Chapter 494: Deception
“This is troublesome, customer. Brown is troublesome.”
Muttering meaningless words in my head, I gaze at the people in the port. Brown hair sun-kissed by the sea breeze, brown skin tanned by the sun, and upon closer inspection, brown, friendly eyes on a stern face. Their clothes are brown too—so which one is it!?
‘Which person specifically?’
I try to identify the brown person.
‘It’s that one~’
The Spirit points energetically at the edge of a ship above us.
“Meow.”
A tiger cat—no, not a person, not a person at all!?
Ahead of me, a slender cat is lounging gracefully on the edge of the ship.
Um, is this for dealing with ship rats and ensuring a safe voyage? No, wait, is the safe voyage thing about a male calico cat from a Japanese story? No, no, that’s not it.
‘Please, a human.’
Wait, if I can’t identify a person, saying “human” doesn’t work either. I’m getting confused here.
‘It’s a person~? Their name is Captain!’
‘…’
I turn to look at the cat for a moment.
Could it be that they’ve been cursed and transformed? What should I do? A human or a cat named Captain?
Ugh! If I had known this would happen, I should have brought Soleil or Retze along…!
Ah, but if this cat is the captain of the ship, that might be fine? They’re not just managing their own fleet—there’s a ship with cats, another ship under repair, and the same flag is raised on all of them—they’re also supplying wood to other fleets. This ship might have suffered the most damage, and they could be earning money by providing resources.
And if the crew follows the cat’s orders, then this Captain must be quite trusted, right? I don’t have any other information, so maybe I should follow the Spirit’s recommendation.
“Um, Captain?”
I call out hesitantly. Nice fur you have there?
“…”
The cat looks up and meets my gaze.
A cat, huh? What a fierce expression!
“How did you know I was the captain? Did the Spirit tell you?”
A surprisingly deep voice responds!!!
“Yes, I heard it from the Spirit.”
If they can see me, there’s no need to hide it. We’re about to negotiate, after all; it’s better to keep deception to a minimum.
“You’re honest, and you show no signs of agitation. What do you want?”
Well, I am agitated! It’s a cat, after all.
“I’m Soleil. You have a ship but no wheat, is that correct?”
“…Correct.”
The cat frowns.
Once the conversation starts, a man stands behind the cat. A burly fellow, he keeps both the cat and me in his line of sight, standing at attention.
“I’ve acquired Mail Wheat, but I have no ship. Would you be willing to transport me to the Naruadeid Trading Company if I pay the fare?”
“Better than returning on an empty ship. I might accept, depending on the conditions.”
No strange bargaining, and the conversation is moving quickly—thank goodness, even if it’s with a cat. If this cat is the captain, then that’s good enough for me.
“Come aboard.”
The cat gestures with a flick of its chin and turns away.
Following its lead, I climb the rope ladder onto the ship’s deck. The ladder is unstable, wobbling this way and that. I guess I’m just not good at balancing.
Once on the deck, the burly man silently leads the way. The cat waits by the door. When the man opens it, the cat slips inside.
They should really install a cat door.
Inside, at the back of the helm, is a room—probably the captain’s quarters, and beyond that, a bedroom. In the room, a woman lies sprawled out.
“Ask the Spirit to alleviate her scurvy. That’s the condition.”
The cat speaks in an even lower voice.
“Well, can’t you just eat limes to cure that?”
Where did that come from? It shouldn’t take long to get here from the port of Es, right? Is she averse to vegetables? Scurvy is caused by a vitamin deficiency, right? I’ve heard that northern folk keep pickled cabbage on their ships.
“Can it… be cured?”
The cat looks surprised. Is the information in this world so skewed?
Perhaps if they don’t embark on long voyages into the open sea, they wouldn’t need that knowledge? Oh, but the drought has made vegetables scarce around the inland continent. Maybe they avoided the expensive ones even at the port? I think pork can provide vitamins too, but pigs need a lot of greens, so they must be expensive right now.
If it’s just a matter of preference, then it’s time for some educational guidance.
“It can be cured. It looks severe, so I’ll ask for a bit of recovery, but it’s a disease caused by a lack of essential nutrients, so feed her limes, lemons, or cabbage. Also, I’ll need to check if the Spirit can use Healing.”
The Spirit can use Healing, but I should ask the Spirit. It’s uncertain if they can hear me, but they seem to see the cat. The ones who can see are likely more reliable, and since I was speaking without sound, the Spirit probably heard me.
“Ah, could you open a window to make it easier for the Spirit to enter?”
They can pass through walls, but some Spirits have followed me by slipping through walls.
Still, it’s better if there’s good airflow. Some Spirits prefer damp, shady spots, but if I’m hoping for healing power, then…
The burly man opens the window, and a few Spirits that had been observing cautiously enter the room.
‘Is there anyone here who can heal this person?’
‘Hmm… I can do a little?’
‘I can’t heal, but I can make her feel better~’
The Spirits that step forward approach me.
‘Can I ask you to do it? I’ll give you this.’
I offer a small Magic Stone infused with my Magic Power.
Just in case, I’m using the Magic Stone as insurance. Am I managing to deceive them?