In the midst of the storm, I watched the Trident Sea Serpent at the heart of the great whirlpool.
I stood with my arms crossed, getting drenched by the spray. On the deck, Novem and the others were calling for me to come back.
Not that it matters, but I think I look about twenty percent cooler when I'm wet.
"Lord Lyle, please come back! You're getting soaked!"
I pushed my wet hair back, sending droplets flying everywhere.
"I'm already drenched, so what's the difference? More importantly, Novem, on a scale of my usual coolness, how much cooler do I look right now—"
That's when Monica, who had been lurking behind Novem, whipped her twin tails around.
"You look fifty percent cooler than usual! My memory already has tens of thousands of Chicken's images stored! Videos too, of course!"
Watching Monica wriggle with delight, I said:
"I'm not really sure what that means, but I like the sound of it. Should I take off my coat as a bonus?"
At that, Aria glared at me and started yelling. Clinging to the railing on the rocking ship, she fixed her gaze on the colossal enemy — the Trident Sea Serpent... Since that's a mouthful, I'll just call it Trashy.
"Just get back here! That thing is a monster! Do you even remember why we're here?! We're bodyguards! Bodyguards!"
Her red hair was soaked through, and the form-fitting clothes she always favored had become so drenched that the contours of her body were almost entirely visible.
"That's exactly why I'm here. By the way, I'm also pretty confident in my looks when I'm naked. Sure you don't want a peek?"
"Why are you like this at a time like this?!"
Aria screamed, but Monica was gazing at me with barely contained excitement. It seemed like removing my coat really was the right call, so I reached for it.
That's when Vera came up onto the deck and called out to me.
"You, the cringe lord who hit his growth spurt! Shut up and follow orders! The bodyguard contract is canceled. I can't afford to have you fight something like that. Start preparing to evacuate immediately!"
On the deck, the cowering crew members lifted their heads at the mention of escape. But the sea was slowly swirling in a vortex around Trashy, and it didn't look like even a small boat could get away.
Or perhaps we'd be swallowed by the vortex and sink.
I—
"Cancel? That's a problem. That thing is my prey. I especially like the Trashy Crown! I want it! And I'll get the job done and earn some funds while I'm at it!"
As I clenched my right hand and argued my case, the companions and crew members who had gathered on the deck were struck dumb. Leading them, Vera pointed at me.
"What the hell is a Trashy?!"
"Cute, right? I've been with the Trident Sea Serpent for so long that I decided on it just now."
"It has nothing to do with being cute! Listen, that thing is a monster that's been called a god of the sea! There's no point in messing with it! ...We have no choice but to run!"
Vera hung her head in frustration, apparently still wanting to resist on principle. On the deck, crew members had been gathering — presumably to evacuate.
Miranda also approached, pulling Shannon by the hand.
"Lyle, what do you think you're doing?!"
Behind the startled Miranda, Eva and May were watching me. No — they were watching what was behind me. Watching Trashy.
A well-mannered creature that showed three heads above the water's surface, patiently waiting for us to approach.
"...You've got to be kidding."
When Eva said that, May also seemed different from usual.
"This is... even I can't handle it. No wonder the divine beasts of the sea just leave it alone."
So it seemed there were divine beasts in the sea as well. I'd like to see them sometime.
Clara, who held a staff, had already lit the tip of it to illuminate our surroundings without anyone asking.
The sky, which had been clear but was now covered in thick clouds, had grown dark.
It was almost as if it were night, and the surface of the sea had turned black, threatening to swallow us whole.
As more people gathered on the deck, the ship gradually stopped resisting the vortex. It rode the current slowly, steadily drawing closer to Trashy.
On the swaying deck, everyone stared at Trashy with expressions of despair.
"Why would the sea god..."
"She was our young lady too..."
"Damn it..."
While the crew drowned in despair, Vera stood with her head bowed, fists clenched, biting her lower lip.
From inside the Jewel, the voices of the Successive Heads rang out.
*'That thing really is enormous. And none of us have any experience fighting it. What's the plan, Lyle?'*
*'Even if we tried to flee, it's clearly got us marked as prey. Does it eat humans? With that massive body, would it even get full off us?'*
*'Do Monsters even have a concept of being full? Still, it's way too big to be cute. If only its eyes were a bit more sparkly...'*
*'The optimal solution right now... would be to use a decoy and survive somehow... But well, how is Lyle going to play this?'*
With everyone putting their hopes on me, I stood alone at the bow of the ship and pointed straight at Trashy. In a loud voice—.
"Monica, is that thing a god?"
Monica stood perfectly steady on the rocking ship despite the spray and rain, her clothes and hair not the slightest bit wet. She straightened up, her red eyes gleaming, and then opened her mouth.
"I've determined it to be a Monster. It's large, but the Magic Stone readings are clearly there. Well, it does have the atmosphere of one, though. Could that be because of the crown?"
"That thing sure is nice. I want it. It'd probably sell for a fortune. ...Now then, everyone. As you just heard, that is not a god."
Then one of the crew spoke up.
"It's the reincarnation of a goddess! The third goddess's... if you defy her at sea, she'll sink us and our very souls will be trapped!"
Clearly caught up in superstition, many of the burly crew members collapsed to the deck, trembling.
I flashed a grin.
"Then there's no problem! My family has worshipped goddesses for generations. Even if we take down one god, there are still six more left!"
From within the Jewel, the Third Generation's laughter came.
"Right. We basically worshipped all seven goddesses, didn't we? True, losing one probably isn't a big problem."
At that, Novem looked at me with a complicated expression, and Aria shouted at me.
"You absolute disaster! This is because of you, isn't it?!"
I calmed myself slightly, stroking my chin with my right hand.
"True. I am a man of considerable means, after all... The goddess may have decided to present a source of funding on my behalf. Times are tight right now. Regular worship really does matter!"
Aria, her face bright red, was muttering something about "Why are you only overflowing with confidence at times like this..." so I pointed at Tracy and struck a pose.
"...It is those who resist whom the goddess smiles upon."
Everyone around me was staring. As expected, even when I spoke completely off the cuff, my innate aura seemed to lend my words conviction.
Then, Vera raised her head and looked at me. Many of the crew members were watching me too.
"Praying alone won't earn the goddess's smile. It is those who struggle to survive whom the goddess smiles upon in the end. This sea goddess of ours is testing us. I intend to challenge her... but is anyone willing to stand with me? If we win here, we'll become those who defied a god! God-slayers! Doesn't that have a magnificent ring to it?!"
At that, Shannon, clinging to Miranda, whispered under her breath.
"This guy is absolutely insane."
I'd read in a book somewhere that geniuses are never understood by ordinary people. So that's what they meant, I thought with a small chuckle.
(You fools. Defeat some Monsters and earn the title of god-slayer. How is that not an incredible deal?!)
Vera looked at me, took a deep breath, and then asked.
"You do have a plan to win, right?"
I declared with full confidence.
"As long as I'm alive, I can beat anything. There is no such thing as the strongest in this world. By the way, I only fight because I have the advantage. This Lyle Walt... has never once tasted defeat!"
Then Shannon whispered under her breath.
"……You were beaten to a pulp by Ceres, weren't you?"
Miranda shushed Shannon with a "Shh!"
(Hmph, I haven't lost yet. The match isn't over. I am the man who will ultimately emerge victorious! Every defeat so far has been a stepping stone to my final victory!)
Miss Vera looked at my face. Then she turned around and rallied the crew.
"You lot! Are you really going to let him handle everything by himself? This is our ship. Are you just going to stand by while they rampage all over it as they please?"
The crew hung their heads.
Just then, the captain put his hat back on. And then he raised his voice.
"You heard her, everyone! Our Goddess of Luck is commanding us to fight! Are we really going to let the escort adventurers look good all by themselves? In the end, we're finished if we lose. If we try to flee, even the lifeboats will sink. So why don't we make a grand show of it!!"
At his words, the crew lifted their heads and stood up. One by one, and then another.
"Damn it, we just can't catch a break."
"If those escorts screw up, I'm gonna deck 'em."
"Tch, a Goddess of the Sea versus a Goddess of Luck... who even benefits from a goddess showdown?"
Miss Vera looked slightly surprised as the crew grumbled and stood up, trembling.
When the ship pitched violently, I used the momentum to fly forward and land in front of Miss Vera.
The Third Generation spoke.
*'That would have been funny if you slipped here.'*
But I stood up and faced Miss Vera.
"Wh-what is it?"
"No, you are truly the Goddess of Luck. After all, you boarded a ship with a powerhouse like me to challenge some god of the sea... Now then, I have one request to help us win."
When I said "to help us win," Miss Vera's expression turned serious. She had been listening to the first part with a look of exasperation, but seeing her serious expression—
"I want to kiss you. And I mean a deep one!"
"...Huh?"
The crew members stared at me with shocked expressions.
"Wh-what are you?!"
"This guy!"
"Hey, someone get a gun!"
I pulled the startled Vera into an embrace, using the rocking of the ship to brace her lower back with my left hand. It looked like I was holding her up so she wouldn't fall.
While Vera was too stunned to resist—
"Pardon me. But don't worry. I'll make you mine in no time."
"You really are out of your min—mmph!"
I covered her mouth, then slipped my tongue in. Vera tried to push me away, but unable to match a man's strength, she could only let it happen.
The Fifth Generation spoke.
*"Why isn't Lyle this proactive all the time?"*
The Fourth Generation seemed to share the same opinion.
*"If he were like this normally, things would be so much easier."*
After a while, I slowly let Vera stand back up. She stumbled backward, wiping her mouth with her sleeve while glaring at me—then her eyes went wide.
"Y-you... so that's what you meant. Fine. I suppose it's necessary if we want to win."
I smiled.
"Right? So could you please tell the crew around me to lower their guns?"
All around me, bloodshot crew members had their guns trained on me, fingers on the trigger and ready to fire at any moment.
"How could you do that to the young lady?!"
"I'll blow your head off!"
"Fish food, that's what you are!!"
The captain was glaring at me with an expression of outrage and looked ready to order "fire" at any moment. But Vera stopped him.
"Stand down! I hate to admit it, but it was necessary to win. Look, the ship is drifting! Everyone, to your positions! Lyle! You kissed me, so if you lose, I absolutely won't forgive you!"
Nodding, I looked around. The fear and tension from before had eased somewhat.
(Well, both Vera and the crew have loosened up a bit...)
Watching the crew lower their guns with sour expressions and return to their posts, I wore a triumphant grin.
"Of course. If I lose, I'm financially dead. Now then, let's get serious. Monica, stay by my side. May, you're with Shannon. We'll need Shannon's eyes. Aria, Eva, Clara—post yourselves inside the ship. Follow Vera's orders. Novem, Miranda—front and back of the deck."
As I issued my orders, Novem came to my side.
"Lyle, can you win?"
When she asked me that—
"I'll win! Besides, I beat Monsters and earned the name God Slayer. Don't you think that's more impressive than a Land Dragon? When we get back, I'll be famous. Everyone's going to make a fuss again... Ugh, how tedious."
At that, Novem let out a wry smile and looked at me.
"'The goddess smiles upon those who resist,' is it... Perhaps that's true."
I grinned, pointing a thumb at myself.
"Right? This Lyle Walt—I've got the confidence to charm even a goddess. Or maybe she's already fallen for me. What a dangerous man."
Novem burst into laughter and nodded repeatedly, clearly amused.
"I suppose so."
She said that with a smile.
Vera had already changed out of her wet clothes and made her way to the bridge.
She pressed her left hand against her head, enduring the pain. Despite being overwhelmed by the unfamiliar flood of information, she understood it all with perfect clarity.
(So this is what's around the ship. The sea... all the way inside the ship... She was able to share and use this many Skills. She really was incredible.)
The captain noticed Vera looking troubled and called out to her.
"My lady?"
"Hard to starboard. And start feeding Magic Stones into the furnace at full speed! We need to close the distance to cannon range."
"A-are you sure?!"
As the stunned crew member stammered, Vera declared:
"It's meaningless if our attacks can't reach them. Also, regarding the cannons — you'll follow the adventurers' instructions on when to fire."
The crew member was once again taken aback.
"C-can we really leave that much up to them?"
"I'll take full responsibility! Let's show that three-headed monster just how terrifying humans can be! And we're short-handed in the furnace room. Send reinforcements immediately!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Issueing command after command, Vera re-examined the images that had surfaced in her mind.
(I can see it. Everyone's movements... and I can even hear their voices.)
"Damn it!! I was only a few seconds shorter than everyone else!"
"Monica, shut up! I'm completely soaked here and it's terrible! Pfft! *cough*"
"Ugh, Shannon swallowed water again. If you can see, you should be fine, right?"
"Clara, you've been unresponsive this whole time — don't tell me you're off having some weird daydream?"
"...Aria, you had that really princess-like expression when you were kissing too, so you're one to talk."
"It's hot! It's so hot here! They're throwing magic stones into a huge pot or something! And it's making everything scorching!"
"Eva, you shut up too! We're out here soaking wet and freezing!"
"Lord Lyle, did you get the intel?"
"Got it without a problem through Clara's skill. We learned that we don't know what kind of attacks it'll use. That's a huge haul!"
Vera pressed her hands to her head because the voices ringing through it were getting on her nerves.
On the bridge, crew members were rushing over with reports. Vera relayed them to Lyle as well.
"We're ready over here. You're handling the cannon fire, right?"
Then Lyle replied to Vera.
"Leave it to me. If we don't win, there's no future. ...Wasn't that just now a good feeling?"
"As expected of you, Lord Lyle."
"Do your job properly! How are you so calm! There's a massive monster right in front of us! Why are you like this at a time like this... You're so annoying!"
At Shannon's words, Lyle—
"I'm trying to hold back more than usual, you know? See, my aura's different from a normal person's, so just keeping it suppressed is hard work. Besides, whatever I say off the cuff, everyone believes it. Guess it really is an inborn talent."
Vera was starting to feel anxious at Lyle's words, but she thought she heard a man's voice right after Lyle finished speaking.
"That's right. Talent, indeed."
"Indeed. Someone this formidable is quite rare..."
"Hey, this time shouldn't we go with 'Make any goddess fall in love with me'?"
"It's only just begun, hasn't it? Oh my, there's a strange line— ah"
The voices cut off with a click, and Vera shook her head several times. What she'd heard was a man's voice — and not Lyle's voice, but a distinctly different man's voice. It sounded like someone in his thirties, and he seemed to be enjoying the whole situation.
(...What the hell is going on?)
While Vera was thinking that, the ship began to move and closed in on Trashi.
"My lady! We've reached cannon range!"
"Don't fire yet! Follow my orders!"
(Damn, I don't have the luxury of thinking right now.)
As Vera focused her attention on Trashi, the voice resonating inside her head gradually grew more serious. But Lyle alone was different.
"Ah, a catchphrase! Don't I need a catchphrase? Damn it, I couldn't even say my usual 'let's have fun'…"
That was the kind of mood he was in.
Standing near the center of the deck, I turned my gaze to Monica beside me.
A blunt metal weapon we had once reclaimed from a boss in the Aramsass Dungeon. Monica had restored it and converted it into a cannon.
Gripping the cannon — far too large for her slender, petite frame — Monica looked to me.
"This weapon isn't finished yet. On top of that, I haven't test-fired it. The ammo is limited too — five armor-piercing rounds and two high-explosive shells. I can correct for deviation on the first shot, but we're in the middle of this storm. Between the distance and the weather, expect the accuracy to be low."
Hearing that from Monica, who was shouldering a cannon that was nowhere near complete, I said:
"That's enough. Let's start by making that guy standing there all elegantly put a little effort in."
Monica tilted her head.
"May I provoke him?"
I looked at the cannon — roughly twice Monica's height.
"If this thing can't deal a lethal blow, we just move on to the next plan. And if that happens, it'll be easier to take him down if he comes to us. Now then, let me give it a try."
I took the Jewel in my left hand and unhooked it from my neck. The Jewel's silver ornamentation transformed into the shape of a large bow. The longbow ended up bigger than my own height, and it had no string. But when I channeled magic power into it, a pale blue light materialized and formed the string.
"I've got a line connected to you too. I can make corrections from my end if you want."
In response, Monica—
"Please don't underestimate me. Just hitting the target is simple. The precision is different, you know. But you really don't need to aim for that central head, right? It definitely feels like that's the weak point, though?"
To Monica, I—
"I'd rather not have that crown-like thing blown away. Well, actually, it'd be better if it wasn't... but that central head? I'll be taking it myself."
Saying that, I drew the bow on the deck, and an arrow of light appeared, its form taking shape. The arrow, which had only been glowing, slowly refined its details, reconstructing its shape into a proper arrow.
Once I had aimed carefully—
"Don't sink just from this much."
I loosed the arrow. The pale blue arrow flew straight toward the right neck of the Trashy, and the opponent noticed, moving its head in response.
But—
"Armor-piercing shell, here it comes. Cover your ears and keep your mouth open."
As Monica instructed, I did just that. The cannon belched fire, and Monica braced herself on the deck. The wooden parts of the deck creaked, and the vibration traveled through the ship.
From the barrel, water spray and rain hit and evaporated, producing white smoke.
A voice reached me from Vera.
"Hey! That looks more powerful than ours! If you're hiding a weapon like that, you'd better say so!"
But I removed my hands from my ears and looked at the left head that the shell had hit. There was no doubt the arrow of light had also scored a direct hit on the right head.
When the smoke cleared, the directly-hit head had flown into a rage, roaring up at the sky. The vibration in the air reached us even here.
The vortex gained momentum, trying to quickly close in on us.
The central head opened its mouth wide, and within it, a mass of pale blue magic power appeared and began to swell. I identified it with my Skill.
The information gained from Shannon's Mystic Eyes.
And the conclusions drawn from the Second Generation's Skill, and the Sixth Generation's Skill, were—
"A direct hit would utterly destroy us. That's bad."
Monica looked at my face.
"You sound like you're having fun for someone facing that."
"Simple. We just need to avoid a direct hit. Novem, Miranda, deploy as instructed. Also, the starboard cannons are to fire on my command. And Vera, increase the ship's speed. We can get closer."
Replies came from Novem, Miranda, and Aria, connected to me through my Skill—Connection.
"We're ready."
"Just deflect it... You make it sound so easy."
"I'm ready whenever."
That was Vera.
"If you're going to give orders, do it sooner! I can't just move on a dime!"
The central head of the Trashy opened its mouth wide toward us and fired a mass of pale magic. It looked slow from a distance, but as it drew closer, its speed seemed to be increasing.
I swung my right hand to the side.
"Magic Shield, deploy!"
When Novem's and Miranda's Magic Shields deployed, a multi-layered Magic Shield materialized for just an instant, as if to protect the ship.
Moreover, its shape was distorted, and between that and the ship's increased speed, it deviated from the direct course. The mass of magic that missed the ship slammed into the sea surface in the distance, sending up a massive column of water.
Monica saw that.
"Indeed. One hit and we'd be blown to pieces."
I thrust my right hand forward.
"Fire!!"
The cannons that had extended from the starboard side all fired at once, and I used my Skill—Select.
I aimed the shells to hit the two side heads of the Trashy, but when they struck directly, I saw the Trashy's form glow faintly.
Monica analyzed the situation calmly.
"It's surrounded by an incredible amount of magic energy. Most of the impact from that last attack didn't even reach the core. The Chicken and I did better with our strikes. If you look closely, both side heads seem to have taken damage from our earlier bombardment."
"I see. Good thing I didn't aim for the center."
Hearing that, I looked at the Trashy. It was glaring at us with its red eyes, and the vortex had grown more violent than before.
"Its serious now? Fine by me. So, do we close in or keep attacking from range..."
Monica said.
"It's approaching us. We've successfully angered it."
I grinned and drew my bow. This time I loaded more arrows and loomed them slightly upward. Arrows of light rained down on the now-moving Trashy. Explosions erupted, but the pale blue light shielded it—no decisive blow.
Then the Trashy dove beneath the ocean surface.
Monica noted.
"The vortex has stopped. It seems it can't maintain one while it's stationary."
I gave orders to Vera.
"The vortex stopped. Keep maneuvering the ship away from the Trashy."
"Don't just say that so easily! Ugh, fine! Port side! Hard to port!"
The ship slowly turned to the left, picking up speed as the Trashy gave chase.
"Alright, let's aim for where it surfaces."
Monica and I readied our bow and cannons once more. I fired an arrow toward the sea first. Immediately after, I covered my ears and opened my mouth, and Monica fired the cannon full blast.
Two columns of water erupted from the ocean surface.
The Trashy's movements slowed, putting distance between it and the ship.
From within the Jewel.
"Huh? Might this just wear it down to death?"
"No, it should have more left in it."
"But it's tough... aren't we at a disadvantage here? Monica's cannon only has five rounds left."
"Still, there's something impressive about its size. If we're only bringing a portion back... then the central head would be the best choice."
While Monica was loading the next shell, the Trashy's heads—everything except the central part—broke the surface of the ocean and began gathering a pale blue light in their mouths.
With a sigh, I quickly nocked an arrow and let it fly.
"How many times are you going to pull the same trick... and besides, too slow!"
The arrow of light struck the pale blue glow right at the mouth, causing an explosion that dealt damage to the Trashy's head with its own magic. As it slowly toppled toward the ocean surface, its movements sluggish once again, it seemed to be trying to regain its footing underwater.
"Ha ha ha, pursue it!"
My words prompted Monica to respond.
"Roger that."
She grabbed the cannon, moved into position where she could aim at the ocean surface, and fired another shot.
The distance had grown too great, so I asked Vera to reduce our speed.
"Can you lower the speed for me?"
"...Fine. But shouldn't we just keep running at this point?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
When Vera chose to run away, I—
"We can win, so it's fine. Actually, if we don't bring something back from here, our finances are going to be a real problem..."
At that, Monica loaded the next shell and handed it to me.
"It seems like he's enraged."
When I looked toward Trashy, the central head had risen from the sea and was biting into one of its other heads. It gnawed through the thrashing head, severing it, and then struggled to bite through the other one as well.
"...Alright, open fire."
Trashy had been waiting for us. But there was no need for us to wait. An opening had appeared, so we decided to take advantage of it.
"Monica loves ruthlessly savage Chickens like that. Let's go all out!"
"I love you too. I love you, Monica!"
"...! What did you just say?! Damn it!! I missed recording it! Do it again, please! Just one more time with that cool smile!"
"Haha, I can't just say it that easily. Well then, let's get back to business. Once we're done, I'll whisper sweet nothings to every single one of you!"
"Get serious, you fool!! You're definitely an idiot, aren't you?! Right?!"
On the deck, Shannon screamed and protested through her tears, but I gave her a grin. Protected by May, Shannon was watching Trashy through her mystic eyes.
"Now then, before I get to the love whispering, let's collect the materials and Magic Stones."
"Y-yes, we have to hurry! The time! Before the Chicken's fever time is over!"
We rained merciless attacks upon Trashy as it fought against a head identical to its own.