Ch.112The Path to the Miriam Continent (1)

Three days passed like that.

I roamed the city with my wife, setting Gibson’s Port ablaze with the heat of our passion, while Simon politely enjoyed drinks at the inn and admired the scenery. The elf sisters had somehow acquired a one-gold-coin spatial storage tattoo from somewhere.

“I didn’t know spatial storage would feel like this.”

“What did you think it would feel like?”

“Hmm… how should I put it… I thought it would feel like a refrigerator.”

“…”

What kind of sensation was she trying to describe?

Of course, having a spatial storage inscription is somewhat unfamiliar, but if she was expecting it to feel like a refrigerator, that would be quite a misunderstanding.

Anyway, there are four famous landmarks on the Miriam Continent.

The historical site, number 1: ‘Jericania.’

The capital of the first civilization that emerged during the Era of 13 Nations, when each continent had only one country.

The most beautiful place on the continent, number 2: ‘Maximus Canyon.’

Waterfalls and streams of incredible length and height will welcome us there.

The place of great religious significance, number 3: ‘Belfort City.’

The city where, in the 300,000-year history of the Nariakira Empire, the first rebellion with religious rather than political motives began—one that denied the divinity of the sun and moon.

The birthplace of great achievements, number 4: ‘Scofield Baby Factory.’

Located on the Scofield Plains, it’s the world’s largest baby factory, an enormous facility that was reportedly operated directly by imperial personnel during the Empire era.

These four places are where we need to visit on the Miriam Continent, and soon the ship that will take us there—the ‘Mary Ross’—will arrive.

As the time for the ship’s arrival approached, we gathered at the inn’s stable to make final checks on our luggage.

“It’s about time we depart. Let’s mount our horses and head toward the harbor.”

I climbed onto Bruiser and watched my companions mount their horses one by one until everyone was ready.

“What was the ship’s name again?”

“The Mary Ross. Check your tickets carefully. The horses need tickets too for boarding, so make sure you don’t forget them.”

Boarding a ship is always thrilling.

Whether in a positive or negative sense.

Even as a knight, what could I do if a storm came and broke the ship apart?

I could only cling to a plank and pray toward the sun.

“I need to use the bathroom!”

“Oh, come on! Hurry up and go!”

There was an adorable little incident when Lucia deserted us to use the bathroom (Raisha doesn’t know what “jjinppa” means… though it’s a common term at construction sites…), but she returned quickly. I headed to the dock with the bow-legged elves, the old sage, and my voluptuous, incredibly lustful wife.

*

“There it comes.”

The Mary Ross was a brig (a sailing ship with two masts) about 50 meters long and 60 meters high.

From what I could see, copper plating had been attached to the lower hull to prevent barnacles and other marine organisms from attaching, and the glimpses of cannons I caught were coated in brass to prevent rusting.

Below the figurehead was a very long ram, which immediately told me that this vessel had originally been a whaling ship in the North Sea.

That ram was designed to shatter the ice floes of the cold North Sea and, furthermore, to tear apart any whales that might try to destroy the ship.

“…..”

As I watched the Mary Ross slowly entering the dock, Lucia began staring at me blankly.

“…What?”

“Nothing. Just wondering if the boss is a man of the sea.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…”

A man of the sea? That sounds like something elderly men with white hair (and tattoos) would say while getting drunk at a tavern, arms around each other’s shoulders.

I suppose marines or sailors could be called men of the sea, but lumping dock workers in with them seemed a bit much to me.

Though I too had dreamed of sailing to the end of the world on such a ship when I was young.

“You’re analyzing what kind of ship it is and why it’s built that way right now, aren’t you? That makes you a man of the sea, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm. I suppose so?”

When I thought about it that way, maybe she had a point.

“Using construction site slang and all that—our boss has some surprisingly old-mannish sides.”

“Old-mannish…”

How could she slander me like this when I’m still a fresh-faced youth not even twenty years old?

I let Lucia’s malicious words go in one ear and out the other, then approached the Mary Ross, which had now completely dropped anchor.

My companions lined up behind me, and the harbor official who had completed the entry procedures quickly stepped aside for our party.

Up ahead, a man who appeared to be the captain was talking with a bespectacled woman who looked like an accountant. Upon seeing me, the man excused himself from the woman and approached us.

“Are you the passengers?”

“Knight Errant. Victor Walker. Five people. Three horses. Here are the tickets.”

“Oh my! A knight, are you? Let’s see… Very good. All tickets confirmed… Edward!”

When the captain called out the name “Edward” loudly, a hooded sailor who had been tying ropes on the deck responded.

“Get the lads to secure the horses inside the ship! Tell them to mind their manners since we have a knight on board, and keep them in line!”

“Aye, sir!”

With that, Edward disappeared below deck, and through the open gun ports came the sound of commotion.

Probably Edward disciplining his subordinates.

“The boatswain?”

“That’s right. Oh, I’m Jake, by the way.”

“This is Simon. Over there, Lucia is on the left and Casia on the right. Lucia is the elder sister. And the woman beside me is my wife.”

“Ah, I see. Well then, please board the ship and unpack your belongings. I have some matters to finish discussing with the shipowner.”

“Mm.”

I nodded slightly, dismounted, and entered the ship.

It was damp and humid inside, but not unbearably so.

Though that might not be the case for others.

As I entered, the sailors made way for me in my plate armor while sneaking glances at my wife’s chest and hips as she clung to my arm, tucked inside my coat.

It was rude behavior, but I knew sailors’ roughness well enough not to reprimand them.

We would be living together for the next month, so there was no need to create friction already.

“This is where you and your lady wife will stay. The sage will be here… and the sisters will use this room.”

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. We’re securing the horses now, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Good.”

Once our rooms were assigned, Simon came to the front of our room and cast soundproofing and vibration-dampening spells.

Now there would be no sound or vibration of our lovemaking escaping.

“I’ll retire first. It’s been a while since I’ve been at sea, and my stomach feels a bit unsettled.”

“We’ll go in too. Don’t torment your wife too much, take care~”

Simon and the elf sisters disappeared.

After feeling the ship’s vibrations for a moment, I pushed my wife, who had been hiding in my arms, into our room.

“Ugh… it’s smaller than I expected.”

“It’s not that big a ship. This was originally a whaling vessel. They probably converted the space that was used to store whaling equipment.”

Or maybe not.

Still, considering my status as a knight, this cabin was quite good.

It had a window and was equipped with a voice tube connected directly to the captain’s cabin.

“Until the voyage ends, don’t leave the room without my permission. The sailors are rough and barbaric. You might suffer some mischief.”

“But I can protect myself, you know?”

“What if you swing your spear in these tight quarters and put a hole in the ship? Besides, you don’t have any close-range weapons like a dagger.”

“Ugh…”

The fact that there’s a term “man of the sea” but no “woman of the sea” indicates that maritime industries suffer from an extreme gender imbalance favoring men.

It’s not really surprising.

In seas teeming with kilometer-sized marine monsters, even strong adult men become like children, trembling in fear—how much more so for physically weaker women?

Moreover, Raisha’s movements were slow due to her body type, and as a spear-wielder, she could be in real danger if ambushed in these narrow ship quarters.

“It would be good if you could learn to use aura soon. They say you can increase vaginal pressure to block penetration.”

“Wow.”

Of course, even before reaching that point, with the powerful physical specs unique to aura users, she could turn all the leering men into cases of acquired erectile dysfunction.

Hoot! Hoot!

“?”

Just then, the captain’s voice came through the voice tube. He must have finished his conversation with the shipowner and returned to the ship.

“Announcement from the captain’s cabin. We will be docked at the pier for the next five hours for crew changes, loading supplies, and ship repairs. If any passengers have business ashore, please attend to it quickly now.”

At those words, I heard doors opening from other rooms.

Since there were other passengers besides our party, that must be the sound of them leaving.

“Five hours… Having to stay cooped up for five hours will be boring.”

“Then… I’ll make sure you’re not bored.”

And as I said that while lying down on the bed, my wife suddenly began to undress.