Volume 4 Chapter 44 Mist
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I woke up feeling a strange sense of unease and pulled myself up.
”What is it, dear?”
Rubbing her eyes, Katarina stayed lying down, turning her face and body toward me. After speaking lazily, she pulled the blanket up, deliberately hiding her bare chest.
”＜Good morning.＞”
Alyona, who had been sleeping on the other side of Katarina, sat up without hiding anything, her well-shaped breasts swaying as she offered a greeting.
”Ah, good morning.”
I turned my gaze toward the open window. The world was white. Was it mist?
More than that, the ship was not rocking at all.
I hurried to my knees on the bed and looked outside. The surface of the sea was a mirror. There was not a single ripple. This had never happened before. The mist hiding the horizon was not moving either, and it felt a little cold.
”It feels rather unsettling, doesn’t it?”
From behind, Katarina embraced me, her soft, warm breasts pressed against my back. It was not stifling, though; in this temperature, it felt quite comfortable.
To think something like this could happen in the middle of the open ocean. I found myself watching it, unable to look away.
”A storm is coming! Furl the sails!”
Suddenly, a voice that sounded like a deck crewman shouted. I did not understand the meaning, but it seemed like a good idea to head to the bridge.
”I’m going to go check on things.”
When I turned around, she wrapped her arms around my neck, forcefully asking for a kiss. Alyona watched the whole thing. With my free right hand, I called her over, wrapped my arm around her slender waist, and lightly pressed my lips to hers over Katarina’s shoulder.
Before I put on my clothes and left the room, I saw the two of them—for some reason, they were holding hands.
Stepping out onto the deck, the male crewmen were climbing the masts to furl the sails. Among them, I could see Kenze working at the top of the main mast. I think our eyes met, so I gave a small wave, and she gave a small nod. I was always amazed she could climb so high without a safety line. As I was watching this, the still air began to stir.
By the time I reached the stairs to the bridge, ripples were starting to appear on the sea.
”Ignite the first boiler!”
The captain was already there, giving orders to the engine department.
”Is it a storm?”
”Aye, no doubt about it.”
As we spoke, the mist drifted, and sunlight suddenly poured down. Ahead, visible from the bridge, a stretch of sea glittering in the sunlight spread out. Beyond that, thick clouds and a dark sea surface right beneath them were approaching us rapidly. Distant thunder echoed.
”Once the sails are furled, retreat immediately—the watchmen in the mast-top lookout, too!”
The captain shouted, and the crew members passed the message along like a chain.
”Second boiler ignited!”
Kai’s voice came through the voice pipe.
”Right. Fire up the turbine and increase the alternator output!”
By then, waves had risen on the sea, and the ship began to rock as usual.
”Bring the ship into the wind! Close all doors and windows.”
Again, the chain of messages began. I also started closing the bridge windows.
”Retreat from the masts confirmed complete.”
Fredys, the squad leader, jumped onto the bridge and reported. The moment the windows were shut tight, I heard the sound of large, heavy raindrops striking the ship’s steel plating, and thunder rumbled immediately after a flash of lightning.
The captain was looking outside through a peephole made from an Ice Snow Spider’s shell.
”Start the craft engine, steer to two o’clock!”
”Craft engine start confirmed, steering to two o’clock!”
The bridge section chief repeated the captain’s order and took the helm. The wind grew stronger, the thin ropes began to hum, and as waves formed, the pitching began.
Can the weather really change this suddenly? After that, another boiler was fired up, and the ship pushed forward into the waves. Looking through the peephole, the waves were already becoming violent, and the foam that had formed was floating on the sea surface like a net. It was a storm where you could not tell which lightning flash had brought which roll of thunder.
From time to time, when we hit a large wave, the hull would shake, and the deck would be washed by spray.
This might be bad. This ship does not have a keel.
It is because a cylindrical craft nozzle runs from the bow to the stern through the center of the ship’s bottom. The central craft nozzle is built to be sturdy enough for that, but the ribs extending from a normal keel are not fixed properly, so the hull structure is maintained by bulkhead plates that limit the spread of flooding. The weakness of this is that the rigidity becomes too high, making it unable to absorb the force of strong waves. The load on the steel plates covering the ship is enormous.
We had taken as many countermeasures as possible, but one day, the outer wall might suddenly give way. I had to inspect it once the storm passed.
After all, the voyage had been too long. If the hostage exchange in Suez had gone through, we would have been arriving in Kure by now. Instead, we were caught in a storm like this.
The storm I was worried about calmed down faster than I had expected; by early afternoon, the burning sunlight was pouring down again. The deck crew raised voices of joy. When I asked what happened, they said a bird had been there.
The windows and doors were opened, and when I went outside, a seabird resembling a seagull was perched on the poop deck. It seemed that once the sun came out, its body warmed up and its feathers dried, and eventually, they all flew away.
”Land is near!”
The men of the deck crew were in high spirits as they climbed the masts. I also launched our fixed-wing drone for reconnaissance.
Unexpectedly, I received reports of land being sighted from both our flight squad and the mast-top lookout.
”At the one o’clock position. Distance is about thirty kilometers; no houses or ships in sight.”
The report from our girl, who had seen it from further up, was more detailed. I let her hold my bare wrist so I could share her visual data.
Sure enough, as if to block our path, a vast, shallow, white beach stretched on endlessly, almost directly in front of us. Judging by the direction, we had clearly rounded the corner of the Southern Continent; later, Roland, the squad leader of the bridge team, calculated our exact position from the time and the sun’s location and marked it on the nautical chart. We also corrected the location of the land and the shape of the terrain.
”According to the nautical chart, if we get a little closer to the land, we should be able to catch the southward current.”
The captain nodded at Roland’s words.
”However, we’ll reach a port town called Hafun in about another hundred kilometers. What shall we do?”
This meant that if we stayed on the course to catch the current, we would end up at the port town. After all, it was Amazoness territory. If we approached the port town, contact with them was possible. So, he was also suggesting that we set our course a little further offshore.
”No, let’s observe the situation. If it looks fine, we’ll make a port call.”
Is it really going to be fine? If things went badly, a battle would not be out of the question, but it seemed the captain was willing to make the port call.
The water we managed to collect from the rain earlier was mixed with sea spray and contained some salt, making it unfit for drinking—it could only be used as water for the boilers.
It was hot, and no matter how careful we were, our fresh water use would not go down. If Gida, our department head, were here, she would likely be completely in favor of making the port call just to secure drinking water—even if it meant ignoring the safety of the crew.
Also, to avoid standing out due to smoke, it was decided we would proceed by sailing once we caught the current.
”Department Head Larry, please conduct reconnaissance frequently. If anything seems wrong, issue a warning. Instruct them to flee offshore immediately.”
”Understood.”
I received the captain’s order, but it felt like he had just handed the responsibility to me. If something happened, our girl would probably be able to make the decision to launch the fixed-wing drone, but deciding whether to steer the ship offshore would be difficult for her. It seemed I had no choice but to stay on the bridge as much as possible to prepare for unexpected situations.
I did not know how strong the current we were aiming for was, but even seen from above, it should not be as large or as fast as the Kuroshio Current that washed the Izu Peninsula. In addition, if we sailed using the monsoon, given the distance was one hundred kilometers to that port town, we should arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest.
Come to think of it, Kenze said she was going to lay an egg tonight. The last time, she had a stomachache after doing it and then laid the egg. She said the stimulation of semen was necessary to bring that on. But at a time like this. Well, maybe it was precisely because it was a time like this.
As we approached the land, the current was just a little faster than walking speed. Other than that, there were several small, scattered settlements along the coast that were not on the nautical charts. Since we were sailing about five to ten kilometers offshore, catching the current, the details of the settlements were unclear. I could see shadows of people and small boats on the sandy beach. Once, I saw a long, narrow fishing boat that looked like it was being rowed, at a distance of about a kilometer, but they never came closer to us.
Besides that, we saw a merchant ship that had run aground and was beginning to rot, so we moved our route a little further away from the land.
Night fell, and the sixteen-day-old moon brightly lit up the world. Since visibility was good, the Izumo continued without anchoring. Because we were away from the shore, there was almost no land breeze, and it did not get very cool.
”Just the right jar.”
I was in the dining hall, soaking my usual black bread in soup and eating it, when Kenze brought over a jar of asphalt. She claimed she had washed the inside carefully, but given what had been in it, I was a bit worried it might affect the children’s growth.
”It’s fine. My children are sturdy.”
If she was going to go that far…
That night was normal and quiet, not the three-person twisted festival of the previous night. Mana stimulation does not work very well on Kenze, so it was just ordinary kissing, ordinary foreplay, and ordinary union. The pelvis of an Amazoness who does not bear children is narrow, and even during intercourse, the opening is structurally as tight as a virgin’s.
Kenze straddled me while I lay on my back, and as she lowered her hips herself, she began to move them back and forth slowly.
”This is the second time, isn’t it?”
Shaking at the pleasure that occasionally struck me, the brown-skinned woman smiled as she spoke.
”Yeah, at the Royal Capital’s Arsenal Bureau.”
”Aye. You remembered.”
”Well, I thought I might get killed, so I couldn’t forget that.”
Not much time had passed since I had made Kenze a slave. As a former Turku operative who had been hostile toward me, I was scared to be intimate with her.
”There was such a thing, too.”
That was right. Now, if Kenze were not here, I would feel like something was missing.
”You are my partner.”
Hearing her say that made me happy, too.
”However, I cannot bear your children.”
Amazoness fertilization is limited to the mating period, and when they enter the ovulation period like Kenze does, they do not reproduce even if they have sex.
”That is why you will mate with the child I will bear, Zaboo.”
What on earth are you suggesting?
”Don’t you understand? Since I cannot bear your child, I am saying you will have her bear one.”
No, no, no. The Amazoness reproduction thing—that was what she meant, right? They had ovaries and a passage inside, but their bodies were those of young boys, right? No way, no way, no way.
”Don’t tell me you don’t have such tastes. You’re playing with Katarina’s anus, aren’t you?”
”That may be true, but he’s still got a dick, doesn’t he?”
”It’s fine. When the ovulation period hits, it shrinks and separates into the clitoris and urinary opening. You were licking it just a moment ago, weren’t you?”
For some reason, my resolve withered.
”Hey, get a grip.”
Ignoring my mood, Kenze suddenly began moving her hips violently, pulling me into the tight, demanding grip of her body. After lying down for a while, Kenze straddled the ceramic jar and laid her eggs.
They say at the start of the Amazoness myth, there is always a line about how “Amazoness are born easily, and die easily.”1 But watching her, I thought to myself that they certainly did not grow up easily.
Once Kenze calmed down, I headed to the bridge, where the Captain was waiting.
”Finished already?”
”Huh?”
”Then, I’m going to sleep.”
The middle-aged man let out an exaggerated yawn and headed below deck. The young bridge crew members and my own Young Mage were laughing quietly as they watched the exchange.
What are you bastards laughing at.
The night wore on without any further trouble.
* * *
”Chief, something’s wrong.”
I was dozing in a hammock on the bridge when my subordinate called out to me. When I sat up, the surroundings were already turning white, though it did not feel like I had slept much at all.
Rubbing my eyes, I looked at my subordinate. They said the mist was forming again. Surely, a storm was not coming like yesterday?
But the mist was forming over the sea on the land side. It did not seem like it would affect our current route. Besides, the waves had not changed since last night.
Also, the mist was likely blowing toward us due to the monsoon, but it was gradually fading.
”It should be fine.”
I had just said that and pulled the blanket over my head to sleep, when it happened.
”Ship! It’s heading this way!”
The voice of the lookout echoed from the speaking tube to the bridge. “What now?” I thought, lifting my face. Through the window, I saw three large Junk Ships emerging from the mist.
And they were on a direct collision course.
The distance was roughly 1.5 kilometers.
”Fire up both boilers!”
I jumped up and shouted into the engine department’s speaking tube.
”The hell you want? Quit givin’ me orders, you little shit from the Torpedo Department.”
To make matters worse, the person on duty was a shut-in Elf Mage.
”Three large Junk Ships are heading straight for us on a collision course! We’re going to dodge, so fire up the boilers!”
When I explained, they just muttered something and did not give me an answer.
”They’re huge.”
A chilling voice echoed from the lookout’s speaking tube, and I looked forward through the window. Behind the three ships from before, an even larger Junk Ship was showing itself from the mist.
The first three were about fifty meters long, just like the Izumo. But the one that appeared behind them had more masts and a different height.
”It’s a monster ship nearly a hundred meters long!”
The lookout’s voice was shaking. Indeed, it looked more like a city floating on the sea than a ship. Even if they were wooden ships and we were an ironclad ship, if the size difference was this extreme, we would not stand a chance in a collision.
”Ring the bells and gongs! Wake everyone up!”
I gave a loud order to the struggling bridge crew on duty.
”Engine Department!!!”
There was no reply to my shouting. The flight crew member was preparing to launch a fixed-wing drone. Meanwhile, the gongs and bells started ringing at the same time, and people began rushing out onto the deck.
”Behind the super-large ship, there are five… no, six more large ships!”
Did a fleet that massive really travel the Lemurian Sea? Then, the sound of gongs began to reach us from the other ships as well.
”Hey, in a situation like this, which way do you turn the rudder?”
Ships have rules; there should be a set direction to turn the rudder to avoid collisions when meeting head-on. At least, I thought there should be.
But the young bridge crew member shook their head. Was the universal maritime traffic rule not a thing yet? If it came to this, the only option was to outrun them with the Craft Engine, but what was that shut-in Elf Mage doing?
No smoke was coming from the funnel behind the bridge.
It would take ten minutes to fire them up, get the boilers going, produce the steam, spin the turbines, and get the alternator running at full power.
The distance to the leading enemy ship was just under 1,500 meters. There was not even fifteen minutes until impact.
That shut-in Elf Mage…
With no other choice, I jumped down the stairs and headed for the Engine Department.
—
Summary:
After a brief moment of intimacy with Kenze, the protagonist returns to the bridge to find the crew idling. Suddenly, the ship is threatened by a massive, mysterious fleet emerging from the mist. With the engine crew unresponsive and collision imminent, the protagonist is forced to take direct action.
—
Trivia:
1 The Amazoness myth explicitly frames their life cycle as fleeting and easily terminated, which the protagonist finds at odds with the reality of raising them.
2 The ship “Izumo” serves as a baseline for size comparison against the discovered enemy fleet.
3 The absence of international maritime traffic rules in the Lemurian Sea complicates the decision on how to maneuver the ship to avoid a collision.
4 A ten-minute window is required for the ship to build up enough power to reach full velocity, creating a critical time-pressure mechanic for the impending impact.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Katarina – A tall, voluptuous 30-year-old Izumo flight squad leader, Chief Researcher in a sailor uniform, and captive of the narrator. This volatile, telepathic Mage pilots drones under Larry, maintaining military decorum despite an intense, possessive desire to kill him to save him from suffering. While protective of her crew, she pressures Rhein and is the protagonist’s jealous, abusive mistress.
• Alyona – A devout Rus Orthodox crew interpreter, whose physical features are used as a comparison for Maria, was happily married before being enslaved by the Hodayn Port Administrator. Retained by Rhein, she appears timid and flustered by the Captain’s orders. However, beneath her submissive exterior lies a latent sadistic streak, capable of clinical cruelty and easy dominance over others.
• 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.
• Kenze – A muscular, dark-skinned Amazoness with short hair and a niqab, this lethal, blunt former Takshurgan operative uses artificial speech while guarding Larry. Rough yet highly observant, the ship crew member reads Rhein, protects allies, and is nursing her daughter Zaboo. Pragmatic about her physiology, she can lay eggs in ceramic jars but fears capture.
• Kai – An ash-covered, square-jawed 20-year-old Dwarf Mage with translucent white hands, peerless strength, and unstable mana. A mind-reading combat mentor with a hidden past, she delivers engine coal under Larry and assists with Artillery repairs. Joining Earnest’s party, she teases the protagonist, sparks a romantic betting pool, and eagerly seeks attention from a reluctant Rhein.
• Fredys – Izumo’s female deck foreman and section chief is a forceful, pragmatic Inland Sea expert who backs the need for an exit strategy. From the bridge, she monitors fleets, manages logistics, captives, and discipline. She runs betting pools, interprets Turku, works closely with Roland, acts refined around Francis, fiercely defends subordinates like Kenze, and is rumored to be a shotacon.
• Roland – Quiet, golden-blonde dwarf heir to the Canaria throne and Queen Cecile’s brother. Mistaken for a girl in formal wear, this beautiful bridge crew chief and squad leader directs helm operations, assists with captives, and observes threatening enemy movements. The former Tsukushi captain carries a dagger, shares quarters with Fredys, and rescues his comrades Bebel and Katarina.
• 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.
• Gida – A disciplined female human, former finance bureaucrat, and meticulous Maintenance Department Chief on the Izumo. Outwardly insolent to superiors yet strictly controlling of her team, she pragmatically manages logistics and negotiations for crew well-being. She is constantly frustrated by the protagonist’s decisions and was initially reluctant to retain Raphael.
• Larry – Weary and sarcastic, this 16-year-old former reincarnation is a demoted Second Lieutenant, Izumo chief engineer, and Fee Grand Principality founder. Donning a mage robe and coilguns, the pragmatic Mana user reads minds, drains mana, and handles drones despite past-life trauma. Cynical of Maria and the Captain, he mediates crew drama but is often physically restrained for refusing orders.
• Izumo – The iron-hulled ship serving as the primary vessel for the protagonist and his crew.
• Mana – A non-commissioned officer and liaison who previously had their mana drained by Larry.
• Zaboo – Kenze’s daughter, delivered from a jar during the Haritz Rebellion and now missing, was named after his homeland’s strongest figure. Before vanishing, she constantly accompanied Kenze and was cared for at a Capital fabric shop by his former superior officer, who shared a close bond with her and looked after her alongside a companion.
• Captain – The middle-aged commanding officer of the Izumo is outwardly calm, experienced, and disengaged, holding traditional beliefs about sea creatures. Beneath this facade, he is a ruthless, pragmatic leader focused on vessel survival. While he rarely reprimands his men, he will execute deserters and readily prioritizes tactical objectives over the safety of his subordinates and civilians.
• Mage – Elf mage and shut-in engineer who stands watch in the engine department, managing the ship’s boilers. They are highly reclusive, irritable, and fiercely resistant to any orders coming from the Torpedo Department.
• Elf Mage – Elf mage and shut-in engineer who stands watch in the engine department, managing the ship’s boilers. They are highly reclusive, irritable, and fiercely resistant to any orders coming from the Torpedo Department.
• Elf – A reclusive, middle-aged mage who lives as a shut-in aboard the ship, where he tends to the boilers. He uses his own conjured fireballs to generate heat for the vessel and maintains a keen interest in studying the properties of asphalt as a potential fuel source.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply