Setting Sail (1)

A white sail unfurled beneath the blue sky. It billowed in the wind, and the ship began to move slowly.

Before me on the deck, some thirty sailors with cloth wrapped around their heads bustled about. They pulled on ropes in unison and secured the unfurled sail. At the bow, four men were raising the anchor. Beside the raised anchor, the ship's name, 'Lazybones,' was painted on the hull. At the very prow stood a statue of a sea god, holding a trident in his left hand and resting his chin on his right, his face wearing a languid expression.

"All right, get to work, lads! Move it!"

Captain Maurice strode heavily among the sailors, bellowing in his sea-weathered voice. The sailors answered in unison. Their movements were utterly efficient, the work of thoroughly trained, experienced seamen.

I moved toward the bow so that I would not get in the sailors' way. Al, Ray, Zeze, Jini, Borel, Gatt, and Paula-san, Borel's younger sister, were there as well, apparently having had the same idea.

Al and the others gazed at the ship and the sea with curiosity. The Lionel Kingdom had no sea, and few of them had ever been aboard a ship.

"Captain Romelia, this is amazing."

"There was a huge anchor like that sunk down there?"

Al cheered, while Ray stared in amazement at the anchor being hauled up. Beside them, Zeze leaned over the ship's rail and peered down.

"This is my first time on a ship! Look! There's something stuck to the ship!"

"It's my first time too. Hey, you'll fall."

Zeze pointed at the barnacles clinging to the hull. Jini grabbed hold of him before he could fall.

"I've been on a ship once."

"Wow, that's impressive."

Borel spoke proudly, and Gatt looked impressed. Beside them, Paula-san was gazing up at the sails stretched across the ship.

"Are you feeling all right? No seasickness, Paula-san?"

I called out to Paula-san. She had been looking for work and had been hired to assist me personally. I had intended to have her sort and organize the documents piling up in my office. However, at her own request, she had come along on this trip to Merka Island.

"It must be your first time on a ship. You don't have to push yourself, you know."

"No, I'm fine. I'm happy to be on a ship. Besides, Quins-sama instructed me to look after Romelia-sama personally."

Paula-san clenched both hands tightly in front of her chest. Since that was what she wanted, there was nothing I could do.

"What a large ship."

Paula-san looked around at every part of the ship and exclaimed in admiration.

"It certainly is a splendid ship, but even so, it is actually on the small side for a ship."

Paula-san's open-mouthed wonder as she looked up at the ship was endearing, so I told her that much larger ships existed.

"This is small?"

"This is an escort ship, after all. Trading ships that carry cargo can be much larger."

I remembered the many ships I had seen during my journey to defeat the Demon King.

Trading ships grew larger because the more cargo they could carry, the greater their profits. The Lazybones, on the other hand, was an escort ship meant to protect trading vessels. It was built to respond quickly to attacking pirates and counterattack, so the ship was small and nimble.

"You know quite a lot about ships too, Romelia-sama."

"I wouldn't say I know that much. I've simply been aboard ships a few times. Still, this ship is a little different from the ones I've seen."

I looked up at the single mast rising from the ship. Two enormous square sails billowed in the wind, one above the other. A small lookout platform stood at the top of the mast.

"Oh? Is there something unusual about it?"

Paula-san looked worried.

"Not unusual, exactly. I just noticed that it doesn't have triangular sails at the bow and stern."

"Captain Romelia, what are triangular sails?"

Al, who had been listening to me nearby, asked in return.

"As the name suggests, triangular sails are sails shaped like triangles. They can be moved from side to side, allowing a ship to catch wind from various angles and move forward."

I remembered the ships I had once ridden. The sailors aboard them had maneuvered their triangular sails freely, sailing in a zigzag even against the wind. I had been genuinely amazed to see the ship move in the direction the wind was blowing.

"Every ship I've been on had triangular sails. This one doesn't."

The spacious bow and stern were a little unexpected. For a ship this size, it should have been possible to install one or even two more masts. Since sails were the lifeblood of a ship, the more masts it had, the faster it could travel. A ship with only a single mast would have to be considered a very old-fashioned design.

But the Mebyum Inland Sea was connected to the open ocean, so the latest foreign technology should have found its way here. I could not imagine that the people living on the inland sea did not know about triangular sails. As I wondered why this ship had none, a strong sea breeze swept away both my question and my hair.

"The breeze feels wonderful, doesn't it, Romelia-sama!"

Zeze laughed from the bow. I held my hair down and looked ahead as well.

The ship surged across the open sea, and it felt as though we were flying.

I was gazing at the sight in fascination when the ship suddenly accelerated. The acceleration was enough to make me stagger, and I braced myself with both feet. Paula-san, standing beside me, let out a short cry and stumbled as well. Fortunately, Gatt was nearby and reached out to keep her from falling.

"Oh, th-thank you..."

Paula-san thanked him in a small voice. Gatt looked away and let go of her. However, I noticed that his cheeks had turned red.

I said nothing to either of them. I simply smiled at them because I found the sight endearing. But even as I smiled, the ship continued to accelerate. It was moving fast enough to be a little frightening.

"Um, Captain Romelia. This is my first time on a ship, but are ships really this fast?"

Al's eyes darted about as the ship sped across the water. I was surprised by its speed as well. I had never seen a ship move this fast.

"No, ships don't usually go this fast..."

Growing uneasy myself, I looked for Captain Maurice. He was at the stern. The stern deck had been built above the cabin, making it a level higher than the rest of the ship. Captain Maurice stood at the far end of the stern, gripping the ship's wheel.

There was something strange about the wheel Captain Maurice was handling. A green-glowing jewel was mounted on the pedestal securing it in place.

"That glow is..."

I headed toward the stern with Al and the others. We climbed the stairs from the deck to the stern, where the wind was raging fiercely. As I held down my hair and looked at Captain Maurice gripping the helm, I saw him steering the ship while cheerfully humming a tune. Wind swirled around him and streamed toward the sails.

"That's... a wind magic tool."

I murmured as I looked at the jewel glowing green, and Ray, who was beside me, nodded.

"I see. He's using a magic tool to create wind and direct it into the sails."

Ray, who could use wind magic, realized how the ship was moving at such high speed.

"Ah, so that's why it doesn't need triangular sails."

I nodded as I finally understood.

Since magic could generate wind, the ship could always sail with a favorable wind. There was no need to make fine adjustments to catch the wind with triangular sails. It was probably also more efficient to direct wind at one or two sails than to spread it across many sails, which explained why the ship had only one mast. In fact, the Lazybones was traveling at nearly twice the speed of an ordinary ship.

Captain Maurice had boasted that he could reach Merka Island in two days, even though the journey normally took four. The secret weapon behind his confidence was the magic tool.