Chapter 2

Searching for people while circling rocky areas, running along beaches, and occasionally diving into the sea.

Before I knew it, dawn had broken, and the sky seemed to be getting brighter.

"Seemed to be" because the sky was overcast all the way to the horizon, creating an oddly oppressive and claustrophobic dimness.

And even though it had gotten brighter and my field of vision had widened somewhat, there was still no sign of any person in my sight.

Sad.

But wait, I did find a few things.

First, this tattered cloth. Since I was sleeping on the rocks, my clothes were already in tatters, with some parts torn off. So I decided to wear this as an outer garment.

I'd like to celebrate becoming a proper vagrant now, but I wonder what I was doing before I collapsed over there...?

And the next thing I found was this metal fragment that appears to have washed ashore.

It was probably a spear or something originally, but it's broken halfway down the shaft. Still, the sharp tip is intact, and if I wrap some cloth around the handle part, it could almost pass for a kitchen knife.

"I'm confident in my knife skills!"

I may not be able to use a spear, but I'm good at filleting fish.

...This is probably a fragment of an Abyssal Hunter's weapon, right? I tried cutting a nearby stone with it, and it split cleanly. Amazing sharpness, as expected from something that can't be analyzed with land technology. That would mean this is indeed the coast of Iberia.

But now that I have a weapon, I'm invincible! Sea Terrors? Seaborn? Who do you think you are! Come at me, you monsters of the sea! I'll slice you all into sashimi!

"I smell a companion. The scent of the tide."

Oh crap, she's here.

"Why are you following me...?" "What a strange thing to say. I've just been here the whole time."

...And for some reason I don't understand, Skadi the Corrupting Heart keeps following me around. She floats alongside me as I run across the rocky areas, and when I found this makeshift knife on the sandy beach, she looked interested. Whether she's genuinely interested or just pretending, I can't tell.

When I dove into the sea looking for something edible, she was peering at me from underwater, and even I thought I was going to die. Actually, I nearly drowned.

But so far, she hasn't shown any signs of harming me, nor has she tried to engage me in conversation. If she started talking about blood relatives or comrades, I could at least understand it as some kind of recruitment activity, but this complete lack of action is rather eerie.

When I ask what her purpose is, I only get vague responses, so I've given up.

I've forcibly convinced myself that it's like a chick following its mother bird, and that's just how it is. I don't know if sea monsters have such proper biological functions, but I can't cope otherwise.

By the way, I found traces of a fire in a small cave-like area. There was also what looked like a water purifier made from dried seaweed and cloth scraps, and it seemed relatively recent.

This means someone was here. That gives me hope.

"The question is, why would someone camp out on a beach like this..."

Has humanity really gone extinct? Hmm, thinking about it that way, it seems like the surviving humans are living in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by Sea Terrors...

"Skadi, sing something." "Sure."

I listen to a song as my mood starts to sink. For some reason, this Skadi will sing for me.

I wonder if the real Skadi also sings similar songs when she's alone.

When I listen to Skadi's song, I feel my anxiety and impatience calming down. If I make a fire with the wood I found in the cave, it instantly becomes fire therapy.

...Somehow I was able to start a fire unusually quickly. I thought friction fire-starting would require considerable time, strength, and patience, but lucky me.

The flickering of the fire is pleasant. This is the power of 1/f... If I think of Skadi as something like Alexa, it's quite comfortable, isn't it?

"~ "

Skadi sits on her instrument, floating gently with her eyes closed, singing happily.

Yeah. Hmm.

This is quite nice.

"I'm hungry."

Songs don't fill an empty stomach. Listening to Skadi's singing made my head feel strangely light and drowsy, but my rumbling stomach keeps me from sleeping.

Grabbing my noble knife, I head out to the beach where gentle waves are rippling. I wonder if there are any crabs or shellfish. I'd also like to make some drinking water, so it would be nice if a pot or something had washed ashore.

Kicking up sand and standing tall, I strain my eyes looking for potential prey—

"GAA!"

Something's there.

What is this... simply put, a sea bream with legs? Something like that. It has tentacles growing from around its tail fin, and it's standing upright on the sand with them.

And it made some kind of noise. It went "GAA."

Wait, what? Are the scaled fish in Terra's world this impressive?

Is Jaye making fish balls out of things like this?

"Oh... don't be afraid, little comrade. I'm here." "GAA?"

It's a Sea Terror!

Of course it is! There's no way a fish with tentacle legs would exist!

Skadi seems to be communicating amicably with the Sea Terror, but I know better.

Sea Terrors eat people.

The Deep Sea Church or whatever it was called—those cultists who worship sea monsters—they offered sacrifices. This isn't the world I know where humans stand at the top of the food chain. Predators are everywhere, and that's the harsh reality of Terra.

"..."

I grip my knife, at least for appearances.

I might be deceived by Skadi's neat appearance, but the sea folk are uniformly enemies. The fact that I haven't been killed yet is a miracle, and I mustn't forget that right now, I'm in a situation like having a staring contest with a man-eating bear.

"...I see. You're alone. But it's alright." "GAA!"

Let's run away.

There's only one Sea Terror. I'll run and shake it off. If that's impossible, I'll have to strike before I'm attacked.

It's okay, I have my knife weapon.

"Knife..."

Yes, a knife.

"GAA!" "Fish..."

Sea Terror.

No, fish. A sea bream with tentacles.

"...I'm hungry."

"GAA!?"

I'm hungry. Yes, I'm just very hungry.

My stomach is growling so loudly that I can't even sleep. And what's in front of me is a Sea Terror, which is a fish. Even if it has tentacles, it's a fish.

"Or perhaps you're a cross between a sea bream and an octopus? Then your name shall be Taiko." "GAA..." "How about it? Would you like to be eaten by me?" "GA, GUA..."

Hey now, don't give me that "Eh..." kind of atmosphere. For a Sea Terror, you're surprisingly expressive, and you look fatty and delicious.

Listen, Taiko, I could turn you into excellent sashimi. I'm a skilled chef. No matter what anyone says, I'm a cook with a fine knife in hand.

...But eating Sea Terrors raw isn't good, is it? I think some captain once said they're safe if cooked, but dried fish is dangerous.

"Alright, you'll be grilled fish. Or grilled octopus." "...GA!"

I can't stand it anymore, I'm just so hungry.

Maybe I'll adapt nicely like Mizuki or Alfonso. Even if I can't adapt and end up joining the sea monsters, with the Corrupting Heart Skadi here, the world is likely on the brink of destruction anyway. I'd rather satisfy my hunger than die of starvation in this incomprehensible place.

"How about it?" "...GAA"

Amazingly, the Sea Terror, which shouldn't be able to communicate through language, responded to my words and timidly offered its head!

Boss, please make it painless.

Hearing that voiceless voice, I can't hold back my tears. Leave it to me. I'm used to catching, killing, and eating fish. I'll make you part of me without causing suffering.

My stomach and back are practically touching by now. With tears in my eyes, I grip the knife firmly and, following my instincts, I—

"Are you going to kill too?"

Shut up and be quiet!

...But I can't bring myself to shout that, so I silently lower the knife.

Skadi was watching me. She was staring intently at both me and Taiko.

"Are you going to try to kill us, like former companions did?"

Stop, stop, stop, don't look at me with those eyes. Taiko and I have already connected heart-to-heart. It's too late to change that now.

"GAA!"

Receiving Taiko's gaze that seemed to say "Please do something, boss," I reluctantly move my mouth rather than my hand.

"Listen, Skadi, I don't want to kill Taiko. I want to eat him." "...You're not yet a complete blood relative. You can't assimilate through predation."

What is this person talking about?

"It's not about assimilation or evolution. I eat Taiko, Taiko becomes my flesh and blood. That's what 'living' is all about." "Living...?"

I quote Mr. Mostima's lines to persuade her. Skadi started thinking with a complicated expression, so I seized the opportunity and grabbed the knife again.

Farewell, Taiko. You'll live on eternally within me.

"GAA! I'm honored!"

Here goes!

Taiko was a magnificent sea bream, well-marbled with fat, and also a firm octopus.

If he had eaten human flesh, I would have been worried about prion disease, but upon gutting him, I found traces of shrimp and crab consumption, so it should be fine. Besides, I don't want to worry about such things at this point.

Believing in Captain Alfonso's words that cooking would make it safe, and also as a precaution against parasites, I cooked Taiko over the fire, completing what was presumably my first meal in Terra.

Time to eat.

"Delicious!"

What juicy umami! Well-heated fat jumps in my mouth, and the red meat that slides down my throat dissolves as if melting! When I put the tentacles in my mouth, which turned red after cooking, the elastic muscle fibers give excellent texture and taste! 100 points out of 10!

I wish I had rice. If there's an equivalent to the Far East in Terra's world, they should have rice. Or soy sauce... at least some kind of fermented condiment would be nice.

"..." "Um, want some?"

...I can't help but be bothered by Skadi staring intently at my eating. I asked if she might be hungry, but she just shook her head without saying anything.

Scary. Why are you following me?

But hunger is a strange thing, and while maintaining a moderate level of caution toward Skadi, I devoured Taiko in no time. I discarded the internal organs, but the bones and skin remain. It seems a shame to throw them away, and they might still be useful for something, so I washed them in seawater and set them out to dry.

Now Taiko and I are truly one in body and spirit. Thank you, Taiko... one living being... you have sustained my life...

"..."

Skadi remains silent. Since she was singing happily until now, her silence terrifies me.

Is she angry that I ate one of her kind?

Hmm, this is awkward. At times like this, singing is the best solution.

Since I'm provisionally in Iberia, I should sing something appropriate for the occasion.

"'The Golden Age Will Return'!"

Skadi was startled because I suddenly raised my voice.

After I finished singing, it started raining just as I was getting thirsty. Lucky me, now I won't have to worry about water for a while.