Sea Monster Stew Chapter 77

‘It said the stew today is made with different ingredients, so I can eat it without worry? Just what were the ingredients in that meat stew from yesterday?’

Biche stared intently at the stew, ruminating over the familiar’s words. 

 

A strange sense of unease settled in a corner of her heart once more. 

 

She hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage and speaking up.

“What exactly were the ingredients in the stew I ate yesterday?”

“Ah, that was…”

The familiar, who had been answering nonchalantly, suddenly cut off. 

 

A momentary hesitation flickered across its fluttering wings.

“…It was just ordinary pork, nothing special about it!”

The voice sounded hurried, as if trying to hide something. 

 

Biche narrowed her eyes, turning the familiar’s answer over in her mind again. 

 

That doesn’t add up.

“If it was just ordinary pork, why did you tell me I could eat this without worry?”

“Um, well. The stew you had yesterday had a lot of the witches’ spices in it too…”

 

The evasive excuse only deepened her suspicion. 

 

The familiar flapped its wings hurriedly and flew towards the door.

“Enjoy your meal. I have things to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

The butterfly-shaped figure passed right through the closed door and vanished from sight. 

 

Left alone, Biche felt a heavy weight of distrust settle in her chest.

‘It can’t be…’

The image of the sea creature carcass she had seen in the square floated back into her mind. 

 

Her thoughts kept veering towards the worst possible assumption.

Eventually, Biche draped her shawl over her shoulders and cautiously pushed the door open.

 

The air spreading through the empty hallway felt strangely heavy.

She followed the stairs down to the first floor, submerged in noisy chaos. 

 

The pirate crew members were laughing, shouting, and clinking glasses even in the middle of the day.

 

“Miss! Good morn—… no, good afternoon!”

Some with flushed faces waved at her warmly.

“Admiral Kisa went to meet old hag Calyxo.”

“Yes… I know. Thank you.”

Biche forced the corners of her mouth up into an awkward smile. 

 

But her stiffened facial muscles couldn’t hide her unease and tension.

 

Exchanging awkward nods with the crew members, she scanned her surroundings. 

 

The space used as both a tavern and dining hall was already packed tight with pirates.

Greasy plates and cups were piled high on the tables, the air filled with the men’s rough laughter and curses. 

 

Tusa, the innkeeper, was bustling between tables with a flock of butterfly familiars.

“Over here, one more bowl!”

“Hey, Tusa! Any more meat?”

 

“Talk one at a time, you blasted pirates!”

Tusa, who had been running back and forth, roared angrily. 

 

The crew members just guffawed at her shouting and swearing. 

 

Biche seized the moment while Tusa was flustered.

Keeping her head slightly down, she quietly moved towards the kitchen. 

 

Passing among the burly crew members helped her avoid Tusa’s notice. 

 

The clamorous noise masked her footsteps.

Biche carefully entered the arched passageway leading to the kitchen. 

 

Warm air mingled with the smells of food and acrid smoke.

Looking around, Biche suddenly stopped in her tracks. 

 

One entire wall of the kitchen was blackened with soot.

 

The grayish powder scattered on the floor, half-burnt pieces of wood, and the faint lingering smell of smoke. 

 

It all seemed like evidence of a large explosion.

‘The explosion I heard yesterday… Could Admiral Moose have set off an explosion spell?’

That loud noise seemed to echo in her ears once more. 

 

‘How angry must she have been to cause an explosion? Just what did Admiral Moose see here?’

Feeling a sudden chill, Biche looked around the kitchen. 

 

Maybe Tusa had left some of the stew ingredients from yesterday somewhere. 

 

Holding onto a sliver of hope, she approached the counter.

On the countertop, only pots, a cutting board, and leftover vegetable scraps lay scattered messily. 

 

No clear clues were in sight.

 

Biche carefully bent down, examining the floor. 

 

Maybe there were some small traces left.

 

Tension crept into her fingertips. 

 

The thought that Tusa could return at any moment made her heart beat irregularly faster.

 

From beyond the passageway, the pirates’ laughter never ceased. 

 

The sounds of clinking glasses and boisterous conversation washed over her like waves.

 

“Damn you pirates, don’t break the glasses!”

 

Tusa’s shouts could be heard occasionally. 

 

She didn’t seem likely to come to the kitchen right away.

 

But Biche didn’t relax; she slowly surveyed the kitchen again. 

 

A large oak barrel placed in the corner drew her gaze. 

 

A fishy smell seeped out from the loosely fitted lid.

Carefully approaching and lifting the lid, she revealed a purplish-red lump of meat covered in swarming flies.

The moment she discovered the dark green scale fragments caught between the meat fibers, Biche’s heart sank with a thud. 

 

Instinct whispered: this is definitely not meat from an ordinary animal.

With trembling fingertips, she gently pressed the lump of meat. 

 

The swarm of flies buzzed and scattered in all directions.

Bringing her trembling hand close to her nose, she sniffed. 

 

Though it was spoiled meat, the fishiness ingrained in the flesh felt oddly familiar.

With a dazed expression, Biche searched her memory. 

 

The meat stew Tusa had served her as soon as she arrived at the inn yesterday. 

 

The pieces of meat floating in that steaming broth.

 

The same smell wafted from the lump before her as from what she had chewed and swallowed.

“…Sea creature?”

 

Her softly uttered voice was buried by the pirates’ laughter from beyond the wall. 

 

Her stomach churned violently, and her lips felt parched. 

 

Her chest tightened painfully, and her breathing grew ragged.

Although living in human form, she was a half-sea creature. 

 

The blood of the sea creatures her father had passed down flowed within her.

A secret she could never reveal to humans, including Kisa. 

 

That secret now pushed her into torment.

“Did I… eat my own kind…?”

Biche staggered back. 

 

As her body bumped against the counter, the scattered cooking utensils clattered to the floor. 

 

But in the bustling tavern, no one noticed her presence.

Her mind went blank. 

 

The texture of chewing her kin’s flesh vividly revived in her mind. 

 

Her breath grew increasingly labored, as if she had been running.

Leaning against the counter, Biche gasped for breath. 

 

The pirates’ raucous laughter sounded like noise from another world.

 

She wanted to flee this place immediately. 

 

But her legs felt rooted to the floor, refusing to move.

 

Just as her vision blurred and her consciousness began to fade, a man’s deep voice came from behind.

“Arco?”

Biche’s heart sank as she slowly turned around. 

 

Kisa stood in the kitchen entryway, his face stern.

“Arco, why are you in the kitchen…?”

 

She tried to speak, but her tongue felt like stone. 

 

Pressed down by guilt and self-loathing, she couldn’t utter a word.

Kisa’s gaze moved to the open oak barrel. 

 

For an instant, his pupils shook with shock.

He strode over in a flash and gripped her shoulders firmly. 

 

His rough touch carried a sense of urgency and what seemed like anger.

“Let’s get out of here. It’s dangerous to wander into a witch’s space carelessly.”

His words sounded more like a scolding than a simple admonishment. 

 

He firmly took her hand and turned towards the passageway.

Biche tensed her legs, resisting being pulled away by him. 

 

Kisa slowly turned back to her with a bewildered expression.

“Arco?”

“Kisa… That stew I ate yesterday, right after I arrived here…”

Her voice cracked. Unable to meet Kisa’s eyes, she hung her head low.

‘I’m a monster who ate my own kin.’ 

 

The more she dwelled on that fact, the harder it became to breathe.

“Was it… made from sea creature…?”

“Stop it, Arco.”

Kisa cut her off firmly, pulling Biche into a tight embrace.

 

“It was a mistake… None of it was your fault.”

His words planted conviction in her mind once more. 

 

Biche’s eyes widened in his broad embrace.

“So I really did… eat a sea creature… yesterday?”

Just as Kisa was about to answer, her vision began to darken. 

 

Biche’s body slowly collapsed.

“Arco!”

Feeling Kisa’s urgent touch, she lost consciousness. 

 

The pirates’ laughter echoing from beyond the wall faded into the distance.

 

* * *

 

Biche slowly awoke from sleep to the sound of a clatter. She was on a warm bed. 

 

Though covered with a thick quilt, a chilly emptiness from reality enveloped her whole body.

Outside the window was dark, and a faint green light danced within the fireplace.

“Awake?”

A cold wet cloth touched her forehead. 

 

Biche slowly turned her head. 

 

Kisa was sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping her forehead with the cloth.

 

“Are you… feeling a bit better?”

Kisa’s voice was as gentle and soft as his caring touch. 

 

Instead of answering, Biche blinked dazedly.

The fireplace light filtering through her eyelids felt harsh. 

 

For a while, she only moved her lips weakly before finally, cautiously, speaking with a cracked voice.

“Kisa…”

 

“Yes?”

“That meat stew I ate yesterday. By any chance… was it made from sea creature meat?”

The air in the room instantly froze. Kisa’s hand, which had been stroking her forehead, flinched.

Unable to hide his startled expression for a moment, he soon let out a long sigh and slumped his shoulders. 

 

Then, as if he could hide it no longer, he slowly nodded.

“Yes.”