Book 7 - 7-17. Ship Travel

7-17. Ship Travel

Satou's here. I imagined that Europe have prejudice against octopus which they call devil fish, but I was surprised when I heard that it was eaten normally in Italy and Spain. Akashiyaki is delicious, but I prefer normal takoyaki.

◇

I'm waving my hands on top of the departing ship. It's not only princess Menea and her escorts that have come to see us off, but even the viceroy couple and miss Ririna.

There were imprudent young nobles and hooligans that they had hired aiming for Liza's spear waiting in the harbor, but the viceroy soldiers skilfully arrested them before they could cause harm to us. It seemed miss Karina's maids had notified the viceroy beforehand after they heard about some disturbing rumors.

The nobles had probably seen Liza's spear during the fight with the demon yesterday, but they were really confident if they thought they could go against her even after seeing that fight.

I want to leave miss Karina too if possible, but my reputation would become bad if I do leave my employer's daughter, so I give up.

"Fufufuhn, you've raised and collected flags of the new character huh! She should just disappear after this."

New character.... Please don't liken a person with characters. Today's Arisa is a bit dark. Is she still minding about the things at the arbor yesterday?

Last night, before we slept, Arisa and I exchanged informations about our Japans, and about 70% of it matched. I had thought that she liked minor animes, but in Arisa's Japan, they were super popular works that even non-Otaku knew.

"Are you still thinking about the eighth person?"

Arisa who seems to be worried about me that has lost in thought calls out.

Yesterday, I was a bit upset, but even if I'm the eighth, there was no particular merit or demerit, so I decided not to mind about it. Since the reincarnated person who could do summoning has died, a situation where more Japanese people overflows here is unlikely anyway.

For the time being, I've told the princess that the summoned hero of Saga empire could be sent back to his original world. I'll pray for the possibility of Yui and Aoi going back to their worlds would increase even for a bit.

Arisa pokes-pokes my head lightly, and we go together to Pochi and the others who are clamoring on the bow while looking at the water surface.

◇

"I've cleared another thing that I've always wanted to do in the previous life~"

Arisa spreads her arms on the bow while I'm supporting her waist. It looks like a scene from a famous western movie. I knew the title since it was a masterpiece, but unfortunately I had never watched it.

"Umm, chevalier-sama, it's dangerous so, could you...."

The area of the bow we are in is actually off-limit, but I unreasonably ask to enter it.

Since the lone tour guide who's taking care of us is looking troubled, I take Arisa who seems satisfied back to the general deck.

This ship's deck is wide enough to hold four carriages. Although since there are other things like the masts, it can only hold two in actual. There's only our wagon right now. This ship consists of three layers, the top one has the captain's cabin and our guest rooms. Miss Karina and her maids are in different room of course. The other two layers are for domestic animals like the horses, cargo room, and the sailors' rooms.

I was worried that everyone would get seasick for their first ship voyage, but beside miss Karina's maids who are downed, all other members are fine. Everyone is saying that it's far better than the vibration on the wagon. Let's give some motion-sickness medicines to the maid-san later.

It's 300 kilometers away until the capital, but since we're using a ship chartered from the viceroy this time, we would reach it in just two days. It would take 3-4 days if it was a general ship, since they'd need to make stops at the cities along the way.

"It's boring desuwa."

"Karina-sama, how about exploring the ship's interior together with Pochi and the others?"

Karina-sama barged in when I was relaxing on the sofa that the tour guide had prepared on the deck.

There are only Liza and me here. The other members have gone exploring. I didn't think that even Lulu would also go, but since it was the first time she had boarded such large ship, it couldn't be helped. I'm the only one who's sitting on the sofa. Since there were three seats, I encouraged Liza to also sit, but she stood obstinately like a sentry and wouldn't sit.

I don't think that even miss Karina would try to pick a fight in this kind of place, but since I'm absorbed in map searching, I drive her away.

"My, even though such beautiful girl is visiting you, you immediately send her away?"

"I have no such intention, would you like to take a seat?"

I'm saying thing that I don't mean to.

I get irritated at miss Karina, but I don't show it on my face.

"So, would you not sign the letter from consul Nina?"

"I thought I had given the letter of refusal on the other day?"

Nina-san's letter was a request for me to become [Special Liaison Officer] from baron Muno territory. In short, I have to coax influential nobles in the dukedom to invest in baron Muno territory. As the compensation it was written that the honorary part of my peerage would be taken out, but since it was not worth it, I declined. If I carelessly accept it, I'm afraid that I'd get led around until I'm made to marry miss Karina.

"Why is it? If you become a chevalier, your children could inherit the peerage you know?"

"Even the honorary knight that I have now is too excessive for me. I don't think of anything beyond that."

Miss Karina looks dissatisfied with me who's not getting into it. Please stop inflating your cheeks like a child. The maid--err~ was it Pina-san?--is warning her as it's unbecoming of a lady.

Right at then, Pochi and Tama who have finished their exploring dive in.

"I'm home~.""Nano desu!"

"Yes, welcome home."

I gently catch the two and make them sit on the seats at both of my sides. Since they look thirsty, I advise them to drink the fruit water on the side table. Arisa comes back slightly late.

Mia who has realized that my sides are already occupied clings from behind the sofa. Please stop rustling my hair.

"You're all getting clingy during the noon!"

Miss Karina accused so.

How rude! We're just a bit intimate.

Miss Karina is stamping the ground with her feet, but it seems she's discrete enough as not to utter, "Let's fight desuwa."

◇

"Look look! It's mermaid, mermaid!"

Why did you say it twice.

I look at where Arisa is pointing, they're certainly mermaids. The AR indicates that they're finmen tribe (Mermaid). It looks like they're aquatic demi-humans. There are also other tribe like fishmen or gillmen.

It seems the mermaids are gathering shellfish and prawn, and carry it to small boats with humans on it. It's completely different, but they remind me of ama-san divers doing cormorant fishing.

I look at the people on the small boat, the tour guide who has noticed it calls the small boats here.

Since the story advances into buying of aquatic products, I go with Lulu to the ship's side.

The line-ups are shellfish that are as big as a tray, lobster-sized shrimps, and octopus with two meter long tentacles. There shouldn't be octopus in fresh water, but I guess I shouldn't bring real world common knowledge to a parallel world.

I buy shrimps for everyone's shares, several shellfish, and three octopus. It seems octopus are rarely eaten by people, the tour guide looks awfully surprised. It's delicious you know?

"Octopus~?"

"This guy, nano desu."

Pochi and Tama catch the octopus that has ran away from the bucket, but they're having a hard time with the tentacles coiling around them.

It seems Pochi is irritated with the tentacles that just won't come off, she begins biting on it.

It might be delicious, but please stop biting it raw.

Tama has escaped somehow, and pricks the octopus that coils around Pochi with her claws. Stop enjoying it and help Pochi. Well, since her

harassed behavior looks cute, I do understand. However, I should help her soon.

"Satou."

Mia is calling me with pitiful voice from behind, when I turn around, she's also become a victim of the octopus. Leaving aside Pochi, Mia who gets entangled by the octopus' tentacles feels immoral-like, no good. Arisa also says, "Erofu is here." while helping her.

Lulu also helps, and the tentacles on Mia are torn off. Nana and Liza are helping Pochi.

"Sticky."

Mia tells her displeasure while looking really pitiful.

I ask the tour guide to draw water.

I hear Pochi screams, "Please help nano desu" behind. When I look behind, there are Pochi and Nana who have become black from the octopus' ink. Liza and Tama seemed to have avoided it.

I put up a partitioning screen, and the three octopus' victims are taking baths behind it. I put Air Curtain outside the screen so that it won't get stripped off. Rather than being troubled from them being seen, it's more so that they don't catch cold.

Mia and Pochi are going out of the screen to dry their bodies, but since there are other people's eyes, I tell them to wipe it with their own clothes and push them inside the screen. That's why it's inevitable I see naked body of Nana at that time. I have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.

"Your lips, they're grinning."

"How rude."

I unintentionally put my hand on my lip from Arisa's words.

I've seen good things today, I decide to cook the octopus dish.

I ask the tour guide to borrow the kitchen. It's only inside the ship, and it's small. It might be better to cook it on the ship's deck with magic tools. I had made Heat Plate, referencing from Light Heat Plate, but since the only one who could regulate the temperature was me, it rarely got used during the camping.

Unfortunately, the only octopus dish that I could think of is boiled octopus sashimi that would fit in a bar, or vinegared one. I've thought of making takoyaki, but since I don't know how to make stock soup for the dough, I give up. Let's research it next time.

Since I feel that the rice that Lulu is cooking would slightly fail, I put up ingredients for making octopus pilaf. I soothe Lulu who's depressed, I don't expect her to make splendid cooked rice on her first try.

I ask Liza's and Nana's help to bring it to the deck, and we're having lunch under the blue sky. It's generally popular, but Pochi looks a bit disappointed, probably because it's not meat. I'd like you to endure since they'd be suspicious of the origin if we have grilled meat on the ship.

Since there's going to be a town near the place where we're anchoring this evening, maybe I should go shopping with a small boat there.

Tama and Liza are wildly eating the grilled shrimps without peeling it.

Maybe because it looks really delicious, Miss Karina begins to mimic them, but Pina-san the maid scolds her. The other two maids are engrossed with the meal, they don't even act as miss Karina caretakers. I wonder if the medicine is effective, miss Erina the maid who has been looking like she'd die this morning is stuffing her mouth full with the octopus pilaf.

It was worthwhile in making so much food since there are many gluttons here.

When I'm searching for [Short Horn] at the capital during the meal, I find more than 20 of it. I pray that the capital doesn't get destroyed until the ship arrives.

I wish that Hayuna, her child and the workshop of the viscount Shimen are safe.