Volume 3 - CH 10

Chapter 10 – The Pepper Trade Again and Ines and Felicia’s New Hobby

On the shore near the former village of Dark Elves, we collected the lumber and returned to the island of Dark Elves. When we arrived at the island, the village chief led the residents down from the hill.

“Good morning Village Chief-san. How are things going?”

“Good morning Wataru-san. Yes, everything is going well so far.”

“I see. That’s good. I think we have brought all the wood, so please collect it.”

“Thank you very much. Did you hear that, everyone? That’s the last of the lumber. Let’s take it back to the village.”

At the same time as the village head gave the order, the villagers began to carry the wood. As I headed for the hill carrying the lumber with them, I found that they had finished fencing off the entire area and had begun to build a house.

“Village Chief-san, you have already started to build a house, haven’t you?”

“Yes, the fence was put together from the old fence, so it was done quickly. But for the house, we need the guidance of a specialist. It will take time from now on.”

“I see, but I think the pace is fast enough. Is there anything you need?”

“We have received more than enough supplies so far. According to the person in charge, we can sustain ourselves for at least five months.”

The one who went out to scout in the meadow said that they could hunt horned rabbits and wild birds, so I think they could sustain themselves for longer than that.

“I see. We are going to go out on the pepper trade. We will not be able to come to the island for at least a month, but I think we will be fine, right?”

“You are going to the pepper trade? I would have stopped you if I hadn’t seen you fight off the sea monsters before coming to this island, so I guess Wataru-san and the others will be fine. We can do well enough. Take care, Wataru-san, and the others. I wish you a safe return.”

“Yes, thank you very much. See you soon.”

Felicia also greeted the village chief and her mother, then returned to the ship and set sail.

“First, we will go to Gothenburg to find out more about the southern continent and, if possible, buy and sell goods. From there, we will go to another country. If the security situation worsens, we will leave Gothenburg immediately. Any questions?”

“If we go to another country, how many peppers do you plan to buy in total?”

“Well, if we can get the same price for the spider silk, it will be 35 platinum coins. We should get at least 35 platinum coins worth of peppers.”

“Well, that pepper alone will bring us up to 700 platinum coins, and we’ll be on our way to the luxury liner.”

“Hahaha, I know that, but don’t be so sneaky. We can’t get all the pepper at once, and it takes time to unload the platinum coins, so we have a long way to go. Besides, no matter how much pepper we have, can we buy 35 platinum coins worth of pepper in two countries?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I heard a story about a large fleet of ships that brought back pepper and made a lot of money, so I wonder if they can get together.”

“I’ve heard such a story. It is true that a fleet of ships can carry a large amount of pepper. Let’s get Ines and Felicia to learn how to operate a ship and buy two more ships. Then we can distribute more pepper.”

“It would be fun to steer a ship, wouldn’t it?”

“But, Master, if you buy two more magic ships, the government will definitely take notice of you. Only a few wealthy merchants and nobles own magic ships of this size.”

“If Master, who is a merchant in the eyes of the public, owns three magic ships, the state, nobles, and big merchants will try to take them away from you in various ways, such as solicitation, threats, and false accusations.”

“Ah, tripling the amount of wholesale pepper at once, that won’t work, will it? Even my Japanese-style boat was almost taken away from me after being falsely accused, and it would be a terrible thing if the government came out.”

“Ufufu, Enrico-san told me that before you bought us, you had been falsely accused by a merchant who had a noble backer, and you proved your innocence in a trial in the presence of the Southern Count. I wish I could have seen it.”

“The false accusation was proven innocent in a trivial way, but it would have been dangerous if the guild master had not talked to the Southern Count. In a normal case, the Baron-sama pushed for my guilt. I would have had my ship confiscated, and I wonder what would have happened to me.”

“With your skills, Master, as long as you are on a ship, you can do whatever you want. You can endure for a considerable period if you buy more rubber boats in large quantities and buy food to the limit. However, it is hard when you are in a small space, and if you keep being surrounded, you will eventually reach your limit. If you buy a luxury cruise ship and have enough money, you will be able to cope with most situations.”

“Ufufu, right, I just looked at Master’s ship purchase screen, and there are a lot of very large, very fun-looking things. It would be hard to keep something that size enclosed, and on the ocean, it would be hard to even block its path. A luxury liner would be a great help.”

“I know, once we buy a luxury liner and save up the money, we can be a little more reckless, and until then, we will be very careful, even if it takes a while.”

I can’t picture myself doing anything reckless even if I buy a luxury liner, though…

“It’s strange that you think you’re acting so cautiously when the world sees you as a reckless merchant who’s going to try the pepper trade in rapid succession.”

“Ah, come to think of it, the pepper trade would be a reckless challenge too. I’d like to find a way to wholesale pepper in large quantities discreetly. We might not be able to buy a ship, but you two might try to learn how to steer one.”

“That sounds fun. I want to learn.”

“I want to learn too.”

“Well, let’s give it a try, it’s not that difficult, but I’ll explain it to you on the flying bridge.”

“”Yes.””

“First of all, you turn on the engine, and this lever on the lower right is in the normal position, and if you push it forward, the ship moves forward. If you push it to the opposite side, the boat moves backward, and if you turn the handle to the left, the ship turns to the left, and if you turn it to the right, the ship turns to the right. You just have to get used to it. The ship doesn’t sink, so you have to try different things.”

“Ara, it’s easier than I thought.”

“I think I can do it too.”

“Well, it’s just the basics. There’s still a lot to learn about how to moor the ship, the weather, etc. Well, you can take turns maneuvering the ship during the daytime.”

I can only teach them this much because it’s a different world, I don’t have a license, and I myself don’t know anything about ships at all. Is there such a thing as navigation in this world?

“”Yes.””

Ines immediately started to steer the boat. She suddenly pushed the lever all the way up, turning the steering wheel left and right to see what it felt like.

“It’s fun; I can feel the difference in speed when I’m steering the ship by myself.”

After a while, Felicia couldn’t stand it any longer and asked to take over.

“Ines, it’s time to switch; I’d like to try it too.”

“Ara, yes, I’m sorry, I’m having too much fun. Master, it was a lot of fun, but I’d like to steer in a place with lots of obstacles, not in a big, empty sea.”

“Haha, when you get a chance…”

“Ufufu. It’s a promise.”

I’m afraid to let Ines steer the boat; it might be too soon. There are many obstacles in the way, and she might go full throttle into one of them.

Felicia is a safe bet: she checks the speed one step at a time and is very gentle with the steering wheel. She is checking every single thing the ship can do.

“Master, it was fun. Steering the ship myself made me feel closer to it than if I had just been on it.”

Felicia eventually tried the ship up to its maximum speed, but she doesn’t seem to be the type to take pleasure in speed, so that’s a relief.

“I’m glad you had fun; you two can practice if you feel up to it.”

“”Yes.””

“Ufufu, I wonder if any monsters attacked us, it would be fun to play catch-up with them.”

“Ines, don’t be absurd.”

“But, Felicia, there may be times when we have to run away from monsters or enemy ships. I think it’s a good idea to train for it.”

“…I can’t imagine any enemy ship being able to follow the Luto, let alone monsters… Master, what do you think?”

“Well, I don’t know what will happen, and I hope there won’t be any danger. You say enemy ships… Are there such things as pirates?”

“I’ve heard that pirates haunt well-used safe shipping lanes. Also, I’ve heard that the military ships of tyrannical countries sometimes plunder the ocean, but if you go through the open sea, you’ll almost never encounter them.”

“Ah, the open sea is dangerous because there are many monsters, and ships do not pass through it, so there are no pirates there. But if you take a safe route, there is a possibility that you may encounter them. If we are carrying someone and we don’t want that person to see what the Luto can do, if we are attacked by pirates, we have to flee… I don’t think we will be in that situation.”

“But, Master, such a situation is possible if you were asked to do so by the merchant guild, you know? How can you refuse, Master, especially if Camille-san asks you to do it? You need to practice.”

“Hmm, when you put it that way, I have a feeling that way… Well, there’s no harm in practicing as long as you don’t do anything too crazy.”

“Yay, thank you, Master.”

“I understand.”

Well, Ines’ joy is so great that it makes me feel uneasy…

“I’m going to practice right away.”

“…Rimu…do it…”

“Eh? Rimu, what are you going to do?”

“…This…”

He’s bouncing around on the steering wheel… Eh? Does Rimu want to steer the ship?

“Um, I think it’s too hard for Rimu to do it.”

“…Do it…”

If Rimu wants to do it, it’s my role to make it happen.

“Rimu is in charge of moving the steering wheel, and I’m in charge of moving the lever.”

“…Hmm…”

“Eh, Master? What’s going on?”

“Rimu wants to steer the boat, too, and it’s my job to make it happen, you know.”

“Even if you say it so strongly… Rimu-chan, are you really going to steer the ship?”

“Felicia, give it up. Luckily, it’s not going to sink. It would be a pity for Rimu-chan if we were the only ones enjoying ourselves.”

“Well, yes, but… is it okay?”

Yeah, I’m sorry, Felicia, you seem very anxious. But I am prepared to do most things if that’s what Rimu wants.

“Oh, Rimu is so good. Now let’s go over there, shall we? Yes, Rimu is very good. Let’s go a little faster.”

“He’s doing a good job. How is he turning the wheel?”

“Yes, I wonder.”

A new addition to my usual routine. The ship suddenly speeds up when I am lying in the salon, my body swinging from side to side; it is too stimulating.

Monster raids have always been a way to pass the time, but since learning to steer a ship, Ines has been eagerly awaiting the monster raids. Felicia also enjoys steering the ship, and she accompanies Ines.

Ines says that it is no fun to chase after fleeing monsters. She is not happy when they dive and run away immediately, but she enjoys it when they chase after us.

Recently, instead of running away as fast as possible, in order to prevent us from giving up, we have been playing a game in which we have to get as close to the monsters as possible and lose if we are touched by them. The loser of the game is the one who has to stand guard until the next monster attacks.

Once, she wanted to play a game of escape in the sea at night, so I allowed her to do so, and the whole night was filled with joyful laughter.

I flirted with Felicia a lot and went to sleep, but I missed Ines so much that I put a ban on it. I was repeatedly asked to withdraw the ban because it seemed to have been fun… so I gave it permission just in case. I am so weak.

“Master, I think the monsters are getting tired, so we’re going to fight. Get ready.”

“Alright, Rimu, let’s go.”

After being made to run around for a long time, they are finally defeated by magic. Am I the only one who feels sorry for the sea monsters? It seems to be only me. The two of them are having fun shooting magic. I retrieve the magic stone from the defeated monster and put it away in the warehouse ship.

“Ufufu… The gluttony sharks never give up. Aren’t they wonderful?”

“Yes, they can be quite fun. But it’s not as good as the sea serpent, which you can only encounter rarely.”

“Ufufu, yes, especially the breath; it’s so nice, it makes me nervous.”

“Yes, the exhilaration of dodging at the last minute and the frustration of getting hit by the breath is addictive. I wish they would attack again.”

“Right. I wonder if there is a sea serpent’s nest somewhere?”

“It would be fun to find one, with sea serpents coming at you from all directions, breaths flying around, and if you don’t keep your skills up, you’ll lose in an instant.”

“Right. Would it be good practice to limit the speed of your escape?”

“Practicing steering and assessing the situation might be a good idea.”

“Well, let’s give it a try. Ufufu, I wonder if it’ll attack us soon.”

“I can’t wait.”

I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe that even Felicia, not to mention Ines, is into this. I don’t know, it’s like, I like this accessory, but would you like this one better? The two of them are making a commentary on the monster in the same manner as if to say that.

Felicia does her job well and only goes wild when I give her permission. When she has my permission, she’s just crazy as Ines.

The Sea Serpent’s Nest? If they find it, they’re talking about it with the intention of going there for sure, aren’t they? I think they’d rather try to find them. I’m afraid of the repercussions of banning it when they seem to be having so much fun.

I think it might have something to do with stress, and I think it would be better to give them a holiday. I can’t go out without an escort, but I can stay inside the ship for a day or so, so I’ll give them a holiday when we return to the southern city.

We arrived in Gothenburg, alternating between a calm, uneventful, leisurely time and a violent escape drama that suddenly began. Again, the political situation was likely to be unstable, so we landed from a remote location using the Japanese-style boat.

“We got there in 10 days this time, which is a pretty good feat considering the autopilot shortened the trip by 15 days.”

“If it weren’t for our game, we would have gotten here a little quicker, and that’s a lot of power.”

“Yes, it took extra time. Master’s ability is amazing.”

“Ines, if you know what you’re doing, hold off a little bit. Hey, Ines, look at me.”

“Huh, well, it’s a good thing you’re getting better at navigating the ship, but… If the security in the city is too bad, we’ll withdraw immediately, so please take care of the escort.”

“”Yes.””

“Oh yeah, and make sure you hide in the bag, Rimu, not on top of my head.”

“…Yes…”