The old fisherman says, "The place you see is a week's boat ride from here.

'The place the old man sees is a week's boat ride away from here in the open sea.
A week on the boat?

　Then you could fly over and you'd be there in a day or two.

'But that was decades ago,' he said. The story goes that the Leviathan is constantly moving through the ocean in search of food. You can't always find them in the same place.

　Hmmm, I see....

　So you need more information on the sightings.

As far as I know, I haven't heard anything about it lately. If there is a ship that has been encountered, it must be all over town, it's impossible not to hear about it.
I see.
Well, don't say anything bad, okay?
I don't want to stop, but it was nice of you to tell me.
It's okay.

　I thank him and leave the place.

'What are you going to do, Des?　It's a lot of work by all accounts, Ked.''
I'm going to ask someone else.

　The old man said that, but we might get an eyewitness account.
　Exotic boats come here too.
　They could have information that the fishermen in this city don't know about.

'Or information about a shipwreck. It could be a case where the ship was wrecked due to encountering the Leviathan and the ship never returned.

　I asked around for a while, but I couldn't get any useful information.
　But I couldn't get any useful information at all, and it seemed that the rumors about me spread very quickly, and people started saying, "Oh, so you guys are talking about us," even though we had never met before.

We've got some prominent guys with us.
Hmm?

　Of course it was Befi.

　And then there was a man approaching us.
　He was dressed in expensive-looking clothes and was well-dressed, and he didn't look like a fisherman.

'Is that you?　What do you mean, you're looking for a sighting of Leviathan?
'Yes, but do you know anything about it by any chance?'
'Yes. As a matter of fact, some of the sailors on my ship saw what looked like it just a few days ago.
Are you sure?

　When I asked him, he told me that the man was an executive of a chamber of commerce based in this city.
　That chamber of commerce has branches all over the place and owns many ships.

''Where is it?''
The sea off the southwest coast.
Hmm, off the southwest coast.

　If it was a few days ago, they might still be around.
　But still, it's pretty good timing.

"Actually, the ship that leaves tomorrow is just passing by the place of its appearance again, would you like to take a ride, if you don't mind?





　I decided to take the man's suggestion.
　I could fly through the air, but there's no place to rest on the ocean.
　I'd be grateful if you could take me to the boat.

　The next morning, when I arrived at the harbor, the man waiting for me was not the man from yesterday, but a middle-aged man with a stern appearance.
　He had a large scar on his cheek and didn't look very uptight.

'Oh, it's you. Mr. Regev has told me all about you. I'm Dick, the commander of the ship. It's a pleasure to meet you.

　It looks like he's the captain.

Yeah, good luck with that.

　The ship was a large galleon.
　It seemed to have already finished loading its cargo, mainly trade goods, and left the port as soon as I got on board.

　The sails are spread wide and the ship is moving over the waves, catching the wind.
　Apparently the direction of the wind is great today.
　It's a nice day, good for a boat trip.

　While I was looking out at the sea on the deck, Captain Dick, who seems to have finished his duties, came up to me.

How long is it going to take to get to that area of water where the Leviathan is coming out?
Well, it's just a matter of two or three days.

　I asked, and he replied, somewhat biting back a laugh.
　For some reason, the other sailors who had gathered around were also smirking and laughing.

'So what are you going to do now that you've found Leviathan?'
I'm thinking of making him a follower.

　As I replied, I could hear spewing sounds everywhere.

'Bwahahahaha, did you hear that?　They're going to turn a mythical demon into a servant.
Kukkaku, you're a completely crazy person.

　Then I was ushered into the cabin.
　We entered the ship and walked down the stairs.

'Cramped,'

　Befi had to bend down as far as she could, since I was high enough to reach the ceiling if I reached for her.
　She followed behind me, looking cramped.

　Eventually we were brought in.

Hmm?　Is this the cabin?

　It was a dimly lit room.
　It was separated by iron bars, with more than ten people squeezed in on the other side.
　Many of them were young women and children.

Yeah, that's right. This is the room where your "merchandise" will spend the duration of the cruise.

　The captain shakes his shoulder and says with a laugh.

'Keke Keke, it looks like you've been tricked.

　Then a boy shouted from behind the bars.

'Where do you think you're taking us?　Get me out of here!　If you don't get home soon, your mom and dad will be worried about you!
"Ka-ha-ha-ha!　Do you really think they're going to let you go?　I'm sorry, but you're going to be sold into slavery in another country now.
Wha...?

　The boy gasped in astonishment at the captain's words.

　It is not unusual for slaves to be bought and sold.
　But judging from the current exchange, it doesn't seem to be a legitimate commodity.
　They may have been kidnapped.

　I'm sure that this kind of trafficking would be difficult to detect if it was across the ocean.

So that's why you have me on this boat.
"Hahaha, that's right!　It's too late to regret it now, though!

　Well, you'll regret it.