Chapter 412
Chapter 412. The Hero’s Delight
“Damn it—! I lost—!!”
After returning from the cape on a sailboat and landing on the sandy beach, I slammed my hands against the ground in frustration.
“Hahaha, experience makes a difference!”
Arthur, who was also pulling up his sailboat, laughed cheerfully.
—Well, here I am, Hero Alexander, who just faced off against Arthur in a boating competition only to be utterly defeated.
Currently, we’re staying in a city called “Gura.” It’s a fairly large city-state with a territory that consists of an island so vast it could be mistaken for land.
“I’ve been playing here since I was a kid. There’s no way a beginner could beat me in sailing!”
Arthur spread his arms wide, drying off his water-soaked body while wearing a smug grin. He started humming a tune and dancing lightly to the rhythm. Damn it, he’s reveling in his victory…! I’ve realized lately he’s quite the cocky one.
“Just like we promised, dinner tonight is on you, Alex!”
“Grrr…!”
We had made a bet that the loser would treat the winner to dinner during the contest…!
Lately, Arthur has been treating both Leila and me to meals, so I guess this is a good opportunity to return the favor.
Still, losing is infuriating!!
“There’s no way a beginner could win; I understand that, but…!”
At first, I thought I’d grabbed the wind well and had a lead. But in the second half, Arthur accelerated smoothly, pulling ahead in no time. We were supposed to be blown by the same wind—so why…!?
Could it be…!?
“You’re not manipulating the water flow with magic, are you?”
“Well…”
Arthur blinked rapidly,
“…No, I’m not.”
“What was with that pause?”
“Uh, well, it’s not like that.”
Arthur scratched his hair and pondered for a moment.
“Consciously, I wasn’t using it… It’s just that it can’t be dismissed that the influence of water attribute magic doesn’t have an effect when sensing the water flow.”
“Sensing the water flow?”
“Exactly. Even in a lake that seems calm, there is water flow. The shapes of the bottom and the shores create complex currents… and to move without resisting those is the key to speed.”
I see, so that’s why Arthur, who moved in a winding manner, was faster than me, who was going straight…
“So you might have used magical power to sense that flow?”
“Hmm, it’s not exactly sensing. More like, ‘Is this the better way?’ It’s a gut feeling… I used to think this was common, but it seems those without water attribute magic experience it differently.”
Ah—
I get it. When I had fire attribute magic in my previous life, I could sense the presence of fire. Even while sleeping in a tent, I could vaguely tell when someone outside was starting a bonfire or woke up from the hint of a dying flame, thinking, “The night watchman is dozing off.”
“By the way, forest elves are even more impressive. I once taught a beginner forest elf to sail, and they mastered it in about 30 minutes.”
Apparently, they mastered it to the point of rivaling Arthur. Furthermore, by utilizing the help of wind and water spirits, they can move at incredible speeds… I’ve heard there are even forest elves living by Aulitos Lake who travel solo over long distances on sailboats. They might not even be called lake elves anymore.
Well, in any case…
“If you’re not manipulating the water flow, that’s a bit unfair…”
Knowing it doesn’t help. It’s kind of like me getting pumped up in the dark—suddenly my eyesight improves!
“Fine, I concede this win…! Next time we’ll battle at night, Arthur! I should have the advantage in the darkness!”
“Ah, I’m not sure the night lake will be that scary…”
Arthur chuckled heartily.
Later on, I enjoyed a meal in the city with Leila and Arthur’s wife—apparently, they haven’t had children yet—and even bought some souvenirs.
“This is the local specialty here.”
“Ooh.”
Arthur presented me with something resembling a pair of very dark glasses.
“They’re for when the sun is too bright in the summer.”
“Let’s see…”
…Wait, I can barely see anything!? When I looked up at the sky, I could make out the outline of the tilting sun.
“Wow, I can see the sun so clearly! But everything else looks so dark, like it’s night!”
In this life, I’ve become quite accustomed to the dark, so it feels refreshing to find it hard to see in a nighttime-like situation!
“How interesting!”
Leila also tried them on, taking them on and off. With her overall lighter pigmentation, the stark contrast of the black lenses against her pale face created a rather unique aura. It was cute, cool, yet somehow suspicious.
“Really, it’s mainly for when you’re lounging on the beach or when the sun is blindingly bright. Honestly, it’s not super practical.”
Arthur put them on too, placing his finger under his chin for a cool pose. His white teeth sparkled brightly.
I chuckled, secretly worried that (dark beings might misuse them for glare-blinding strategies?), but it looked like in the night, you wouldn’t see a thing while wearing these, so it seemed fine. Using dark magic to cover one’s eyes gives better utility anyway.
Since it was amusing, I decided to buy one as a keepsake. The lenses seemed to be made from dark crystals mined from the nearby islands, so they weren’t exactly cheap.
They’re officially called “sun glasses,” but they’re mainly produced and circulated from the city of Gura, so they’re more commonly referred to as “Gura-made glasses.”
I spent about two days leisurely playing on the lake with Leila, drinking during the day, and taking naps.
“Hero-sama, you seem thoroughly relaxed now. I look forward to working with you again,” said the captain of the NeedAlun, who had readied many products, including Gura-made glasses, for loading, and the crew had recharged their spirits.
“Alright, then let’s head to the next city! Raise the anchor!”
Under the morning glow, the NeedAlun set sail smoothly.
“Take care—! See you again—!”
“Emily, stay well—!”
Arthur waved vigorously from the side of the ship to his wife who was blowing passionate kisses from the port, continuing until she became a tiny dot in the distance and disappeared.
“Well then… next up is finally the Hamilton Principality.”
Arthur muttered to himself as he lounged in his usual seat on the deck.
“Wow, it’s not a city-state.”
I chatted back while relaxing in the neighboring deck chair.
So far, we’ve traveled through the Nosh-Ugoh Union area around Aulitos Lake—an area bustling with cities of various sizes—but it seems the next port is different.
“Yeah. Unlike the tidy little city-states, it’s a small but proper ‘country.’ It occupies part of the north shore of Aulitos Lake and is a slender, long nation. It stands between our Nosh-Ugoh Union and the Kaizaan Empire—truly, a buffer state.”
“Whoa~”
I’ve been learning a lot from Sophia about the allied countries adjacent to the Demon Lord Kingdom, but I only have a vague understanding of the geography around Aulitos Lake.
Thanks to extracting information from the Night Elves, I know a lot about certain merchant associations and noble connections… But after killing the Night Elves, the foundation collapsed, leaving that info mostly useless now.
“The Hamilton Principality controls several key points and is a small yet vibrant nation. The comings and goings of people are frequent, making it lively for both good and bad—many of the crew are looking forward to docking there.”
I’ve been hearing bits of conversation from the crew, and there’s a lot of talk about “drinks! Women! Gambling!” It seems the Hamilton Principality has that kind of vibe. But seriously, guys, I think you just recharged your spirits for the past couple of days…
“If we go in too aggressively, it could lead to trouble…”
Arthur quietly advised. Ah, so that’s why we relaxed in Gura—to give the crew some breathing space…
“So, unlike before, this is not going to be a tranquil country, so we should be careful not to get pickpocketed.”
“Let’s stay alert.”
This is the first time I’ve encountered a country with such an atmosphere in the alliance.
But that kind of chaotic environment is the perfect cover for Night Elves… I must check if the dark beings’ hunt has been handled thoroughly.
As I reclined in the deck chair with my arms behind my head, I remembered to snatch the Gura-made glasses from my side.
And gazing at the sun’s outline, I pondered about the upcoming Hamilton Principality—.
