Chapter 320

The one that emerged, cutting through the water, was the Kraken.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the same Kraken I had defeated before—the one whose legs I had severed and body I had split in half. This one bore no wounds from the previous battle, and its size was only about half of the one I had fought.

A second Kraken.

Could Marin’s words have actually been true?

No, I should have considered the possibility when she mentioned it, but Kraken sightings were so rare that I never imagined there could be two of them.

Krakens are inherently rare monsters.

Of course, they are.

If monsters that range from tens to hundreds of meters in size were common, no matter how vast the ocean, no life would remain.

In such a vast sea, even for a Kraken, its kin must be incredibly precious.

Whether this Kraken was a parent, child, or mate of the one I had slain, it was clear that it was enraged by the loss of someone dear to it. Its fury was unrestrained.

It looked as if it had gone mad from losing its beloved, or as if it was wailing in grief for a lost parent.

────!!

The members of the subjugation team, faced with the Kraken’s wrath, all gasped in shock and horror.

“Wha—what?! There’s another one!?”

“Everyone, prepare for battle! Get into formation!”

“Ahem! See? I told you so! Apologize for hitting me earlier!”

“Idiot! This isn’t the time for that!”

Scolding Marin, who couldn’t read the room, I felt a deep sense of frustration as I stared at the Kraken.

Its size was only about half of the first one, and if its height was halved, its weight would be even smaller.

If I stepped forward, I could take it down more easily than the first Kraken.

But as with all things in life, the problem wasn’t that simple.

It wasn’t just that I was reluctant to show my strength in front of others.

The real issue was that the subjugation team’s stamina was completely drained, even more so than the Kraken’s reduced size.

No, it wasn’t just the warriors’ stamina that was the problem.

“How much magic can the mages still use?”

“It’s dire. Less than half of the mages can still fight, and even those who can aren’t in peak condition.”

“Damn it!”

The bigger issue was the state of the mages, who were supposed to protect the ship or unleash massive firepower to force a quick resolution.

Most of the mages had already collapsed from mana depletion after the previous battle, leaving the remaining ones unable to unleash the necessary firepower or cast protective spells on the ship to allow the non-mage fighters to fight freely.

At this point, I had no choice but to step up and fight actively…!

“Lakia! Prepare the spell again!”

I called out to Lakia, intending to bind the Kraken’s legs with her spell and force a quick resolution, just like before.

But at my call, Lakia, still shivering from the lingering chill, shook her head and refused my request.

“Ugh… I’m sorry, Kurt. I… I can’t…”

“Why!? Are you out of mana too?”

“The spell I used earlier was a sensory-sharing spell that lets all nearby creatures feel what I’m feeling, combined with a self-hypnosis spell that induces a hallucination in myself. Even for me, it’s impossible to cast such a large-scale illusion on so many people and monsters at once, so I used a workaround. It’s much harder to project a strong illusion onto others, but it’s easy to do it to myself. So, I cast the sensory-sharing spell on everyone and then used self-hypnosis to make myself feel like I was freezing in a blizzard.”

“So, what’s the point?”

“If I use the same spell again, my body won’t be able to handle it, and I’ll go into shock. I’m sorry.”

“Damn it…!”

I couldn’t believe I couldn’t even rely on Lakia’s help now.

It’s not that I couldn’t defeat the Kraken without her support, but the real issue wasn’t just about defeating it.

The problem was the collateral damage that would occur during the battle.

Even I couldn’t take down a Kraken in an instant alone.

If the battle dragged on, the subjugation team would inevitably be exposed to the Kraken’s attacks.

If casualties occurred, even if I defeated the Kraken, it would be a hollow victory.

“Damn it…! I have no choice!”

But with no other clear options, I was about to start the battle, accepting that there would be casualties, when—

Boom───!!

──────!!

“What’s that…?”

A massive black sphere crashed into the Kraken’s body, accompanied by a deafening roar.

A perfectly spherical metal object, something you’d never see in nature.

“…A cannonball?”

Yes.

It was a cannonball.

“A cannonball? Why is there a cannonball here?”

“Everyone, look over there! A ship is approaching! Is it reinforcements from Lakia?”

“No, wait…! That ship isn’t from Lakia! The flag on the mast… it’s a Jolly Roger!”

“That’s the flag of the Drake Pirates! It’s the Lowdrake Pirate Crew!”

At those words, I immediately turned my gaze toward the direction the cannonball had come from.

And there, standing with a cannonball in hand, was the chef Drake, who had been captured and taken away by Regina right before my eyes.

“Hahaha! The incompetent soldiers of Lakia are in such a panic! It’s hilarious!”

Whoosh!

Boom!

──────!!

Standing at the forefront of the deck, Drake laughed heartily before hurling the iron sphere with all his might, delivering an unbelievable impact to the Kraken.

The Kraken, struck by the attack, was completely disoriented, letting out silent screams.

“Drake! How are you here!? You should be in Lakia’s prison by now!”

“Hahaha! You were so busy hunting the Kraken that you even reduced the number of guards watching us! You really underestimated us! Breaking out of that level of surveillance was child’s play for the Drake Pirates!”

“Grr…! Escaping prison!? I won’t forgive you!”

“What? Forgive? Hahaha! What can you do about it? What can you do besides stand there on your ship, staring at us and getting angry? Hahaha!”

Regina growled at Drake, even as she faced the Kraken, but Drake just laughed heartily, treating her threats like a puppy’s antics.

“I thought I’d laugh at your face while escaping Lakia, but you’re even more ridiculous than I expected! ‘The pirate I captured escaped and even helped us.’ What a humiliation for Lakia’s soldiers!”

The sudden arrival of the Lowdrake Pirate Crew.

It was something no one had expected, but for us, it was a stroke of luck.

The Kraken, continuously bombarded by cannonballs, was completely disoriented.

“Now’s the time! While the Kraken is confused!”

“Everyone, attack the Kraken!”

“Grr…! I won’t forget this humiliation! But the Kraken comes first! Everyone, attack!”

With the morale boost from the Lowdrake Pirate Crew’s support, the soldiers charged bravely at the Kraken.

But that wasn’t all.

“Umm… Ah! Mr. Kurt! I think I can do it!”

“We’re in the middle of a battle, hurry up…! What do you mean you can do it?”

“The spell Lakia used earlier! It’s not exactly the same, but I think I can do something similar with a song!”

“Really?”

Splash!

In response to my question, she smiled brightly and, without hesitation, dove into the sea.

“Yes, of course. Just trust me.”

Marin’s voice, now clear and mystical, answered as she entered the water.

Indeed, her voice had changed, and somehow, it felt trustworthy.

If we could just bind the Kraken’s legs with a spell, we could minimize the damage.

And it didn’t have to be Lakia’s spell.

Feeling a glimmer of hope, I watched her.

After clearing her throat a few times, she spoke in a clear, melodious voice.

“Then I’ll start right away. The Song of the Deep Slumber.”

Huh?

“Hey, wait….”

“────────♬”

Before I could stop her, she began to sing.

As her song filled the air, the Kraken’s furious movements gradually slowed.

The Kraken, its movements growing sluggish, slowly stopped and sank into the water.

The subjugation team charging at it.

My party members.

Even the pirates of the Drake Pirate Crew, who had been mocking Regina while supporting us.

All of them, mid-charge, slipped and collapsed where they stood.

And finally, Marin herself, still singing, sank into the water, succumbing to her own spell.

“Damn it… You could’ve at least given a warning before casting the spell….”

As the drowsiness suddenly overwhelmed me, I cursed at Marin before my eyes closed.