“...Should I really just smash this smartwatch?”
The smartwatch that had previously informed me of the end of the World Quest named ‘Etius’.
Since then, there hadn’t been a single notification about the Main Quest or World Quests.
‘So in the end, it was predetermined that I would head to Agoris.’
I had thought about it before.
If the World Quest was over, shouldn’t I be moving on to the next ‘World’?
It was just that the one moving on to the next World was also me.
Until then, from the smartwatch’s perspective, the path I had walked was nothing more than ‘waiting time’. Stopping the devils, bringing Lily and the devils under my command, being expelled from the Empire, all of it.
I’m about to leave the Falind continent. This notification popped up as I was heading to Agoris.
So, is Etius Falind? Why is the name different?
‘Is Etius the old name for Falind? Or…’
The smartwatch, rather than helping me, was starting to confuse me.
Of course, regardless of what was going on in my head, the ship slowly began to move, setting sail.
As I had roughly expected when we set sail,
The journey was doomed from the start.
The rain grew heavier as the ship progressed, bringing waves along with the wind, and they began a jarring symphony.
The ocean waves lifted the ship high up and then slammed it down to the bottom, and the wind, waves, and rain crept in between the falling ship as if they had something buried there.
My surroundings were dizzying, the ship’s direction was completely unknown, and I was experiencing an unprecedented situation.
Still, it was okay up to that point.
As if anticipating this, Arald had made some preparations.
“This ship will definitely head west no matter what. There’s no chance of getting lost.”
Arald said proudly, showing me an artifact.
“This, if I may say so, is based on magnetism. Actually, you see, this land has magnetism, so any floating object made of metal will always point in a certain direction– excuse me, that was too complicated. Simply put, the direction indicated here is always constant, so…”
“The red painted side is north?”
“...! Yes, yes, that’s correct.”
“Good. It’s easy to understand. It’s designed to maintain its horizontal position, right?”
“...!Th-that’s right.”
What Arald showed me was, of course, a compass.
Come to think of it, in my previous world, the compass was invented for navigation.
In this world, there was little need to navigate the sea, so perhaps the concept of a compass came late.
‘There are cars, Wizard view, and Constel’s training room even has holograms, yet there are no compasses?’
Well, in a world with magic, it’s strange to think of ‘holograms’ as advanced technology. In this world, the compass might actually be the more advanced technology.
Arald’s ability to read the situation and develop a compass is impressive, but unfortunately, it’s already a familiar item to me, so I’m not particularly impressed.
Moreover, it’s a bit embarrassing because Arald is looking at me with sparkling eyes as if I’m amazing.
Anyway, thanks to Arald’s compass, this ship will definitely head west. It’s a compass I know, plus it seems to have some magical device attached to it, so there’s no room for confusion.
“This ship won’t capsize.”
Before boarding this ship, Quinie proudly told me.
“Yeah. It might break, but it won’t capsize*.” [T/N: to turn over in the water]
“...That’s the spirit of indomitability.”
And Quinie enthusiastically explained the principles of the ship to me.
...Honestly, Quinie’s explanation wasn’t much different from what I already knew about why ships don’t easily capsize.
However, this one also had considerable magical devices installed, so it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this ship really wouldn’t capsize. No matter what happened.
Of course, if it broke to the point where it was as good as capsized, it would be a meaningless statement, but its durability was also solid.
‘If this ship were to split in half and only one side capsized, would that be considered capsizing or not...’
Suddenly, a strange paradox came to mind, and I indulged in pointless thoughts.
Anyway, with these two safeguards in place, I wasn’t too worried about the waves or the rain.
Saying the ship was sturdy wasn’t just empty words; it was ridiculously sturdy, to the point where even when hit by considerable waves, it didn’t even creak. Honestly, it didn’t seem like it was made of wood.
Next, I was worried about the people’s condition, but devils like Lily and Arald didn’t get seasick in the first place, Selena’s training involved movements that were even more dizzying than this, and although Elodie wasn’t immune to seasickness, she had healing magic and could just float in the air.
Mei also seemed immune, and the rocking waves were actually relieving her boredom.
And in my case, I was also quite resistant to seasickness, and like Elodie, I had many ways to cope.
So really, there was no problem up to that point.
“Captain! We have a big problem!”
Until one of the devils approached me and shouted.
“I told you, I’m not the captain.”
I sighed and replied. For some reason, everyone had been calling me captain since boarding this ship.
Elodie, finding it amusing, started calling me captain as well, and it had somehow become my official title while on this ship.
As expected, the devil ignored my retort and continued with what he had to say.
“We found a stowaway.”
My expression hardened at those words.
There’s a stowaway on this ship? Could it be someone sent from the Imperial Palace?
‘Right. Even if they can’t engage in a full-scale battle, they could try to sneak someone inside to cause chaos.’
Since they can’t win with a difference in strength, are they plotting to attack from within? Perhaps a member of the Shadow Unit? As expected, their methods are different.
“We have him tied up. I’ll lead the way.”
I followed the devil.
Most of the people were already gathered there, including Selena and Elodie.
However, for some reason, they both seemed troubled, which made me wonder.
And when I stood in front and saw the intruder…
“...What are you doing?”
I looked at the restrained man in disbelief.
The man’s face was pale, and cold sweat was dripping down. His eyes were unfocused and wandering, and his expression was contorted as if he were about to die. It was a typical symptom of seasickness.
“P-please save me, senior…”
The man said upon seeing me.
I looked at him with cold eyes.
“Pielott. How did you get here?”
Pielott von Ribanche had hidden himself on our ship without a word.