The moment the warship rushed into the fog, the sound of the wind stopped.
âWhat the hell, isnât this the ocean?â
I could see that Garsh was also wondering the same thing. The surface of the sea is calm like a mirror, more like a lake than the sea.
âMr. Vaito, there is a fish. Itâs a shallow fish.â
The mermaids snuggled up around the warship and reported.
The visibility is poor in the fog, and I canât see as I expected.
But if thereâs an island octopus here, there must be a reef that heâs mimicking.
If you inadvertently get on it, itâs over, so I had asked the mermaids to be vigilant.
âTell me whatâs going on underwater! Is there a reef?â
âIâm looking for it separately, but this area is usually deep âŚâ
Apparently the island octopus is much smaller than the fog range.
The fog is deeper than I expected, and the appearance of the next warship looks blurry. There is likely to be an ambush.
Iâm not at all familiar with medieval fleet battles, but I know a little about the modern ones.
You should fly the carrier-based aircraft here and catch the enemy.
âCentaur corps, spread out and start searching. Never stop while searching for enemies. Accompany a mermaid to guard against the sea.â
âOK! Leave it to us!â
Phil Neal carried a giant two-handed spear and smiled.
Just donât go crazyâŚ
Two hundred elite Centaurs landed on the surface of the water one after another from five warships and lined up in front of Phil Neal.
Phil Neal himself held a huge two-handed spear and encouraged the soldiers.
âIâm going to start searching! Engagement is strictly prohibited, please give priority to reporting and stealth! Donât worry, the mermaids will keep an eye on your fleet!â
The centaurs nod and silently raise their bows and spears. Itâs their reply during covert action.
The centaurs spread to the left and right and disappeared into the fog with light footsteps.
The search for the enemy would have been only a few minutes, but the rest of us were waiting in a sneak peek.
The opponent is âThe Devilâs Seaâ. I hope there is no damage to the centaurs.
Then, the centaurs returned from the fog.
Phil Neal at the beginning came back to the front of the flagship and shouted in a hurry.
âThere is a ship! A ship with sails!â
âWhat !? Where is the reef !?â
âI havenât found it yet! Iâm looking for it!â
What does that mean?
Anyway, the ship is a clue.
Perhaps the enemyâs identity is something other than an island octopus, so confirmation is needed here.
However, we must be cautious.
âRaise the Centaur corps once! Decoy will be put out as planned!â
From here, itâs Rashiâs turn.
âRashi, make the illusion of a sailing shipâ
âYes!â
Rashi, who had a tense face, began to concentrate.
âI am the one who misleads my eyes, my ears, my nose, and my fingers.
Rashi stretched her hands into the void and moved her fingers to touch something invisible.
Slowly, a ship appeared on the surface of the sea ahead. It was blurry at first, but gradually appeared to be in focus.
It was a fine sailing ship with three masts. Itâs a very common type that you often see in the harbor of Beruza. The crew is also placed properly. I donât think itâs a phantom.
The emblem drawn on the mast is a fancy pattern and it feels strange, but letâs overlook it this time.
âWhat is that?â
âItâs a wolf.â
Is it a wolf?
Yes.
I thought it was a dog.
Meanwhile, Garsh, who saw the illusion of the ship, growled as if he was impressed.
âThis is a big deal ⌠Iâm a sailor, thereâs nothing strange about it. Itâs perfect.â
âItâs not just the water part thatâs perfect. The part below the water is also perfect⌠as it should be.â
Thatâs why Rashi lived for days diving into the sea, looking at the bottom of the ship.
In the end, âThe bottom of the ship comes out in my dreams âŚ. While being worshiped by everyone as a saint, a chain is attached to the bottom of the ship, and Mr. Vaito sees it and laughs. It will help you properlyâ
What is my position to Rashi?/What kind of image does Rashi have of my position?
Letâs ask next time.
The phantom sailing ship made by Rashi slowly advanced ahead of the fleet. Itâs just the speed when sailing with inertia alone, losing the tailwind.
âDonât observe closely, Rashiâ
When I praised her, Rashi laughed shyly while manipulating the illusion with her fingertips.
âObservation and imagination are the absolute requirements of an illusionist. You canât make something you donât know or canât imagine well.â
Got it.
Unexpectedly, this girl may be suitable for painters and sculptors.
After that, if the octopus bites into this phantom sailing ship, it can start the attack without any damage.
The octopus visually chases the prey. If the illusion is perfect, you should be able to deceive it.
The watchman shouted as he was watching the surroundings while thinking about such things.
âFunekage ahead!â
Is it the one who was reported by the Centaur corps?
âReport the shipâs shadow! Whereâs the ship!â
When Garsh shouted, the guard soldier immediately shouted back.
âOh, thatâs ⌠the Nijikai issue of Elana Shokai!â
âIsnât he the one who went missing months ago!â
Apparently there is a turbulence.
Besides Rashiâs illusion, there was another ship that floated in the fog. It was a normal ship. It seemed difficult to navigate because the mast was tilted by one, but other than that, it floats without problems.
But of course, this one needs the utmost caution.
âWell, Admiral! Letâs go to the rescue right away! Theyâll be killed here!â
The Beruza soldiers were upset, but I shook my head.
The ship that has been in the island territory for a long time cannot be safe.
âItâs too late. Donât approach carelessly.â
Besides, I felt a wicked magical power, though it had been gentle for a while.
No doubt something is nearby.
âRashi, bring the illusion closer to that ship. Make it look like youâre in rescue.â
At my command, Rashi manipulates the illusion carefully.
Rashiâs sailing ship faithfully reproduced the appearance of sailing only by inertia. The ship slowly approached the âNijikai-goâ âŚ
The next moment, the tentacles of an octopus, that emerged from the sea, entwined with the illusion.
A huge tentacle that was thicker than the mast and countless suckers on slimy skin.
It became slimy without sound and wrapped around the illusion of the ship.
Of course, it shouldnât be able to wrap around it, but itâs an illusion that even the tactile sensation is reproduced. The tentacles are relentlessly slimy, no matter how many times they last.
âHuh!? Woah!â
Rashi, who was not accustomed to seeing an octopus, screamed in spite of its grotesqueness.
If her mind gets disturbed any more, the illusion will disappear.
I supported Rashiâs shoulders and encouraged her.
âOctopus is such a creature by nature. It looks unpleasant, but itâs just a huge seafood.â
âBut, but âŚâ
âBelieve me! Keep the illusion. With your power, you can protect everyone!â
When I persuaded her, Rashi, who was half panicked, suddenly returned to sanity.
âYes! Iâll do my best!â
âI will protect you. Please concentrate on the art with confidence.â
Rashi wasnât the only one who was scared. Neither human sailors nor demon warriors seemed to be able to hide their fears.
âIf you are frightened here, you will lose.â I immediately gave an attack order.
âCentaurs start! Cooperate with the mermaids to find the main body of the octopus, the reef! It should be in the near vicinity! Also, prepare a flare gun and order to rush into an armed merchant ship!â
Immediately, a flare gun for the night was launched, giving off a blurred light in the fog.
I donât know if it was transmitted to the armed merchant ship, but it should be rushing into the landmark with this light.
Just in case, letâs run a few people from the Centaur corps as messengers.
The number of tentacles attacking the phantom ship had increased to three. The Centaur corps are safe because he is obsessively aiming at the phantom ship.
There should still be five octopus tentacles in the sea. It could attack the centaur corps.
But now itâs worse to be attacked by that ship.
Anyway, what is that Beruza merchant ship?
All tentacles are relentlessly attacking the phantom ship. On the other hand, that merchant ship has not been attacked. And itâs as if we were waiting for the merchant ship to approach.
When I thought about it, I realized one possibility.
âRemaining mermaids look under that ship for a moment! But donât get too close!â
Immediately after that, it turned out that my expectations were correct.
There was a big hole in the bottom of that ship. It seems that it became a prey to the island octopus.
Of course, it would normally sink, but it seems that a huge octopus tentacle stuck to the bottom of the ship to support the hull.
It seems that island octopus learned that if you float the ship after eating the sailors, a new ship will come to you.
Octopus wisdom messenger.
Now that I know the whereabouts of upto four of the tentacles, I decided to wait for the armed merchant ship to enter while preparing the catapult.
Eventually, armed merchant ships rushed in one after another.
In this windless, tideless waters, sailing ships can no longer be used to escape. If you give up the subjugation and withdraw, you will have to put the crew on a warship.
Little by little, things go in an irreversible direction.
As expected, I was nervous too.
In the memo of Senior Melene, the tentacles of the island octopus were lifting the ship. However, as far as the movement of his tentacles is concerned, it seems that he is not so powerful.
Itâs just the right thickness to entangle human-sized prey. If youâre drawn into it, thereâs no way to help.
At that time, the centaur corps returned from the fog.
Phil Neal, who ran at the front, shouted out.
âSenpai, I found a reef! Itâs at the back, this way!â
âWell done, Phil Neal!â
âBut be careful! Many tentacles are guarding the reef! Two people were killed!â
âIâll kill you! Retreat once!â
For octopuses, tentacles are also organs for swimming. Because it uses the membrane between the tentacles.
As long as he uses all his legs in battle, he canât escape anywhere.
âTow a sailing ship! Dragon fire engineer corps prepares for catapult shooting! First bullet loading!â