Fallen off the Cliff by My Lover After Becoming a Hero

Boom! "Roar—!"

A deafening roar jolted me back to reality from my train of thought.

...What's the matter?

I quickly pinpointed the source of the sound, and the situation became clear to me. Looking in the direction of the noise, I saw a massive iron cage to the right front of my own. Inside, a black, leopard-like monster was roaring furiously, its sharp claws scraping at the iron bars. Two floating whiskers, longer than its body, flailed wildly with every motion.

That creature had never been calm since I arrived. Even when I was first thrown into this cage, it was already screaming and thrashing around. Judging from its behavior, the crew must have done something to provoke it.

Hmm?

My gaze shifted slightly. Near the monster's cage, I spotted the younger crew member who had just passed by. His eyes darted nervously between the rampaging creature and the older crew member. The older one, not sparing a moment, smacked the younger's head harshly. However, that wasn't the critical part of what caught my attention...

Something had spilled out.

A bag at the younger crew member's feet had torn, scattering white powder everywhere. Flour? Lime? No... this wasn't the time to figure that out.

Bang!

The monster slammed into the cage door.

Bang!

Once. Twice. Three times. Each time, the impact grew stronger.

The two crew members appeared indifferent. The older one continued berating the younger, paying no heed to the beast's rampage.

Wait... something feels off.

I shifted my focus from the crew to the cage itself. As the creature rammed into the door repeatedly, I noticed something: the lock was visibly moving with each hit, swinging more wildly with every blow.

The lock... had been tampered with.

Hey, this isn't a joke! If this big guy gets out—

Boom!

Hearing the commotion, other crew members started rushing over. The older crew member finally turned around, seemingly realizing something was amiss.

Too late.

The cage door burst open under the force of a final, mighty slam.

I could already see the fate of the older crew member from where I was sitting.

No saving him now.

"AAAAHH—!"

A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the air, followed by the splatter of blood.

The crew member didn't even get to finish his shout before the beast pounced and clamped its jaws down, devouring him whole. Only the lower half of his snake body remained, dangling out of the monster's mouth. Seemingly uninterested in the leftovers, the creature flung the corpse aside, sending it crashing into a pile of cargo. Blood left a vivid imprint on the wooden crates.

"Waka-waka-waka!" "Basala—!" The whole hold was immediately noisy.

Panic erupted among the crew. Some of them, seeing the hopeless situation, immediately bolted for the exit. They'd likely return soon with reinforcements.

But none of that surprised me. What truly caught my attention was the younger crew member, the one who had just been scolded. He had already fled, but just moments earlier...

A smile.

I saw it clearly. No matter how chaotic the scene, my gaze had locked onto his face. From behind the iron bars, past the flurry of movement and flickering lamplight, I caught his expression.

When the older crew member turned his back to the beast, the younger one smirked—an unmistakable, vindictive grin, as if to say, Serves you right.

It seems some things are the same everywhere, whether among humans or demons.

"The only one you can truly rely on... is yourself."

Clang!

By the time I muttered that to myself, the battle had already begun.

Crew members arrived armed with various weapons, forming a loose semicircle around the rampaging monster. Leading the charge was a burly male snake-like figure wielding a trident. He intercepted the beast's claws head-on, holding firm against its overwhelming strength.

That stance... Oh, it's him.

He was the one who hauled me out of the sea and onto this ship as if I weighed nothing.

"Roar—!"

The three-meter-tall beast, which I tentatively dubbed the Long-Whiskered Beast, roared ferociously. Its whiskers flailed as it poured its full strength into the trident, trying to overpower the snake-man.

"Hah."

Yet the man showed no signs of struggle, maintaining a relaxed smile.

So this is the strength of someone who could casually toss me up.

"Babara-sa!"

A familiar voice rang out from the direction of the entrance. The crew parted, creating a path for a snake-woman adorned with a black pirate hat. She slithered forward with an air of authority.

The trident-wielding man grinned and said something to her. She responded with a soft smile, patting him on the shoulder.

"Rooooaaar!"

Infuriated by being ignored, the Long-Whiskered Leopard lunged, its bloody fangs aiming straight for the woman.

And then...

It froze, jaws still open mid-attack.

Without even completing its strike, the beast fell limp.

Thud!

Collapsing to the ground, it lay utterly motionless.

...The same spell as before. It reminded me of the purple glow in her eyes when she tried to subdue me.

Even from a distance, I clearly saw the purple glow emanating from the woman's eyes. The moment the creature locked eyes with her, it fell unconscious, as if all bodily functions had been forcibly shut down.

We humans have our magic, so it's only natural that the creatures of the Dark Land have their own spells as well.

But...

It was so fast.

The instant she made eye contact with it, the creature was down. Yet I distinctly remember yesterday... I lasted much longer. At least I could still think and resist for a while before succumbing.

Was that just my perception? Or something else?

I'll think about that later.

For now, one thing was clear: among the crew, only this woman—the captain—could use such a spell. That's good news in a way; it confirms that the ship's overall magical capabilities are low. But even so, there's no way I can fight them unarmed.

I have no combat skills, and these snake-folk are all over 1.8 meters tall at the smallest...

"..." "..."

Lost in thought, I suddenly realized I had locked eyes with her.