Calling the ship Aya and the others were riding a fishing boat would honestly be selling it short—the twin masts and broad hull were more than enough for long voyages along the continent’s coastline. And judging by both the ship’s construction and the details of its interior, it certainly hadn’t come cheap.
“So, who exactly is behind that manor? Someone from the magitech kingdom?”
Tiran asked casually as she stood with the captain beneath the mainmast, looking down over the whole ship and enjoying the sea breeze.
“You could say they’re one of the families that helped establish the magitech nation in the beginning. I don’t know much more than that, since I’m only an employee myself.”
The captain gently turned the wheel, bringing the ship around broadside.
With all the sails filled, the ship made an impressive speed. It reached a nearby fishing ground in about ten minutes.
“Reef the sails! Drop anchor! Lower the nets!”
“Aye, sir! Letting them out now!”
As soon as the order was given, the crew quickly hauled in the sails that powered the ship. The anchor chain on the side was thrown overboard, while two men at the stern began lowering the huge pile of fishing nets into the sea with a wooden spool.
“This ship wasn’t originally meant to be a fishing boat, was it?”
Aya asked curiously.
“That’s right. Good eye, Miss Aya. This ship used to be my employer’s private vessel. It’s an ocean-going ship, too. Later, when he got a better one, he handed this ship over to one of his businesses. As for offering the manor’s guests a fishing experience or taking tourists to the nearby islands, we came up with those ideas ourselves.”
“Um, actually, I’m a man…”
“Hmm… Hmm?” The captain froze for a moment, then stared at Aya with widened eyes in shock all over again. As if seeking confirmation, he turned to Tiran.
“He’s definitely a man.”
“…Am I really that old?” The captain began to wonder if spending every day drifting around on the sea had left him unable to keep up with the times.
“Yes, Captain. If possible, you should start thinking about retirement. It’d at least be a lot better than harassing me on the ship all day.”
Fatina, who had just finished gathering the sails atop the mainmast, slid down a rope and landed lightly like a gymnast before saying this.
“You didn’t have to put it that harshly, Fatina. I’m still half your teacher, you know…”
The captain looked utterly miserable, his face crumpling with sorrow.
“What kind of teacher makes his student wear a sailor uniform?!” Fatina shouted angrily, tugging at the clothes she was wearing.
“Um—hey! Jorse! How’s the net doing?”
“That was the most forced subject change ever!”
The enormous net was secured with ropes and dragged behind the ship as the sails accelerated them through the water. This method wasn’t very efficient in these coastal waters, but the ship didn’t make its living from fishing. The fresh seafood hauled up as a tourist experience was more than enough.
“Ohh! This is pretty great!”
At the stern, Tiran vigorously shook Aya by the shoulders and excitedly pointed at the huge net being hauled aboard.
The section of the rear deck set aside for processing the catch was covered by the spread-out net. In just ten minutes, a huge amount of kelp and all kinds of shellfish made up most of the haul, but there were also plenty of fish and shrimp flopping around. Aya even spotted a sea turtle and two fairly large crabs.
“Senior Aya! This crab looks absolutely delicious!”
The little Angel’s eyes lit up as she grabbed one of the creatures, nearly half the size of a wagon wheel. Though the pale-yellow beast had only just been pulled from the sea and was still full of fight, its two mighty claws were completely useless in front of the little Angel.
“You’ve got a good eye, girl. It’s not easy to find a snow crab this big in coastal waters, and their meat is also the tastiest among the local varieties.”
The captain folded his arms and waved a hand, squinting up at the sun’s position in the sky. “Hmm, it’s almost noon. Hurry up and get the fire going so we can cook.”
Though they were making lunch, the ship’s crude conditions meant they couldn’t prepare anything too complicated.
“Too bad we didn’t bring a cook aboard.”
Under the sunshade below the deck, a pot of seafood chowder sat in the very center. It had been made with shellfish and shrimp, with kelp added to bring out the flavor. Beside it were crabs and fish meat that had been boiled, grilled, or barely seasoned at all.
The little Angel expertly wielded a small knife to dismantle the crab. She pried the meat from the legs piece by piece and arranged it on a plate. The bright red surface produced by boiling stood out against the snow-white meat inside, making it look especially tempting. Once dipped in soy sauce, the crab’s naturally fresh sweetness became even more pronounced.
“I’m just saying, Aya, you could pay a little more attention to your table manners…”
Tiran held a bowl of seafood chowder and helplessly nudged Aya with her knee. Aya was sitting beside her, eating crab legs shell and all.
“I’m used to eating like this…”
After all, when Aya had remained in her Dragon form out in the wild, she could swallow fish and everything else in one gulp. If anything, this was the way of eating she was more accustomed to.
And with a Dragon’s teeth, there really weren’t many foods she couldn’t bite through.
“Whew, I’m stuffed. Absolutely stuffed.”
Tiran let out a long, satisfied breath, drained the last of the sparkling wine from her cup, and hummed contentedly.
Come to think of it, Her Highness the princess’s tolerance for alcohol hadn’t improved at all, even after so much time. It seemed that strength and resistance to alcohol weren’t necessarily connected.
The sea fishing that had been kept as one of the ship’s regular activities was quite fun as well. However, it held even less appeal for Tiran than having Aya carry her while flying just above the surface of the sea, so they had no plans to stay out on the water any longer.
The route for this trip had actually formed a great circle. After leaving the harbor, the ship sailed north, made a loop, and returned from the south, taking them past the other side of the town they hadn’t seen before.
“Huh? It looks pretty lively over there.”
Aya pointed toward the nearby coast. It seemed to be a seaside street, with shops on the side farther from the water and a simple chain fence with black-iron streetlamps on the other. Besides the facilities that had already been there, quite a few temporary stalls had apparently been added, while the existing buildings and streetlamps had been decorated with ribbons, bouquets, and the like.
“That? Let me think… I believe it’s called the End-of-Summer Festival. It probably wasn’t originally a local tradition, but many years ago, some people who had drifted here from the outer seas held a small celebration on that day. There weren’t any festivals around this time of year, so the locals joined in, and in the end it just kept getting bigger and bigger.”
The captain did his best to recall the details with a pipe clenched between his teeth.
“Hmm?”
A festival? Could it be…
Tiran couldn’t help recalling the country that had existed within Minglin’s dream.
Looks like some traces had still been left behind.
“What is it? Are you interested in the festival, Your Highness? It seems to start tonight and will continue for several days. If you’d like to go, you can take your time looking around. They say quite a few famous people will be there, too.”
“Famous people?” Aya asked, intrigued.
“Oh, forgive me. It was thoughtless of me to say that in front of the world-famous Silver War Maiden.”
The captain laughed twice. “Though to ordinary people, some of the attendees are practically legends.”
“Such as…”
“A Dragon-slaying party, for example?”
