Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

“Bring us alongside the starboard of the large ship. We’ll board from there!”

“Understood!”

The helmsman responded to Captain Gorick’s orders.

Both the large ship and the ghost ship were stationary.

The ghost ship was massive.

Its deck was much higher than that of either the Lone Dark or the large ship.

Boarding a ship with such a high deck was challenging.

Conversely, boarding a ship with a lower deck was easier.

You just needed to toss a rope and slide down it.

The decks of the Lone Dark and the large ship were at roughly the same height.

With perfect maneuvering, the Lone Dark pulled up to the starboard side of the large ship.

“Toss the ropes!”

Ropes were thrown toward the large ship’s deck from both the bow and the stern.

The bow and stern were much higher than the deck.

Throwing the ropes from such a height created a slope.

Using that slope...

“Board!”

Captain Gorick’s command echoed.

The first to move was First Officer Lena.

She slid down the rope from the stern and landed gracefully on the large ship’s deck.

The crew of the Lone Dark followed.

By that time, the deck of the large ship had already become a living hell.

“We’re the Suje Kingdom Navy! We’re here to help!”

As they boarded, the crew of the Lone Dark shouted.

Making it clear that they were allies and had come to assist.

The crew of the large ship had already lost morale.

It was essentially the same as giving up.

But now, reinforcements had arrived?

Here, in the vast open sea?

Come to think of it, there was a ship they had told to flee earlier...

“The navy?”

“That’s right! We’re the Suje Kingdom Navy from the Archipelago! Don’t give up!”

The enemies boarding from the ghost ship were... skeletons.

They were skeletons.

Skeletons weren’t particularly strong.

Of course, there were some special ones, but most were not too formidable.

However, there were a lot of them.

And some of them seemed to know how to use their numbers to overwhelm.

Moreover, some carried weapons...

All the skeletons on the large ship’s deck had knives.

“I don’t think they’re marines... but they can board other ships?”

“Of course. If sailors on a warship can’t board an enemy vessel, they’re only half-trained.”

Chief Engineer Gunno answered Ryo’s question.

They were standing on the deck of the Lone Dark.

Ryo and Abel had never done ship-to-ship boarding, so they were left behind.

Gunno, as a senior officer, had been made the Lone Dark’s acting commander.

This meant the captain and first officer had already boarded the enemy ship.

Although they were at the bow, they could still clearly see what was happening on the deck of the large ship.

“Skeletons, huh...”

“With knives, they’re troublesome foes.”

Ryo said, and Abel nodded in agreement.

To defeat skeletons, blunt weapons like clubs or hammers were effective.

On the other hand, edged weapons like swords or spears tended to slide off the bones without dealing much damage unless struck perfectly.

Knives were even worse in that regard...

“They’re a pain for sailors who use knives as their main weapon.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ryo finally understood Abel’s point.

The large ship they had come to help was apparently a warship from a country called Bor.

Naturally, its crew were soldiers.

Like the Lone Dark’s crew, they should have been used to fighting...

In a world where ship-to-ship combat was common, being able to board and fight was expected.

They could board, so it wasn’t surprising they could be boarded as well. That happens often enough in battles.

So, the crew should be able to fight, too...

Yet, the large ship’s crew was at a huge disadvantage.

Ryo had been wondering why...

The problem was the mismatch in weapons.

“I see...well, whatever. The crew of the Lone Dark is still holding out fine for now, but who knows how long that’ll last.”

“True. Well then, shall we have Abel storm the enemy’s base?”

“Wait a second. Why just me?”

“Good catch! This is the perfect moment to send a frontline swordsman deep into enemy territory and settle things!”

“I think you should come too, Ryo.”

“Dragging a rear-line magician to the frontlines? As expected of the brutal swordsman Abel, you sure live up to your name.”

“Stop giving me weird titles.”

Ryo’s suggestion of a new nickname was quickly rejected by Abel.

“Fine. I’ll go with you, but you’re responsible for fighting whatever dangerous thing that approaches, okay? I’ll take care of the other skeletons.”

“Uh, sure...”

“Well then, Gunno-san, we’re off.”

“Eh? Oh, uh, okay? Take care?”

Gunno didn’t fully grasp the situation.

He overheard Ryo and Abel talking about boarding the ghost ship, but...

How exactly were they planning to do that?

“Let’s go. ”

As Ryo chanted, frost erupted from the deck where they stood.

It quickly grew into a massive ice pillar, lifting both of them high above the ghost ship’s deck.

The frost pillar kept rising until it reached about halfway up the ghost ship’s mast.

From there, the two looked down at the deck of the ghost ship.

“Swarming...like ants.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty gross.”

Both Abel and Ryo grimaced.

It was understandable.

The deck was so packed with skeletons that there was barely any space between them.

There were easily over a thousand.

“”

A few moments later...

Thud, thud, thud...

The sound of heavy objects falling echoed through the air.

The fell through the air.

The ice walls, created high in the sky, came crashing down onto the ghost ship’s deck, crushing the swarming skeletons.

“Ahh, that felt refreshing.”

“You never change, do you...”

Ryo nodded with a satisfied expression, while Abel shook his head slightly.

He had seen Ryo’s magic countless times, but every time, Abel couldn’t help but think how terrifying it was.

It made all strength, speed, and technique meaningless.

A magic that demonstrated the fearsome power of a magician.

The frost pillar shrank a bit, lowering them to the same height as the ghost ship’s deck.

Ryo and Abel leaped onto the deck.

It had become a frozen wasteland.

And the crushed skeletons were vanishing.

“Not bad.”

The moment that voice echoed.

Clang!

The sharp sound of clashing swords rang out.

Abel had blocked a sword, faintly glowing blue, with his beloved blade.

“Nice! Very nice, swordsman! You’re a worthy companion for the magician who cast that spell!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

The blue-glowing man laughed as he praised Abel, who responded with clear displeasure.

“It’s been a hundred years since someone stepped onto this deck. Last time, it was just one. Now, there are two of you. What to do.”

As soon as the blue man’s monologue ended—

Clang!

Once again, the sound of clashing blades filled the air.

This time, Ryo had parried with his sword Murasame.

The attacker was a woman, also faintly glowing blue.

“I’ll make both of you my thralls, to serve me forever.”

She said flatly, without a trace of emotion.

“This is quite the problem. I’m a magician... yet here I am, crossing swords.”

Ryo remarked, his voice louder than a mere whisper.

And the faintest hint of a smile playing on his lips.

“Ryo’s a battle maniac after all.”

Abel muttered under his breath, though Ryo didn’t hear him.

Thus, the battles on the ghost ship’s deck had begun, two duels unfolding simultaneously.

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