Sea Monster Stew Chapter 41

Kisa stood at the bow, slowly surveying the fog, white as snow. 

 

*Splash, splash*

 

No sound could be heard except for the weak waves, and the grey rocks forming the gorge were faintly visible through the fog.

He slowly raised his head, following the steep cliff face. 

 

The sound of instruments occasionally drifted down from the high gorge. 

 

The harmonica, mandolin, and drum blended into one, creating a rather beautiful melody.

 

“Is there a settlement nearby?”

As he abruptly spoke, Paul the helmsman, who had been dozing off in front of the mast, jerked upright.

“Huh? Who just spoke?”

Paul wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and looked up at Kisa. 

 

He stared blankly at the giant skin’s massive face, its menacing eyes, and its black beard, then suddenly snapped to attention.

 

“Oh, it’s you, Admiral…”

 

“I asked if there’s a settlement nearby.”

“Ah, yes. I believe the pearl divers who supply our pirate fleet live gathered up on the gorge.” Paul nodded, looking up at the cliff from where the singing came.

“Seems like they’re having some kind of festival. I can faintly smell roasted meat too.”

 

“Meat?”

Kisa frowned and directed his gaze up the cliff. 

 

The helmsman was right; there was a faint smell of greasy meat. 

 

It was the savory smell of roasting red meat, not fish.

“I was under the impression there are no land animals in the forests around here.”

“Hunting isn’t the only way to get red meat, you know.” Paul added in a suggestive voice.

“Shall we go up and get some meat and liquor? If we drop your name, Admiral, those villagers will tremble and gladly offer up their festival food, won’t they?”

“I’m sure I told you clearly not to harass the commoners.”

 

Kisa drove his massive fist into Paul’s head. 

 

Paul cried “Yeeek!” and tumbled forward.

“That’s too much, Admiral! Your fist is as big as my torso! Ugh…”

 

Paul, squirming on the deck, suddenly lifted his head and protested.

“You’ve been even more irritable lately. Things are not going well with your lover?”

“What?”

 

Paul didn’t know that when Kisa’s voice became calm was the most dangerous time. 

 

Oblivious to the giant skin contorting in anger, he blabbered on.

 

“You’ve been going around with a big, goofy grin lately, sir! Everyone’s been whispering that the Admiral must have started a relati—”

 

Kisa grabbed Paul’s round head with his large hand. 

 

He almost crushed it, then thought better of it, lifted the guy up, and flung him overboard in one swift motion.

“Aaaaah!”

Paul’s form, tracing a parabolic arc, disappeared into the white fog. 

 

*Splash!*

 

A large sound of water was heard, and only after a considerable delay did a shout come from beyond the fog.

“That’s really too much!”

“That bastard. Don’t let him back on the ship until dawn tomorrow.”

Kisa gave the order to a nearby loitering crewman and went inside. 

 

He passed through a corridor laid with red carpet and entered the Admiral’s quarters.

The moment the door closed, the broad shoulders of the giant skin slumped. 

 

He shed the skin, letting the limbs droop, and stood on the plush carpet with his own two feet.

‘Going around with a goofy grin? Me?’ 

 

Kisa gritted his teeth and kicked the giant skin out of his sight with a thump. 

 

It was too undeniable a fact, and having no retort made him even angrier.

The whole time Biche was with him, he had been grinning like an idiot, and after sending her away, his temper had become even more foul. 

 

They were all indisputable facts.

“…Damn it.”

Pacing the Admiral’s quarters with a troubled expression, he impulsively grabbed his robe. 

 

He roughly threw the black woolen robe over his shoulders and violently shoved the window open. 

 

The dark blue sea was faintly visible beyond the pale fog.

 

In one fluid motion, he vaulted over the windowsill and threw himself into the fog. 

 

Simultaneously, he snapped his fingers sharply.

 

*Screee!* As soon as the sharp bird cry was heard, a giant bird appeared from within the fog. 

 

Kisa landed lightly on the bird skin, from which all bones and organs had been removed.

“Take me to the top of the cliff.”

It was better to scout the nearby village than to mope miserably in his quarters, thinking about Biche. 

 

It was suspicious that the savory smell of red meat was coming from this barren land where there wasn’t a single land animal.

The bird quietly nodded its head and turned towards the gorge. 

 

Each time its huge wings flapped, the tightly furled sails shook as if stirred by a great wind.

The bird flew straight into the white fog. 

 

As it soared skyward, the fog soon began to thin. 

 

Kisa narrowed his eyes, surveying the orange lights dotting the rocky cliffs above.

A larger-than-expected village occupied the top of the gorge. 

 

Despite the sun having set, the whole village was bustling, and the circular square was packed with people.

 

Four long tables were lined up in the square, and the villagers were gathered around them, sharing food.

“Fly to a secluded spot.”

 

Kisa kept his eyes on the villagers moving large cauldrons as he gave the order. 

 

The bird slowly descended behind a row of wooden buildings.

“Hide nearby.”

The moment the flat wooden roof came close, he leaped down. 

 

The bird only took flight towards the dark blue night sky after confirming he had landed safely.

Kisa concealed himself on the roof and looked around. 

 

Thick, black smoke was billowing from a protruding brick chimney. 

 

The smell of raw, savory meat and hearty stew was heavily infused in the smoke.

‘Raw meat?’

 

He tilted his head and looked down towards the village square. 

 

The faces of the pearl divers were flushed red as they drank heavily with the other villagers.

The village maidens, dressed in proper white linen dresses, were gathered in a circle around a tall stack of firewood. 

 

Each wore a wreath woven from blue flowers, and they sang and danced in a circle around the blazing firewood.

It seemed a village festival was being held, perhaps to wish the divers a good catch.

 

Kisa stared blankly at the village maidens laughing with rosy cheeks.

He superimposed Biche’s blushing face onto some of the maidens. 

 

A fair face with golden hair, wearing a blue wreath, dancing while holding a dazzling skirt hem. 

 

The giggling smile looked incredibly happy. It was a smile she could never have obtained on the filthy pirate island.

‘…My imagination is disgustingly shallow.’

 

He shook his head and averted his eyes from the maidens. 

 

Biche was a noble lady from an Imperial family. He felt pathetic imagining her frolicking at a rural festival like this.

Kisa didn’t know what clothes nobles wore, how they adorned themselves, or what they did for entertainment. 

 

The only nobles he’d seen were when he went to the palace with his parents as a child and saw their backs from a distance.

Surely Biche would lead a life more splendid than those nobles he saw back then. 

 

As if she had never suffered in a pirate den, she would forget all the painful past and live happily with her family.

 

“…What an idiot. No point in flying all the way out here.”

 

In the end, even after escaping his dark quarters, he had ended up thinking about Biche. 

 

He sighed and turned his head towards the long tables.

On each table were several platters of roasted whole beasts of unknown origin. 

 

Kisa narrowed his eyes and examined the food. No matter how he looked, it didn’t seem like a pig, cow, or even horse. 

 

The torso, roasted a savory brown, was plump like livestock.

But the severed neck was strangely thin, and the four legs splayed on the oval platter had no hooves. The tail was also different from that of a cow, pig, or horse.

He narrowed his eyes further and stared at the tail of the large roast. 

 

Then his eyes widened.

‘That’s… a fin, isn’t it?’

The characteristic thin fin of a sea creature was tattered and attached to the tip of the tail. 

 

Looking closer, there were even scattered, burnt scales around the roast.

 

‘Don’t tell me?’

 

Kisa turned his body urgently. 

 

He stared at the brick chimney billowing white smoke. 

 

The savory smell of raw meat mixed in the smoke bothered him again. 

 

This time, he could also detect a fishy sea scent he hadn’t noticed before.

“These damn bastards.”

He spat out a rough curse and leaped down into a back alley. 

 

Then, passing a fence where nets were drying, he approached the large wooden building he had just jumped from. 

 

The back door was wide open. The sound of metal bowls clashing and a man’s shout came from inside.

“Hey! Someone come get these bowls! The meat stew is done!”

It sounded like the voice of the cook in charge of the festival food. 

 

Without hesitation, Kisa stepped into the building, from which the smell of fishy blood and savory food wafted.