Ch.230230. Kingdom Travelogue (2)

After deciding on a trip to the Kingdom of Kore for both emotional closure and sightseeing, I approached my roommate and beloved partner.

“Sophia. I’m thinking of traveling to the Kingdom of Kore because I’m interested in it. What do you want to do?”

“The Kingdom of… Kore?”

“Yes. It’s a kingdom in the eastern part of the Eastern Continent.”

Naturally, I informed Sophia, my roommate and beloved partner, about this and asked for her opinion.

While traveling together as lovers and roommates would be nice, I couldn’t just decide to go to a foreign land—a country whose name Sophia barely knew—without asking for her thoughts.

Ah, as a side note. Unlike Sophia who doesn’t properly know the Kingdom of Kore, it’s actually one of the representative nations of the Eastern Continent and has a decent reputation even in the Western Continent.

At minimum, most people would have heard its name mentioned in relation to magic system development or red ginseng, and anyone interested in international affairs would certainly know about it.

The reason Sophia doesn’t know about the Kingdom of Kore is probably because she tends to show little interest in things she doesn’t care about.

Anyway, upon hearing my suggestion, Sophia closed her eyes and fell into contemplation.

The Eastern Continent isn’t exactly close, and choosing to travel to Kore Kingdom, located even further in the eastern part of that distant continent, isn’t a decision to be made lightly.

Rather, it would be strange to decide such an important matter on mere impulse.

And then, at that moment.

‘Huh? Wait a second…’

Magical energy gathered and coalesced around Sophia. Celestial mysteries swirled around her head. Light leaked through her closed eyelids.

It clearly appeared she was using future sight, or some similar magical power to read fate, so I swallowed nervously and silently waited for her response…

“…*twitch*”

‘Is there really some problem…?’

Just as I began feeling anxious at the sight of Sophia suddenly frowning, she finished her divination, opened her eyes, and spoke.

“…stray cat. *sigh* I’ll go with you.”

“What? …Alright then.”

I couldn’t quite catch what she said at first, but feeling uneasy about it, I deliberately ignored it while focusing on her agreement.

‘…What exactly did she see?’

Though that thought crossed my mind momentarily, it was fleeting. Regardless, since Sophia had agreed to my plan—the trip to the Kingdom of Kore—I had no more reservations and began preparing for our journey.

All while deliberately ignoring the anxiety stemming from Sophia’s final words.

※ ※ ※

Before embarking on our journey, I naturally had to consider how to travel to the Kingdom of Kore.

In modern times, one would simply compare airlines online and book a flight, but this is a medieval fantasy world.

If you want to travel far, the journey itself becomes an ordeal.

The first option I considered was using a warp gate that druids can establish, allowing instantaneous travel.

The convenience of teleportation is self-evident—if we could use this method, Sophia and I could travel quickly and comfortably, but…

…The problem is that druid warp gate magic isn’t just some superpower that goes “poof!”

Even space magic that comes close to that “poof!” teleportation requires coordinates of the destination, and druid warp gate magic demands not only coordinates but an additional condition.

Specifically, the user must have previously visited the target location they wish to connect via the warp gate.

‘…This is really bad.’

Adding to the problem is the fact that installing something like a warp gate on foreign soil could be considered an act of war.

To be frank, warp gates and spatial transportation portals in general are too easy to misuse.

They have the potential to be the ultimate tools for troop movement, smuggling, plundering, assassination operations, kidnapping—basically any crime requiring covert movement.

Even if used amicably for trade, they remain problematic.

It’s no exaggeration to say they’re bundles of risk factors that could completely destroy domestic markets, including transportation.

The Kingdom of Kore would undoubtedly be monitoring for such things through their magical research institutions, and the moment a warp gate is installed, they would detect it and either block the installation or… instantly pinpoint its coordinates.

The only consolation is that we might be able to use this method when returning, which wouldn’t cause major problems.

But regardless, the warp gate option has numerous issues.

Having cleanly abandoned this approach, I was left with only two options: traveling by land or by sea…

‘…Isn’t the answer already decided?’

From my perspective, the answer was essentially predetermined as sea travel.

Land travel would be doomed from the start, requiring crossing vast plains, and would take at least dozens of times longer than traveling by sea.

On the other hand, sea travel is… disgustingly dangerous. While it might seem less dangerous than crossing the great plains, in reality, it’s also extremely perilous.

The unpredictable sea weather that could suddenly generate waves large enough to swallow ships whole, the vast ocean that only skilled navigators can traverse—these are no small matters.

If you accidentally end up in a doldrums area, or if you’re unlucky enough to get caught in a storm, you’d inevitably end your pitiful and short life in a shipwreck.

And these are just the characteristics excluding the fantasy world’s unique features.

Pirates of various races (sometimes human) eager to plunder human vessels. Cannibalistic tribes excited to chew on sailors’ tender flesh.

Sea monsters that hunt intruders in their territory until death, or ghost ships powered by infinite hatred for all life.

Not only are there enemies that could make you disappear without a trace swarming the seas, but many parts of the ocean also contain otherworldly realms.

The “Sea of Death, Sargasso,” filled with specters and ghost ships. The “Green Hell Under the Sea,” famous for its ship-crushing seaweed. The Siren’s Sea, where enchanting voices lure humans to be devoured.

Even meeting your own kind doesn’t guarantee safety, as any ship in this era could instantly transform into a pirate vessel if they encounter a weaker ship.

Of course, working as a sailor pays quite well, but considering all these dangers, even that substantial pay seems woefully inadequate.

It’s no wonder sailors in this era are treated as collections of ruined lives.

Why would any decent person abandon their hometown and family to sail into the sea—a place as alien as another planet—from which they might never return?

Vagrants, vagabonds, highwaymen, murderers, rapists, thieves, debtors, gamblers, gambling addicts, former slash-and-burn farmers, bandits, ex-convicts, plus thugs and ruffians.

No one but these people, who could never secure normal employment, would embark on such dangerous voyages—especially long-distance ones.

Honestly, while long-distance voyages are dangerous for these reasons, there’s also no alternative.

Unlike nearby regions, there aren’t even regular ferries to the distant Eastern Continent, so if you want to go that far, it’s better to charter an entire ship.

And fortunately, I happen to have connections with the elven kingdom that rules the seas.

“…So, would it be possible?”

“Absolutely possible, Hero of the Grove!”

After contacting the elven kingdom through the elves working at the primitive theme park, the numerous honorary positions bestowed upon me by the kingdom diligently fulfilled their roles, allowing me to cheaply rent a long-distance exploration vessel from the elves’ royal trading company.

The elven long-distance exploration vessel, having secured maritime hegemony, is in a word, a product of over-technology unsuited to this era.

“…and that’s how it turned out.”

“That’s fortunate. It seems our voyage won’t be too difficult.”

Thanks to this, Sophia and I were spared the worry of being confined to a cramped, dirty ship for weeks. We smiled brightly as we prepared for our upcoming journey.

And… time passed quickly.