Chapter 193: It Doesn't Matter, I Will Make a Move
Sand, as far as the eye can see.
A vast desert, a silent sea of sand.
The wind passed over the sand, leaving ripples; the two walked across the desert, leaving deep footprints; the sun overhead was scorching hot, and under its searing heat, even the air seemed to twist.
Cloaks, food, water, salt. When Kobayashi knew the place he was in was a desert, he had made ample preparations.
But the desert was simply too large. It was impossible to cross it on foot, and their supplies had already run out several hours ago.
Should we go back and prepare more supplies?
But going back and forth would also consume divine power.
Just as he was struggling with this, RyuZU suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned her head to look behind them and said to the figure walking slowly in front, "Master Kobayashi, my super-vision, which can see for over ten thousand meters, tells me that a ship is sailing over from behind."
"I can see it, RyuZU."
He replied, but his steps didn't stop.
"Oh my? I'm surprised you can see the scenery behind you without even turning your head, Master. But when I think about how you were thumping your chest with such confidence 7 or 8 hours ago, saying there was a town to the east, I can't help but chuckle."
"You're already laughing at me... By the way, are you complaining that I led us the wrong way, Miss RyuZU?"
"It seems your brain hasn't been completely dried out by the scorching sun. You still retain a trace of clarity. That's great. If you were to collapse here, all I could do is dig a pit and bury you."
"..."
If he didn't know that his attendant's setting was "sharp-tongued," he would really think she was going to bury him in the sand to vent her anger.
She asked again, "Master Kobayashi, shall we try waving?"
"...Let's forget it."
He shook his head and refused.
This was a deserted desert. A ship that could, against all logic, sail on the sand looked very strange. It would be a joke if the one piloting the ship wasn't even human.
When one doesn't have absolute strength, one must always remain cautious, especially in a place like this.
And the presence of a ship meant there was civilization, people or intelligent races to communicate with. So even if he had to crawl, now that he saw hope, he would crawl over.
RyuZU didn't say anything more. She was his attendant, and naturally, her master's will was her highest command, which she would obey unconditionally.
The two continued to advance slowly.
But unexpectedly, the medium-sized ship, after passing them, stopped, and then a rope ladder was thrown down from it, as if to say, "Come on up."
"Master Kobayashi, they are sending an invitation."
"...I know."
A pattern appeared on his forehead. [Spectator] was already activated, and its farsight ability allowed him to instantly grasp the entire ship.
There were about fifty people on board.
Thirty in the hold, twenty on deck.
Judging from their clothes and the various grades of cargo on the ship, it was most likely a merchant ship that transported goods back and forth across this desert.
Since it was a merchant ship, it would be easy to handle.
But at this moment, he suddenly saw a woman.
No, to be precise, a goddess.
She wore a white short-sleeved top, a red hood to block the sun, and a loincloth. On top of that, she wore a black, sheer skirt that covered her graceful figure, fastened in several places with round buttons.
As desert attire for blocking the hot sun, it was rather inappropriate, but that sexy outfit's debut instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Including him, down below.
The people on the ship vaguely centered around her, surrounding her like stars around the moon, which was a side proof of her noble status.
His expression stiffened slightly.
The two of them looked up from below, hesitating, and did not step forward.
"Are we not going up?" she asked.
He ignored the sweat on his forehead, licked his dry lips, and said in a hoarse voice, "If I said that there's someone on that ship I'm extremely reluctant to see, what would you do?"
"Then... ignore them?"
"...No. We're going up. No one can refuse an invitation from that goddess. Not even a god."
With that, the two of them, as if by agreement, pushed off with their feet and suddenly disappeared. When they reappeared, they were already on the ship.
"Waaah!"
A large figure, with a bit of a cowardly heart, was so scared he fell on his butt on the deck.
He took off his cloak, revealing his face, and said, "Thank you for extending a helping hand when I was lost. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kobayashi. I am a traveler."
Then, as he bowed in salute, he extended his hand to him. But the dark-skinned man, who was sitting on the deck, did not take his hand to stand up.
Instead, he cried out in surprise and loudly denied, "A... a traveler?! Impossible! How could an experienced traveler rashly rush into the desert, and two rookies without a guide at that?! Lady Freya, they are definitely suspicious!"
For some reason, the moment he saw him, Bofman felt a strong sense of crisis.
Although the man in front of him, from walking in the desert, looked rather sloppy, his handsome features and tall figure were, in his eyes, undoubtedly extremely attractive.
Although he, Bofman, was also very handsome (in his own opinion), the comparison between the two of them made him look inferior.
"My apologies. It seems I've caused this ship owner to have a misunderstanding," he said, straightening up. He placed his hand just above his chest and said with confidence and elegance, "Travelers are experienced people. This is undeniable. But travelers are also transformed from rookies, and I will be the same. Whether it's towns, countries, or other worlds, I have set foot in them all."
He was, without damaging Bofman's face, tactfully explaining that he was not a rookie and had also been to many places. Even this desert could not stop his footsteps.
"B-but..."
"If the ship owner still doesn't believe me, why not ask the goddess? After all, a mortal cannot lie in front of a god, can they?"
Bofman, who still wanted to deny it, immediately turned his head to the goddess at the side, wanting to get an answer from her.
"Lady Freya."
"What he says is all true, Bofman."
The goddess gave her affirmation.
Hearing this, Bofman immediately wilted. The man who had been vying for the goddess's favor had lost her grace. His crestfallen appearance was just like his own.
But she had no time to spare for him. Or rather, she didn't care what he thought.
Her focus was on his last sentence.
—Set foot in other worlds.
It seemed the young man before her had a secret. She looked at him with great interest. But before she could say anything, a strange sound that only a goddess could hear reached her ears.
With an extremely natural movement, she gently pushed aside the hair by her ear, and while closing her eyes, she reminded him, "It seems there's some kind of sound."
"...What?"
"It's an unwelcome sound."
While Bofman was dumbfounded and had not yet entered a state of alert, the strange sound that only the goddess could hear was approaching.
It couldn't be the sound of the wind and sand of the desert or the cry of a bird. After all, there were no big waves or whirlpools here.
Since this sound had appeared in the desert, which was not being ravaged by a sandstorm and was quieter than a calm sea, it meant that it was definitely a monster.
"Guwaaaaaaaah————"
A low, strange sound came.
Following the source of the sound, he also 'saw' it.
Under the cover of the desert, a skin the same color as the yellow sand, and a giant body that moved in a way that caused a physiological repulsion. There was no part of its body that could be called a face. At its head, there was only a round, giant mouth and ugly, sharp teeth.
Suddenly, a large amount of sand and dust sprayed out from the side of the ship, as if from a landmine. Then, it drilled out from under the ground.
"That's a Sandworm! Why is it so big!"
Bofman cried out. Then he suddenly turned his head, his panicked face filled with hostility.
This was...
"It's all your fault! If it wasn't for letting you on the ship, why would a Sandworm attack? It's all your fault!"
Hey, hey, hey. You can't be serious.
He was purely being caught in the crossfire.
Creatures like worms rely on sound to detect their prey, and he and RyuZU hadn't made any loud noises at all. In other words, this giant Sandworm had been attracted by the moving ship. It wasn't his fault. On the contrary, he was the one who had been implicated.
Most importantly, the one who had stopped the ship was her. Why not blame the goddess, but instead pin the blame on him?
He was completely speechless.
But the situation was urgent now. There was no time to think about whose fault it was. If they wanted to live, they had to solve the big trouble in front of them.
Bofman also knew this.
"Quick! Turn the ship aro—oomph—!! Hurry!!!"
Although he had bitten his tongue for a moment, he still gave the order, his voice hoarse.
The guards on the deck, their faces pale, controlled the cannons on the ship, preparing to launch a magic attack to ward off the monster's assault. But it was already too late.
Someone was urging the people in the hold to start the ship and run away, but it would take time to slowly accelerate. They had also lost the initiative.
They had been completely caught off guard by the monster.
Their failure to detect the enemy in the first place had allowed the enemy to get too close. It was feared that the monster would soon bite the mast in two with its bloody mouth and break the ship in half on the spot.
In such a tense and urgent situation, he took a step forward and said lightly:
"—Stand down."
"What?"
"Consider it a return gift for letting us board. This giant worm... we'll take care of it."
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
This sentence did not make Bofman feel grateful. Instead, it made him even more agitated, and he even lost his reason in front of the goddess.
His dark-skinned face twisted, and he forgot himself and cursed, "That's a Sandworm! And it's a super-giant Sandworm! They hide deep underground, are flexible, and can cause the sand to collapse with just one turn, sinking the ship! No one can deal with them on the desert! No one! Only high-powered cannons can..."
He ignored the man, who was howling as if to vent the fear in his heart. He looked at the giant worm, which had already raised its body high and opened its bloody mouth, as if it were preying. It looked as if it were about to bite the ship in two in the next second.
"RyuZU."
"What are your orders, Master Kobayashi?"
"This disgusting monster. Can I trouble you with it?"
"To actually make your attendant deal with this kind of monster... you really are a difficult person, Master. But an excellent attendant should perfectly fulfill her master's requests. Please leave it to me. I will cut it in two."
With that, she took off her obstructive cloak.
Shiny silver hair, a delicate and cute face, a gorgeous gothic dress, and an elegant, cold and proud posture.
The girl instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Although she was not as outstanding as the goddess, she was still much prettier than any other woman Bofman had ever seen. A strange light flashed in his small eyes.
"Well then..."
RyuZU first curtsied.
Bofman seemed to have understood something. He shouted in disbelief, "W-wait! Don't tell me, you're going to let her fight the giant worm?! That's just sending her to her death!"
Indeed.
The giant worm's mouth was full of sharp teeth. With its mouth open, it could swallow a hundred RyuZUs in one gulp.
The monster, which had raised its body high, could wait no longer and bit down.
"Don't worry."
At this moment, he said calmly, "Although it's a little late, allow me to introduce her. This is RyuZU."
Is this the time for introductions?!
Bofman was so angry he was just about to curse, but his companion's, RyuZU's, figure flickered. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him due to his nervousness.
But those were not her last words as she gave up.
As if continuing his sentence, the Sandworm's head was instantly cut off.
"Gaaaaaa—?!"
The monster's miserable cry before death was covered by the sound of a large amount of blood splashing. They hadn't seen what had happened, they hadn't heard what had happened, but by the time they came to their senses and saw the giant worm's horizontally-cut body, the commotion was already over.
"...What?!!!"
Bofman and the crew, as if time had stopped, froze.
And as the giant worm's body spurted blood, its body also slowly fell. The countless grains of sand, unable to withstand the behemoth, shook, and then flew into the air, kicking up a dust storm. At the same time, a huge thud was heard.
Only then did everyone belatedly realize that the giant worm was dead.
And he, standing beside the dumbstruck Bofman and the others, revealed a confident and proud smile, and continued the sentence he had just said.
"—She is my proud attendant, and also my most trusted companion!"
With his introduction, RyuZU also gave an elegant bow.
"!!!"
Bofman glanced at the small, yet super-humanly strong attendant, and at him, who had been incomparably calm in the face of the monster's attack. His face instantly stiffened.
It seemed he remembered how rude he had been just now, and how hostile his attitude had been.
If he had intended it, everyone on this ship could have been easily killed. In that case, the fact that the two of them had been confident of walking out of this desert must also be true.
His previous arrogance and hostility instantly receded, and his eyes were filled with fear, afraid that he had provoked the other party and would be killed.
Not just him, but the others also looked at him and RyuZU with terrified eyes.
As the atmosphere gradually moved in a strange direction, Freya took the initiative to break the stalemate and said with a smile, "You two did well."
"Thank you for your praise, Lady Freya. It was just a trivial skill," he said, not arrogant, not impatient, and with humility.
"A trivial skill... hehe."
The goddess was noncommittal.
From the perspective of her hundreds of millions of years of experience, it could indeed be considered a trivial skill.
But don't underestimate a god's eye.
Although the goddess didn't care, it didn't mean that others could ignore it. Freya, who had broken the stalemate, looked at Bofman and the others, who were trembling, and nonchalantly tossed out a sentence.
"—Let's set sail."
"Y-yes! Lady Freya!"
The crew, as if released from a time-stop, trembled and quickly obeyed the goddess's divine will.
The ship thus moved away from the monster's corpse and sailed forward along the sea of sand.
(End of Chapter)