Sea Monster Stew – Chapter 19 – The Darkest Place is Under the Lamp

Author: Dakku-san

A wind carrying the cool scent of mint brushed past the shore.

The incoming waves gently caressed the sand.

Biche sat on the emerald-colored sandy beach, blankly gazing at the horizon.

The sea, tinged with the light of dawn, glittered calmly.

Before dawn broke, Muir had brought her back to the mint beach they had once visited together.

Without any formal words or consolation, he quietly stayed by her side, carefully stroking her back.

“Does your back hurt?”

At his question, Biche slowly shook her head.

“No. It feels a little better.”

“…Just by touching it, I can feel the Vice-Captain’s foul mood.”

Muir lightly brushed his hand over the thin robe covering the magic circle and clicked his tongue briefly.

“He seems really irritated right now. For someone who tore up the back of a woman much smaller than himself, I don’t get why he’s the one acting angry.”

Biche tilted her head and reached a hand behind her back.

She gently ran her fingertips over the wounded area, but aside from a faint, stinging pain, she couldn’t feel Hildert’s magic.

“You can feel that?”

“Magic power always carries a trace of its caster’s soul.”

He clicked his tongue again and moved his fingertips in a circle over Biche’s back.

“This magic circle is completely saturated with the Vice-Captain’s magic power, so no matter how far away he is, I can sense his presence.”

“I can’t feel anything…”

Biche fiddled with the hem of her robe with a puzzled expression.

The swelling on her skin, chafed by the thin fabric, had subsided a little, but it still throbbed with a stinging pain.

“Muir, are you… by any chance… a mage?”

She turned her gaze to his face, which was shadowed. He withdrew his hand from Biche’s back and frowned.

“Why do you ask?”

“Muir, I worked as a High Mage’s assistant for five years. Even though I have no magic power myself, I picked up a thing or two.”

Muir seemed uncomfortable with the topic, but Biche persistently stared at him, even as he kept avoiding her gaze.

“They said that mages can sense magic power at a very subtle, deep level—something ordinary people like me wouldn’t even notice.”

“…Tch. Did the Vice-Captain tell you that?”

He lay down flat on the sandy beach with a displeased look.

Biche studied him anew as he lay there, hands behind his head and long legs stretched out.

Lying like this, he reminded her of the insolent boy from his youth, lazing away his time in a hammock.

“A mage, huh…”

Muir muttered, looking up at the sky with darkened eyes.

“By bloodline, yes. But it’s not like I’m in any position to boast about being a mage.”

“Bloodline?… Was there a mage among your ancestors?”

He closed his eyes and let out a soft, scoffing laugh.

“Both of my late parents were royal mages.”

“Ah…”

“Before I could even receive proper training, they both died miserable deaths, so I never got the chance for them to refine my magic.”

Biche hesitated, studying his expression. A lingering sense of longing flickered within his bitter smile.

‘…I have no home to return to, no family either.’

A conversation from their childhood suddenly came to mind. Behind those bluntly spoken words lay hidden wounds and loneliness.

“Having spent five years under the Vice-Captain, you probably know more than I do.”

As if trying to lighten the heavy mood, Muir spoke playfully, opening one eye.

“I really don’t know a damn thing.”

“…But you’re also a mage’s assistant.”

“How can you, a sole assistant, be compared to me, just one among countless disposable underlings? I’ve never even set foot inside Admiral Moose’s research lab.”

Biche offered an awkward smile and turned her gaze back to the sea. The sun was already rising above the horizon.

She watched the slowly brightening scenery and took a deep breath of the cool breeze.

Countless emotions lingered in the flowing silence. Biche stared blankly at the sunlight spreading over the blue sea and murmured,

“It’s beautiful.”

“…Yeah. It is beautiful.”

Muir repeated her words, his gaze fixed on Biche. Feeling his stare prickling her cheeks, she pouted.

“Don’t just lie there. Get up and look.”

“Why? I can see just fine lying down.”

Muir propped his chin on his hand and turned onto his side. His gaze remained fixed on Biche’s flushed cheeks.

“As it gets brighter, I can see your puffy face even better.”

Biche shot him a glare before turning her head away.

Bright sunlight was gradually spreading across the dim beach. Objects hidden in the darkness began to reveal themselves one by one.

“Huh? What’s that ship…?”

Her eyes widened as she spotted a ship half-hidden behind the cliff. A large vessel with black sails was anchored near the cliff.

“Why is a ship docked here instead of at the port?”

“This is a place where underworld figures secretly moor their ships,” Muir said, sitting up. “Factions that need to meet with Captain Hawk, avoiding inspections and surveillance, often come here. Hmm, that ship…”

He narrowed his eyes, examining the ship, then let out a soft laugh.

“It’s a Resistance ship.”

“Resistance?”

“That’s what they call the rebel forces opposing the Helio Empire’s royal family.”

Her heart sank at the mention of her homeland. Biche took a sharp breath and stared intently at the ship.

If she could board that ship… maybe she could return home?

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

Muir grinned as if he had read her mind. He poked her cheek with his fingertip and spoke teasingly.

“The Resistance’s base isn’t your homeland, the Helio Empire.”

“…Who said anything?” Biche pouted and looked back at Muir. She was curious how he had identified the ship when even its sails were disguised with plain black cloth.

“But how did you know it’s a Resistance ship? The sails look like they’re camouflaged with black cloth…”

“If you can’t tell who the owner is after seeing that huge figurehead, that would be strange.”

Muir snorted and pointed his chin toward the ship’s prow. There, a massive sea serpent-shaped monster figurehead gaped with its mouth wide open.

“Like I said, they seem to be missing a screw or two.”

He shook his head while looking at the gilded figurehead.

“For a Resistance group, decorating their prow with such an eye-catching statue…”

“Muir, do you know who that ship’s captain is?”

“That’s the ship of the Northeastern Sea Area Commander.”

“…Why would a Resistance commander be meeting with pirates?”

“The Captain supplies weapons to the Resistance. It’s quite a lucrative business.”

Biche looked at Muir with suspicious eyes. Why was a governor under Admiral Moose so well-informed about the inner workings of the pirate crew?

Noticing her gaze, Muir cleared his throat awkwardly, brushed himself off, and stood up.

“Let’s head back. We need to get you to the servant quarters before the Head Maid starts looking for you.”

He helped Biche up slowly, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the Resistance ship.

“Then… if we sneak onto that ship secretly, couldn’t we leave Karabas unnoticed?”

She unintentionally murmured the thought floating in her head. Muir tilted his head slightly and smiled.

“Only someone insignificant enough for their absence to go unnoticed could do that.”

Instantly, Biche’s expression stiffened.

‘…Someone whose absence wouldn’t be noticed.’

The words settled quietly in the center of her chest. It described neither Biche nor Muir.

Even if they somehow managed to sneak onto the ship, escaping the Karabas sea region safely was impossible. Even before leaving the main island’s vicinity, their respective masters would surely notice their absence.

‘No, maybe it’s possible now, while Hildert is away. Admiral Moose did say she’s been too busy to pay attention to his governors lately…’

A single window of escape from this terrifying pirate den, free from the surveillance of the dreaded Hildert.

The feeling of hope blossomed rapidly in her chest. A tiny possibility became a lifeline.

The world she thought she could never escape from might just have a narrow crack.

Biche felt her own feet grow lighter. A bright light was finally pouring into her dark life.

She shook off the fear and helplessness that had weighed her down and was enveloped in a strange sense of liberation.

Was that why? The man before her began to seem like a savior.

He, glowing brilliantly in the sunlight, had never looked more beautiful.

“Muir. Come escape with me.”

Muir, who had been quietly facing the sea breeze, turned to look at her in surprise.

“What? Together? Escape…?”

“Yes. Leave this pirate den with me. Now, while Hildert is away, is our only chance.”

“Where do you think you’re recklessly running off to, you fool…?”

Muir’s startled expression vanished in an instant.

He stared out at the sea for a moment, lost in deep thought, then grabbed Biche’s shoulders firmly with his large hands and met her eyes.

Biche looked up at him with an anxious face, desperately hoping he would agree immediately.

“Not now.”

But the answer that came from Muir’s mouth was a denial close to despair.

“Why? Why not?”

“Finding out the true nature of the magic circle on your back comes first. We still don’t even know what spell Hildert cast on you.”

“Then, how long…? How much longer do we have to wait? Who knows when Hildert will be away again?”

The tears she had been suppressing finally burst forth.

Startled by her unexpected crying, Muir hurriedly pulled her into an embrace.

“Why are you crying? It’s not like I refused to go with you!”

“I… I can’t take it anymore…”

It was strange.

Whenever she stood before Muir, her patience crumbled for no reason, and her endurance vanished.

It felt like she had returned to her powerless girlhood when she first met him.

Was it because Hildert had exhausted her, both mentally and physically? Even things she would normally endure gracefully now made her cry like a child.

“Calm down. Escaping under cover of night requires meticulous preparation, right?”

“…Yeah…”

“I’ll look into that damned magic circle, so please stop crying.”

Biche nodded as if entranced. Thinking about it, Muir was right. If they attempted a rash escape, neither of them would survive.

“Then… let’s leave as soon as possible. Before Hildert returns… Okay? I want to go home soon…”

As she clung to him, sobbing, he looked flustered and awkwardly raised his arms.

Though he tried to act composed, he couldn’t hide the pounding of his heart against his chest.

Unaware of this, Biche leaned against his warm body temperature.

Muir held the sobbing Biche tightly with stiff arms.

As he enclosed her small, pitifully trembling body in his embrace, his heart grew even more wretched.

He buried the truth he ultimately couldn’t voice deep in his heart.

‘No, I can’t leave. Because I am the Admiral of the Crocus Pirates.’