Read Novel Full Vol 24 Chapter 2
Vol 24 Chapter 2
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Chapter 2 – A Style of Postponing Problems
In response to a request from the God of Commerce, I gathered supplies and set sail for the southern continent. Although I didn’t experience any “lucky pervert” events with Donatella-san, we safely arrived in Gothenburg. However, we all overlooked a basic mistake, and now we’re in a bit of a bind.
What should we do now? I agreed with the soldier who said we were short on crew, so I’m in a real bind.
The girls are in a difficult situation, too.
I’m not good at making excuses or negotiating, but I can’t leave it up to Donatella-san and Ilma-san. I’m not sure they can communicate with anyone yet.
Come to think of it, the girls had different reactions. Maybe those who didn’t react as strongly didn’t understand the soldier. Perhaps they were just surprised because the others were?
They have studied the language of the southern continent, but they aren’t as proficient as Donatella-san and Ilma-san. I think this assumption is accurate.
“What’s the matter? There’s no point in hiding things. Call the crew members you’re hiding.”
I’m in trouble because we’re not hiding anything. Well, if you think Saporabi is a crew member, then maybe we are hiding them. Was it a mistake to send Sophia, Lorenzo, and the other Saporabi back?
Huh? The soldiers are glaring at me and seem nervous.
If we were hiding crew members, we would have a reason, and it would likely be a criminal one. Besides, there’s only one soldier on such a dangerous ship. If I were in their shoes, I’d be running away instead of standing there nervously.
“Um, even if you say so, this is a magic ship, so there are definitely only these crew members, right?”
To be honest, I appointed everyone as staff, but I’m just a captain in name. The girls were appointed security staff for training purposes.
Donatella-san is also security staff for monster-hunting practice, yeah? In other words, the only people on this ship are me, the fake captain, the security staff, and Rimu, along with the other familiars.
The soldier probably can’t imagine it. Even the people in front of him who claim to be crew members are mostly amateurs.
“A-are there really such huge magic ships left in the northern continent?”
The soldier is completely shocked. I’ve never seen a ferry-class magic ship in the northern continent either.
There are various amazing artifacts left over from ancient times, but it seems unlikely that a giant ferry-class ship remained.
As far as I know, judging by the soldier’s reaction, giant ships of that kind were completely destroyed on the southern continent as well.
“Yes, they’re rare, but several have been discovered.”
All the giant ships discovered were generated by Ship Summoning, so I’m not lying.
“…But it’s still abnormal. Even a normal magic ship requires several crew members, so it’s impossible for this giant ship to be operated by such a small number of people. I can only conclude that something is hidden here!”
Despite being scared, the soldier is stubborn. I admire his dedication to his job, but it’s a different story when that dedication causes me problems. It’s troublesome.
I don’t know how many staff members are needed on a normal magic ship.
On the other hand, since the crew’s knowledge is also based on speculation, I feel like we could push through by insisting that this ship can be operated with this number of people.
However, that soldier was dedicated to his duty and inflexible. Even if I managed to push it through, he would probably continue investigating until he was satisfied. This massive, cargo-laden Stronghold ship… How many hours—no, how many days—would that take? Would we have to wait the whole time?
That’s unbearable.
First of all, why am I, someone who came to help the southern continent, being put in a difficult position? I understand that they don’t know I came to help, but emotionally, I still can’t accept it.
Should I go back?
No, I can’t. I’m afraid of breaking my promise to God of Commerce-sama. Besides, the girls who suspect this is related to the gods won’t let me give up.
I knew there would be some hardship, but having to deal with this right after arriving is discouraging.
If we can’t let them investigate until they’re satisfied, we’ll have to convince the soldiers with a reason.
Ah, I see. It was a mistake to send them back just because I didn’t want any trouble.
No, the decision itself wasn’t wrong, but a basic mistake turned it into a mistake. I didn’t even consider the number of crew members.
It could be a source of trouble, but I can solve the current problem. I’ll leave any future problems to my future self. Hopefully, by then, I’ll be able to borrow the power of Ilma-san and Donatella-san.
All right, I’ve made up my mind.
“Is that so? I apologize for the misunderstanding. I’ll bring them, so please wait a moment.”
“…It’s fine if you understand. But don’t resort to violence just because you’ve been found out. You won’t be allowed to enter this port until my safety is confirmed!”
Thinking that I had given up, the soldier began to secure his own safety. Don’t worry. I’m not hiding any criminals.
“It’s okay. Misunderstandings can be cleared up.”
I entered the back room from where we had greeted the soldier and summoned Saporabi. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to restrain their consciousness this time. Just to be safe, I won’t summon Sophia and Lorenzo.
If Donatella-san sees them with their consciousness restrained, she might go crazy. Their consciousness is usually restrained by default, but I don’t think logic will work on Donatella-san, who dotes on them.
I summoned the Saporabis from behind a wall and asked them to follow me back to the floor. It’s important to ask them, not order them. If I give orders or act like I’m in charge, I feel like the Saporabis will take revenge on me, given how they were created.
“W-w-what is that?!”
The soldiers became extremely agitated when they saw the Saporabis. Even the cute Saporabis, known for their charm, seemed ineffective in this situation.
“These are Saporabi, magical dolls that serve as crew members. I apologize. Since you said ‘crew members,’ I only gathered living humans. I apologize for the misunderstanding.”
“Huh? Magical dolls? Are there such things? But the dolls in front of me… They’re moving… I don’t know what to do.”
The soldier muttered to himself as he looked at the Saporabi. Eventually, he looked up at the sky with a distant expression. This is inside the ship, so the only thing he can see is the ceiling. I understand how you feel, but…
“Since you seem skeptical, I’ll show you what the Saporabi can do.”
To further confuse the disoriented soldier, I had the Saporabi perform some tasks. This should convince him.
＊＊＊
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yes, I’ve confirmed that there are no problems. The giant ship is anchored near the port, and small boats are coming and going. I’ll issue a document proving this, so please come to the port control room later.”
“Understood. I’ll come tomorrow.”
I saw the soldier off. He had a slightly dead look in his eyes, which I could understand. After showing the soldier the support letters, he seemed satisfied, but he didn’t skip inspecting the ship. He checked our criminal records, then began inspecting our luggage, confirming the contents of the support letters.
He couldn’t do it alone, so he called for backup. He asked the soldiers waiting in the small boat to join him, but even with two people, it was difficult.
The spacious cargo hold and all the rooms of the ferry were packed with luggage. As expected, it was impossible to check everything, but they conducted thorough spot checks. By the time all the inspections were finished, morning had come.
The two soldiers who conducted the inspection and the rest of us who accompanied them were exhausted.
“Phew! Everyone, thank you for your hard work. We’re all tired today, so let’s start our activities tomorrow.”
The girls agreed with me. Accompanying the soldiers during the luggage inspection was incredibly boring and, in a sense, torturous.
However, thanks to this experience, I learned that Ilma-san and Donatella-san could communicate well with the soldiers, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. From now on, I’ll have them negotiate while I stay nearby and keep a low profile.
Thinking about that made me feel a little more at ease.
The morning after the inspection, I rested and recovered from my mental fatigue. We were finally ready to land on the southern continent.
We planned to use the small Japanese-style boat that was equipped on the ship, which I had shown to the soldiers, so that we could use it without arousing suspicion.
Unfortunately, despite all our careful preparations to avoid arousing suspicion, we overlooked a basic mistake regarding the number of crew members.
Also, after checking, it seems that Alessia-san and Carla-san didn’t understand the soldiers very well.
They were apparently surprised that everyone was so surprised about the number of crew members. However, I think Alessia-san and Carla-san are normal, or rather, above average. Language skills aren’t something you can easily learn.
“It’s much worse than it looked from a distance.”
As the Japanese-style boat approached the port, the view became clearer. Just as Alessia-san said, the damage to Gothenburg was worse than it had appeared from a distance.
Some areas had been repaired, but many parts seemed untouched.
Judging by the words of the God of Commerce-sama, it seems that the war has ended and some time has passed.
Yet, the situation here… The military port of Cagliari and the villages attacked by Count Tontrade began reconstruction immediately. Here, however, after a continent-wide war, there may be shortages of human resources and supplies, making it difficult to begin repairs.
The damage is worse than I expected. We brought as many supplies as possible and used my Ship Summoning ability to its fullest, so we have an incredible amount of supplies. But… won’t it be like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water?
I’m starting to feel nervous about going ashore.
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