Oh, this is the port city of Escort.

　It took four days for the carriage to swing from Kikka.

　We had arrived at the port town of Esports in the Kingdom of Ardonia.

　The buildings are uniformly white in color and spread out around the harbor.

　The harbor has small, medium and large sailing ships attached to the harbor, and many of them are in the process of unloading or loading the cargo they have carried.

Oraa, get on with it. We won't get anywhere if you keep on doing it!

Hey!

　Strong men, tanned by a long voyage, moved about with lively voices.

　Like Kikka, it was bustling with many goods and people flowing in, but it had a different vibrancy than Kikka.

　Perhaps it was because of the ocean nearby, but the sound of waves could be heard amidst the hustle and bustle of the people.

　The sea. My first ocean in this world.

　I've never seen it since I was reincarnated in this world, so it's pretty fresh.

　Maybe it's because Colliat village is surrounded by mountains, but there is no sea here, so I guess it's no surprise.

　How many years has it been since I've seen the ocean this slowly?

　I've heard that there are many ordinary villagers who live in this world who go their whole lives without seeing the sea, even if they've seen it in a previous life, it's still a valuable thing. Even if you have seen it in your previous life, it is still valuable.

　I take a deep breath and the scent of the tide is brought to me by the breeze coming from the sea.

'Master Alfried is from the village of Coriat, so it must be your first time at sea, right?

There's no sea in the village of Coriat.

　While I was down in the harbor looking out at the ocean, Irvine and Malt came in with barrels and buckets.

　The others were busy organizing the cargo and so on. These two must have come to get some seawater or something.

'Yeah, they have. It's amazing, isn't it? I can't believe it's all water.

　No, I've seen it before. It's strange to say that I've seen it, so I'll pretend to be ignorant here. In fact, it's the first time I've seen the ocean of this world, so I'm not lying.

　When I responded in this way, Irvine and Malt gave me a mischievous smile. I'm sure they are planning to do something stupid anyway.

'You know what?　Sea water tastes so good, you know?

'Yeah, it's as clear as river water, so it's easy to drink because it's so thirsty. You should try it!

　These guys are trying to set me up with the assumption that I don't know anything about seawater.

　I can feel the evil spirit hidden beneath the fresh smile.

　I dare to go along with the plan here.

''Really?　Then I'll take a drink.

'Oh!　We'll scoop it up and wait for you!

　They give a big thumbs up and go down to the side of the seawater. They don't seem to feel guilty about it.

　Rather, it's the best smile I've ever seen on his face.

　Irvine and Malt submerge the barrel and pump the seawater.

　After filling the barrel with seawater, they return to fill the bucket with seawater as well.

　Irvine dumps the contents of the leather water bottle and pumps the bucket of seawater.

　You want me to drink that much, don't you?　If you pump it out of a canteen, the ignorant will gulp it down....

Hooray!　Go ahead and gulp it down!

　If I say goggle, I'm going to die of an overdose of salt.

Yeah, thanks.

　I take the water bottle offered to me along with Irvine's evil 100% smile.

　I'm sure they're gloating inside right now, aren't they?　But I won't let that happen.

'Do Irvine and the others always drink when they come here?

'Oh, oh!　That's why we're pumping a barrel full of seawater, man. Of course we are.

　I took my words.

'Yeah. Then I'll have a drink.

　I tilt the water bottle in one fluid motion and toss the seawater into my mouth.

　At that moment, I see Irvine and Malt contorting their faces at the edge of my vision.

　Normally, I would have spit it out here, but that's not going to happen.

　I activate the spatial magic storage in my mouth in the manner of magic. The small space in my mouth becomes a sub-space, and seawater flows in with a thud.

　Because it is stored in subspace, no seawater can enter my body.

　So it doesn't matter how much seawater is poured into me. Just to be sure, I slurp in my act and taste it like delicious water.

"..........................Huh?

　Did he think I was going to spew seawater because it was too salty?　Irvine and Malt let out a dumbfounded voice.

　The way they look at each other and roll their eyes is amusing.

　While they are puzzled, I make a gesture of wiping the spilled seawater from the corner of my mouth.

'Phew!　Yum!　It's so clear and throaty!

"...oh, oh...

　The two men responded vaguely, their expressions drawn together.

　Then the two of them start to listen to each other and whisper to each other in a whisper.

'What's going on?　That was seawater we were pumping, wasn't it?　Salt water, right?　Why are you okay with this?

I don't know!　I don't even know what that means!　Doesn't Master Alfried have a busted tongue or something?

　Rude. My tongue is normal.

　While they're whispering about it, I sink the empty water bottle into the barrel and fill it up.

Here, have a malt with Irvine. It's good, right?

　I offer them an innocent smile and they instantly look bummed out when I offer it to them.

''What?　No, no, I don't mind, do I?　And I'm not thirsty. Malt, you drink it. Didn't you say you were thirsty?

'Huh!　You can't sell me out!

'It's good water, and you don't have to be thirsty to drink it, right?　You always drink well, don't you?　It's clear and thirsty, isn't it?

"......


　After this, the two made a rainbow by spewing seawater into a mist.


　◆


　They tried to make me, a child, drink the seawater, and Aleusha scolded me for trying to make me drink the seawater and gave me the hard labor.

　I was thought to have chugged the seawater, and Aleusha and Ilya were worried about me, but I fooled them into thinking that I used magic to make it disappear.

　We actually see magic that disappears even on the road.

　However, he had a look on his face that said he was convinced but not convinced.

　Ordering luggage, securing lodging, doing business here, etc. There's nothing me and Roomba can do, so we're free until lunch.

　We're going to have a seafood barbecue for lunch, a specialty of this port town, and I'm looking forward to it.

　Do you notice that Tory said he's preparing something to surprise me?　I wonder what the hell this is all about.　

　At any rate, Ilya has accompanied me as a guide this time, in order to properly gather at that place. Thanks to that, this tour is going to be spectacular.

''Are you sure your body is okay?

'I'm really fine. I haven't been drinking.

　Apparently he suspects I've chugged the salt water, and there's some monitoring to make sure I don't collapse later.

　My kidneys aren't that tough. If I'd really been drinking, my body would be dehydrated by now as it tried to get rid of the salt.

'Really?　If there's anything wrong with your health, please let me know right away, okay?

　She withdrew with a sense of disapproval, but she still looks worried.

'I'm looking forward to the seafood barbecue!

　The Roomba walking next to me isn't worried about anything in particular. It was normalcy as usual.

'Right!　I'm looking forward to tasting freshly caught seafood.

That's right. All the seafood here is freshly caught, so it's very tasty!

　Ilya, who has already visited here before, says with an uptick in white skin.

　It's almost impossible to eat seafood in the village of Koliat. We only receive frozen, low-fresh fish at best. Most of it is river fish and long-handled shrimp.

　

　The seafood grilled on the net must be delicious.....

　We walked down the paved, cobblestone street, hoping for the best.

　Maybe it's because this place isn't as crowded as Kicker, but it's not so bad that we're standing side by side.

　I'm a child, or rather, an escort, so Roomba and Ilya are in a formation that puts me in between them.

　The only thing that makes it seem like a family is the way they line up, but since the three of us are not too dissimilar, no one will probably think so.

　Fish that must have been fished this morning were lined up at the edge of the road.

　The fish with silvery skin and black spots. Their bellies seem to be full of fat and round. It's about 80 centimeters in length and about the size of a sea bream, I think.　'I've never seen such a big fish in the world.

That's a ginormous fish, isn't it? As you can see from its belly, it's very tasty because of the fat on it.

　As I was peering curiously at the otherworldly fish, Ilya-san bent down to explain to me.

　When Ilya-san bends down, her breasts are emphasized even more, making them look ridiculous.

　It's hard to see Ilya-san's face because she's looking up from below.

　Oh well. Now it's a fish with a bulging belly rather than a swollen chest.

　Looking down next to the ginjo, we see an overall sharp fish with blue and yellow stripes on its back. The fins are so sharp that you might cut your hand off if you touch it.

　The fish has tight eyes and a large pointed jaw. It's a fish that looks like a glaring blade.

The blade-like fish next to it is a swordfish. The fins are blades, so it's dangerous to touch them, right?

'You're a swordsman again!　Scary!

　So many dangerous creatures in the Kingdom of Aldonia!

It's supposed to jump out of the water or something...

Yes, they are fish that swim near the surface. They aren't aggressive and don't attack people, but they can be very dangerous if they jump in large groups.

　What should I do? All we have to do now is cross the ocean and we'll be in Kagura, but I'm starting to feel like going home.

"What if there's actually a swarm of swordfish on the ship?

'I'll use my and Aleutha's magic to get rid of you!　I've gotten rid of at least one Swordfish many times, so I'm good!

　Ilya replies with a smirk on her face.

　Even if it's a fish that's equipped with a cutter and rushes into you, is it "just a swordfish"?

　What about creatures beyond that? Come to think of it, this guy isn't a demon, he's just a fish. If it's just a fish, then what kind of monster is a sea monster? I'm afraid to ask.

　I think I understand why Nord Dad was reluctant to sail without a rumba.

"Ha-ha, this guy's jaw looks like Gates.

　Despite hearing Ilya's explanation, Lumumba was not afraid to pluck the Swordfish's fins and laugh.

　It certainly looked a lot like Gates at the chin. I wonder what that guy is doing now.