The boat that Kajo’s father, Chitoku, had prepared was about half the size of the ones the sea merchants tended to use. He’d chosen a small boat because of the port that smaller boats used. It was a dugout canoe with additional gunwales attached to its sides and was also used for fishing.
“The ports where the passenger boats and fishing boats dock are further away from the eruption zone and are further inland than the large ports used by the sea merchants too. If another eruption were to occur, the boats wouldn’t be damaged.”
The water at that port was shallow, so larger boats wouldn’t be able to fit. Jusetsu nodded when she heard Chitoku’s explanation—it made sense.
A day had passed, but the eruption still hadn’t settled, and the sky was still covered with volcanic smoke.
Jusetsu and the others waited by the harbor nonetheless, prepared for it to stop at any moment. Chitoku had lent them his best sailors, and they had gotten the ship ready to leave the harbor at a moment’s notice. Onkei and Tankai—who was holding Shinshin—had now joined them. Jiujiu, understandably, had been made to stay behind at the governor’s residence.
“You really are brave, aren’t you, Chitoku?” said Jusetsu.
Chitoku gave her a faint smile. Although it may have looked cold, anyone who actually interacted with him would soon realize it wasn’t.
“I’m flattered that you would say so. After all, you are the one who’s about to sail across the sea this time.”
“From my standpoint, sailing back and forth regularly seems far more daring,” she said.
This was Jusetsu’s first time seeing the sea with her own eyes. She hadn’t imagined it to be so vast, so boundless. She couldn’t see the bottom, and its waves were rougher than she’d expected. It was quite eerie.
“Ha ha… Once you grow accustomed to it, it becomes second nature. There’s nothing quite like feeling the sea breeze from aboard your boat. Being on land is what feels more unfamiliar to me now.”
“Really?” Jusetsu was surprised. “It sounds like you really like the sea.”
“I do…” Chitoku began. “At first, it wasn’t the water that interested me, but rather the goods the merchants brought with them. There were always merchants showing up at my family home, of course, but the ones who brought the most unique items were the ones from the sea.”
Items with turban shell inlays, jewels with unusual lusters, strange masks, dolls… These were all examples that Chitoku gave of things they had brought with them.
“There was even a magic tool of some sort from Uka, the land of oracles. They have an oracle queen there.”
“Oh really?”
“Not just Uka, but the nations of Kada and Karoku also have oracle queens. It’s a whole different world compared to how things are here.”
“You mean to say that those countries do things in a different way?”
“Exactly. Their traditions aren’t like ours, and so is the way that people think. Well, that’s the case for all foreign nations, but even so…”
“Oh…”
Chitoku carefully explained to Jusetsu what being a sea merchant was like, and all about foreign countries. This was all new information to her, and she had been enjoying listening to him talk ever since the two of them had first met the day before.
“Are there ghosts in other countries?” Jusetsu asked.
“There are indeed. Monsters, as well.”
“Monsters? Are they like gods?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen one for myself,” he admitted. “I’ve met a ghost at sea, though.”
“Are there really ghosts at sea?”
“There are, believe it or not.”
These off-the-cuff anecdotes fascinated Jusetsu. He was an incredibly interesting man.
“Sea merchants and sailors tend to keep lucky charms with them at all times.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re not written talismans, but physical objects. It is believed that things once worn by a blood relative are the most effective.”
“What kind of lucky charm do you have, Chitoku?” Jusetsu asked.
There was a brief pause, and Chitoku awkwardly scratched his chin.
“Well, I have my daughter’s… My daughter’s shoes,” he eventually admitted, sounding embarrassed.
“Shoes? They must be big to carry around.”
“No—they’re from when she was a just a kid. Ha ha…” Chitoku chuckled in an attempt to conceal his discomfort.
Jusetsu watched his face from the side. She couldn’t help but wonder if Kajo had ever seen him looking so embarrassed.
“Oh! The smoke!”
Jusetsu was startled by the commotion that suddenly broke out. The people who had gathered at the port to watch the eruption began to make a lot of noise.
“Doesn’t it seem like the smoke is getting sparser?”
“It’s shrinking.”
When Jusetsu took a look for herself, she noticed that the previously dense volcanic smoke that had been billowing up into the sky had not only faded, but it wasn’t reaching up as high either. It was clearly losing momentum.
Jusetsu glanced at Chitoku and he looked down at her. After this exchange of glances, they nodded at each other.
“Let’s go,” Jusetsu told Onkei and Tankai and then boarded the boat.
“Go,” Chitoku ordered the sailors that had gotten into position.
The sailors started rowing the boat’s oars, and the vessel began to move. The pumice stones that covered the shoreline rattled against its sides, but it continued on its way even so. The sight of the boat caused a stir among the people at the port, who couldn’t believe that someone was setting sail amid all that was happening. A flag flew from the ship—one with blue tassels, signifying that those on board were working under the direct command of the emperor.
The boat diverted to the north on the current, heading for the port of Je Island. Jusetsu stood near the bow of the boat, gazing out to sea. The eruption had stopped, and the smoke that had been hanging in the air was growing fainter. The waves were now calm. The boat caught a gentle tailwind, making it glide across the water.
How had the Owl managed to placate the sea god at the Palace of Paradise?
“The Owl…” groaned the Raven.
“What’s wrong? How did the Owl hold back the sea god?”
There was a pause before the Raven answered. “He offered himself as a forfeit.”
“A forfeit…?”
“Yes. He promised that we will defeat the White Turtle that’s causing the stormy seas. If we fail, he will offer himself up.”
“Offer himself up…? What do you mean by that?”
“As a sacrifice.”
Jusetsu gulped.
The Owl.
He was prepared to sacrifice himself to save the Raven.
“Is the Owl…with the sea god now?”
“Yes. He’s a forfeit, so he can’t fight with us.” The Raven’s voice was barely audible, and it sounded like she was holding back tears. “Even though he said he’d stay with me… That liar.”
Jusetsu put her hand on her chest. “All we have to do is defeat the ao god. Nothing’s going to change. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“All we have to do is defeat him… Yes. We can do that. It’ll be fine. All we need to do is get my missing part back.”
“Exactly.”
At that moment, the hull shook violently. Onkei pulled Jusetsu down and threw himself over her. Sea spray poured down on top of them.
“Is it the eruption?” she asked.
“No, it’s just some sudden tall waves.”
The boat rocked from left to right once again. The sailors pulled the oars back inside the boat to prevent them from being swept away.
“There’s no eruption,” said Tankai, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked out at the water.
Jusetsu got up and took a look for herself. He was right—there was no eruption. The weather wasn’t bad either. The raging waves were all concentrated around Jusetsu’s boat. Gradually, the current began to form a strange whirlpool, provoking screams from the sailors.
“Since the Owl came to an agreement with the sea god at the Palace of Paradise…” Jusetsu muttered, “That suggests that this is the ao god’s doing.”
“In that case…” said the Raven, before calling out Shinshin’s real name. “Harara!”
Shinshin’s body instantly began to swell. Or rather, its feathers had just fluffed up in the wind. Jusetsu found herself unconsciously reaching out to the bird, shocking herself. She realized it wasn’t her controlling her hand, but the Raven.
Her fingers pulled a few feathers out of Shinshin’s body. Instead of falling onto the deck of the boat, they rose up into the air, sparkling with a golden hue.
Jusetsu pointed out to sea, and each feather soared like an arrow before disappearing into the water. After a brief interval, the turbulent waters gradually calmed down. The whirlpool dispersed, and the water surrounding the boat reverted to the same serene state it had been in before.
“The waves have died down!” exclaimed the sailors, sounding relieved.
“It won’t be long until we get attacked again. Hurry,” the Raven warned, so Jusetsu passed the message onto the sailors.
The tailwind helped propel the boat along at a rapid pace. Wary that the waves could lash out again at any time, the crew persevered until they ultimately arrived at the port. It was situated at the mouth of a river with a long, narrow shoal, creating an inlet with shallow waters and gentle waves, making it the ideal spot. The shoal’s gentle incline was paved with stones on which several boats were moored. These boats had been tied to a post that was lodged into the slope. As they approached the stone-paved shoal, the sailors climbed out into the shallows and began to push the boat up. They tied a rope from the boat to the post to keep it in place while Tankai and Onkei climbed ashore and grabbed hold of Jusetsu’s arms. Clutching Shinshin, Jusetsu stepped out of the boat, but her toes got wet right away as the waves washed in behind her. Panicked, Jusetsu leapt away.
There were several other boats lined up against the shoal. These were fishing boats, the sailors explained. They weren’t able to go out fishing because of the eruption, so there was no sign of any fisherman on the shore. They must have all been waiting inside the buildings for the eruption to subside. As a result, the area was quiet, completely drained of its previously lively atmosphere.