Volume 3 - CH 1

Chapter 1 – Arrival on the Southern Continent and the First Village

A comfortable voyage, a more luxurious living space than the room I lived in Japan. However, there is a desire that awakens as life becomes more comfortable. Yes, I want to drink a nice cold beer.

I saw many times on TV that most of the people on the cruiser were drinking beer. I guess it must be delicious.

If it’s a luxury cruise ship, I should be able to buy beer. Good food and cold beer. I would love to make a toast by the pool on a luxury cruise ship under the sun.

I’ve never actually been on a luxury cruise ship, so I’m just imagining, but it would be a dream come true. While I was stroking Rimu in a daze and imagining a happy future, Ines and Felicia came up to the flying bridge.

They are wearing thin clothes and no bras, so my eyes are glued to their plump breasts. They show them to me at night, but this kind of eroticism in everyday life is a different story.

“Master, a sea monster, perhaps, a gluttony shark, is approaching.”

What’s a gluttony shark? Are you talking about a gluttonous shark? That’s scary.

“If it seems impossible to escape, we’ll have to fight it off, but do you think we can escape?”

“Hmm, I don’t think we’ll be able to escape. Gluttony sharks tend to move in a straight line, so even if we run away, they’ll chase us forever.”

“Then we’ll have to fight. Prepare to intercept.”

“”Yes.””

With the features of this ship, there should be no problem, but the open sea in this world is still dangerous. I’m convinced that the success rate of the pepper trade is 1 in 30. I put Rimu on my head, prepared my bow, and headed for the rear deck.

“Wow, it’s coming at us with tremendous force. It scares me even though I know it’s going to be okay.”

“I’m sure it’s okay. They’re a lot lower ranked than the sea serpents, so I can handle it with a little more confidence. When Master and Rimu-chan have a hit on the gluttony shark, we will attack it with our magic.”

“Okay, Rimu, let’s do our best.”

“…Rimu, do my best…”

After its level was raised, communication with Rimu became much smoother. I hit the gluttony shark with my bow, and Rimu hits it with a rock when it comes to biting us with its big mouth and being repelled by boarding rejection. Yeah, it didn’t work at all; it’s really an experience point thief, isn’t it?

“Next time it jumps again, we’ll shoot it. Felicia, are you ready?”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

The gluttony shark jumped again and was engulfed in flames and lightning. When the vapor generated by the aftermath cleared, the gluttony shark floated on the sea’s surface.

“Do you want to haul this shark up? It’s kind of well-cooked, though, isn’t it?”

“Yes, the material may be no good, but I think the magic stone has some value, so I think we should take it.”

“Then I have something to try; wait a minute, ship summoning.”

I summoned a rubber boat under the gluttony shark, and yeah, I’m going to try to repatriate the gluttony shark now that it’s on top of the boat.

Hmm? I can’t repatriate it, huh? Ah, I can’t repatriate it because its head and tail are sticking out. I pull in the rubber boat and ask Ines to cut off the head and tail. Then I try to repatriate the boat again.

“Yes, I can’t repatriate the boat if the head and tail are sticking out, but this will make it easier for us to haul the monster up.”

“That’s great, the sea monsters are so big, so if we cut out the excess, it’ll make it really easy to retrieve them.”

“Yes, this way, we won’t have to worry about not being able to retrieve the sea serpent like we did the other day. That’s great, Master.”

“Hahaha, thank you, it is just in time. Let’s have lunch and then depart.”

“…Rimu, food…”

“”Yes.””

We eat lunch while chatting leisurely.

“Rimu, the food is delicious.”

“…Rimu, delicious…”

“Yes, you should eat a lot.”

“…Eat…”

“Hey, Master, have you named this ship?”

“Hmm? A name?”

“Yes, you name your ship, don’t you?”

She’s got a look on her face like it’s common sense… In this case, EXULT 45 is different. If it’s a name, it should be something like “something-maru” or “something-go.”

“Is it bad if it doesn’t have a name?”

“I don’t think it’s bad, but everyone seems to have one, and I think there’s a reason they have them. Do you know about it, Felicia?”

“I’ve never been out of the village, so I don’t know what’s common knowledge about ships.”

“Oh, of course you don’t.”

“Hmm, but if everyone else is naming their ships, I guess I should name it. I’ll think about it.”

I’m not good at thinking of names. No, as expected, Toyomi-maru wouldn’t do in a world with a medieval European feel.

“How about Luto, taken from Exult (Izzaluto in Japanese)? Is it too short if it’s just Luto? Luto-maru, Luto-go… Yeah, I decided on Luto-go.

“It’s decided. The name of this ship is Luto-go.”

“Luto-go? Does it mean anything to you?”

“No, I took it from the theme of the ship, EXULT (Izzaluto).”

“I think it’s easy to understand, Master.”

“R-right, it’s good that it’s easy to understand.”

I don’t know; it’s kind of embarrassing to be praised; well, I can’t help but wonder myself.

“Well, from now on, the name of this ship is Luto.”

After lunch, Luto was ready to go again.

“I wonder if that gluttony shark can be beaten by a normal magic ship?”

“Yes, I think it is manageable as long as you hit the gluttony shark with magic before it gets to the ship. What do you think, Felicia?”

“If the magic hits it, as Ines said, I think we can manage, but if it is discovered too late, or if we are ambushed before we discover it, it will be impossible to deal with it. But if we can create barriers that can withstand several attacks, I think there is a chance we can manage.”

“I see; the open sea is dangerous, after all. Well, you’ve worked hard today.”

“I would like to take a bath before it gets dark. I think it will be more pleasant to take a bath while looking at the sea.”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s take a bath early and watch the ocean as the sun sets.”

“Thank you, Master. Ufufu, I’m looking forward to it, right? Felicia.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Thank you, Master.”

I remember the first time I took a bath while watching these girls talking happily. The narrow bathtub, their skin close together, and their breasts swaying… were the happiest I’ve ever felt. If they are this happy, I’ll take baths a little more often instead of being satisfied with showers.

I enjoyed the bath for the first time in a long time, without seeing the spectacular view of the setting sun and with my eyes being drawn to the plumping object. Although I have worshiped them every day in the shower and in bed, when the situation changes, a new charm is brought out even more, isn’t it?

Every day I play with Rimu and maneuver the ship, and when it gets dark, I train, flirt, and sleep. When monsters attack, we fight them off.

When I woke up in the morning and found a kraken clinging to the barriers, I was so surprised. On the 25th day after starting out on such a voyage, we finally saw the southern continent.

I think this is the safest power leveling in the world.

Name: Wataru Toyomi

Age: 20

Occupation: Ship’s Captain　

Level: 67

Physical Strength: 1420

Magic Power: 140

Strength: 144

Intelligence: 154

Dexterity: 150

Luck: 15

Skills:

Language Comprehension (Unique)

Ship Summoning Level 3 (Unique)

Spearmanship Level 1

Archery Level 1

Daily Life Magic Level 1

Tame Level 1

Name: Rimu

Race: Holy Slime

Age: 0

Occupation: Wataru’s Familiar

Level: 73

Physical Strength: 1450

Magic Power: 194　

Strength: 147

Intelligence: 159

Dexterity: 151

Luck: 30

Skills:

Holy Magic Level 1

Recovery Magic Level 1

Digestion/Absorption

Physical Resistance

Name: Ines

Age: 19

Race: Flame Tiger Tribe

Occupation: Wataru’s Slave

Level: 95

Physical Strength: 1900

Magic Power: 614

Strength: 414

Intelligence: 102

Dexterity: 146

Luck: 25

Skills:

Flame Attribute Magic Level 3

Swordsmanship Level 3

Physical Arts Level 2

Presence Detection Level 3

Physical Enhancement Level 4

Name: Felicia

Age: 62

Race: Dark Elf

Occupation: Wataru’s Slave　

Level: 102

Physical Strength: 1220

Magic Power: 1870

Strength: 122

Intelligence: 298

Dexterity: 208

Luck: 18

Skills:

Lightning Attribute Magic Level 3

Barrier Technique Level 3

Archery Level 3

Dagger Art Level 2

Presence Detection Level 2

I asked them if I could fight now that my level had increased, and they said that my basic ability had improved but that I was not used to fighting and that I would be beaten easily by an opponent who had some experience in combat.

I don’t want some scary experience in combat, so I’ve decided to stay protected and get out of harm’s way as much as possible.

“Hey everyone, I can see the southern continent!”

I shouted loudly, and two people who were preparing lunch came up to the flying bridge.

“Where is it?”

“Where? Master?”

“Look, you can see it clearly from here. Over there.”

“Oh, yes, yes. I can see the land.”

“Oh, there it is. We’re here at last.”

“Yes, we arrived in 25 days. That’s five days ahead of schedule. Let’s have lunch and a cup of tea before we arrive and decide what to do on the southern continent.”

“”Yes.””

We moved to the salon and discussed it over a cup of tea. Things were decided.

We would continue for some time along the continent and find a place where there are people living.

If it is a small village, we will ask about the location of a large town located by the sea.

Ask for information about this continent.

Find out the market price of pepper.

Always keep Felicia’s barrier magic on.

“Well, I guess that’s about it for now.”

“Oh, Master, I don’t understand the language of this continent.”

“Oh, me neither.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. The language changes as the continent changes, doesn’t it? I have a unique skill to understand the language, so I will be fine, so I will negotiate, and you two will focus on escorting me.”

“”Yes.””

“…Rimu…?”

Oh, well, the holy slime might be targeted on this continent. I think it would be better to have you hide in the bag until we can meet someone we can trust. Can Rimu hold out in the bag?”

“…Hmm, Rimu, be patient…”

“Great, Rimu, you are getting smarter and smarter as your level goes up.”

“…Rimu, smart…”

“Yes, Rimu is smart.”

After talking with Rimu, we all go up to the flying bridge and depart for the southern continent.

After a short ride, we approached the southern continent, and on a hunch, I turned the wheel to the right, and we proceeded. After a few hours of sailing, we found a small village.

“It was getting dark, so we decided to go to the village tomorrow and rest for the day.”

“Yes, it seems to be a small village, and if we go there when it is dark, we need to be warier of the people.”

“Yes, and it would definitely be more comfortable to stay on the ship than in the village.”　

“Indeed, it’s very cozy on the Luto. I’m going to train, so please prepare dinner for me, okay?”

“”Yes.””　　

After training, we all have dinner, shower, lovey-dovey, and go to bed.

In the morning, I wake up in a daze and am awakened at once by Ines and Felicia’s gentle kisses.

“Today, we will finally land on the southern continent and go to the village. Let’s have breakfast and get going.”

“”Yes.””

After finishing breakfast, I brought the ship to the shore. Huh? I summoned a Japanese-style boat and boarded it, and repatriated the Luto.

“Phew, we finally made it ashore. Let’s get to the village quickly.”

“”Yes.””

Walking toward the village, I see a man tending to his fields, so I call out to him.

“Good morning. I am a traveling merchant. Is it okay if I enter the village?”

“Hmm? A traveling merchant, huh? It’s rare to see one in a place like this. If you greet the gatekeeper and he is okay with it, I think you can enter, okay? I don’t know for sure since only familiar merchants come here, sorry.”

“No, thank you.”

It seems to be a fairly small village. If few people come here, I wonder if I can get some information? A little apprehensive, I walked toward the village and spoke to the two gatekeepers standing in front of the crude wooden gate.

“Good morning; I am a traveling merchant. Can I come in?”

“A traveling merchant. How unusual for you to be in a place like this. I’m going to the village chief’s house and get the crystal, so please wait a moment. The crystal is kept in the village chief’s house since few people come here.”

“No, no, I’m sorry for disturbing you this morning.”

“Ahahaha, it’s no problem; we love to have guests. I welcome visitors even though there is nothing in the village.”

As we were talking, the gatekeeper came back with the appraisal crystal. After proving that all of us were not criminals, he led us to the village chief’s house.

“Good morning; my name is Wataru, a merchant. These are my escorts, Ines and Felicia. Pleased to meet you.”

“You’re very polite; my name is Glauco, the village chief. What brings you to our village? You do not appear to be from this country.”

“Yes, we have just arrived on the southern continent from the northern continent to trade. If you know of any large port towns, I would be grateful if you could tell us about them.”

“Oh, you must have had quite a voyage. Speaking of large port cities, if you walk ten days west of here, you will reach a large port city called Gothenburg. However, I am embarrassed to talk about this to people from other countries. The king of this country died about two months ago, and there is a struggle for his successor. According to the peddlers who come to this village, the security situation in Gothenburg is worsening, so please be careful if you are heading to Gothenburg.”

“Is it safe for people from other countries to go there?”

“I am sorry, but the merchant was just making small talk, so I do not know the details.”

“I see. I understand. Thank you very much.”

After some small talk, we returned to the ship as we heard there was no accommodation. But there’s a possibility of a civil war if the security situation deteriorates badly. What should we do?

“It seems that the security situation is getting worse, so what should we do?”　

“Right, we don’t know all the details, so we’ll just have to go there. We can handle some of the danger, and we have Felicia’s barriers. If push comes to shove, we can hold out until Master summons the ship, so I think we’ll be fine.”

“I agree. I think we are good enough to escape even if the security situation worsens. If we act carefully, I think we can manage.”

“I understand. Everyone’s level has improved, so we will act cautiously and challenge the pepper trade, assuming that we can escape as soon as we are in danger.”

“”Yes.””

Well, I hope that the succession struggle will not cause a security problem or some other troublesome situation after having come all the way here, I thought as we left for Gothenburg.