Chapter 360
Chapter 360. Unique Individual
— Shortly after, Captain, having finished his prayer of gratitude to the gods, slapped his cheeks to pump himself up.
“Alright, you lot, take your positions! If that monster returns, it could be serious! If the ship’s alright, raise the sails! We’re getting out of this terrifying area!”
The crew, who had been utterly drained, suddenly remembered that the monster could come back and hurriedly rolled back to their posts.
“Hero! Sorry, but we’ve got an injured man…”
A crewman, bleeding from his abdomen, was brought over to Arthur.
“…What happened to this wound?”
As he bathed the injury in the miraculous light of healing, Arthur tilted his head in wonder. Fortunately, the treatment was easy, but considering he was attacked by such a massive monster, this wound was surprisingly small. Normally, being crushed by a tentacle or dragged to the bottom would mean certain death…
“Well, I slipped during a big shake, and the sword of the guy next to me ended up stabbing me.”
“Oh, I see… Good thing it missed the vital spots.”
The stab wound closed up quickly, and Arthur gently patted the now healed crewman’s belly with a smile.
“You’re all good now.”
“Thank you so much! I feel like the pain in my back is gone too!”
“Were you feeling bad? Seems like I fixed that too.”
“Now that’s a relief!”
The crewman bowed repeatedly, and the nearby crew looked on with a hint of envy. In emergencies or during wars, the Holy Church doesn’t charge for treatment (when they have the capacity). And while Arthur claimed to be a hero, it was plainly evident to the untrained eye that he was far better at healing than a mediocre priest.
Though, that said, there weren’t any fools who would deliberately injure themselves just to get rid of an ongoing ailment…
“Hey, First Mate! You alive?!”
“Yeah, yeah, Captain! I’m alive!”
Responding to the captain’s call was the tough-looking first mate, who had a pirate-like demeanor.
“Check if there are any other injured, and… if anyone’s fallen! Customers too!”
“…Got it!”
“Hey, you over there! If you’ve got time to stand around, go check if the mast has any cracks!”
“Y-yes! Sorry about that!”
The captain, who had appeared exhausted just moments ago, was now bustling about giving orders to the crew. Arthur, arms crossed next to him, finally decided to speak up when things settled down a bit.
“As expected of the captain of NeedAlun, your presence is impressive. It’s no wonder you bragged about driving off the Kraken before.”
“…Please don’t say that.”
The captain’s face flushed with embarrassment at Arthur’s teasing words.
“Well, I did chase one away once, but it was so small it hardly counted. I mean, even small, its eye was about the size of my head… But still, it’s nothing compared to this one.”
The captain’s facade of dignity fell away, and he shivered.
“That was… an extraordinary monster. It must be the ‘Demon Lord of Aulitos.’”
“…The rumored lord of the vast Aulitos Lake. I never thought I’d see it with my own eyes.”
Arthur gazed nostalgically at the lake’s surface, its dark waters seemingly endless…
“Surviving an attack by the Demon Lord of Aulitos is nothing short of a miracle.”
“You’ve earned even more prestige now.”
“…Thanks to you, Arthur. We just stood by trembling. I’m truly glad to have you with us.”
The captain muttered with heartfelt sincerity.
“I’m also glad to be the guardian of this ship.”
Arthur replied earnestly.
— Since ancient times, large vessels like this one have had personnel from the Holy Church assigned to them, known as ship guardians or simply guardians. Their roles vary widely, from defending the ship and treating the injured to mourning the deceased, and they hold authority second only to the captain (However, if the captain is unable to fulfill their duties for some reason, a crew member such as the first mate can be promoted to captain, so it is rare for anyone else to seize the captain’s authority).
“I’m not asking for anything extravagant; if only we had one more attacker! Maybe that octopus wouldn’t have gotten away!”
Though he kept a cool demeanor, a hint of regret was evident in Arthur’s tone.
“…No, no, that’s a greedy request. Honestly, during these difficult times, just having you continue as our guardian is already something to be grateful for…”
The captain shook his head slowly. Once, large ships like this often had two guardians aboard, but now they were down to one. The Holy Church, suffering from a chronic shortage of personnel for the Demon Lord conflict, had been unable to provide staff as they once did.
In fact, it was common for even small or medium-sized vessels to lack a guardian entirely; as lake pirates thrived, the threat of magical beasts increased, and the Holy Church and city-state were forced into reactive measures, gathering hunting parties only after incidents occurred.
“Still… If only my father or grandfather were here…”
Arthur quietly sighed as he muttered. Alone, he knew he couldn’t have fully protected this ship. While he was confident he could endure for a day and night, holding out longer would have been tough, and the ship likely wouldn’t have made it either.
Had it not been for the mysterious White Dragon’s intervention, who knows what might have happened—
“Fabled heroes of the illustrious Hilburn House, aren’t you?”
The captain grinned mischievously. Arthur smiled vaguely.
“Hilburn House?”
“Seriously, you don’t know? That’s where the Hero comes from. They’ve been producing outstanding priests and heroes for generations and are one of the premier families around Aulitos Lake.”
An old-timer, knowledgeable about the legends, explained to a clueless young crewman.
“Rumor has it they’re descended from the ancient Hero King, Arthur…”
“Oh, wow!… Wait, isn’t the Hero’s name also Arthur?”
“If I don’t want to tarnish that name, I’ve got to work hard.”
Arthur scratched his head, feeling embarrassed under the innocent gaze of the young crewman.
“Don’t say you’re living up to a name! You’ve already outdone the Hero King with your incredible feats! You held back the attack of the ‘Demon Lord of Aulitos’ all on your own!”
The captain said seriously and with passion. The others around nodded in agreement.
“I heard you made an astounding contribution on the northern front too. For over a day and night, you held back the Demon Lord Army’s attacks! They say the prodigy of Hilburn House, the ‘Sleepless and Tireless Hero,’ refers to Arthur Hilburn…”
“Wow~~!”
The surrounding crew members were impressed by the knowledgeable old-timer’s words.
Arthur continued to smile, albeit awkwardly, but the warmth of his smile seemed to cool just enough that it wouldn’t be noticed by those around him.
“Captain! We’ve finished checking the hull, and there are no significant damages! The sails were quickly folded, so they aren’t torn either!”
Just then, another crewman reported, saluting sharply.
“Alright! Raise the sails, we’re making a full-speed escape to the shallows!… Arthur, thank you once again. Without your protective miracle, we would have been utterly destroyed by now.”
“…I’m relieved. Hey, are you really sure there was no damage? No cracks in the keel or hull?”
Arthur pressed the reporting crewman for confirmation.
“Yes! We kept a close eye with lamps and checked in groups! The keel, hull, and bulkheads are all fine! The sides and belly got some suction cup marks, though…”
“Good. At least it means we can still sail. Alright, let’s release the protective spell.”
As Arthur raised his left hand, a gentle radiance rose from the entire ship.
Silver light concentrated on Arthur’s arm, returning to a simple-shaped silver shield.
“…Phew.”
Arthur let out a sigh of relief, releasing the tension from his shoulders. Until just now, he had been reinforcing the ship’s hull with his protective miracle. The Kraken had attacked right after sunset, and for hours he had been exposed to persistent tentacle assaults, yet thanks to Arthur, the NeedAlun had not become mere flotsam in the lake.
“…………”
Both the captain and crew stared at Arthur with deep respect. Even if someone said he was the reincarnation of the ancient Hero King, nobody thought it was an exaggeration.
The figure of the hero who had protected their ship from the great magical beast was undeniably there—
“Oh, by the way, Captain. The ship is fine, but the figurehead is gone.”
A crewman suddenly remembered and added to his report.
“…That filthy octopus! It took the statue of the water spirit, Nido, bringing good luck with it!”
The captain’s face turned beet red with fury.
“That cost a fortune! Damn it—!!”
As the captain’s roar echoed, the NeedAlun, catching the night breeze with its main sail, slowly changed its course.
Heading toward the shallow waters along the coast, it gradually began to accelerate—
