Inside the Cave

Azu and the others rocked gently in a small boat as they moved across the water.

Two seasoned sailors rowed, steering toward their destination.

They'd changed into their adventurer gear in preparation for combat.

That alone made a difference in how focused they felt.

Azu ran her hand along her sword's scabbard. She'd spoken confidently in front of Yohane, but that didn't mean she was free of worry.

Still, based on their first encounter, she was confident they could win even in somewhat unfavorable conditions.

What she needed to watch for was the creature escaping, or being dragged into the sea.

As she was mulling it over, the Water Elemental appeared.

When Azu reached out, it settled onto her palm.

It seemed to be telling her not to worry even if that happened.

The spirit's feelings came through to her, vaguely but unmistakably.

"Thanks."

She whispered her gratitude softly, and the Water Elemental vanished.

It had returned inside her, most likely.

"Looks like you two are getting along."

"Yes. It's been lending me a lot of strength."

"I'm a little envious, but I suppose it comes down to compatibility."

Alexia had originally been the one closest to the Water Elemental.

Even so, the spirit couldn't reside within Alexia.

That miracle was possible only because of Azu's right eye.

As proof, the Water Elemental still interacted with Alexia from time to time.

As for Elza, the spirit seemed neither fond of nor averse to her.

"Almost there."

One of the sailors spoke up.

The waves had grown rougher, but the boat cut through them without trouble.

The island—their destination—came into view.

She'd heard about it beforehand, but it really was small for something called an island.

Beyond the cave, there was little more than some scrubby vegetation, and even from a reasonable distance she could see the far edge.

"Can't say for sure whether the Kraken will come back today… I'll wait and see for a day, then come back the morning after tomorrow."

The sailors said this as they let Azu and the others off the boat, then pulled away from the island.

It was over an hour's swim from the mainland.

Until the appointed time, they had no choice but to wait here.

They moved away from the shore and toward the cave.

The bag Yohane had prepared contained enough supplies to last several days.

"Three days' worth, huh. Same as always."

"I have to give him credit for this kind of thoroughness. It really does help."

"Agreed. I've never once had to worry about supplies."

From what they'd heard, supplies were normally a constant concern for working adventurers.

Mid-rank adventurers could finally afford to pack a bit extra.

But overpack, and costs ate into your earnings.

The supplies Yohane prepared were on par with what a high-rank adventurer would have.

In the early days, he'd almost certainly been operating at a loss.

Azu remembered being tossed a silver coin.

Back when it had been just her and Yohane.

She hadn't been able to open up to him yet, but he was the only one she could rely on. Yohane had seemed just as uncertain whether he could trust Azu. They'd both been fumbling in the dark.

Even so, Yohane had done everything he could to keep her alive.

She remembered how the first bag he'd given her had contained everything she needed.

He'd prepared quality weapons to protect her, bought armor, and even entrusted her with his mother's keepsake—the fire magic stone.

"I think of it as proof of his faith in us. Let's do our best."

"Quite right. We don't get paid directly, but if Master profits, our lives improve too."

"We're living pretty well as it is, honestly."

Even she had to admit this didn't sound much like a conversation between slaves.

What would have happened if a different person had bought her?

Would she have worked until she died, starving all the while?

Or…

Azu stopped that line of thinking.

Pointless speculation.

Yohane had bought her, and here she was. That was enough.

The island had a peculiar smell.

Like rotten eggs.

Elza performed a purification miracle just to be safe.

"Mm, it's probably not poisonous. But just in case prolonged exposure causes problems, I'll purify the air periodically."

"Please do."

Azu drew her sword and advanced slowly into the cave.

Alexia had her battle axe in her right hand as well.

The terrain was rocky, and Alexia—wearing her battle dress—was having some difficulty keeping the fabric from snagging.

"Honestly, this is the one hobby of his I wish he'd drop. It's hard to move in these kinds of places."

"It looks great on you, though."

"'A dress is a woman's battle armor' and all that, but that's just a figure of speech… I can move better in this than a regular dress, at least."

Her shoes weren't heels, thankfully, but a former noblewoman going into battle in a dress was unheard of.

Even if she was a slave.

Ironic as it was, though, Azu had to admit it suited Alexia beautifully.

A flower on the battlefield, if ever there was one.

The purple dress caught the evening light magnificently.

Part of the cave floor was damp with seawater.

They picked their way along the drier spots while Alexia lit the way with an illumination spell.

The cave was surprisingly spacious.

Spacious enough that it made sense for the Kraken to live here.

There was no sign of it—she'd already known from the lack of any presence—but the Kraken was nowhere to be found.

"It'll come here if we wait, right?"

"There are certainly signs of feeding."

"If the intel's wrong, we can just take the pickup boat back."

Where Alexia pointed, fish remains were scattered.

It must have eaten here.

There were several spots to hide in, so they moved to one and concealed themselves.

Night was beginning to fall outside, and when Alexia cancelled the illumination spell, the cave plunged into total darkness.

They set a lantern behind a rock formation so no light would leak, securing the bare minimum of visibility.

For food, they gnawed on hard-baked, butter-free cookies to avoid any scent escaping.

Bland, but not too bad washed down with water.

After that, they waited for the Kraken inside the cave.

The three of them huddled under a blanket to conserve their strength.

The only sounds were dripping water and the waves.

How long had they waited?

Just as Azu's eyelids were growing heavy, she heard it.

The waves were clearly growing louder.

As if something enormous was approaching.

"It's here."

Azu whispered and readied her sword.