Sea Monster Stew Chapter 11

Biche clutched her wind-whipped robe and looked back. 

 

The street embroidered with brilliant lights and the main fortress standing imposingly at its center were growing distant.

The destination the man had pointed to was a quiet, remote village with a tranquil atmosphere, quite far from the main fortress. 

 

Unlike the wide, brightly lit streets, there weren’t many people coming and going here.

“It’s small here…”

“It’s the frontier.”

The man retorted sharply to Biche’s muttering. 

 

Well, she should be grateful he’d even brought her out. 

 

Suppressing her disappointment, Biche quickly hopped off the giant bird skin.

The man sent the bird back into the sky and led her deeper into the village. 

 

Following his lead, they entered the village, and a dirty, gloomy back alley appeared.

“Where is this? …It’s scary. Do we have to go in?”

“Yes.”

The man walking a step ahead of her shook his head firmly. 

 

Then, as if it were something Biche needed to see, he unhesitatingly led her into the darker parts of the town.

A shabby child holding out a begging bowl was dozing off on the cold ground, and several heavily made-up prostitutes openly flirted with the man. 

 

Drifters with swords at their waists gathered under a shabby wall, eyeing Biche sideways.

“This is a lawless zone located in a corner of Karabas. It’s an area the Captain gave up on long ago.”

“Lawless zone?”

“It’s overflowing with orphans, beggars, prostitutes, drunks, and thugs, even shunned by the pirate world. The bright lights of the capital don’t reach here. Even in a country magically decorated to be splendid, such bleak realities are bound to hide.”

“…But why did you bring me to a place like this?”

“Because there’s a stunning view you can only see by passing through this miserable place.”

“A stunning view…?”

The two, having ventured halfway into the back alleys, moved quickly, winding through narrow lanes. After walking for a while along a half-collapsed wall, surprisingly, a low hill leading down to a turquoise beach appeared.

For Biche, this was the first time she had seen the sea up close in a full five years. She could hardly believe sand could be this turquoise color.

“It’s amazing! The sand is turquoise.”

“It’s not sand; they’re all peppermint candy pieces.”

“All of that is candy…?”

“Living surrounded by familiars, and you find that amazing?”

Biche pretended not to hear the man’s teasing and took a deep breath. 

 

The cool peppermint scent wafting from all around was refreshing enough to clear even her nose, stuffy from the cold. 

 

A pale green sandy beach and the sea tinged by the deep blue night sky. It was a truly fantastical scene.

Biche took deep breaths of the cool night air and moved towards the sea. 

 

She stepped forward, crunching on the candy pieces underfoot.

The ash-haired man watched her actions with his arms crossed. 

 

Unaware of his intense gaze, Biche stared mesmerized at the incoming waves.

It was the sea, faced after five long years. 

 

She stood blankly for a while, then crouched down and gently dipped her left hand into the water. 

 

The cool seawater softly enveloped her trembling hand. Only after hearing his terse warning did she realize her mistake. 

 

She hurriedly pulled her hand from the water and stood up, but it was already too late.

Her thoroughly soaked hand was instantly covered in transparent scales. The faintly green-tinged scales shimmered under the moonlight. 

 

A thin, webbed membrane sprouted claw-like between her trembling fingers.

“What’s wrong?”

The man approached Biche, who was shivering. 

 

Biche quickly pulled down her robe sleeve to cover her left hand.

“Nothing. It’s just… the water is too cold…”

As she hastily hid her left hand and turned to look back, a sudden wave washed over her ankles. Her plain leather shoes were soaked through.

“Ah, my shoes…”

Looking down in a fluster, she twisted her foot. Her body swayed heavily. 

 

The man, who had rushed over in an instant, quickly reached out and caught her by the waist.

“I told you to be careful.”

He grumbled and pulled Biche sharply towards him. Her feet left the ground, and their bodies pressed close together.

Biche, held tightly in his embrace, widened her eyes. She swallowed a surprised breath and jerked her head up.

Her eyes met his, now extremely close. The robe that had been half-covering his face from his hurried run had fallen away. 

 

His thick ash-grey hair brushed softly against Biche’s face.

Biche stared blankly at his face, brightly illuminated under the moonlight. Then, snapping back to her senses, she pushed against his broad shoulders.

“I said don’t hug me without permission!”

“Even helping you causes a fuss.”

He grumbled and set Biche down on the sandy beach.

Biche huffed and turned back towards the sea. Calming her startled heart, she peeked under her left robe sleeve. Fortunately, both the shimmering scales and the webbing had disappeared.

‘…Should I just jump into the sea right now?’

She still didn’t have gills, but if she held her breath as long as possible and swam, she might escape the Crocus pirates’ waters. 

 

With Hildert away, this was her chance. 

 

When would she ever get to leave the fortress and come to the sea again?

Biche glanced back. 

 

The man was muttering to himself, his robe hood pulled up.

She was concerned about him. 

 

If she escaped like this, he would inevitably face punishment for helping her flee. 

 

Even though she was annoyed that he had completely forgotten about their past, the thought of betraying him weighed on her.

At that moment, the longing faces of her parents flashed before her eyes. Remembering her mother’s warm embrace brought tears to her eyes.

Rubbing her eyes hastily, she hesitated at that moment.

“Let’s go back.”

The man came close and firmly grabbed Biche’s shoulder. Startled, Biche looked back at him over her shoulder.

“Huh? A-already?”

“We need to get back before the fortress wall guards are reinforced.”

“Wait, I still…”

He easily scooped her up as she reached towards the sea. 

 

Then, he leaped lightly onto the giant bird, which had swiftly descended. The bird instantly soared into the star-studded night sky.

Biche stared blankly at the receding dark blue sea. 

 

Surprisingly, watching the sea disappear, she felt a mix of regret and relief. 

 

Letting slip the perfect chance to escape from Karabas was something she would regret for a long time.

But she felt fortunate she hadn’t used this man for her escape. She didn’t want her first friend to suffer because of her irresponsible choice.

The giant bird swiftly crossed the night sky and arrived at the main fortress. The man landed lightly with Biche in his arms on the balcony of Hildert’s bedroom.

“I’m going. Sleep well.”

He carefully set Biche down inside the balcony and turned to leave. Biche hurriedly grabbed the hem of his robe.

“Hey.”

“What.”

 

Biche hesitated for a moment, avoiding his gaze, and muttered.

“…Thanks for taking me out.”

He shrugged wordlessly and leaped lightly onto the giant bird. Biche looked at him with surprised eyes.

Was it because of his previously flippant behavior? She had expected him to act slyly again, pressing closer. 

 

She thought he’d say something like, “If you’re really thankful, let me into the bedroom.”

‘Then… was taking me to the sea out of genuine, pure goodwill?’

Biche blinked her wide eyes a few times and opened her mouth blankly.

“But your name is…”

Her question was swallowed by the strong wind stirred up by the bird. Startled by the sudden gust, Biche ducked her head.

“I’m off.”

A farewell that sounded both affectionate and indifferent faintly reached her through the wind. 

 

Biche barely managed to open her eyes and lift her head. The man had already flown towards the moon with the giant bird.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey.”

“You’re here again?”

Lately, Biche felt like she was living on the edge, as if walking a tightrope. 

 

It was because of Admiral Moose’s assistant, who kept visiting Hildert’s bedroom whenever he felt like it.

Why did he keep approaching her so familiarly when he didn’t even remember her? Every time Biche saw his relaxed smile, her blood ran cold.

‘And he won’t even tell me his name!’

Whenever Biche asked his name, he unnaturally dodged the question. Yet he kept coming to Hildert’s bedroom, making her nervous.

After countless of these tense nights repeated, her gratitude towards him gradually faded.

“Are you out of your mind, wanting to die? What if we get caught!”

“Well… if we get caught, both you and I will have our heads chopped off by our masters.”

The man retorted sarcastically, pretending to clean his ear. Biche pushed him towards the window and scoffed.

“If you know that, why do you keep coming? Do you keep doing this because you feel sorry for me?”

“Sorry? What for?”

He asked with a genuinely puzzled expression. Biche looked at him with mixed feelings, his face oddly innocent.

‘This guy… he still doesn’t remember me.’

No wonder he didn’t seem to feel a shred of guilt about it. Her pride was hurt. She felt foolish for having relied on and missed a boy whose name she didn’t even know in the past.

Biche deliberately turned her back to him to hide her reddening eyes. Pretending to straighten the bed, she spoke sarcastically.

“Or… did you fall for me at first sight or something?”

“What?”

“Do you like me that much? Enough to risk death sneaking into the Boatswain’s bedroom every time?”

Biche looked back at him with a frown. The man, looking wronged, thought for a long moment before nodding.

“Ugh… Damn it, fine. Let’s say that’s it.”

‘You’re not very talented at lying…’ Biche stared at him with drowsy, half-lidded eyes.

“Hmph. You’ve fallen for me?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t lie. Who in the world falls for a girl and doesn’t even ask her name? You don’t even know my name yet.”