Read Novel Full Vol 21 Chapter 1
Vol 21 Chapter 1
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Chapter 1 – Launch of Scheduled Shipping Routes
After settling things with Count Tontrade, I was sleeping at the Castle when the vice commander of the Cagliari naval base came to visit. Camille-san cut out the vice-commander’s suggestion in one fell swoop, but the vice-commander, who had a thick skin, made a new suggestion out of the situation.
“It’s been a while since I wore this.”
The Mage-sama in the hooded robe. I feel like my true identity is pretty obvious, so I’m a little embarrassed, but it’s better than not, so I put on the hood and hide my face.
“That’s right, then we’ll call you Mage-sama from now on, just to be on the safe side.”
Ines laughs at my indescribable grumbling and nods in agreement. That’s right, that was the agreement.
Felicia nods as well, so I guess she’ll call me “Mage-sama” as well.
“Oh, just a minute… oh, never mind, but if there are other people around, I can’t show my face under the hood.”
Rimu and Pent came into the hood, probably because they were curious about what was inside.
If someone saw them from under the hood, it would be obvious who I was, so I was worried, but Rimu and Pent are good children who follow orders, and they sent me a telepathic message to say they understood, so I guess it’s okay.
“Is this about right?”
I docked the Fortress in the harbor of Cagliari.
If I wait here, Camille-san will bring the supplies for the affected areas.
After letting Camille-san decide at the request of the vice commander, I finally agreed to cooperate.
I thought it was a bit tedious, but I nodded obediently with all my strength.
Well, Camille-san’s power at that time was amazing.
It was only natural that the relief supplies were provided by the government, but instead of asking for money to cover the cost of transporting them to the affected areas, she demanded that they be paid for using the rights and priority at the port of Cagliari.
I later heard from Camille-san that the vice commander, although he looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, was actually a very capable person and a cunning old fox.
From my point of view, he was a useless old man who said unnecessary things and owed us, but apparently, he had to mention it as the vice commander.
If he had ignored the threat of the magic cannon, he would have lost other things, so he mentioned it, but it seems that he was trying to build evidence that he was threatened by the ship’s movement and that he had no choice.
He came alone because he wanted to make a backroom deal in case things didn’t go well.
It’s a world I know nothing about.
And there was a reason why I felt that Camille-san was being strict with that vice commander.
That vice-commander wanted to interfere with the Castle’s interests, and he made various requests and minor harassments.
Normally, this would make him an enemy of the Castle, but he was so sneaky that it was hard to tell whether he was harassing us or playing a prank, so it was hard to classify him as an enemy, but at the same time, we couldn’t just ignore him. However, it was also a situation where we didn’t want him to be involved with the Castle.
He used his position as vice-commander of Cagliari to increase Camille-san’s and the others’ workload by requesting more documents, reports, and inspections.
Since these requests were made within the scope of official duties, even Camille-san and the others found it difficult to deal with them.
This time, however, the situation changed. The Castle showed its determination to leave the Kingdom of Brescia, and the navy left the Castle.
With the shackles removed, Camille-san negotiated vigorously with the vice-commander and won various concessions and preferential treatment from him.
I couldn’t understand everything, but I believe that the Castle will be treated with the same level of favoritism in the port of Cagliari, both on the surface and behind the scenes.
Because when the negotiations were over, the vice commander looked like a withered vegetable.
Camille-san waves to us from the bow of the military ship with a big smile on her face. I guess she’s here with the supplies because the Fortress has arrived. I don’t want to make her angry.
I want to greet Camille-san, but I retreat to my room. I can’t just go out in public now that I’m the mage. I’m sure Marina-san and the others will take care of the distribution of the supplies.
Looking out the window of my room, I see many military ships heading this way. Camille-san has left the task of collecting the supplies and transporting them to the Fortress to the vice commander.
I’ve also given them the boarding tickets, so I think the loading will be finished in a few hours.
＊＊＊
“Thank you for your cooperation this time, Mage-sama! Please take care of us until we reach our destination!”
The captain of the soldiers greets me with a nervous expression. I’m pretty nervous, too, since it’s been a while since I last played the role of the mage. Will I be able to react correctly?
I have to keep my voice low and try not to sound like myself as much as possible.
“Yeah, I understand. However, you are not allowed to move freely on the ship. You must only move within the designated area. If you do not, you will be thrown overboard.”
Perfect. I was able to respond firmly without my voice breaking or getting stuck. Maybe I’ve grown up unexpectedly.
The problem is that this time, we’re transporting not only the supplies but also about a hundred soldiers.
The military can’t send ships either, but it would be bad not to send people to help, so we’re sending soldiers along with the supplies to the various affected places.
Now, I don’t plan to let them wander around freely on the ship, so I’ve set a limit to their movement and disguised the ship to make it look like a magic ship from this world.
However, from their point of view, it’s also an opportunity to reveal our secret, and I think some of them will probably be thrown overboard. I can’t wait to see what kind of excuses they’ll make.
“I’ll make sure my men know what to do!”
“Well, we won’t be responsible for those who are thrown overboard. Be very careful and stay back.”
Phew. It’s hard to be bossy. Well, if I give them a warning like that, they won’t act rashly, and even if they do, I won’t have to be too hard on them.
Just when I thought the greetings were over, there was a knock at the door. Hmm, the people in the room right now are Camille-san, Marina-san, Carla-san, and Claretta-san. So, is it Ines or Felicia?
I turn my head to Marina-san. I’m the mage now, so I shouldn’t move around too much.
Marina-san opened the door, and Felicia walked in.
“Mas… Mage-sama, one of the soldiers who was brought here, went outside the restricted area and got kicked out. He’s screaming that he can’t get back in.”
That was fast. That soldier is very resourceful to have fallen before I could warn him. Besides, Felicia, you were about to call me ‘Master,’ weren’t you? Please be careful.
“Leave him alone. It seems you’ve lost one of your men before we’ve even set sail. He won’t die this time since we’re still near the harbor, but once we set sail, don’t expect to be rescued. Now stand back.”
“Um, could you let that soldier back on board again?”
“Mage-sama has ordered you to stand down. Besides, I thought we made it clear that you were not to act on your own. Do you want to cause more trouble for Mage-sama and shame me as well?”
“I-I beg your pardon.”
Camille-san interrupted the captain and took him outside. I was already fed up with him, so I was glad to be saved.
“Phew. How was it?”
After Camille-san and the captain left the room, I asked Marina-san and the others who acted as my bodyguards for their impressions.
“You were better than before.”
“You didn’t act like Wataru.”
“That’s true; I think you could have been a little nicer, but considering your position, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
It seems that the three of them gave me a good evaluation. I’m not sure if Carla-san’s comment that I didn’t look like myself was a compliment, but I’ll just go with it.
“Well, I guess it’s time to set sail. Are you ready?”
The four of them, including Felicia, nodded, so I decided there was no problem and headed for the bridge.
Our first destination is the nearest coastal village. They must have had a terrible time being attacked, so the sooner we get there, the better.
“Wataru, can I get something to eat?”
While I was mentally preparing myself, Carla-san’s request came out of the blue. It seems that she’s finished talking and wants to enjoy the gourmet food in the Fortress right away.
“Okay. Soldiers are not allowed in the dining area, but please don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes!”
Carla-san replied cheerfully and then skipped away.
“Wataru, I’m sorry about Carla.”
“Wataru, I’m sorry. She’s been looking forward to this for a long time…”
“Haha, it’s okay. Also, just in case, when I’m dressed like this, please call me ‘Mage-sama.’ Shall we go then?”
Marina-san and Claretta-san apologized to me for Carla-san’s free-spirited behavior, but I really didn’t mind.
In fact, I was grateful that she was able to hold out until the captain left.
Accompanying us on the boat trip this time were Ines and Felicia, as well as Camille-san, Marina-san, Carla-san, and Claretta-san.
Personally, I would have been grateful if all the members of the Girasole had been able to join me on this trip, but there were some nobles who were reckless, like Count Tontrade, so half of them had to stay in Lucca.
The members were selected as follows: Claretta-san, who is a priest, was chosen first as a companion because it was an affected area, and then Marina-san, who could keep an eye on the surroundings because the country was in a state of turmoil and it was an affected area.
The last member was thought to be either Alessia-san or Dorothea-san, who are the leaders of the group, but Carla-san surprisingly put in a hard bid for the position. She wanted to eat delicious food.
According to Carla-san, she wanted to eat the food in the Fortress!
She probably thought that if she was left behind on this boat trip, which would probably take some time, she would have fewer opportunities to eat delicious food, and so she couldn’t bear it.
Even while on guard duty in Lucca, it was inevitable that the quality of the food would deteriorate, even if they brought various things with them. For Carla-san, who loves to eat, this must have been a big problem.
It’s been a long time since Carla-san enjoyed her meal on the Fortress, and she’s been holding back until now, so I have no intention of getting angry.
In fact, I think it’s great that she can hold back.
And Camille-san. I thought it might be a bad idea to leave the Castle in the current situation, but since Mauro-san and Donatella-san were there, it was decided that she would accompany us on this boat trip.
After delivering relief supplies to the affected areas, we will extend our trip to the Southern City to lay the groundwork for a regular shipping route.
At first, I wanted to scrap the plan for a regular shipping route, but as the preparations progressed, I began to look forward to it a little, which is strange.
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