When the ship suddenly appeared on the sea, the residents were greatly surprised, but once they realized it wasn’t showing any hostile actions, the rumors spread among the people who passed by, and many came to see it.
Now, in a way, it had become a tourist attraction.
“...A two-week voyage. If the ship’s speed is ten kilometers per hour, even if it travels for eight hours a day, that would be eighty kilometers multiplied by fourteen, so over a thousand kilometers? If it’s five kilometers per hour, about five hundred kilometers… It feels really far, but it’s probably not enough to cross a continent, right?”
I spread the map in my head from the information I had received, imagining the distance from the continent to the island. To be honest, I didn’t know the speed of a sailing ship, so I had to make a rough guess. It would probably be slower than a carriage, so I assumed it was somewhere between ten and five kilometers per hour.
Even so, the existence of an island nation was intriguing. How did the people living there manage to reach the island? Did the land split apart in some ancient tectonic event? Or were they people who, risking their lives, set out on boats and miraculously reached the island?
There were so many things I was curious about.
“The messenger from Fleetwood arrived three days ago. Another messenger will probably arrive tomorrow or the day after. We should attend the meeting then.”
Rosso casually said this. It seemed that Fleetwood occasionally sent small boats to Tribute to buy the necessary supplies. During those visits, they also greeted Rosso.
“The person in charge of Fleetwood is a man named Tran Bronco. The Fiesta Kingdom is run by the king and the council, and it seems they decided to send a ship here based on that. Right now, he’s conducting some investigations around the area while preparing to return,” Rosso explained.
“Does Your Excellency have any interest in the Fiesta Kingdom?”
“Of course. But realistically speaking, wandering the sea for days is too dangerous. Also, they didn’t tell us the exact location of their island. It will be difficult to reach it.”
Rosso’s answer was reasonable, but still left me with some doubts.
“…I’d still like to meet Mr. Tran somehow.”
When I said this, Panamera let out a small smile.
“Are you interested? It seems like you’re finally starting to act like a proper boy.”
After that exchange, we parted ways with Rosso. When we arrived at the seaside, Arte and the others had already started playing on the beach. Normally, Arte, as a noblewoman, should have formally greeted Rosso, but since there had been so many complicated discussions, she only gave a very brief greeting.
“Wow, this looks like so much fun!”
“I was also moved the first time I saw the sea.”
Arv and Lou were having that conversation while watching Arte, Till, and the others playing on the beach. You guys really do seem like relatives.
On the other hand, Dee, Espada, and Targa were seriously discussing the ship.
“If we attach Van-sama’s ballistae to that ship, it will be a threat to any country.”
“Most countries haven’t built defense lines facing the sea. If ship-based invasions become possible, we’ll have several years, even a decade, to launch one-sided attacks before they recognize the threat and take countermeasures. The only country that might be able to counter this would be the Solstice Empire with their artillery.”
“It will also be difficult to handle with magic. To stop a ballista, even a stone wall wouldn’t be enough.”
“Furthermore, the area to defend will become extraordinarily wide. It seems the Fiesta Kingdom hasn’t been able to trade with the Solstice Empire, but if they manage to acquire artillery, the situation will change drastically.”
“Hm… Traveling by sea. This will certainly become an important tactic in the future!”
The three of them were passionately discussing the usefulness of ships from a military standpoint.
However, ships also have many other advantages. If that becomes possible, it will undoubtedly lead to something interesting.
While I was thinking that, Panamera crossed her arms and looked at me with a meaningful expression.
“…Boy. You’re thinking of something interesting, aren’t you? Tell me.”
“You’re like a little ringleader, Panamera.”
I smiled wryly at my direct response, and then lightly explained the idea I had been pondering in my head.
“Ships used on rivers are typically for transporting goods, right? But since they couldn’t be used on larger rivers, the ships were probably smaller… If we can use that big ship to cross the sea, then a massive amount of goods could be transported all at once.”
“…I see. That is indeed a threat. By sea, goods can be transported without interference. The same goes for soldiers. That ship could likely carry a hundred people. With that, we could also use it to transport a hundred mages to any place we want.”
After hearing my words, Panamera instantly changed her expression. It seemed she had noticed the usefulness of the ship and started considering ways to use it herself. Her instincts were truly sharp.
“The problem is whether we can make it.”
While muttering and organizing her thoughts, Panamera looked at the beautiful ship floating on the sea. With that ship, this Tribute could become the most important port city in the Scuderia Kingdom. Not only within the Scuderia Kingdom, but it could also create a shipping route to the Yellenetta Kingdom. It would allow us to obtain sea products and special goods that had never been available before, and if all goes well, it could become a trading hub with the Fiesta Kingdom.
This means the Scuderia Kingdom must, without a doubt, obtain a large ship before the surrounding nations do.
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