CH 107

Chapter 107 – Departure!

“It moves so smoothly.”

Melk said as she gazed ahead while standing at the prow.

It was the day after I had built the boat, and we were now sailing down the river.

Aside from Iria, there was a representative from every Fendel tribe with us. As well as others from the village, and Monica and Ymir.

It was decided that the elders of each tribe would deal with things in the villages in our absence.

If anything happened, then the Tengu would come to report it to us.

The demihumans had a power that exceeded that of monsters and men, and so there should be no problem even if Iria and I are not there.

“Sir Joshua. Is it alright like this?”

As I stood next to the mast, Asuha spoke to me while flying above the boat.

“Aye, it is enough. You should rest a little, Asuha.”

I said, and then Asuha descended into the boat.

Even without Asuha’s wind magic, there was enough wind, and the current was strong, so the boat moved smoothly.

Since we had enough speed, we only needed to make sure that we didn’t hit any rocks, and were able to moor the boat safely.

“Woah! I can see it now!”

Mette shouted as she saw the horizon up ahead.

The surface of the water sparkled under the sunlight, and the smell of salt was in the air. We could see the sea.

Iria gasped at the sight of it.

“So much water…it’s like the sky. How far does it go?”

“I do not know. No human does. No one has seen what lies at the end of that sea. But according to sailors, there is more sea in the world than dry land. You could sail for months out there and never see a shore.”

Ecleshia looked a little horrified when she heard these words.

“No shore. That is unthinkable…”

“I have heard things about the sea. Things our ancestors said. That if you continue to sail through the waters, you will eventually reach a star in the sky.”

Said Monica.

There were similar stories passed on among humans. About it being connected to the underworld, or there being a waterfall that plunged into eternity.

However, voyaging into the great open sea…was not our purpose. We would stick to the shoreline and search for demihumans and try to learn more about the Demon King Army’s movements. And I also wondered about the child that had appeared in our village and left the clothes made of reeds.

In any case, this boat was much too small to head out into such hostile waters. We would need a great ship for that.

As everyone looked on with excitement, Mette lay down on the deck with a pale face and said,

“I-in any case, why don’t we stop somewhere on the shore and rest?”

“I agree… I don’t know why, but I feel dizzy.”

“Baaahhh… I can see a cake in front of me, and it is dancing.”

Ymir and Celes muttered. Apparently, they had become seasick.

As Melk told them they were being shameful, Iria muttered.

“We still have until sundown. But judging by how Mette is…”

“This is the limit. I suppose we stop near the mouth of the river and rest. And then we can camp there for today.”

I muttered as I looked ahead.

As we were so close to the sea now, the river had become much wider.

While resting, it might be a good idea to set up a place that would later become a base for trade.

A place to dock the boats when the current is too strong, or when there are storms at sea.

Just then, Melk pointed up ahead.

“I can see a small mountain over there.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s an island.”

Out of the river’s mouth, but still close to the shore, there was an island. I had thought that it was connected to the land at first, but it was separate.

From what I could see, it was probably about two-hundred beters wide. There was a mountain in the center that was about twenty beters tall, and trees grew around it. There was even a sandy beach around the island.

“As it is close to the mouth of the river, it will be a good landmark for return voyages when out at sea. And in terms of defense, it will be easier to hold than the shore… Alright, we’ll stop there.”

“In that case, I shall go ahead and scout out the place.”

“Thank you, Asuha.”

Asuha nodded and then took off towards the island.

After that, we followed after her.

While stirring the boat so that we didn’t crash into any rocks.

As for the sails, I had taught Iria and Monica how to use them in advance.

And just as we came out of the mouth of the river, Asuha returned.

“Sir Joshua. There were no dangerous creatures there. Mostly, there are just those white birds so often seen near the sea.”

“Seagulls, perhaps. In any case, it is probably not dangerous then. Thank you, Asuha.”

Eventually, the white sandy beach came into view.

And just as Asuha had said, there were only seagulls on the beach. It seemed doubtful that there was anything dangerous here.

As for the beach, it was made of fine sand, and the slope was gentle.

I suppose we could just pull the boat up onto the beach.

Mette and Berdos were especially strong. It would be easy to raise the boat onto the beach, as well as push it back into the water.

And so I stirred the boat so that it slid up onto the sand.

“I’m the first one.”

Said Melk as she landed on the sand.

She then sniffed the air around her.

It seemed like there was nothing unusual to smell.

“Hah, finally some solid ground.”

“Baahhh… I’m going to sleep right here now.”

Mette, Celes and Ymir almost looked like they were fainting as they rolled onto the beach.

“It looks so comfortable! …It’s smooth to the touch!”

Fletta also lay on the ground.

And so I took some sand to test it, and it was indeed very smooth.

“You could use such sand for a pillow. Perhaps we should call this White Sand Island, after this sand. Now, let us stay on White Sand Island today.”

And so we decided to set up camp here.