The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 40: Kraken

Episode 40: Kraken 

After confirming the request with the lord of Port Town Beaumont, we literally flew back to the royal capital. At the inn, I asked the owner, “We’ll be away for a while, but could you hold our room for us?” He readily agreed. When I tried to pay for ten days in advance, he even gave me a half-price discount. 

I thanked the innkeeper and spent the night there. 

The next morning. After eating the breakfast I had bought the day before, we returned to the port town. This time, we needed to find a place to stay there. Just as I was thinking about that, the lord generously offered us a room. So we gladly accepted. 

Listening closely to the lord, I learned that even Platinum Rank adventurers had refused to take on the “Sea Devil Subjugation Request.” The lord was likely hoping we could finally get rid of it. 

“The only question is when the Kraken will show up. I want to finish this quickly so I can relax in a bath with you, Fel.” 

“Lilia, you really love baths, don’t you? Well, thanks to you, I’ve started enjoying them too.” 

“Of course, they’re so relaxing.” 

Lilia spoke in a dreamy voice for some reason. Was it just my imagination, or did that sound a bit suggestive? Maybe she really enjoyed having me wash her back? She always seemed pretty pleased when I did…..… 

“Anyway, how about we check out that massive magic-powered ship under construction today?” 

“Yeah, we have time to kill until the Kraken appears. Let’s go!” 

Pushing away my wandering thoughts, I headed to the shipyard with Lilia. The area was restricted, so we couldn’t get too close. But even from a distance, the ship looked bigger than I had imagined. 

“It really is made of iron, huh?” 

“Maybe they don’t trust wooden hulls for a ship this big. Look at that! They’re adding six massive paddle wheels!” 

“Do more wheels mean more speed? If they’re going to power all of them, they’ll need some seriously big magic stones.” 

This thing was practically a floating city. Just how far were they planning to sail? Maybe even around the world? The deck, which was nearing completion, was bustling with workers. 

“Alright, let’s gather some intel. We know what the Sea Devil looks like. But we should learn about its attack patterns too.” 

“It probably just slaps things around with its legs. If it uses magic, it’ll be water-based for sure.” 

Lilia crossed her arms, deep in thought. It seemed like she hadn’t seen the creature in action before. 

“Do you think it has any weaknesses?” 

“…Fel, with your magic, does it even matter?” 

“Maybe not… but taking it down efficiently would make us look more like proper Platinum Rank adventurers.” 

“Does looking ‘Platinum Rank’ really matter?” 

Lilia gave me a skeptical look. Wouldn’t it be cool to complete a request flawlessly? Isn’t that something to aspire to? No? Guess not… 

We talked to fishermen and merchants. But they weren’t very eager to share information. 

The fishermen, fearing the Sea Devil, had stopped going far out to sea. They stayed close to shore in case they needed to flee. As a result, their income had dropped significantly. And they were frustrated with the lord for not solving the problem. 

I explained that the lord had been requesting help from the Adventurers’ Guild for a long time but no one had accepted. And that we were the Platinum Rank adventurers who had finally taken on the request. When I finished, they were deeply moved. They even ran off, saying they would clear up the misunderstandings about the lord. 

Looks like we managed to ease the tension between the people and the lord. Good. That should repay the favor of letting us stay in his residence. 

The merchants, however, were in a far more dire situation. For them, it was a matter of life and death. A few people had survived encounters with the Sea Devil, but they refused to speak about it. Those survivors had vowed never to set foot on a ship again. 

“Summing up what we’ve learned, the Kraken either smacks things with its legs or grabs ships and drags them into the sea.” 

“If that’s the case, we should be fine attacking from a distance. But if it escapes into the water, that’ll be a problem.” 

“Yeah, exactly. To keep it from running, we might have to fight within its attack range. If we stay too far away, it’ll just dive under and disappear.” 

“If only we could find a way to restrain its movements…” 

“Hey! Adventurers!”

When I turned toward the voice, I saw the fisherman from earlier leading a group of people. Could it be that he had gathered people who had seen the Kraken before? 

“Adventurers, I thought this might be useful to you. So I brought everyone here.” 

“That’s a huge help. Please, tell us everything you know.” 

And so, various pieces of information came together. 

The Kraken suddenly attacks ships from underwater. It wraps around them and drags them into the depths. Once it sinks a ship, it doesn’t appear again for the rest of the day. Also, it spits out black water from its mouth. 

“What size ships does it usually target?” 

“Mid-sized ships or smaller, like that one over there. There was even a time when it took down several small boats at once.” 

A fisherman pointed at a ship. I see. That size… It’s the most common type among the merchant vessels. 

“I believe it has eight legs. And even when we brought fire near it, it wasn’t afraid at all. The fire would go out before it even touched the creature.” 

Most creatures fear fire, but the Kraken seems different. Does that mean its body is mostly made of water, causing the flames to extinguish before doing any damage? 

“Fel, in that case, wouldn’t ice magic be more effective than fire magic?” 

“You mean freezing the water in its body? That would restrict its movements too. Yeah, that could work.” 

“You’re planning to freeze that massive thing?” 

“Incredible… As expected of Platinum Rank adventurers!” 

Even though we weren’t sure if it would work yet, the excitement was already building. If we failed, it would be pretty embarrassing. I had to make sure we succeeded. 

The fishermen provided us with an approximate location where the Kraken usually appeared. It was close enough that we could reach it quickly from the port. 

The merchants, on the other hand, had been taking precautions by sailing in groups to reduce the chance of their ships being targeted. That meant their departure times were mostly fixed. It made it easier to monitor the Kraken. 

“Now we just have to wait for the Kraken to show up.” 

“Just in case, should we freeze the ocean’s surface so it can’t escape? We can always melt the ice later.” 

“Good idea. Let’s make sure we take it down for sure. Lilia, help me out.” 

“Of course! Leave it to me!” 

Lilia puffed out her chest proudly, which, now that I think about it, had been developing quite a bit lately. She was starting to look more mature……..… Should I ask if she’s noticed? What if it’s some strange illness? 

While I was lost in thought, the merchant fleet began to set sail. I expanded my Analyze magic in the direction they were headed. No noticeable changes… yet. 

“Fel! It’s here! It’s rising from the ocean floor!” 

As expected of Lilia’s Analyze. She was way ahead of me. I quickly flew toward the fleet. Finally, my Analyze detected something too. The presence was definitely below us. 

According to the fishermen, the Kraken would surface suddenly and then drag a ship down. We had to strike the moment it emerged. 

The waves grew rougher as the Kraken moved beneath the water. The fleet noticed and tried to steer away in a panic. 

Then, a massive, red-black shape broke through the surface. A rounded body with multiple writhing limbs—The Kraken had already latched onto a ship. 

“Here we go, Lilia! Ice Ground!” 

“Okay! Ice Ground!” 

In an instant, the surrounding sea froze solid. Some of the fleeing ships got trapped in the ice, unable to move. Half of the Kraken’s body was now encased in ice. 

I rushed in to deliver the finishing blow. Struggling, the Kraken spewed black water from its mouth in desperation. 

But we already knew about that attack thanks to the fishermen. I easily blocked it with a Shield spell. 

“Ice Sword!” 

With a single strike, the Kraken shattered into pieces. It dissolved into particles of light.