Chapter 162
“Whoa!! Amazing! The sea stretches all the way to the horizon?!”
That exclamation came from Lenny, one of the new recruits in Roa’s squad. The next morning, we took the now fully recovered recruits out onto the sea.
“Hah, ‘the sea stretches all the way to the horizon’—that’s a pretty good way to put it! Hey, how about joining the navy?!”
I knew the navy was short on manpower, but I wished he’d stop trying to recruit our new people. Lenny in particular was a rare talent who could handle paperwork. I wasn’t about to let him go so easily.
The ship we were on was a sightseeing boat, a little smaller than a warship. It was decorated for tourists, too.
Sightseeing boats normally only operated during the summer. The reason was simple: no one wanted to ride one in weather this cold.
We were headed for a group of islands scattered not far from Geadland.
In summer, wealthy people would take sightseeing boats to the islands and enjoy swimming in the sea.
Incidentally, this sightseeing boat wasn’t a rental. It was operated by the navy—in other words, it was one of their sources of income.
The navy ran sightseeing cruises, managed the islands’ lodgings, arranged meals, and even offered to escort merchant ships to the southern continent or the Eastern Islands for a fee. They had their hands in all sorts of businesses.
A portion of this income went to the country, but most of it went to the navy.
This was one example of the navy’s independence, distinct in its own way from that of the Knight Orders. Apparently, they’d been granted these rights when the navy was first established.
People sometimes joked that the navy began when Rudek took in the pirates who had once rampaged through these waters. But perhaps they really had been pirates at first, and Rudek had made major concessions to bring them under its rule.
In exchange, the navy had to cover much of the cost of replenishing supplies, buying provisions, and building ships itself.
Still, judging by Northvel-sama’s office, they seemed to be making a pretty good profit.
At any rate, Northvel-sama had arranged the sightseeing boat with a single word, and now we were all enjoying ourselves like this.
The sea breeze was cold, but refreshing.
“Oh, there they are. That’s the island chain.”
Several islands came into view in the direction Northvel-sama pointed, and the recruits and Lufa cheered.
Zackhart-sama had also said he wanted to come along, which caused a bit of a fuss, but since it was just work, I’ll skip the details.
The sightseeing boat sailed right past the nearest island and headed straight on. Huh? I thought we were going to get off on an island and have lunch. Was there a suitable island further ahead?
Villas lined each island, all of them unusual buildings with elaborate designs. Just looking at them was interesting. After we’d enjoyed the view of the islands for a while, a particularly large one loomed before us.
“Oh, we’re here.”
As Northvel-sama spoke, the boat slowly approached the pier on the largest island.
“Watch your step getting off! The water’s still cold!” Northvel-sama’s concern was unwarranted. Everyone here was from the Tenth Knight Order, even if they were new recruits, so they were all physically fit. Except me.
Nelfia helped Lufa down by the hand, and everyone made it safely onto the island.
Beyond the pier was a white-sand beach, with rest shelters scattered about to provide shade from the sun.
Past the beach stood a grand mansion of gleaming white stone, utterly out of place on an uninhabited island. I wondered which noble owned it.
When I asked who the owner was, Northvel-sama said, “Oh, that’s the royal family’s summer villa. And by the way, no one but royalty is allowed on this island!”
“Wait, isn’t that a problem?!”
The five new recruits and I were taken aback, and even Ryuzel and Dick looked bewildered.
“What? Don’t worry about it! No one’s coming until summer, and we come by now and then to look after the place while it’s not in use. It won’t hurt to use it a little.”
Hmm... Is this really okay? It seems like a pretty big problem... But, well, if Northvel-sama says it’s fine, I guess it is.
“All right, then, let’s fish!”
Fishing rods were handed out to everyone.
“Whatever you catch is what you get to eat! The more you catch, the fancier the meal!”
“All right!” Rosvel immediately got into the spirit. I had to admire his enthusiasm.
“Then let’s have a contest! Whoever catches the most wins! And let’s give the winner a prize!”
As soon as Rosvel said that, everyone looked at me. What, after all that eating and drinking in Ruelue, you’re still counting on my wallet?
Still, why not?
“Sure, but if I win, you’ll pay me back half of what you spent on food in Ruelue, okay?”
My reply left him momentarily at a loss for words, but he soon answered energetically, “Sounds good! A little risk like that will give us more motivation!”
Oh? A fishing contest with me, who grew up in a fishing village where fishing was about the only entertainment?
Nelfia, Ryuzel, and Dick didn’t participate. Sazaby, the five recruits, and I made seven contestants.
While we were getting worked up over something so silly, Lufa offered to help with the cooking, winning over the navy crew. She really was a natural charmer.
In the end, I caught the most out of the seven of us.
However, the person who actually caught the most was Nelfia, who hadn’t joined the contest. She caught twice as many as I did. I was completely defeated.
I-it’s fine. I beat my opponents, after all! It’s not like I’m upset!