“Chairman! We’ve got a ship coming in that I’ve never seen before!”
“…What did you say?”
I almost scolded the impudent subordinate who suddenly rushed in, but stopped myself just in time. A ship I’ve never seen before? In this situation, has someone sent a trading ship? Or is it an enemy ship?
“How many?”
“Just one! But it’s carrying huge cannons!”
Cannons, huh. Even trading ships sometimes carry cannons for self-defense. But this guy has been working at this port for years. I can’t imagine him getting worked up over just cannons. A very unusual ship must have come in.
“Understood. I’ll go.”
“That’s a big help! We can’t handle it with just the lower ranks on site!”
Heading to the port, I was able to confirm the ship immediately.
It was a dazzlingly beautiful ship, painted pure white. Sure enough, it had one very large, unprecedentedly long cannon mounted at the bow and one at the stern. But what stood out most were the circular structures protruding from both sides of the rear.
“I’ve never seen one before… Could that be one of those rumored Magic Warships?”
“Ah. Probably a Magic Paddle Steamer. I only saw one once myself, at the port of Uryabak…”
It was a massive ship that moved by turning a water wheel, without raising sails. Equipped with over 100 cannons, it was the largest ship-of-the-line in Uryabak Port City.
In terms of size alone, the ship in front of me was certainly smaller, but its presence was incomparable to any ordinary sailing ship.
“This is the real deal…”
I swallowed hard. The white ship, having dropped anchor a short distance away, was just launching a cutter. Several people boarded, using oars to approach the pier.
“Hey, get out of the way! The chairman’s coming through!”
“If you all gather like that, they won’t be able to land! Scatter, scatter!”
My subordinates dispersed the men who had gathered on the pier. They’re foul-mouthed, but they’re quick on the uptake.
“…Chairman, can you see them?”
“Yeah… A woman, huh?”
As the cutter approached, I could make out the figures of the crew. But something seemed off. Their hair was long, like women, and they had strange hairstyles. It looked like they had beast ears on their heads…
“Chairman, I thought it was just a tall tale, but…”
“I remember now too. Rumors of barbarians with beast ears on their heads…”
“…They don’t really look like barbarians, do they…”
“Yeah. It would be painful to underestimate them. Hey, you guys, tell the men to be careful. Don’t let them lay a hand on them, no matter what.”
I sent instructions to those around me. They’re definitely not people you can threaten. Especially if they’re beautiful women, as they appear to be.
Normally, women don’t ride on merchant ships. I don’t believe in the superstition that women on board cause ships to sink, but women always cause trouble. If you absolutely have to bring them, they’re either prostitutes or slaves. Even then, they’ll probably fight over them. If only women are landing here, it might mean that there are only women on that ship. I can’t imagine a ship without men, though.
It would be bad to underestimate them just because they’re women. It’s best to treat them as fellow sailors.
“Chairman. I’ve told them, but honestly, I don’t know if it will stop them…”
“…Having the fact that we warned them is good enough for now. If they do anything, it will give us an excuse to crush them.”
“Yes, sir.”
I want to avoid trouble as much as possible. I don’t know what their purpose is for entering this port, but whether it’s for trade or resupply, I hope they can become good business partners.
Frankly, the current situation is a slow decline. There are hardly any safe trading partners, and the surroundings are full of potential enemies. We’re barely maintaining neutrality with food and ＜Salt＞ trading. Maybe that ship can change this situation.
“…They’re here.”
The guide waved his hand wildly, directing them to our pier. They waved back. At least, we can communicate with gestures.
“I wonder if we can understand their language.”
“Who knows. It’s rare these days, but in the past, people came from countries with completely different languages…”
The pure white cutter approached the pier. There were three people on board, and they all appeared to be women. I could clearly see the triangular ears on their heads. One of them was standing, and what was flickering behind her was, could it be, a tail?
“This way! Good, that’s it! Throw the rope!! Do you understand? Rope!”
The guide had them come close to the ladder installed on the pier, and held up a rope for mooring.
“Okay! Rope, take!”
One of the women on the cutter replied in a loud voice. Her pronunciation was concerning, but it seemed she understood our language to some extent. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief, as it seemed we could communicate at least a little.
“It looks like we can exchange information.”
“Yeah. Alright, I’ll go. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Yes, sir!”
The three women smoothly climbed the ladder and stepped onto the pier. Their movements were quite light. They seemed more agile than the average sailor.
“…Welcome to Telek Port City. We welcome you.”
“Welcome… Thank you, do.”
They understood our language. They were polite, as they appeared to be. I offered my hand, and she responded with a handshake. I was startled by how much softer her palm was than I expected. It didn’t feel like the hand of someone who had crossed the sea. Normally, it should be much rougher.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a hand as delicate as a silkworm.
However, the force with which she gripped back was quite strong.
“I am Kullavia Telek, the one who manages the merchant association of this port.”
“I am Zwei Ringo. Sorry, before, don’t know. Port? Merchant association? Position?”
“Ah… I’m sorry. Can you understand ‘chief’?”
“Chief. Understand. Thank you for trouble. I am ship’s chief.”
The woman who introduced herself, she was the captain, which surprised me a little. Apparently, the captain had come ashore right away at a port they had never visited before. Was she brave, reckless, or just confident?
“It’s not good to talk standing up. Why don’t we talk while sitting down? I can prepare a room.”
“Room. Understand. Okay.”
“Then, this way… Hey, prepare it!”
“Yes, sir!”
Confirming that the captain had nodded, I started walking, conscious of escorting her. Well, I probably don’t need to use the etiquette for treating a noble…
“Chairman, I’ll have them prepare the number 3 conference room!”
“Understood.”
Room number 3 is a room for entertaining VIPs. It’s structured so that guards can be stationed, so it’s perfect for this kind of discussion. Speaking of guards, are the two women behind the captain her guards?
I checked the captain’s attire as she walked beside me.
She had a cloth wrapped around her head, probably to protect her from the sun. Her jacket was a well-sewn long-sleeved shirt, and she wore pants on the bottom. Her shoes were sturdy boots. She wore a cutlass, a sword with a curved blade, at her waist. It seemed she handled the sword with her left hand. And what I was curious about was the mysterious tool hanging on her right side. It was a combination of metal rods and grips, probably a weapon. It reminded me of a weapon called a gun that I had seen somewhere in the past.
There was no particular conversation along the way, and I guided her to the conference room. Her language wasn’t perfect, and small talk was difficult.
“Well… Once again, I am pleased to meet you. Welcome to Telek Port City.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
We faced each other on the sofa. Of the three, only the captain sat down. As I thought, the other two were guards. They were standing behind the sofa. Perhaps they were countering us, since we also had guards standing.
“Things have been quite turbulent lately, but you’ve come all this way.”
“…Turbulent, is?”
“Ah… It means dangerous.”
The captain nodded in response. It seemed she understood the word dangerous.
“Turbulent, was. We, offshore, went around.”
Offshore, huh. Well, certainly, that Paddle Steamer wouldn’t need to approach any port towns that were like pirate dens. Even if they were chased by ships, repelling them would be easy if those cannons weren’t just for show. In this area, ＜Ballista＞ are still the main force.
“I see. So, why did you come to this port?”
“…Trade, want.”