Magi Craft Meister

Magi Craft Meister

694 – Arrival at Potlock

The Bernstein, having safely passed through the Kingdom of Celuroa, was continuing its voyage smoothly.

On December 15th, they approached the Kingdom of Egelia, and a sense of relief was visible on the faces of the crew.

“Lunch is ready!”

The cook, Kreia, called out.

“Oh, it’s lunchtime!”

“After all, there’s not much to look forward to except eating.”

One crew member remarked.

In the first couple of days after departure, the crew had been tense and moved by the scenery they saw for the first time, but after five days, they were starting to feel a bit bored with the unchanging landscape.

(I need to prepare some entertainment for our time off.)

Rodrigo, a shipwright aboard the ship, diligently noted his observations.

(It might be a good idea to enrich the meals.)

Thinking about this, he headed to the dining hall, where half of the crew had gathered.

The tables and chairs were semi-fixed, designed so they wouldn’t tip over even when the ship swayed.

“Oh, we have soft bread today for the first time in a while.”

It was rare to have soft bread instead of the usual hardtack.

“I baked it myself.”

Kreia puffed out her chest with pride.

“Oh, that’s impressive!”

“So you’re a girl after all, huh?”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Kreia, the only woman among the crew, was popular with everyone.

Normally, one would expect various troublesome things to occur, but thanks to her petite frame of 145 centimeters and 39 kilograms, it was fortunate that no one viewed Kreia, at 21 years old, as an adult woman.

(I need to pay attention to the crew’s gender as well.)

Rodrigo, who was of a similar age to Kreia’s daughter, Marcia, quietly kept an eye on her.

“Oh, this is delicious!”

“Of course it is!”

The cooking, including the boiling and steaming, used the magical stone stove developed by Jin. Since it didn’t involve direct flames, it was relatively safe from fires.

Fried foods using oil were, of course, strictly forbidden.

As a result, the menu was naturally limited.

When Kreia was in charge of meals, the dishes were creatively arranged, and the crew looked forward to them.

“Kreia, it was delicious. Thank you!”

“It was nothing special.”

Rodrigo called out to Kreia as he left the dining hall and ascended to the deck.

The afternoon sunlight shimmered on the waves, dazzling him.

“We need some kind of adjustment to reduce the brightness.”

Rodrigo noted the necessity for sun protection for the eyes.

Naturally, Captain Rugaria Gascal von Alcois was also identifying these areas for improvement.

“It would be nice if there were lights in the port. It would help with nighttime positioning.”

In essence, he was referring to a lighthouse. Given that they were sailing along the coast, it would be effective.

He was also gathering and summarizing the crew’s opinions, planning to submit a report later.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to use blinking lights for simple communication?”

“How about raising flags during the day?”

There were many observations made during the voyage. Various improvement proposals were suggested.

The necessity of tugboats, as we would call them today.

Emergency stops using emergency thrusters.

Distress signals.

For now, the priority was to identify what was necessary, leaving the method of implementation for later. This approach was quite effective.

By coincidence, it was similar to the brainstorming that had been conducted during the new ship development phase.

* * *

They were not blessed with only clear skies; there had been days of rough weather as well. On such days, they anchored closer to shore and in deeper waters to ride it out.

Having an inlet would have been safer, but even without sails and masts—components easily affected by the wind—the stability of the Bernstein was commendable.

And on December 18th, they arrived at Narnetka, the largest port town in the Kingdom of Egelia.

Narnetka Harbor was built within a small bay, with calm waves and deep water, making it an ideal anchorage for the Bernstein.

Furthermore, a makeshift dock had been constructed in haste to welcome the new ship from the Shouro Empire, allowing the crew to set foot on land for the first time in nine days.

Unlike modern sailors on Earth, who might spend several days aboard a ship, these sailors usually only stayed for a couple of nights, so their joy was palpable.

Except for Captain Rugaria and the maintenance worker Rodrigo, everyone disembarked joyfully and headed into the town of Narnetka.

“It must be tough for the captain,” one crew member remarked.

Outside of official hours, Rodrigo and Captain Rugaria, being the same age, had become quite friendly with each other.

“Ah, indeed. Don’t you want to go?”

“I once ruined myself with wine, women, and gambling in the past. I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Ah, I see. Meeting the girl in Potlock was one of your goals, right?”

“Yes. I’m not sure if she will forgive me, though.”

“I have two daughters back home as well. …But as a military man, I hardly get to see them, maybe just a month out of the year. Still, my daughters are precious to me, and they hold me in esteem as their father. Blood ties are like that.”

“I hope so.”

At that moment, a loud voice was heard.

“Messenger! Messenger! Is anyone there?”

“…What could it be?”

The captain and Rodrigo stepped outside. At the edge of the dock stood a man in the military uniform of the Kingdom of Egelia.

“I am the captain. What do you need?”

The messenger replied,

“Ha! I am Workers of the First Knight Division of the Kingdom of Egelia! I have a letter from our king, Harold Ruan Autoclase—King of Egelia!”

“What? A letter from the King of Egelia? …Thank you for your trouble.”

As a mere captain with only the rank of lieutenant colonel, he opened the letter with some nervousness, and there it stated:

“To celebrate the success of this newly constructed ship and the historic voyage that marks a first for our small nation, I would like to hold a welcome ceremony tomorrow, the 19th.”

…The contents were written as such.

Since there was no reason to decline, especially in terms of deepening friendship between nations, he entrusted the words “I humbly accept” to the waiting messenger, Workers.

＊ ＊ ＊

The ceremony was neither too extravagant nor too simple; it maintained an atmosphere of simplicity and strength throughout.

Since it was about 60 kilometers in a straight line from the capital, Asunto, everyone was surprised that the king himself had arrived in a hot air balloon, accompanied by the queen.

On the other hand, there were no ships in the Kingdom of Egelia that exceeded 10 meters in length, so the 40-meter-long Bernstein was already the center of attention for the people.

Moreover, when the engineers of the Kingdom of Egelia saw the jet thruster propulsion system that operated without sails or oars, they could not help but gasp in astonishment.

＊ ＊ ＊

On December 20th, carrying the invigorated crew, the Bernstein departed from Narnetka.

The course, which had been directed east, now turned southward, aiming for the Elias Peninsula.

That day, they anchored at Nefozzo Port in the Nord Province of the Kingdom of Elias.

The next day, they moved to Conjol Port, and the day after that to Mogus Port.

Then, on the 23rd, the Bernstein arrived at its final destination, Potlock Port.

At the port, a welcome ceremony had been prepared, and many spectators had gathered, eager not to miss this momentous occasion.

“…Where is Marcia?”

Rodrigo searched the crowd for his daughter’s face, a face he could never forget despite the passing years.

However, he was unable to find her.