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“The closer I get, the bigger this squid looks.”

My honest thoughts slip out. I wonder how many servings of sashimi this would make.
I’m currently standing at the bow of a medium-sized armed vessel.
The ship’s name is the Pisces. It’s an old vessel that was slated for scrapping, which I received from Samakah-san specifically to get closer to the squid.
The Pisces is currently moving forward at a snail’s pace, heading toward the giant squid—the Abysscall.
There isn’t a single crew steering this ship. I’m the only one on board.

…yet another ridiculous ability I have.

Blood Contract. A Skill that turns those who receive your blood into servants.
Normally, this Skill is used on living creatures, but since I’ve maxed out my level, even inanimate objects have become targets for my command.
And at higher levels, the Blood Contract Skill also grants the power to control servants at will.
In other words, I’ve made the ship my servant, and that’s how I’m operating it all by myself. If I so wish, the sails adjust their tension on their own, and it changes course without me even touching the wheel.
Being able to control it just by thinking is incredibly convenient. The Pisces is a sailing ship—it’s designed to catch the wind in its sails and doesn’t have an engine, but I can conjure the wind with magic.
Of course, I can’t fire the cannons at will, but since I got it just to get closer to the Abysscall, this is plenty.
Blood Contract. It’s the perfect skill for a lazybones like me. Hehehe, Loli Grandpa sure’s pretty thoughtful, isn’t she.

The sea is rough because that squid was going wild just a moment ago, and although the Pisces is rocking quite a bit, it’s still moving forward steadily.
The only problem is that the leather belt I’ve had slung over my shoulder since before boarding occasionally slips out of place, which feels a little uncomfortable. I just adjusted it again.
One of the effects of Blood Contract is “enhancing the abilities of those made into servants,” so even this dilapidated ship, practically a wreck, can sail through rough seas without any trouble.
The squid clearly recognizes me, but perhaps it’s confused by the sudden retreat of the fleet; it hasn’t made any clear moves to attack yet.
Seeing it’s not coming at me without warning, I’ll try talking to it first. With that in mind, I take something out of the Blood Box.
What I took out is something Samakah-san prepared for me, just like he did for the Pisces—a megaphone.
That said, it’s not the kind with a speaker like the ones used in elections. It’s a simple model like the ones used at sports events. It’s made of a plastic-like material, and that description really fits it perfectly.

“Hellooo, can you hear meee?”

I decided to try calling out using the megaphone. Since I’ve expanded the range of my Language Translation Skill, as long as the other party is an intelligent creature, they should be able to understand my words, and I should be able to understand theirs.
After a moment, a reply came.

“Who goes there?”

……Whoa, a middle-aged man’s voice.

I wonder if it’s a species trait or just this individual. The squid’s voice was low and somewhat dry—it perfectly fit the description of a middle-aged man, or rather, an “unc.”

“Um… I’m just a vampire passing through.”
“A vampire? What kind of joke is that, girl? How could a vampire possibly be out and about while the sun is still up?”
“Well, I’m a sunlight-resistant kind. So… Uncle Squiddy.”
“Uncle Squiddy!?”
“Oh, sorry, would ‘Squidy Unc’ have been better?”
“That’s not much different!”

Even a non-human being was picking on my naming sense.
Here I thought “Uncle Squiddy” was a perfect name, though. It sounds kinda delicious.

“What’s with that disappointed look…?”
“Ah, no, it’s my own business, so please don’t worry about it. More importantly, could you stop invading the town?”
“No.”

A short, but all the more clear, reply. Right after that, my field of vision was filled with a massive swarm of tentacles.

“I was wondering what your goal was, but I have no intention of playing along with your lame joke.”

……Ah, so it came to this after all. What a pain.

Just as I made that judgment in my mind, countless white tentacles slammed into the Pisces.