Who Wants to be a Hero? I Just Want to Farm in Peace with my Knight

Chapter 47: Rough Water

Sora had wanted to sit by the sides of the boat. The view of the water and their surroundings would be clearer to see. But instead he was seated at the centre not far from the mast.

The ship itself wasn't very large. At most twenty people could sit on it at one time. It had no cabin to escape from the elements but it did have a hatch that opened to the inside for storage.

To give space for everyone on board Blaine helped pack their bags inside before they left. Now the only bags visible belonged to Keyne and Sora. That and the adventurers weapons.

The boat moved by a single large sail attached to the boat's mast. It was large and weather beaten with several patches and stains. Sora looked up at the sail trying to make sense of what could have caused this one particular stain.

It was dark and ominous looking. Like a shadow looming from above. Like it was being cast down from a monster above.

"Sora are you feeling seasick?" Keyne asked when he noticed Sora looking up at the sail with an uneasy expression.

"No, I was just thinking that stain looks like a monster." Sora remarked.

"Hahaha! Good that's what it's supposed to look like. You see on Loe Lake every ship will have a marking stained into their sail of a dragon or large beasts shadow." Blaine commented.

"Why?"

"Ships are the ideal quarry for monsters of the sky to descend upon and assail. The smaller monsters aim for the fish or monsters acquired by the fishermen. Whilst the larger may even assail the people. The shadow acts as a deterrent. When a monster views the shadow they presume another larger monster has targeted the ship. Unwilling to confront the larger hidden danger they continue on their way." Gene patiently explained.

"So it's meant to trick monsters. Does it work?" Sora wondered as he gaze up at the sky.

"For the dumb ones yeah. But the bigger ones that have been around for awhile don't care much with the exception of the stupid Ardeas. Those things will attack anything that moves. But you don't have to worry. They don't have much appetite for people." Blaine answered.

"I see. That's good."

"What about in the water? Is their any tricks being employed to protect against lake monsters?" Sora asked.

"None. If we did that we'd scare all the fish away. No for those monsters living in the lake we just have to fight 'em." Blaine answered.

"Tch... it's a real pain when they do attack. They pop in and out of the water making it hard to get a good hit in." Rogue complained from the side.

"Won't battling a monster from on the boat damage it?"

"It does. If we do get attacked we need to deal with it quick. Gene here usually uses his ice magic to cool the monster down and Casa will finish it off with his specialty; lightning magic."

"Although not perfect we are prepared to handle any monsters that may appear." Casa added with confidence.

"Is it safe to swim in Loe lake?" Sora asked. It was something he wanted to be able to do the most. Not being able to swim everyday was difficult for him.

"Swim? Their isn't a problem with the water itself, but Loe Lake is deep and home to many dangerous monsters."

"Yeah, I haven't seen one myself but I heard there are even kelpie. Those things are nasty." Rogue added. Despite his use of the word nasty he looked pumped like he wished to challenge it.

"Do you happen to know where the kelpie were recently sighted?" Keyne asked.

"Don't worry. They've been sighted up by the northern shores. They are known for their aggressive and territorial nature but they don't often come down south. As long as you stay out of their territory there's nothing to fear." Blaine explained.