episode_0007

“Yunoa was at a loss for words in the overwhelming presence of the trading ship ‘Arkbari.’

This trading ship, with a whopping 240 crew members on board, boasted 4 masts, 52 cabins, and magical engines that could sail even in calm winds.

Furthermore, it was equipped with 12 ballistae to fend off pirates and sea monsters.”

Wow, it’s truly impressive.

“Arkbari, which rivaled military warships in size and strength, also had spacious and sturdy cargo holds.

This masterpiece, born from the fusion of shipbuilding technology and magic, was a sight to behold, and the opportunity to not only see it but also sail on it was rare.”

Are you really going to clean this up by yourself?

Since outright criticism is off-limits now, are you resorting to this kind of indirect criticism?

I stood on the deck of the trading ship ‘Arkbari’ with a mop in hand, sighing in bewilderment.

It was good that I had managed to get a cleaning job by asking the captain for work.

Cleaning this ship would earn me 1 gold.

It was quite a decent amount of money for a simple cleaning job.

The problem was the immense size of this trading ship.

I had agreed to do it because I needed the money, but now that I was actually standing on the deck, I didn’t have the courage to clean it.

Can I really do this alone?

“Oh, life…”

What can I do?

I have no choice but to do it to earn money.

I started wiping the deck from one corner with a mop in each hand.

***

As the day turned into night, I was still cleaning the trading ship Arkbari.

The captain and crew had all gone to the tavern, leaving me alone on the ship.

The ship was so big that there was no room for relaxation.

How much more cleaning was left to do?

I had cleaned all the visible deck and finished the masts, but I hadn’t even touched the 52 cabins yet.

I was trying to make the most of the cleaning techniques I had learned at the church, but I hadn’t even cleaned half of it yet.

And the cleaning deadline was the day after tomorrow.

“Oh, my back…”

Did the captain really think I could clean this ship alone?

Did he intentionally assign me the task knowing I couldn’t do it alone to take advantage of me later?

No, he didn’t seem like that kind of person.

He probably didn’t want to assign me the task in the first place, but he had to create work because of financial issues.

After finishing cleaning the bow, I lay down on the spotlessly cleaned deck for a moment to catch my breath and looked up at the night sky.

The bright full moon was shining large, and countless stars were twinkling.

“Seems like I’m just suffering a lot in this world.”

But the night sky is prettier here than in the world I used to live in.

When will I be able to start my adventure as an adventurer?

I took a moment to enjoy the view.

After taking a short break while looking at the night sky, I resumed cleaning.

With tools in both hands, I moved the mop with one foot as well.

I truly looked like a human vacuum cleaner, a master of cleaning.

I hope I don’t end up like, ‘I became an S-rank janitor in this world.’

It was a bit scary now that it was dark.

I didn’t believe in ghosts, but in this different world where magic, monsters, and demons exist, it wouldn’t be strange if ghosts existed too.

Thinking that way, I felt a chill down my spine, as if something might jump out of the darkness.

Let’s not think scary thoughts.

The more you think about it, the scarier it gets.

The cargo hold of Arkbari was almost empty as all the traded goods had been unloaded.

But there were a few wooden barrels and boxes piled up in one corner, and I couldn’t tell what was inside.

I started mopping the floor towards the wooden barrels at the end of the cargo hold as if I were coloring.

With a mop soaked in water in both hands, I ran towards the pile of wooden barrels as my destination.

As soon as the mop touched the barrel, I would immediately make a U-turn and run in the opposite direction.

It was a trick I often used during my school days, but without this method, I couldn’t finish cleaning the ship on time.

It was a bit fun, too.

Swish, swish, swish.

Again, I ran in the opposite direction, swishing the mop.

Later on, I found that using just my hands was not enough, so I hung a mop around my waist and ran, using the mop as a third hand.

But that was a wrong choice.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

Was I running too excitedly?

The mop hanging around my waist collided with the barrel, and the handle pierced deeply into my stomach.

“Ouch… Oww…”

It felt like my insides were twisting in pain.

It wasn’t a serious injury, but the pain was real.

Gasping for breath, I clutched my stomach and rolled on the floor in agony.

But…

*Squeak!*

Huh? Did I just hear something strange?

I furrowed my brows and listened carefully to the sudden strange sound.

Could it be… Is there really a ghost on this ship?

*Squeak!*

Thinking I might have misheard, I grabbed the mop again to continue cleaning, and once again, I heard the strange sound.

This time, I could pinpoint the direction the sound was coming from.

It was coming from the barrel I had just collided with.

“What… How creepy…”

Thinking about ghosts earlier, chills ran down my arms, and fear crept over me.

The light from the lamp on the floor, placed to clean in the darkness, seemed to flicker strangely, as if about to go out.

I felt as if someone was standing behind me, and as if someone was watching me from above.

What is the narrator doing?

I wish they would come out and reassure me that there are no ghosts.

That annoying voice should be quiet when needed.

Oh well, I have no choice.

Since it has come to this, I have to confirm the source of the sound with my own eyes.

I slowly approached the barrel where the sound came from.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted the lid of the barrel.

“Ahhhh!”

“Wowww!”

As soon as I opened the barrel, a girl with animal ears crouched inside, hiding, suddenly screamed, and I screamed along with her.

Inside the barrel, there was a girl with fox-like ears, crouched and hiding.

* * *

“Please! I beg of you!”

The mysterious girl with animal ears who popped out of the barrel knelt in front of me, banging her head on the ground and pleaded.

Her fluffy, fox-like tail swayed gently.

“I’m really sorry for sneaking onto the ship! Please don’t throw me into the sea or sell me as a slave!”

“Well, you see…”

“Meruru! I’m a good fairy! I only ate one meal a day in secret!”

Thud! Thud!

The girl who called herself Meruru continued to bang her head on the ground and wail.

It seems she mistook me for a crew member of this ship.

What on earth is this?

It seems like she sneaked onto this merchant ship without the captain’s knowledge.

Thank goodness she’s not a ghost.

Anyway, I needed to calm her down.

If I let her continue like this, she would keep banging her head on the ground until blood came out.

“Um, first, calm down a bit…”

“Uwaaa! I’m sorry! Meruru told a little lie! I actually ate two meals!”

Thud! Thud!

“Hey! Listen to me!”

*Squeak!*

I shouted at her as she wouldn’t listen, and Meruru, still lying on the ground, raised her head and sniffled.

The strange sound I heard from the barrel earlier was actually this girl sniffling.

I hit the tree stump where Meruru was hiding with a broom, causing her to startle and let out a yelp.

“I’m not a crew member of this ship. I’m just cleaning the ship, that’s all.”

“….”

Did she calm down?

“Ah! Please! Don’t tell the sailors! Just act like you don’t know anything! Meruru has things she needs to do!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

She didn’t calm down at all!

I hit the ground so hard that I could feel the vibrations on my feet standing in front of me.

Doesn’t it hurt to hit the ground like that? Is she made of stone?

“If you hit your head on the ground one more time, I’ll hand you over to the captain!”

“Eek!”

I couldn’t stand the sight of her in pain, so I threatened her with a non-threatening threat.

Only then did Meruru stop hitting her head on the ground and looked up at me.

A mermaid…

There really are such fascinating races in this world.

A large animal ear, resembling either a dog or a fox, protruded above her head, and other than the soft-looking tail attached to it, she looked no different from a human.

Now that I look closely, her eyebrows are bushy.

Except for her ears and tail, she was just a cute girl.

“Far away, across the sea on the island of Helvetika, the mermaid Meruru, who secretly boarded the Arkbari ship, was trembling in fear.

Yunoa maliciously threatened to hand over this poor mermaid girl to the captain.”

No, I didn’t mean it with bad intentions.

I did say it in a threatening manner, but still.

Narration always tries to make people look bad.

Anyway, from a quick glance at the situation, it seemed like Meruru had stowed away from Helvetika Island.

That gives off a feeling of being some kind of illegal resident.

I didn’t care about the reasons behind it, though.

There was no reason for me to detain her and hand her over to the captain.

“I said your name was Meruru, right? I’ll keep it a secret from everyone else, so don’t worry.”

I kneeled down and looked at Meruru as I spoke.

“Really! That’s a relief! You’re a kind human!”

“But….”

I handed her the broom I was holding as she happily accepted.

“Do you know how to clean with a broom?”