Published: January 17, 2026
Thanks to Rosso’s arrangements, a meeting with Tran was set up. Rosso sat by the low table, with Tran seated opposite him. Surrounding them were Panamera, Talga, and myself.
Once the five of us gathered around the table, Rosso was the first to speak.
“Now then, first about the ship—do you have any questions?”
With Rosso directing the conversation, Panamera looked at me. Oh, I get to ask first. That’s great.
Thinking that, I turned to Tran and spoke.
“My name is van nei fertio. If it’s alright, could you tell me about the ship’s structure?”
“The ship’s structure, huh?”
Tran furrowed his brows and lowered his chin at such a broad question.
“…It’s hard to explain without drawing up some kind of blueprint, I’m afraid.”
Saying that, Tran scratched his head with one hand as he began to explain. The ship’s shape was just as I had imagined—the bow was narrow and pointed. Inside the hull were storerooms and cabins, while on the deck were the mast and steering wheel. The rudder was like a fish fin under the hull.
It was a more well-made design than I expected. Turning the steering wheel operated a set of gears that rotated a shaft, and grooves carved into the shaft made the fin move left and right, steering the ship’s direction.
Furthermore, the Fiesta Kingdom had even larger ships for royalty and officials, and it seemed they were currently creating maps of the surrounding seas.
“Have you reached any land?”
“Hmm. We found several small uninhabited islands, but this is the first time we’ve reached such a large country. Our Fiesta Kingdom hasn’t had any shipwreck survivors from outside for over a hundred years. However, from the stories of past survivors, we knew that beyond the seas surrounding Fiesta Kingdom, there are many large countries. That’s why the captains of our First to Fifth Fleets each set sail in different directions. Marquis Rosso showed me a map, and it seems we haven’t yet reached the Solstice Empire, though perhaps we have reached the Yelinetta Kingdom.”
Tran explained the situation of the Fiesta Kingdom. Perhaps to protect the country, he wouldn’t reveal the locations of the islands. But judging from the map and which countries had been reached, I had a rough idea of the locations. The Solstice Empire was probably quite far away. They might have already arrived at Yelinetta Kingdom but are expected to return without reaching the Solstice Empire.
“Um, may I ask how you move the ship?”
Though it was probably a military secret, I couldn’t hold back and asked. Surprisingly, maybe thinking it was just a child’s curiosity, Tran explained it simply.
“Our ships are operated by crews of thirty to forty people. Larger ships carrying kings or officials require over fifty people. The crew roles include helmsman, navigator, deckhands, and the captain who decides the ship’s destination and policy. But it’s the helmsman and deckhands who actually move the ship. Deckhands raise the anchors sunk to the seabed, set the sails, and the helmsman adjusts the direction. Then, either the captain or navigator uses wind magic to determine the ship’s speed.”
“Wind magic?”
I interrupted, surprised by how casually Tran mentioned it. Tran blinked and nodded.
“Of course... normally, the captain must be a wind magician. Is it different in the Kingdom of Scuderia?”
Hearing that, I reconsidered my thoughts. There was no need to rely on natural wind for movement. Considering that, the usefulness of sailing ships might even surpass steamships. After all, they wouldn’t need fuel, and depending on the magician, speed could be freely controlled. With shifts, even large ships could travel at top speed indefinitely.
“This is beyond what I expected.”
I whispered softly as I sorted the information in my mind. Meanwhile, Panamera and Talga also asked Tran questions.
“How strong is the military force of the Fiesta Kingdom?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s confidential.”
“What kind of offensive equipment do the ships have?”