Published: January 17, 2026
When the ship suddenly appeared at sea, the residents were greatly surprised. However, once they realized it wasn’t acting hostile, rumors began to spread among the people passing by, and many came just to see it.
By now, in a way, it had become something of a tourist attraction.
“…A two-week sea voyage. If the ship’s speed is ten kilometers per hour, then moving eight hours a day means eighty kilometers times fourteen days—that’s over eleven hundred kilometers? If it’s five kilometers per hour, then about five hundred kilometers… It feels really far, but it’s probably not a distance enough to cross continents.”
Using the information he had received, he imagined a map in his mind, estimating the distance from the continent to the island. To be honest, he didn’t really know the speed of sailing ships, so it was quite vague. Since it would be slower than a horse carriage, he just assumed the speed was between five and ten kilometers per hour.
Still, the existence of an island nation was intriguing. How did the people who live there originally reach the island? Was the landmass separated long ago by tectonic shifts? Or were they the lucky ones among those who risked their lives rowing out to sea and miraculously arrived at the island?
There were many questions that sparked curiosity.
“The envoy from Fleetwood appeared three days ago. Another envoy will probably come tomorrow or the day after. At that time, it would be good to attend the meeting together.”
Rosso said this casually. Apparently, Fleetwood sometimes sent small boats to Tribute to buy necessary supplies, and on those occasions, they also paid their respects to Rosso.
“The person in charge of Fleetwood is a man named Tran Bronco. The Fiesta Kingdom is governed by the king and a council, and under their orders, this envoy was sent here. Currently, he said they were preparing to return while conducting a local survey.”
“Your excellency, are you interested in the Fiesta Kingdom?”
“Of course, I am. But realistically, wandering at sea for several days is far too dangerous. Besides, they didn’t reveal the exact location of their island. Reaching it would be difficult.”
Rosso’s answer was reasonable, but it still left some doubts.
“…I really want to meet that Mr. Tran somehow.”
When he said that, Mr. Panamera gave a faint smile.
“Growing interested, are you? You’re finally starting to act like a boy.”
After that exchange, they parted ways with Rosso there. This was because as soon as they reached the seaside, Arte and the others began playing on the sandy beach. Normally, Arte should have formally introduced herself as the Countess’s daughter, but since there had been many complicated matters, she settled for a very simple greeting.
“Wow, it looks so much fun.”
“I was also moved the first time I saw the sea.”
Arb and Row were watching Arte, Til, and the others playing on the beach, chatting like a pair of uncles or relatives.
Meanwhile, Dee, Espada, and Talga were standing by the ship, having a serious discussion.
“If Lord Van’s ballista were mounted on that, it would be a threat to any country.”
“Most countries haven’t yet established defense lines facing the sea, so if sea invasions become possible, it would allow for unilateral attacks for several years… no, over a decade until their existence is acknowledged and countermeasures are taken. The only possible counter might be the artillery owned by the Solstice Empire.”
“Magic would be difficult to use against it as well. Trying to stop a ballista, even with a stone wall, isn’t easy.”
“Also, the areas that need to be defended would become extremely vast. It seems the Fiesta Kingdom doesn’t have trade relations with the Solstice Empire, but if they get their hands on artillery, the situation would change drastically.”
“Hmmm… using the sea to move—this will definitely become one of the important tactics in the future!”
The three passionately discussed the usefulness of ships from the perspective of war.