Volume 3 - CH 3

Chapter 3 – Island Discovery and Exploration

It has been five days since I requested pepper from the merchant guild. The daily deliveries of pepper would be repatriated on the rubber boats I had purchased, and when I was done, we would go food shopping.

While shopping for food, we often got tangled up with people. The security indeed seems to be getting worse, but I think the trouble is concentrated on the good looks of Ines and Felicia… I think I would be less likely to get tangled up if I went out alone.

I’m not going to do it, though, because if I were to get tangled up on my own, I’d be stripped to the bone, and that would be the end of it.

Ines and Felicia handled the trouble without a hitch, and I just watched, and the trouble was over. You know, I’m just like the air, you know?

I bought souvenirs for everyone in the southern city, and for the guys, it will be this continent’s liquor. I don’t know if it’s good, but it’s rare, so they should be pleased.

I did my best to pick out souvenirs for the women. I wanted to make a good impression on them and have them be nice to me. After listening to everyone’s opinions, I decided on an assortment of spices and a fabric made from a material that is only found on this continent.

I thought we could manage as long as we kept the food and clothing-related items in mind. Ines and Felicia were pleased with the clothes made of this fabric, so I knew it would be fine.

I was so impatient that I bought so many things that my balance was down to only five silver coins. I didn’t have enough money to stay at the Pearl Pavilion for one more night.

“Let’s get going. Is everyone ready?”

“Ufufufu, I’m fine.”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, let’s go. Let’s walk to a secluded place, then summon Luto and go.”

“”Yes.””

We leave the town, walk to a secluded spot, board the ship, and set sail for the southern city.

“Whew, I feel at home on Luto.”

“Ufufu, yeah, Gothenburg was fun, too, because we could eat rare foods, but we didn’t get to see much of the sights, and I think Luto is the best place to live.”

“Yes, I’m sure we’ll be able to do some sightseeing in the southern continent when the succession is settled, and I’m planning to visit other countries, so we’ll wait for the next opportunity.”

“Master, I haven’t had a bath for a while. Would you like to take a bath today?”

“It’s better; I only wiped myself at the inn. Shall we take a bath? I will rest today after we get some distance from the southern continent. Please prepare the bath for me.”

“”Yes.””

I saw them off to get prepared and played with Rimu while steering the boat.

“Rimu, we will take a bath today. Rimu likes taking a bath, right? Are you happy?”

“…Bath, like… Rimu, happy…”

“Yes, looking forward to it.”

After driving for a while, I stopped the ship. It’s bath time, I undress, and Ines and Felicia wash me. We soak in the bath, and when it gets hot, we leave and let our bodies cool down.

Enjoying the bath after a long time. Of course, during that time, I’m glued to the plumpness. The only time I can suppress my lustful gaze is when I’m playing with the floating Rimu.

“It feels so good to take a bath after a long time, doesn’t it?”

“Ara, is the bath the only thing that felt good for you, Master? What do you think, Felicia?”

“Well, when Ines hugged him from behind, Master almost melted, didn’t he?”

“Ufufu, that’s right. Master was also very at ease when he was wrapped around Felicia’s breasts.”

“Please give me a break. I’m hungry after a long bath. Let’s have dinner.”

“Ufufufu.”

“Yes.”

Over dinner, we discussed our future plans.

“Since it was our first time there, we headed straight for the southern continent, but on the way back, let’s deviate from the route and go back while looking for the island that Felicia desires.”

We will be arriving at the southern city late because we will have to make a major detour along the pepper trade route to reduce the possibility of people coming, but we will search until the last minute while checking the food situation.

“Thank you very much, Master, and I appreciate your help.”

“I don’t mind either. The new island looks interesting.”

“Well, this time, we’ll take a big detour to the west and head for the southern city, hoping to find an island.”

“”Yes.””

We turn west and depart. Other than searching for an island, every day was the same as the previous ones, with the same repetitive ship handling, training, and flirting, with the occasional sea monster to fight off.

“I just thought about it. Rimu can use magic, right? What kind of magic can it use?”

“…?…”

“You don’t know? Well, you’re too young to do it, aren’t you?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, Felicia, Rimu has magic skills, so I asked Rimu what kind of magic it could use, but it doesn’t seem to understand yet, so I’ll ask again when it’s a little older.”

“That reminds me, Rimu-chan is a holy slime, isn’t it? If it can use holy attribute magic and recovery magic, we will be even safer.”

“Yes, well, Rimu is cute as it is now, so it’s fine. Then is something wrong?”

“Fufu, Rimu-chan is so sweet, isn’t it? The lunch is ready and… Master, isn’t that an island?”

“Hmm? An island? Where?”

“Just beyond the tip of my finger. You can faintly see the shadow of an island.”

“Yeah, I see it. Tell Ines we are on our way to the island.”

“Yes.”

We arrived at the island, but…

“Well, this place is no good. It’s small, and the ground is rocky. You can’t build a village here.”

“Yes, I agree. Look, Felicia, don’t be discouraged. At least we have found land. Now we just need to find an island where people can live. It’s better to have hope than nothing, so cheer up.”

“You are right. We found land, so we can find a good island if we look for it. I will do my best.”

After that, small islands were found one after another. They were not inhabitable islands, but they were being found with increasing frequency.

“Hmm, there seem to be small islands scattered around here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a big island nearby. I can’t seem to find any, though.”

“Why wouldn’t there be a big island near a small one?”

“Well, I don’t know much about it, but I think that islands are formed when the seafloor rises due to a large-scale undersea anomaly, such as an undersea earthquake or eruption of an undersea volcano. Or sometimes, a large continent sinks, and only the high part of the continent remains and becomes an island. Well, anyway, there are traces of such things all around us, so I think there is a big island in the place where there was the biggest anomaly, so let’s search around the area without giving up.

“”Yes.””

After three days of staying in the area and exploring the surrounding area by ship, we finally found a large island.

“Hey everyone, I found a big island. It’s green, so it looks like it has a forest.”

Two people came up to the flying bridge at a great speed.

“Where is it? Master!”

“Where, where is it?”

“Not that way. Look right behind you.”

“Oh, that’s a really big island.”

“With an island that big, my village would be dozens of times bigger.”

“Calm down, both of you. It’s big enough to live on from a distance, but we have a lot of things to check to see if people still live there or if there are any monsters that are too strong. First of all, we need to approach the island and go around it to check for any man-made structures or monsters.”

“”Yes.””

I calm Felicia, who is very excited, and we go around the island observing the surroundings. Rimu is also very interested in observing the island, which is cute. We went slowly, so the sun went down in the middle of our exploration. Let’s leave the exploration for tomorrow and have dinner.

“Master, there were no signs of human habitation so far, right?”

“Yeah, we haven’t found any so far.”

“This island is ideal. There are mountains, forests, grasslands, and rivers.”

“Felicia, I know how you feel, but calm down a little. If you intend to bring your family here, you must remain calm and not miss a single anomaly.”

“Oh, yes, thank you, Ines. I’ll calm down a little.”

“Hahaha, Ines calming Felicia down is the opposite of what you usually do.”

“Yes, Felicia is my calming influence, and you mustn’t lose yourself in it.”

“I’m not taking on that role.”

“Haha, well, now that dinner is over, let’s take a shower and go to bed early. Tomorrow we will explore the island, so let’s do our best.”

“”Yes.””

When I woke up, it was still dimly lit. Did I go to bed too early?

“Chuu, good morning, Master.”

“Felicia, fully equipped, kisses me, Ines giggling in the background.”

“Nchu, good morning, Master.”

“Morning. Felicia, you’re getting ready too fast. We haven’t even circled the island yet.”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t seem to calm down.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to settle for breakfast.”

“”Yes.””

Rimu woke up, and we all ate breakfast together. The sun was coming up, so we set out at once. We made it around the island a little before noon.

“We’ve circled the island now, right? It’s just noon, so let’s talk about what we noticed over dinner. First of all, we didn’t see any man-made structures on the island. The fact that there is not a single building on the beach or in the grasslands, it is safe to assume that there are no people here. Well, we can’t be completely sure until we check the forests and mountains.”

“I agree. I also confirmed the presence of small animals and monsters in the meadows.”

“Well, so far, it seems ideal. There is a mountain in the northeastern part of the island, surrounded by forest. The rest of the island is grassland.”

“There is a big river running from the mountain to the sea, so as long as there are no people and strong monsters, I think this is a good place to settle down.”

“Yes, we can take a Japanese-style boat up the river to the mountain, and if there is no sign of people along the river, I think we can conclude that there are no people here. After that, we will explore the forest and the mountains. Then, let’s set out, shall we?”

“”Yes.””

We head to the river and change to the Japanese-style boats to go up the river. The grassland looks so relaxing. Oh, there is a horned rabbit. Hunting for meat seems to be okay.

We crossed the grassland and entered the forest without any difficulty. There were some fallen trees, but we were able to dodge them by summoning ships and sending ships back as we proceeded deeper into the forest.

There are slimes and goblins in the forest. Goblins are troublesome, but they can also be used to supply magic stones, so it is not all bad.

As we continued up the river, the current became too steep for the Japanese-style boat. It will be dark soon, so we should camp around here.

“We should get ready to make camp.”

I summoned the hut boat after a long time. I also summoned two rubber boats that had been used for food and emptied and arranged them in a triangle shape, making a fire in the middle and preparing dinner.

“Ufufu, Master has such an unusual boat. It has a small room.”

“Well, if you put up the barrier, it makes an absolutely safe place for encampment. That’s great.”

“Yes, I like it because I can rest alone, and it’s surprisingly cozy. Oh, Rimu, don’t go too far away. Sorry, Felicia, but I need you to put some barriers around Rimu for me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been putting barriers on Rimu-chan since we left the ship.”

“Thank you. Apparently, Rimu is enjoying the forest after a long time.”

“Ufufufu, it’s true. It is all bouncy.”

“So, how was the trip back to the forest?”

“There were goblins. The people in my village can intercept them to some extent, but it would be bad for a large settlement.”

“Well, the only other monsters I saw were slimes, but it’s a big forest, so you never know what’s out there.”

“Yes, but it is the same in my home village, so if we expand our search carefully, I think we can manage.”

If a village is built on a hill near the sea and river, which we could see when we first went back, there would be easy access if something happened, and they could evacuate if they had a boat ready.

“I see, so you don’t want to live in the forest right off the bat, but rather build a village in a safe place first. I thought that since you are dark elves you would live in the forest.”

“We prefer the forest, but we also know how scary it can be. We won’t push it.”

“Then I guess we can explore the mountains tomorrow, and if it looks okay, we can move your people.”

“If it were uninhabited, it would be a pretty ideal island, and I would like to move to it.”

“I think it’s a nice island, too. It’s hard to imagine people in the mountains when there is no sign of people here, and it’s okay when there are no people along the river. It looks like it’s going to work out, so let’s have dinner soon.”

“”Yes.””

“Ufufu, Rimu-chan is very sensitive about food. It is coming back.”

“…Dinner…?”

“Hahahaha, yes, Rimu, are you looking forward to dinner?”

“…Rimu, food, like…”

“Yes, let’s eat a lot.”

After finishing the meal, I wipe myself off and go to sleep in the hut boat. It’s small, but the close contact is great. But sweet breaths from both sides and very soft things… make it hard to sleep.

Morning, huh? I didn’t sleep much, but I was happy. After the routine morning kiss, I prepare breakfast.

After breakfast, we climbed up the mountain along the river, a steep but not too high mountain, so we reached the top before noon.

“Hmm, the mountain is empty, and looking at the forest from the top, I don’t see any large settlements.”

“Well, unless there are some S-ranked monsters lurking in the forest, I think it will be all right.”

“Yes, I think so too. Master, could you please settle the dark elves on this island?”

“Yes, that would be fine. I will help as much as I can.”

“Thank you, Master. I would be very grateful.”

“Yes, I will do my best. If that is decided, shall we return to the southern city?”

“”Yes.””

That evening Felicia spoke to me.

“Thank you, Master, for finding a safe haven for the dark elves. I will now devote myself to the service of Master with all my heart and soul, so please take care of me.”

“Um, yes, I am very happy, but the migration is not yet complete, so I would like to ask you for it without any reservations after the migration is firmly completed.”

Wow, what am I saying? Why didn’t I attack her? Felicia was okay with it. Why did I play it cool? I have nothing but regrets now. Haha, it can’t be helped. I said it, so let’s do my best for the migration…

“Oh, yes, of course, thank you.”

“Ufufu, are you sure? Felicia took the trouble to tell you.”

“Don’t say it. I already regret it. In this case, I have no choice but to complete the migration as soon as possible.”

“Ufufu, yes, but I don’t want to forget it either. Let’s enjoy the best room on the luxury liner when we get it.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best to push forward with that.”

It was an agonizingly sleepless night. I’m definitely going to have fun with Ines and Felicia.