After hearing from Aro, I immediately decided to head back home. First, I needed to return to Ceat Village. There was no way I could go see the ship without doing that.
“Van… After you’re done with your business, please promise me you’ll come back, okay?”
I smiled and nodded to Murcia, who seemed reluctant to part, and waved cheerfully.
“Of course! I’ll come back again!”
“Hahaha… I’m glad to see you’re so happy.”
Murcia said with a wry smile, looking somewhat troubled. Thanks, brother.
And so, I wrapped up the remodeling of the fortress city of Murcia much sooner than planned, and we made our way to Seat Village.
“I have to hurry and head to the royal capital, though,” Panamera said in a rather obligatory tone, though it was clear she had no intention of stopping. In fact, she was already preparing for the journey to go see the ship with me.
On my side, as soon as I got back, I gathered Espada, Dee, and Targa for a meeting.
“The hidden treasure of the Yellenetta Kingdom has been discovered. Normally, I should head to the royal capital to report to His Majesty, but…”
Espada, after hearing the situation, muttered with a displeased expression, while Dee shook his head with a smile.
“Normally, it would have taken more than a month. A little detour on the way to the royal capital shouldn’t be a problem.”
Hearing Dee’s words, Espada said nothing, and Targa spoke up.
“…A ship that can cross the continent. If that’s true, it could change the course of future wars. I believe His Majesty would want you to confirm it personally.”
When Targa said this, Dee nodded deeply.
“Hm, indeed! I agree with Targa’s opinion!”
As Dee expressed his agreement, Espada, who had been deep in thought, raised his face.
“…Indeed. A threat from the sea. If we conduct a preemptive investigation and report everything to His Majesty, there should be no issue.”
Espada said this and immediately stood up, heading over to the map of the continent that was set up in the meeting room.
“Van-sama, from what you mentioned earlier, it seems a ship has appeared near the coastline of Tribute, a city in the eastern part of the Scuderia Kingdom. I can’t confirm it on this map, but I’ve heard that the central continent is much longer in the north-south direction compared to Grant Continent. If that’s the case, a ship coming from the central part of the continent to the Scuderia Kingdom might not be from the Solstice Empire.”
“Huh? I thought the Solstice Empire controlled most of the central continent?”
I asked this question with a bit of a simple doubt. Espada nodded and pointed to the area of the map.
“The Empire wouldn’t take the risk of sending a ship out. They had been selling weapons to the Yellenetta Kingdom and operating from behind the scenes. Considering that, it would be better to move a large army through the northern part of the continent rather than risking a sea voyage to invade. So, the ship that crossed the sea could possibly be from another country.”
Espada said this and drew a large circle just beyond the edge of the map.
“…Since the Empire controls most of the continent, any country aiming for other lands would have to cross the sea. It would indeed be difficult to traverse the Empire’s lands to get to another continent.”
Espada’s assumption was that a country or organization, seeking to escape the Empire’s control, took the risk and crossed the sea. But was that really the case?
“…The Empire doesn’t seem to bother with the hassle of occupying and running countries. They seem to move to make a profit, like skilled merchants. So, while being a vassal might involve a lot of work and purchasing, they don’t seem to tighten the screws enough to make a country abandon everything and escape.”
When I shared my thoughts, Targa’s eyes widened in surprise, and Dee’s smile grew wider. Espada, unusually, looked slightly shocked, widening his eyes just a little.
“…I see. That must be at the core of the Solstice Empire’s nature. Van-sama, your perspective is truly fascinating. So, what do you think about the ship?”
When Espada asked me, I unconsciously smiled.
“Well, whether it’s from the Empire or another country, I’d like to believe that a ship capable of safely crossing the sea has been developed. After all, that would be much more interesting.”
When I said this, Espada squinted and looked up.
“…It would be like a ship from the gods in myths. But, if such a ship was indeed created, it would be an invention that could change the world. I, too, am deeply interested in this.”
Muttering to himself, Espada gazed at Tribute on the map.
“If possible, may I accompany you to see this ship that crossed the sea?”
No comments:
Post a Comment