the milder the environment would get—but maybe this island was an exception.
Or perhaps, since it lay just outside the boundaries of the Dusterfil Continent where Rendir resides, it was naturally warmer to begin with.

“Guess I won’t be wearing this coat again until next winter…”

“Ha ha, probably not. By the time we finish our business and get back to the port town, it’ll be spring there too.”

Sadly, that meant no more of the adorable sight of Melt with her ears poking out from her hood.
It was so cute… she looked like a mascot character.

She tucked her coat away in a magic storage tool as we waited for the ship to dock.

The island was bustling with activity—much more lively than the port town—and thanks to the warm weather, many people were working along the docks.

Soon the ship stopped, the gangplank was lowered, and passengers began disembarking.
Following the crowd, we stepped onto solid ground.

“Phew! I feel alive again! Humans really are meant to have their feet on land!”

“What are you talking about? You were fine on the boat!”

“I was fine, but… you know… this joy, this sense of the earth’s greatness—it’s overwhelming!”

“Ha ha… yeah, I get what you mean.”

Anyway, since there was no Adventurer’s Guild on Yasha Island, we’d wait until I resumed acting as Shizuma before visiting the Explorer’s Guild.

For now, the plan was to find an inn for a long-term stay—and then look for where Ms. Shuris was staying.

“Melt—don’t wander off on your own, okay?”

“Okayyy! Sorry, sorry. There were just so many strange fruits for sale, I couldn’t help it!”

“Oh? So they import stuff here from other countries too.”

“I want to try some later!”

Yeah… exploring the local market sounded fun.

“Then let’s go find an inn first, and after that, we’ll go check out the market.”

“Agreed! I wonder if they sell shrimp here too~?”

Yasha Island, as it turned out, was mostly populated by people aiming to challenge the dungeon located there.
Because of that, half the island was taken up by the city itself—and half of that was filled with inns and lodging facilities.

Of course, the range was broad—everything from cheap hostels to luxurious establishments that could easily be called hotels.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, we decided to stay in one of the more upscale ones, where the clientele seemed refined.

…After all, Melt—though completely unaware of it herself—was the kind of person who drew attention wherever she went.
Her face hovered perfectly between beautiful and cute, her long silver hair glimmered like moonlight, and those small, well-shaped fox ears perched atop her head only added to the charm.
And then there was her tail—silvery and radiant, just like her hair.

Because of her innocent demeanor, all that beauty was unleashed without restraint, almost violently charming everyone around her.

Come to think of it, during the time when I was traveling with both Sheele and Melt—or even when I was with Seira—it’s a miracle we didn’t attract even more trouble.

“Whoa… it’s huge… Is this really an inn?”

“Yep. This kind of big one is called a hotel. Let’s stay here.”

“O-Okay…! A hotel, huh…? It’s like a castle!”

When we entered, surprisingly, there were fewer aristocrat-looking guests and more seasoned adventurers—people dressed in well-used but high-quality equipment.
Maybe they had the same idea I did, choosing this place to stay out of trouble. Or maybe they just valued quality rest and could afford it.

“Excuse me, could we get a room for two people—for one month?”

“Two guests, understood. Would you prefer a twin or a double? We have larger options as well.”

“A twin, please.”

“Of course. Meals are served in the restaurant on the first floor, not included in the room fee. At the current rate, a month’s stay will be… eight large gold coins.”

Roughly four hundred thousand yen. For a hotel of this quality, a month’s stay felt like a bargain.
Besides… I had more than enough money.

“That works. Does the room have a bath or shower?”

“Certainly. And as a guest, you’ll also have access to our private pool. If you’d like, you may wish to purchase swimwear as well.”

“Ah, I see. I’ll think about it.”

So they even had facilities like that here, huh?
…Wait, hold on. There are pools and swimsuits in this world?

“Wow… this is so luxurious…”

“This is all to avoid trouble. Judging by the looks of it, everyone staying here is a top-tier, well-mannered professional. That means fewer problems.”

“Got it… oh, looks like they’re ready to show us to our room. Let’s go!”

“Oh wow, they even have hotel staff in uniform…”

We took the elevator to an upper floor and were shown to our twin room.
It was spacious—far larger than expected. We immediately flopped onto the beds, letting the fatigue of the sea voyage melt away.

…The mattress felt so good!

“Whoa… it’s all bouncy and springy! What an amazing bed! I bet I’ll sleep like a rock here!”

“Yeah… this isn’t just springs though… Wait, could this be a waterbed?”

“Water… bed? You mean it’s full of water? Hmm… I do sense moisture inside.”

“Seriously!? Wow… we really picked the right place.”

We lay on our backs, each on our own bed, chatting lazily.
Completely relaxed.

“I just want to sleep right here~”

“Ha ha, go ahead, Melt. All I’m doing today is letting Shuris-san know we’ve arrived.”

“Hmm… maybe I’ll stay here then. I think it’s the motion sickness medicine—it’s making me sleepy…”

“Ha ha, then take a nap. I’ll bring you some fruit as a souvenir when I get back.”

“Okay, thank you… ahh, this bed… it’s melting my whole body~…”

Melt narrowed her eyes happily, looking utterly content.

Wanting to let her rest, I left her to watch the room and headed out to find Shuris-san—the leader of the Glory Knights’ base here on Yasha Island.

“Oh! Same-san, isn’t that you? You’re staying at this hotel too!?”

“…Running into you the moment I step outside was not part of the plan.”

“Hm? Were you just about to look for me? …You’ve heard about the matter already, right?”

An unexpected encounter!

Today she wasn’t in her usual armor, but in lighter adventurer gear.
Even so, her cheeks were slightly flushed.

And before I knew it, my own face was heating up in response.

Yeah… definitely not because of the weather.

“Actually… my father is arriving on the island tonight. I was thinking that this would be a good opportunity, so… would it be alright if I introduced you as my boyfriend for now?”

“What— well, I mean, it’s definitely necessary this time, so… understood.”

“Ah, sorry for dragging you into such a troublesome thing… just this once, since it’s the first time. I just want to make it clear to him that I’m already seeing someone.”

“Got it. Then… I’ll act like it, convincingly?”

“P-please go easy on me, okay, Same?”

Wow, instead of just finding Shuris, I’ve somehow stumbled right into a pretty major event, huh!?
I really can’t afford to say anything careless now…

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