Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

“This is Banra, the northernmost town of the Suje Kingdom. We will stop at a few more island nations after this, but none as large as Banra. We’ll be staying overnight to resupply. Departure is at 8 a.m. tomorrow, so don’t be late. I’ll be heading to the Banra governor’s office for a report, so I won’t be on the ship. The crew, except those on duty, will disembark as well. Ah, the Chief Engineer, Gunno, will be on duty this time, so if you need anything, ask him on the ship.”

With that, Captain Gorick disembarked.

Ryo and Abel also took a little money from their storage in the cargo hold and stepped ashore.

“This is Banra.”

“Yeah. It really feels like a typical port town.”

The port and its surrounding areas were bustling with activity.

The governor’s office, where Captain Gorick was headed, was located right by the port.

That indicated that the port was the heart of the town.

“Well, this is our last stop in the Suje Kingdom. We have a place to sleep back on the ship, but…”

“I know what you’re getting at. Since we’re already ashore, you want to sleep in a bed that doesn’t sway, right?”

The Lone Dark was an oceangoing cruiser, designed to sail through rough seas. It was also equipped with an alchemy device to reduce swaying.

While the ship’s movements were minimal, they weren’t completely eliminated.

Ryo and Abel weren’t particularly prone to seasickness, but even so… they both preferred to sleep in a steady bed when they had the chance.

Besides, they had plenty of money!

“There’s a proper inn near the center of town.”

“Like the Blue Jade Inn, right? Is the center of this town the port? Or would it be around a large plaza if they have one?”

Ryo and Abel decided to take a stroll through the town.

It was almost noon.

Before finding a place to stay, they needed to grab lunch…

The air was filled with delicious smells coming from various places.

There were quite a few food stalls as well…

“As expected of a port town, the seafood selection is amazing.”

“You’re right. We’ve had plenty of fish on the ship, but we haven’t had shellfish.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right! Let’s try to find a place with shellfish.”

The two, both hungry, began walking around the port area.

“But Abel, in these situations, something always happens.”

“Huh? Something?”

“Yes. A boy who steals bread gets chased by the shopkeeper and is caught right in front of us, for example.”

“…”

“Or a pickpocket bumps into us and steals our money, leaving us penniless.”

“…”

“And then, pirates or a horde of monsters launch an attack on the town!”

Ryo’s words followed a typical storyline.

Abel remained silent.

Of course, not because he agreed, but because he was exasperated.

“You always say these ridiculous things, Ryo. Didn’t you bring up a pirate attack before?”

“Yes, I did. And you completely shot it down, saying pirates don’t attack towns.”

Abel, in an exasperated tone, recalled the conversation, while Ryo sulked at the memory.

“I’m telling you the same thing again. Pirates don’t attack towns.”

“Even if that’s true, a horde of monsters might, right?”

“I won’t say it’s impossible… but why would they attack the town?”

“That’s because…yes! They want to eat the townspeople!”

“No one would live in a town that’s constantly being attacked.”

“Ugh… you always have a counter for everything… Abel, you’re such a swordsman of absurd reasoning!”

“First, I was the hungry swordsman, and now I’m the swordsman of absurd reasoning?”

Abel gained yet another nickname.

The swordsman of absurd reasoning.

The two continued bantering as they entered a restaurant… their decision was ultimately swayed by the enticing smells.

The food they were served…

“These clam-like shellfish are great.”

“Big, too. The meat is plump and delicious.”

“These that look like turban shells are nice as well.”

“The slight bitterness at the bottom is surprisingly addictive.”

The two hungry magician and swordsman were clearly satisfied.

“Yes, chef? Drizzle this over it? Is this soy sauce? No, it’s fish sauce. How nostalgic.”

Ryo was reminded of the fish sauce he used to make in the Rondo Forest.

He drizzled a little over the grilled clam-like shellfish.

“Oh? This black seasoning is amazing. When it’s heated, the aroma really pops.”

“Aroma that pops… Abel, you sometimes come up with some really cool expressions, you know.”

“R-Really? I thought that was pretty normal.”

When Ryo sincerely complimented him, Abel felt a bit embarrassed.

The clam-like shellfish drizzled with soy sauce…

“Perfect!”

“Tastes amazing!”

Both were fully satisfied with the flavors.

After feasting on seafood to their hearts’ content.

“I didn’t expect them to have fish sauce here.”

“That black seasoning from earlier?”

“Yes, that’s it. I used to make it back when I was living in the Rondo Forest, but I haven’t had it since immersing myself in civilized society. When you think about it, that’s kind of scary.”

“Civilized society…”

“This is what civilized life should be like, a place with fish sauce. It’s the proper way to live.”

“That’s quite an exaggerated way of putting it.”

Ryo was moved, while Abel couldn’t quite accept it and shook his head slightly.

Just then, Abel suddenly looked up.

Naturally, Ryo noticed as well and was startled.

“What is it, Abel?”

“It’s nothing… I just had a bad feeling.”

“Are you seasick?”

“You should be asking if it’s heartburn. Besides, after all the food we just ate… I wouldn’t be able to get seasick now.”

“Your quick-witted comebacks are as sharp as ever, Abel.”

“Stop saying stuff like that. It’s embarrassing.”

Ryo praised Abel, who shyly brushed off the compliment.

“If you get seasick, just let me know. I’ll make you some seasickness medicine with alchemy.”

“Can you really make something like that?”

“Yes. You know that manuscript I got as a farewell gift? I took a quick look, and on the very first page, it had a recipe for seasickness medicine.”

“…Wasn’t that book called ‘The Abyss of Alchemy’?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“With a title like that, it sounds like it contains profound alchemical secrets… and the first thing in it is a seasickness remedy?”

“Abel, for sailors or people living in port towns, seasickness is a serious issue. The fact that the recipe for seasickness medicine is right at the beginning shows the wisdom of the person who compiled the book.”

Ryo confidently counters Abel’s doubts.

“Well, I mean, I guess it’s not a bad thing, but…”

“Always thinking about what truly benefits the people. That’s a mindset that anyone involved in governance needs to have.”

“Y-Yeah.”

“In that sense, knowing how to make seasickness medicine is extremely important. I believe that whoever compiled that book was someone who genuinely cared about the people, a true leader.”

“Uh, right…”

Abel couldn’t argue with Ryo’s passionate reasoning.

Because, really, what he said was completely true.

It was just the gap between the grand title ‘The Abyss of Alchemy’ and ‘seasickness medicine’ that surprised him…

At that moment…

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding…

The sound of a bell echoed all around them.

“What’s that?”

“I’m not sure… But it seems your bad feeling was spot on, Abel.”

“Wait… what?”

Ryo pointed it out, and Abel was slightly rattled.

“Something bad must’ve happened because you said those things, Abel.”

“Don’t blame me! We don’t even know what’s going on yet!”

“The people of the city are suffering because of what you said…”

“It’s definitely not my fault…”

As the two argued, they overheard someone shouting.

“The northern beach!”

“Something terrible is happening!”

“I can’t believe something like that is coming…”

Those words reached their ears.

“The northern beach?”

“This is it for sure. A monster horde. Abel, it’s your fault.”

“Why do you keep blaming me?!”

Ryo was still trying to make it Abel’s fault.

“Let’s go!”

Ignoring Ryo, Abel shouted.

And started running.

Ryo followed after him.

Neither of them knew where the northern beach was, but since most of the townspeople were running there, they simply followed the crowd.

When they arrived at the northern beach…

They were met with an overwhelming sight, a massive number, perhaps thousands or even tens of thousands.

Steadily advancing from the sea towards the shore.

“This is…”

“This is insane…”

Even Ryo and Abel were left speechless at the sight before them.

An enormous swarm advancing from the sea onto land…

“It looks like… crabs?”

“Most definitely… crabs.”

It was indeed crabs.

Each about the size of a grown man’s palm.

All moving sideways, as crabs do.

“Are those crabs monsters?”

“No, I don’t think so. They look like regular crabs.”

Abel answered Ryo’s question.

There were such things as monster crabs, but Abel recalled that they were much larger.

Though he had never seen one in person.

He remembered the name King Carib.

As Abel was lost in thought, he noticed Ryo approaching an old man nearby.

“Excuse me, sir. I’m just a traveler, but does this sort of thing happen often here?”

“Every once in a while… yeah, once every few years, a swarm of crabs comes ashore. But I’ve never seen so many before.”

“I see.”

“In a little while, the harvesting will start.”

“Harvesting?”

“Yeah. Can’t just leave the crabs here to rot, can we? They’d spoil and damage the environment. So the townsfolk will gather them up and eat them.”

“How fascinating!”

“Soon enough, the governor’s office will probably come out and start handing out crab soup, too.”

“That’s something to look forward to!”

Ryo and the old man’s conversation was loud enough for Abel to overhear.

When Ryo came back.

“It seems the governor’s office will be getting involved soon!”

“If you only convey that part, it sounds kind of ominous.”

Abel had heard the whole conversation, so he knew what was going on, but hearing only that one bit could sound alarming…

“Shall we wait here until the crab soup stand opens?”

“…Didn’t you just eat a ton of shellfish earlier?”

“That was that, and this is this. There’s a saying, ‘Crabs belong in a different stomach.’“

“Yeah, that’s definitely a lie.”

“To think Abel would see through me…”

“Anyone could see through that.”

As time passed, more and more people arrived, some carrying buckets and barrels, others bringing carts to haul the crabs away.

And finally.

“That’s it! The governor’s office crab soup stand!”

A shop bearing the flag of the Banra Governor’s Office had been set up.

Before long, a line of people formed in front of the shop… each receiving a fairly large bowl of soup.

Ryo and Abel joined the line and soon received their bowls.

Inside was a milky white broth.

“It’s not miso-based, but it sure looks tasty.”

“Hmm. It’s different from the crab soup I had in Whitnash back in the day.”

They chatted as they took their first sips.

“Oh…”

“Yeah, that’s good…”

Another sip.

“It feels like it’s warming me to the core.”

“I know what you mean. This is delicious.”

The crab soup seemed to suit their tastes.

Around them, the townspeople were also happily sipping and enjoying their soup.

The broth contained tender, shredded crab meat, which made it all the more satisfying.

“Ah, you two are here as well.”

“Captain.”

Captain Gorick Dew of the Lone Dark was also present.

He was supposed to be at the Governor’s Office for a report, but…

“They ended the report because they had to set up the crab soup stand. I was wondering what that was about, and it turned out to be… this.”

“It seems so. I spoke with an elderly person in town, and they said that while this scale is unprecedented, crabs come ashore once every few years. When that happens, the Governor’s Office sets up a crab soup stand and serves it to the townspeople.”

Gorick nodded in understanding at Ryo’s explanation.

Soon after, Captain Gorick spotted some of the Lone Dark’s crew members and left to check in with them.

“I know it’s completely different, but… it reminded me of the Great Rune Flood.”

“Ah, yeah. Though there is a difference between monsters and crabs… both happen regularly.”

“Back then, no matter how many we hunted, there seemed to be no end…”

“That’s what I heard. Wasn’t it about 30,000 of them? Really incredible. It’s amazing you survived, Abel.”

“…Ryo, you were in the library, right?”

“Yes. You could have come to notify me.”

“Like I could have left the battle!”

Ryo shook his head repeatedly as Abel retorted.

“But that last Great Flood, you just happened to be in Rune city and got caught up in it, right? That’s what Marquis Heinlein’s report said.”

“That’s right. I went there to have the daily special at the adventurer’s cafeteria and ended up being caught by Ra-san. I had heard he was the Guild Master of Rune, but he’s really doing a great job.”

“The Great Flood of Ogres was quite something…”

“I took care of it in one blow with my magic. You could say I’m a hero who saved the city of Rune. Pretty impressive, don’t you think?”

“I do think it’s impressive, but it’s also something that was expected.”

Abel praised him but also stated it was an expected action.

“Ex-expected?”

“Yes. Because Ryo, you are a noble.”

“Ugh…Noblesse Oblige… the duty of the nobility.”

“I’ve never heard of that phrase, but the duty of the nobility is exactly right. It’s the role of the nobles. Keep up the good work.”

“Are nobles… slaves to the country…?”

“Nobles and royalty are the servants of the people.”

As Ryo lamented, Abel smiled wryly while advising him.

Those involved in the country’s politics are not necessarily great.

Rather, they are those who sacrifice everything for the people.

Rather, they are those who even sacrifice their families.

Rather… they are the servants of the people.

“What a harsh world…”

Ryo muttered while shaking his head slightly.

After thoroughly enjoying the crab soup and devouring the large crab legs that came as a complimentary service at the inn, the two of them rested comfortably in their beds. The next morning, they were full of energy.

“Man, that last night in the Suje Kingdom was perfect, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. The crab and the inn were both great.”

They arrived at the Lone Dark at 7:40 a.m.

Twenty minutes ahead of schedule.

The crew was already mostly assembled… as expected of a warship.

As scheduled, the Lone Dark set sail at exactly 8:00 a.m., finally leaving the Suje Kingdom and heading toward the continent.

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations. 

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