#939 Rumors of a Sea Lord

I’m Edrok, just a humble villager hereabouts. 

I’m a fisherman by trade.

On days when the waves are kind, I row out, fish a bit, and return to sell my catch.

Maybe it’s a natural talent, but I always manage to reel in a few, so life’s never been too rough for me. 

If I do say so myself, I’ve been rather fortunate in my life.

Though the world might be bustling, my quiet little fishing town is like a forgotten corner of the earth, untouched by the noise.

Thanks to that, I’ve lived my years here in peace.

Lately, however, even my tranquil life has seen some unsettling shadows creep in.

There’ve been some ominous rumors going around. 

In the village, there are a few others making their living from the sea besides myself, and we routinely exchange tales about the waves and where the fish are schooling.

But recently, the chatter among us fishermen has taken a turn from the usual fish and waves to include something else.

Rumors of a sea monster.

“That thing, it definitely wasn’t from this world...!”

A fellow fisherman, Yonesako, who’s quite familiar and recently blissfully married, said this.

Despite being in the happiest phase of his life, he looked as pale as if he’d meet his maker tomorrow.

“That day, I had gone out fishing. Sure, the waves were a bit rough, and the others held back, but on such days, you might hit a big school of fish all to yourself—a real jackpot. I was all geared up to buy something nice for my wife, but thanks to that, I ran into that... thing.”

According to Yonesako, it was under a cloudy sky a little while after he set out. 

The waves were high, and the boat rocked.

For a while, he was so engrossed in fishing that he didn’t notice anything else. 

That’s to be expected. 

When you’re fishing, there’s nothing but the sea around you. It’s not like you’re in the mountains where some beast might leap out from between the waves.

But amidst the impossibility, Yonesako saw it.

A figure glimpsed between the waves.

At first, he thought it was another fishing buddy who had ventured out. 

But it soon became clear that this figure moved nothing like someone on a small boat. 

He knew it in an instant.

The figure was running. 

Across the sea, too. Such a thing couldn’t be. 

Humans can’t walk on water. Without a boat, they’d just sink to the bottom.

“But there’s no mistake! I saw it! A person running across the sea!!!”

And what happened to this figure, you ask? Well, a particularly large wave rose and obscured Yonesako’s view for a moment. 

And when it cleared, the figure was gone.

I’ve talked to other fishermen who heard the story...

“Did you have a drink before you went out fishing? It’s no good setting out drunk.” 

“Nah, he probably just overdid it with his new wife the night before. Tired enough to see hallucinations.”

They all just laughed it off.

However, a few took the tale more seriously.

Because the “figure walking on the sea” has been spotted before, and not just by Yonesako. 

Indeed, among our gathering, those who have seen it before kept quiet, their faces dark.

I haven’t seen it myself, though.

But being a man of some faith, I can’t just laugh off these eerie happenings at sea.

The sea is vast, big, and deep. 

It’s no surprise to me that creatures unknown to us dwell there, and it’s just a matter of time before we bump into something we shouldn’t.

“The figure walking on the sea,” what in the world could it be? 

Until we know, those who have seen it can hardly rest easy, fearing they might be cursed. 

To avoid encountering such ominous beings, it’s best not to venture out to sea.

But thinking that way doesn’t change that we’re fishermen; we have to go out to sea to make our living.

So I reluctantly set out in my boat, praying to the sea gods that I would encounter nothing sinister.

It seems the other fellows weren’t setting out, for there were plenty of boats moored up.

Even the boats of those who laughed off Yonesako’s tale were quite scared.

Once out at sea, it was like the old days, fish biting amusingly well. 

Soon enough, my basket was full, and I thought, “This’ll fetch a good price on land.”

So I decided it was time to head back... but then I saw it.

The sky was overcast, and despite being midday, it was dim. 

A warm wind was blowing.

Where nothing should float but water, a vague, dark shape bobbed upon the sea.

At first, I thought it might be a piece of driftwood or perhaps a drowned corpse.

Oh, how I would have preferred a corpse.

After all, a corpse wouldn’t be paddling about, right?

Anything self-propelled and closing in across the sea is infinitely more sinister and terrifying.

And true enough, as the dark figure drew nearer, the creepier and more horrifying it became.

“Ehh-ho, ehh-ho, ehh-ho, ehh-ho, ehh-ho, ehh-ho...”

“Fi-oh, fi-oh, fi-oh, fi-oh, fi-oh, fi-oh...”

Someone’s approaching from beyond the horizonnnnnnnnnnn!

And not just one, but two.

An adult and a child... a father and son?! Are they ghosts of a drowned family lost and wandering?!

At last, even my boat seems under siege by the grim reaper.

I feel like being dragged down to the seabed myselffffffffffff!

In such fright, I forgot even how to row away.

Before long, the specters have caught up to my boat.

“Time for a break...! Phew, we ran a lot. Did we exceed our ten thousand steps?”

“Dad, rehydrate yourselfff.”

The approaching figures, now clear and unmistakably human, are just regular folks.

The father looks like an ordinary man.

He has a delicate and gentle face, but perhaps slightly rounded here and there.

His son is a charming little fellow, appropriate for his age, brimming with the nobility one might associate with a prince from somewhere.

Seeing them up close like this, it’s clear at a glance that there’s nothing sinister about them.

They’re definitely not the type to be associated with any sort of malevolent spirits or demons.

“Glug, glug, glug...! Soy milk is tasty when you’re thirsty!”

“Need protein, toooo.”

They stand before my boat, uttering nonsensical things.

Indeed, they stand upon the sea.

What in the world?!

“Um, by the way, I haven’t seen boats around here recently. What’s going on?”

Blurted out by the father, I couldn’t help but scream, “It’s all your fault!!”

“Hmm, I guess we did scare you. Seeing someone walking on water from afar must sound like a ghost story.”

“From the depthsss of dark waterrrr.”

“If our walking on water has caused any inconvenience, allow me to make it up to you...”

He picks up the spear I’d kept on board for emergencies.

“Mind if I borrow this?”

“Dreams full of lifeee.”

Not one for spearfishing, I rarely used it, but there it was.

The water-walker points the spear’s tip towards the sea...

“Mori-mori Pistol!!!”

He thrusts it into the ocean with all his might?!

And what he pulls up is a fish of monstrous sizeeeee!

“The lord of the coastal seasss.”

“Please accept this to make up for the fish you couldn’t catch. And could you spread the word that we’re not dangerous? Thanks and bye!”

With that, the father and son continue their walk upon the sea, singing a rhythmic tune.

“Here comes the beast fantasy—♪”

“This is one tough, RPG—♪”

As I hauled the giant fish back to the village, of course, it caused quite a stir.

And I had to tell them.

The people walking on the sea were not spirits of mischief but bearers of fortune...