Chapter 78

“It’s no problem. If you ride my familiar, it’ll be a breeze.”

Come to think of it, Sanson-sou-senpai had been moving by walking on the surface of the sea earlier. For a Blue Mage, walking on water is basic, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

As a Black Mage, I can use things like “Peatland Walking,” but I’d sink in the ocean—Black magic basically only works on dark, damp ground.

“Oh? Do Blue Mages have familiars as well? I had the impression there weren’t many,” Cerulia remarked. From her perspective, Senpai’s situation seemed exceptional.

“I didn’t have a familiar originally either. But I’m a Black Mage too, you see. I managed to get a great one. Well, rather than a familiar, he feels more like an equal partner.”

There was no reason to refuse a trip to an uninhabited island, so we headed back out toward the sea.

Sanson-sou-senpai clapped sharply.

Then something approached from across the water. Wait—is that another Island Shark?!

But its movement wasn’t shark-like; a much more idyllic presence rippled across the waves.

It was a massive turtle, large enough to easily carry about twenty people.

“That’s definitely the biggest turtle I’ve ever seen…”

“It is quite a grand scale, isn’t it…”

Cerulia and I—true to our master-servant bond—were surprised in exactly the same way.

The turtle craned its neck toward us. Turtle necks can stretch far, but given its size it was genuinely terrifying.

“Thank you for riding with us today. This turtle is bound for Iwanya Island, the uninhabited isle. It is dangerous while in motion, so please cling tightly to the shell. Your driver is the turtle, N’ndaro N’rudo.”

The turtle spoke like some scheduled stagecoach driver…

“Yep, this is my turtle, N’ndaro N’rudo.”

That name sounds incredibly difficult to pronounce!

“It seems this turtle decided to become a familiar after Sanson-sou-san managed to pronounce his name correctly,” the President explained. It’s true that speaking a being’s name has the ritualistic meaning of establishing control over them, but still…

“Alright, everyone hop on. Iwanya Island has a nice little beach; it’s not bad. We can use it as our own private beach.”

For the record, before we boarded, Cerulia glanced at the turtle’s head and made a dirty joke—I’ll spare you the details.

According to Cerulia, as a Succubus she couldn’t let that slide. Apparently it’s a matter of Succubus pride. There are many kinds of pride in this world.

So, we rode N’ndaro N’rudo to the uninhabited island Senpai recommended. Across the sea, I asked her a few casual questions.

“You’re very refreshing, Senpai. You’re beautiful, but you also have a sort of ‘cool guy’ vibe.”

“I think you’re just being led by the fact that I use ‘boku’ to refer to myself. My house is actually full of dolls.”

The turtle familiar chimed in, “Wait, those are the ones that multiplied for ritual practice, right? You don’t have to force the ‘girly’ appeal.”

“Hey… that’s mean… But I do like sweet things…”

The turtle retorted, “Just because you crunch crabs that make everything taste sweet for a while afterward doesn’t mean it counts.”

“Ah… it’s hard to talk when N’ndaro N’rudo is around…” Senpai slumped dejectedly.

“I’m about at marriageable age soon… but even when I go to town mixers, only girls flock to me… That’s the wrong demographic; it’s pointless…”

I see— even a cool woman has her own set of troubles.

“But since you’re beautiful, I’m sure you’ll find a man eventually.”

Senpai felt more like a dolphin than a crocodilian beastman—bright and healthy, not at all like a Black Mage. At the very least, she didn’t feel like a Black Mage. Also, I kind of wanted to pet her tail.

“I thought so too, but since I work alone, I don’t really have a chance to meet people. And when I go to mixers, the girls gather around me and it creates an atmosphere where men find it hard to approach… Well, it’s the usual story.”

Then the turtle said bluntly, “Mr. New Recruit, if you like, why don’t you marry her?”

“Wait, wait, wait! Even if you say that so suddenly… I mean, Senpai is charming, but…”

Right then, Mary cut in and clung to me.

“Franz should stay single for a while longer, don’t you think? He’s still in his teens; he should gain more life experience first.”

“Yeah… I think so too…” I agreed, though the slight thorn in Mary’s voice bothered me.

“Franz, you need to build up some prestige first, like being the ‘descendant of a legendary Black Mage who was executed a thousand years ago for plotting the downfall of a nation.’ If you do that, I might—just might—consider getting married to you… right?”

“Prestige, huh… I’ll see what I can do…”

I felt like becoming a man who measures up to the ‘Ancestor of Indescribable Nightmares’ might be a bit of a stretch…

“Geez, President, isn’t there anyone good out there? I’m really at a loss here.”

“Well now, personally I wouldn’t see any problem with Sanson-sou-san and Franz-san getting married, but I understand not making such a bold decision when you haven’t even been with the company for six months.”

The President was also on Sanson-sou-san’s side. At this rate they’re slowly filling in the moat until I’m forced into marriage…

“No way. I’m keeping him for now.”

Mary squeezed me again.

I guess I’ll let Mary act as my breakwater for the time being.

While this was going on, the turtle safely arrived at the uninhabited island.