Volume 4 Chapter 18 Poison
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Even though it was only May, the warm currents and latitude around where the “Izumo” was anchored made it as hot as summer back home in Strock Village. Because of that, we could not keep the bodies on the ship forever. To finish our mission, we had to enter the continental strait with the tide. Before dawn, watched by almost the whole crew, we buried one enemy and one comrade at sea.
Pole looked crushed by his friend’s death, but since we were about to enter the Inland Sea, every member of his Deck crew had to stay at their posts until we cleared the strait. He did not even have time to grieve.
My Torpedo Department was also ready for battle, taking turns for quick meals and short rests. The artillery squad, with Coilguns, put two men on the forecastle and two on the poop deck. The aviation squad, with self-detonating |fixed-wing drone| units, put one man on the forecastle and one on the poop deck, with two more in the storehouse so we could send help fast.
In our earlier talks, we thought the chance of being ambushed in the strait was low, so we had planned normal duties. But last night’s attack caught us off guard, so we scrambled to change our plans. We had not expected an attack by the Amazoness outside Suez.
Then again, if I thought about it, the only ones who knew for sure when we left and that we had sent a team to Suez by land—and could have attacked by last night—were those Women. And they had actually done it.
So the officers met again to change our route and our guesses about possible ambushes.
At first, we planned to ride the eastward current along the northern coast of the Southern Continent to reach Suez in one go. The most likely spot for an ambush was near Carthago, the third-largest city of the Turkic Empire, which had their naval port.
Our main enemy was, of course, the Turkic Empire, but there was a problem. Between Carthago and Sicily were the Malta Islands, a stronghold for a pirate fleet backed by the trading city of the Republic of Venotia. The line from Sicily to the Malta Islands to Carthago narrowed like a bottleneck, splitting the Inland Sea into east and west.
”I thought no one would tell the Turk or the pirates about this ship before we passed through, but I was wrong,” the captain said grimly.
Since the Amazoness had attacked us last night, the meeting agreed that word about us had surely reached the Turkic Navy—who were friendly with the Amazoness—and the Barbadia pirates, who were friendly with the Turks, not to mention the Malta pirates themselves.
The orders from home said to sink any enemy ship, but this attack showed us that our crew was not used to night battles. We could not fix that overnight. If I could, I wanted to avoid close fights.
If an enemy attacked during the day, we could destroy any ship with a self-detonating |fixed-wing drone|, but that advantage only worked in daylight.
Also, the Deck crew leader, who had sailed the Inland Sea for over five years, told us to be very careful around the Malta Islands.
”The currents can make big whirlpools. If you get swept close to land, there are reefs, and big whales live here. Even big sailing ships watch out. Night sailing is even worse,” the deck crew chief warned.
He warned us like that, but looking at the map, the gap between the lands seemed pretty wide, so I thought it would be fine.
As for whales… Since the “Izumo” was made of iron, I did not think we had anything to worry about.
For my part, I said we should just go ahead as planned. But the Chief of the Maintenance Department spoke up, asking to get more water.
”Right now, we could make it to Suez, but our drinking water is going faster than I thought. It’s going to be tight. If we can’t get water in Suez, the trip back will be very hard,” the maintenance department chief reported.
It turned out the kitchen staff had used drinking water instead of seawater to wash the fish they caught. When we heard that, everyone—including me—shouted, “How could anyone be that stupid?!” The kitchen did not just have dedicated cooks; it also got help from the Engine Department and the medical team, who were not busy. It seemed the instructions were not clear, and some idiots had been splashing fresh water around until the person in charge finally noticed.
”What do we do?” the captain asked, looking around at the officers.
We had three choices.
One: Stop at some port and buy water.
Two: Raid some port and steal water.
Three: Get ready to use one of the boilers by filling it with seawater, then use the distilled water from the cooling tower as drinking water. It would taste very metallic, but it would not kill anyone.
Also, since the area probably had a Mediterranean climate, we could expect almost no rain this season.
”The Norman family, who run Sicily, are originally from the Celt Kingdom. I have relatives there. If I could, I would like to stop by,” the captain said, showing a rare personal feeling.
In the middle of the meeting, the Captain let slip something that sounded personal. Come to think of it, Pole, who was from the same Celt Kingdom as the Captain, had said his aunt lived there too.
”But the order is to head for Suez without stopping!” the hermit elf mage and engineering chief Camillo said sharply through the speaking tube.
”Hmph. Your idiots—the Mages—caused this, and you talk big,” the maintenance chief muttered under his breath.
When he said Mages in the Engine Department, he meant my former subordinates, Janet and Claudia. If it was those two, they were totally capable of such a mistake.
Well, we could still make it to Suez, and it was not certain that we could not get more water there. The “hermit Elf Mage” was probably right, but after last night, no one wanted to take unnecessary risks. Still, logic was logic. Everyone’s faces showed they were resigned, like, “I guess we have no choice.”
But since the tailwinds were stronger than we expected, we decided to change our course a bit farther from the coast.
By the time the meeting ended, the ship had finally reached the entrance of the continental strait. Looking at the wide ocean from the bridge, the sea sparkled in the morning sun.
According to the map, the narrowest part of the strait was fourteen kilometers wide. I wondered if it was like the Seto Inland Sea, but it was wider, and the opposite shore was not as clear as Pole had said. Looking north, I saw two sailing ships and several small boats that looked like fishing boats entering the strait ahead of us, as if they too had been waiting for the tide.
”Shall we go first?” Katarina, the aviation squad leader, asked as she came back to the bridge.
From there, she was going to scout with a twin-engine |fixed-wing drone| that only she could fly.
Thrown from the bridge window, her |fixed-wing drone| moved skillfully through the ropes of the sailing masts, then shot up in one quick burst.
Going to her as she wore her radio helmet, I took her hand.
’I will share your vision,’ I sent telepathically.
’Yes, my husband,’ Katarina replied.
Whenever Katarina called me “Anata” or “Husband,” she usually meant something like You’re my man, so stay away, or How about tonight? During normal duties, she called me “Section Chief.” Sometimes, when she let her guard down, she called me “Professor,” like she remembered our time at the Academy. Her saying “Anata” now probably meant she wanted to do it tonight.
I did not answer that. I focused on the vision coming from the |fixed-wing drone|.
We were about five hundred meters up. The “Izumo” below had a pitch-black hull, but it left a long, white wake, making it very easy to see in the bright blue water. The other ships were also easy to see, but they kept going straight east and showed no sign of coming near us.
’Section Chief, I will go a bit higher,’ she said.
We reached about one thousand meters. A single-engine |fixed-wing drone| could not climb this high, and the view was shaking, probably from the wind. If this planet was the same size as Earth, we should be able to see up to one hundred kilometers away, but that was not possible. Still, we could clearly see the shape of the strait and the ocean beyond. But from this height, the sea looked strangely, eerily flat.
The strait ended about fifty kilometers ahead, opening wide to the left and right. I could not see if any ships were waiting for us. We were about to pass the part of the Central Continent on the north side. The south side was jagged and very steep; if we kept going like this, we would pass about two kilometers offshore.
’I will go lower,’ she said.
I thought she was lowering because the wind was strong, but I got the feeling something was wrong with Katarina. She did not seem playful anymore.
’What is wrong?’ I asked.
’Something like… tingling. My head hurts too,’ she sent.
’Where is the tingling?’ I pressed.
’My skin,’ she said.
Suddenly, she leaned her full weight against me.
’Professor. My mouth will not move. I will bring the |fixed-wing drone| back,’ she sent weakly.
’No, self-destruct the |fixed-wing drone| now,’ I ordered.
Even without reading her mind, I could see she was getting worse fast. Even so, she was hesitating to set off the self-destruction.
”Don’t push yourself. Self-destruct now,” I said out loud.
Katarina blew up the |fixed-wing drone| just as I said.
”Captain, someone might have poisoned our breakfast. Check it now,” I shouted.
I helped Katarina, who could not stand on her own, and told the crew member on watch at the bridge that I was taking her to the infirmary, then ran down the stairs. On the way, passing through the crew quarters, I saw three men on the floor, not even able to get into their hammocks.
Feeling bad, I checked the animal quarters, but everything there was fine. Going onto the poop deck and into the infirmary, I found a young man from the kitchen staff lying unconscious on a bed.
”What happened?” I asked.
”His breathing is shallow. His pulse is weak,” Pamela said.
Pamela answered, while Nikole-senpai stood there, flustered and pacing. I quickly laid Katarina on an examination table and checked the young kitchen worker.
”His lips are purple. That is cyanosis. Can you do artificial respiration?” I asked.
Looking closer, his fingertips were also purple. His breathing was very weak, just like Pamela said. Two people at the same time. This was not a sickness; it was definitely poison.
”What is artificial respiration?” Pamela asked.
So Pamela did not know what artificial respiration was either. In that case, there was no other choice. I had to show them by doing it live, even if the patient was a guy. But this was not the time to hesitate.
I laid the young man on his back, put a pillow under his shoulders and neck to open his airway. I opened his mouth, pinched his nose, and kissed him. No, it was not a kiss—I opened my mouth wider than his, sealed it over his lips, and forced my breath into his lungs, making his chest rise. I could not help thinking that if we had an Ambu bag, I would not have to do this with a guy, but you cannot use what you do not have.
If this was standard CPR, I would do chest compressions next, but when I checked his neck, his pulse was weak but still there.
”You have that kind of hobby?” Nikole-senpai asked.
”Come on. If I had that kind of hobby, I would not go to Vols’s shop. Anyway, you saw me do it. Next time, you do it. I do not want to do artificial respiration on a guy either,” I snapped back.
”Artificial respiration. I get it. You force air into the lungs,” she replied.
If she could answer like that, she was not completely stupid. Even at Bizan Magic School, which was full of failures, this woman had managed to graduate and become a Medical Mage.
I left the man and looked at Katarina. She was also starting to turn purple.
”Pamela, can you handle this?” I asked.
”Yes. My method is different from yours, but I can save her. Where are you going?” Pamela asked.
”Dining Hall. This is probably poison,” I said.
”I think so too. It looks like newt poison,” she warned.
Wait, so it is not a blowfish? Is newt poison the equivalent in this world?
Anyway, for now, the source must be in the kitchen. And whether it was accidentally mixed in, planted by the Amazoness during last night’s raid, or—and I hated to think about it—there was a spy among the passengers…
If the Amazoness had planted it, they would probably attack soon.
With those thoughts racing through my mind, I stepped into the Dining Hall. The Captain and the Deck crew leader were already there. Looking closer, I saw they had brought the three men from the crew quarters, probably picking them up on the way.
”Are those three okay?” I asked.
”Yes, they cannot stand, but they are breathing,” the captain said.
They were pale, but they did not look like they were dying. There were also two other men sitting in chairs, breathing hard.
”So, did you find anything?” I asked.
”Eight people ate. Seven have symptoms, including the ones in the infirmary. The one who did not get sick did not eat the onion and potato soup. It also has some dried meat. But look at this,” the captain said.
I looked closely at the soup and saw white specks floating inside.
”They made it last night,” the deck crew chief said.
”And this morning, they reheated it and served it,” he continued.
”I am ninety percent sure the attacker last night put it in, but we should question the kitchen staff just in case,” I said.
”More importantly, if the Amazoness did this, they will probably attack tonight,” the captain concluded.
In the end, although we had planned to ride the ocean current, this incident made the ship clear the strait at full speed. Instead of riding the current, we went straight into the middle of the western Inland Sea to avoid an ambush.
To make sure no other food was poisoned, we tested chickens with the water and wine, but found nothing else.
As for the artificial respiration, it turned out that using Tetramer Mana made it possible to stimulate the muscles directly. Using that technique, Pamela moved Katarina’s diaphragm to force her to breathe. By the next morning, she was strong enough to breathe on her own. By the way, since this technique was on the Medical Mage licensing exam, there was no way Nikole-senpai had not learned it. That meant Bizan Magic School might really be as bad as the rumors said.
The next morning, the Captain brought it up casually.
”Hey, what were those white things in the soup?” the captain asked.
”Probably blowfish milt. The kind without poison is really tasty, though,” I explained.
”Huh, what is that milt?” the captain asked.
”Blowfish balls,” I said flatly.
The Captain’s eyes went round.
”So, those white floating things… blowfish sperm?” the captain gasped, his eyes wide.
”Yeah, pretty much,” I said.
The Captain muttered about how disgusting it was, but I had actually eaten pig testicles in this world before. That custom is not just from Strock Village, right?
By the way, we did the interrogations, but we found no enemy spies. Since we had changed our route, we were finally about to run out of drinking water completely. In the meeting that followed, we officially decided to stop at Sicily.
—
Summary:
The crew of the Izumo is navigating the continental strait while dealing with the aftermath of a lethal poisoning incident. After burying their dead, they discover that their water supply has been compromised by kitchen negligence, coinciding with signs of deliberate poisoning within the ship. The narrative shifts to an emergency response to save Katarina and other crew members while preparing for potential follow-up attacks by the Amazoness.
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Trivia:
The Izumo’s hull is made of iron, making it resistant to some maritime hazards like whales.
The kitchen staff’s wastefulness with fresh water was aided by the Engine Department and health staff.
The Captain and Pole share the same regional origin of the Celt Kingdom.
Tetramer Mana is a specific magical technique used by Medical Mages to induce muscle contraction, such as for artificial respiration.
The protagonist has consumed pig testicles in his past, noting it as a practice not exclusive to his hometown.
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Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Izumo – The iron-hulled ship serving as the primary vessel for the protagonist and his crew.
• Pole – An orphaned Celt Kingdom soldier and tough-acting mast house scout who monitors the surroundings and initially picked fights with the protagonist. Having recently lost a friend to murder and with an aunt in Palermo, his rebellious exterior hides a deeper side. After a battle and a long conversation about his past, he opens up, showing newfound respect for the protagonist.
• 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.
• Ho – Ho is the family name of Oliver, a 17-year-old deck crew member and comrade of the protagonist. As a member of the military unit that defended Garao Village, the young man was ultimately murdered during a night watch, slaughtered alongside Marx-san.
• Celt – In his twenties, this former tenant farmer and 303rd Unit militia leader is now a pragmatic, calculating Deputy Commander of the Town Guards—equivalent to a sergeant or officer—overseeing Strock Village’s fortifications. Dressed in simple work clothes, he quietly admires Teressa-san’s skill and serves as the village’s trusted gossip source, having earned his land with reward money. Once a sandal-maker and translator of Bours’s jargon, he maintains a careful working relationship with Larry while balancing political interests, embodying calm kindness beneath his disciplined exterior.
• Camillo – This tall, silver-haired, 200-year-old Elf Mage from Great Norden Island is an introverted Section Chief with deep magical knowledge. A nagging, easily annoyed shut-in who prefers his engine room, he acts arrogantly as the First Sage’s former mentor, leading peers to distrust him. Beneath his superiority, he secretly struggles to manage administrative duties and subordinates under pressure.
• Claudia – A former Royal Capital researcher, Engine Department Mage, and subordinate of the protagonist, this student of Camillo grew from a chubby youth into an unstable beauty. Now teaching boiler maintenance on the Kisaragi, they struggle alongside Janet to cope with the environment and once questioned the protagonist about his wives.
• Janet – An unstable 22-year-old Mage, former Bizan Magic School research student, and pupil of Camillo. Now the protagonist’s former subordinate, she works in the Engine Department of the destroyer Mutsuki, teaching engine maintenance. A gossipy communicator who constantly pries into the protagonist’s life, she currently battles severe seasickness and desperately wants to leave the ship.
• Katarina – Tall, stunning, and well-endowed, this fit 30-year-old Flight Section leader and former Chief Researcher pilots a twin-engine drone. Assertive yet harboring unconventional fetishes, she is prone to explosion-triggered instability and was once poisoned in battle. Earnest’s telepathic attendant plans to marry Larry while holding a strained, intimately close relationship with the protagonist.
• Fee – Larry Fee Getys is a 15-year-old reincarnated youth and titular Duke. Pragmatic and telepathic, this sharp-eyed young man leads the Getys household and rules Strock Village alongside Hans, Iffens, Teressa, and their maid Nico. While building a new nation, he enjoys prime whale meat and maintains crucial connections to Adolf and various underground networks.
• Pamela – A sharp, cynical elf Medical Mage of youthful appearance in a Corporal’s uniform. Though a female slave, she uses manipulative, intimate power plays with subordinates. She shares a bed with Larry, mocking his finances and looks while monitoring him around other women. Known for restricting Katarina, she uses arcane mana-draining to instantly knock out patients or intruders.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Nikole – A Level-3 Nikole medical mage and repeat Bizan Magic School graduate, this Izumo health officer, former Student Council VP, and Chulpan’s assistant is Larry’s senior colleague she once hoped to marry. Sporting silver-streaked shoulder-length hair, a rune-etched coat, and a sailor uniform with a vermilion Rhein insignia, she battles alcoholism and a haunted past of club work for tuition.
• Niko – An elderly, dignified former slave, he is a loyal bondservant to the protagonist and the Getys household, helping raise her child alone. As the family’s oldest male servant, he drives carriages and manages groundskeeping, preferring the stable loft. His deep knowledge of the local landscape and the sugar beet business allows him to aid their estate transition with quiet wisdom and steadfast service.
• Bizan – The Viscount of the Bizan family is the lord of a territory encompassing a capital city and a popular local fabric shop. Defining his noble identity and relationships with his subjects, he owns and resides in a unique castle built within the Danube River.
• Mana – A non-commissioned officer and liaison who previously had their mana drained by Larry.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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