Published: January 17, 2026
[Rosso]
Building a ship. It didn’t seem like such a simple task. My territory had small boats for fishing in nearby waters, but they were hardly capable of venturing even a few kilometers offshore. Of course, I had designed and built larger ships before, but none had turned out well.
So, I was skeptical about what Van had said.
But the next day, when I saw the large ship floating on the sea, newly completed, I was utterly stunned.
“…No way, it’s really…”
That was all I could say. After that, I just stood there, dumbfounded, staring up at the massive ship.
[Tran]
“Please, show me the ship!”
It was a childlike, sincere request born from genuine curiosity. Or so I thought.
Then, a sudden report from the crew made me doubt my ears. When I looked toward the land, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“W-what is that…!? Whose ship is that!?”
It had only been a month or two. It was confirmed that the Kingdom of Scuderia had no technology to build large ships. The same likely applied to the Yelinetta Kingdom. But that ship was definitely out there in the waters in front of Tribute Town, which couldn’t really be called a port.
“I-I don’t know! But no matter how you look at it, it’s…”
The crew stopped mid-sentence, but everyone must have been thinking the same thing about the sudden appearance of this mysterious large ship.
“…We can’t just turn back now. Prepare a ship. We need to confirm this with Marquis Rosso.”
Saying that, I launched a small boat and headed toward Tribute, passing close by the mysterious ship.
Unlike my Fleetwood, it wasn’t made with metal plates. It was constructed from some material I’d never seen before.
And before I knew it, a magnificent pier stretched out from Tribute Town—clearly built to accommodate large ships, extending nearly a hundred meters offshore. Surprisingly, it even seemed equipped with mooring facilities.
The Kingdom of Scuderia didn’t have the technology to build large ships. That meant they should have no knowledge of operating them either. I was sure of that, but...
My confused mind couldn’t put the pieces together. When I arrived at Tribute, I was lucky to find the people I was looking for already assembled.
“Ah, Mr. Tran.”
As soon as someone noticed me, Van turned around and said that. He quickly tied up the boat and hurried along the pier.
“Viscount Van! Marquis Rosso! What on earth is this ship?!”
I tried to ask calmly, but Van took a step back and gave a wry smile. Instead, Rosso slowly turned around and spoke.
“…Y-yes. This ship was built as a prototype by Sir Van after he inspected your ship…”
“B-built it…? But we only saw the ship just the other day…”
Hearing Rosso’s words, I looked back at Van. He was smiling, though his face looked strained.
“Viscount Van, could you explain?”
I went straight to Van and asked. He nodded with a dry laugh.
“Y-yes. Well, after riding on Mr. Tran’s ship, Fleetwood, I thought I’d like to try building a ship myself…”
“That’s not something you can just decide to do and manage, though.”
I felt something was off and objected. Building a large ship takes months, with over a hundred workers involved. Designing and outfitting it requires skilled knowledge and craftsmanship.
I said that, and Van calmly replied.
“Actually, I’ve built buildings and forts regularly… and, ah, some small boats in my territory as well.”
“No, small boats and large ships are completely different. Large ships require years of study. The shape of the hull, draft depth, weight and center of gravity relative to surface area, and design features to stabilize against rough waves—none of these are simple.”
Hearing that, Van nodded vigorously.
“That’s right! Floating a ship on the sea alone takes long-term research. But luckily, I had the chance to ride on a large ship that was built after years of study.”
“…Is that so?”
Surprised by Van’s words, I glanced toward Fleetwood. Van smiled and looked up at me.
“Yes! Thanks to Mr. Tran! I couldn’t have built it just from the simple shape you first showed me. But actually riding on it allowed me to confirm the unclear parts with my own eyes…”