Published: December 9th 2024, 9:31:25 am
Departure
"”Departure~!"”
We bid farewell to Chris-san, Ethan-dono, and Dill-san, who had come to see us off, and the ship we boarded set sail from the town of Glad.
"”Wanna explore!”"
"Got it. But take it slow, or you’ll run out of places to see quickly."
"”We know~”"
The journey to the town of Bailey is expected to take about ten days if everything goes smoothly.
The ship Patrick-san arranged for us was a splendid large vessel. Larger ships are generally slower, but being a state-of-the-art model, this one was relatively fast.
When we came to the Regulus Empire, Kaiser brought us here in less than a day, which just goes to show how incredible he is.
"Shall we start with the cabin?"
"”Room~!””
"Allow me to show you the way."
Although Patrick-san had arranged the rooms, we hadn’t actually seen them yet.
"This way. First, you’ll need to register."
Upon arriving at the room with Patrick-san and the others, the first step was registering our magic power to the automatic locking magic tool on the door.
When we entered the room, I was left speechless by its grandeur.
“”Ohh~””
"... Eh?"
We had stayed in a first-class cabin on the previous ship, but this room was far more luxurious than that one.
"Wait a moment! Is this a first-class cabin!?"
This ship is newer and larger than the previous one, so the standards are probably different, but this is undoubtedly the best room on the ship!
While I think I could afford the cost, the issue is that they won’t let me pay!
"Just so you know, we’re covering the cost. Takumi-san, we won’t accept any money from you."
"I knew it! But no, that’s not okay. Please let me pay!"
"I take orders from above, so I can’t allow that."
"Come on~~~"
Patrick-san anticipated my reaction and preemptively refused my offer to pay.
"Can't you pay?"
"Increase souvenirs?"
"!?"
"Mhm, if you can’t pay in money, you can provide something else as compensation! Kids, that’s a brilliant idea!"
"”Yeah!"”
The children's suggestion was excellent.
I decided to add more branches collected from the first floor of the Dungeon of Precious Stones to the souvenirs. Ah, maybe I’ll mix in some large pearls too… since I have plenty stashed away.
"We’ve rented a four-person room, but it’s only got a bedroom. If we need to hold any discussions, we might borrow this room."
"Please do. Actually, feel free to relax here even if there’s no meeting!"
Patrick-san’s group’s room was likely just a sleeping space with two bunk beds.
In contrast, this first-class cabin has a spacious bedroom, a wide living room for relaxing, a terrace, a bathroom, and even a small kitchen and dining area.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! Oh, has everyone registered the door?"
"Ah, only me so far."
"Then please have everyone register right away."
"Thank you."
Since the room was already ours, the best thing to do was make full use of it.
"Now that we’ve checked the room, what’s next?"
"”Exploration time!"”
"Okay, we’re off to explore the ship a bit."
"Alright, enjoy yourselves."
Patrick-san and his group planned to return to their room, so we parted ways outside the cabin and started wandering around.
"”What’s this place~?”"
"Uh… a recreation room, maybe?"
"Recreation room?"
"What’s that?"
"A room where you can do whatever you like. See, those people sitting are reading, and those over there are exercising, right? Moving their bodies."
Other than that, there were dining areas and shops selling daily necessities for life on the ship.
Most of the ship, however, consisted of passenger cabins or restricted areas, so there wasn’t much to explore.
"Oh, nice breeze."
"”Feels good~”"
"Indeed, this is my first time enjoying the sea so leisurely."
Finally, we stepped onto the deck, where a pleasant wind was blowing.
"”... Mumuh.””
The children moved to the bow, climbed the railing, and peered into the sea, sounding discontented.
"What’s wrong?"
"”It’s so far~”"
"Huh?"
“"... The sea is too far.”"
"Ah, the ship’s size puts the deck far from the water."
On the previous ship, they had played with the spray of water close to the surface, but this time, it wasn’t possible.
"Maybe the side passage lower down will have water spray?"
"”Let’s take a look!””
Hearing that there might be an open passage on the lower side, the children quickly moved on.
"”... Muhh~””
"Sadly, no spray here either."
The ship’s design seemed to prevent any water spray from reaching the decks, likely due to its quality.
"How about we just jump in?"
"... Kaiser, absolutely not."
Kaiser’s dangerous suggestion was promptly rejected.
Not only is it risky, but it could also disrupt the ship’s operation.
"Come on, cheer up. Let’s head back to the deck for snacks."
"”... Snacks~””
Though disheartened, the mention of snacks instantly lifted their spirits, and they hurried back to the deck.
"”Snacks~ snacks~””
"What would you like?"
The deck had tables and chairs for relaxing.
By the time we sat at an open spot, the children were back to their cheerful selves.
"”Umm, you see…"”
"I want rice balls!"
"”... That’s not a snack."”
"Muh?"
Although I asked the children, Kaiser was the first to respond—and promptly got scolded by them.
"For Allen and Elena, sweet treats are the norm for snacks."
"Rice balls aren’t okay?"
"”Sweet things!”"
"Well, you don’t all have to eat the same thing, so Kaiser can have rice balls. Allen, Elena, what about you two?"
After preparing Kaiser’s rice balls, I asked the children again for their requests.
"”Ice cream!"”
"Okay. What flavors? There are plenty."
I had prepared a variety of ice creams during a bulk-making spree.
"Allen wants choco!"
"Elena wants honey!"
"Each their own or will you combine?"
"”Combine!”"
"Me too!"
"””… What?””"
Despite requesting rice balls, Kaiser also wanted ice cream, raising his hand like the children. His action left us all stunned.
"Is… is that not okay?"
"No, well… that’s fine, but~”
It was clear Kaiser’s appetite was growing, judging by this little episode.