A Fortuitous Delay
My sarcastic exclamation made the mayor’s family’s expressions harden once more, but I couldn’t have cared less. The very fact that they had known about our visit yet offered no proper greeting was clearly intentional—an assertion of superiority, or perhaps a deliberate show of indifference.
Part of me wanted to march straight up to the temple on the mountain peak, but whether Lowell or Aegina would agree was one thing; more importantly, we were here as guests of the Kruse Merchant Coalition. I couldn’t risk any action that might harm the coalition or Julian, so I decided against any further reaction. That didn’t mean my expression was pleasant, of course.
“Understood. Then we’ll have to request the notarization from the other island leaders.”
“Regrettably, that does seem to be the case.”
We still had some time before the scheduled subjugation, but without prior contact with the Grand Council, we would only be participating as assistants to the Kruse Merchant Coalition.
The subjugation itself wouldn’t have mattered much to us, but diplomatically, it was an entirely different story.
The Parerin Archipelago’s Grand Council had already decided on the subjugation. Forces from each island would soon gather according to that decision. If we then annihilated the monsters in mere seconds once the battle began…
The overwhelming display of power would certainly inspire awe in everyone present. At the same time, however, the gathered soldiers and the council’s decision itself would become meaningless.
If the monsters were truly beyond what ordinary soldiers could handle, it might be different, but the fact that they hadn’t even requested troops from the Kruse Merchant Coalition made that unlikely. The mission was probably challenging but well within their capabilities.
Even if we finished the subjugation with ease, the already insular Parerin Archipelago wouldn’t feel particularly grateful. With so many people involved, some prideful council members might even find it displeasing.
The council wouldn’t openly criticize us, of course, but diplomacy sometimes bends more to emotion than reason, and to form rather than substance.
Lowell or Aegina could probably smooth things over without issue, but there was no need to start off on the wrong foot.
The mayor repeatedly expressed his regrets throughout the conversation, yet he showed no intention of taking any further action. After confirming a few details regarding the current trade and upcoming orders, Julian left the room with us.
A few of the mayor’s sons followed us to the entrance, but the man in the suit didn’t so much as twitch as we departed.
“By the way, who was that man? He seemed quite displeased with you, Senior.”
Once we were outside, Lowell—his face once again concealed—asked Julian the question.
“That’s Neikalsin. The mayor’s third son. He studied at the academy on the continent when he was young. Unlike the others here, he advocates for expanding trade with the continent and even introducing various social reforms.”
“Then why is he so hostile toward you…?”
If he truly wanted to increase trade volume, he should have welcomed the Kruse Merchant Coalition, which could provide stable large-scale transport. There was no reason for him to show such open hostility.
“He’s dissatisfied with the Kruse Merchant Coalition monopolizing trade around the Parerin Archipelago. He believes we should bring in other coalitions to foster competition, or connect the teleportation arrays to the continent, which are currently completely sealed off.”
Well, his argument wasn’t wrong. For them, having multiple coalitions compete would likely be more profitable than a monopoly. And if the Parerin Archipelago—where magical travel was almost entirely blocked—were to connect its teleportation arrays to the continent, it could instantly become the trade hub of the entire archipelago.
“And he wants to manage that himself, doesn’t he?”
Julian gave an awkward smile and nodded slightly at my question. It was a common story. It was only natural for the one who conceived the idea to oversee its implementation, and even if they gained some personal benefit from it, it wasn’t something to harshly condemn.
Still, it was unclear which had come first—his ideals or his ambitions—and which side his true motives leaned toward.
“Even so, the others don’t seem inclined to follow his lead.”
“The people of the Parerin Archipelago don’t easily trust outsiders. Moreover, their near-total blockade of magical travel is an old custom, a means of protection, and a point of pride all at once.”
Most of the Parerin Archipelago’s inhabitants lived and died without ever setting foot on the continent. Naturally, many of them had little interest in or knowledge of the outside world.
This stemmed from the repeated invasions and pillaging by external forces in the distant past, before they had united under the name of the Parerin Archipelago. They had strengthened their bonds for safety and chosen isolationism—and that decision continued without issue to this day.
They had weathered the last great war with relative ease and maintained their limited paradise. There was no reason to change anything.
“So, what do we do now?”
“There’s another island nearby that trades with the coalition—one we weren’t originally planning to visit. It’ll throw off the schedule a bit, but there shouldn’t be any problems there. We’ll just need to make some preparations.”
It would be a bribe. Honestly, the fact that no one had demanded one yet was more surprising.
“If it’s a matter of cost, we can—”
“No. No, Aegina. You don’t need to worry about that. It’s not that significant, really. More importantly, we’ll probably have to depart earlier than planned. Is that all right?”
Julian asked while looking particularly at me. Had the voyage really been so exhausting that he felt the need to be this concerned?
“How much earlier?”
“We were originally scheduled to depart tomorrow morning, but it looks like we’ll need to leave tonight. It’s not that far, but we’ll have to take a detour, so we’ll need to hurry. The sailors will also need some rest.”
I was about to nod and say it was fine when I realized this was an opportunity.
“…You’re right. I’d like to keep my feet on solid ground a little longer, if possible.”
When I showed a hint of difficulty, both Julian and Lowell looked at me with concern.
“Then let’s do this. We’ll take one ship and depart early. Anak, you can stay until tomorrow and join us later with the other two ships. A single ship can depart that much sooner, so it might actually work out better.”
“That’s right, Anak. You should at least get one good night’s sleep.”
Their consideration was so obvious that it made me feel guilty, even though I wasn’t planning anything particularly bad and wasn’t exactly lying.
“Then shall we do that?”
I nodded. I had been wondering how to meet Ropena today anyway—this was an opportunity I hadn’t even considered.
‘Wait. Now that I think about it, if I use the crystal on a moving ship, will I return to the ship later, or will I just appear where the ship was at the time—in midair over the ocean?’
I hadn’t thought that far ahead because of seasickness and worrying about Bagloros and the others. Now that I considered it, it was an incredibly important issue. What if I returned only to plunge straight into the sea?
It wouldn’t have been particularly dangerous, but if someone saw me suddenly appear on the back of a summon while I was supposed to be resting quietly in my room, how would I explain that?
‘Does it fix an absolute coordinate upon activation, or does it recognize and fix any sufficiently large object as a space?’
Someone like Denatel the skeleton would probably be capable of either, but maybe there were functions I could manipulate depending on the situation—functions I simply didn’t know about yet.
I’d have to experiment sometime.
“Then I’ll head back to the ship and let the others know. Let’s have a meal together before we depart.”
Julian told us a few places worth visiting while we waited and recommended a restaurant for later, then headed back toward the harbor. Since the departure was being moved up, he’d need to prepare the sailors again and inform the captains of the schedule change—it would take quite some time.
“So, where should we go first? Want to check out that Golden Garden place over there?”
“……”
“Got it, Bagloros. Let’s buy some food first, then go.”
We spent some time wandering around the city. In that quiet interval, we finally got a brief taste of the leisurely journey we had originally intended when leaving the village.
The place called the Golden Garden was an aerial garden built on the roof of a shelter near the mountainside. Yellow flowers filled the air with a sweet fragrance, and birds of all colors flew down from the mountain to flutter above the blooms. As expected, it had an atmosphere completely different from the gardens on the continent.
“It’s really beautiful.”
“It is. They’re taking excellent care of it. Whoever’s responsible clearly put a lot of thought into it.”
Still, after spending so much time together like this, the atmosphere didn’t feel particularly strange or awkward. Even so, the place had such a romantic ambiance that I occasionally felt like an awkward third wheel among the couples.
Whenever I wondered if I should slip away, Bagloros’s utterly nonchalant demeanor provided a strange sense of psychological stability.
“Bagloros. Give me some of that too.”
I took a few of the snacks we had bought earlier from Bagloros and popped them into my mouth. They were quite tasty. The fried fish snacks in particular were lightly salted and perfectly crispy.
“Did they dry the fish meat and then fry it?”
I hadn’t expected an answer. But—
“They fillet the fish, dry it in the sun for over a day, lightly grill it over charcoal to add flavor, then fry it.”
I wondered if my ears were playing tricks on me, but when I saw Lowell and Aegina staring at him in shock as well, I knew it wasn’t my imagination.
“B-Bagloros, how do you know that?”
“That’s what it tastes like.”
He answered casually and brought another skewer—apparently made from grilled octopus or squid legs—to his mouth.
Lowell, Aegina, and I exchanged silent glances. Bagloros had always displayed strange abilities, but this particular talent hadn’t been among them. Could simply eating a lot of food really develop such a skill?
“Bagloros, would you like to cook with me next time?”
Aegina approached him, her eyes sparkling. It was true—being able to deduce exactly how a dish was made just from its taste was an extraordinary talent for a cook.
“……”
“……”
Lowell and I looked at each other without a word. One person developing that incredible talent in the wrong direction was already more than enough. The thought of two such people was enough to bring tears of despair to one’s eyes.
“Come on, let’s head to the restaurant Senior mentioned instead. Thanks to you two spending so long admiring the flowers, the sun’s already starting to set.”
Once Aegina set her mind to something, there was no stopping her, but this was a topic best postponed for now. If she taught Bagloros how to cook, we would be the ones eating the results, after all.
“Ah, it’s already gotten this late. Still, let’s stop by the waterfall on the way. A tree that sprays water sounds fascinating, doesn’t it?”