Kays Translations

Chapter 88: Riverside Party

In about five minutes after leaving the port, the ship reached the nearly central part of the river.

For a ship, there is nothing more frightening than running aground, so it's standard to navigate in deeper waters.

On the deck of the smoothly gliding ship, members of Team Orihime spent their time as they pleased.

"Once we get here, it's safe. The depth is good, and there won't be sudden changes in the current. It will be calm until the next port."

As the cool river breeze hinted at the arrival of autumn, Captain Revecchio approached Isamu.

"Ah, Captain Revecchio, thank you. It's so calm and pleasant. By the way, aren't you using the sails? It looks like you have a splendid mast."

Isamu turned around and looked up at the mast in the center of the deck.

"On this river, the wind generally blows from downstream to upstream throughout the year. Hoisting sails when going downstream would only slow us down. They're mostly for when we come back. Occasionally, we use them as brakes when the river's current is too fast, but that's rare."

"I see, that makes sense. Considering that, this Rusarsa River is very convenient for transportation."

Rivers have been used as means of transportation on Earth for a long time, but going upstream was labor-intensive. While it's possible to ascend using sails on rivers like this, other rivers required rowing or towing from the riverbank with ropes.

"Oh, it's a truly welcome story. We must express our gratitude to Rusarsa-sama’s divine will."

Revecchio made a prayer pose towards the water's surface. When praying to many gods, people usually look up to the sky, but since the Water Goddess Rusarsa is believed to reside underwater, prayers are offered facing downward. On closer inspection, a statue resembling Rusarsa was enshrined at the bow of the ship.

Continuing on smoothly, they arrived at the riverside port where they would anchor for the night when the sun had significantly tilted.

While not as large as the starting port, it was a proper harbor with multiple docks, accommodations, and other facilities.

Due to the hasty departure on the first day, Isamu couldn't explore the shops at the initial port. So, until dinner time, he wandered around to check out the stores.

Since most places other than eateries were already closing or had very few items left, and some had even closed early, he decided to revisit the shops the next morning.

As it was the first night, the dinner party, doubling as a crew social gathering, became lively, especially with the addition of alcohol.

Then, Orihime's popularity took a strange turn. The sturdy sailors, initially captivated by her cuteness, started acting a bit oddly after Isamu began telling stories from his original world.

Cats are good at hunting mice, and in Isamu’s world, "ship cats" often sailed on ships. Upon hearing this, the sailors became interested and started saying things like, "Not only cute but also a guardian protecting the ship; she should be worshipped alongside Lady Rusarsa." 

Then, Annemarie's remark, "If it's Oihime-sama's divine object, we already have it (with a smile)," further fueled the situation.

Various-sized divine objects were offered to the sailors  and after seeing them, asking if they could have them. However, Isamu only had a few divine objects on hand. 

He decided to offer one to them, so it can be placed at the bridge, and let them know to receive the rest from the church in the Viscount Klaufeldt's territory.

Additionally, since plush toys couldn't be enshrined at the bow of the ship, there was a request to create a bow-shaped figure for that purpose.

And so, starting from this day, it became a trend among sailors to enshrine the divine messenger Orihime alongside the Water Goddess Rusarsa at the bow of the ship.

The next morning, after the birth of this new belief in the world of Ethersia, Isamu and Annemarie were touring the shops in the harbor.

"Isamu-san, what are you going to buy?"

Anne Marie, who hadn't been told what they were buying, asked Isamu.

"Ah, I haven't mentioned it. Yesterday, we departed in the afternoon, but from today, we'll be having lunch on board. Since I brought a downsized magic stove, I thought we could enjoy a barbecue on the ship."

"Barbecue?"

"Yes. I don't know the exact definition, but in my country, we called it a barbecue when everyone gathered around a grill or griddle, cooking whatever they liked while having a lively meal. Since it produced smoke and the smell of oil, it was mostly done outdoors on holidays."

"Oh, I see. It sounds fun to eat while grilling together! Here, except for street vendors, eating outdoors is rare. Also, for adventurers, you never know when monsters might attack during an outdoor meal, so they tend to keep it simple."

In the world of Ethersia, once you step out of town, it becomes the territory of monsters. Therefore, outdoor culture is rarely practiced as a leisure activity. Adventurers camp when necessary, but since life is more valuable, they prefer quick and simple meals.

Moreover, since most ships are made of wood, using fire on board requires careful attention. Unlike ships that sail the open sea for days, river boats like the one they were on rarely have stoves in the first place.

Knowing these circumstances, Isamu thought about having a shipboard barbecue using a magic stove, which is relatively safe for cooking compared to an open flame.

Of course, it didn't have to be a barbecue; it could be a hot pot or anything else. However, the simplest option for cooking seemed to be a barbecue.

"Hmm, as for meat, let's buy that. The question is what to do about seafood. Since we're on a large river, it would be nice to have fish..."

Muttering such things, Isamu purchased ingredients while touring the shops. The improved bath carriage also had a refrigerator, so there was no need to worry about storage. Believing in appearances, the shop owner's words, and his own intuition, Isamu bought several types of fish and neatly stuffed them into the refrigerator.

The ship that had set sail continued to descend the river smoothly.

As they descended, the river gradually widened, and the mountainous scenery changed a bit.

Then, just before the sun reached its peak, preparations for Isamu’s barbecue began.

Four people assisted: the reliable high-spec head maid, Karina; the single noble who occasionally cooked, Wilem; the ship's cook, Wagor; and Yursira, one of Silvio's attendants, who could handle basic cooking.

By the way, Annemarie offered to help, but she was politely declined due to her previous creation of Object X.

"You're skilled at this."

"Yes, quite impressive."

A large bald man and a woman in a navy blue long dress with an apron watched as Isamu filleted the fish into three pieces.

His skill in filleting fish had become one of the few specialties he acquired during his time on Earth.

Next to Isamu, Wagor, a large bald man and the ship's cook, was also filleting fish.

Although it's rare to fillet on a ship, being seasoned sailors, they were accustomed to handling fish.

"This is a truy. The fat will come out, making it delicious."

While filleting, he explained what kind of fish it was. The fish he was filleting, called "truy," was similar to salmon or trout.

"Now, I'll marinate about half of it in herbs and vinegar."

In a navy blue long dress with an apron, Yursira, Silvio's attendant, seasoned the fish filleted by Isamu and Wagor.

Half of the fish would be salt-grilled, and the rest would be sautéed with herbs and vinegar.

As a Japanese person, Isamu would have preferred to lightly drizzle radish and soy sauce or make a miso-glazed dish, but unfortunately, he hadn't found either, so he had no choice but to give up.

Karina and Wilem cut the meat and vegetables, and the preparations for the ingredients were complete.

At the bow of the ship, on the open deck, Silvio and the veteran knight Mizeroi were setting up the venue.

After arranging the foldable tables and chairs originally provided on the ship, they lined up three downsized magic stoves on the tables.

Since it was a large griddle, they placed it over the stoves for preparation.

This griddle was also something Isamu had packed on the bath carriage, thinking it would be convenient for cooking when camping.

The sizzling sound and the appetizing smell of grilling filled the air on the ship.

Everyone stood, holding plates, and enjoyed the freshly grilled fish, meat, and vegetables.

Although the barbecue started with everyone sitting, the hassle of standing up each time to serve and then sitting down to eat became bothersome. In no time, it turned into a standing buffet style.

"Isamu, this is really good! Eating freshly grilled food on the spot is the best!"

Eto, who stood on a stool due to his height, happily bit into the meat.

"I never thought we could eat freshly grilled food on a ship. This magic tool called a magic stove is convenient because it doesn't produce fire!"

Captain Revecchio also joyfully stabbed at the fish.

"Alright, the meat is done. Hey, Marcela! Eat some vegetables too, not just meat!!"

"Eeeeh~!"

Mizeroi had completely transformed into a grilling supervisor. He loaded Marcela's plate, who had been eating only meat, with lots of vegetables.

"Captain! That meat was raised by me! Even if you're the captain, that's unforgivable!"

"Haha, the griddle is a battlefield! A knight who can't protect even a piece of meat on it isn't a true knight."

Liddell and Felix seemed to intend to turn the ship into a battlefield.

"Hehehe, everyone looks happy. Good job, Orihime."

"Nn~"

While feeding Orihime a boiled catfish with a bland white flesh, Isamu murmured.

It was a business trip, but since there was no difference from a trip, he thought it would be nice to make it a bit enjoyable. Seeing the members enjoying the barbecue with excitement, Isamu narrowed his eyes.

After the barbecue was over and the cleanup was done, on the lookout platform built on the bridge, the lookout spotted something.

"Hmm? What's that?"

About 100 meters to the starboard side, it seemed like a black shadow was emerging. It looked to be about three meters long.

"Is it driftwood or something? But it's moving pretty fast..."

As he continued to stare, the number of shadows increased to two or three, and before he knew it, there were over twenty, forming a large black mass.

"Hey... no way..."

Wide-eyed in shock, he couldn't help but be speechless.

At the same time, Orihime, who was grooming herself after the meal, stood up and stared straight to the starboard side.

Her ears became squid-like, and she frequently moved her whiskers.

Isamu, relaxing next to her, also noticed Orihime's abnormality.

"Orihime, what's wrong? Is there something you're concerned about..."

"Fuuuuu!!!"

"Hey, it's a monster! Enemy presence identified as river sharks about 100 Melte (1 Melte = 1 meter) to starboard! The number is... 20 or more!!"

The lookout shouted, and Orihime growled in caution, almost simultaneously.

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