CH 275

Chapter 275 – A Horror Story

“Thank you for sharing your story with me.” (Hakumen)

“No, not at all! I’m just glad that Hakumen-sama believes me! Ahhh, I’m so honored~!” (Blitz)

Hakumen was a benefactor to the garbels, and some of them even thought of him as their messiah. All in all, he was very well-liked by the garbels.

Putting it another way, Hakumen was like an idol at the peak of their popularity, since just by believing in something, other people would take it as a truth.

For example, calling something that was clearly white as black instead, and people believing it… That concept was a bit scary, but their admiration was sincere and as long as they continued to work for me, I decided that it would be better for things to stay like this.

After hearing the story about the ship from Blitz, we took to the sky on the [Jet Book], and I looked out over the ocean.

“Master, could it really be that pirate ship?” (Yofel)

“Yeah, it seems to be Duarte Taylor’s ship. If we find it, we might be able to get our hands on some useful information about the treasure.” (Bouchi)

“But doesn’t isn’t the ship capable of suddenly disappearing?” (Yofel)

“That’s the thing…” (Bouchi)

In other words, it wasn’t an ability of the ship itself but some external factor that was allowing it to disappear.

With fantasy items, it was easy to accomplish something to that effect.

For example, the [Camouflage Sheet] that I used from time to time caused whatever was covered by it to meld into the surroundings and become invisible. There were other items with similar effects.

“Another possibility would be this being the effect of someone’s skill.” (Bouchi)

“I see… A skill, huh? But… if that were the case, someone would have to be on board the ship. Duarte was a pirate from more than a thousand years ago.” (Yofel)

“Hmm… Is it possible that the crew is a certain species that can live for over a thousand years and is somehow still alive?” (Bouchi)

“The only people who could live more than 1,000 years would be the elfin race. But there are very few people who can live to over 1,000, and even if this crew could, only around one person out of them might be able to live to that age. Could a single person keep a ship sailing for a thousand years? After continuing to sail and sail, the ship would eventually reach the end of its lifespan and break.” (Yofel)

Yofel’s thought process was spot on. Even if the crew were still alive, it wasn’t likely that the ship would remain intact. If the ship that Blitz saw was really the Oz Freedom, it would probably be made out of wood, which meant that it would be impossible for a single person to keep it repaired while sailing.

If the ship had been fixed up at a shipyard before, a refurbished version would have appeared in my <Shop>.

There were several of Duarte’s ships on sale, but the last ship that he’d ridden was definitely called the Oz Freedom, so I didn’t think any major repairs had been made after this point.

In other words, the ship that was now wandering our oceans was the Oz Freedom, which Duarte had ridden until he quit sailing.

But how has it been maintained for over a thousand years?

“Come to think of it… there was something else interesting about what Blitz-san said…” (Ior)

“Something else? …Yeah, he did.” (Bouchi)

As Ior pointed out, there was another interesting point about what Blitz said.

“He said something about a ghost ship, didn’t he?” (Bouchi)

According to Blitz, what he saw was definitely a ghost ship. There were many tales of the seas in the other world, and some of them told a tale of a ghost ship appearing out of the blue in the middle of foggy waters.

In that tale, a ship would mysteriously appear, float there in the sea for a while, and then suddenly disappear.

However, there were no circulating rumors that said it was specifically a ghost ship. No, to be exact, there were apparently some saying it was a pirate ship, but…

In the sea around where that ship appeared, there would be multiple damaged ships on the verge of sinking. But this single ship would be floating there in the midst of all of them, looking relatively unharmed.

The people who saw it declared that the ship was no different from a moving graveyard for ships.

“A ghost ship drifting in the middle of a graveyard of boats, huh…?” (Bouchi)

“Ghosts… I’d like to see a ghost one day.” (Ior)

“Huh? You’re fine with that kind of thing, Ior?” (Bouchi)

“I’m fine, but…” (Ior)

Ior glanced fleetingly in Yofel’s direction. She was pale and trembling with fear.

Ah, so she’s the one who’s afraid of ghosts.

“….Yofel?” (Bouchi)

“W-What is it?!” (Yofel)

“Ah, nothing. There’s no need to shout like that. Anyway, about the ghost—” (Bouchi)

“There are no such things as ghosts in this world! Hahaha, what a strange thing to say, Master! That ghost ship is only a rumor. Just some meaningless drivel that someone blew out of proportion; nothing worth believing at all! So don’t be manipulated by these kinds of stories, Master!” (Yofel)

“That’d be so evil.” (Shiki)

Shiki interjected in an amused tone.

Well, even still…

“Sorry Yofel, but I’m planning to figure out the real identity of this ghost ship.” (Bouchi)

“Wuu… I-Ior, you don’t believe in such nonsense, do you?” (Yofel)

“Sorry. I’m… curious too.” (Ior)

She looked like she just wanted him to be on her side, but Ior’s cute betrayal caused Yofel to fall to her knees.

“Anyway, let’s start searching for that ghost ship, shall we?” (Bouchi)

“Yeah.” (Ior)

“Ugh… the two of them are set on this. If I knew this was going to happen, I would have stayed at home…” (Yofel)

Leaving Yofel, who was grumbling complaints, behind me, I took out the [Appraisal Looking-Glass] and looked at the sea below.