Volume 4 Chapter 20 The Sunfish*
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Haaah?”
I stared blankly at the Captain, who stood in front of me with her arms crossed. Morning light streamed through the bridge windows. My head still felt heavy from sleep.
”So the Captain had actually been carrying dynamite around,” I said, trying to make sense of what she was telling me.
”Look, you never wake up no matter how much I shake you, and Section Chief Katarina is out cold from the poison,” the Captain replied, her tone sharp and practical. She was still in her uniform, looking like she had not slept at all.
According to the Captain, we had run into several merchant ships while I was asleep. Each time, the bridge went on high alert. But with me and Katarina both out, they could not use the dynamite — even though the watch crew was ready to launch the [fixed-wing drone (a flying machine that stays in the air)] at any moment. So she had decided to keep one stick in the bridge’s spare key case.
”I ordered Artillery Chief Tatyana to tell you the moment you woke up,” the Captain said firmly.
I have no idea what she is talking about.
I have not even seen Tatyana since I woke up.
Well, at least it did not go missing.
”Oh, thank god,” I muttered — the words slipped out before I could stop them.
But —
”What do you mean, ‘thank god’!”
I turned around. Section Chief Camillo stood there, her voice sharp with noble pride. She must have come onto the bridge while I was talking to the Captain. Her treatment was apparently finished — there were no bandages left on her, and she looked fully recovered, though her expression was anything but calm.
”Uh, are you done with your treatment?” I asked, trying to stay neutral.
”If you had just told me properly, how do you expect to take responsibility for this!” she snapped, her aristocratic tone cutting through the air.
She had overheard me.
To be fair, if I had just reported it lost, I would not have needed to force Sergeant Bebel to attack her. But given how serious it was, it could not be helped.
That did not stop this two-hundred-year-old “Shut-in Elf Mage” from opening every single drawer in her vocabulary — nagging, lecturing, and yelling at me for over thirty minutes straight.
Just as I was wondering how to escape her tirade, the Deck crew foreman’s voice cut through from the voice tube.
”Lost visual on two [triremes (a type of ship with three rows of oars)] to the front-right of the Barbarossa, bearing three o’clock. The one on the left is still anchored at seven o’clock. Looks like they are doing rescue work,” the Deck crew foreman reported, his voice crisp through the voice tube.
The room shifted instantly at the report. Camillo’s lecture died mid-sentence as everyone turned their attention to the new information.
”Good work. Stand down from battle stations. Let everyone get some rest,” the Captain ordered, her voice keeping its formal military edge.
With that single word, the ship went back to routine. Only the watch stayed on the bridge as we moved past midnight. Fearing the “Shut-in Elf Mage” might start up again, I said a quick “Excuse me” and fled the bridge.
As I ran down the stairs, I ran into Pole.
”Good work, sir,” Pole said, saluting properly in his stiff, respectful way.
That is a first.
Until now, he had been rebellious at best, and casual to the point of being a brat at worst. This sudden change?
”Creepy,” I said, though I saluted back.
”No, sir,” he replied, keeping his tone humble.
When I asked what that was about, he asked if I was the one who had caused that explosion. I did not exactly invent it, but explaining would be a hassle, so I just said yes. He looked at me with a mix of fear and awe.
”I apologize for my disrespectful behavior until now.”
So that is what this is.
”I am not invincible, you know. I could not save Oliver.”
Oliver was the young soldier Pole had been close to — killed in last night’s Amazoness raid. Pole went silent at my words, saluted, and walked past me.
”Sir?” he called out.
”What?” I asked, turning back.
”They use harpoons for fishing around here,” he said, his tone humble and simple.
”Like, for whales and seals?”
The word “harpoon” made me think of the Grand Principality.
”Whales and seals are around, sure, but we do not eat them here. The harpoons are for fish. I am a bit handy with one, so I will ask the Captain and give it a try tomorrow,” he continued with quiet confidence.
”Oh, right. Sure.”
”If I catch something good, I will bring it to you first,” he promised.
”I will wait… but do not expect much.”
I gave him my usual smile. Pole beamed, saluted again, and ran off.
When I arrived at the Dining Hall, a large crowd had gathered because battle stations had been called off.
While I stood in line for food, the young kitchen hand — who had been at death’s door the night before — was back on his feet and working. He blushed when he saw me. He might have gotten the wrong idea. That was just artificial respiration.
Still, the portion of potato salad he gave me was extra large. I will take it as a thank-you for saving him.
And it was not just him. The way everyone around me looked at me was different — just like Pole had been.
When I carried my tray into the crowded dining area, people made way for me. It seems they have finally realized my greatness.
However.
”Section Chief, you really got yelled at,” Sergeant Bebel scolded, her tone stern. She was sitting at a table with Tatyana, and they waved me over.
”I was wondering what you were doing as a superior officer, being lectured by someone with that nagging personality.”
Even Tatyana, sitting next to her, joined in. Hey, if you had actually mentioned the dynamite, none of this would have happened.
”I went to wake you up so many times, Section Chief,” Tatyana complained. She had her arms crossed, looking genuinely annoyed.
I got lectured in reverse. Even the other girls nodded in agreement.
Apparently, the merchant ship had been acting suspiciously and had gotten quite close to us, putting us on high alert.
”That is dangerous. Whose ship was it?” I asked.
”That was a private vessel from the Empire of Charle. At this time of year, they are probably on their way back from carrying wool,” Tatyana explained, her tone neutral.
There is a city in the west of the Southern Continent that is very good at dyeing — much like the Nitrol region — and it seems most of the wool in the Inland Sea gets dyed there.
”But you know, sometimes they get that close, board the ship, and steal it,” she added.
So they can turn into a pirate ship? That is a scary thought.
”We should have just sunk them once. Then they would never have come near us again,” Bebel said, her voice cold.
Sergeant Bebel says such dangerous things. But in a world where words often do not work, there is a way of teaching by taking lives. Even if it is a merchant ship, there is a chance they are doing piracy.
Five days passed after that without trouble.
There were sailing ships watching us from very far away, but none of them came close.
The only thing worth noting was eating the sunfish that Pole had caught with his harpoon.
”I really wanted to catch a swordfish — supposedly tastier than tuna — but it did not work out,” Pole said.
Whether swordfish is tastier than tuna or not, I have heard that kind of fishing is called harpoon fishing. But since Pole is not a pro and we are on a warship, I think catching even a sunfish is a good job. As for that sunfish — when you pan-fry the meat in butter, the texture is close to squid, but the inside is tender. Pole said the guts are also good, so I tried them. They were plain but crunchy in a way that is hard to describe. There was a unique smell — or maybe taste — and while some people hated it, I was hooked.
On the evening of the fifth day, there was a meeting. It was finally decided that we would anchor off the coast of the city of Palermo on the island of Sicilia by tomorrow evening.
”This is where the Norman house has its base. Once we anchor, someone will definitely come. From there, we will start talking about buying fresh water, olive oil, and food,” the Captain explained.
”Are we not going ashore?” Roland Garr asked, his voice quiet and nervous.
”Many of the Celts have family in this city. I cannot say it is forbidden, but we will spend one night watching the situation,” the Captain decided.
Even if the head of the Norman house is an old friend of the Captain’s, that seems like the right move. When it was announced that we would stop at port, the Deck crew started talking about going ashore. Pole — who has an aunt in the city — began talking about brothels.
”Listen, the kind of shops we go to are pay-up-front. If they get one customer, the woman pays the shop a fee for the room — if we were in Schweilitz, it would be one silver coin — and the rest goes into her pocket. So if you bargain too much, they will hate you,” Pole explained, his tone casual and rough.
”So, the price for a woman is the same?”
”Of course not. Good-looking women stay in good rooms, so the room fee is a bit higher. The others use rooms with cheaper fees.”
”So the woman in front of the good room is a good-looking woman?”
”Mostly, yeah, but…”
They talk about this all day long. I do not really mind, but the women on the ship have noticed and do not look too happy about it. You had better be careful.
That night.
Dinner was over. The logbook was finished. Just when I thought it was about time, I heard a knock on the door.
Tonight is Pamela’s night.
I eagerly unlocked the door’s bolt.
”Good evening,” Pamela said, her voice slow and warm.
Pamela was standing there. But Sergeant Bebel was behind her, and she greeted me.
”You, did you have an appointment with this one?” Pamela asked, her voice teasing.
Huh?
”You said you would keep your word, did you not?” Bebel glared at me.
Did I do something?
”Are you talking about when you made Section Chief Camillo do a suplex?” I asked.
”I told the girls in my room that I was coming here, and I snuck out,” Bebel said.
Hm?
What does this mean? I do not follow.
I do remember saying something about “doing what I said” or taking responsibility — that if she were held responsible by the military, I would take the blame and say I ordered it.
”You, did you say you were going to sleep with Bebel?” Pamela asked.
I shook my head.
”You said you would take care of me in Trabius, did you not, Section Chief?” Bebel reminded me.
True. During the Larland War of Independence, when I was ready to die in Trabius, I might have said something like that.
But you two touched my body while I was under sedation, did you not?
That makes us even, does it not?
”Ever since that night we blew up the Barbarossa’s ship, my body has been aching,” Bebel said, her voice strained.
Is Bebel the type to get excited when vibrations hit her womb, like Katarina?
”You know, when I saw the bodies with their hands, feet, and heads cut off as we passed the sunken ship, I realized that as a soldier, I could end up like that too. I just could not sit still. I wanted to do it,” she explained, her tone dark and desperate.
I feel like I understand, but I do not.
Is this like how the sex industry grows after wars and disasters?
”I tried to hold back. But I reached my limit, so I came,” she said.
”You came” — is that really okay?
”Hmm, if you two are fine with it, I do not mind if the three of us do it,” Pamela offered.
”There are prying eyes. Can we come inside?” Pamela asked, barging into the room with Bebel in tow.
”I have been told to show self-restraint,” I complained.
”Well, it does not matter. There is more wind than usual tonight, so voices should not leak outside,” Pamela said.
True. There is a breeze, and the triangular sail above the poop deck is flapping now and then.
”By the way, Bebel. Do you know this person’s sexual preferences?” Pamela asked, pointing at me.
”Like how he likes to do it with his mouth, or how he likes using Mana?”
I had a few favorites among the girls who did it while I was under sedation, and I had been with them at the inn. Did she hear it from that Nina girl?
”You know quite a bit. And one more thing. He also likes watching women do it with each other,” Pamela added.
Is that so? I do not hate it, but I do not remember watching it that often.
”You, Bebel, is it a problem for you to do it with another woman?”
”Yeah, well, in the Mage army, I have done it once or twice,” Bebel answered.
When she says that, I think of Louise too.
”Then, shall we begin?” Pamela proposed, leaning in.
After a while, I sat on the bed. I reached in from the side of Bebel — who was leaning against me — and teased her breasts and nipples.
Pamela was burying her face in Bebel’s spread crotch.
’Larry, I am going to send some Mana,’ Pamela signaled through telepathy.
’Wait a second,’ I thought back.
The female Mage saying such things through telepathy was full of excitement. When Pamela’s Mana welled up from Bebel’s crotch and I sucked it up with my lips, the body of the woman I was holding shook as the Mana passed through. She was about to let out a cry of ecstasy. I grabbed her head and covered her lips with mine, but she shook her head and thrashed, trying to cry out.
Reason had vanished from her mind.
’Shall we tie this one up?’ Pamela sent.
’She is noisy. Let us use a gag.’
’Let us use a blindfold while we are at it.’
With that, we both started teasing Bebel.
’Should we put her in a hammock?’
We put her in a hammock. I stuck my fingers and hands through the mesh, exchanging Mana with Pamela through Bebel’s body. Both of us have way more Mana than her, so she felt sharp pain at the point of contact with my fingers each time. She twisted her body inside the hammock. Where we flowed the Mana, her skin turned red. But Bebel’s mind — full of lust — was looking forward to where we would pass the Mana next.
”It cannot be helped. I will let you have the first turn,” Pamela said, her voice amused.
”As always, you are such a pervert,” I chuckled.
”I do not want to hear that from you, Pamela,” she retorted.
”Looks like you have not done it in a while. You are tighter than I thought,” I noted.
”Oh, is she surprisingly inexperienced?” Pamela asked.
”What, you were still awake?” I whispered.
”Please, finish quickly,” Bebel begged.
’That is troublesome. This one has delayed ejaculation,’ Pamela joked.
’It cannot be helped,’ Pamela said, before taking action.
”I told you to show self-restraint, did I not?” the Captain warned the next morning.
I did not think she would hear me — even though she was gagged.
When I told Pamela about that later, she said it could not be helped and that next time she would just cut off her consciousness.
—
Summary:
The protagonist faces fallout from his bridge duties while dealing with the eccentricities of his crew and superior officers. Tensions rise as the ship navigates toward Palermo, leading to a night of complex power dynamics and intimacy within his quarters. The chapter concludes with the protagonist’s morning reprimand for his behavior, leaving his future social standing on the ship uncertain.
—
Trivia:
The protagonist is able to manipulate Mana to induce physical reactions in his partners, which is described as a painful but addictive sensation.
The ship operates on a hierarchy where interpersonal intimacy is often used as a means of coping with the trauma and proximity of war.
The local fishing in the region involves harpooning rather than industrial-scale equipment, a detail provided by Pole to demonstrate his utility.
The “Shut-in Elf Mage” Pamela appears to orchestrate the sexual dynamics of the crew to suit her own amusement and perverse curiosity.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Katarina – Tall, stunning, and slender, this 30-year-old Flight Section leader/former Chief Researcher wears a sailor uniform and manages the ship’s drone arsenal. Assertive but prone to explosion-triggered instability, she was once poisoned. Ferociously protective, she launched attacks and punched the protagonist when they were left near death, maintaining a strained yet intimately close relationship with them.
• Tatyana – A 31-year-old divorced mother of two from Viscount Bizan, this sailor-suit-wearing Magic Academy Assistant Professor serves as a military Platoon and Torpedo/bridge squad leader under the Captain. Intimately involved with Katarina, she trains crew, guides students, synchronizes with Golems, and uses a coilgun on intruders, though she currently finds the lack of combat boring.
• 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.
• Bebel – Magic Armored Division Sergeant Major Hagen is a rigid Staff Sergeant, Artillery/Torpedo Petty Officer, and Larland War veteran. Part of a rescue party, this strict officer is difficult to manage but highly combat-capable, utilizing aggressive, unconventional tactics. He previously cared for Larry during sedation and currently leads a group of five subordinates to the training grounds.
• Barbarossa – A naval combatant engaged by the ship.
• Pole – An orphaned Celt Kingdom soldier and Deck crewman who serves as a tough-acting mast house scout and rescue team guide. An associate of Earnest, this local knows the island language and terrain intimately. Though initially rebellious and hostile toward the protagonist after recently losing a friend to murder, he opens up and shows deep respect after a battle and a long talk about his past and his aunt in Palermo.
• Oliver – A seventeen-year-old crew member and young soldier who served with and was close to Pole. They were murdered during the night watch during an Amazoness raid.
• 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.
• 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.
• Charle – A faction captain whose flagship and crew were involved in the conflict. A mercenary captain whose ship was targeted. An individual associated with a group of remnants.
• Palermo – A target location where a battle and reparations negotiation took place.
• Norman – A family name of the local rulers on the Island of Sicilia. A young man who serves as the lord of the Viscount’s Palace. He is an aspiring founder of a Principality and holds authority over the Town Guards.
• Roland – Heir to the Canaria throne and Queen Cecile’s younger brother, this unusually quiet, reserved dwarf is a former Tsukushi captain, bridge section leader, and deck crew leader responsible for measurements. Sharing the Queen’s golden-blonde hair, they have an innocent, beautiful face easily mistaken for a girl, but dress in boy’s formal wear.
• 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.
• Schweilitz – The kingdom to which the protagonist is forced to return boasts towering academy spires and a full military arsenal—Royal Army troops and elite officers. Its ruler holds a captive the protagonist fears will be executed.
• Pamela – A character capable of Heal magic who helped organize and execute the rescue team. A healer who treats the protagonist’s wounds and exhibits a flirtatious personality. A member of the group who assists in the interrogation and rescue efforts.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Trabius – The city currently under siege and being defended by the protagonist and his allies.
• Larland – A fallen kingdom, marked by its royal lineage of eight distinct princesses, has reemerged as a ruthless invading force. Driven by the loss of their homeland, these royal heirs now lead an aggressive campaign that threatens the entire region, turning former neighbors into desperate targets as they fight to reclaim power.
• Mana – A non-commissioned officer and liaison who previously had their mana drained by Larry.
• Nina – A female level 3 mage and former Magic Armored Division member who serves as a transport coachman. This mind-reading woman possesses extreme masochistic tendencies, enjoying being struck, throttled, and having her hair pulled. She testifies to past sexual encounters with the protagonist, claiming to be the last one to be with him while he was under sedation.
• Louise – A tall, rugged Jutland-born former Mage Lieutenant of the 101st Golem Battalion, this school principal and shipbuilding manager has short red hair, a guard-like build, and history in F/F army relations. She pilots a Type 95 Golem and is pregnant with the protagonist’s child after a past miscarriage. Mother to his son, their complex connection and her past remain subjects of local rumor.
• Larry – Sammy I (Larry-sama) is a 16-year-old bald, dark-haired reincarnated professor, Grand Duke, and Second Lieutenant who serves as the Fee Getys Torpedo Department Chief. This serious, easily flustered family man with four wives and children uses tech, mana, and modern military strategy to design ships. He bravely defended his ship from an Amazoness raid despite suffering a broken rib.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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