Chương 207: Chapter 10: “The White Sand Beach”

Esta was completely captivated by the blue stretching far to the horizon.

"Beautiful...!" Watching the surface of the water sparkling kira-kira in the sunlight, Asha gazed in awe waa. Yu stood quietly, feeling the scent of the tide. Eventually, as if remembering, Esta pointed and asked Yu.

"Hey, Yu. What is that huge puddle?"

"It's the sea. That's the ocean." In reality, there was a possibility it was just a massive saltwater lake, but Yu said it anyway. He thought it would make Esta happier that way.

"The sea... It really existed... What Uncle said was true!" Esta jumped up and ran across the sandy beach as white as snow. Behind him, small footprints were clearly left in a row. Asha started running to chase him, imitating his excitement. Yu squinted at them with a smile and followed suit. Esta was the first to arrive. He stepped into the undulating water without fear. The sensation of the cool water felt wonderful to him.

"Waaaaah!"

"So much water!" Asha was even bolder. She suddenly dived into the water with her whole body. A large splash bashaan flew up, and a few seconds later, she popped her head out energetically with a zabat.

"Salty!"

"Haha. Ocean water is salty, you know." Yu, who stopped just before the water's edge, smiled at Asha.

"Uuu." Asha grimaced and spat out the water peh. Whether it stung her eyes, she was rubbing them with her hands kushi-kushi. Yu transformed into a woman and, just in case, scooped up a handful of water to cast Component Analysis Magic.

"Just saltwater, huh." She felt relieved. It would be a disaster if she had accidentally swallowed poison, but it seemed to be a needless worry. When Yu had checked the surroundings as a man earlier, there didn't seem to be any large creatures nearby either. Yu proposed.

"Since we're here, want to try swimming?"

"Swim?"

"Yeah. It feels great." To Esta tilting his head, Yu smiled. If they learn how to swim, it might come in handy somewhere. Ten minutes later. Esta and Asha were standing side by side in swimsuits, having finished warm-up exercises following Yu, who had also changed. Yu wore a pink two-piece swimsuit ("Me" also wanted to swim, so Yu decided to swim in the female body to share the sensation). Esta wore striped swim trunks, and Asha wore a light-blue athletic swimsuit.

"Shall we go?" Yu took their hands and entered the sea. She stopped at a depth where the two could barely touch the bottom and decided to start with floating.

"Relax your body. Try letting your feet off the bottom." Unlike Yu, who had struggled a lot in childhood, the honest and fearless duo easily entrusted themselves to the sea.

"Whoa. I'm floating!"

"Ohh." Both found the fluffy feeling incredibly fun. Perhaps the salt concentration is higher than Earth's seas; they seem to float quite easily. The water below was cool, and the shining sun was warm poka-poka. Esta felt like drifting away just like this. Yu felt like giving a round of applause to the two who cleared the first major hurdle so quickly.

"As expected, you're quick learners. If you can float, the rest is just using your hands and feet to move forward. It might be a bit difficult at first, though. Esta?"

"Ho-ai?" To Esta, who snapped back to reality from his sunbathing, Yu reached out.

"Hold on. Let's practice kicking your legs." Yu started the hands-on instruction starting with Esta. While pulling his hands, Yu had Esta move his legs. Yu intended to start with simple flutter kicks. After doing that for a bit, she let go to let him try, but even Esta couldn't get it right immediately. Yu thought about letting him try a couple more times before switching to Asha. Watching Esta struggle from the side, Asha spoke with a finger in her mouth curiously.

"Swim, like this?" Asha put her face in the water. Then, she lifted her feet from the sandy bottom and moved them desperately bata-bata. Although slow, she was moving forward on her own.

"Amazing, amazing! You're swimming properly!" Yu bubbled with surprise, and Esta stared with wide eyes. Asha, raising her face, had a look of utter triumph.

"Asha, swam!"

"That's aweeeesome!" Esta said"suugee-na" (awesome) to Asha for the umpteenth time. While praising her honestly, a sense of frustration sprouted in him. He was a boy, after all.

"Yu! I'll be able to swim soon too! Teach me quickly! Hey, hurry!" Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Okay, okay. I will." Pushed by Esta's enthusiasm, Yu decided to give him one-on-one lessons. Since Asha seemed like she'd be able to do it soon anyway, Yu would put her off for a bit—sorry, Asha. After practicing alone for a while, Esta became able to advance several meters in one challenge.

"It's fun, but it's pretty hard."

"It's okay. You're improving bit by bit."

"Right. I might be getting a little better."

"Yeah, yeah. If you can breathe properly, even more—""Swimming is fun!" Shifting her eyes slightly to the side... before she knew it, Asha was swimming around dexterously using the crawl stroke and breathing. And at a considerable speed. Esta said with a somewhat exasperated tone.

"... There's one already swimming normally over there."

"... That child is a natural genius, so don't let it get to you." After that, thanks to Yu's thorough one-on-one coaching, Esta was able to swim fairly well by the time the sun set. The coast is cold at night. The white beach is hidden in darkness, and only the sound of waves repeats quietly. Yu set up a tent and served warm soup inside. Both Esta and Asha, perhaps tired from swimming all day, fell asleep immediately after eating and taking a bath. A sea voyage, huh.

Proceeding from here is going to be a bit of a challenge. After the two fell asleep, Yu stood before the night sea, thinking about such things. She could easily make a small boat with magic, but to sail properly, a larger and more solidly built ship would be necessary. Unfortunately, in this world, the Magic Tolerance is not high enough to create that directly from nothing. Therefore, she must procure materials somewhere and process them.

It seems best to return to the forest where the Green Needle Trees grow using Teleportation Magic and fell them. One trip won't be enough; she'll need to go back and forth several times. Food is stored in the"World of Heart," but it's better to secure more here, and she wants a few more days to get the two accustomed to the sea environment. Since we're here, it's fine to take it slow for a bit. It's not a rushed journey. Maybe I'll teach them how to catch fish. Yu was thinking about such things.

The moonlight illuminating her glossy black hair was beautiful. Work begins the next day. Yu decided to teleport to the forest, cut down trees, and teleport back here to carry them out. Since the blueprints for a wooden ship are memorized in the World of Heart, she can perfectly reproduce and process them with magic as long as materials are prepared. However, the Green Needle Trees were all so old that their insides were decaying. She needed several, but good trees to use as materials were hard to find.

Since the distance from the coast to the forest had become significant, she needed a rest after one round trip of teleportation. Days continued where Yu leisurely performed the tree selection process while teaching Esta and Asha about the sea. Gathering shellfish, teaching fishing, and polishing their swimming. The white sand beach was a place with a mild climate, and no dangerous creatures seemed to inhabit it. We've gotten used to it, so let's try swimming a bit further out.

Yu, in his male form, followed at the rear, while Esta and Asha swam side by side happily in front. By this time, Esta had also learned the crawl stroke. The sandy beach ended, and rocks began to appear in heaps. There, Asha, who was leading, noticed something rod-shaped peeking out from behind a rock.

"What's that?"

"You're right. What could it be?" Esta was also curious.

"What is..." Yu, who advanced to their side, stared with wide eyes at what was reflected. Something that seemed to be the bow of a wooden ship was peeking out from the shadow of the rocks.

"A ship...! There's a ship!"""Ship?"""It's a human vehicle!"

"Then!" It was Esta who reacted first to Yu's excited words. He pushed through the seawater and moved forward frantically. Yu also couldn't sit still at this discovery.

"Let's follow him!"

"A-!" As the three proceeded, the massive ship revealed its form. Many parts were decayed with holes, and only the front half remained. It looked as if it had been split in two. It was thought that the surface had been painted once, but it was peeling off miserably. The mast was also snapped from the middle. The three went up onto the rocky area near the ship.

Thinking it would be dangerous if the inside of the ship collapsed, Yu had Esta and Asha wait together in front of the ship (Esta wanted to come, but Yu coaxed him), and she cautiously decided to investigate the inside alone. Transforming into a woman, she flew up onto the ship with Flight Magic. Using Gravity Magic to lighten her weight, she landed carefully so as not to step through the rotten floor. When her feet touched the floor, Yu saw something scurry.

Looking closely, rat-like creatures that made this place their home were running away. They ducked into a nearby barrel to hide themselves. She was slightly distracted, but regaining her focus, in front of Yu now were a door leading to a cabin and stairs going down. Yu first proceeded toward the door, opened it, and went inside. The inside was dim, and a strong smell of the sea hit her nose. Illuminating the inside with Light Magic, she first saw that it was covered in seaweed.

In front, what was thought to be a bookshelf had fallen over, and on the wall right next to it hung a frame with the picture missing. The table in the center of the room was broken into pieces. She couldn't find much else. This room was a bust, huh. She tilted her head. However, the existence of this ship itself was proof that civilization existed somewhere, and it was undoubtedly a great discovery. Using Anti-Gravity Magic, Yu tried to lift the bookshelf.

Then, a single worn-out book-like object appeared from underneath. Carefully picking it up, it seemed to be someone's journal. Hoping something was written, she turned the pages with desperate prayer, but most were soaked and ruined by water. Only one page in the middle had a part that could miraculously be read. Ship of Yama...... seeking a new land from the sea...... Even though it's such a difficult time... it is. Born... was named Esta. In honor of our...... Hopefully...

Yu accidentally looked twice at the name recorded there. Esta. Certainly, the boy's name is mentioned. Does that mean he was born on this ship? It could be a different person with the same name. However, it also matches what Esta said: "Uncle came from across the sea." Yu, who had been traveling without a goal, finally found hope. Perhaps Esta's roots are across the sea. There might be human civilization on the other side.

She searched other places thoroughly, but found nothing of note except for two human skeletons found in a room down the stairs, as if sleeping in an embrace. Finishing the investigation, Yu told the contents to Esta and Asha. Asha just nodded and listened since she didn't quite understand, but for Esta, it was quite a shocking story.

"I... was here...?"

"You might have been born here." Yu tried handing him the journal she picked up, but unfortunately, Esta couldn't read. Rolling his eyes, he returned the journal to Yu. It was a strange situation where only Yu, the outsider, could read it normally with her ability.

"Whoa... the sea." Esta looked up at the broken ship intently. Thinking it might be the place where he was born, he became deeply moved.

"I want to try going across the sea."

"A sea voyage is very difficult, you know?"

"Even so, I'll go. I want to make sure."

"What about Asha?"

"Asha, Yu, Esta, together!" Asha puffed out her chest powerfully. She could no longer think of parting with the two. She intended to follow them anywhere. Receiving their strong will once again, Yu became motivated and set to work on building the ship. The next day. Yu finally finished building the ship. It was two sizes smaller than the ship investigated yesterday, but it was a magnificent size that could hold about twenty people comfortably, a ship with bright colors.

It was a popular type of merchant sailing ship from another world, Iskira. As soon as the ship was unveiled, the two, with their eyes sparkling, immediately started playing exploration games on board. Only Yu, with a serious face, was checking the equipment made by gathering and processing materials from here and there. It could be said that whether a sea voyage will be peaceful or not depends largely on the preparations before departure. Checking the rudder and compass carefully, Yu nodded un-un.

If push comes to shove, there is also the trick of using Teleportation Magic to return. Although if the distance becomes too long, this trick cannot be used. Then, Esta, who was supposed to be playing, came to help Yu with a serious face. It seemed that self-awareness was sprouting in his own way. The work was divided between the two, and Asha, having nothing to do, peeked happily at the situation from the side out of curiosity. Since she understood simple tasks like carrying things, she bravely helped out herself.

Thus preparations were complete, and the ship carrying the three set sail toward the boundless ocean.