Is It Bad That the Main Character's a Roleplayer?

Chapter 40: Better Next Time (5)

I decided to join the early morning excursion. We had already searched this area more than enough, and honestly, the cause of this situation was much more likely to be found in the sea than on the land.

Furthermore, we also had to go to where the Inquisitor had seen the Sea Dragon.

It was unclear whether the sea was calm enough for combat, but since we didn’t know what would happen once we reached that place, it was only reasonable to bring more people capable of fighting.

Well, Deb, who said he wasn’t that strong in a head-on fight and hated water, ended up staying in the village.

“Is it not ready yet…?”

However, it seemed I had woken up too early.

When I left the house the villagers provided me—the original owner graciously left me the entire building so I could sleep comfortably—and went to the beach, I ran into some residents. They were currently preparing the boat for us.

“Well, there’s still some time left before your departure.”

One bold resident came forward as their representative and spoke to me, his face colored with shock and fear.

Seeing how the other three looked slightly more at ease while still showing their fear of me left me feeling rather bittersweet. Still, I was glad that my roleplaying worked well.

“Even if we were to hurry, the waves would cause problems…”

I wasn’t trying to rush them or anything. It seemed I had to show some tact here.

“You don’t have to care about that.”

It would be uncomfortable for everyone if I were to stay here. Since I had initially gone out for a walk, I may as well just wander around the beach.

I left where they were preparing the boat and walked away, trampling on the sand. I secretly hoped to find another pearl. That dirty desire ran through me.

Whoosh.

While I could hear the waves, I couldn't really see anything because of the darkness. Even when turning toward the sea, I couldn't distinguish where the ocean ended and the sky began since even the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.

I pondered whether I should turn on my lantern but just gave up. I quite enjoyed this silence.

My eyes worked well at night, so I could at least see the area before me.

“Urgh, sob, sob…”

However, as I continued walking on the beach, I heard someone crying.

As [Detection] didn’t react, it didn’t seem to be a Demon or some monster. I quickly shifted my eyes to where the sound came from, my vision already accustomed to the darkness.

Soon enough, at a place between seashore rocks where some weak sunlight hit, I could make out a head. It seemed rather small, more like a child’s than an adult’s. That the crying voice sounded unusually young also added credibility to my speculation.

“Mom…” However, the sorrow it contained was wholly unlike a child’s.

I held my breath and tried to sneak away without alerting the child to my presence.

Crunch.

As it happened, I stepped on a clam I’d mistaken for a rock.

“…?!”

I had hoped the sound was drowned out by the crashing waves or the child's wailing sounds, but he’d clearly heard it.

The child was obviously holding his breath, trying to hold back his tears while I blatantly walked around, openly showing that I didn't see anything.

I wanted him to know I was there but hadn’t yet found him.

Good. I should just pass where the child was and go to the area beyond. If he really didn't want to get caught crying, he could just rush back to the village during that time.

However, it seemed I was cursed with bad luck. Just as I reached where the child was—there was still some distance between us—the clouds that had been blocking the moon cleared up.

A silver path appeared on the sea. Faint highlights appeared along my head, cheeks, arms, and legs.

Flutter.

My hair and the tail of my coat fluttered about more than usual in the sea breeze.

“…"

The child was staring directly at me. His gaze was so focused on me that my cheeks started to itch, but I never turned to look at him.

It would be even more awkward now if I said anything.

“I heard."

However, the child was the first to speak. I never expected that.

“The uncles and aunties say that you saved them."

I couldn't act like I didn't see anything anymore. I turned my head toward the child.

The moonlight was so bright that it illuminated not only me but also the kid. His black clothes, reminiscent of mourning attire, especially caught my eye.

“But why couldn't you save my mom?"

I could also see the tears running down the child's dry cheeks.

“Why did my mom have to be among the dead?"

I kept my mouth tightly shut and looked at the curving rocks at the seashore.

“Why, why did my mom…"

It wasn't my fault, but the guilt I felt as an adult and a human being stabbed deeply into my conscience.

Why? The guilt wasn't enough to plunge me into despair, but wouldn't anyone be reluctant to turn a blind eye to that?

Imagine you just bought the last chicken skewer at a snack stall and were half-finished eating it when an elementary school kid came in, only to be met with empty racks, walking around in vain to find the chicken skewers. It was that kind of feeling.

“Why…"

However, if it were just something like that, I could relieve my guilt by buying the kid something else, but this situation didn't have a solution.

I almost reached out to the child in reflex but stopped myself.

No matter what I said or did, it wouldn't reach this kid or make him feel better. He wasn't blaming me because he didn't know he was wrong.

He probably knew this wasn't my fault. He just lashed out at me because he didn't know who to blame for this.

However, was that really so bad?

When overcome with despair, even adults couldn't resist doing such things. There were many times when we would turn our anger toward an innocent person. Furthermore, he was still just a child.

If one couldn't even show some understanding to someone like him, then one couldn't call themself an adult. And, although I couldn't call myself mature at all, I could at least accept that much.

The character setting I had decided for this character also gave him a soft spot for the weak, such as children or the elderly.

So, for that reason, I remained completely still, watching as the moon fell into the sea. I waited until the sun rose and warmed us up.

* * *

* * *

“There you are, Demon Knight."

“Where have you been? You're a bit late."

I came here just after noticing it was dawn, but I was still a little late. I decided to lash out at those who had been wondering why.

“And I wonder when your poor excuses for ears will do their job."

At that, the Archmage simply shrugged.

“You aren't one to be late for no reason, are you?"

How could he be so sure of that even though we hadn’t known each other for that long?

Of course, if I ever came across someone similar to my character, I would also think they would never be late simply out of pride… However, one might also believe I was an extremely arrogant individual who never kept track of time.

So how could he be so sure?!

“If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. It's not something we really need to know."

As I continued to keep my mouth shut, the Archmage simply gestured with his chin.

“Let's hurry. We're ready to set sail."

I could see a boat prepared especially for us.

“You can get on from there."

Wow. I had played a few boat simulators before, but this was my first time seeing a boat of that size. It was just as large as one would imagine a fishing boat to be.

I found it even more interesting as it was made of wood, not iron. You would often come across wooden ships in RPGs, but never ones of that size.

“Demon Knight, have you ever been on a ship before?"

The Inquisitor, who boarded the ship first and sat right in the center, asked me a question. She was dressed more simply than usual, only wearing her chainmail covered by a blue robe. She also only took her mace with her, leaving her shield behind.

While the weight of her chainmail wasn't anything to scoff at either, if she also wore her plate armor, it would be rather difficult to get back on the boat if she fell into the sea. That was probably why she was dressed like this.

“I heard that those who ride one for the first time may experience extreme motion sickness. I also had a rather hard time yesterday."

Was it because Deb had been left behind in the village? She even talked enough to cover his part as well, now. Although my character wouldn't respond to such comments at all, I was still glad that she did so.

That way, I would have something to do on the boat. It would be nice if I could just chat.

“Well, I'm sure you won't have any problems, though, Demon Knight!"

I didn't pay much attention to the Inquisitor's words, distracted by idle thoughts. That I had never experienced motion sickness, either in real life or in-game, made me feel rather confident.

It was something I would deeply regret thinking about ten minutes later.

“A-are you okay?"

I was fine riding a horse-drawn carriage, as shitty as it was, but why was riding on a boat like this?

Of course, I knew the boat would bounce around more. It was almost like an amusement park ride. I thought my stomach was quite strong, so this level of seasickness was just insane.

No, what kind of game even implemented something like seasickness, to begin with… Fatigue, sleepiness, and now even motion sickness. I couldn't believe it. I felt like I was dying.

Feeling nausea rising in me, I tightly bit my lip. I barely managed to keep my expression from breaking, but my complexion surely showed how I felt.

In the end, I couldn't bear the seasickness and leaned over the railing to empty my stomach's content.

“Do you want some medicine for motion sickness?"

Even as the waves crashed strongly against the boat, the Inquisitor standing beside me stamped her foot loudly, and at the captain's gesture, a sailor hurriedly descended from the mast and offered me some medicine. Going by my character setting, I would rather die than take him up on the offer, but honestly, I really wanted it.

I didn't know that I–or rather my character—was prone to such intense motion sickness. I really felt like I was going to die.

“I know it may hurt your pride, but please take it just to be safe. You know what your role is, right?"

I decided to accept the Archmage's analysis of my actions graciously.

I glared at him—it was rather doubtful whether there was any strength in my eyes—but forcefully reached out my hand.

One of the villagers hurriedly entered and exited the deckhouse. He held an unidentified herb in his hand.

“You'll feel better if you chew on this."

I didn’t bother wondering how chewing on that stuff would make me feel better; my desire to relieve this cursed nausea was far greater.

I put the withered, dried grass in my mouth and thoroughly crushed it with my teeth.

Perhaps thanks to the placebo effect, I actually started to feel slightly better than before. I still felt like vomiting, though.

“I never thought you’d suffer from motion sickness.”

Disregarding the Archmage’s pitying looks, I simply leaned over the railing with my arms and lowered my head.

My character settings aside, I much preferred fighting while spilling blood and enduring the injury penalties than suffering through motion sickness. I believed that this was what Hell felt like.

“If my Divine Power worked on you, I could have helped… I’m sorry.”

I didn’t really care that the kimchi dumpling was apologizing to me for something that wasn’t even her fault, but I would much prefer to lose some HP if it meant getting rid of this motion sickness.

I beg of you, anyone, please send me some modern motion sickness medicine before I get my hands on the person responsible for this.

“Can you fight?”

I really wanted to ask him if I looked like I could, but I couldn’t break character any further than I already had. I squeezed out all the spirit and strength I had left in me.

“Get that thing before me, then I'll give your answer.”

“Yes. Understood.”

…He took that as a sign that I could fight, right? If he didn’t, I’d be a little sad here.

Still, it seemed my neck was still safe. I managed to deceive him.

“Don’t overdo it.”

I ignored the Inquisitor’s words and leaned my head against the railing. The sloshing of the waves sounded more like a source of irritating discomfort to me than white noise.

My patience was tested once more.

“This is where we came to yesterday.”

However, as time passed, we were somehow able to cover the area that those two had already explored. The two turned to the captain.

“We took quite a lot longer yesterday. We were a lot faster today.”

“It’s because the sea is less stormy in the early morning.”

As I said earlier, it wasn’t like the waves were all that small, but I had no choice but to believe the captain’s words. I witnessed the ship’s height changing several times because of the rough sea, after all.

My arms I’d been holding the railing with had been completely drenched for some time now. My head, leaning against the railing, was also quite wet from the falling water droplets.

“I can’t see the dragon today.”

“Maybe it’s because the sun is up.”

While the sky was cloudy, the sun had already risen. It would seem it was different from yesterday when they came here. The other difference would be the time… The time…

Hmm, I couldn’t think of anything. I felt so dizzy that I couldn’t think properly. For some reason, it felt even more difficult than when my fatigue had reached 100.

“Captain, the waves are getting rougher. Would it be fine if we go a bit further before returning?”

“That’s fine. The reason I said that we shouldn’t yesterday was because it was clear that the sun was already setting.”

The captain gave some instructions to his crew, saying that although it might be dangerous around the time the sun was setting, they could overcome any storm as long as the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

The sailors manipulated the sail in a coordinated manner and somehow managed to make the ship ride the flow of the waves.

“Well then, Captain, let’s go over there. Inquisitor, is that where you saw the dragon?”

“Yes. It was over there. That rock formation poking out of the water is the same one I saw yesterday.”

“Pardon… Do you mean that one?”

Seeing the Archmage point at the rocks and the Inquisitor confirming with a nod, the captain’s expression turned subtle.

“That’s the Dragon’s Gate.”

“The Dragon’s Gate?”

“It’s the gate where the Dragon comes to roar. It’s where the reef area begins. Because of that, the currents are rather strange around there.”

The rapids were one thing, but approaching where the waves struck the rocks sounded like the roar of a dragon, hence the name ‘Dragon Gate.’ The captain added that to his explanation.

“Is it dangerous?”

“Yes. No sailor in their right mind would ever think of trying to enter that area. That’s how dangerous it is.”

“In that case, please try going as far as you can.”

“Got it.”

The captain’s face darkened slightly, but he didn’t refuse. I didn’t know if he didn’t refuse because of his pride as a captain or because it was their benefactor asking this of him.

As if my luck hadn’t been bad enough.

“This is the best I can do. If we go any further, the ship will turn over.”

“Good work. Thank you very much.”

“I can’t see anything out of the norm either…”

Was it because we were getting closer to the rapids? It felt like the ship was swaying a lot more now. I managed to endure the nausea by using the railing as my lifeline.

Normally, I would have found this place more than suspicious and wondered whether anything was hidden there, but I just wasn’t in the best condition for speculation right now.

“…?”

At that moment, something suddenly caught my eye. At one place… I could see land. A piece of land one could only view when the waves were shallow. It seemed like there was a fish scale pattern engraved on it.

“Urgh.”

I tried opening my mouth but instead lifted my hand to cover a corner of it. The Inquisitor, who was looking in my direction, urgently examined my complexion.

“Are you okay?”

“…Over there.”

I was glad that she came closer. I pointed to the place, talking in a cracked voice.

“Over there?”

The Inquisitor followed where I was pointing at with her eyes.

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

However, it seemed like she couldn’t see that piece of land. I only saw it by coincidence, so it was natural that she couldn’t see it. However, I still felt irritated and annoyed for no particular reason. We didn’t have much time to spare.

“You can’t see that…?”

I forced myself to raise my head to give clearer instructions.

“…?”

However, the piece of land I had seen so clearly before was no longer in view, only the roaring sea.

“Demon Knight?”

…Did I hallucinate because of my motion sickness? I’d really broken character a lot today.

“It’s over there…?”

“Urgh, over there!”

Instead of saying that I had been mistaken, I just slurred my words. However, even if I didn’t point anymore, someone else pointed in the direction—albeit a little off.

My gaze naturally shifted slightly at that.

I saw something swimming beneath the seawater. There were three of them, and the things didn’t seem small.

「A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.」

The system rang loudly in my ears.

“Could they be Demons…?”

“I can feel Negative Energy, but it isn’t Demonic Energy!”

Although they might not be Demons, I couldn’t just sit back and watch when she said she could feel some Negative Energy close by, and even worse, the things giving off that energy were approaching us.

I wasn’t completely sure whether they were actually hostile toward us, but if they were to punch holes into the ship, it would be us who’d die either way.

“They’re coming for the ship!”

“Prepare!”

“You guys, stay in the deckhouse!”

The Inquisitor grabbed her weapon as the Archmage evacuated the regular people inside.

So, I had to get up, even though it was pretty hard. I started feeling nauseous right away, but it wasn’t entirely impossible for me to stand.

“Phew.”

The boat was swaying like crazy. I swallowed the cusses about to leave my mouth and raised my sword as though trying to lean on it.

Maintaining my balance was rather difficult, but it somehow worked out as I clenched my teeth and held my head slightly.

“Oh My Lord, please save your pitiful lambs!”

The Inquisitor created the spherical barrier she had shown us once.

Bang, bang!

Those things were barely prevented from reaching the ship, crashing into the barrier as though angered by our actions.

We couldn’t see them clearly because they were submerged in the water, but they seemed like some type of water lizard. They had four legs and a long tail.

They swam around in the water as if aiming for the ship, occasionally passing by each other.

The system showed no signs of trying to tell me what kind of monsters they were.

“Strike down my enemies…”

The Archmage was chanting a spell. No matter how one looked at it, they needed to be eliminated as they seemed to be trying to attack us.

The Inquisitor was very powerful, but as a close-quarters fighter, she wouldn’t be able to attack them like this.

Me? I tried to fire a [Slash] toward them with my sword but was soon overcome with dizziness. I placed my sword on the deck and went down on one knee for a moment.

I felt like throwing up.

“With thunder…!”

While I was slowly recovering from my dizzy state, a rather wide-range lightning-type magic rained down from above.

As it gave the illusion that part of the blue sea shone brightly, things began floating around the ship.

However, they showed some movement as if they were about to come out of it. It seemed they just fainted for a moment after getting electrocuted but didn’t die.

The Archmage needed time before he could strike again.

“Huuh…”

So, it was my turn now.

I rose from my kneeling state, bit my lip, and slowly swung my sword. The [Slash] filled with all my resentment flew forward, accompanied by a metallic sound. Its force was quite a bit stronger than usual.

Slaaaaash!

Part of the sea split apart.