Thanks to Rosso's arrangements, a meeting with Tran was set up. Rosso sat in front of a low table, with Tran across from him. Panamera, Targa, and I sat around the table.
As the five of us gathered, Rosso opened the conversation.
“Well then, let’s start with the ship. Is there anything you’d like to ask?”
When Rosso directed the conversation towards me, Panamera looked at me. Oh, it seems I’m allowed to ask the first question. That’s great.
I thought about it and then spoke to Tran.
“I’m Van Ney Fertio. If it’s alright, could you tell me about the structure of the ship?”
“The structure of the ship, you say?”
Tran furrowed his brow and lowered his chin at my vague question.
“...It’s difficult to explain unless I draw a diagram or something.”
Saying that, Tran scratched his head with one hand while beginning to explain. The ship had the shape I had imagined: the bow was narrow and sharp. Inside the hull were storage rooms and cabins, and on the deck, there were masts and a steering wheel. The rudder, which looked like a fish fin, was located at the bottom of the ship.
It was a better design than I expected. When the steering wheel was turned, gears moved, and a shaft rotated, making the fin move left and right to control the ship’s direction.
Additionally, the Fiesta Kingdom had even larger ships for the royal family and members of parliament. They were currently in the process of making maps of the surrounding areas.
“Have you reached any land yet?”
“Hm. We’ve reached some small uninhabited islands, but this is the first time we’ve reached a large country like this. The Fiesta Kingdom hadn’t had any drifters from the outside for about a hundred years. However, from the words of past drifters, we understood that beyond the sea surrounding the Fiesta Kingdom, there were several large countries. That’s why, from our first fleet to the fifth, each fleet commander sent ships in different directions. Rosso-sama showed us a map, and it seems that, while we may have reached the Yellenetta Kingdom, we probably haven’t reached the Solstice Empire.”
Tran said this and also explained the situation of the Fiesta Kingdom. To protect the country, he wouldn’t reveal where the islands were. However, from hearing about the countries they reached, I could guess their location. Most likely, it was far from the Solstice Empire. They might have already reached the Yellenetta Kingdom, but I suspected they hadn’t reached the Solstice Empire and would return soon.
“U-Um, may I ask how you move the ship?”
It was probably a military secret, but I couldn’t hold back the question. Surprisingly, Tran seemed to think of it as a child’s curiosity and answered simply.
“We operate each ship with thirty to forty people. Large ships carrying the king or parliament members are operated with fifty or more. The roles of the crew are steering, navigation, and deck duties. The captain, who decides the ship’s course, isn’t the one actually moving the ship. The steering and deck crew are the ones who move the ship. The deck crew raises the anchor sunk to the sea floor, sets the sails, and the helmsman adjusts the direction. Then, either the captain or the navigator uses wind magic to control the ship’s speed.”
“Wind magic?”
I interrupted, surprised by Tran’s words. Tran blinked and nodded.
“Of course… Normally, a captain must be a wind mage, but is that not the case in the Scuderia Kingdom?”
Hearing that, I reconsidered. There was no need to use natural wind to move the ship. When I thought about it, the usefulness of sailing ships might even surpass steamships. After all, they didn’t need fuel, and depending on the mage, speed could be controlled freely. If they used a shift system, large ships could sail at maximum speed endlessly.
“This is more than I expected.”
I muttered softly, organizing the information in my head. Meanwhile, Panamera and Targa were also asking Tran questions.
“How strong is the military power of the Fiesta Kingdom?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s classified.”
“What kind of offensive capabilities does the ship have?”
“That too, I’m afraid I can’t discuss.”
Both of them asked military-related questions but didn’t receive any answers. However, it seemed they had anticipated this, and while disappointed, they didn’t press further.
“I see. By the way, you said the Fiesta Kingdom won the battle for dominance on the island. Tran, the Fiesta Kingdom must control quite a bit of territory, right?”
Having heard the information that there were multiple countries, Panamera seemed to have guessed that the Fiesta Kingdom was a large island nation. Tran tilted his head slightly, then looked at the map spread out on the table.
“Probably, the size is about half of the Scuderia Kingdom or Yerineta Kingdom… We were also surprised to learn that there were so many countries beyond the sea.”
Tran answered with a wry smile, and Panamera nodded in response.
“However, that ship is truly a marvel. If there’s a long-range attack method that surpasses the effective range of magic, the Fiesta Kingdom could achieve equal or even superior results against any country they fight.”
“...Well, we’ll see about that.”
At Panamera’s words, Tran smirked and shrugged.
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