Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 97

The place where the skeleton is located is one floor above here.

There were stairs at the end of the corridor, so I climbed up along that path.

And when I reached the upper floor, jellyfish were drifting in the corridor.

The sight of them gracefully moving their white umbrellas was very elegant, but their legs growing underneath were jagged and had a poisonous reddish color.

If there were only a few, I could avoid them and proceed, but they were densely packed, filling the corridor.

As if blocking the way of people.

When there are this many, jellyfish seem eerie rather than fantastical.

【Kagune Jellyfish】

They have tentacles that are bent like keys at the tips, occasionally swimming but mostly drifting in the sea.

They are not lethal, but their tentacles contain poison, causing difficulty in breathing, headaches, nausea, coughing, and so on when stung.

Upon appraisal, it was confirmed that they indeed carry poison.

Although not lethal, being stung would surely be painful.

With such a vast number of them, this path should be avoided.

However, to reach the room where the skeleton is located, there’s no choice but to pass through here.

“Hmm, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to make a hole.”

It’s a salvageable ship and also Lucas’s property, so I didn’t want to damage it too much, but it was necessary to increase safety.

I shoot out an ice pillar to make a hole in the wall of the corridor.

Then, I activate water magic to manipulate the water flow and move the jellyfish outside the hole.

The Kagune Jellyfish that were drifting in the corridor disappeared in no time and became drifters of the sea.

It’s a bit pitiful, but they will surely live strongly.

With the corridor now completely empty, I proceed again and enter the room where the skeleton is.

It’s somewhat decayed, but there are more furnishings than in other rooms, indicating that a person of some standing had been staying here.

At the back, there was a large treasure chest, in front of which sat a skeleton on a chair.

As I approached, the skeleton that had been sitting slumped in the chair suddenly stood up.

Wearing a worn hat and cloak, its clothes were torn in various places, exposing its bones.

A red light glowed deep in its eye sockets as its teeth chattered.

【Skeleton: Danger Level E】

The remains of a human infused with negative resentment and magic, becomes a moving corpse monster.

It has strong resistance against piercing attacks but is weak against impact and magic.

The identification revealed it was indeed a skeleton.

However, this time, there was something I wanted to know more than the skeleton’s characteristics.

I wanted to know whose remains this skeleton belonged to.

【Skeleton: Danger Level E】

Barbaroi Asteros. Former Lord of the Asteros family.

Hoping to learn more, I appraised it again, and the name of the deceased appeared.

Whether he felt regret at falling halfway through his journey or didn’t want his fortune to become debris of the sea, the exact reason is unknown, but this skeleton is Lucas’s grandfather.

Lucas-san’s request was salvage of personal belongings, and I heard that it was fine to subdue any troublesome monsters, but what should I do about this…

Even though I knew it wasn’t Lucas-san’s grandfather but had become a monster, I hesitated to defeat it.

Maybe I should just ignore it and check the treasure chest.

“…!”

Thinking that, as I approached the treasure chest, the skeleton drew the saber at its waist and threatened me.

Don’t lay a finger on this treasure chest. I felt a hostility from the skeleton that seemed akin to such determination.

Being an item collector, the items in the treasure chest seemed quite important to it.

And it seemed particularly interested in the Sea Guardian bracelet on my left arm.

Perhaps because I heard about Barbaroi-san, this human aspect stood out, making it even more difficult to defeat.

“I should retreat for now.”

I had only come to the ship today to check it out.

I had only come to the ship today to check it out. There was only a bit of confirmation due to the irregularity of a skeleton on board.

I’ll report to Lucas about Barbaroi-san’s skeleton.

Reporting afterwards that I defeated my grandfather’s skeleton seemed too cold.

I think he would be saddened, and I think it would trouble him, but I want to inform him properly.

Slowly backing away so as not to provoke Barbaroi-san.

Rather than eliminating the opponent, Barbaroi-san just stared at me silently and didn’t attack, prioritizing protecting the treasure chest.

♦ ♦ ♦

Returning safely from the sea, I came back to the mansion to consult about Barbaroi-san.

Since I needed to convey the message to Lucas-san through Klaus, I was guided to Klaus’s private room by a maid.

“Klaus, can I come in for a moment?”

“Come in and sit wherever you like.”

With such a response to my knock, I entered without hesitation.

It was more of a study than a private room. Shelves covered the room, filled with books.

Around the table, many bottles were placed, filling the room with a strange scent mingling with paper and chemicals.

Was Klaus investigating the nerve poison of the balloon needle? He was using a syringe to extract liquid and mixing it into another bottle.

I thought it would be distracting to just stare at him, so I obediently took a seat as instructed.

Glancing at the books on the bookshelf, it seemed like they covered a wide range of genres, mostly related to herbalism, collections of stories, and history books.

Had he been spending time reading books here since he was little?

“So, what brings you here?”

Before I realized it, Klaus seemed to have paused his work and was sitting in front of me.

Somehow, I felt there was a nuance in his words, like “Why come all the way to my room?” Am I being too sensitive?

Well, since this matter concerns Lucas-san this time, I probably won’t be scolded.

“Well, there’s something I’m concerned about in the investigation of the sunken ship.”

I reported that I found the sunken ship and discovered the skeleton of Lucas-san’s grandfather, Barbaroi, inside.

Upon hearing this, Klaus’s expression turned grave.

“I see. Lord Barbaroi as a skeleton. While the salvage is for items, we need to be considerate. I’ll contact Lord Lucas from my end.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Given the circumstances, Klaus promised to consult without any complaints.

“If… if you were asked to subdue it, could you do it?”

It was a natural progression for me to be asked, considering I can operate underwater for extended periods.

“I’m not eager to do it, but I can. It seems difficult to retrieve the items without defeating Barbaroi-san.”

“I see. That’s good then.”

Klaus’s words felt somewhat gentle.

Was he worried about me? Even so, he’s not the type to readily admit it if asked.

“For now, I guess we’ll suspend the investigation until we hear back from Lucas-san.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. It’s best to stretch our wings until we get a response.”

While I took it easy on the first day, I feel like I haven’t had much rest since then.

Regardless of the request, I’d like to spend some leisurely time at sea.

As the atmosphere of consultation ended and it seemed like we were dispersing, a maid knocked.

“Klaus-sama, there’s a visitor.”

“A visitor? Who is it?”

Klaus seemed surprised too, as if he hadn’t heard, and he responded with a slightly startled voice.

“It’s Lord Lucas Asteros.”

“”….””

The name mentioned by the maid was too convenient, leaving both me and Klaus speechless.

“…Klaus, did he contact you already?”

“Why would he? It must be some coincidence, a different matter perhaps.”

As both the client and the visitor, we couldn’t just leave it unattended.

Klaus and I immediately left the room and headed to the parlor where Lucas-san was escorted.

“Hey, Shuu-kun. And Klaus-sama, it’s been a while.”

“Oh, excuse us for intruding.”

Entering the parlor, besides Lucas sitting on the sofa, there were also Saffy, looking relaxed, and Lumia, appearing somewhat embarrassed.