Sea Monster Stew Chapter 81

Orca dragged his weary body toward the senior officers’ meeting room at the Resistance headquarters. 

 

All along the long, dimly lit corridor, sighs seeped out between his clenched teeth every step of the way.

Just one meeting with Calyxo and he felt completely drained. 

 

He ground his teeth, recalling Calyxo whimpering on the top floor of the green castle.

Calyxo had lain on her giant seashell-shaped bed for hours, spinning a tale of woes. 

 

Half was resentment toward her son who had become the Empire’s dog, and the other half of her lament was pity for the executed Captain Hawk.

For an old witch supposedly bedridden from shock, her mouth was surprisingly lively. 

 

After listening to nearly identical complaints for half a day, his head was spinning. 

 

He even envied Admiral Kisa, who had long since left the green castle and set sail.

“Raising a son like a prince, pampered on an island of witches… that was the problem…”

Grumbling, he opened the meeting room door and was greeted by a clamor. 

 

The atmosphere in the meeting room was more chaotic than usual. 

 

The Resistance leadership and several subordinates were gathered around a round table, busily examining maps.

As Orca entered the meeting room with a sigh, silence fell for a moment. 

 

Orca took a seat, his face utterly weary.

“Ugh… damn, I’m tired…”

He moved his stiff neck this way and that for a bit. 

 

Then he sharply asked the commanders, who were only watching his reaction.

“Why is the atmosphere like this?”

“Ah… well, Commander Orca.”

The officers exchanged secretive glances. 

 

They seemed hesitant about who should speak first. 

 

Finally, Camilla, who had been sitting with a sullen face, sighed and stepped forward.

“The sea creatures we took from Hildert… they’re gone.”

“What? The creatures are gone?”

“Yes. We’ve searched everywhere, but not a single scale has been found…”

For a moment, his ears rang. 

 

Anger and bewilderment surged simultaneously. 

 

Orca gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the round table.

“My hos—… I mean, my trump cards are gone? How the hell were you watching them?”

“You were about to say ‘hostages,’ weren’t you?”

Camilla timidly countered, giving Orca a sideways glance.

“The male-form sea creature seduced the guard and got the magic shackles removed.”

“Dammit, what was the point of deliberately assigning a male guard then…”

“…Couldn’t we just end the story beautifully by saying the Resistance gave the poor creatures their freedom?”

“Freedom? I always intended to set them free eventually.”

Orca scowled with an unpleasant expression.

“It’s just that showing those two to Arcobicche Akstain was supposed to come first.”

“See! You were planning to use them as leverage to blackmail Miss Akstain!”

“Blackmail? That makes me sound like a villain.”

“You are a villain, aren’t you?”

Camilla retorted firmly.

“Not removing the magic shackles and keeping them locked in tanks was villainous enough. Admit it.”

Camilla’s point stung Orca’s chest, but he quickly regained his composure. 

 

His mind was racing nonstop.

The sea creatures probably hadn’t left Whecoca yet. 

 

Surely, they were looking for an opportunity to get Arcobicche away from the pirates. 

 

The corner of Orca’s mouth twitched upward.

“Those two are still inside Whecoca. I’m sure of it.”

At his words, Camilla clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“If Miss Akstain finds out those two were forcibly captured by the Resistance, even our alliance with the Crocus pirate crew could be jeopardized, right?”

The others gathered in the meeting room also nodded in agreement with Camilla. 

 

But Orca, not the least bit disheartened, shrugged nonchalantly.

“Miss Akstain has her own weaknesses in our hands, so she probably won’t probe too deeply?”

“You’re not just brazen, you’re downright wicked? You really sound like a villain right now.”

“So I’m a villain. So what.”

“To think such a person is one of the Resistance’s senior officers…”

As Camilla’s lament echoed and scattered into the air, Orca roughly pushed back his wooden chair and stood up. 

 

Camilla and the officers looked up at him, bewildered.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to find them.”

Orca’s flat voice resonated lowly throughout the meeting room.

“They might have taken advantage of Admiral Kisa’s absence to approach Arcobicche.”

“Then the “Blue Stag” inn where the pirate crew is staying…?”

“Exactly. Have you searched the inn?”

“Ah, no. We tried to avoid contact with the pirate crew as much as possible, so the inn was excluded from the search area.”

“We need to check the inn immediately.”

Just then, the meeting room door swung open noisily, and a young soldier rushed in breathlessly. 

 

The soldier gasped for breath and reported.

“The granddaughter of Duke Akstain has gone missing!”

The room was plunged into a momentary silence. 

 

Camilla and the officers all looked up at Orca with shaken eyes. 

 

Everyone’s concern was directed at one point: that foul-tempered commander was finally going to explode.

But contrary to everyone’s expectations, Orca wore a sinister smile on his lips.

“…It’s the work of those escaped creatures.”

He turned toward the door without a moment’s hesitation.

“They kidnapped Miss Akstain without missing the opportunity when Admiral Kisa left the island.”

“We… we’ll ask the witches for help and search the island again.”

“No, forget it. It’s already been enough time for them to have gone out to sea.”

Orca hurried his steps and barked roughly at the soldiers.

“Get the ships ready! Now!”

The soldiers flinched like startled rabbits, then immediately scattered and ran out. 

 

Orca also stormed out the door without even catching his breath. 

 

He didn’t forget to point at Camilla even as he crossed the threshold.

“Camilla. Come with me.”

“Why should I…?”

“Hurry.”

Camilla wanted to stay in her dear hometown for a while and rest. 

 

But no such luxury was granted. 

 

In the end, as if pushed by Orca’s momentum, she trudged along after him.

 

* * * 

 

A dark night where even moonlight failed to penetrate the clouds. 

 

The Crocus pirate crew’s ship quietly cut through the water. 

 

The wind was calm, and the waves swelled lowly as if holding their breath.

Biche looked around with a pale face. 

 

Cannons were lined up neatly along one wall, and between them, wooden boxes stacked with heavy cannonballs were visible.

Fortunately, no crew member guarding this area was in sight. 

 

The interior was eerily quiet, and the silence itself heightened the tension.

“Hey, did you hear that story?”

Just then, a man’s rough voice came from somewhere. Biche held her breath and listened.

“What story?”

“They say Kamoshi from the 4th ship got, you know, involved with one of the gray mine witches.”

“What? Romance with a sea witch… That guy’s got guts.”

“Right? The age gap must be over 200 years.”

“Is age really the problem? One wrong move and you could be turned into a frog or a snake by the witch’s magic.”

The intermittent sound of crew members’ conversation came from beyond a thick wooden door. 

 

Drunken laughter and heavy footsteps lightly echoed through the corridor.

‘…Hiding here tonight is the best option.’

Biche entered a storage area deeper inside, gauging the presence beyond the wall. 

 

She crouched down in a corner piled high with cannonballs.

The fishy smell of seawater wafted from her damp clothes. 

 

Biche hugged her knees, staring blankly at her bare feet. 

 

Shimmering scales covered the top of her feet like a thin film, and greenish webbing had sprouted between her toes.

With each exhale, the gills on her neck slowly opened and closed. 

 

Biche absently traced the area around her gills with her fingertips, lost in thought.

What if she were discovered by the pirate crew in this state? Surely, they wouldn’t hesitate to draw their weapons and aim for her heart.

In the chilling grip of fear, Biche suddenly recalled one person’s face.

‘Kisa…’

Someone more precious to her than anyone, yet also the one who could most easily destroy her.

If she were discovered by the pirates looking like this now and brought before Kisa… 

 

‘How would he react? Would he smile and hold out his hand again, saying it’s okay? Or would he point the blade of hatred at me?’

‘Could Kisa ever forgive me? No, even the word ‘forgiveness’ might be a luxury.’

 

‘The moment the whole truth is revealed, in Kisa’s eyes, I won’t be his beloved partner but a disgusting monster.’