Striving For The Luxury Liner – Vol 10 Chapter 21

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Chapter 21 – Blind Spot

I went out to the open sea from the Aquamarine Kingdom and trained on a submarine. The sea of this other world, where much nature remains, and the influence of mankind is small, is crystal clear, and it led me to a poetic mood. Well, I was only led, but I didn’t get any results.

After checking the functions of the submarine, we decided to take a break and have tea in the sea. Tea in the sea is supposed to be a very elegant thing, but it is strange that my eyes are drawn to Rimu and Carla-san, who are engrossed in their snacks.

“Come here for a moment, Wataru-san.”

While I was relaxing, Marina-san spoke to me.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a monster.”

“A monster? Where?”

It’s impossible for a monster to get into a submarine, right?

“That way.”

Is it the sub cabin at the front with a window? I see. I have a general idea.

“Shall we go there?”

“Master. I’ll take a look.”

“There is no danger in the submarine, and I can almost expect to see what is there.”

When Felicia tried to take over for me, I declined and opened the door to the submarine’s cockpit.

“Yes, it was what I expected, but it was much scarier than I expected.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I hate this.”

There are several rough mermans clinging tightly and densely to the large window. And it is even worse because they are baring their teeth and hitting the submarine. The effect of indestructibility prevents them from damaging the submarine, but it is not nice to look at them or to be hit by them.

A voice leaked out unintentionally, and Felicia agreed with me. Yes, I have the feeling that the White Dolphin has been defiled.

“So, Wataru-san. How do you plan to defeat this monster?”

Alessia-san asked, peeking out from behind me.

“…..”

“Maybe you didn’t think of that?”

I didn’t think anything. Because I couldn’t help it. I was just excited about the idea of a submarine, and I was more interested in the interior and how to operate it.

“What are we going to do?”

“Why are you asking me with those round eyes? I don’t know, even if you ask me.”

I’m not sure, but it seems that I had round eyes. I really didn’t know what to do, and it seemed to show in my eyes.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter if we don’t beat them; we can figure out what to do over a cup of tea.”

I don’t feel good about the way I look, but there’s no harm in it.

“Are you sure you want to be so relaxed? If it were a merman, it would be fine, but if it were a big monster, it would be dangerous, wouldn’t it? Didn’t the Lutto get shot into the sky when Paris attacked it with all the seawater?”

Come to think of it, something like that did happen. I didn’t think about it because I’ve been on big ships lately, but if a submarine is attacked with all the seawater in the sea, it will spin around and shake its contents even if the submarine is not damaged.

That’s quite a pinch, isn’t it? I would get seasick. Hmm? Does getting drunk in a submarine make you seasick? Submarine sickness? No, this is no time to think about such nonsense.

“Let’s go to the surface right now. Let’s go back to the Lutto and think of countermeasures.”

This is not the time to drink tea.

＊＊＊

“Do you have any suggestions on what to do?”

After quickly dispatching the mermans who had followed us upstairs, we held a meeting about how to defeat the monsters in the submarine.

“If we can move freely like on the ship, we’ll be fine, but if we can’t get out of the White Dolphin, there’s nothing we can do, right? It’s not armed, is it?”

That’s right. So far, there hasn’t been any trouble without armament, but with a submarine, it’s a different story.

“There is no armament. Should we forcibly attach a spear or something to the White Dolphin?”

It would be romantic if I could equip it with a drill or something, but as expected, they don’t sell drills.

“It would be better than having no weapon at all, but can you attach it to a ship that can’t even be scratched?”

Dorothea-san’s sharp point was painful. But it’s not like you can just screw it on, right? If we were to do that, we would have to cover it with steel or something to match the shape of the submarine and then attach it to the submarine. That would be a big undertaking. It would take time, and most importantly, we couldn’t show the carpenter the submarine, so it would be impossible.

“What about magic?”

It’s a fantasy, so I should be able to count on magic for a solution.

“Hmm. After drawing a magic circle, I can move it around to a certain extent, but from inside the room, it’s difficult. Besides, the power of some types of magic is weakened underwater, and some types of magic don’t work at all.”

Even if it were possible to use magic, Ines’ fire magic would not work.

“What about Felicia’s lightning?”

“I think it would work, but I’m not sure if I could get a good aim.”

“That’s true.”

It’s quite difficult to control electricity in seawater, isn’t it? Considering the various factors, it seems that only Rimu and Claretta-san can perform magic that works underwater. And can Ilma-san’s illusionary magic work?

“Um, in the case of the White Dolphin, if you open the door to get in and out, will water come in? And if you refuse to go in, then the water is also repelled, right?”

“Claretta-san. I will have to check to be sure, but I think that is a very good opinion. Let’s experiment right away.”

Even if water doesn’t come in, I have some doubts about air and other things that might come out. If water can’t get in, I don’t think air can get out, but if it did, does that mean there would be a vacuum inside the submarine? No. We’re keeping the ship in optimal condition, so can we find out? It’s an experiment for now.

“Well, let’s fill it with seawater.”

I pump seawater into a bucket and pour it into the hatch. The seawater does not enter the submarine; it flows out. The submarine seems to repel the water.

“Let’s dive into the sea with the hatch open.”

I take control of the White Dolphin and dive until the hatch sinks under the sea. …Yes, there is no seawater coming in at all, and there are no bubbles in the water, so there is no air escape. That would mean that we would be able to attack it. It’s a very small area, so we have to think about how to fight it…

“This is difficult. It’s not that we can’t fight, but it’s so small that only two people can get through.”

Alessia-san raised her eyebrows and thought about it. The magic can only be attacked by Claretta-san or Rimu. Swords and spears don’t have enough range, and bows are blocked by the seawater. I’ve tried everything, but it seems that underwater only works against ordinary people.

“Then would it be best to use Ilma-san’s illusion magic to lure the monsters to the hatch and have Claretta-san and Rimu attack them with magic?”

“That would be the best way. Even if you can’t defeat them, you can still fend them off. Both Rimu and Claretta-san are pretty high-level, and they can defeat most of the monsters. The problem is when there are several large ones.”

“What happens if more than one sea serpent appears?”

“It will be a bit difficult.”

I knew it. I don’t think about how great Alessia-san and the others look from a low angle or anything stupid like that.

We need to think of an easier way to fight them… If anything, it seems easier to fight with the small submersible with its smaller size and larger hatch.

＊＊＊

“Phew, I think we can make it.”

“Yes, we can at least manage to escape. But it’s going to take a lot of work, so it’s important that we go as far as possible without being spotted by the monsters.”

Alessia-san is right. After a lot of trial and error, twists and turns, thanks to Carla-san’s simple questioning, we found a way to make it work, but it’s by no means efficient.

It was a level where I wondered which was better than the idea of securing a battle space by attaching a summoned rubber boat to the White Dolphin, an idea that would have lost out if it weren’t for the reason that it would be unfashionable to be thrown out of the barrier even if we had a lifeline attached to us.

Well, it’s a submarine-like mission to proceed undetected by the enemy, and I’m not sure if that applies to a civilian submarine, but I’ll try my best to use the ship’s disguise.

“We’d better get some practice in.”

“Yes, I think so. It’s important that we know how to act.”

The evacuation drills at school are only held once or twice a year, and I wondered if there was any point in having them, but I guess they’re there because it’s better to have them, so let’s make sure we know the procedures. Getting on a ship with a submarine is really a fantasy, isn’t it?

＊＊＊

“Eh, Ines-chan, is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true. They’ll polish you all over until you shine.”

“Isn’t that embarrassing?”

Don’t blush and be shy; you’re old enough to know better. I’m more embarrassed than you are.

“It’s a little embarrassing at first, but it’s so effective you won’t care.”

“So much? Is it better than the lotion I was given?”

“Yes, it is. It’s even more effective because they have a lot of special equipment and tools to take care of your skin.”

Ufufu, she was completely absorbed in the conversation. If I keep stalling, I might even get her to help me prepare the fish in time.

Next, I’ll talk about nail salons, then cosmetics stores. After that, I’ll introduce her to good food, and that should buy me enough time.

“Hey, Ines-chan. If they have such great equipment and tools, aren’t they expensive? Do you think we can afford it?”

“Don’t worry. The service and food are basically free.”

I heard that the fee is included in the boarding fee, but since they are invited by Master, it really is free.

“But you said earlier that we have to pay a lot of money?”

“Basically, it’s free, but you have to pay for special dishes and personal purchases. Mom, don’t you want to buy some cosmetics or something? I mean, the stuff you get as gifts will run out eventually, so it’s better to stock up, right?”

Did I stir things up a bit too much? Her eyes were fixed on me. It would be tragic if the family broke up after spending all their money on a luxury liner. Maybe I should ask Master to limit their purchases like I did with the Castle?

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