Chapter 14
“Then, Mr. Sharkrof, are you saying that as a sea person you can breathe underwater?” Arthur asked.
“Of course I can,” Sharkrof replied.
“I’m envious. I wish we had such an ability too. In the last war, the sea took so many lives. If people on land had the ability to move and breathe underwater, many wouldn’t have lost their lives…”
“The sea didn’t take them,” Sharkrof cut in. “You people just beat each other up and fell into the water and drowned. If you hadn’t been fighting on the sea in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened. Sea people don’t fight on land, so why do you land dwellers have to make such a racket even on the sea?”
Sharkrof glared at Arthur as if the thought had only just occurred to him.
“Actually, even if you weren’t fighting on the sea, I still hate those things you call ships stirring up the ocean’s surface. Why do you keep invading the territory of the Sea Kingdom with them?”
“I see. From the perspective of sea people, that certainly could be unpleasant,” Arthur replied smoothly. “But since you’re living on land now, Mr. Sharkrof, couldn’t we call it even?”
Arthur’s natural, flowing response left Sharkrof momentarily speechless.
After a brief silence, Sharkrof spoke again.
“Anyway, I hate ships. And lately it’s even dangerous to launch them. Looking at the waves these days…”
“Ah, so you know about it too, Mr. Sharkrof? The strange waves recently?”
Arthur asked excitedly, as if he were glad to hear it.
“How could I not know? If land dwellers know about changes in the sea, there’s no way I wouldn’t.”
“That’s good to hear. Ever since I learned your true identity, I’ve wanted to ask you about that. The navy is currently investigating the cause of the strange waves. So far they’ve only been a minor nuisance, but what do you think will happen if these peculiar waves start growing larger and larger?”
“That would be bad.”
“Yes. The problem with the investigation, however, is that we haven’t found any plausible cause so far. No matter how hard people on land try to understand the sea, in the end the people of the sea probably know it better. So I was wondering—do you happen to know anything about the current situation?”
“There is one theory sea people have been considering. It’s something that came up from the very beginning when this started happening.”
Unexpectedly, Sharkrof answered in a slightly softened tone.
Arthur’s remark that sea people knew the sea best seemed to have sounded like quite a compliment to him.
“Really? Now this is getting interesting.”
Arthur brightened.
“Don’t get your hopes up yet. There are a few problems that can’t be explained, so no one’s completely convinced.”
Sharkrof replied thoughtfully.
“The biggest problem is that the supposed cause sounds unrealistic. It’s basically treated like a legend from a very distant past.”
“I’m curious about it. Could you tell us about that legend?” Arthur asked.
“It’s a legend about the origin of the Sea Kingdom. Among sea people, it’s a well-known old story. Personally, I always thought it was like a bedtime fairy tale told to little fish. But now… it might actually be worth taking seriously.”
Sharkrof initially answered in an annoyed tone, but eventually he gave in to Arthur’s persistent requests.
Soon, Sharkrof began telling them about the ancient sea legend believed to be the cause of the strange waves.
【A Premonition as Ominous as a Shark’s Fin】
It was a story about the origin of the sea.
According to him, it was an old tale widely known among sea people.
“Long ago, there wasn’t any land at all. The entire world was filled with blue water. In other words, land is a latecomer that appeared long after the sea.”
Sharkrof shrugged with subtle pride.
“As time passed, the sea gave up a little space to the land. They say the first boundary appeared where countless glittering stones—what you land people call jewels—were buried.”
“Why jewels?” Arthur asked.
“They say jewels are the essence of the earth, imbued with powerful terrestrial energy. According to sea folklore, the reason they captivate land people’s eyes and shine so brightly is because of the power of the earth contained within them.”
“Then if we buried a lot of jewels near Fishbone Town, the energy of the land would grow stronger and the waves might retreat again? That would be quite a luxurious breakwater.”
I joked with a laugh.
But Sharkrof answered with an unexpectedly serious face.
“Yes. In fact, the octopus people seem to think that might actually work. The octopus tribe takes these old sea legends more seriously than anyone. And since they’re the ones who know the most about the sea, it’s hard to dismiss their opinion.”
Sharkrof turned back to Arthur.
“Anyway, they say the water dried up starting from places where the energy of the earth was strongest, revealing the land. The energy of the earth is completely incompatible with that of the sea, so they erase each other. Where the earth’s energy is stronger, seawater cannot invade.”
“In other words…”
Arthur finished the thought for him.
“In other words, if the balance changes, places that were once land could return to the sea at any time.”
“Exactly.”
Sharkrof nodded.
“Then why would a boundary that never changed before suddenly begin moving now?” Arthur asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe the earth’s energy weakened. Or maybe the sea’s energy grew stronger. Or maybe the legend itself is nonsense.”
Sharkrof shrugged.
“After hearing it all, it certainly does sound unrealistic,” Arthur said.
“That’s right. Unrealistic. That’s why I never bothered mentioning it before. It just sounds like a fairy tale.”
I expected Sharkrof to be annoyed by the word unrealistic. But contrary to my expectations, he nodded in agreement.
“I always thought it was just an old story people bring up when they want to nag.”
“Nag?”
“For example, when they want to scold someone for eating an entire school of herring alone instead of sharing with other sea people. They’d quote this story all the time.”
He mimicked the tone of an elder:
“Sharkrof, if you keep hunting all the fish by yourself, the Sea Kingdom might lose all its energy. And if the weakened sea shrinks and the whole world becomes harsh land, will you be able to handle that?”
“I know because I heard things like that when I was young. Those annoying lectures are now being taken seriously. It’s painful for me.”
Sharkrof spoke with obvious dissatisfaction.
It was easy to see why he had developed a dislike for this story.
Apparently, he had been scolded with that legend more than a few times as a child.
“If you heard that kind of story whenever you got scolded, it’s understandable that you’d get sick of it.”
Arthur smiled kindly, like an older brother comforting him.
It seemed Arthur had also noticed Sharkrof’s slightly sulky tone.
“Well… it wasn’t that often. I’m a shark who learns things quickly…” Sharkrof muttered, sounding a bit embarrassed.
“While I agree that it sounds unrealistic, I don’t think we should dismiss it entirely,” Arthur continued. “Perhaps it’s just an occupational habit of mine. People who live close to the sea tend to be sensitive to superstition.”
He went on.
“For example, something like this happened recently…”
“A new warship was launched not long ago. There’s always a ceremony during a launching. You smash a bottle of champagne against the bow to bless the ship and pray for its safety. It’s an old superstition, but as I said, sailors are very sensitive to such things.”
“So if the bottle doesn’t break on the first try, they think it’s bad luck.”
Arthur continued as if recalling the memory.
“So the atmosphere that day was a bit awkward. No matter how many times they struck it, the bottle wouldn’t break properly. Some of the sailors started whispering that something bad would happen. I didn’t believe in curses like that, but when people around you keep saying such things, you start getting influenced too.”
“So what’s your point?” Sharkrof asked.
“My point is that even unbelievable stories that sound like superstition are becoming harder to ignore.”
Arthur smiled slightly.
“Certainly, that old legend doesn’t sound like a proper explanation. But when you think about it, the very existence of sea people is already unrealistic. And yet, Mr. Sharkrof, you’re standing right here in front of us.”
“What did you say?”
“If even the existence of a sea person—something straight out of a fairy tale—is real, then what difference does it make if the story goes a little further?”
“Hey, you keep calling my existence a fairy tale…”
“And besides,” Arthur added, “your reunion with Miss Marina is also unbelievably miraculous. It almost sounds like fate.”
At the word fate, Sharkrof seemed to feel a bit better and stopped the complaint he had been about to make.
