Water Magician

Chapter 449: The Bashteek

Editor: Tseirp

The expenses leading up to the departure…

“Of course, everything will be covered by Blue Jade Inn and the Blue Jade Trading Company.”

Top-notch treatment.

The food had always been delicious and luxurious, so the quality hadn’t changed.

However, now everything they purchased in the city of Manyamya could be bought on the Blue Jade Trading Company’s account…

In fact, Abel’s original leather armor had become quite worn out.

It was made for a king, so it was exceptional, but it had been through war.

Moreover, it had faced the sword of the Djinn Garwin’s minion.

Then…

“This is an excellent piece of armor. It would be better to repair it rather than buy a new one. It can be fixed in one day.”

When they took it to the armorer introduced by the Blue Jade Trading Company, they were told this, and a day later, it was returned to them fully repaired.

“This is amazing…”

Abel was astonished at the craftsmanship.

“This must be magic or alchemy…”

Ryo was intrigued by the technology.

It seemed there were techniques different from those in the central or western countries.

“Indeed, it’s a form of alchemy. The technique itself is a closely guarded secret, so I can’t teach you, but…”

The friendly armorer said with a laugh and then recommended some books.

He also provided the location of a bookstore that had a large collection of such technical books.

As expected from a bookstore in the third largest city of the Principality, it had a lot of expensive books…

Ryo carefully selected three books to buy.

Naturally, the cost was covered by the Blue Jade Trading Company.

Abel looked at this with exasperation.

“What is it, Abel? I’m just exercising the rights given to me!”

“Uh, I didn’t say anything.”

“Yeah, right! Your eyes said it all. Is reading books with someone else’s money fun?”

“No, not to that extent…”

On the morning of departure.

After having breakfast and completing all preparations, Ryo and Abel went to the reception desk.

“We’re checking out. Please handle the procedure.”

“Thank you, Abel-sama, Ryo-sama. All procedures have been completed.”

Abel said, and the receptionist, Banshis, replied with a smile.

At that moment, the trading company chairman, Bandelsh, came out from the back.

“Abel-sama, Ryo-sama, please take care of the crew of the Bashteek.”

He bowed deeply.

“We promise to do our best.”

Abel responded, and Ryo nodded beside him.

The two left the inn, seen off by Bandelsh and Banshis.

Across the plaza, in front of the ‘Lovely Fountain Inn’ where the princess and her entourage were staying, it was bustling.

“Moving a bigshot is quite a task.”

Ryo said, looking at Abel walking beside him.

“Well, yeah, but… what’s with that look?”

“Just thinking about how you must have had a hard time as a king a while ago…”

“I prefer things the way they are now.”

“But if you get assassinated because you’re not with your entourage, someone will be held accountable and lose their job.”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“I think saving the responsibility holder’s livelihood is more important, even if it has to come at the cost of sacrificing Abel’s life.”

“Uh, I think that doesn’t really make sense…”

They headed to the port.

Since the crash of the Suje Kingdom’s royal ship, the port had been mostly closed, but it was announced that it would reopen a few days after today’s departure of the transport fleet, so there was quite a bit of traffic.

“I like this lively atmosphere.”

“Too bad there are no food stalls.”

“Abel, didn’t you just eat? Calling you a hungry swordsman seems to be an understatement.”

“No, I wasn’t thinking about myself. I thought you might want something, Ryo.”

“Please don’t label me as a hungry magician too.”

Ryo let out a conspicuous sigh.

Abel felt a bit annoyed but said nothing.

As he saw someone approaching them.

The man was in his mid-twenties, with short-cropped blonde hair and a rugged demeanor.

He carried two long knives.

When the blonde man reached them, he spoke.

“You must be Abel-san and Ryo-san. I’m Bansox, the captain of the Blue Jade Trading Company’s guard unit. Thank you for taking on the transport request.”

He extended his hand.

“I’m Abel. Pleased to work with you.”

Abel shook his hand.

“I’m Ryo. Nice to meet you.”

Ryo also shook his hand.

The three started walking toward the ship.

“Sorry about yesterday. We were supposed to meet, but…”

“Yeah, I heard. You were stuck in a heated meeting with the government officials and the stationed navy.”

Indeed, the three of them and the captain of the Bashteek were supposed to meet yesterday, but it was abruptly canceled.

“That must have been tough.”

Abel offered sincere words of empathy.

Perhaps having experience with contentious meetings himself.

Ryo imagined the scene.

The Kingdom’s top officials having a heated debate.

But…

“The presence of Marquis Heinlein means it’s hard to imagine the meeting getting heated.”

Ryo muttered softly enough that Abel didn’t hear him.

Surely, the chaos occurred in a scenario without the Prime Minister, Marquis Heinlein.

Being a king must come with many challenges.

“Well, it wasn’t much of a big deal for us. The Bashteek will be temporarily incorporated into the escort fleet, so we just follow the fleet’s instructions. We won’t be restricted in our actions on the ship, but the ship’s movements will follow the fleet… specifically, we’ll trail behind the fleet’s flagship, the Lokomoko. That’s all.”

“Lokomoko…”

Ryo’s mutter was audible to Abel, but he chose to ignore it.

Assuming it was trivial.

Indeed, Ryo had just been reminded of the famous Hawaiian dish from Earth…

It was not important.

“The meeting that got heated was between the government officials and the stationed navy. The official demand for Princess Iliaja’s handover from the Suje Kingdom had significantly raised the risk of an attack. Therefore, the navy demanded that not only the marines but also the city’s defense force be placed on the ships.”

Bansox explained with a bitter smile.

Abel, hearing this, tilted his head in thought.

“That’s… something the government couldn’t agree to.”

“Yeah, they ultimately refused. After all, the city needs its defense force… there’s no guarantee that nothing will happen in the city while the escort fleet is out. They wanted to leave at least a minimum defense force behind.”

Bansox said.

By the way, Ryo’s luggage was a single shoulder bag.

He had left the bag he had been using since the Rondo Forest at the Western Countries’ lodging…

Hoping the delegation team would remember to bring it back.

For this trip, he found a similarly sturdy leather bag in town.

Bought for him by the Blue Jade Trading Company.

Inside, he had three alchemy books.

Also bought by the company.

Though he still couldn’t read the language, he confirmed that his ‘translator’ device worked.

He planned to immerse himself in these books during the sea voyage.

Therefore, when Bansox said…

“I only ask for your help during combat. If we engage in battle and the enemy boards the Bashteek, help protect the crew and the princess. Otherwise, do as you like.”

Ryo couldn’t help but make a small fist-pump gesture.

Bansox didn’t notice, but Abel did and shook his head slightly…

As they talked, the three of them arrived at a large ship.

“This is the Bashteek.”

“It’s huge…”

“Indeed, it can carry over two hundred people besides the crew.”

Bansox introduced, Abel was amazed at the size, while Ryo was impressed.

Ryo muttered.

“Is this… a three-deck galleon?”

Abel glanced at Ryo.

But said nothing.

Probably not understanding the term.

“It’s noticeably larger than a typical galleon, and I believe it has a three-deck structure. That’s just a guess based on its appearance.”

“Wow, Ryo-san, you know your stuff. Yes, this ship does have a three-deck structure. Of course, it also has a cargo hold.”

There are various ways to refer to the decks, but generally, there is the open upper deck, the second deck below that, the third deck beneath that, and the lowest level, the cargo hold.

Indeed, this would allow for a large number of passengers.

However, this also meant that the center of gravity was higher…

“Which makes it difficult to maneuver.”

“Exactly. That’s why we had no choice but to provide it with a crew.”

Ryo noted, and Bandelsh added, grimacing.

If the ship were easy to handle, they could have just provided the ship alone.

In the worst-case scenario, the trading company’s loss would only be the ship.

However, since it wasn’t a ship just anyone could handle, they had to send experienced crew members familiar with its operation into dangerous waters…

Ryo’s knowledge from Earth had led him to identify it as a three-deck galleon, but that wasn’t entirely accurate.

The number of masts and the way the sails were rigged were completely different.

Such details varied depending on the region and the seas.

The three boarded the ship.

Due to its size, the upper deck was spacious.

Additionally, being high above the water, it offered an excellent view.

“This feels wonderful. What a magnificent ship!”

“Thank you.”

Ryo exclaimed, his voice filled with admiration, prompting a response from a nearby woman.

She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, around Bansox’s age… with a beauty that carried a rugged edge similar to Bansox.

She was notably tall, taller than Ryo, making her exceptionally tall for a woman.

“Allow me to introduce you. This is Dao, the captain of the Bashteek.”

“I’m Dao. Abel-san, Ryo-san. I look forward to working with you.”

Bansox introduced, and Dao shook hands with both of them.

Ryo noticed that Dao also carried two knives.

Properly sheathed, likely to avoid damaging anything on the ship.

“Everything you requested has been loaded onto the ship.”

“Requested?”

Abel tilted his head in confusion.

“There were a few things… but the biggest one was coffee beans.”

“Oh! The special blend from the Blue Jade Inn!”

Dao answered with a laugh, and Ryo nodded happily.

“Oh, that’s right, you did mention that…”

“A cup of coffee can calm the mind and lead to success in difficult tasks.”

“Uh, yeah… I can’t argue with that…”

Abel nodded reluctantly.

“I made sure to learn the blend ratios and the best way to brew it. If you really want some, I wouldn’t mind making you a cup.”

“Of course I want some. The coffee at the Blue Jade Inn was indeed delicious.”

Dao and Bandersh listened to their conversation with smiles.

Complimenting the Blue Jade Inn was naturally pleasing to the members of the Blue Jade Trading Company.

While they were talking, they noticed a commotion at the port entrance.

“It looks like they’ve arrived.”

“Our guest of honor is here.”

“The last princess, huh.”

“I sense a storm coming.”

Bansox confirmed, Captain Dao murmured, Abel shook his head slightly, and Ryo made an offhand comment.

Arriving with a three hundred-strong guard from the Manyamiya garrison was Princess Iliaja, the sixth princess of the Suje Kingdom.

Captain Dao and Bansox descended from the ship to greet the entourage.

“Abel, please don’t suddenly take the princess hostage and demand ransom.”

“Of course not. What kind of person do you think I am, Ryo?”

“A dangerous swordsman.”

“Well, from my perspective, you’re the more dangerous one, Ryo.”

“I’m a perfectly harmless magician, through and through.”

“People can be deceiving, you know.”

“Well… true, Bansox and Captain Dao look intimidating, but they’re actually nice people once you talk to them.”

“Indeed. They’re very much like sailors. Or perhaps adventurers.”

“Ah! That’s what feels so nostalgic. We haven’t met any adventurers recently.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Ryo realized the source of his nostalgia, and Abel smiled wryly.

Abel had heard that there were hardly any adventurers in this archipelago region.

In the Kingdom of Knightley, known as the land of adventurers, and throughout the central countries, adventurers were plentiful. So their absence here was surprising to him…

“Means it’s peaceful.”

Ryo nodded sagely.

Even without adventurers, the governance seemed to be functioning well.

Which likely meant happiness for the citizens, prompting Abel to accept this idea.

“It could also be because… the land is mostly dense jungle, difficult to traverse, and there aren’t many strong monsters.”

“Right… that makes more sense.”

Ryo speculated and Abel agreed.

Indeed, the land was hard to navigate.

And there weren’t any monsters that only adventurers could defeat.

With most travel between towns being by ship… there was little need for adventurers.

“…It might make more sense to be a fisherman than an adventurer here.”

“Hard to argue with that…”

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