A Day of Disaster (7): The Navy's Woes

Northvel-sama, the navy's commander, barged into the room.

Zackhart-sama, however, dismissed him curtly. "What is it, Northvel? I'm busy right now. Come back later."

"Busy...? You... You'd better explain yourself!"

"You're making too much noise. Roa, you explain things to him. That's your punishment for putting my daughter in danger. I'm heading out with my daughter. I'll leave it to you!"

With that, he hoisted Lufa onto his shoulder and promptly left the room.

"What the hell was that...? His daughter? That old geezer has a daughter that young? I mean, what's with that goofy grin? Is that really old man Zackhart?"

I couldn't say Northvel-sama was entirely wrong. To be honest, I had begun to wonder myself whether Zackhart-sama might actually be someone's younger twin brother.

In any case, with Baylieuse-san also in attendance, we explained the situation to Northvel-sama.

"So, basically, the girl named Lufa whom old man Zackhart took a liking to was kidnapped by some idiot from the back streets, and now the old man is angry and trying to wipe out the back streets?"

"...Yes. That's more or less it."

After hearing us out, Northvel-sama slapped a hand to his forehead and looked heavenward with a cry of, "Good grief!"

"That old geezer hasn't gone senile, has he?! We spent all this time keeping the back streets under control, and now he's going to force his way through?! All the work we've put in will be for nothing!" he raged.

"Um, what kind of plan did you have for the back streets?" I asked.

"...Sure, a lot of good-for-nothings have gathered in the back streets, but some were driven there by circumstances. The plan was to take in those people and train them as marines, while gradually tightening the screws on the truly irredeemable criminals in the back streets. Damn it! This throws our recruitment plans out the window, too!"

"Excuse me, are the marines really that short-handed?" Wickhart asked, looking puzzled.

"Huh? This is why I can't stand the knight orders... You really don't know? Being a sailor is always a life-threatening job, not just for the navy. We're not like those people who can take it easy on land."

He probably hadn't meant any offense, but Northvel-sama's words unusually irritated Wickhart. Apparently feeling the same way, Rapiria-sama joined in.

"Oh? We risk our lives against Golbel and the Empire. The navy might not understand that when most of its duties consist of escorting merchant ships and patrolling, but..."

"You're the War Princess-sama of the Tenth Knight Order, aren't you? The people you fight are still just people, aren't they? We face gods. Don't lump us together, you idiot."

"What did you say?!" Rapiria-sama bristled. Those two really didn't seem to get along.

"Let me teach you something, you foolish War Princess-sama. Did you know there's a disease that can kill you simply by being aboard a ship, even when the sea isn't rough?"

"What are you..." Rapiria-sama began to retort, but Northvel-sama's expression was so grave that the words caught in her throat.

"Anyone who knows the sea knows about that disease. Staying at sea for a long time wrecks your body. That's why the more they know about the sea, the less they want to join the navy, and our comrades die from that disease every day. Do you knights have any idea what that's like?"

At that point, I blurted out, "Ah, that's scurvy, isn't it? If so, it'll be gone soon."

As soon as I said it, Northvel-sama grabbed me by the collar.

Wickhart immediately drew his sword on Northvel-sama, and tension suddenly filled the room.

"Don't spout nonsense, brat," Northvel-sama growled.

Ignoring Wickhart's threat—"Let go of him, or I'll cut you"—he glared at me.

"Please wait! I'm not making this up or joking! Haven't you heard about the bottled food?"

When I hurriedly said this,

"Bottled food? Oh, you mean some new preservation method or something?"

"Bottling food will keep you from getting scurvy!"

After I somehow managed to explain, Northvel-sama tilted his head, released me, and then dropped heavily into a chair. "Explain what this means."

"Hey! Apologize to Roa!" Rapiria-sama demanded, but Northvel-sama kept glaring at me. "First, I'll hear him out."

I cleared my throat and met Northvel-sama's gaze.

"When you're aboard a ship for a long time, do you eat vegetables?"

"No. Vegetables are out of the question. They spoil right away."

"And you don't eat food that's gone bad, right?"

"The navy's great strength is our iron stomachs."

"Then I was right. Scurvy is what you get from going without vegetables for a certain period. And eating spoiled food can't be good for you, either, can it?"

"Even setting aside the rotten food, you won't die just from not eating vegetables, will you?"

"Then, by that logic, do sailors ever get scurvy on land, whether they're in the navy or not?"

"...At least, I've never heard of it."

"As I thought. On land, they must be eating vegetables and fruit."

"Leaving aside whether vegetables are the cause, what does that have to do with bottled food?"

"You haven't heard what bottled food is?"

"No. Old man Zackhart told me it was preserved food and that it would be handled as an export, but I've never seen any myself."

"What? You haven't gotten any samples?"

"Nope."

"Rapiria-sama, did you bring any bottled food today?"

"...I have some jam, but..."

"Could I have it?"

"You're going to feed it to this guy? ...Fine, fine. I'll get it, so wait here."

Rapiria-sama promptly brought a jar of jam. It had already been opened; apparently, she'd been enjoying it in her tea.

"So this is bottled food. And what is it supposed to do?"

"This jar contains jam, but vegetables can be preserved in jars, too. If the seal remains unbroken, a properly prepared jar should last for more than six months."

"Six months?! You're saying vegetables won't rot?!"

"Exactly. Now do you understand what I meant by saying scurvy would soon disappear? If ships set sail with bottled food aboard, sailors can eat vegetables regularly even on long voyages."

"...But it hasn't been proven that scurvy is caused by a lack of vegetables..."

"Hah! Enough with the endless objections! Roa just said that no sailor gets scurvy on land, right? Then try it! Or are you afraid to eat food preserved by an unfamiliar method like bottling?"

"What did you say?!"

Rapiria-sama pressed her advantage. I was grateful she'd brought the jam, but couldn't she be quiet for a little while?

"Tch, but the brat has a point... Fine. I'll give it a try. If this really gets rid of scurvy, I'll apologize or do whatever it takes."

"You said it! Don't forget!"

"War Princess! I'm not bowing to you! Why are you acting so high and mighty?!" They began arguing again.

I couldn't tell whether they were on bad terms or actually got along. Still, if scurvy disappeared, perhaps more people would be willing to join the navy.

As I watched Rapiria-sama and Northvel-sama bicker, I found myself hoping that would come to pass.