Read Novel Full Vol 16 Chapter 10
Vol 16 Chapter 10
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(11/20)
Chapter 10 – Discovery?
We got caught in a huge vortex and suffered from seasickness for about three days, but the vortex would not go away, and we finally escaped by motorboat. Somehow, a race started, and Alessia-san got reckless, and the boat overturned, but I guess it was good that we got out safely. I threw up, though…
“Wataru. By our estimation, we could have made it, couldn’t we?”
After escaping the vortex, I thought about the fact that I was spoiled by the Ship Summoning cheat and let my guard down, so I set up a watch shift.
Now it’s time for Alessia-san and me to stand guard.
Since I set up the watch shift, I have come to love this time when I can enjoy time alone with different types of beautiful women.
Not only did I enjoy myself, but I also kept coming up with stories using my knowledge of Japan, so I don’t think I would have bored the person I was paired with if I wasn’t so selfish.
However, the expression on the face of Alessia-san, who I’m currently paired with, is not a flattering look of having a good time, as if to say that I’m lying.
“I see. I know there are discrepancies because it is based on old documents, but we are getting to the point where it would not be surprising if we had arrived. Or rather, since yesterday, we have passed the place where we could have arrived.”
My expression in response to Alessia-san’s question would also be somber, not wanting to admit the reality of the situation.
If it were just my calculations, I could be wrong, but since Ilma-san and I have checked the documents many times and come up with the results, I have a high degree of confidence in them.
“The sea is the only place to look.”
“Yes. There is nothing but the sea.”
Yes, we have arrived at the place that should be highly reliable, or rather, we have passed it, but all we can see around us is the sea. There should be a continent…
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Yes, I have a very bad feeling.”
A lot of things had happened before we reached this point.
We had a good watch, and fortunately, it was not an accident like the vortex, which even a Ship Summoning cheat could not handle, so we were able to sail smoothly, but there were many dangerous places that an ordinary magic ship could not handle.
At this point, I had a bad feeling.
The fact that there was no mention of such dangers in the documents made me question the authenticity of the documents.
However, the documents were so old that they could not be dated, and the dangerous places could change due to changes in the environment.
The ship’s owner, the Duke, could use some of the Sea God’s sacred treasures, so it was possible that he could ignore the dangers.
So, I had pushed my fears aside and continued the voyage so far, but it was time to look away from reality.
At the very least, there was a strong possibility that the environment had changed.
“Hey, which one do you think it is?”
“Which one?”
“Either the documents we got from the Duke’s Castle are fake, or a continent that should have existed once has disappeared.”
…These are two very unpleasant choices, but if I haven’t made a mistake in my calculations, we might end up with these two choices.
The diary and documents of the head of the Duke’s family that made me cry my eyes out.
I don’t want to believe that it was a lie, but it is possible that he wrote a fake diary like a novel, and the other documents were the setting for it.
In a sense, it is a black story, so it is not hard to understand why it was kept in a safe.
And there is another possibility.
A pattern in which a continent that should have existed disappeared.
This is also undeniable, which is the scary part of this world.
In fact, the Aquamarine Kingdom had a city that sank into the sea, and the Duke’s castle also sank deep under the sea.
There is a strong possibility that the continent has disappeared.
In any case, even the Ship Summoning power, which I think is too much of a cheat, is only a limited ability in the sense of Creator God-sama.
Before the restriction, the people who were given such cheats went on a rampage, so the light-hearted Creator God-sama would have felt the need to restrict them.
It would not be surprising if one or two continents were wiped out.
Continents disappearing?
…I am aware that this is a crazy idea, but the fact that crazy ideas cannot be denied in reality is irredeemable.
The most irrevocable thing is that the Creator God-sama of this world is the one who readily grants skills that can make continents disappear or that are too cheaty even though they are supposed to be limited.
That’s how many times civilization will be destroyed.
“…I don’t know. But as crazy as it sounds, I think it’s more likely that the continent has disappeared.”
Normally, the disappearance of a continent is a ridiculous story, and if anyone should have doubts, it should be the documents.
But I don’t want to believe that the Duke’s diary and his painful and sad decision were fictional, and there was nothing impure in his diary, in a sense, to entertain or surprise the readers.
I think that’s why Ines, Felicia, and Alessia-san were crying, as was I.
“Yes… that’s right. I’m sure the diary isn’t a lie. …Anyway, we can’t stay here and worry about it, so let’s stop and discuss our future plans.”
“I agree. I don’t know what the truth is, but maybe we should consider turning back.”
The ending is not very satisfying, but if there is no continent, there is no point in staying here.
＊＊＊
“It’s not as clear as the underwater ruins in the Aquamarine Kingdom, but there are some things that look like artifacts.”
After discussion, it was decided that it would be a waste to leave, and it was decided to investigate the possibility that the continent had sunk into the sea.
If the Duke’s journal was not a lie, the most likely pattern is that the continent sank into the sea.
It is possible that someone with a cheat skill made the continent invisible, or that the continent was erased, but the most likely suspect is the sinking pattern.
This is not impossible, as there are underwater ruins in the Aquamarine Kingdom. Thus, the White Dolphin reappeared after a long time.
We decided to use this submersible to explore the sea floor.
While exploring the sea floor, artifacts are sometimes found.
We were delighted to discover that the Duke’s diary was not entirely false.
The next emotion we felt was fear.
“Is it really like I imagined?”
“Yes, almost certainly.”
Ilma-san answered my question with a serious expression. I wondered if it was really like I thought…
Anyway, since we had no guidelines, we dived down to the bottom of the sea, wandered around it, and found a beautiful mortar-shaped place.
I thought it was too neat to be a natural formation, so we examined it and found that it looked like debris, but it turned out to be something that had been touched by human hands in some places.
We were happy to find evidence of human existence, although we did not know if it was a continent or not, but the next words from Ilma-san made our tension drop sharply.
A huge mortar-shaped terrain spreads out in a radial pattern.
This was probably the result of a powerful explosion in the center of the land, which obliterated the entire ground around it.
The debris-like artifacts were probably the burned remains of a city or other settlement that had existed here.
It turns out that if there had been people here, no one would have survived.
Silence reigns on board.
Still, we continue our investigation, sad as it is, but it was a long time ago, and we try to change our minds.
Two full days passed.
We discovered a number of mortar-shaped features, and at the sites of these features, there were always pieces of artifacts left behind, like burning debris.
At the first discovery, I thought it might have been caused by a meteorite, but after so many similar discoveries, I couldn’t turn my eyes away from reality.
I’m not sure if these mortar-shaped marks are artificial or even human, but clearly, someone’s will has intervened.
And that someone had attacked and wiped out the villages where people gathered one by one.
After that, whether it was the work of someone else or not is not known, but it seems certain that the continent that was supposed to exist has sunk.
“What do you say? Shall we go home now?”
If there had been a settlement left on the site, like in the Aquamarine Kingdom, there would have been hope of finding the treasure, but there was nothing we could do if there was nothing left but debris.
Every time we find something, we think about the possibility that many people died here, and our spirits drop.
“Ilma. According to the documents, this continent is quite large, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right. It seems that it was at least big enough to be called a continent. There are descriptions of several countries, so it must have been as big as our continent.”
Alessia-san asked, and Ilma-san replied. Alessia-san thinks about something.
“Then let’s look for it. I don’t feel comfortable leaving without knowing the cause of the problem. Besides, if the continent is as big as this one, there might be more traces left, and some places might not have sunk at all. Wataru, is that okay with you?”
Even in such a difficult situation, Alessia-san seems to have no intention of giving up.
But… Hmm, I wonder about it?
We’ve only been able to find traces of people in the mortar-shaped terrain for the past two days, so it seems like something, or someone has been trying to destroy people thoroughly.
Looking at it that way, it seems useless to search for them, but that doesn’t mean that the human race would have been killed without resistance.
At the very least, they must have tried to survive.
If that is the case, there may be a secret place where they tried to avoid detection, or the damage in this area may have been so severe that they won a victory elsewhere, leaving traces of humanity, and the continent may have sunk after that.
Maybe Alessia-san is right, and there are even places that did not sink.
The possibility may be small since it was the sea as far as the eye could see, but since we are not pressed for time, it would be tempting to bet on the slightest possibility.
“Understood. Let’s continue our search.”
“Let’s do that. Thank you, Wataru. Then, let’s decide on a search plan. We’re going to search the continent, so we have to be efficient, or we’ll waste time.”
Alessia-san’s call brought Dorothea-san and the others back to life. This is what makes Alessia-san such a great leader.
＊＊＊
Eight days had passed since Alessia-san’s order.
After splitting into two groups, one on the surface and one on the bottom of the sea and running around the western sea in every direction, we found what appeared to be an island in the hazy distance.