Sea Monster Stew Chapter 83

Just as thunder ominously rumbled overhead, the sea serpent, still wrapped tightly around Biche with its tongue, plunged its head underwater.

 

*SPLASH!*

 

A massive column of water shot up, and her body was swallowed into the deep sea. 

 

In the cold, dark abyss, faint murmuring could be heard.

 

‘Those bastards are really tough.’

‘They survived Hilde’s rebellion. Of course they’d be tenacious.’

 

‘Ah, the Captain is back.’

 

‘Captain! Please, retreat now! I don’t want to get tangled up with them any further!’

The serpent’s tongue, which had been constricting her waist, felt like it was loosening. 

 

Biche opened her eyes wide in the pitch-black darkness.

 

Beyond the cold water currents enveloping her body, the fierce sound of cannon fire echoed faintly. 

 

All around was submerged in dark blue-black darkness, giving the feeling of having fallen into a cave where not a single ray of light enters. 

 

Occasionally, lightning flashed white far above on the high sea surface.

 

As her vision blurred and twisted, bizarre forms began to emerge one by one from the darkness. 

 

Dozens of sea creatures pierced through the darkness and began to surround Biche.

The male-form sea creatures all held spears or harpoons. 

 

But the shapes of their tail fins were all different. 

 

Some had tails resembling sharks, while others had long, lush fins like tropical fish.

Behemoth-type sea creatures exhaled bubbles from their gills and slithered toward Biche. 

 

There were behemoths with bodies as large as houses, but some creatures, smaller than Biche, were busily moving their tentacles.

Each creature’s form was different and unfamiliar, making Biche feel as if she were dreaming.

Was it because she had become the target of countless eyes? Her entire body stiffened as if frozen. 

 

Sharp, cold gazes pierced her from all sides. 

 

The gazes of the sea creatures followed her slowly.

‘I’ve never seen so many sea creatures up close before…’

Biche looked around at the sea creatures and swallowed dryly. 

 

Until now, the only sea creatures she had met were her biological father Akis, Calante, Fui, and those unfortunate ones captured by slaver ships, pirate crews, or witches.

‘Is that wench the one?’

A sea creature’s voice echoed like a reverberation in the darkness.

 

‘She does look a bit similar…’

Another creature muttered, scanning her with eight pairs of eyes. 

 

Biche shrank back, looking at the creatures baring their sharp teeth.

Glancing down, she saw the sea serpent, coiling its long, massive body. 

 

Its fully revealed body looked even larger than the Crocus pirate crew’s ship.

‘Captain, where did you find that wench?’

 

Someone asked the sea serpent. Biche’s eyes shook widely.

That giant sea monster was the captain of the Ritcher pirate crew? It was utterly unbelievable.

‘In the armory.’

The deep, low resonance she had heard above the sea shook the darkness once more. 

 

It was the sea serpent’s voice. 

 

The sea creatures all began to stir.

‘The armory? Not the brig?’

 

‘Isn’t Admiral Kisa said to detest sea creatures?’

‘Exactly. I thought he’d have thrown her in the brig as soon as he kidnapped her from Hilde. Was I mistaken?’

The murmurs of the sea creatures rippled with bewilderment. 

 

Biche looked around rapidly with a confused expression. 

 

Then, a male-form sea creature approached Biche and spoke coldly.

 

‘Our objective is achieved, so let’s get out of here as soon as possible.’

 

‘Yes! We don’t want to get involved with those heinous bastards any longer.’

Other creatures also nodded vehemently in agreement. 

 

Biche found the creatures’ claim absurd. 

 

They were the ones who ambushed the Crocus pirate crew, and now they don’t want to be involved?

‘…Agreed.’

The sea serpent slowly nodded. Then it swiftly raised its huge head toward Biche. 

 

In the darkness, its yellow eyes flashed, and its maw gaped open, revealing a black, cavernous throat.

 

Sharp teeth filled Biche’s vision. 

 

A fierce whirlpool swirled inside the dark throat. 

 

Biche’s body was being sucked in as if pulled inside.

Her eyes widened in horror, filled with shock. ‘Could it be… it’s going to eat me?’

Her mind went blank white. Her heart sank with a thud as fear consumed her whole body.

‘No, Captain!’

The surrounding sea creatures shouted urgently, but despite their pleas, the serpent had already swallowed Biche in one gulp.

The black, cavernous throat swallowed her entire field of vision. 

 

Biche squeezed her eyes shut and, without realizing it, screamed Kisa’s name.

“Kisa!”

 

Her consciousness fragmented and blurred. 

 

Then, a deep, cold abyss completely swallowed her.

 

* * *

 

The shadow of the Ritcher pirate crew appeared with a fierce storm and then suddenly vanished. 

 

The deafening roars shaking the sea, the massive waves, and the wind and rain subsided abruptly as if cut off.

The black pirate ship approaching with billowing sails receded without a trace, and even the storm that had been shaking the hull dissipated like a lie, revealing a clear night sky.

However, the scars of battle remained vividly on the pirate ship. 

 

The crew ran about the deck in disarray, repairing broken masts and damaged hull.

The condition of the portside hull, bitten off by the giant sea serpent, was particularly severe. 

 

Cold seawater was seeping through the gap, eroding the interior. 

 

Moreover, the cannons had been pushed overboard during the battle, causing significant damage.

 

Kisa, inspecting the hull, gritted his teeth. 

 

He couldn’t understand the battle that had ended so pointlessly. 

 

Why did the Ritcher pirate crew launch such a fierce attack and then suddenly retreat?

 

“Merfolk, no, human-form sea creatures can conjure storms with magic.”

Admiral Moose muttered, taking off her rain-soaked hat.

“That storm earlier was probably raised by the crew of the Ritcher pirate crew.”

“…I just don’t understand.” Kisa muttered lowly through gritted teeth. “Why did they suddenly attack us? We’ve never had any significant contact with them before.”

“Is that so? I think I saw them a couple of times at pirate banquets…”

 

“I never saw them.”

 

“That’s because you always run off the moment you have to sit facing a sea creature, saying you feel sick!” Moose retorted in a relaxed tone with a smirk.

 

“They’re creatures with their base underwater; maybe they haven’t heard the news of the Crocus crew’s dissolution yet?”

 

“Talk sense.”

“Why not? Maybe they thought Hilde was still on our side, recklessly attacked, realized he wasn’t on board, and hurriedly retreated…”

“That’s enough, Moose.” Kisa coldly cut her off.

“Valen, you think that snake-like bastard didn’t know Hilde had betrayed us by now? If he were that stupid, he wouldn’t have become captain.”

“Oh my? Not ‘snake-like’; he’s literally a snake. A sea serpent. A sea serpent.”

“Enough with the silly jokes. You go check on the wounded.”

“Yes, sir~”

Even after Moose left, Kisa stood on the deck for a long time, staring at the dark blue sea.

 

Confused thoughts swirled endlessly in his head.

‘Why? Why did they attack us just as we left the waters of Whecoca?’ 

 

As he turned his body toward the armory, asking himself this question, several crewmen, soaked with seawater, climbed onto the deck.

 

“Admiral!”

“What is it?”

“Well, sir, earlier, that giant serpent’s head grabbed a woman hiding in the storeroom with its tongue and dragged her away!”

“…A woman?”

 

Deep furrows formed between Kisa’s brows. 

 

He glared at the visibly excited crewmen and spoke irritably.

“Explain more clearly and calmly.”

 

“The inner storeroom door slid open then, and some woman appeared too!”

Another crewman added excitedly.

 

“And she wasn’t just any ordinary woman. That woman… she was a sea creature.”

“A sea creature?”

Kisa’s eyes flashed like a beast’s. 

 

So, there had been a creature hiding on this ship? The sea creature smell he detected earlier was from that female creature?

“That woman, her skin was covered in green scales, and she had webbed hands. For a creature, she was wearing clothes white as snow… Ah, and her hair was long and blonde.”

“…Blonde…”

Kisa’s mind instantly conjured up Biche’s pale face. 

 

His chest tightened strangely. He unconsciously bit his lip and frowned.

“But, sir, about that woman…”

Another crewman hesitated for a long moment before cautiously speaking up.

“She… resembled the Duke’s daughter, your lover.”