Chapter 139: To Tsushima Island [2]
Chapter 139: To Tsushima Island [2]
“Oh.”
Kanghyeok stared blankly up at the ship before him.
Come to think of it, I’ve never properly ridden a real ship in my entire life. I think I rode one once when going to Nami Island. But even counting the round trip, that kind of boat only took about ten minutes or so.
This was truly his first time on a ship cutting across the sea. The fact that it was a panokseon, not even powered by a motor, much less a steam engine, made it feel a little grim.
By contrast, Yoshitoshi looked quite excited.
“Joseon ships are certainly large and fine.”
Since he and Kanghyeok had been seeing each other almost every day for the past two months, the two had grown fairly close. From Yoshitoshi’s perspective especially, the rest of the diplomatic mission was probably somewhat awkward to deal with. There were all kinds of political matters tangled up in it. Compared to that, his relationship with Kanghyeok was mainly that of patient and physician, which made him much easier to deal with. And unlike ordinary scholar-officials, Kanghyeok had a much looser disposition.
“R-right. With a ship like this, getting to Tsushima Island shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
“Of course. It’s a short trip even by our ships. With a vessel like this, there’s no problem. The weather is good today too.”
Because they had traveled only by land until now, Kanghyeok had not really felt it, but Yoshitoshi truly was the lord of Tsushima Island. Once they came to sea, it was obvious that he was entirely a man of the sea. The first sign was how he wet his fingers with spit and checked the wind. It looked a little like he was putting on airs, though.
Feels like he’s showing off in front of me too.
Kanghyeok’s urge to make a snide remark shot straight to the heavens. But Yoshitoshi’s expression was so serious that he could not bring himself to say anything.
Living together like this had let him understand Yoshitoshi’s temperament much better. This young lord, despite his appearance, was quick in movement and extremely fierce in temperament. Because of that, the other Japanese around him did not even dare lift their heads in his presence. When Kanghyeok asked Sayaga about it, there was good reason. He said Yoshitoshi cut down unjust or lazy servants on the spot.
Kanghyeok also believed that unjust or lazy bastards ought to be punished. But he had definitely never once thought they should be decapitated immediately. Since Yoshitoshi not only thought such things but actually carried them out, it was only natural to be careful around him. Surely he could not do anything to Kanghyeok, who was part of the Joseon diplomatic mission. Still, there was nothing to gain by giving him a reason to start trouble.
Yoshitoshi spent a long while gauging the wind, then nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Good. At this rate, even if we’re late, we’ll reach the island by tomorrow morning.”
“That fast?”
“It’s hard to predict everything at sea. But at this time of year, I expect I’m right.”
“But will you be all right?”
Kanghyeok asked while looking at the sail whipping violently in the wind. Yoshitoshi looked in the same direction and gave a bitter smile. If anyone other than Kanghyeok had asked that question, he might have flown into a rage. To dare ask the lord of Tsushima whether he would be all right on a ship. But Yoshitoshi only smiled bitterly.
“I have to endure it. If I show weakness, who would trust me enough to board a ship?”
“Hmm... as I told you, your sense of balance is not normal right now. If you board in this state, it’ll be extremely painful.”
“I know. It was the same on the way to Joseon.”
According to Sayaga, Yoshitoshi had come bound all over with ropes. Otherwise, the spinning in front of his eyes would have been unbearable. The return trip would probably be no different.
At least, it would have been if Kanghyeok were not here.
“I think I can help.”
“You? Didn’t you say the treatment would be done on Tsushima?”
“A temporary measure is more than possible even on the ship. Of course, it’s a slightly different matter if you must personally command the vessel.”
Kanghyeok intended to half-sedate Yoshitoshi with a tranquilizer. After all, he had medicine much stronger than an ordinary sleeping draught.
And it’ll be useful to see how he reacts before doing real anesthesia. What if there were side effects? No matter how safe a drug is, hypersensitive reactions can happen depending on the person.
“I won’t be in any condition to command anyway. It’ll be enough if I don’t disgrace myself.”
“Then once you board, take the medicine I made. When you wake up, you’ll take it again, and before you know it, you’ll be on Tsushima Island.”
“Is that so? Thank you.”
While the two were talking, the five panokseon finished preparing for embarkation. They were not small vessels to begin with, so each ship could hold well over a hundred men. But for all that it was a diplomatic mission, it would not do for them to row the oars themselves. So the naval forces from Dongnae had agreed to do the rowing. That meant the number of people aboard had suddenly grown.
“Now then, please board.”
Sayaga led Yoshitoshi aboard the centrally positioned ship. That vessel carried the key figures of the mission, including Hwang Yungil, Kim Seongil, and Heo Seong. Ordinarily, Kanghyeok’s rank would have placed him on another ship, but at the request of Chief Envoy Hwang Yungil and Yoshitoshi, he was allowed on this one.
Perhaps because it was the ship carrying the principal figures, the Dongnae Busa had prepared it with considerable care. As a result, there was plenty of food for the journey and enough attendants to wait on them. Kanghyeok ended up enjoying luxury all of a sudden.
As expected, when a person has skill, he gets treated properly.
One might have thought he would feel at least a little grateful for that, but Kanghyeok naturally took it for granted. In fact, they were the ones who needed him.
“Young master, I looked around a bit, and this really is the best ship.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s larger too... and when the soldiers were boarding, I saw that this one had the most people.”
“That’s good.”
There was something else he liked even more. Namely, that he was together with historical figures like Hwang Yungil. He did not know what would happen to the other ships, but the one carrying these men would certainly reach Tsushima and the mainland safely.
At the very least, this means I won’t die on the way there.
Looking at Kanghyeok’s pleased smile, Yeoni added a comment of her own.
“You really are that happy? This is my first time on a ship...”
“Ah, well... it’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much.”
“You think so? Those waves don’t look like a joke.”
Waves or no waves, this ship would be safe for now. History was supposed to go that way.
Leaving his uneasy party behind, Kanghyeok approached Yoshitoshi. His face was already pale, as though he was already dizzy. An ordinary person would probably have been vomiting by now.
If you examine him, it’s fair to say the left side has no balance function at all. Is it because he’s a samurai? He really is impressive.
When Kanghyeok approached, the quick-witted Sayaga quietly guided Yoshitoshi into a room. Normally, if someone had motion sickness, it was better to stay outside. But Yoshitoshi was a special case. If someone saw him vomiting all over the place, would his credibility not plummet? It was better for him to sleep quietly in a corner.
“Mm.”
The moment he was out of sight of others, Yoshitoshi braced himself against the wall. He must have been suffering badly. Kanghyeok took out the medicine he had brewed in advance and stored in a flask and handed it over.
“Drink this first. It’ll make you drowsy.”
“Right... somehow this feels worse than last time.”
That too was one of the hallmarks of vestibular schwannoma. Because it grew very slowly, it was hard to notice changes in daily life. But during an event like this, when one boarded a ship, the change could be felt.
“Here, first... drink this.”
“Wait. Sayaga.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“If anything happens while I’m asleep, I’m relying on you.”
“Yes. Please don’t worry.”
“If anything urgent happens, wake me without fail.”
Only after repeatedly stressing those instructions did Yoshitoshi drink the medicine Kanghyeok handed him.
True to form for a drug whose effect had already been proven several times, Yoshitoshi collapsed straight into sleep.
Pulse is good. Breathing is fine.
Fortunately, there were no side effects at all from the medicine.
Still, you never know. Something could still go wrong while he sleeps.
So Kanghyeok left Dolseok there to watch him.
“If he stops breathing or his pulse goes strange, tell me right away.”
“Yes, young master. You’ll give me a relief shift, right?”
“Yeah, all right. I’ll watch for a while and send someone to relieve you at the proper time.”
“Yes, yes.”
When he went outside, Sayaga had already taken full command and had the ship underway. The feel of riding a panokseon was not bad at all.
No, it was excellent.
“It’s moving fast.”
“The wind is good... and if you look down there, they’re rowing like crazy too.”
Yeoju said this with a bright, excited face. She had already drawn a picture of Dongnae Harbor receding into the distance, and her skill had improved so much lately that it was really worth looking at.
“Wow... your drawings really are good now.”
“You flatter me.”
“No, I’m not. At this point... you could get an official post from painting alone.”
“Oh, no... not at all.”
Even while they chatted, the ship continued steadily forward. Just as Yoshitoshi had said, the wind was good and the weather was good.
Though it could not continue that way.
“Oh...”
It was Yeoni, who unlike usual had shown no confidence at all about ships, who reacted first.
“Hey, hey, are you okay?”
The way she staggered looked so dangerous that Kanghyeok hurriedly grabbed her by the shoulder. The color had vanished from her face, and it looked like she was about to throw up any second.
“Urgh... blegh.”
Sure enough, Yeoni began vomiting over the bow. Looking around, she was far from the only one showing symptoms like that. Among the diplomatic mission members especially, it was hardly an exaggeration to say almost all of them were affected. Only the Japanese, including Sayaga, and the Dongnae naval men who had set out from Dongnae remained unaffected. Because of that, they were able to respond calmly to the sudden change in the sea.
“Take in the sail! Row through this section!”
At Sayaga’s command, the Japanese sailors moved nimbly. The Dongnae naval men also moved according to their own chain of command to deal with the situation.
But the sea was not easy.
Crash.
A wave almost reminiscent of a tidal surge slammed into the side of the ship, and most of those standing were thrown sideways onto the deck. Some were swallowed up by the waves and disappeared, but no one could even think of rescuing them. The situation was that serious.
“Hurry and take in the sail!”
The violent wind was no ordinary thing. If the mast broke in a situation like this, they would be in serious trouble. At Sayaga’s command, the sailors hurriedly began hauling in the sail.
Crash.
Then another wave slammed into the side, and one sailor who had been gripping a rope lost his hold. A rope as thick as a grown man’s forearm whipped through the air and struck someone. At the same time, the man standing beside Kim Seongil let out a short scream and collapsed.
“Ah!”
Kim Seongil ran straight to the fallen man.
“Gu-o! You fool!”
He called his name desperately, trying to wake him, but it was no use. The man had long since lost consciousness. Blood was even coming from his mouth, and there was no sign he would survive.
At least one fortunate thing remained: under Sayaga’s leadership, all the ships safely cleared the storm.
“Row! Get through this point as fast as possible!”
“Whew. I thought I was dead.”
Kanghyeok himself was still holding Yeoni, who was practically half-fainted. Because of that, he had not yet been able to go to where the accident happened.
“Baek Jikjang!”
So Kim Seongil himself came running toward Kanghyeok. He was in tremendous haste, completely unlike the image Kanghyeok had of him.
He’d always seemed so upright, almost enough to remind me of Brother Yi Sun-sin... Now he was flustered like a father who had lost a child. Who on earth was the one who got hurt just now?
Kanghyeok first handed Yeoni over to Makbong, then followed him.
“Yes, I’ll come take a look.”
“My thanks. This boy...”
“Who exactly is this man to you?”
“My nephew. He insisted on coming with us no matter what...”