As I’m swimming aimlessly in the ocean, I slowly gather up my thoughts. I know what the Irish said about I can take my time, and I should if I want to make a proper deductions. However, that’s easier said than done. For obvious reasons, I can’t take things slow.

   Even though I said that, I have zero leads on Coinchenn’s location. Even after what Curruid said, I still have a hard time believing that a sea monster the size of several houses can just hide himself. I’ve only been under the ocean for ten minutes, and I already saw more than thirty ships and boats of all sizes passing by the surface. No doubt all of them are equipped with the most high-tech sonars made in this world. I’m pretty sure that they’re planning to scan the same inches of seabed at least ten times before they’re satisfied and move on. Supposedly, Coinchenn being found was just a matter of time. But nope. He’s too well-hidden.

   I swim to some coral reefs. There are lots of fishes burrowed inside those reefs, but all of them make a dive at it the moment I get near. I don’t know it’s because they’re afraid of humans in general or I’m holding a bone made from a sea monster.

   I know that I’m supposed to concentrate on my mission, but it’s starting to become hard for me since the view here is kind of beautiful. It’s not exactly postcard worthy, but the ocean water is somewhat clear, and the fishes swimming around are colorful and full of variety for the most part. There are not just normal fishes either. There are also some eels, and octopus here and there. And coral reefs. Lots and lots of them. I’ve only been diving under rivers and lakes so far, so everything about this is new for me.

   There’s only one thing that ruins my first sea-diving experience. Coinchenn’s stares. He’s been staring at me persistently ever since I’ve arrived at the beach, and he’s still staring. The worst part is, I can’t pinpoint his location no matter how hard I try. It’s like he’s watching me from multiple directions at the same time.

   After diving for more than thirty minutes, I decide to head back. No point wasting any more time. It was then I started to feel something is really wrong.

   I swear that I’ve never made any sudden change of direction that would cause me to go astray and end up in somewhere completely different. I’ve been swimming in a straight line all these while, after all. When I turn around, I expected to see the same view as I saw before. But nope. The orange coral reef that was on my left when I passed it by just two minutes ago was no longer there when I look to my right. Unless a huge group of parrot fish or something ate the coral reef in the matter of seconds while I had my back turned, the coral reef just straight up disappeared.

   It’s not just the coral reef. Everywhere I see, the ocean is empty. There were schools of fishes swimming all over the place just moments ago. Now, it’s like I’m swimming under the water all by myself.

   I decide to swim upwards and reach the surface to take a look at my whereabouts. There’s a land somewhere around two kilometers in front of me, but none at my back. Now this is really weird. I know I left Amesaki-senpai and the other civil servants back there. Without knowing what else to do, I swim towards the land. I don’t know what to expect, so I made sure to conserve my stamina and take my time swimming there slowly.

   When I got to the beach, I try to look for any sign of humans or even animals. But there’s nothing. A few coconut trees here and there and that’s about it. I try frantically to look for anyone or anything that’s alive, but to no avail.

   I also notice that I no longer feel Coinchenn’s stares. This may or may not be bad.

   After I leave the beach, I was expecting to see paved roads. Instead, I;m now inside a forest that are not really traveller-friendly. There are rocks and tall trees everywhere, and the surface is very uneven. One wrong step and you might trip and fall down.

   I make my phone appear out of thin air with my teleport magic. The first thing I notice is that there are no signal nor WiFi coverage. This Academy-issued phone is very advanced and offers excellent phone signals and WiFi no matter where you are, even underground. If my phone is getting neither, it could only mean that I’m in a different dimension where I’m not supposed to be.

   This is bad. Really bad. How on earth am I going to go back?

   ‘Are you lost, boy?’ a female voice asks.

   I turn my neck to look at the person who spoke. A red-haired woman is standing a feet away from me. She’s wearing a brown leather tunic, a mail shirt, a leather kilt, a pair of brown leather pants and a pair of black leather boots. She’s also holding a spear that’s made of iron with her right hand.

   ‘Yes, ma’am. Do you happen to know where we are?’ I ask her.

   ‘Yes. We’re in the Otherworld.’

   ‘...Seriously? How did I managed to get in here?’

   For those of you who are not familiar with Celtic mythology, the Otherworld is a realm where the Gods live. Some also say that it’s the realm of the dead.

   ‘I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. A lot of people have wandered in here by chance. You’re just the latest one.’ the woman tells me.

   ‘I see. Well, I guess I should look for the exit instead then.’

   The woman raises her eyebrow in surprise. ‘You’re thinking of leaving already?’

   ‘Huh?’

   She covers her mouth with her left hand.

   ‘Oh dear. Me and my slip of the mouth.’ she mumbles.

   ‘Whatever do you mean by that, ma’am?’

   She takes her hand away from her mouth. ‘Figure it out yourself. I’ve already spoken too much. And stop calling me ma’am.’

   ‘What shall I call you then?’

   ‘Don’t you Japanese have a term of people like me?’

   ‘You mean oba-san?’

   Her left hand is on top of my head in an instant. It was so quick I couldn’t even react to it.

   ‘Would you like to rephrase that, boy?’ she asks with a frosty smile.

   ‘Yes, of course. Please spare me, o beautiful onee-san.’ I quickly tell her.

   She pulls back her hand. ‘Good boy.’

   I let out a huge sigh of relief. What the hell was wrong with me? She’s obviously much stronger than I am, and yet I’ve been cheeky to her.

   That said, I’m more bothered by her question just now. Why did she ask me that? Of course I want to leave. As much as I want to hang around this legendary place which is known to be only found by ancient heroes, I still have to get back to Amesaki-senpai and the rest.

   Unless someone, or more precisely something, that I’m looking for is here as well.

   ‘And you’ve figured it out. I really should have kept my mouth shut.’ the woman mumbles.

   I bow at her.

   ‘Thank you so much, oba, I mean onee-san.’

   ‘Yes, yes. Now run along before I decide to pulverize you for that second cheek of yours, slip of the mouth or no.’

   She tells me that, but I haven’t a clue on where to start. Just because Coinchenn is somewhere nearby it doesn’t mean that I could easily find him. The worse part is, I’ve heard that the flow of time here is different from outside. Who knows how much time has passed while I was chatting with the woman?

   Wait a minute.

   ‘Can I ask you something, onee-san?’

   ‘What is it?’

   ‘I’ve heard that the Otherworld is a realm inhabited by the Gods and the souls of those who have passed on. Is this true?’

   ‘Yes, it’s true.’

   ‘Even those of animals’?’

   ‘That’s right. They have souls too, you know.’

   ‘But, I didn’t see a a single fish under the sea when I first arrived at this world.’

   ‘Ah, that. For some weird reasons, animals acquire a human form when they die and come to this world. Needless to say, all of them are quite confused at the beginning, but they’ll all get used to it in the end.’

   In that case, Curruid is somewhere here too, and he’s in human form. I wonder whether he knows I’m here. I mean, I’m still holding his bone, but I don’t think it can acts as a beacon for him to find me.

   ‘I have finally found you, wretched being whom I am forced to call master!’

   Never mind, it totally can.

   I look towards the direction where the voice came from. A few hundred feet away stands a man who’s almost seven feet tall. He’s moderately buff, he has long, black hair and his skin is pale. Thankfully, he’s at least wearing a loincloth to cover his genitals. However, the said loincloth and some part of his body are covered in dirt. I wonder what happened.

   I wave at him like I was totally expecting him.

   ‘Hey Curruid, looking good there.’ I tell him cheerfully. ‘You could have worn something better, but I guess it can’t be helped considering that you’re dead.’

   My partner in crime rolls his eyes in annoyance.

   ‘Every single time we meet, you remind me of how much I do not want to talk to you.’ he grumbles.

   It was then that I notice that he has jagged teeth just like a shark’s.

   ‘Oh come on, you’re still saying things like that? I’m pretty sure that we’ve been so much together that we’re basically partners now.’

   ‘We are not partners.’

   The woman chuckles. ‘The two of you sure get along well.’

   ‘See? Even an outsider could tell. You really ought to be more honest.’

   ‘You are beyond blind, woman.’ Curruid growls.

   Suddenly, his eyes narrow, as if he wants to look at the woman more closely. His eyes then widen in recognition.

   ‘You!’ he exclaims.

   ‘Hello, Curruid. I believe this is the first time we ever met face-to-face like this.’ the woman tells him.

   ‘You are one other person I would love to stay away from!’

   ‘I’m glad that you think so highly of me.’ the woman says drily.

   ‘Do you two know each other?’ I ask them.

   ‘Not exactly. Our relationship is quite complicated.’ Curruid says.

   ‘Rather than him, I’ve known his previous owner for quite some time.’ the woman informs me.

   Ever since I met the woman, I’ve had my suspicions her identity. Now it’s obvious as day. She’s Scáthach, the legendary warrior woman who trained Cúchulainn.

   ‘Why do you hate her so much?’ I ask Curruid.

   ‘She gave the Hound quite a beating every time they had a sparring session. Whenever he’s on the floor, he would drop me, or to be more precise my bone. There was hardly a time when my bone was not full of dirt and mud. It would take the Hound hours to clean all the impurities off.’

   Lady Scáthach smiles. ‘Those were the fun times.’

   ‘Speaking of mud and dirt, why are you covered in them? Did you fell down or something?’ I ask Curruid.

   He looks away. ‘I do not wish to talk about it.’

   ‘But-’

   ‘We are short on time, yes?’ he interrupts me.

   That pulled me back to reality.

   ‘Do you know how to find Coinchenn?’ I ask him.

   ‘I could find him from smell alone. Believe me, I could smell him all the way from here.’

   ‘Good. Let’s go find him and end this one and for all.’

   I look at Lady Scáthach and bow at her.

   ‘It was only for a short moment, but it was truly a great honor to speak with you, Scáthach-sama.’ I tell her.

   ‘Oh, now you’re being all formal with me?’

   ‘Um, I truly apologize for my rudeness earlier.’

   She smiles at me tolerantly. ‘It’s fine. I’m not mad at all. It was nice talking to another wielder of Gáe Bulg who doesn’t fill his head with fights and battles.’

   Curruid snorts. ‘Bah. Compared to the Hound, this one is still a greenhorn.’

   I let out a depressed sigh. ‘Yup. I still have a long way to go.’

   ‘Stop thinking like that.’ Lady Scáthach chides.

   ‘But it’s true.’

   ‘I’ve shared some of my wisdom to Cúchulainn, now allow me to share some with you. Stop comparing yourself with others. If all you do is chase after shadows and belittle yourself, you could never grow as a human being, much less a warrior. Besides, the Hound of Culann wasn’t as great of warrior as you might think.’

   That surprised me. ‘He wasn’t?’

   ‘Do you know how he died?’

   ‘Um, he killed a sorcerer who challenged him. His three sons and three daughters were raised by their mother just to take revenge on him.’ I struggle to recall. ‘After Cúchulainn was weakened by a piece of dog meat offered by a disguised Morrigan, the three sons and a guy called Lugaid blocked his path and ask for his spear in order to benefit from a prophecy. He refused at first, but gave in when each of them threatened to make fun of him, the people he swore to protect and his family. He gave them the spear all right, but he aimed the tip towards their head. All three sons of the sorcerer died as a result. Each time, Lugaid would pull the spear out of the corpse and threw it back to Cúchulainn. That in turn killed his charioteer and his horse, and finally pierced his stomach. The Hound died from that wound.’

   Lady Scáthach nods approvingly. ‘You know our history well.’

   ‘Well, I’m the type of guy who rather spent hours reading up mythologies rather than studying for an exam.’

   ‘Back to the topic at hand. What would you do in that situation if you were Cúchulainn?’

   ‘I would kill them all before they could utter out a single insult.’ I answer immediately. ‘I would also have ignored the group of old ladies who offered me the dog meat.’

   I’m not that soft as to answer that I won’t kill anyone. The world back then was a cruel, dog-eat-dog (no pun intended) one. I doubt I could survive by being kind to my enemies.

   ‘And this is where you’re different from Cúchulainn. He was an excellent warrior and fighter, but he was too honorable and prideful. As a result, he was taken advantaged and got himself killed.’

   On a side note, the dog meat that Cúchulainn ate wasn’t enchanted in any way. It’s just that he broke a geas, which is an Irish taboo. According to the taboo, he was not supposed to eat or even touch hound meat, which was his namesake. Alas, touch it he did, and he was weakened as a result.

   ‘Remember this well, boy. Pride and honor are nothing once you’re dead. If those things mean anything to you, survive at all costs. You could always make a comeback for them, but if and only if you’re still alive.’

   I bow at her. ‘Thank you for you lesson, Scáthach-sama.’

   ‘May we get going?’ Curruid asks me impatiently. ‘Are you not in a hurry?’

   ‘Coming. Well then, I’ll be seeing you, Scáthach-sama.’

   ‘One last thing, boy.’

   ‘Yes?’

   ‘You still haven’t told me your name.’

   ‘It’s Kagenashi Akira.’

   ‘Farewell, Kagenashi Akira. May we meet again.’

   After we separated with Lady Scáthach, I follow Curruid so that he could bring me to wherever Coinchenn is.

   ‘Are you sure you can find Coinchenn?’ I ask him.

   ‘I am more than certain.’ he answers. ‘He has a certain stench that I could track no matter our distance.’

   He makes a gagging sound.

   ‘Let us just say that it is extremely unpleasant.’

   ‘And since you’re having a human form, it’s most likely that he’ll have one too.’

   ‘That I am not as certain. As I mentioned previously, he prefers the fight he is in to be as fair as possible. Considering the fact that he chose to hide himself in this realm, there is a high chance that he is indeed the shape and size of a human.’

   ‘You’ve known that he was hiding here, didn’t you?’

   ‘I had my suspicions, but I was not certain.’

   ‘You could have at least told me about it.’ I grumble a bit. ‘What would I do if I didn’t randomly feel like taking a dive?’

   He shrugs. ‘It is your responsibility to find him, not mine.’

   I let out a sigh. There’s no point in berating him since he doesn’t care about human lives at all.

   We soon manage to exit the forest. Now we’re at some kind of grass plains with some tress here and there. I see some humans in the distance. There are men and women of different numbers. All the Men wear white loincloth just like Curruid, while the women wear some kind of dress just like the chiton worn by Kuromi when I first met her. Similar to Curruid’s their clothing and body are covered in dirt. The only difference is that theirs also have some grass stuck to it. Also, a lot of them are acting kind of weird.

   A few of them are in all fours and chewing on the grass like a goat. Some are sleeping while closing their eyes and curled into a ball. One or two of them are just standing and staring at nothing like some mannequins you can see inside a shopping mall.

   As I watch, another men appear out of nowhere and falls to the ground. He tries to get up, but he keeps on failing. It’s like I’m watching a newborn foal trying to stand for the first time. All the while, he looks extremely confused.

   Some of the people near him are just staring at him without offering any sort of assistance. As for the confused man himself, I hear him keep on bleating like a goat, or trying to bleat like one. Suddenly, everything makes sense.

   ‘Was that how you acted when you first arrived here? Is that the reason your whole body is dirty?’ I ask Curruid.

   ‘As I said, I do not wish to talk about it.’ he growls.

   ‘Let me ask you another question, then. If this is where all the dead humans and creatures go, why is it that I could still talk to you whenever I dive inside my head?’

   ‘I do not know either. Prior to coming to this world, my soul was trapped inside my bone you are using as a spear. I arrived here the same time as you did. For some reason, however, I landed on a huge plain much like this one. The only reason I could find you was due to the reason that you have my bone with you.’

   I look at Gáe Bulg. ‘So it did act like an antenna. Man, this world is really weird.’

   Curruid snorts. ‘Not as weird as you humans.’

   ‘Is that supposed to be an insult? If so, it’s a very weak one.’

   ‘Hush. We are getting closer to him.’ he cautions.

   Finally.