Yuu Tanaka Read online

I just hope there are Beastman Nation ships in port.

  Fran might be able to hitch a ride as a guard. We had the Beast King’s insignia, and the

  Black Lightning Princess might be famous enough to be granted a free pass. My main

  concern was how long the ships were anchored here and whether they would be big

  enough. I wanted to find an oceangoing vessel instead of a smaller merchant ship.

  After all, we were making a continental trip. And then there was the problem of the

  crew. Rigdith said that people of the Beastman Nation had stopped discriminating

  against Black Cats, but I was sure there were exceptions. I didn’t want anyone giving

  Fran a hard time because of her race. She might just sink the entire ship.

  Let’s take our time.

  ***

  The port was near enough to the Adventurer’s Guild.

  “Munch. What about that one?”

  “Munch munch. ”

  Too small.

  “Munch munch. That one?”

  “Scarf scarf. ”

  Fran, don’t talk with your mouth full.

  Fran and Jet were snacking on curry skewers as they walked about the port. She

  looked quite the glutton as she shoved skewer after skewer into her mouth.

  “Oh.”

  Did you spot a good ship?

  “That looks delicious.”

  Oh. That’s nice.

  Fran wandered over to a nearby food stall, attracted by the delectable aroma. The food

  was quite interesting. Keema curry was wrapped in a cone made from circular bread.

  It looked like a savory chocolate ice cream.

  Now this is weird…

  “Tasty.”

  “Arf arf!”

  The number of new curry dishes was increasing, which was exactly the trend I’d hoped

  for. I prayed the cooks of this world would keep up their creative output so Fran could

  keep discovering even more delicious foods.

  “Yum yum.”

  “Munch munch. ”

  I just wished she’d pick a better time to enjoy those foods.

  We continued exploring the port, buying snacks as we went. I spotted two vessels that

  had the crest of the Beastman Nation, but they didn’t look like the kind of ships we

  wanted.

  One of them was old and beat up and didn’t look seaworthy. The tub was a merchant

  vessel used by one of the smaller trade associations, which meant it was manned with

  a crew that wasn’t particularly good at navigation or combat.

  The second boat looked like it could easily survive a cross-continental voyage, but the

  crew weren’t the sort of people we wanted to associate with—they looked like freshly

  released pirates, and mean ones at that. Technically, they were no longer pirates, but

  better safe than sorry. We skipped over the ship and kept looking, then Fran suddenly

  came to a stop.

  “Oh.”

  What’s up? Did you find something tasty again?

  “What about that ship?”

  Fran pointed to a vessel which also had the insignia of the Beastman Nation.

  Oooh, that does look promising.

  It was a large, imposing vessel, even while still in port. A ship this size would have no

  trouble crossing the ocean. I just wondered if the captain would let us on such a flashy

  boat. A ship of this scale would have its own set of guards and no need for adventurers.

  Anyway, we should take a closer look.

  As we drew closer, a man who looked like a merchant called out to us. He appeared to

  be a wolf beastman, but he didn’t look down on Fran. Then again, traders were

  exceptionally good at concealing their biases.

  “Hello there.”

  “Hm?”

  “Are you looking for a bodyguard gig?”

  “How do you know that?”

  The merchant immediately guessed our intention, and Fran put up her guard. I

  suppose her equipment gave her away. While a normal person might look for ships to

  take them where they needed to go, adventurers looked for ships where they could

  exchange their services for free passage.

  “How would you like to come work on my ship?”

  “Why me?”

  Fran immediately went on her guard again. She was still a child. No beginner could

  look at her and discern her real strength. While the merchant wasn’t much of a

  combatant, he knew exactly what she was capable of. So why the sudden job offer? He

  must’ve had some kind of ulterior motive. Maybe the job was a cover-up for an

  abduction—entice an innocent Black Cat with a bodyguard job and then enslave them.

  “Ha ha ha. No self-respecting merchant would miss a chance to get acquainted with

  the Black Lightning Princess.”

  Word must have traveled fast among the traders. It didn’t take a shrewd businessman

  to figure out that the girl with the wolf was the Black Lightning Princess. Hiring her

  not only meant employing a powerful adventurer, but it came with a certain amount

  of prestige. A free ride was a small price to pay.

  “What do you think?”

  Hmm.

  As sweet as the deal sounded, we needed to make one thing sure.

  “Where are you headed?”

  “Continent of Redina. How about it?”

  “Nope.”

  “Ah, well…”

  The merchant looked disappointed when Fran shook her head. I thought he would’ve

  been more insistent, but even he couldn’t change where his ship was going. He also

  knew better than to upset an adventurer who beat an A-Rank in a fighting match.

  Others called out to her after that, but none of them seemed to be going to Chrome,

  where the Beastman Nation was. Perhaps the Seedrun incident deterred sailors from

  using the western route. A lot of ships were going to the Southern continent of Redina,

  though.

  We continued our efforts for another three hours and finally found a vessel that looked

  promising. The giant symbol of the Beastman Nation was visible even from afar. A boat

  of this size would have no problems getting where we needed to go. I didn’t know

  much about ships, but I thought they’d called this a galleon back on Earth—although

  I had read it in a comic book, so I couldn’t say for sure whether the information was

  accurate. In any case, it was one of the biggest ships in port, with five masts jutting up

  to the sky. Their flag also bore the royal insignia of the Beast King, meaning that this

  ship answered directly to Rigdith. If its crew wasn’t trustworthy, I didn’t know whose

  would be.

  I found the sailors to be neat, disciplined, and even cheerful at times. Their behavior

  was neither shady nor violent like the pirate-types we saw earlier. Since they answered

  to the Beast King, we might even get special treatment. After all, we had a personal

  endorsement from him.

  Fran, let’s give that boat a try.

  “Hm. Got it.”

  We drew closer to the ship.

  Now, how do we talk to the captain?

  “Maybe we could talk to those guys.”

  I’m not sure if the rank and file would recognize you.

  These sailors were neither merchants nor adventurers, and they had been out at sea

  for a long time. Somehow, I didn’t think they would have got the memo about Fran.

  Nothing good would come from talking to them—they would probably dismiss her

  royal endorsement as fake. At least the captain could tell that it was the real thing.

  Should we wait until we see someone who looks like a captain?

  “Hm… I’ll try talking to them.”

  Well, if you say so.

  That was one way to go about it. I certainly didn’t have a better idea. Fran really

  wanted to get this ship business done. Io’s curry awaited her.

  “Going in.”

  “Arf!”

  Fran and Jet greeted the sailors, who looked like they were having a meeting.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey there, little girl, how can I…”

  “What’s the—oh…”

  The sailors initially greeted her casually enough, but their smiles soon disappeared. It

  was as if they had turned to stone. They looked at Fran and Jet and then back again.

  Had they figured out who Fran was? She ignored their disbelief.

  “I’m Fran. Adventurer. I want to see your captain.”

  Okay, you could’ve at least tried to be a little polite. They have every right to tell you to

  buzz off, Fran. But I had no reason to worry.

  “U-understood! Right away!”

  “I-I’ll go tell the captain!”

  They had either gone crazy, or they recognized Fran.

  “Y-you’re Fran, right?”

  “Hm.”

  “A-are you the Black Lightning Princess Fran?”

  Rumors about Fran’s exploits had spread farther than I’d thought.

  “Yeah.”

  “S-s-seriously?! S-sorry, miss! I heard the Black Lightning Princess was Evolved, but…”

  Of course! I had forgotten that beastmen could read each other’s Evolution levels. That

  was how Fran knew White Wolf Aurel and the Beast King were Evolved. The sailors,

>   meanwhile, were confused, since they had heard Fran was an Evolved Black Cat, but

  Stealth Evolution concealed the apparent signs.

  Fran ignored the man’s questions and carried on the conversation. “You’ve never seen

  an Evolved Black Cat before?”

  “Uh, can’t say I have. You’re the first one I’ve seen, and I’ve met a lot of beastmen in my

  work.”

  Fran was the only Evolved Black Cat so far. That made sense. Breaking the curse was

  borderline impossible, especially if you didn’t know how. A Black Cat had to kill a

  thousand Fiends or a single Fiend of A-Threat or higher. I feel like the latter requirement

  was only there for formality’s sake. Beating an A-Threat Fiend by yourself was impossible

  under normal circumstances—the requirement was there as an allowance for miracles.

  Defeating a thousand Fiends was more achievable. Once word got out, I could imagine

  Black Cats forming Fiend-hunting parties. There was a high likelihood that one of

  them would Evolve into a Black Sky Tiger. And what happened when you made a party

  consisting of Black Sky Tigers? Well, they might break the race curse by defeating an

  S-Threat Fiend. There was a nonzero chance of it, at least. Even the gods wouldn’t turn

  away from a race that helped them exterminate the Fiends—the penance might even

  be enough to make up for their ancestors’ sins. Unfortunately, the plan was distorted

  by the actions of the previous Beast Kings, but things were different now with Rigdith

  in charge. He was more than willing to inform the realms about the requirements for

  breaking the Black Cat curse. We were heading to the Beastman Nation so Fran could

  help.

  The sailor soon returned with a formidable-looking man in tow. His body was covered

  with muscle, and he was thick as he was tall. He looked intimidating enough just

  standing there, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he used to be a pirate. He

  certainly rocked the pirate hat he wore, though it bore the mark of the royal family

  instead of a skull and crossbones.

  “I’m the captain of this ship. The name’s Jerome.”

  The captain was not a beastman, oddly enough. I guess others inhabited the Beastman

  Nation. Humans were allowed in, too.

  “What have we here? The Black Lightning Princess herself?”

  And of course, the captain already knew her.

  “Hm.”

  “No kidding! The merchants wouldn’t shut up about you!” Jerome bellowed with

  laughter. His laugh was friendly enough, and he didn’t seem like a bad person. “So,

  what brings you here?”

  “I’m looking for a boat that’s going to Beastman Nation.”

  “And you’re offering your services as a bodyguard in exchange for passage?”

  “Hm.”

  “Ha ha ha! Well, that solves our bodyguard problem!”

  “So you’ll let me on?”

  “Of course! With powers like yours, I’d hire you full time if I could!” The captain saw

  Fran’s strength with a glance.

  Fran, show him the thing.

  “Hm. Here.”

  Fran showed the captain the identification she’d received from the Beast King.

  “His Majesty’s crest, I see…”

  “It’s real.”

  “No reason for the Black Lightning Princess to be carrying a fake. Still, I’ll have this

  verified if you don’t mind.”

  We didn’t. I didn’t expect Jerome to ignore proper protocol. Either way, he must’ve

  heard news about Fran’s placement in the fighting tournament and how she gained

  the Beast King’s attention.

  “I’ll have to go to the Adventurer’s Guild to post a proper quest. They’ll give me an

  earful if I don’t. Hope that’s okay with you.”

  He couldn’t hire us on the spot, but there was no harm in it. In fact, going through the

  guild allowed them to run proper identity checks and credit the adventurer with the

  quest. It was the clear choice for those with nothing to hide.

  “Go for it.”

  “Alright, it’s about time I head to the guild. You wanna come with?”

  “What’s the occasion?”

  “Posting the guard request, of course.”

  I was surprised to hear such a large vessel was employing adventurers. I thought

  Jerome was only letting Fran on board because she was the Black Lightning Princess,

  but the ship genuinely needed more personnel.

  “Not that I don’t trust you, Fran. But I have my reasons.”

  According to the captain, it was customary for ships to hire a certain number of

  adventurers to maintain the bond between crown and guild. Experienced adventurers

  also came in handy in a pinch, and so most vessels gladly hired them before every

  voyage. Apparently, there were even adventurers who specialized in protecting ships.

  The field must’ve been quite lucrative. We learned a lot during our walk to the guild.

  Upon publication, Fran immediately accepted the captain’s quest.

  “When are you leaving?”

  “In three days, if all goes well.” Schedules shifted based on storms and sea monsters.

  “Alright. See you in three days.”

  “Sure thing. Looking forward to working with you.”

  “Hm. Me, too.”

  They shook hands before going their separate ways. In three days, we would board

  that gigantic ship and I was quite excited. I rode ferries back on Earth, but I’d never

  been on a wooden boat across the ocean.

  “MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH! ”

  “Nom nom nom! ”

  Dinner at the orphanage. Fran and Jet shoveled down Io’s curry with amazing fervor.

  “What healthy appetites you have!”

  Their enjoyment made Io smile, although I sensed that she was slightly worried about

  the state of their stomachs. I certainly couldn’t help them if they got stomachaches.

  “You’re so fast, Fran!”

  “And Jet’s not slacking off, either!”

  Where had all the curry gone? Was it really okay for us to eat so much?

  “There’s more where that came from. Fill yourselves up,” Io said, bringing out more

  food.

  She had already done the math on how much she needed, I just wished she would stop

  giving Fran and Jet seconds. I was legitimately worried about them.

  “Hm! I will!”

  “Woof woof!”

  See, they were already asking for seconds!

  “How much do you want?”

  “Extra big.”

  “Arf.”

  Fran and Jet didn’t know the meaning of restraint. As good as the orphanage was doing

  financially, there was a limit as to how much of their food budget we could eat. We

  definitely needed to repay them. Fran and Jet soon demolished an extra-large serving

  and received gasps of awe and admiration from the orphans.

  Still, a cloud of sorrow hung over the children. Any leftover curry would be served as

  breakfast the next day, but there would be no leftovers after Fran scraped the curry

  pot. Some of the kids were betting on how many plates she could finish. The losers

  shook their heads in frustration.

  “That was good.”

  “Woof.”

  “Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  “Hm. Real tasty.”

  Fran smiled, and I almost felt jealous. She gave her belly a satisfied pat.

  Was it really that good?

  Hm! About as tasty as yours!

  I see.

  I glanced over to the kitchen and found nothing out of the ordinary—just ordinary

  spices and ingredients. They probably cost a fraction of the ingredients I normally

  used. Io used ordinary vegetables, ordinary pork, and ordinary spices you could get

  from the marketplace. In spite of all that, she managed to satisfy Fran to the point of

  praise… Io really was an amazing cook. She might finally win the cooking contest next

  year.

  “Good night!”

  “See you around, Fran!”

  “Bye, Jet!”