Volume 9 - CH 2

Chapter 2 – Recruitment and Lucca

There’s a dark cloud over persuading Camille-san… Would it be okay if I hired a strong escort? It’s difficult, even if it’s only safe inside the ship.

“Are you absolutely sure that it’s safe inside the ship?”

“Yes. If you try to kill or injure anyone inside the ship, you’ll be thrown out. Also, I will give a reasonable amount of authority to Camille-san, so you will be absolutely safe inside the ship.”

Unless Creator God-sama deactivates it, but… that should rarely happen.

“But it’s hard not being able to go outside, even if you’re safe inside the ship. It’s suffocating.”

I wonder? I’d be fine staying locked up on the Castle, but would it be hard for an active person?

“I don’t think it’s as bad as you think, Camille-san. Unlike most ships, there are places to exercise, places to shop, and parks.”

“A park on a ship? I can’t even imagine it. But it’s hard to work when you put yourself in danger just by walking around outside.”

Hmm, that seemed to go well. But I stumbled over a fundamental point. It’s true that personal safety has to come first, right? There has to be something that can be done.

“Alessia-san, do you have any suggestions?”

“Well, if we could hire an A-rank or S-rank adventurer, we might be able to work something out, and if they can stay on the ship… they might take the job. But I hear there’s something wrong with most S-rank adventurers. Or maybe we can train Camille? I heard that you can fight a little, right? It would be useless if a top-class enemy came, but it would be a little safer if you could raise your level. Also… I think it would be a good idea to take Camille to the Castle. Once she checks out the ship, I think she’ll be satisfied with just an occasional trip with us.”

Is it really that simple? I think Camille-san is looking for personal security. Besides, I don’t like the idea of an S-rank that somehow doesn’t feel right.

“Is it such a great ship?”

She took the bait. Camille-san is very curious, isn’t she? If that’s the case, maybe showing her the Castle will do the trick.

“We’ve been there a month, but we haven’t had all the fun yet. Camille can find any number of jobs. You won’t have time to catch your breath.” Alessia-san said.

The tide may have turned.

“Wataru-san, is it possible to take a look at the ship?”

“It is possible. It’s just that we have to run out into the open sea for a while so that we can’t be seen, so it will take some time. Is that okay?”

“Can we look around and be back by tomorrow morning?”

“If you want to look around on the surface, you can, but I don’t think you’ll have enough time to look around in detail. I think there are many interesting things. I want you to take some time to look around.”

“I’ll manage to get the day after tomorrow off, so can you start showing me around tomorrow night?”

I was thinking of going to Lucca after the deal is done, but I guess it won’t be a problem starting the night after tomorrow.

“I understand. I will show you tomorrow. Oh, and while we’re on the subject, can you tell me how much pepper you can handle?”

“…Yes, that’s right. If it is up to twice as much, we can handle it without raising suspicion. Can you wholesale it?”

Being able to confirm with the other party is a great help. I’m even happier that she’s thinking about it without raising suspicion. Camille-san, I really want to hire you somehow.

“Absolutely; I look forward to working with you.”

After our conversation ended, Camille-san wanted to leave, but Girasole insisted on sending her home. I invited her to the ship, and just by talking to her, I put her in personal danger? Aren’t you exaggerating?

I asked them about it, and they said it was just a precaution. I guess there is a possibility that she could be in a little bit of danger. It’s a little annoying. I’m going to stay on the Lutto and keep quiet.

I’m going to enjoy playing Reversi and Jenga on the Lutto and lazing around. It’s been a while since I played Reversi with Rimu, and it’s soothing. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since me, Ines, Felicia, and Rimu played together.

After a while, Girasole came back. Fuu-chan and Beni-chan also get together to play Reversi. Beni-chan, who has learned the rules of Reversi, asks Dorothea-san, Fuu-chan, and Rimu to play with him. It’s cute.

Especially the Slime vs. Slime is a great show. Me, Dorothea-san, and Marina-san watched Rimu, Fuu-chan, and Beni-chan’s game with a big smile on our faces. We were so happy.

………………

I wholesale 240 boatloads of pepper and meet Camille-san in the evening to head out to sea.

“It’s okay here. Camille-san, it’s pitch black, but if I turn on the lights on the Castle, you can get a rough idea of the size of the ship. Would you like to take a look?”

“Yes, please.”

The Castle appears in front of Camille-san. Oh, she is surprised. She is surprised. Is it my small capacity to be somehow happy when people are surprised?

I entertained Camille-san thoroughly. I recommended a spa, cosmetics, food, drinks, a swimming pool, and anything else that sounded fun.

But Camille-san seemed more interested in business. How much for this room, how much for this dish, how much for this and that! She was energetic throughout her stay.

When I told her that there were many free meals at the Castle, she was surprised and thought it was impossible. Well, it’s just included in the room price. When I told her that, she started thinking of a new room price. She really is a merchant, isn’t she?

Especially after experiencing the bath and spa and using the beauty products she bought at the Castle, she thought about business with a different look in her eyes. After experiencing the Castle for a full day, I sent her back to the Southern City.

“Wataru-san, are you sure you want to entrust me with that ship?”

“Strictly speaking, I would be at the top, but I’ll leave almost all the authority to you. But I also have the feeling that I want to spread the culture, so I’d like you to charge a moderate price. Also, you may have to work outside this country.”

“Is that so? If you don’t get off the ship much, it won’t matter much, but outside of the Southern City, I can’t use my connections, can I?”

“As you can see from the Castle, once the word gets out, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble finding customers. If you can set the price, control the ship, and deal with the customers, it will be enough. The rest is up to you, Camille-san.”

“Thank you very much. I’m very excited to be here but also worried. …Wataru-san, do we need the contract from the God of Commerce-sama for the special items on the ship?”

“Is it necessary to sign a contract with the God of Commerce-sama?”

“Yes. Most of the people who come here are rich. I don’t mean to be rude, but if they find out that there is no contract, there will definitely be people who will make a contract with the God of Commerce-sama and charge a high fee. It’s definitely better to sign a contract first so that we can offer it to them at a lower price.”

Ah, now that you mention it, I have a feeling that’s true. There are a lot of things that seem to be quite available, so let’s sign a contract first. If it were me, I’d realize that after the problem happened. After all, I need Camille-san.

“Camille-san. I’m having a hard time doing business, so can you help me?”

“…Looking at the ship, it’s a very attractive job. Can you help me fill out the requirements?”

…That means if I work out the terms, she will work for me, right? From there, while listening to Camille-san and the others’ opinions, we put the story together.

The general gist of it is that the salary is one gold coin per month for being the head of the luxury liner. With the other world’s standard of living, it seems like an incredible salary. But I’m a little worried because the Castle costs a lot of money.

I thought it would be better to pay a little more, but for now, I decided to start with 1 gold coin with a raise. I’ll give her 2 gold coins as a starting salary when she starts working. If you’re in charge of the ship, you must have good clothes, right?

When the Castle is ready to open, I will ask her to move on, and from there, I will buy slaves, make various contracts, and then open the ship. Meanwhile, I plan to level up Camille-san once the monsters are gathered. There’s a lot of work to be done, and it’s quite difficult.

I sent Camille-san to the Merchant’s Guild and apologized to the guild master for snatching her from him. It seems that the guild master had high expectations for Camille-san, and he complained to me profusely.

I was about to be kicked out of the Merchant’s Guild. I’m really scared that the old man is really pissed off. Let’s leave Southern City quickly and go to Lucca.

………………

On the open sea, on a luxury liner. Sometimes I change my mind and switch to the Fortress or the Stronghold.

It’s interesting how changing ships can change your mood. Racing on the Galette and killing monsters is also a great way to pass the time. It might be fun to sail around the world like that when things settle down.

Yes, the request of the gods will get me a lot of attention, no matter how I do it. Unless it is necessary, I might go to another continent to look for something.

It’s a great adventure in the seven seas. How many oceans are there in this world? I don’t think “seven seas” means all the seas.

“Wataru-san, will we be transferring to the Lutto soon?”

“Yes, Alessia-san, have you finished your preparations?”

“Yes, it’s done. The other members will be fine as well.”

We transferred to the Lutto and headed for the port of Lucca. Girasole was happy to be in Lucca for the first time in a long time.

“Speaking of which, Girasole is very popular in Lucca, right? Do you think we’ll be noticed if we stay with you?”

“I wonder. It’s been a while since we were here before, so I think things have calmed down. It is dangerous because Wataru-san attracts more attention than we do in relation to Mage-sama. Wherever we go, Wataru-san is always the center of attention of the big people, so you have to be careful. In Lucca, Mage-sama is also popular and feared, so it’s hard for anyone to mess with you. Besides, we will be your security, so you don’t have to worry.”

That was it. I don’t know how long I’ve been known. In a not-so-happy way… I sincerely hope that the second prince’s revenge event won’t happen.

“Wataru-san is entering Lucca for the first time, right? I don’t think it can be compared to a luxury liner, but it’s a nice place. I’ll show you around.”

…Come to think of it, I’ve never been inside. Strolling through Lucca with Girasole sounds like fun, even if it’s a bit conspicuous.

“I’m looking forward to it. Alessia-san, what is Lucca’s specialty?”

“…Seafood. Not so different from the Southern City when you think about it. Sorry.”

Our pleasant walk was about to be spoiled in an instant.

“…When the location changes, so does the taste of the fish. Take me to a restaurant where you can eat delicious seafood.”

“Really? Well, I’ll take you to a good restaurant.”

Somehow I managed to recover it.

After a short sail, we arrived at the port of Lucca. I paid the entrance fee and docked the ship… There are more ships than the last time I was here. The war in the Kingdom of Brescia is over, but what about the war in the Empire? I’ll try to find out later.

I go to the gate and show my ID. Last time I turned around from here. This time I think I can get in safely. Everyone in the area is paying attention to Girasole, and even the guards are saluting them. Am I wrong that it’s okay because time has passed?

Entering the Lucca, I follow behind Girasole, who is being greeted by the surrounding crowd, trying to keep my presence out of sight.

“Master, Girasole must be very popular.”

“Ines was manipulating information with Ilma-san, right? Maybe you went a little overboard?”

They’re like big stars. I think there will be people fainting or something.

“…I didn’t expect it to go this far at the time because the more popular Girasole was, the easier it would have been. Momentum is a scary thing.”

Momentum, huh… sure, because Ines and Ilma-san were so excited at the time. Well, it’s too late now… the attention is on Girasole, so it won’t be a problem if I go with them secretly. I heard that they would take us to a nice inn first, so there should be fewer people when we get there.

I erased my presence and followed Girasole into a nice inn. Some of the people who had followed them came in with us. It’ll be the same situation as the Black-tailed Gull Inn.

No, it’s a slightly more luxurious inn, so the number of people shouldn’t increase too much. It’s a good thing that Girasole’s fans don’t seem to be focusing their murderous intentions on me like they did at the Black-tailed Gull Inn.

I thought Girasole was supposed to be staying with their parents, but they are staying at this inn. I was told that it was only natural since they were my escorts. It seems that my thinking is not quite right.

I was led into the room. It’s been a long time since I stayed in an inn. Lately, I’ve been staying on the ship I summoned, so this is refreshing and fun.

It’s a good inn, and the beds are quite good, though not as good as on the Castle. I have high expectations for the food that will be served. Let’s enjoy ourselves.