Volume 5 - CH 19

Chapter 19 – Confirmation of Boarding Rejection and Imperial Army on the Move?

“We’ve finished loading the luggage and have also greeted the president of the trading company. It’s almost night; shall we go back to Lucca with the autopilot?”

“Mage-sama, I’m certainly glad to get back to Lucca as soon as possible, but what about the intruders still lurking around?”

“Ah, I will cancel their tickets and reject them before the ship departs. I think it will be fine since we are close to the land. But what do you think, Dorothea-san?”

“I see. Then I think it will be alright.”

“Then, let’s go to Lucca after we have removed the intruder. Is that okay?”

“””””Yes.”””””

“This is my first time canceling a ticket, so I’d like to see what happens.”

“I can tell. Intruders on the rear deck are hard to see, but those on the forward deck are clearly visible from above. The rest are three people hiding between the cargo.”

“Eh? Are they in the parking lot?”

“Yes. I apologize for the late report.”

“No, it’s fine. We just finished loading, so there was no time to report.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, right. Marina-san, could you please direct me to the forward deck where I can see the intruder?”

“Yes.”

Marina-san is a scout, so she knows the location of the intruder, or perhaps she’s very good at it. But she doesn’t look like a good scout when she walks away with Fuu-chan on her head.

“You can see them clearly from here. They are in the shadows over there.”

“Uh, yeah, I can see them. It’s those two, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’ll cancel their tickets.”

“Yes.”

The girls are watching the intruders with excited faces. They’re totally enjoying themselves. Let’s see, on the menu’s ticket issuance screen… I don’t know which tickets are for those two people… What should I do?

I looked at the two people, and the two tickets in the ticket list flashed. …That’s convenient. Let’s cancel them anyway. Hmm? I guess I don’t really need to cancel the tickets; I can just use boarding rejection… But, well, that’s okay.

When I erased the tickets they were holding, the boarding permission was cancelled, and their bodies flew into the sea as if something had thrown them overboard.

“…Would they still be alive?”

“I don’t think they’re dead since they’re probably training for scout duty.”

Even if they didn’t think about it, it still is dangerous to be thrown over the top of a ferry.

“Oh, they’re both swimming over there. They’re alive.”

Good. While I understand that I helped in the war and the ship I summoned helped in killing people. If I accidentally killed people without intending to kill them, I would feel guilty, even if they were intruders.

“They are thrown off the ship like that, aren’t they? What happens to the people on board?”

Dorothea-san is analyzing the situation, not caring at all.

“Now that you put it that way, what would happen?”

Should I try it? But it would indeed be awkward if someone died in the experiment. Should I use the speaker to encourage them to leave?

“Should I tell the intruder to leave because it looks more dangerous than expected? If they are sent by the lord, it might worsen the relationship if they die.”

“Is that so? Since they are intruders, I don’t think it matters what happens to them.”

Dorothea-san, you have a surprisingly scary way of thinking. When I look around in surprise, everyone else has a look on their face like it’s only natural. Is this a cultural difference? Well, for my peace of mind, I’ll announce it at least once.

If they still don’t return, I’ll have them go along with the experiment. I can’t be responsible for that much; they deserve it.

“Well, I’ll just give them a warning over the speaker. If they don’t leave, I’ll just throw them out. Marina-san, could you keep an eye on the intruder in the parking lot? If they don’t leave, I want to see how they get thrown off the ship.”

“Understood.”

I go to the bridge and turn on the microphone.

“‘Er, for those of you who are currently on board without authorization, please note that in 10 minutes, I will be canceling your tickets, and you will be forcibly ejected from the ship. It is dangerous, and I recommend that you leave on your own. Those who are hiding among the cargo, we will leave the boarding gate open for you to leave the ship.”

“Master, is it necessary to be so concerned about intruders?”

“There is no need for concern, but it is necessary for my peace of mind. Do you think I’m naive, Ness?”

“Yes, I think it would have been better to throw them out without question since they would have had to bring back as much information as possible.”

“Hmm, sure, I told them the ticket could be cancelled, but I think they would have noticed if the ticket was gone?”

“Not only that, but the other side can see that we are lax in our on-board announcements and in our response to intruders.”

“Oh, it makes it easier for them to send someone over if they know I’m soft on intruders, huh?”

“Yes.”

I see. If I’m too lenient, I’ll only increase the danger. I will throw them out without question from now on. It’s not worth it to help the intruder by increasing the danger to yourself.

I don’t intend to force myself to become a part of this world, but if my life is at risk, I’ll get used to it as much as possible. I’ll earn enough money to buy a luxury liner, hire a beautiful maid, and sacrifice the lives of intruders in order to live a lewd and debauched life on a luxury liner.

“Next time, I will throw them out without question.”

“Yes, I think you should.”

We kill time while chatting. It’s been almost ten minutes. I wonder if some of them have left. I headed to the parking lot and met up with Marina-san.

“Have the intruders left?”

“No, they are all still here.”

“I see. Is there any place I can check?”

“No, they are lurking in that area, but there are too many obstacles to see them.”

I looked in the direction where Marina-san pointed, but it was pitch black, and I could not see anything. If I knew the general location, I would have some idea of what would happen if I canceled the ticket.

“Then I’ll cancel their tickets.”

“””””Yes.”””””

This time, instead of designating and canceling the tickets, I erased all 58 remaining tickets of 60 tickets issued this time.

As soon as the tickets are erased, the hiding place glows faintly, and the girls go to check it out. What happened?

When I talked to Shea, who had returned, she told me that a magic circle had appeared, and the intruder had been sucked into it.

“Let’s see, if it’s inside the ship, that means they’re sucked in by the magic circle… Why isn’t it unified?”

“Why is that?”

“Hmm, where do they come out after being sucked into the magic circle?”

“Where do they come out?”

“Eh? …I think they’ll come out, but…”

They will come out, won’t they? It’s too scary to suck in and not come out.

“Well, I don’t know if I can think about it. Let’s get the restaurant unblocked and have dinner.”

“Yes.”

I close the boarding gate and go back to the restaurant.

“I saw some people swimming over there. If we count the number of swimmers, we might be able to find out what happened to the intruder who was sucked into the magic circle.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right. Marina-san, may I ask you for that?”

“Sure.”

While we were having dinner at the restaurant, Marina-san returned and said she saw six swimming intruders. Yeah, it seems that even if they are sucked into the magic circle, they will just be thrown outside. That’s kind of a relief.

“I’ve set up an autopilot for Lucca. We will arrive in Lucca the day after tomorrow at midnight. Let me know if there’s any facility you’d like to use.”

“Master. Please open the bathhouse.”

“I would like to use the store.”

“All right. I’ll open the observation deck for Ness and the store for Carla-san. I will open them after dinner.”

“”Thank you.””

After dinner, I took a leisurely bath and returned to my room. I felt at home with my hood off.

“Master, can I ask you a question?”

“Hmm? Sure.”

“Defense or escape from Lucca, under the current circumstances, defense would be the choice, right?”

“Yes, Ines is right. What about it?”

“If we defend, it’s going to take a lot of time, and there’s no end to it.”

“No, I don’t really have an idea. I just let the situation take its course. Do you still think it will take a long time?”

“Lucca is an important trading city. They will not give up easily, and if the capital falls, they will send more soldiers. If the kingdom of Brescia doesn’t turn the tables, we’ll be on the defensive for a long time. If Lucca has fallen, though, it will be quicker.”

“Ah, yes. If we don’t get the empire to return to their own country, there’s nothing we can do about it… It’s a hassle. Is there any way to get them to leave?”

“I can’t think of any. Do you have any idea, Felicia?”

“It’s tough for the Kingdom of Brescia to go it alone. I think the only way is to endure and wait for reinforcements from the Beast Kingdom or the Kingdom of Thessaloniki.”

“Well, that’s going to take some time before we see any results. I knew it was going to be a problem, but I got myself into a lot of trouble.”

“Ufufu, yes. But you couldn’t say no, could you?”

“That’s right; I couldn’t say no. So, let’s make it worth it, both of you, and work together.”

“”Yes.””

For the time being, I put off the difficult matters and went to sleep while having some fun with Ines and Felicia. I wish a meteorite would hit the empire.

In the morning, I go about my daily routine and enjoy a leisurely time with no plans. I was thinking of taking an afternoon bath and having a drink while lounging around. The Galette, which I had left in the care of Alessia-san and the others, started to move.

…Hmm? It’s leaving the port of Lucca and heading north… It could just be running an errand, or it could be a stress reliever… I wonder which one it is. Let’s gather everyone and discuss it anyway.

“What’s going on, Mage-sama?”

“Dorothea-san, the Galette is on the move, leaving Lucca and heading north. It could be that the imperial army has moved. What do you think?”

“If they moved the Galette, which was supposed to be inside the city gates, they must have had a good reason for doing so. The imperial army may have made a move. There was a naval headquarters of the kingdom in the north, but there were rumors that it might be destroyed by the arrival of the imperial navy in Lucca.”

“I think that’s a possibility. With the full power of Galette No. 2, I think you can arrive there this evening. Dorothea-san, Marina-san, and Carla-san, do you want to go ahead of us? It would be futile if nothing happened, but it would be better than not making it in time if something did happen.”

“…Yes, that’s right. Can we take care of Galette No. 2?”

“Okay. Please gather at the front of the ramp when you’re ready.”

“””Yes.”””

I summoned Galette No. 2 and saw off the three who was going ahead of us. We could have gone with them using Galette No. 3, but I didn’t want to bother getting involved in the fight, so I decided not to.

“Master, will they be all right?”

“Well, I think they’ll be fine. The fact that they are on board the Galette means that they are in a naval battle. It’s hard to lose if you’re on the Galette.”

Ness is worried verbally, but is it my imagination that she looks disappointed that she can’t keep up with the battle?

“I suppose it’s true. But then, wouldn’t it be useless to send Dorothea-san and the others as reinforcements?

“Yeah, Shea is right, but when they sank the big magic ship in the last battle, everyone attacked it several times, didn’t they? I thought it would be better to have reinforcements just in case.”

“Because it withstood three attacks from me and all of Girasole. It takes a long time with a small number of people.”

“Yeah, I heard that large magic ships are rare, but I’m sure the country has a few of them. It would be troublesome if that were put into Lucca. Well, the Galette is just running straight at the moment, so I don’t think they are fighting. I wonder if Dorothea-san and the others will make it in time?”

It would be a little embarrassing if nothing actually happened.