Volume 3 Chapter 34 The Black Ships
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Right. I’ve got a brilliant idea.”
Captain Robert needed a few souvenirs to take back with him.
Across the lakes and marshlands stretching between Yoghess and Cain, almost no settlements sat directly on the water. When I became separated from Kenze and the others and finally reached the shore, I had not seen a single boat or even a distant light. The reason was simple: Biting Eels.
Most Biting Eels measured only thirty to fifty centimeters, yet the largest could grow beyond two meters, and those monsters were infamous for hurling themselves out of the water at anything that came too close to the surface. They tore away flesh with terrifying efficiency. A Red-Eyed Wolf might avoid one or two attacks, but a dozen would overwhelm even that swift predator. Worse, once blood stained the water, hundreds—sometimes thousands—would swarm toward it. Within an hour, little remained except clean white bones.
Pamela had spent several days near the lakeshore while suffering from sepsis, but winter had saved her. Once the snow melted, the creatures became far more active, and anyone who approached within a few meters of the bank risked being attacked by eels launching from the water with shocking speed and reach.
Their bodies were covered in slime, allowing them to survive on land for more than half a day, and they seemed to possess an uncanny sense of smell that always guided them back to the water. Even so, there were specialists who hunted them. Dried Biting Eel was prized as a powerful stamina booster and sold for high prices during the region’s long, dark winters1. Hunters lured the creatures to the surface with bait before bringing them down with arrows, making it one of the most dangerous professions around.
Before seeing one for myself, I had imagined something closer to a giant worm or a jawless fish. Instead, the dried specimens looked remarkably similar to ordinary eels, with long bodies, fins, and a single pair of gills. Their enormous tooth-filled mouths, however, gave them an unsettling resemblance to the warasubo of the Ariake Sea. I had expected a proper bony fish, but these creatures possessed tiny red eyes and exhaled Mana like monsters.
I personally selected the finest dried Biting Eels as a tribute for His Majesty and entrusted them to Captain Robert. Alongside them, I included a small vial filled with dried, charred, and powdered eel liver. Katri, one of the maids, had informed me that women considered it a potent aphrodisiac, so I quietly instructed Robert to deliver it to the King in private.
Do your best to produce an heir.
There was also another matter to settle. It was a gamble that might very well affect my own future.
I returned the gifts His Majesty had sent to Sanna, the youngest daughter of the late Lord of Cain, and Thiele, the granddaughter of the Lord of Yoghess.
My official explanation was straightforward: they had not yet completed the covenant of kairō dōketsu2. Since they had not sworn to grow old together and share the same grave, they were not technically wives. Ellie, on the other hand, had not returned her gift, which meant she had already crossed that line. Whether she liked it or not, my reasoning left her stuck with the title.
As for the real reason, I had no intention of sharing it with anyone.
The decision triggered exactly the backlash I expected. Sanna and Thiele both objected, Captain Robert was furious, and more than a few others questioned my judgment. Even so, my life was on the line, and I refused to back down.
”You’re sure about this?” Captain Robert barked, his voice sharp with authority.
His final words felt more like a threat than a farewell, yet there was no point changing course now. The letter I entrusted to him contained a carefully veiled explanation intended for His Majesty. To be safe, I included a far more direct explanation in a separate letter to the Fourth Sage, just in case the King failed to understand what I was trying to say.
After spending roughly three more days in Cain, Captain Robert departed by carriage for the port city of Bryachislavichi.
Almost as soon as he left, the nobles and officials responsible for marking the border with Rus arrived. Their leader was Viscount Veresk, the ruler of the nearby border city and its surrounding lands.
Since they were locals, they already understood the dangers posed by the Biting Eels and the endless mosquito swarms. Rather than conducting a full survey, we compared maps, settled most matters on paper, and met only at the main road to place the border markers. At first, it seemed as though everything would proceed smoothly.
The trouble began with water rights.
Because every stream and channel in the marshlands ultimately flowed into our territory, I argued that the rights belonged to us. Viscount Veresk disagreed. A river from his lands fed into the marshes, and while it flowed normally under ordinary conditions, the minimal difference in elevation caused serious problems during the spring thaw. When the snow melted, the river backed up and flooded parts of his territory.
The dispute became a headache when he dug in over water rights, forcing me to present a counterproposal. If he wanted those rights, then stone markers would need to be erected along the river to clearly define the border, and Rus would also have to construct a retention basin for flood control. It was an annoying compromise, but both sides eventually accepted it and reached a tentative agreement.
Originally there were six proposed locations. Unfortunately, after I reported the details, both the former fishery magnates and the Lord of Yoghess lodged complaints. In the end, I ignored several minor waterways, reduced the number to four, and scheduled construction for the following winter. With that, the border was finally settled.
At that moment, the Grand Principality of Fee formally entered history as a treaty partner of the Empire of Rus, represented by none other than Grand Duke Larry von Fee.
”Ugh. That’s embarrassing.”
After bringing together the Finnic- and Sámi-speaking peoples, both Emperor Rus and the King of Schweilitz had granted me permission to call myself Sámi the First.
Unfortunately, there was no time to enjoy the title. Work was already piling up.
The next major issue was the peace treaty with the Proton Order.
With the King of Schweilitz—who still refused to recognize the Order—serving as mediator, negotiations dragged on endlessly. In the end, the Knights surrendered their governing rights over the city of Trabius, which Thomas and his men had seized, and accepted an indemnity payment of thirty thousand Rus gold coins.
Since a Rus gold coin was worth roughly half a Schweilitz coin, the total came to about 1.5 billion yen. It was a harsh reminder that victory on the battlefield mattered more than anything else. Naturally, Rus and Schweilitz each claimed five hundred million yen as a brokerage fee. Apparently, that was how the game worked when powerful countries got involved.
As for the Haritz clan, whom we suspected of infiltrating the country, the Proton Order denied having any knowledge of them. I even offered a twenty-percent reduction in the indemnity if they handed the group over, but they simply insisted nobody matching that description was in their custody.
The largest unresolved issue remained taxation.
Thomas had wanted to discuss it, but ever since the iron heavy-plows arrived from Schweilitz, he had spent his time touring the countryside and demonstrating them rather than attending the monthly meetings.
October was drawing to a close. Since the Grand Principality produced very little wheat, the barley harvest was approaching rapidly. Coastal communities paid taxes in currency thanks to trade income, while inland settlements relied on payments in kind, usually barley but occasionally wool or linen thread.
Simply saying, “Do it like last year,” was no longer enough. The Lord of Yoghess and his steward, who handled tax collection, were close to losing their sanity. Still, the newly completed maps had allowed us to catalog every village and town, and we had already begun negotiating individual quotas. At least that felt like genuine progress.
Assuming tax collection would conclude on schedule, we set the independence ceremony for November 3 at the Viscount’s Palace in Cain.
The guest list was surprisingly impressive. Viscount Veresk would represent the Empire of Rus, as reports indicated the Boltechino were still causing enough trouble to keep higher-ranking officials in the capital. Schweilitz was sending the Fourth Sage. The Proton Order claimed a bishop would attend, and the Finnic chieftain from across the strait planned to come as well.
The invitations did not stop there.
Congratulatory messages arrived almost every day. The Kingdoms of Pannonia and Dacia sent theirs first, followed by the Kingdom of Celt west of Great Norden Island. Then came messages from the Turkic Empire and even the Empire of Charle, a nation I had personally fought against. Just yesterday, the Kingdom of Bennets in the Nitrol region sent its regards, and to my complete surprise, a beautifully illuminated holy scripture arrived from the Pope of the Universal Church.
Being recognized by so many nations was overwhelming.
More than once, I found myself regretting that I had returned those gifts from the King of Schweilitz. Holding my head, I faced a problem I had never expected: the nightmare of preparing enough return gifts for everyone.
At least, that was my biggest concern until the end of the month.
Early on the morning of November 1, a familiar sound pulled me from sleep.
A steam whistle?
No, three whistles, each sounding at a different pitch.
For one absurd moment, I wondered whether my reincarnated life had finally reached its climax.
I opened my eyes and found myself staring directly at Pia’s large, rope-veined chest. What in the world was making that noise?
Throwing aside the blankets, I climbed out of bed and headed toward the balcony, only for Katri to burst into the room.
”Oh! Oh! Black ships, in the harbor, sir!” Katri exclaimed, her voice trembling.
Not Perry. Surely not.
I threw open the balcony door and stepped outside.
They were real.
Black ships.
One large vessel and two smaller escorts floated in the harbor. Even the smaller ships exceeded anything I had seen in this world, measuring roughly thirty meters in length, while the largest had to be more than fifty. Every hull was painted pitch black.
Steamships?
Each vessel carried a chimney slightly behind its midpoint, belching white-gray smoke into the morning sky, and if that meant a boiler sat inside, then these could only be ironclads. Perhaps the black color came from a tar-based anti-rust coating.
They also carried masts—two on the smaller ships and three on the larger one—which likely reduced fuel consumption.
Then another detail caught my eye.
No paddle wheels.
Were they using screws?
That should have been impossible.
Building a propeller large enough for a vessel of that size would be difficult enough, but sealing the shaft to prevent water from pouring inside required advanced metalworking techniques. Schweilitz should not have possessed technology capable of that.
Then who built them?
Had someone actually succeeded in applying the Craft Engine?
At that moment, the whistles sounded again.
Small shapes shot into the sky from all three vessels.
No way.
Five launched from the large ship, while three rose from each of the smaller ones. Fixed-wing drones.
They circled the fleet, formed a clean V-shaped formation, and flew directly toward me.
Based on their range, they had to be using wireless control.
The lead aircraft appeared to be a twin-engine design, with propellers mounted on the wings instead of the nose.
How were they synchronizing the controls?
The formation shifted again and flew straight toward the mansion.
It was a greeting.
An unmistakable one.
Just before reaching me, the drones broke formation, divided into three squadrons, and swept back toward the ships.
Had Schweilitz’s technology really advanced this far while I was gone?
The entire scene felt unreal.
Meanwhile, people flooded the capes and piers of Cain to catch sight of the mysterious vessels. Fishing boats were already pushing out into the harbor to get closer.
The largest ship answered with a long blast of its whistle before beginning to move. White-gray smoke poured from its chimney, and the wake it produced tossed nearby fishing boats around like toys.
The vessel shifted eastward, turned in front of the long beach, and then began backing toward shore.
I almost shouted a warning. The screw would hit the sand and snap.
Yet the ship continued without hesitation.
It reversed until the stern nearly touched the beach. For all practical purposes, it might as well have been resting on the seabed.
An LST?
The sarcastic thought escaped me just as the stern split open.
A folding ramp unfolded and settled onto the sand, creating a roadway.
That was Henrietta-san’s technology.
Two black horse-drawn carriages emerged first, each pulled by a pair of horses. Behind them came three large cargo wagons, all rolling down the ramp before heading toward the main road leading to Cain.
The lead carriages were unmistakable.
Black lacquer.
Schweilitz military design.
There was no doubt left.
The fleet belonged to Schweilitz.
Once the vehicles had disembarked, the ramp folded itself back into place. The stern doors sealed shut, and the vessel calmly returned to the harbor as though nothing unusual had happened.
”Katri! My clothes!”
I hurried into my formal attire.
If those ships could depart from a position like that, then their propulsion system could not be an ordinary screw. The only explanation that made sense was a Mana-ion drive.
They had actually done it.
During the period when I had been confined for overstepping my authority, I had passed the time by drafting designs. A steam-powered alternator. A Mana-driven Cockcroft-Walton circuit. Rectifiers. A Mana-ion propulsion system.
Combined together, those technologies could move even enormous ironclads.
The turbine would drive the alternator, generating Mana current. That current would then be rectified and amplified before feeding the ion-drive effect itself.
Everything fit.
No screws. No need for impossibly advanced metalworking. No mystery behind the landing-ship maneuver.
Which meant only one question remained.
Who was responsible?
Who had taken my ideas and pushed them this far?
—
Summary:
The protagonist, Larry, reflects on the dangerous wildlife of the marshlands while preparing tributes for the King. Political tensions rise as border negotiations with the Empire of Rus are finalized amid his own complex social entanglements. The chapter concludes with the sudden, shocking arrival of advanced “Black Ships” that appear to utilize the protagonist’s own forgotten technological designs.
—
Trivia:
The protagonist’s title “Sámi the First” was granted by both the Emperor of Rus and the King of Schweilitz.
The indemnity paid by the Proton Order was 30,000 Rus gold coins, equivalent to about 1.5 billion yen.
The Black Ships’ propulsion is identified as a Mana-ion craft, bypassing the need for complex screw propellers.
The protagonist had previously designed a steam-driven alternator and Cockcroft-Walton circuit while in confinement.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Robert – Captain, son of Rus Intelligence Bureau Lt. Col. Helbert, he is a skeptical, manipulative officer fluent in Pannonian and Rus. Dressed in a short winter dress and wool tights, he serves as an amiable valet for the caravan leader and a liaison between the Rus Empire and the protagonist. Facing scrutiny over departmental failures, he manages complex relationships with locals, superiors, and His Majesty.
• Yoghess – A frontier town of about one thousand residents, named after its ruling lineage. Its current lord, who shares the family name with his third son Darius, is a local ruler in the region. He maintains a strained relationship and is currently on bad terms with both Cresare and Mustobe.
• Yoghes – An aged figure who acts as a martyr by taking a fatal blow intended for the protagonist.
• Kenze – A muscular, dark-skinned Amazonian warrior and former Tashkurgan intelligence agent wearing a niqab and slave crest. Fiercely attached to Earnest, loyal to Teressa, and a protector to the protagonist, she uses lethal force but becomes mentally unstable around the Boltechino. Blunt, streetwise, and sharp-tongued, she speaks candidly about her children, affairs, and the protagonist’s cursed fate.
• Cain – A remote town serves as the home base for a Grand Duke—the protagonist concerned for his son and world politics—and his loyal Minister of State, a revered former town guard commander. Once a stronghold for Marque’s supporters, this settlement is now centered around the Duke’s estate, acting as a crucial hub for the enemy, geopolitical mapping operations, and intense political negotiations.
• Wolf – The family name carried by Adolf, the influential underworld figure who controls the secret establishment visited by the Lieutenant Colonel.
• Pamela – An arrogant, petite Elf mage, logistics head, and Larry’s possessive Primary Wife who recently returned from Cain. Hiding her ears and slave crest under white Gothic Lolita fashion, she is an associate of Thomas and Earnest. Pragmatic yet weary of Larry’s impulses, she acts as the party’s healer, an amber-charging specialist, a vocal leader, and a grumbling protector of their children.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Mana – A non-commissioned officer and liaison who previously had their mana drained by Larry.
• His Majesty – The King of the realm possesses an expressionless, Noh mask-like face, rarely showing emotion except for brief amusement during trials. He holds absolute authority over the kingdom, presiding over high-level deliberations, giving the final word on legal transitions like duels, and maintaining supreme command over all military missions and strategic troop deployments.
• Katri – A composed Moscow Maid School graduate, she serves at the Viscount’s Palace as the protagonist’s forward romantic partner, local informant, disciplinarian, and administrative caretaker who manages ledgers, assists with coronation prep, and bore his child. Bound to Sanna and Larry, she hides a nurturing core beneath a penchant for shibari, co-caring for war orphans while linked to Earnest.
• Al – Alberto (Al), a massive red‑haired man recently wed to Mary, lives near the Dish Basin. He’s a companion of Hans, helping intimidate and rally elders as a villager and leader.
• Thiele – The nine-year-old granddaughter of the Lord of Yoghess, previously abducted, is under pressure from him to produce an heir with the protagonist. She is also a candidate for Queen of Larland, reflecting her high status, and her grandfather receives gifts from the King.
• Sanna – The youngest daughter of the late Lord of Cain, she inherited his estate, staff, and bondservants, and receives gifts from the King. Though holding authority over Katri—whose expedition request she denied—she is betrothed to the protagonist as his future wife. During diplomatic functions, she maintains a composed, cheerful facade.
• Ellie – The youngest daughter of Duke Igor of Bryachislavichi and granddaughter of Frontier Count Pugachev. A refined, composed, yet assertive young woman carrying the protagonist’s child, her gifts from the King imply high social status. Revealed as the person Lord Fee met at the hotel, she is highly attentive and harbors a deep, clear romantic attachment to the protagonist.
• Fourth Sage – A wise, enigmatic, and manipulative elderly figure from Schweilitz known as the Fourth Sage. Serving as a highly perceptive political and magical advisor, they orchestrate the protagonist’s life and residential arrangements. They actively seek advice from Larry while simultaneously insisting on Larry’s crucial participation in the upcoming New Continent mission.
• Fourth – An enigmatic and cunning figure also known as the Fourth Sage. This mysterious entity actively seeks advice from Larry while simultaneously insisting on Larry’s crucial participation in the upcoming New Continent mission.
• Sage – An elderly instructor and mentor who acts as a schemer behind the scenes. He is responsible for recommending Larry for various academic and safety-related positions.
• Bryachislavichi – The family name associated with Prince Igor.
• Veresk – A Viscount from the Empire of Rus who governs the borderlands. He brings urgent, harrowing news of a military catastrophe and the grim reality of an impending war, deeply affecting his relationships with neighboring territories as he seeks aid.
• Rus – A neighboring power deeply involved in regional politics and mediation, best known for annexing the Kingdom of Larland.
• Principal – The mother of Line and the administrative head of the institution. She exercises authoritative control over research assignments and seeks to trade Larry for Ilse Klein due to interpersonal conflicts in her laboratories. The mother of Sabrina and Rhein who intervenes during Rhein’s violent corridor assault to break up the confrontation.
• Larry – Reincarnated into a new world, this 14-year-old dark-haired youth/Grand Duke masquerades as a merchant’s son while ruling the Fee Grand Principality. Overworked, cynical, and caught in a political power struggle, he longs for a simple life but pragmatically manages reforms, military forces, and state pressures. He reluctantly acts as a savior while dealing with four wives and several children.
• Fee – Larry Fee Getys, a fifteen-year-old reincarnated youth and titular Duke, heads the Getys household governing Strock Village alongside Hans and Iffens. This pragmatic, telepathic protagonist navigates feudal intrigue and founds a new nation. Supported by family, including Teressa and maid Nico, his high status earns prime whale meat. Connected to Adolf and underworld structures, his lineage name aligns with the protagonist.
• von – The noble particle ‘von’ indicates high social standing and ancestral roots connected to territorial estates within the Sabaski lineage. It marks the noble bloodline and full names of Annerose von Bülow, Walter von Riedel, and Marc von Harritz, establishing their shared aristocratic identity and familial relationship within the Kingdom.
• Schweilitz – The nation to which the protagonist is being coerced to return, a kingdom possessing an advanced magic academy and military arsenal. The protagonist fears the execution of a specific person or entity currently trapped there in an unfavorable situation.
• Thomas – Thomas Bauer is a hulking, middle-aged Schweilitz General and former magic academy professor with a wrestler build, red face, and scalp burns. Brash yet reliable, he is a popular, pragmatic leader who orchestrated the independence movement. As a security guard, combat-capable fighter, and agricultural advisor, he serves as a close confidant to the protagonist, Fee, Earnest, and local villages.
• Haritz – A town associated with a specific type of guard Golem used during a rebellion led by a now-deceased figure, whose remnants recently attempted to hijack the Cain estate.
• Celt – In his twenties, this former tenant farmer is now a yeoman, town guard, and leader of the Second Squad, overseeing Strock Village’s fortifications. Dressed in simple work clothes, the calm, kind sandal-maker and translator of Bours’s jargon quietly admires Teressa-san’s skill. Once a 303rd Unit militia leader, he earned his land with reward money and remains the village’s trusted gossip source.
• Ho – Ho, a comrade of the protagonist. A member of the military unit that defended Garao Village and was slaughtered alongside Marx-san.
• Pia – A naive, buxom Nurnhügel mage who handles logistics, incoming tributes, and mapping expeditions as personal property. Now part of the protagonist’s circle—and among the women he fathered a child with—she is also Larry’s submissive and Thomas’s companion. Clad in a long-skirted ensemble, silk blouse, and hooded robe, her telepathic power and perverted imagination contrast her lack of confidence.
• Perry – A historical reference used by the protagonist to compare with the sudden appearance of the ships.
• Henrietta – Late wife of Larry and former Royal Magic Academy researcher whose consciousness became a parasite in her daughter’s body. Assassinated by Bizan Magic School’s former Principal, this degenerate woman eagerly awaits Larry and is recognized by her former slave Pamela by scent. Known for her large bust, her past technological contributions are now utilized by the protagonist.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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