I grabbed Dante before he could follow the prisoners.
Maybe it was because I looked like I had something to say, but Dante signaled to Faust to go on ahead first.
"Dante."
"Tick?"
"I have something to say as a continuation of what we were talking about before the fight."
"What is it? Go on."
"As you may have already noticed, that person named Ahab seems to have designed this entire situation. More precisely, this fight, everything that comes after it, and even using that to secure a favorable position in negotiations."
"...You mean she deliberately fought us?"
"That's what it looks like. There are several reasons, but... I'll keep it to the most important one. You remember what Ishmael said a few hours ago at the L Corp branch inside U Corp, right?"
At my question, Dante propped his chin on a hand and started searching his memory.
He seemed to be recalling the words Ishmael had said at the L Corp branch that were relevant to the current situation.
"About Ahab?"
"Yes, that. More specifically... the end of the story. The part where Ahab let all the other sailors die and enjoyed fighting the pale whale."
"What about it?"
"From the circumstances, it seems that woman genuinely wants to catch this pale whale, for reasons I don't know. Whether the sailors live or die doesn't seem to matter to her."
"Explain a little more."
"It's simple. That captain—do you really think she can catch this whale alone, no matter how much she knows about it?"
"No way."
"Right. Impossible. And if this town has been maintained until now, then clearly she can't do it with only her own people. The residents here look like the type who'd gladly agree if the captain said to go hunt the whale."
"...Ah. No way."
Yeah. He'd probably caught on by now after hearing that much.
Dante is objectively pretty smart.
"So, in the end, that woman is going to use us. To catch this whale. She'll be trying to make up for the manpower her residents lack. The talk about negotiation is probably part of that too. Most likely."
"I understand. So from the beginning, that woman never intended to kill us..."
"She'll put on a show of fighting to seize the initiative, then steer the negotiations however she wants. So don't get dragged into the enemy's pace. And don't listen too closely either."
"But you know, this is the first time you've given such direct advice. Usually you only say things indirectly."
"Ah..."
"I'm not blaming you. I just... like that you seem to trust me."
I scratched my cheek, embarrassed.
It was true that staying quiet to avoid creating variables could easily be interpreted that way.
Maybe I should try helping a little more from now on.
"Then let's go. That's all you had to say, right?"
"Yes. Though maybe it was unnecessary."
Dante took a light step forward and moved after the others who had gone ahead.
Will this be okay? He's reliable, but... the other side isn't exactly ordinary either.
I quietly followed Dante, then shook my head. Too much worry wouldn't help either. Let's see how things go, slowly.
Following the others, we entered the building and arrived in a place connected to what looked like someone's office.
A desk, papers strewn about, a bulletin board covered in writing, and a chair shaped like a key. The traces left behind by various details made it seem likely that this was Ahab's office.
Maybe because we hadn't actually gone into the office, the first person to greet us there was Rodion.
"What did you two talk about to be this late?"
"It was nothing much. Just some work talk..."
"Hmm... really? Boring~"
Rodion cleanly shifted her interest elsewhere after hearing that.
She kept looking around before deciding on the bulletin board on one side of the wall as her destination.
"Mm... but what's written on that board?"
"It's the gold coins each sailor is allotted... They can receive them if they manage to salvage useful materials or hunt mermaids..."
"Hmm... who gives out the gold coins?"
"W-well, obviously... the captain?"
Hm? Come to think of it, that's strange. No matter how many odd things the pale whale swallows, that doesn't mean it would bring in goods of a quality that can be bought and sold, enough to sustain an economy.
The others couldn't possibly be unaware of that... no, maybe some of them really didn't know.
Otis, who would know the details best among the prisoners, immediately caught onto the suspicious part.
"Is there some kind of economic activity inside the whale's belly? There shouldn't be any need to obtain or possess gold coins here."
"I told you. We're going outside soon... And I can already receive 63 gold coins. At that rate, I might be able to buy a decent ship to use once we get back to the City... unless prices have changed in the meantime."
...Go outside? Out of this whale? If the whale is killed, it should start sinking slowly. Unless you tear your way out of its flesh, there shouldn't be any way to leave after killing it.
And if there's even a chance the whale is submerged in the middle of all this, the odds of survival get even slimmer.
Did they make some kind of submarine?
While I was starting to think quite seriously about it, Starbuck seemed to remember something and asked us a question first.
"Ah, hey. If you happened to stop by the Bluefin Harbor ship... let me know. Is the place that serves ray steak still... open?"
"Oh... that sounds delicious. Where is it?"
...I don't remember anything. A ray steak place, huh.
Was that the name of a restaurant he used to go to before ending up inside this whale?
Starbuck had more questions than he could contain, and after that he poured them out like a burst dam.
"Ah, Ishmael. I was really... surprised earlier. I never... expected to meet you here. Once we get out, how about... we have a drinking contest or something? Like old times...! Right, have you greeted the other sailors? And also, why did you grow your hair out so long again? You said it got in the way!"
"...You have a lot of questions. None of them seem eager to talk to me either. They all looked full of hostility."
"There have been... residents from other ships here from time to time... but none of them lasted... even a day. No one has survived this long except us..."
He'd said the same thing when he first rescued us earlier.
Inside the whale, the only things they had seen were mermaids and things in the process of becoming mermaids.
Which means... in the negotiation, we and they are on the same level.
In the end, our destinations are similar, and if we kill each other, the damage will be close to total annihilation.
Right after that, Starbuck left us with a meaningful remark.
"The captain... told us the solution."
"...The solution?"
"The only way to avoid having your body and mind turn white..."
"There's such a thing?"
When the prisoners looked puzzled, Starbuck pointed to the partially whitened parts of his own body and continued explaining.
"As you can see. If it weren't for the captain... we would've turned into mermaids here. There'd be no one left in the town. So anyone who opposes the captain... becomes... a common enemy. Not standing with the captain is no different from killing us all."
"Were you always like this, Starbuck? I remember you as being pretty openly opposed to the captain."
"...Really?"
"Who was it that led the sailors toward a fate of death from the very beginning?"
Ishmael brushed past Starbuck coldly and entered the office.
"Weren't you old comrades meeting after a long time?"
"Starbuck... the first mate of the Pequod. He wanted to be a good person to everyone. At the same time, he was the sailor closest to the captain. There were plenty of disagreements because they were so close... but whatever. Ahab was so indifferent to everyone that she could call it equality."
Right after Ishmael finished speaking, Ahab appeared inside the office.
Yes, it was time for the scheduled negotiation.
"Please understand if I offer you a shabby place. Rum would have made it perfect. But no matter how long I waited, not a single bottle came drifting in."
"I'll take the lead in the negotiation, Manager. Ishmael... that one doesn't seem capable of rational judgment, and all you do is tick."
"..."
As soon as Otis stepped forward, Dante cautiously looked back at me.
What the hell is this lunatic doing? I have no intention of standing out. If that kind of person notices you, life gets exhausting!
"...Fine. Otis, I'm counting on you."
I grabbed Dante by the shoulder and pressed down lightly on it.
"Dante? Let's meet again at the next interview..."
"..."
Don't look away.
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