I Don’t Care About the Story, I Want a Cat ～Transmigrated into an Otome Game～ - Chapter 19

Against the Kraken

It was the day after receiving reports of a Kraken being sighted at sea. Fortunately, the reports didn’t indicate that it had caused any damage, but Kraken tended to attack ships so it couldn’t be left alone. So, a battle ship was quickly prepared with a small force of troops sent out to defeat it. The hunter exchange students who had arrived the day before had also joined the expedition. 

“I hope my brother and the others are okay.”

“They went with your grandfather so I’m sure they’re fine. Besides, apart from the Kraken, there aren’t other dangerous monsters out there like there are in dungeons.”

“But, brother is more skilled in aerial combat. Wouldn’t he be at a disadvantage surrounded by water?”

“Well if he can’t deal with that much then he wouldn’t be much of a hunter, would he? Just think of it as him testing his skills.” 

Amy was a bit worried because this was the first time since she started coming here that a magical beast had shown up in the ocean here, however Isabel seemed unconcerned. 

The subjugation force had made a temporary base on the terrace of the restaurant near the port office. Members of the office had set up magical tools to keep contact with the ship heading out to sea.

Amy, her mother, Isabel, and even Tiger sat under a parasol near one of these tables as they watched the ship leave. Amy felt awkward since it looked like they came here to enjoy a pleasant tea time while the others were working hard. However, Isabel had told her that they would just be obstructing everyone’s work if they moved around trying to help, so she kept sitting obediently. 

“Just because they saw a Kraken yesterday doesn’t mean it’s going to appear today too. Besides, they said today is supposed to be a surveillance mission so don’t worry too much. They might not fight the Kraken at all.”

After the Kraken was sighted yesterday, merchant ships had been instructed to use the port a little farther away from here. Hence there weren’t any large ships in the sea around this area. However, there were a number of smaller boats floating here and there in the sea. Whether a large animal appears or not, it didn’t make a difference to the local people who had lived here for generations. 

“At any rate, the Kraken might be more careful today not to be seen. I don’t think it will show up so conveniently now…”

Isabel said as she picked up her glass and took a sip of the fruit juice in it. However, just then, the communication magical tool sent out an urgent signal. 

“What happened!?”

“The Kraken is here!!”

The table set up by the port office suddenly became animated as people rushed to give out orders. Amy turned her gaze from the table to the sea to see something big moving in the water next to her brother’s ship. 

There were a number of voices coming from the magical tool so she couldn’t understand clearly what was being said. But she could see that the ship was now swaying dangerously from side to side, and the sounds of the crew coming from the system got more agitated with each sway. 

Tiger became nervous at the sudden change in atmosphere around them and hid under the table between Amy’s legs.

“……Mom.”

“Don’t worry, Harold is reckless but he’s a strong child.”

Her mother waved nonchalantly towards the sea as she said so. To be honest, Amy had never seen it happen in person, but her grandfather had gone to fight with monsters many times before. For them, it was just another part of their jobs. Yes, it was dangerous, but it was a part of everyday life for them. That’s probably why her mother, who had been born and raised here, didn’t look too worried.    

Isabel opened her handbag with a click and took out a pair of opera glasses from inside.

“Here, Amy. It’s small but you can see clearly through it.” She said as she handed it to her daughter.

Amy stopped petting Tiger, whose head was resting on her lap, and took the opera glasses from her. She brought it up to her eyes to find it really did help her see clearly; she could even see the expression on her brother’s face who looked like nothing but a speck of dust without the glasses. She was also surprised to see that the glasses automatically focused to where she wanted to look without her having to adjust the lens. 

“Wah! Mother, I can see really well from here… brother looks like he’s having fun.”

“Sounds like Harold. By the way, your dad made these glasses.”

“Huh, really?”

“Yup. But it’s hard to find all the ingredients to make one of these, so this is the only one he made.”

“Do you know what the lens is made of?” Her mother asked her happily. 

Amy shook her head in reply. She peered at it closely but, come to think of it, it didn’t look like the lens used in binoculars and opera glasses in her past life’s world. 

“It’s not made of glass?”

Although this world had glass, it couldn’t be refined in a way that was good enough to be used in industrial products like this. Since there was no machinery, it had to be done by hand. So, it was difficult to maintain its transparency while keeping the thickness uniform. However this one looked perfectly clear.

Isabel grinned and, making a circle with her thumb and forefinger, brought it to her eye. Her golden eyes glistened mischievously from within the circle. 

“Hehe, it’s the eye of a sea serpent.”

“What!?”

A sea serpent was a marine beast which resembled a dragon. They had a low encounter rate and were very difficult to fight. It was an extremely rare monster; even her grandfather, Rudolph, who had lived next to the sea for many years, had rarely encountered one. 

“They’re both sea animals, but look, doesn’t the Kraken look like a giant squid? It’s body is quite valuable, but its eyes are too soft to be used as a lens. Your father has been trying to look for something that can be used instead of the sea serpent’s eye but he hasn’t had much success.”

“O-oh……”

“That’s why it would have been much better if a sea serpent showed up here instead of the Kraken.”

The people on the ship were still in an uproar, but although everyone was moving around noisily, they weren’t scared. The troops in the subjugation party were highly skilled, and besides, they had Rudolph with them today. 

Although he was a feudal lord, he had spent more time on sea than on land. Whether it was magical beasts or pirates, he had driven them all away successfully, and his feats had also been recognized by the official military.

“Yeah!! Bring it on!!”

“Harold, settle down!”

“You too, Gil. Don’t just rush forward like that. We’re here to learn today, not fight.”

It looked like Nicholas’s reprimand hadn’t reached his ears as Harold prepared to dive towards the edge of the ship with his twin swords in hand. 

The top of the Kraken’s head was visible above the waves and a winding tentacle swelled in and out of the water right beside the ship.

“It’s fine! Let’s go__ gwah!?”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Harold coughed as someone grabbed his collar and pulled him back. He looked behind him to see Rudolph and another person staring down at him. 

He was a tall, elderly man wearing a long robe that fell to his feet. His hair was long and black, with a tuft of white hair poking out. He had a sharp gaze and a stern disposition which made him appear more intimidating than the Kraken.

“How reckless. He takes completely after you, Rudolph.”

“Heh, it’s an honour to take after me.”

“Sir Dion……!? Why are you here?”

All three students stared in shock at their demon of a teacher, who wasn’t supposed to be here.

The Kraken was still slithering along in the water beside them. All around them, the people on the ship were still rushing about as they prepared for battle. However, the air in this corner of the ship was tense for a completely different reason.

Sir Dion scowled at his pupils, glaring at them with icy blue eyes as he said, “Why? Is there a problem with me being here?”

“No, Sir!” The three exclaimed in unison.

Sir Dion nodded satisfactorily and then pulling out a wand, pointed it at Harold. He waved it around, without saying any incantation; small silver particles appeared from the tip of the wand and encircled around Harold before disappearing. 

“You can now breathe underwater. The spell will last for fifteen minutes, I’m sure you can manage within that time.”

“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!!”

Harold quickly said his thanks and then jumped into the ocean. There were already some troops in the water and he easily joined the fray, his swords in hand. Gilbert and Nicholas were stationed on the deck to attack from above, both holding a spear and a crossbow, respectively. 

“…….looks like it’s curling up.”

“Don’t make fun of it. Will you not join the fight, Rudolph?”

“Hmm, I wonder.”

The men in the water had cornered in on the Kraken making it thrash around restlessly. The waves got bigger and bigger with its thrashing. The men on the boat shook around haphazardly as they tried to keep their balance. However, the Margrave and the magic tutor by his side stood calmly, without any support. 

There was a loud bang as one of the tentacles of the Kraken wrapped around the side of the boat. However, immediately after, a crossbow arrow shot out and pierced one of its suction pads. They looked into the direction from where the arrow had come from to see Nicholas standing there. He gave them a quick salute before turning his attention back to the surface of the sea.

Rudolph pulled out his own sword and slashed at the piece of tentacle attached to the boat, letting out a laugh as he did so. 

“Looks like they don’t need my help.”

And with that, they managed to defeat the Kraken with three minutes still remaining.