Fifteen carriages. And five hundred of Panamera’s knights and Ceat Village’s knights combined. Additionally, ten adventurers from Ortho and the others, who had never been to the city, were brought along as guides and escorts. It was quite a large group. Although I was worried about leaving the fortress city unattended with Targa, Dee, and the others also accompanying us, Espada’s disciples had grown enough that it should be fine for a short period.
Since we were heading to the sea, I thought we should make it a graceful journey, so I prepared an extravagant, special carriage just for Van. It was the luxurious carriage, the Calinan, that I had made earlier.
“Van-sama, will the ship be large?”
“Hmm, I guess so. If we’re crossing a large sea, the ship would need to be big enough to withstand the tidal currents and strong waves, so I think it will be quite large.”
“That sounds exciting!”
“Yeah, it does.”
I enjoyed chatting happily with Arte and Till while relaxing in the spacious carriage. It felt like a trip. I had been excited about the journey from the start, but the situation inside the carriage turned out to be quite unexpected.
“Hm... So, Espada-dono believes that, just like in Ceat Village, we should educate the people of our city as well?”
“That’s right. Since the fortress city of Cayyenne is now populated mostly by former citizens of the Yellenetta Kingdom, I think it’s better to instill in them the awareness that they are now citizens of the Scuderia Kingdom through basic education,” Espada said thoughtfully.
“I see. Yes, in the long run, that’s an important matter. It will take effort, but the results will be worth it. As expected, Espada-dono is wise. Do you have any other good advice?”
“Hmm… Well, let’s see…”
The elegant and spacious carriage ride had turned into a journey of study, with Panamera and Espada, who were riding together, engaging in a serious conversation for an extended period. Occasionally, they would ask for my opinion on the matter.
No, Van was more focused on thinking about the sea, the ship, the sea’s bounty, and so many other things. I just wanted to be left alone. Besides, Panamera had her own carriage, didn’t she?
“How about you, Van-sama?” Espada suddenly asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?”
I responded absentmindedly, and then Panamera, with a mischievous smile, shook my shoulder.
“Boy, you were dozing off, weren’t you? We’re talking about the ship you like right now!”
“Eh? The ship?”
When I asked back, Panamera smiled and nodded.
“Exactly. If there’s really a ship that crosses the sea, what kind of ship do you think it would be?”
“Probably a ship made of iron or mithril. A wooden ship wouldn’t be able to withstand the attacks of magical beasts.”
“What?”
I explained my thoughts briefly, and both Panamera and Espada exchanged looks.
“…An iron ship. Is that possible?” Panamera asked.
Espada placed his hand on his chin and hummed thoughtfully.
“Iron sinks in water. However, if it were thinly layered and attached to large wood… No, that wouldn’t withstand the attacks of the large magical beasts Van-sama mentioned. Hmm…”
Espada, deep in thought, was amusing to watch, and Panamera shifted her gaze toward me.
“How interesting… This boy always thinks in unexpected ways.”
“Eh? Ah, haha… By the way, shouldn’t we be arriving soon?”
I diverted my gaze from Panamera’s probing stare and looked outside the carriage window. I thought I could faintly smell the sea air.
As I leaned out of the window, the carriage was climbing a small hill. The knights, who had been marching energetically after a break for lunch, were surrounding us. Everyone was full of energy.
We continued up the slope with that momentum and soon reached the top of the hill.
At that moment, I saw a gradient of blue and green extending to both sides of the carriage’s path. The sea, reflecting the deep blue of the sky, blended beautifully with the transparent green.
“Wow, it looks like the sea in a tropical region!”
I exclaimed in awe at the beautiful sea, and Till and Arte leaned out from beside me, their gazes fixed on the sea.
“Wow…”
“It’s beautiful…”
They both exclaimed, captivated by the sight. When I turned around, I saw Kamshin standing awkwardly behind us.
“Kamshin, come look!”
When I called out, Kamshin’s face lit up and he smiled.
“Y-yes!”
He had seemed like he was trying to be considerate as a servant, but with my permission, Kamshin leaned out from next to Till and gazed at the sea.
“W-wow… It’s huge!”
Kamshin, who had returned to a childlike wonder, was now gazing intently at the sea. Kamshin, side by side with Arte, and even Till, who was much older, were all mesmerized by the sea.
As I watched them, feeling at ease, I suddenly felt the gaze of both Panamera and Espada.
“…It seems like the boy is the guardian here.”
“How coincidental. I thought the same.”
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