“Onii-sama, this is the ship we prepared to put in the water. Actually, we have put it in the water many times and have confirmed it is very safe before deciding to let you play with it. Of course, it is also to test how it performs on a long journey.”
Freya and I stood at the port. Eyes on the ship, she elaborated, “Naturally, in the future, this ship will be a warship. It is Lorana’s new work. She used mana-powered machinery to operate it. That way, we will be able to use as little manpower as possible to operate this huge warship. It is also very fast. With this warship, we can be considered the leaders of warships.”
“Since it’s powered with mana, there’s no need to use wood to build the frame. I think we can use metal, instead.”
“Metal? Miss Lorana had the idea, as well. However, she did not proceed with it, so use this ship for now. This ship has been modified a lot. It is very spacious, but is not equipped with many weapons. If you run into pirates or the sort, I hope you can leave it to the navy behind you to handle. Logically, please do not separate too far away from the navy guarding you. Needless to say, if you want to enjoy something more exciting, you can go and start a fight with a pirate ship. I think Royal Princess Nier would be very happy to.”
“No… I don’t plan to do something so crazy. Also, are there actually pirates out at sea? Humanity doesn’t have many routes leading to the sea, so why would there be pirates?”
Elves didn’t have a seaport, so they definitely wouldn’t be pirates. Humanity didn’t have many seaports. In the vicinity of the empire, Castor was the only city with a seaport, and there were no sea exports, so why would pirates exist in humanity’s domain? What would they rob, fishing boats? Boats at sea didn’t carry much money, and Castor had a navy. If there were pirates, they were eighty percent likely to be Castor’s people. The pirates didn’t even have anywhere to hide, so they couldn’t prosper.
I reasoned, “If there are pirates, then they would only prosper once there’s a flourishing market overseas, after discovering a new continent, right? There shouldn’t be any pirates now, right…?”
“Although logically speaking there should be no place for pirates to come about, Onii-sama, there are indeed records of pirates existing, and there are reports of them monthly. It is just that they are not powerful, nor have they stolen anything worth money. There was nothing they did not steal. They occasionally come to shore, resembling starving beggars,” explained Freya, smiling. “That is why you have a navy to guard you this time. You will not have many with you, though. There will only be a total of three warships, so you do not need to worry about being awkward. Besides the crew, the rest will be maids and servants. Hence, you do not need to worry about your wives… Ah, I do not think anybody would dare to harbour crooked agendas for Royal Princess Nier and Imperial Princess Lucia.”
I nodded, and then wrapped my cape around me. The sea breeze still chilled my bones despite the weather still being warm.
The port was below the Imperial City. It was a port at a small fishing village. Due to it being the port closest to the Imperial City and located in a decent position, we purchased it with plans to establish a navy base. The North and humanity’s empire differed. The goods in the North were exported via sea route. Consequently, a navy was mandatory. Our plan was to form a powerful navy in twenty years. It appear to be a difficult task based on the fact that we had mana-powered machines.
“Onii-sama, I feel a little bit cold now. If you do not have a problem with the ship, let us get going.”
Freya couldn’t handle the chill anymore, either. Her lips were purple due to the breeze. I rubbed her head and replied, “Let’s head back, then. Let’s go back to the village for a hot drink. Honestly, it’s summer, yet it’s not warm in the least here.”
The navy chief who followed us the entire time swiftly replied, “That is because a storm should be coming soon. The breeze from the sea is especially cold because of the storm.”
I lingered for a moment then turned to him: “Storm?”
“Ah, that is right. There will be a storm coming from the sea, so we will need to prepare for a hurricane soon. It will be extremely cold when there is a storm. It is the same as snowfall in winter. The usual weather is quite nice, but this storm is lowering the temperature. Your Majesty, we have prepared hot drinks for you.”
The chief courteously handed us three simple cups. Inside was a specialty of the North, and a drink the masses enjoyed. The taste is somewhat similar to coffee, but a bit more soothing. It was made by grinding a berry growing on trees. Freya and I quickly grabbed a cup each. We let out a soothing sigh of cold air once we were able to hold a warm drink in our hands.
Tanya poked her head over just as I had a sip. She snatched my cup from me and had a sip. After a moment of waiting, she handed the cup back to me and said, “Your Majesty, please allow me to have a sip first before you drink next time. Otherwise, you might be in danger. Mm, so, this is for you. I shall take your cup.”
Freya angrily looked at Tanya, who was standing there softly humming a tune, and loudly reproached her: “Wh-?! You’re pushing it! What right do you have to take Onii-sama’s drink?!! Furthermore, Onii-sama drank from it! You’re going overboard!”
“That’s because I’m His Majesty’s bodyguard. I have a duty to protect him. Would you be able to take responsibility if His Majesty suffers a liability? Shouldn’t a bodyguard test the drink first in case it is poisoned?”
“Umm… I swear I did not poison the drinks…”
The person in charge standing to the side quivered. He was afraid that the two girls were arguing over suspicions he poisoned the drinks. I smiled and gave him a few pats on his shoulder: “It’s all right. It’s all right. I trust you. It’s all right. The two of them often argue. It’s not because of you. You did very well. Quickly prepare for the rain. We won’t interrupt your work.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty… Thank you for understanding, Your Majesty.”
I turned around and climbed onto the horse carriage. Only then did the two girls end their quarrel. Freya still looked dissatisfied and enraged. She sat next to me and hugged my arms. She angrily looked behind her despite not being able to see Tanya at the rear. I touched her head with a smile: “You don’t need to be angry, Freya. Tanya wasn’t wrong.”
Freya fumed, “Onii-sama, you are too lenient with Tanya! That was clearly impolite of her!! How can you thoughtlessly let somebody else have a drink you had, let alone letting her snatch it from you?! Onii-sama, you must discipline her!”
“Okay, okay. I consider Tanya my younger sister. I’m very consoled to have my sister snatch her brother’s cup for a drink. She’s a sister, after all. Of course, if you were the one who snatched my cup, I’d be very happy, too. Freya, we’ll be heading out to the ocean in a few days’ time. You and Tanya will be the only ones in the palace, so you need to get along with each other. I don’t want to come back to find you two have torn my palace down.”
Freya snorted then folded her arms and put one leg over the other. She pouted: “Hmph! I cannot promise you that! You have been much colder to me after you had Tanya! Now you want me to get along with that vixen? I cannot do it!!”
Afterwards…
I spent a long time soothing Freya, before going to sooth a somewhat jealous Tanya… I swear soothing my two sisters was tougher than soothing my moms and wives…
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