The first day back at sea passed uneventfully.
On the second day, we left Albatro's maritime territory and entered Rondine's. That was when it happened.
A growl rumbled up from the bottom of the ocean.
"Wh-what was that?!"
"Is the ocean making noises?!"
"Uh-oh! Everyone, assume battle positions!"
The entire ship broke into an uproar. I, on the other hand, leisurely left my room and went up on deck.
I'd already put a barrier around the ship. It was a detection-prevention barrier. Knowing I had that barrier was why I'd chosen to travel by sea. That said, I hadn't expected to run into the sea dragon at that particular spot.
"Everyone be quiet! It's too late to turn back. We'll just have to hope for the best."
"Y-Your Highness—"
"It's already beneath us."
I couldn't see the sea dragon. It was likely very deep down in the ocean. But even so, if I hadn't put the barrier up, it might have sunk our ship on a whim a long time ago.
According to the legends passed down in Albatro, Leviatano was said to have four legs and wings, like a typical dragon, and be over a hundred fifty feet long. We couldn't see any of that, but it was, without a doubt, somewhere beneath us.
Thanks to basic human instinct, everyone on the ship seemed to sense that. The fact that they were all breathing as quietly as possible was good proof. Their guts told them their lives were in danger. The dragon was the predator, and humans were its prey. That was an immutable law of nature.
A few minutes went by, then I suddenly observed Leviatano passing by us, but I didn't mention it aloud. In the end, the entire crew remained motionless for over an hour, until Marc finally commented that maybe we were safe now, at which point the ship resumed its passage to Rondine.
"I really thought we were goners there."
"Me too. I was so sure we wouldn't run into it in this area that it caught me off guard."
"Yes... Why do you think it was in this part of the ocean?"
"To a sea dragon, all humans are enemies. They have no concept of different countries. It was probably about to attack Rondine, or on its way back from doing so. Either way, we should assume that Rondine is in trouble now, too."
As if I'd just jinxed the situation by saying that, one of the crew suddenly yelled out a report.
"Prince Leonard! Rondine is under attack by monsters!"
"I knew it."
"Your Highness, could you please stop blurting out every single thought that comes into your head?"
"It's better to be prepared, isn't it?"
"It might also give the impression that everything you say comes true."
"I don't have that kind of god-like ability."
While conversing, I headed to the upper deck and looked out at Rondine, visible in the distance.
It definitely did look like they were under attack by various monsters, big and small. And among the monsters, one lone ship was fighting to hold them at bay.
That ship was flying the flag of Adrasia. Man, he always did have quick judgment.
"Full speed ahead! We have to go help my brother!"
"Roger that, Your Highness! All hands assume battle positions! Be ready to use the magical cannons Albatro lent us!"
The ship captain animatedly shouted out his orders. He must've been beside himself with joy at the prospect of using our newly borrowed weapons against the sea monsters.
I tried strapping on Leo's sword, but it sure was heavy. I had a feeling there was no way I'd be able to wield it satisfactorily.
"Now, I wonder if we'll finally get a chance to switch our places back."
My thoughts were filled with hope as we continued sailing for Rondine without a moment to spare.
8
The reason for Leo's sudden appearance at sea was, more or less, due to a coincidence. He had been aboard the ship performing a check of all the cargo, or more precisely, giving it a cursory look over with an air of annoyance like Arn would have done, when the monsters had suddenly shown up. Realizing how dangerous the situation was, he then immediately ordered the ship to set sail.
Thanks to his quick action, he'd successfully driven back several monsters and prevented the spread of damage. However, that also meant making himself the target of several monsters.
"Damn it! There's another monster on the port side!"
"Ignore it! Concentrate on the one right in front of us!"
On the captain's order, everyone turned to focus on the gigantic, thirty-foot-long snake that lay in the ship's path.
It was a sea serpent, a monster sometimes referred to as a "false dragon" because of its build and strength. Their individual monster ranking depended on where they appeared and how much harm they caused humans. Those that appeared deep in the ocean and destroyed ships were elevated to AA- or AAA-rank monsters.
Half of all disasters at sea were said to be caused by sea serpents. They were one of the monsters most highly feared by seafarers, second only to the much rarer sea dragons.
However, they never appeared that close to land.
It was always the more amphibious monsters which entered harbors and threatened buildings along the coast. Sea serpents were basically sea monsters. Although they could maneuver on land if necessary, they wouldn't survive long out of the water. Seeing one that close to land was definitely strange.
"Captain! Don't fight if it seems too dangerous! Just keep it distracted!"
"With all due respect, Your Highness, no can do! If you're scared, go hide in your room!"
Leo attempted to give out commands, but as Arn, no one paid any attention to him.
Theirs was the only ship that had managed to leave the harbor. If it sank, Rondine would have no more resources left to fight at sea with. And even if the sea serpent remained in the water, it could still cause major damage to Rondine by destroying the many ships in the harbor.
That was why Leo had given his command. A perfectly rational analysis of the situation told him they needed to concentrate on distracting the serpent until the monsters on land had been killed. And yet, the captain ignored him and started fighting the sea serpent instead. Leo frowned.
"How does Arn usually manage to get people to do things...?"
People didn't obey orders from someone they didn't trust, all the more so during battle.
And in Arn's case, they flat out ignored him, which left Leo feeling bewildered. He also knew he had to do something about the present situation. Just then, he saw another ship off to his right.
The instant he caught a closer look at it, he grinned and assertively called out an order to the captain.
"Captain! Circle us around to the left of the sea serpent!"
"Your Highness, once again, not an option! We don't have time for that right now!"
"Just do as I say!" Leo shouted back while gazing with renewed confidence at the ship steadily heading their way. "Leo's here now! We're going to attack the sea serpent together!"