Episode 17: Interlude (A Certain Merchant Guildmaster)
“Guildmaster! We’ve got a ship entering the harbor that I’ve never seen before!”
“…What did you say?”
I almost snapped at the impudent subordinate who’d burst in, but I swallowed the words at the last moment. A ship I’ve never seen before? In this climate, someone’s sending a trade ship? Or is it an enemy vessel?
“How many?”
“Just one, sir! But it’s got these huge cannon-like things mounted on it!”
Cannons, huh? Even trade ships sometimes carry cannons for self-defense. But this guy’s been working in this port for years. I can’t imagine he’d get worked up over something like cannons. It must be a truly unusual ship that’s arrived.
“Understood. I’ll go take a look.”
“That’s a relief, sir! We can’t handle this with just the low-level grunts!”
Heading towards the harbor, I was able to confirm the ship almost immediately.
It was a dazzlingly beautiful ship, painted pure white. Sure enough, it had one massive cannon mounted on the bow and another on the stern, longer than any I’d ever seen. But what stood out most were the circular structures protruding from both sides of the stern.
“I’ve never seen anything like it… Could it be one of those rumored magic-powered ships?”
“Ah. Probably a magic-powered paddle steamer. I only saw one once, a long time ago, at the port of Uryabak…”
It was a massive ship that moved by turning waterwheels, without using sails. It was equipped with over 100 cannons, the largest ship-of-the-line in the Uryabak port city.
In terms of size alone, the ship before me was certainly smaller, but its presence was far more imposing than any ordinary sailing ship.
“This is the real deal…”
I swallowed hard. The white ship, having dropped anchor a short distance away, was in the process of launching a cutter. A few people climbed aboard, using oars to approach the pier.
“Hey, get out of the way! The Guildmaster’s coming through!”
“If you all crowd around like that, they won’t be able to land! Oi, scatter!”
My subordinates were dispersing the men who had gathered on the pier. They’re foul-mouthed, but they’re quick on the uptake.
“…Guildmaster, can you see them?”
“Yeah… A woman, huh?”
As the cutter drew closer, I could make out the figures of the crew. But something felt off. Their hair was long, like women, and styled strangely. It was as if they had animal ears attached to their heads…
“Guildmaster, I thought it was just a tall tale, but…”
“I remember now, too. Rumors of barbarians with animal ears growing from their heads…”
“…They don’t exactly look like barbarians, do they?”
“No. We’d be in for a world of hurt if we underestimated them. Hey, you lot, tell the men to keep their hands to themselves. Absolutely no funny business.”
I sent instructions to those around me. They’re not the kind of people you can threaten. Especially if they’re as beautiful as they look.
Normally, women don’t travel on merchant ships. I don’t believe in the superstition that women on board bring bad luck, but women always cause trouble. If you absolutely have to bring them, they’re either prostitutes or slaves. Even then, they’ll probably be fought over. The fact that only women are landing here suggests that there might be no men on that ship. I can’t imagine a ship without men, though.
It would be a mistake to underestimate them just because they’re women. It’s best to treat them as fellow sailors.
“Guildmaster, I’ve told them, but honestly, I don’t know if it’ll be enough to stop them…”
“…As long as we have proof that we warned them, that’s good enough for now. If they do anything, it gives us an excuse to crush them.”
“Aye.”
I want to avoid trouble as much as possible. I don’t know why they’ve come to this port, but whether it’s for trade or resupply, I hope they’ll become good business partners.
Frankly, the current situation is a slow decline. There are hardly any safe trading partners left, and everyone around us is a potential enemy. We’re barely maintaining neutrality through trades of food and salt. Maybe that ship can change this situation.
“…They’re here.”
The guide waved his arms wildly, directing them to our pier. They waved back. At least we can communicate through gestures.
“Do you think they speak our language?”
“Who knows? It’s rare these days, but in the old days, ships used to come 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 behind her, I could see something flickering… could it be a tail?
“This way! Good, that’s it! Throw the rope! Do you understand? Rope!”
The guide led them close to the ladder attached to the pier and held up the mooring rope.
“Okay! Rope, take!”
One of the women on the cutter shouted back. Her pronunciation was a bit off, but she seemed to understand our language to some extent. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief, knowing that we could at least communicate a little.
“It seems we can exchange information.”
“Yeah. Alright, I’ll go. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Aye!”
The three women nimbly climbed the ladder and stepped onto the pier. Their movements were surprisingly light. They seemed more agile than most sailors.
“…Welcome to the port city of Telek. We welcome you.”
“Welcome… Thank you, do.”
They understood our language. They were polite, as their appearance suggested. I offered my hand, and she responded with a handshake. I was taken aback by how soft her hand was. It didn’t feel like the hand of someone who had crossed the sea. Normally, it would be much rougher.
You could even say it was as delicate as a white lily.
However, the strength of her grip was considerable.
“I am Kulavia Telek, the one who manages the merchant guild in this port.”
“I am Zwei Ringo. Sorry, before, don’t know. Port? Guild? Position?”
“Ah… Excuse me. Chief, do you understand?”
“Chief. Understand. Thank you, specially. I am ship’s chief.”
The woman who introduced herself, she’s the captain, which surprised me a little. It seems the captain has come ashore in a port she’s visiting for the first time. Is she brave, reckless, or just confident?
“It’s not good to talk standing up. Why don’t we sit down and talk? I can prepare a room.”
“Room. Understand. Okay.”
“Then, this way… Hey, prepare it!”
“Aye!”
Confirming that the captain had nodded, I started walking, being mindful of my escorting duties. Good, she’s following me obediently. I probably don’t need to use the formalities reserved for nobles, but…
“Guildmaster, I’ve had them prepare the number 3 conference room!”
“Understood.”
Room number 3 is a room for entertaining honored guests. Its structure allows for the deployment of guards, making it perfect for this kind of discussion. Speaking of guards, are the two women behind the captain her bodyguards?
I checked the captain’s attire as she walked beside me.
She had a cloth wrapped around her head, probably to shield her from the sun. She wore a well-sewn long-sleeved shirt and trousers. Her boots were sturdy. She had a cutlass, a sword with a curved blade, hanging at her waist. It seemed she wielded the sword with her left hand. And what caught my attention 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 before.
There was no particular conversation along the way as I led them to the conference room. Her language wasn’t perfect, and small talk was difficult.
“Well then… Once again, I welcome you. Welcome to the port city of Telek.”
“Thank you, welcome.”
We faced each other on the sofa. Of the three, only the captain sat down. As I thought, the other two are guards. They’re standing behind the sofa. Perhaps they’re countering our guards.
“Things have been rather turbulent lately, but you’ve managed to come all this way.”
“…Turbulent, is?”
“Ah… Dangerous, that’s what it means.”
The captain nodded in response. She seemed to understand the word dangerous.
“Turbulent, was. We, offshore, came.”
Offshore, huh? Well, with that paddle steamer, they wouldn’t need to get close to pirate-infested port towns. Even if they were chased by ships, repelling them would be easy if those cannons weren’t just for show. In this area, ballistae are still the main force.
“I see. So, why have you come to this port?”
“…Trade, want.”