episode_0022

The bow was raised.

It was the very bow used when fighting against the Japanese pirates.

I had Gabok and Bokjong search for it.

Since Gabok and Bokjong were too preoccupied with rowing to save their lives, they couldn’t help me, so I once again took the cherished arrow and drew it into the quiver, leading the protest myself.

What saddened Gabok and Bokjong was that despite rowing with all their might to advance against the wind, widening the distance from the Japanese ships was not easy.

As for me, shooting the bow in this situation felt good.

Because the arrows flew swiftly on the wind.

Though I worried about hitting the enemy while shooting from a swaying boat, the efforts of the past decade had not disappeared.

There were many headshots and many hits to the chest.

For a long time, I shot arrows, waiting only for the Japanese ship to catch fire.

And…

Thud, thud, thud…

The ropes and bundled cloth caught fire fiercely, and even as we confronted the enemy and fought, the Japanese ship, which had taken on a lot of water, eventually caught fire.

Starting the fire was difficult, but once ignited, it blazed so intensely that extinguishing it became equally challenging.

The burning ship grew larger as time passed.

Gabok and Bokjong, who were steering the ferry, rowed against the wind until they were exhausted, panting heavily, pausing rowing for a moment.

By this point, I had fired around a hundred arrows.

Many enemies perished in the flames.

As the fierce fire engulfed the Japanese ship one after another, those on deck, as well as those inside the ship, all came out and leaped into the water.

The Japanese who jumped into the water swam to the uninhabited island, joining more than half of the Japanese who had already landed there.

The distance between the Japanese on the uninhabited island and us was quite far, and the range of the bows used by the Japanese was only about thirty meters.

Therefore, whether it was me, Gabok, or Bokjong, we couldn’t inflict any harm.

As time passed, the fire on the Japanese ship intensified, engulfing even the boats I hadn’t worked on with ropes.

“Hey, since the enemy’s attacks have stopped, we can take our time.”

“Panting. Sir, have we won?”

“Is it over now?”

“Yes.”

“Phew. You really are not an ordinary person, sir.”

“What nonsense is this? Am I some kind of ghost?”

“It’s not that. How could you single-handedly capture so many Japanese pirates?”

“My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it’s going to burst.”

Following Gabok, Bokjong also said a word.

Sigh.

“We haven’t captured them all yet. The remaining ones are on the uninhabited island.”

Far away on the uninhabited island, the enemies were holding torches, and through the telescope, I could see that there were still a considerable number of them.

“Where did the ones on the uninhabited island go? Even though the ships are all burning like that?”

“That’s true.”

About forty ships were docked so closely that there seemed to be no room between them, and it appeared that there was no escaping the fiercely burning flames even now.

But then!

Splashing sounds.

“Miazojib! Miazojib!”

A woman’s voice shouting in an unknown language!

Moreover, her pronunciation was clearly foreign?

Straining my eyes and looking out to sea, amidst the burning Japanese ships, I saw the figure of a woman struggling to swim with great effort.

With blonde hair!

‘How is there a Westerner here?’

“We need to turn the ship around!”

“What?”

“Oh, um, why?”

“We must rescue that woman!”

I raised my hand, pointing towards the blonde woman.

“Well, I don’t know who…”

“A woman, you say?”

Gabok and Bokjong, lacking strength, failed to spot the blonde woman.

“Hurry, turn the ship around!”

“But, sir. We barely escaped…”

“Do you want to go back there to die?”

“Quiet! Will you die by my hand?”

“Ugh. Sir…”

Despite their groans, I shouted loudly, steering the boat with all my strength towards the woman.

Escaping meant resisting the current, so it was tough, but approaching by boat was surprisingly quick, riding the current in the opposite direction was effortless compared to the struggle, and it happened in an instant.

My stomach churned with worry about the woman, and I quickly used a log to push her aside, exhausted to the point of losing consciousness as I rescued the blonde woman floating on the water like she was dead.

“Is she dead?”

What was needed at this moment… was CPR.

After finding CPR methods and videos online, I immediately put them into practice!

“Cough, cough.”

She coughed up water and woke up.

“Onesto…”

“Can you speak English?”

For the first time since being reincarnated, she rolled her tongue to speak English.

Although not fluent, having lived abroad for a few years, I was proficient enough in everyday conversation.

“Oh, you… You’re not English. How can you speak English?”

“Why is that important? How did you come to this distant land? Why were you with foreigners?”

All of this was being said in English.

“Me, me? What are you talking about right now?”

“Why are you conversing with that strange woman in a strange language?”

“Hey, be quiet. Do you even know who you’re talking to, nobles?”

Silenced by the snub, the powerless and submissive had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.

“You should row away quickly! Shouldn’t we get out of here?”

“Darn it…”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Muttering to themselves, they rowed away from the burning Japanese ship.

Meanwhile, the blonde woman regained some composure.

I directed the same question at her again.

And then…

“I came from Portugal. I was trying to trade with the foreigners, but our ship wrecked in a storm and we ended up on this island. They said they were going to Ming Dynasty, so I asked to go with them.”

Even now, everything the blonde woman was saying was in English.

“Foreigners? Those guys are all pirates, yet they saved you and brought you all the way to Ming Dynasty?”

“When they tried to undress and rob me after rescuing me, I told them I was a guest of the Shimazu family. I also warned them that if they touched me, the Shimazu family would seek revenge.”

“Smart move.”

The Shimazu family was a prominent clan in Kyushu, with influence extending to the Ryukyu Islands.

“But are you really a guest?”

“Yes, I even had a trade permit given by the Shimazu family.”

“Why did you try to go to Ming instead of returning to Kyushu?”

“All our goods sank into the sea. What’s the point of going back? I thought Ming would be better for returning home.”

“But you have remarkable courage. How did you think of coming all the way from Portugal as a woman? There must have been many lustful men on the ship.”

Did she really come while satisfying their desires?

“I am of noble birth. Infante Dom Henrique. The grandson of the Prince of Navigation.”

Infante Dom Henrique was known as Prince Henry the Navigator during the Age of Exploration.

“Oh, I see.”

“Huh? You know Infante Dom Henrique?”

“I may not know the source, but I’ve heard of him. He conquered the world, didn’t he?”

“Hehe. That’s right. Being a descendant of the noble navigator Henry, sea people believe they will be cursed if they touch me.”

But a thought crossed my mind.

‘Is this a game setting?’

If you don’t consciously realize you’re in a too-real reality, you might forget you’re in a game.

I quickly turned on the internet, went to the ‘I’ll Conquer the 15th Century’ game information board, and searched for Henrique.

And then…

“There he is. The granddaughter of Prince Henry the Navigator.”

It was said that if you make this woman your wife, you can gain legendary abilities related to the sea.

Recommended abilities were ‘Excellent Sailing Skills,’ ‘Weather of the Sea,’ and ‘Luck in Avoiding Reefs.’

‘Excellent Sailing Skills’ increased the ability to sail, making the player’s ship 10 knots faster.

Since 1 knot equaled 1.862 km/h, 10 knots were 18.62 km/h.

During the hour, going 18.62 kilometers farther than others was a huge difference.

“Sea weather” is feeling the changing weather of the sea in one’s body.

It felt like joints aching when it seemed like rain was coming.

“A stroke of luck avoiding reefs” was very useful when sailing along the coast.

Because you can avoid dangerous reefs altogether.

It was said to be an essential skill if you were going to sail a lot and venture into new places.

“All three are necessary. But will this woman try to become my wife?”

“What is your name?”

I found out the name through the information board but asked just to confirm.

“My name is Violet de Meneses. You can call me Violet for short.”

“The people you sought help from were pirates who came to plunder our country, as you can see, I burned their ship.”

“Can you help me go by sea?”

“Hmm. That’s a bit tricky.”

“Why?”

“Because you were with the pirates. Even if I explain as much as possible, they might not believe you and try to kill you. Or make you a slave. I can’t help it either. I’m not a king.”

Upon hearing my words, Violet immediately bursts into tears.

“Even if I believe your words, I can’t guarantee permission to go by sea, whether here or in Ming. You will face quite difficult times.”