Episode 73: A Brilliant Idea

I quickly grabbed the oars and began moving the small boat.

I had just lamented being all alone, but being solo doesn’t necessarily mean I’m at a disadvantage.

Rather, being able to move freely should allow me to gain the upper hand depending on my strategy.

First, I observe my surroundings.

Some students are already launching attacks, while others are cautiously watching the situation.

Among them, the one who stands out most is, as expected, Razer.

“Whoa, what’s with that guy!”

“He’s firing right off the bat!?”

“Run, run, we can’t deal with him!”

He was wielding a magic cannon, firing shots indiscriminately in all directions.

Every time a flashy water column rose up, the surrounding boats scattered like baby spiders taking distance.

What a hot-blooded guy… I thought, but Razer’s attention seems to be flickering around at something he’s concerned about.

Following his line of sight, I see a single ship racing across the sea with nimble movements.

“Yahhooo! Come on, let’s keep going full throttle!”

A girl with pure white hair flowing in the sea breeze, gripping one oar in each hand and advancing at explosive speed.

It’s Emma, the game’s protagonist.

As expected of the official protagonist, she’s not just fast.

She dodges Razer’s bombardment with minimal movements, as if reading the flow of the sea.

Come to think of it, in the original work, she had that setting of being oddly skilled at handling vehicles.

With that, she can even capture wild horse characters like Razer, so her operational skills and courage are first-rate.

Though, the female student riding with her has turned pale, so that’s probably a double-edged sword.

Looking at the other ships, they seem to be generally scattered, with only small-scale battles occurring.

The combat also appears to be limited to just skirmishing.

However, somehow the types of bombardment flying between ships differ.

At first I thought they were using their own magic, but apparently the installed magic cannons themselves are different.

Whether they were issued as is, or modified by themselves… Since I was too shocked at being assigned a solo mission to properly listen to the rules, the truth remains in darkness.

But anyway, I understand.

Let’s stop analyzing the battle situation here.

I should move like a bounty head myself.

First move: avoid unnecessary combat.

Being targeted is a certainty. In that case—

“…Oops.”

Magic power reaction from behind.

Faster than turning around, I tilted the oar sideways, tilting the boat to just above the sea surface.

The next moment, a flash of light grazes right beside my boat, and a water column shoots up.

“Heh… Not bad, Mr. First Place.”

When I turned around, a pair already aiming for the bounty head hunt was approaching.

They’re holding magic cannons, but with that skill level, I still have plenty of room.

“If you’re going to aim, you should get closer. You won’t hit from long range.”

When I pointed this out half-tauntingly, the two gritted their teeth.

“We’ll get close without you telling us! You coward who’s too scared to move!”

I see, they read me as “cowardly.”

Not a bad misunderstanding. I’ll use it.

I changed the boat’s direction and aimed straight at them.

I increased speed as is and closed the distance at once.

“A-Are you crazy!? You’re coming head-on!?”

“Fire! Fiiire!”

The moment the magic cannon fired, I deployed a magic circle at my feet and leaped with enough impact to destroy the boat I was on.

“Wha— huh!?” “He jumped!?”

Ignoring the two’s astonishment, I used the momentum from the leap as is and landed on their boat’s deck.

The ship was rocking from the impact of hitting the sea surface, and they couldn’t maintain their balance.

“Sorry, but I’ll be borrowing this boat for a bit.”

“What did you say, you bastard, we won’t let you— ugh”

“Whoa, don’t come here— bweh”

With light punches, they fell beautifully into the sea.

Since training safety magic has been applied, there’s no problem even if they sink.

I grabbed the oars of the now-empty ship and realized something.

Apparently not only the magic cannons but the ships’ characteristics differ too.

This ship has a slightly lighter operating feel than before.

I see, by creating differences like this, they’re designed to induce plundering and combat.

And this boat’s cannon is the type that spreads blast sideways.

The projectile speed is slow, but it’s suitable for suppression and blowing things away.

“Then it’s perfect for the current situation where bounty head hunters are swarming.”

Right after muttering that.

“Found hiiiim! It’s Arcs!”

“Let’s defeat him now and get the reward!”

Three small boats approach simultaneously from left and right.

Good grief, one after another… I almost shrugged my shoulders, but looking ahead, the agile ones like Emma are already beyond my field of vision.

Since I’m not in a position to target them, in this sea area, I alone as the bounty head might become everyone’s meal ticket.

Good grief… being popular is tough.

I placed one hand on the magic cannon and aimed the sights at the sea surface.

“Wh-what are you going to shoot!? Not the ship but the sea—”

“This is another way to use it.”

I pulled the trigger.

The exploding shell struck the sea surface, and a tremendous lateral wave ran through.

My target isn’t the boats.

By putting the blast on the sea, I deliver a massive shake to the surroundings.

“Whoa!? It’s shak—”

“Gyaah, it’s coming from the side!”

All three boats lost balance and tilted.

I then fired directly at them in succession.

Blast-type bombardment works even without direct hits.

If you strike the ship’s bottom at an angle, that alone can throw off the propulsion direction.

“There… and”

The first boat capsized from the recoil.

The second boat tried to charge at me using the bombardment’s recoil, but I had read it.

Just before contact, I slid my boat sideways, making only the opponent dive into the sea surface.

The student on the third boat had already lost their will to fight.

“W-wait! I surrender! I surrender!”

“Don’t worry. I won’t harm you.”

“Th-thank good—”

“However, please just accept this.”

I gently pointed the magic cannon and shot the “side” of the ship.

“Hiiiiiii!? What do you mean accept!!”

The small boat spun around flashily, and he drew a beautiful parabolic arc as he fell into the sea.

With this, the bounty head hunters in this sea area are mostly annihilated.

While gazing at the water surface that had regained its quietness, I let out a bitter breath.

“…Which means, in terms of the race, I’m overwhelmingly in last place.”

Emma and the leading group are already outside my field of vision.

The gap has opened quite wide for the time I was forced to use.

Since combat evaluation is also a factor, I’m probably better off than the eliminated group, but… the first place student returning in dead last would look really bad.

“Even if I try to turn it around… not with this ship.”

I check the wreckage and half-destroyed small boats floating around.

There are usable parts, but they’re all half-baked.

In the first place, I don’t have the ship-handling skills of Razer or Emma.

If it comes to a speed contest, I can’t reach them no matter what.

Even if I use magic, I can’t use flying magic. I could accelerate with explosions at best, but even then, whether I’d catch up…

This might be what they call being stuck on all sides.

“…Hmm.”

Even as I worry, only time passes.

This stagnation itself is fatal in a race.

But at that moment, a strange thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“…In the first place, wouldn’t it be fine if I just don’t bring it to a battlefield like the sea?”

The words that slipped out began to rapidly take shape within me.