“Hmm… I’m sorry, but I’m not sure.”
However, Theo’s expectations were let down. Randolph had been active as a mercenary on the central continent for nearly a year, but he didn’t know anything about the secret ship.
Randolph was clearly disgruntled as he scarfed down his grilled fish. His stomach was empty after the two day pursuit, so he was replenishing his reserves.
Randolph chewed one more time before continuing to speak, “I certainly came to the central continent earlier than Young Master, but the scope of my activities wasn’t that wide. At best, I moved from the midwest to the center of the south? I never went close enough to the east to see the coastline.”
“… I see.”
“Well, even if I was active in the east, it is unlikely that I would know this information. Based on Belf’s story, it seems to be a pretty secretive ship.”
Randolph laughed as he drank his beer. He was right, a mercenary wasn’t often trusted with confidential information. Swords for hire often had no sense of belonging, and would only see secrets as a way to get more money. Who would want to share secrets with people like that?
It went without saying that merchants were well aware of this habit.
“We’ll just have to see,” Theo muttered as he shoved his now empty plate away from him.
It didn’t matter what secret the ship held, they just needed a way to get out of Kargas quickly. It had only been two days since they had left Sipoto, and both nights had been filled with undead attacks. Theo and Randolph had barely gotten any sleep. It was clear they wouldn’t last much longer if they continued by land.
The two of them agreed that whatever danger awaited them on the ship, it was child’s play compared to the undead menace they faced.
Jingle.
“I ate well.”
They paid for the food just as the sun was setting, close to their departure time. The salty air tickled their noses as they made their way to the marina. It was a new experience for two people who had lived on land all their lives.
Theo kept moving as he looked at the number on his boarding pass.
This is Number 3… If it is Number 5, we have to go a little further.
Fortunately, there were signs all over the marina, so they didn’t get lost. The two people soon arrived at Bay 5, as indicated on the boarding pass from Belf. But when they saw the ship in front of them, their mouths dropped open.
“… Young Master, isn’t this pretty big?”
“… It isn’t just big.”
The ship was enormous. Unlike slim military ships, passenger ships only grew more valuable with size, since they could hold more guests and facilities. In that case, the ship in front of them would be considered one of the best in the industry. But Theo was starting to seriously wonder what secret this ship held.
The two of them approached the ticket inspector standing in front of the gangplank.
The inspector asked them bluntly, “Passengers?”
Theo held out his boarding pass, and the inspector stepped aside after examining the contents. Theo and Randolph crossed the plank connecting the ship to the pier and entered the enormous passenger ship with worried expressions.
Randolph grumbled at the unfriendly treatment, “What, there isn’t a guide for such a big boat? Aren’t they going to let us know our room?” 𝘰𝑣𝘭.𝗇𝓔t
“Is it really like that?”
“Eh?”
Theo looked at the number engraved on his boarding pass. There was a three digit number which wasn’t the boarding date or departure time. In this situation, it was likely to refer to only one thing—their room number. Thanks to the indoor maps placed everywhere inside, Theo could easily find their room, Room No. 306.
Randolph stepped forward first in case there was any danger and opened the door. At the same time, he let out a sound of admiration, “Ohh.”
Theo looked inside and had the same reaction.
I truly can’t believe this is a ship.
Some of the famous passenger ships in the Soldun Kingdom had banquet rooms inside, but that wasn’t the case in Meltor, where shipbuilding wasn’t very developed. Their room had luxurious sofa beds and carved wood furniture which wouldn’t be easily corroded by the sea breeze. A chandelier hanging from the ceiling didn’t use real fire, but was a magic light which could be turned on and off with a string.
The ship was several times more luxurious and functional than those in the northern continent. However, these differences were inevitable.
The two powers in the north, Andras and Meltor, couldn’t afford to develop their navy. They had invested in it before, but their ships had sunk in the harsh currents of the sea. The constant wars had drained their treasury, so they couldn’t develop ships beyond merchant schooners and fishing boats.
“Phew, I feel better now.” Randolph looked around the room before falling on the couch.
Theo felt the same way after he’d used Hawkeye to examine the ship. There were no issues to be found.
However, Theo still felt suspicious. “… It’s too plain.”
“Huh? Isn’t it good if it is plain?”
“No, it’s too?plain.” Theo shook his head. “I thought this would be a pleasure ship, a gambling ship, or even a smuggling ship. Those are the only reasons to operate a ship secretly. This is just a passenger ship.”
Nevertheless, this ship was too plain, but it wasn’t in a particularly good or bad way. Theo was able to confirm this because he used vision magic on the whole ship. The guests in the rooms were all dressed, and their behavior wasn’t frivolous. They were nobles, or at least nouveau riche. If so, there should be something on this ship which could squeeze their wallets.
No. I looked around a few times and such a facility doesn’t exist.
There were no places for gambling or parties. The structure of the guest rooms and dining rooms were completely faithful to its appearance as a passenger ship. Apart from the guests, only the crew were on board.
Theo knew that the world wasn’t so clean, so he couldn’t let go of his doubts so easily. However, Randolph’s way of thinking was a little different.
“Well, why don’t you think about it later?”
Just like magicians, mercenaries had their own rationales.
“Besides, there is no one on the ship who can threaten me or Young Master. There is no point worrying about the problem with no answer.”
“… Aren’t you too relaxed?”
“I am a mercenary. Young Master’s head is part of your assets. You should use this time to have a break.”
Randolph’s words were reckless, but in the end, Theo was convinced. As he said, there weren’t enough clues to reach an answer. It wasn’t too late to make a decision after seeing the ship for a few days. Right now, it was time to recover from the chase which had lasted two days.
… I’ll close my eyes this once.
Theo climbed onto the fluffy bed and closed his eyes as he felt the ship’s gentle rocking. The sound of people shouting and rowing indicated that the ship was about to depart. It also meant they had escaped the Orcus Company’s pursuit.
Chwack… Chwack…
As he listened to the choppy sound of the waves, Theo fell asleep.
***
A few days later, the passenger ship was serenely gliding through the waters. There were no disruptions on board, and the other guests spent their time walking around the deck or in their rooms.
At first, Theo was busy looking around. However, his expectations were soon disappointed and he started to study. He had reached the 6th Circle, but Theo hadn’t had the chance to learn many 6th Circle spells due to being chased.
If possible, I wanted to learn space magic first but…
Theo looked at some of the stacked books with unhappy eyes.
The difficulty level of space magic was beyond awful. He hadn’t expected to reach the same level as the White Tower Master. However, just learning to travel long distances like Shugel would require staying in a room for years and studying space magic formulas.
He didn’t know if the White Tower Master had written any books, but right now, Theo’s understanding wasn’t good enough. The only source of comfort was that the expansion of his vessel was going smoothly.
“… Hmm.”
At that moment, Randolph opened his eyes from where he was meditating in a corner. He had spent the first day resting, but Randolph hadn’t missed a day of training afterward. He had already become a master in terms of swordsmanship and physical abilities, so the only task remaining was to awaken his Aura Ability. Randolph had kindly explained that meditation was required to gain an image of that ability.
However, today’s meditation had no results.
“Damn, it’s visible but not visible. I felt like I could almost reach it if I stretched. However, I really don’t like meditation,” Randolph grumbled as he stretched his stiff muscles.
The two of them had never left their room since the moment the ship departed. Meals were called to the room, so apart from when they went to the bathroom, they only trained.
Randolph finished grumbling and finally looked at Theo.
“Ah, that reminds me, Young Master.”
“Huh?”
“You seem to have learned an interesting martial art since the last time I saw you. Do you want to have a quick spar? It will be a light one, just bare hands.”
“Umm…” Theo thought for a moment, but he also felt like his body had gotten stiff. He placed a bookmark in the book he was reading before responding to Randolph’s suggestion.
“Then let’s do it lightly.”