Published: January 17, 2026
The next day, while I was elegantly having breakfast, Panamera approached me with an excited expression.
“When are we going to build the ship?”
“We’re making it today.”
“Shall we head out soon?”
“We’ll go after dessert.”
“I see, I can’t wait.”
We had this casual conversation as we leisurely ate, but Rosso, who was watching us, let out a wry smile and made a comment.
“It’s as if Sir Van is their guardian.”
At Rosso’s words, Panamera froze with a startled look.
“Th-That’s not the case…”
Panamera hastily tried to deny it, but perhaps there was some truth to it even in her mind. She couldn’t fully reject Rosso’s words and only let out a dry laugh.
Panamera fell silent the moment Rosso pointed it out. Feeling a bit sorry for her, I decided to quickly finish my dessert. Today’s dessert was a fruit platter, and I was happy to see various kinds of fruit.
“…Alright! I’ve finished eating!”
“Oh! Then let’s head out immediately!”
“Hahaha, then let’s get ready.”
It seemed they had been waiting for me to finish my dessert, because as soon as I was done, preparations for departure began. All things considered, Rosso really was quick on his feet.
When everyone was ready and we headed to the sea, Dee and the others had already laid out a large amount of lumber on the beach.
“Oh, Lord Van! Is this amount of shipbuilding materials sufficient? By the way, I heard from Radavesta that the ship’s bottom would be made of metal.”
“Thank you. As for the metal, we received the necessary amount from the marquis Rosso family, so it’s fine.”
“Really!? Then there’s no problem at all!”
Dee said this, placing his hands on his hips with a grin. Glancing beside me, I noticed not just Arb and Row, but Ort and the others looked exhausted.
“…Pluriel, were you cutting down trees too?”
Surprised, I asked. Pluriel shrugged and shook her head.
“I was in charge of the carriage for transporting the lumber. Cutting down such huge trees would be impossible for me.”
“That makes sense.”
I chuckled and nodded at her words. Meanwhile, Kusala, who looked a little thinner, was sitting on the ground groaning.
“I-I’m so tired…”
“Kusala, thanks for your hard work.”
I laughed as I expressed my appreciation. Then Ort, standing firmly beside Kusala, smiled and spoke.
“Lord Van, we did our best. Please make us some new weapons.”
“I will once we return to Seato Village.”
“All right!”
Ort seemed really eager for good weapons. He gave a wonderful response and looked delighted. Make sure you keep working hard.
With those thoughts, we began building the ship.
“Well then, let’s build the ship! First, we’ll make the patterned armor for the ship’s bottom!”
Declaring this, I started making thin plates using the pure Mithril that we received from Rosso. The plates had to be shaped to fit the form of the ship’s bottom. By the way, viewed in cross-section, it was roughly V-shaped.
I carefully carved the patterns, paying attention to the width, length, and depth of the delicate grooves.
This part would be submerged underwater, and it was the most important section. I made sure to finish it carefully and precisely.
“…Alright, it’s done!”
It probably took nearly an hour. Finally, the ship’s bottom, shaped like a boat’s hull, was completed. Well, it was still just the outer armor. The Mithril exterior was placed on rails leading into the sea, so it could be seen not only from the side but also from below.
“Havel, what do you think?”
Calling out, Havel wore a stern expression and began inspecting the shape. Watching him silently touch and trace the grooves somehow made me nervous. Looking around, I saw that Arte and Til were also watching Havel’s actions with tense faces.
Havel carefully examined the ship’s bottom for several minutes and finally turned to face me.
“…Hmm, it’s decent. But there are fifteen places that need to be redone.”
“Fifteen places!? No way!?”
I couldn’t help but shout at Havel’s shocking remark. Yet Havel didn’t hesitate to point out the flaws.