WM V4C0720

Volume 4, Part 2, Westward

Chapter 0720 The Skidbladnir

Translator: Jay_Forestieri

Editor: Tseirp

 

One hour after departing Whitnash.

On the deck were the king, relaxing in what looked like adventurer’s clothes, and the premier duke, relaxing in his usual robe.

As a matter of course, they were seated in ice chairs with ice cushions.

As a matter of course, cups of freshly brewed Kona coffee sat on the ice table in front of them.

 

“When I’m like this, it reminds me of the Archipelago Region and the Eastern Countries.”

“Yeah. It does bring back memories.”

At Ryo’s words, Abel nodded.

 

Yes, back then Princess Iliaja had been there.

She would later become queen, but…

 

“Compared to that time, there are a few more guards.”

“Yeah. Just a few.”

In Ryo and Abel’s line of sight were fifty Royal Knight Order members.

As expected, they were not wearing bulky armor, but light leather armor.

The ones called squires attached to knights would not be accompanying them on this trip.

The knights would handle putting on and removing their own armor, and they would take care of all their other duties themselves.

 

That Royal Knight Order seemed to be receiving either an admonition or a briefing on points of caution from their two company captains.

 

“Those two are Zack and Scotty, right?”

“That’s right.”

“They were your school friends, weren’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s kind of sad, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“Just because they’re Abel’s school friends, they’re being dragged all the way out to the Western Countries…”

“It can’t be helped. That’s part of the job.”

“I think blaming everything on work is a little much.”

Ryo shook his head slightly.

 

 

Then an elderly man in red clothing came over to them.

Of course, trailing behind him was a self-propelled coffin.

 

“That smells good.”

“Please have some too, Merlin-san.”

Saying that, Ryo created an ice chair with an ice cushion and an ice cup for Merlin as well, then poured in the coffee left in the French press.

 

“Hoh… this is… delicious, isn’t it?”

“Right? It’s the Kona coffee that the Knightley Kingdom is proud of. It comes from a place called Kona Village in the Kingdom.”

Merlin praised it, and Ryo explained with obvious delight.

 

Ryo knew that Merlin loved coffee.

That was because, when he had visited Merlin’s West Dungeon, he had been served magnificent Dark Continent coffee twice.

It was extremely good.

 

So Ryo was sure he would understand the value of Kona coffee too.

 

 

“I see. If you drink coffee like this all the time, then I can understand the appeal of the Dark Continent coffee I served in the dungeon.”

“Yes, yes. That was a wonderful coffee too, wasn’t it?”

As expected, Merlin seemed to have been thinking the same thing as Ryo.

 

Coffee lovers recognize good coffee no matter where it comes from.

 

And there was one more coffee lover here.

 

“Is Dark Continent coffee maybe coffee from the Dark Continent?”

“That’s right. Even if you don’t go all the way to the Dark Continent, my impression is that it’s already spread fairly widely in the Western Countries.”

“I definitely want Abel to try Dark Continent coffee too.”

Abel asked, Ryo answered, and Merlin recommended.

 

Recommending something good to a fellow enthusiast… that is a common sight in any era, in any world.

It may be proof that human nature is the same regardless of time or place.

 

“There’s one more thing to look forward to about going to the Western Countries, and then beyond to the Dark Continent.”

Abel smiled happily.

 

Even if the trip is for official business, and even if he is visiting another country as the king, there should be room for anticipation.

So he can visit with a smile.

 

 

“Oh, that reminds me, can you speak the Dark Continent language, Ryo?”

“Huh? There’s no way I can.”

“I see. Then you’ll be studying it while we’re on the ship.”

“Eh…”

“Of course, I’m not forcing you, but wouldn’t it be better if you could speak it?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Ryo nodded at Abel’s words.

 

When they had been blown to the Eastern Countries… more precisely, when they had been blown to the Archipelago Region, Ryo and Abel had studied the Eastern Countries’ language aboard the ship traveling from there to the Eastern Countries.

Thanks to that, they had been able to live comfortably in places like Darwei.

 

He had personally experienced how important it was to learn the local language before traveling.

 

“I don’t mind learning it, but who’s going to teach us? I’m pretty sure the chief engineer taught us back then, but… someone among the crew?”

“All of the crew members apparently speak the Dark Continent language perfectly.”

“What the…”

“But they’re busy, so I haven’t asked them to teach.”

“Huh? So I’m self-studying?”

“No, the Royal Knight Order members who can’t speak the Dark Continent language will be studying together too. It’s not just you, Ryo, so relax.”

“Even if you tell me to relax… who’s the teacher?”

“I am.”

Abel answered with a bright smile.

 

 

Thirty full seconds of silence from Ryo.

 

 

After a while, he finally spoke.

“Abel…you can understand the Dark Continent language?”

“Yeah, I can. సంపూర్ణంగా మాట్లాడగలడు.”

“What does the second half mean…?”

“I said I can speak it perfectly.”

“Mm…”

Abel showed off his skill, and Ryo was left speechless.

 

“Well, fine. I’m grateful that I can learn the language of the place we’re going to in advance. Bring it on!”

“I like that enthusiasm. When I said I’d be teaching, Zack and Scotty said the Royal Knight Order guys were fired up too… Better to have enthusiasm than not, I suppose.”

Abel nodded repeatedly.

 

“Oh, so Zack and Scotty will be taking Abel’s classes too?”

“No, they won’t. Those two can speak the Dark Continent language as well.”

“What now…”

“It was a required subject at the Royal Higher Academy.”

“Terrifying… elite education…”

Yes, the two of them were Abel’s school friends.

 

“I was studying it at the royal castle even before I entered the Academy.”

“Imperial education…”

“That’s just how it is.”

“No to educational inequality! Equal access to learning!”

Ryo raised a slogan… but no one followed him.

Of course, Abel only shrugged silently.

 

In any era, in any country, future rulers are absolutely required to learn foreign languages.

That seemed to be true in this world as well.

The Central Countries and the Western Countries speak the same language.

There are differences in dialect and degree, but the differences are barely noticeable.

 

In that case, the ‘foreign language’ would be the Dark Continent language.

There is no exchange at all with the Eastern Countries, after all.

 

“I seem to be late to the starting line, but… I’ll do my best. I’ll see this through!”

Ryo thrust up his fist and declared his resolve.

 

 

However…

 

“But I’ve got something even more immediate to look forward to.”

Ryo said happily.

 

“An immediate thing to look forward to?”

“Yes. The food on this ship!”

Abel tilted his head, and Ryo answered.

 

Yes, this voyage was said to take more than twenty days.

It also served as a sea-route survey, but since the king himself was aboard, they would be retracing the route used when coming from the Western Countries this time.

It was originally a route with little information about the surrounding seas.

Passing through it repeatedly to improve the accuracy of that information was a necessary measure.

 

It had taken twenty-two days to reach the Central Countries from the Western Countries.

Of course, the return trip might take even longer.

 

And when it comes to something to enjoy on a long journey, food is the obvious answer.

 

But His Majesty the King was skeptical.

“Well, I’d be happy if they served good food, sure… but this is a ship, you know? If you include the crew and the accompanying personnel, including the knight order, there are well over a hundred people. Not just that much in ingredients, but even cooking it in the galley would be difficult. They might serve something decent now and then, but won’t the basics be dried meat?”

“T-There is a possibility of that, yes… but in the Archipelago Region they did serve delicious food.”

“Yeah… that was Chef Susie from the Lone Dark, right?”

“As expected of Abel… you remembered perfectly.”

“You remember the names of people who’ve done you a kindness, don’t you?”

“O-of course…”

 

Abel spoke as though it were obvious, and Ryo, who was not especially good at remembering names, agreed while stumbling over his words.

 

Of course, he did try to remember everyone he met.

He did try to. But…

He had remembered Chef Susie, but as for the other crew members… only about ten of them…

 

“Well, fine, the Lone Dark is one thing. But if we’re going on a long journey like that ship, I want the food to be good!”

“You’re free to hope for that.”

“Hope is the energy that keeps people alive!”

“…”

Abel was rendered speechless by Ryo’s fervent speech.

 

Incidentally, Merlin, who had been at the same table the whole time, said nothing while enjoying his coffee.

Regna, who wasn’t even able to enjoy the coffee, said nothing either.

And in the meantime, the crew members working on deck said nothing…

 

Ryo’s impassioned speech continued.

“I’ve become convinced after watching the Skidbladnir’s crew continue to work so orderly.”

“Hm?”

“This ship’s food is delicious.”

“…Is there any connection between those two?”

“Of course.”

Ryo was brimming with confidence.

 

“There aren’t any delicious street stalls out at sea. The crew’s only outlet for stress is delicious meals made in the galley. In other words, if they’re working with such good expressions, it must be because the food served on the ship is delicious.”

A grand claim from Ryo.

 

“But… until yesterday, they were out in the town of Whitnash, weren’t they? Maybe they were in a good mood because they were eating there?”

“Ah…”

Ryo fell silent at Abel’s point.

 

It was true that the ship had been anchored in Whitnash for several weeks, so perhaps they had eaten in Whitnash.

Whitnash was a large port city, after all, so the food was delicious…

 

“E-even so. “E-even so. If the food on a ship isn’t good, then thinking about meals for the dozens of days ahead should make the crew’s faces even darker. But their expressions are bright.”

“So you’re saying that means this ship must serve good food.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Well, I do hope that’s the case too.”

 

Ryo nodded with confidence again, and Abel accepted it since there was no reason to deny him.

They would find out by evening anyway.

 

 

The Skidbladnir was a trading ship.

It had been designed and built with trade between the Western Countries and the Dark Continent in mind.

Its speed was astonishingly fast.

Because of that, it had also been intended not only for pure commerce, but for government leaders and other high officials to travel between continents… that sort of use was also envisioned.

 

That was why there was a VIP cabin at the stern.

Separate from the captain’s cabin.

That was extremely rare.

 

“Abel has occupied that precious VIP cabin as though it were his own.”

“No, no matter how you look at it, if I’m the king, I’m the only one who can use it.”

In that VIP cabin, the premier duke was pointing out the problem, and the king was insisting that the complaint itself was strange.

 

“On a ship, everyone is equal. His Majesty the King and an apprentice sailor are all equally just one human being!”

“…If I weren’t using it, then who would use the VIP cabin?”

“Uhh… someone else important…”

“Then it would be Ryo, the premier duke.”

“I-I don’t need it!”

Ryo showed a strong rejection.

 

Ryo was bad with that kind of strange special treatment.

Even though he was the sort who would demand a once-a-month cake privilege.

 

“Besides, isn’t it weird that you’re talking about some other important person? On a ship, everyone is equal, right?”

“Grrr…”

Abel pushed back with common sense, and Ryo was overwhelmed.

 

From the start, it was an unreasonable line of argument.

 

“It can’t be helped. I’ll allow Abel to use it. But if you are going to use it, then do your work properly.”

“Do you know, Ryo? It seems that special meals are sometimes served to me, you, and Captain Paulina at that table in the VIP cabin.”

“Why didn’t you say that sooner! Long live privileges! I, Duke Rondo, am King Abel’s number one loyal vassal!”

Ryo instantly reversed himself.

 

He did not know what the ‘special meal’ was, nor how often it would be served, but there was no way kingly food would be bad.

Yes, being close to an important person means getting to eat good food… a common denominator that applies in many worlds, in many eras.

Sometimes there are important people who end up with bland meals because the tasting is taken too far, or because they are excessively worried about health… but that is not the case in the Knightley Kingdom.

 

 

While the two of them were having that conversation, Captain Paulina entered the VIP cabin with a man in tow.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. Allow me to introduce Kobatch, the chef in charge aboard this ship.”

 

The chef, Kobatch, introduced by Captain Paulina, bowed his head.

He had a large body and a round, plump face.

He seemed quite nervous, but also very good-natured.

“P-pleased to meet you.”

“Chef, I’m counting on you to make something delicious.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Leave it to me!”

When Abel spoke to him, Kobatch’s face lit up, and he answered energetically.

 

 

Saying that he would finish preparing the food and bring it over, Captain Paulina and Chef Kobatch withdrew for the moment.

 

And then came the conversation between the king and the premier duke, left alone together.

Of course, the topic was Kobatch.

Because the chef, at a glance…

 

“He looked like he could make good food.”

“He somehow reminds me of the chef at the Rune Adventurer’s Guild.”

Abel and Ryo were in complete agreement.

 

The kitchen at the Rune Adventurer’s Guild served food that was cheap, plentiful, and above all, delicious.

The chef who ran that kitchen was a large former adventurer, and he always seemed to be cooking with a smile on his face.

 

“He was nervous just now, but he had such a wonderful smile at the end.”

“He’s probably confident in his ability to make delicious food.”

“This gives me high expectations.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Both Ryo and Abel decided to look forward to the meal.

 

 

Ten minutes later.

Captain Paulina, who would be sitting with them, took her seat at the table, and soon Chef Kobatch came back in.

 

“Today, as the first day commemorating His Majesty’s departure for the Western Countries, I would like to serve a traditional dish known to every person in the Western Countries… and said to be the most delicious of all, ‘New-sama’s dish’.”

“Oh, that sounds promising.”

“New-sama’s dish?”

Chef Kobatch explained with a happy expression, Abel looked eager, and Ryo tilted his head.

 

Yes, the reason Ryo tilted his head was that it sounded familiar from somewhere.

And what came out was…

 

“Karaage!”

The correct answer burst from Ryo’s mouth before he could stop it.

 

“Duke Rondo, you know karaage?”

Chef Kobatch beamed.

 

Ryo could only keep nodding over and over again without saying a word.

Yes, again and again and again.

 

Ryo had eaten it back in the city of Zephyros, west of the Holy Capital Marlomar.

He had ordered it because, if he remembered correctly, the menu board said ‘Karaage Set Meal’…and then it had arrived.

 

It was unmistakably fried chicken.

 

And now, what was arranged on the table in front of him was… a mountain of fried chicken on a large platter!

 

 

“This looks delicious.”

Abel nodded.

 

“Please, Your Majesty, help yourself.”

“It is traditional to take as much karaage as you like from the large platter and eat it freely.”

Chef Kobatch said, and Captain Paulina explained.

 

“Understood. Then just one…”

Saying that, Abel boldly speared one with a fork and brought it straight to his mouth.

 

He ate like an adventurer more than a king.

 

Once it was in his mouth, it must have been hot, because he was puffing and blowing, but his eyes widened at the burst of juices filling his mouth.

Even from the outside, it was obvious how delicious it was!

 

“This is delicious!”

After swallowing the karaage in his mouth, Abel praised it highly.

 

“Thank you very much!”

Chef Kobatch was all smiles.

 

Paulina said nothing, but she was smiling and nodding again and again.

 

As the captain, it would be a lie to say she had not been worried.

She was about to guide the king of the Knightley Kingdom, a great power among the Central Countries, into the Western Countries… the king who was even called the Hero King at such a young age.

Just being on a ship would already make things inconvenient for him.

Of course, she knew that people in high positions tended to get irritable in such environments.

 

But all of that could be shut down with, “We are on a ship”.

On a ship, even a king obeys the captain’s words… that is the tradition of the sea.

 

The most effective way to improve that kind of tension is with delicious food.

This is an unchanging truth from ancient times to the present, in every place: as long as one is human, it does not change.

 

But this time, there was a problem there.

 

 

A king of the Central Countries being hosted by people from the Western Countries…

 

 

The question of whether a king of the Central Countries would approve of the taste of the Western Countries.

That was not something they could know without trying.

 

Ever since the Skidbladnir’s rigging had been completed and she had put to sea over the past half year or more, Chef Kobatch had been filling the crew’s stomachs.

Even Captain Paulina, who prided herself on having tasted many of the Western Countries’ delicacies, had to give his food the highest praise.

 

Yes, whatever he cooked was incredibly delicious!

 

That was why they had complete confidence in Chef Kobatch’s skill.

 

And yet… whether he could satisfy the tongue of a king from the Central Countries was something they would only know by trying.

 

 

The result was… perfect.

 

 

“Oh, this really is delicious…”

And then the premier duke began eating as well.

 

His eyes were closed, and he really did look delighted.

 

Seeing that, Paulina became certain.

Chef Kobatch’s skill was enough to satisfy even the kings and nobles of the Central Countries.

 

 

On the very first day of departure, Captain Paulina’s great worry vanished.

 

 

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