Published: January 17, 2026
Mondeo's thoughts were as clear as day.
Even if he was a Dwarf, inspecting the ship from the deck or inside wouldn’t allow him to steal the crucial技術 for crossing the open sea. Besides, from the way the conversation went, it seemed Mondeo hadn’t heard from Tran that I was the one who built the ship.
So, while Havel’s movements were closely scrutinized, I didn’t catch many glances directed at me.
“Hmm... so turning this moves the shaft, which runs inside the ship and moves the tail, is that right?”
“That’s the steering wheel. Basically, propulsion comes from natural wind or wind magic, and this steering wheel determines the direction.”
“I see. Using wind magic, that would generate considerable propulsion. Mind if I take a closer look? I’m curious about its shape and size.”
“You can only see it from the water’s surface, but that’s fine if you don’t mind.”
Because Havel kept asking questions one after another, Mondeo ended up closely observing throughout the tour. As Mondeo and Havel moved ahead, Row and Kusala split up to take notes.
“Row, have you finished sketching this part?”
“Oh, Kusala, I’ve already copied that down, so it should be fine...”
For some reason, Row and Kusala were having a conversation like old-school otaku as they took notes and drew illustrations. It was their first time working together, but it might turn out quite entertaining.
As I walked at the rear watching this scene, Rosso next to me pinched his chin with one hand, a smile on his face.
“...Hmm, it looks like we can get enough information from this single tour. But perhaps because we’re amateurs, I don’t see much difference compared to Lord Tran’s ship.”
Rosso muttered with a hint of disappointment. I responded with a confident smile.
“Don’t worry. Taking lessons from last time, this time I came prepared to seriously steal the Fiesta Kingdom’s shipbuilding技術.”
I answered quietly, and Rosso pulled back his chin with an amused expression.
“Oh... well then, I’ll look forward to it.”
Rosso’s voice truly sounded eager. He was quite sensible, but I felt a similarity to His Majesty in him. So far, the troublemaker rankings were Apert, His Majesty, and Panamera, in that order, but Rosso might be a dark horse after all.
While pondering such things, the ship tour soon ended. I had asked Havel to check if there were any points about the deck, interior, or ship structure that I had missed before, but it seemed he genuinely enjoyed it. He looked incredibly disappointed when told it was over.
“Thank you very much for today!”
Right after the tour, I expressed my gratitude, and Mondeo nodded with a big smile.
“Thank you as well. The Fiesta Kingdom does not have plans to ally with any specific country yet, but I, Mondeo Orcus, hope to be a good friend of the Kingdom of Scuderia. I also hope to be the best of friends with Lord Rosso and Lord Van, so I look forward to our continued relations.”
Mondeo said this politely, bowing deeply. Rosso nodded in return and exchanged greetings.
With Tran’s visit, we had shared a meal, but this time it seemed there would be none. After Rosso said his goodbyes, Mondeo and his party returned inside the ship, and we headed back into Tribute Town.
“...So, how was it?”
Once we were far enough that the ship was out of sight, Rosso quietly asked. He seemed quite curious about my strategy.
“Well... then, let’s head upstream along that river.”
“The river?”
Leading the puzzled Rosso and others, we proceeded upstream along the river that ran along the edge of Tribute Town. Because the river wasn’t very wide, there was no concern about large demonic beasts, and many buildings surrounded the area.
We moved into the shadow of the largest building and signaled toward the river.
“...What are you doing?”
Rosso peered into the water with a curious expression. Just then, a large fish silhouette appeared right on cue.
“Huh, a demonic beast...!”
Startled, Rosso stepped back a pace, hand on his sword’s hilt. The knights protecting Rosso immediately drew their swords and stepped forward. I valued their swift reaction and raised one hand.