Volume 4 Chapter 94 Trade Winds
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Make the Izumo run faster using coal. You’re capable, are you not?”
This demand comes from the Berserker, Hojo, without an ounce of shame.
His words irritate me.
No—they boil my blood.
Just the other day, he’d nearly killed a man with a dagger, then had the nerve to say, “Merely a jest—forgive me.”
Let me rewind a bit.
This was days before we were to dock at Mumbai, after leaving Oceanus.
The Berserker speaks Japanese from the Kamakura period. Even though it’s the same language, the pronunciation is different, and there’s plenty I don’t understand—but every now and then, a word clicks.
Watching the more sociable ones in our group—Higuchi, and Tomoe and Aoe who’ve grown close among the women—gesture and talk, I’ve slowly started to piece things together.
That’s when Imai caused a problem. He was probably chewed out by his superior officer, Hojo, and came to apologize—only to start screaming about seppuku.
No joke. I wanted no part of that mess.
”A warrior dying outside the battlefield—is that not a dishonor?”
The words slipped out.
After that, the Berserker Hojo asked, “You understand our tongue?” I answered, “Just a little.” Next thing I knew, the tip of his dagger was flying straight at my brow.
Naturally, I deflected and dodged.
What now?
The bastard sheathed his dagger and said, “Merely a jest—forgive me.”
Right.
I’ve always been magnanimous, even in my past life. I don’t hold grudges, and I’m a serious person. So I forgave him.
But still.
It doesn’t sit right.
And for reasons I couldn’t explain, the side of my right hand—the outer edge of my palm, I think—ached all the way to the wrist.
When I asked Kenze later, she said Hojo always wears a gauntlet and knee guards, so I must have hit those.
”Normally, just making contact wouldn’t leave any pain. So there must be something rigged into that gauntlet.”
Rigged?
”What do you reckon that gauntlet’s made of?”
”Iron, obviously. Steel, even. It’s meant to take blades, isn’t it?”
In the Vod Fortress battle, the Militia from the mining region of Olden wore round shields on their arms. I mentioned that.
”True enough—shields have a curve to deflect swords and such. But a gauntlet’s meant only to defend.”
On the battlefield, the shields deflected enemy weapons rather than just catching them.
”I don’t believe that battle-crazed fool uses his gauntlet merely for defense.”
Kenze tied a dagger to her left arm with a cord.
”Try deflecting a punch from me. I’ll come at you—see if you can avoid it.”
I did as she said, deflecting and avoiding her swing.
Ow!
”See?”
When I deflected, the guard of the dagger scraped my hand. Kenze explained that to make it happen, she’d twisted her elbow upward—slightly different from a normal straight punch—changing the angle of the deflection. That’s what made the guard strike.
She said I hadn’t noticed because my focus was on the blade’s tip.
In Kenze’s hometown of Tashkurgan, they have gauntlet-like armor with protrusions. She told me they trained to catch a descending sword on those protrusions, twisting body and arm to disarm the opponent.
”The one playing the disarmed party always ends up hurting.”
I think I understand that feeling.
Kenze was smirking at me.
”Well, either way, you won’t beat Hojo.”
What a pain. You don’t have to say that out loud.
Besides, I never said I’d fight the Berserker.
”Wouldn’t you win if you used mana?”
Tch.
Is it really impossible?
”Can’t even you win, Kenze?”
”Ha. Bullying the weak ain’t to my nature.”
Kenze spoke with uncharacteristic bravado.
Maybe that was a bit much.
”Is he really that strong?”
Ignoring her earlier answer, I asked again.
”I don’t know.”
This time, she seemed honest.
”Whether walking or any other motion, there’s absolutely no waver in his core. Even the masters in Old Master’s village don’t move like that.”
So she had her reasons.
”Only opening—if there’s any—would be those eyes.”
The creepiness of Hojo’s eyes—how they barely blink, how the gaze never moves—Kenze said that’s his weak point.
I couldn’t make that judgment myself.
But I’d learned something valuable.
I don’t usually hold grudges, but someone who nearly kills you and says “just a jest” is a different matter.
One day, I’ll make tears spill from those unsettling eyes.
Yes.
If I can make him close his eyes with a Fireball… that’d give me an opening. No matter what monster he is, he’d have to shut his eyes against a fireball’s heat right in front of his face. In that split second, I’d hit him with mana draining and take his consciousness.
And then I’ll say to him: “Merely a jest—forgive me.”
Snapping back to reality.
”Make the Izumo run faster using coal. You’re capable, are you not?”
Somehow, he’d learned that burning coal would power the Craft Engine and make us faster.
”The Luzon folk set sail from Mumbai five days ago. If we don’t catch them before they reach their homeland—and silence them—the Izumo won’t be able to resupply in Luzon either.”
Imai, who’d been quiet for a while, spoke with undisguised frustration. Ms. Leakle softened his words and explained more mildly, but even I could tell—everyone could sense the Berserker’s impatience.
”Silencing” meant killing, but I figured we could just dump them on some island or atoll.
Still, as Imai said, if those fugitives from Oceanus reached Luzon first, we’d be marked as enemies and likely denied resupply. And even if we could resupply in Luzon, we’d need to replenish again in the Land of Shura before crossing the Pacific.
So we had to listen to them.
I just didn’t want to do it meekly.
”Then we’ll run the engine as far as our next port: Menado.”
The female mages of the engine room—Janet and Claudia, my former students—grumbled complaints. They just didn’t want the extra work.
”Running the engine day and night would burn through a third of our coal. Considering what lies ahead, could we run it only during the day?”
Kai—now head of the Engine Department—made a serious proposal.
But from here to Menado was two weeks by sail. If they’d already left five days ago, a day-only engine wouldn’t catch them.
”There are reports of coal in Menado. If not, we’ll have to go to Borneo where it’s produced.”
I was about to leave it at that when Kamea, one of the Amazons, raised her hand. She’d served as acting captain of a trading vessel and knew these waters well—I couldn’t ignore her.
I signaled her to speak, and things got interesting.
”The Izumo rode currents and winds well to get this far, but losing five days to the trading ships—I think the Luzon folks must have forced a dangerous passage through the archipelagos. And if they split between two midsize trade ships, they can reduce resupply stops. So they might not stop at Menado at all—they may be heading straight for Luzon.”
Ms. Leakle provided simultaneous interpretation for Kamea, who spoke in the local tongue. Kamea spilled red wine on the table and sketched a rough map.
Mumbai, where we were now, sat roughly halfway down the spine of what my past-life memory told me was Papua New Guinea. Menado was a cape on the northwest of Celebes, but to reach it you had to make a wide detour around intervening islands. From there, Luzon was about fifteen hundred kilometers north, with chains of islands in between—it wasn’t a straight shot. More complicated than it looked.
And while the trade winds blew steadily, the currents were complex, sometimes flowing against direction.
But from Mumbai, sailing directly to Luzon—though you’d have to make a long voyage without resupply—you’d catch a swift current and avoid the obstacle islands.
”Time-wise, about two-thirds—maybe a month to reach it. Or so she says.”
While Ms. Leakle was interpreting, Hojo seemed to have understood Kai’s words directly. His barely mobile facial muscles twitched—a tell I read as: he’d already settled on the direct route.
”Kai, what’s the coal consumption?”
Before Hojo could speak, I asked her.
”Probably about two-thirds of our stock.”
”Not good.”
Ms. Leakle was interpreting properly.
”Water we can manage, but food will run out.”
”That’s a problem.”
Despite my words, my mind had already chosen the direct route to Luzon.
The Izumo’s blueprints included ballast tanks to maintain stability when coal loads ran low—meant to be used when supplies dropped to one-third. But as coal decreases, shallower draft increases speed and range. I suspected we’d make it with half our total coal—less than Kai’s estimate.
For food: during our intelligence gathering, I’d seen bananas and coconuts being sold. We could eat bananas for breakfast. And if they sold fresh coconut, they must also sell dried copra. Between those two, we could cover maybe a week’s worth.
”Just as I thought. The direct route to Luzon is preferable. But we can’t sail on empty stomachs. The sun hasn’t set yet. Let’s search again for provisions that’ll keep. If we find them, we go straight to Luzon. If not, we go through Menado.”
I made the decision.
”Storage: if it doesn’t fit in the hold, empty rooms or the deck will do. Also, if there’s charcoal or firewood, buy that too. We’ll split into two teams—Team One with Ms. Leakle as interpreter, Team Two with Kamea. And you lot—you’re searching too.”
I pointed at Hojo at the end.
We formed teams of ten and headed back into town. The bananas I’d noticed earlier were piled by the roadside. Since the shop was about to close, they let us have them cheap—and when we offered to pay, they said they’d go harvest more right away.
Fresh coconuts too—we bought all they had.
Bananas and coconuts being bulky, the deck crew made multiple trips hauling them back.
Team Two returned.
Green fruits, ten to thirty centimeters long. Apparently they were like breadfruit or potatoes—Kamea’s recommendation. We got about fifty kilos—not much, but apparently a staple around here.
They’d also brought dried copra—the white flesh of the coconut—borrowing the shop’s cart for transport. As planned, it would serve as a substitute for dried sweet potatoes.
Last were the Berserkers. They couldn’t think beyond rice—bought about a hundred kilos of indica rice and nothing else.
”Enough for a week or so, maybe.”
Pamela looked disappointed watching the gathered provisions loaded by bonfire light.
”No—ten days, easy. With this, we can make it straight to Luzon.”
”Are you serious?”
She looked genuinely surprised. She knew I’d always played it safe, keeping a solid margin.
”If we can’t catch those Luzon fugitives, we’ll have to get to the Land of Shura without resupply. That takes two months. So…”
”We’ll have to pillage somewhere.”
Pamela said what was hard to voice.
Exactly—we’d have to take some town or village using the Izumo’s overwhelming firepower—dynamite and coilguns—and seize food by force. It was just to survive and return home, but if we caught the Luzon folk along the way, there’d be a much better chance of avoiding such brutality.
Just then, a trade ship entered the harbor—at night.
Something was off.
Normally, they’d wait for morning, but they were using our bonfire to guide them in, docking at the next pier over with considerable urgency. The harbor officials—Amazons—were arguing with someone from the trade vessel.
”Hey.”
Suddenly, Hojo’s voice from behind.
Damn near jumped.
I instinctively lowered my stance, ready to counter, but Hojo just looked down at me with a mocking gaze.
”Get this ship underway as soon as possible.”
I understood that much in Japanese.
Seriously—out of nowhere with this command? We could sail by starlight, but with safety in mind, waiting for dawn was the only sensible call.
”Daqin has fallen—so claimed the men on that ship.”
Daqin fallen? Finally crushed by the Boltechino? It was possible.
Which meant…
”The Luzon region, so close to the continent… must be in chaos now.”
—
Summary:
The protagonist is furious at Hojo’s dismissive “jest” after nearly being killed, flashing back to the incident and fantasizing about revenge using Fireball and mana draining. After a logistical debate about coal routes and provisions, a trade ship arrives with news of Daqin’s fall, implying Luzon is now in chaos and may be hostile territory. With the direct route chosen, the party must now decide whether to risk arrival without resupply or resort to pillaging, while Hojo orders immediate departure.
—
Trivia:
The protagonist has past-life memories that help him identify real-world geography (Papua New Guinea, Celebes, Luzon) despite the fantasy setting.
Hojo’s gauntlet is rigged with hidden protrusions that cause pain on contact, not just defensive armor.
Kenze’s hometown of Tashkurgan has combat training specifically for disarming opponents using gauntlet protrusions.
The Izumo has ballast tanks designed for stability when coal loads drop below one-third, but shallower draft actually increases speed.
The fugitives from Oceanus split between two midsize ships to reduce resupply stops and gain time.
The direct route from Mumbai to Luzon saves about one-third of travel time by catching swift currents and avoiding island obstacles.
The trade winds are steady but the currents are complex and sometimes flow in reverse direction.
The Berserkers’ limited thinking about provisions stopped at rice—they bought a hundred kilos of indica rice and nothing else.
Kamea was formerly acting captain of a trading vessel and knows local waters well.
The Amazoness harbor officials enforce port regulations, arguing with the nighttime trade vessel.
The Boltechino has finally crushed Daqin, making Luzon—close to the continent—a likely chaotic and dangerous region.
Notes:
• Izumo – The iron-hulled primary vessel, named and personified as a character herself, who loyally carries the protagonist and his crew throughout their journey.
• Hojo – An unsettling, aggressive male warrior from a fallen clan and ambassador/lord of the Land of Shura, this “Berserker” commands Imai and the Izumo. Dressed in sumo referee-inspired garb with a gauntlet, knee guards, and hip-mounted longsword, he has an intense, unblinking gaze. Linked to the Hojo clan, he speaks in imperious, clipped Kamakura-period Japanese. Driven by honor and trauma from his family’s slaughter, he views lethal violence as jest, yet shows restraint before outbursts.
• 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.
• Higuchi – Hojo’s attendant. Sent to gather details from the ship that brought news of Daqin’s fall. Social member of the group. Helps the protagonist understand the Berserker’s language through gestures.
• Tomoe – A tall, strong, and sincere warrior woman serving Hojo as an attendant and watchman. The daughter of Higuchi, she is skilled with a naginata, a heavy bow, and crafts, yet maintains a blank expression in battle. Easily flustered by nudity and naive around men, she has grown close to the other women, aids the protagonist with language, and holds deep emotional ties to the deceased Children.
• Aoe – Female member who has grown close with the other women. Helps the protagonist understand the language.
• Imai – Hojo’s attendant and group member who remains on the bridge with Fredys and Roland. Previously scolded by Hojo and having threatened seppuku, he speaks with frustration about the Luzon fugitives. A dagger-wielding warrior of cold, methodical brutality, he operates with clinical efficiency and no emotion, interrogating a pirate by severing his ankles and calf before beheading him.
• Kenze – Kenze is a muscular, brown-skinned Amazoness and former Tashkurgan operative turned research student. An observant, teasing guardian with dragon tattoos, she wears gauntlet-like armor and fights with formal precision. Formerly bonded with Earnest and now a rebel leader on the Izumo, she works with Tatyana, rooms with Larry—whom she prioritizes above all—and is currently nursing an egg while declining in health.
• Master – An old master who serves as a mentor to the protagonist. He maintains a calm and pragmatic demeanor.
• Leakle – An Amazoness official at the Viscount’s Palace in Oceanus who serves as the professional interpreter and primary intermediary for the Acting Captain’s crew. Fluent in Schweilitz, she maintains a diplomatic, respectful register, often softening others’ words. She reacts with visible alarm and concern regarding reports of Hole-Eaters and promptly mobilizes to handle affairs for Larry-san and the group.
• Claudia – A former Royal Capital researcher and Kisaragi engine room mage, she is a student of the protagonist, Camillo, and Larry who teaches boiler maintenance with Janet. Having grown from a chubby youth into an unstable beauty with low mana, this crew member frequently complains about her extra workload, participates in betting pools, and has acted as a messenger regarding Kai and the protagonist’s wives.
• Janet – A 22-year-old former Bizan Academy researcher and unstable mage, she now serves in the Mutsuki’s Engine Department. Despite low mana and severe seasickness, she manages maintenance via speaking tube while complaining about her workload. As the protagonist’s gossipy former subordinate, she frequently pries into their personal life and spreads rumors about Kai, all while longing to leave the ship.
• Kai – A 20-year-old ash-covered Dwarf Mage and Bridge Leader, she serves as the professional Head of the Engine Department, offering serious proposals on coal and navigation. Beyond her sturdy frame, translucent white hands, and high regenerative resilience, this capable Izumo crew member hides a mysterious past. She balances her duties with a teasing nature toward Rhein and an active, impulsive libido.
• Kamea – An Amazoness crew member and former acting captain of a trading vessel, she is Larry’s physical partner and a knowledgeable navigator of local waters. Known for bringing rice to the city, she recommends green fruits for provisions and communicates via interpreter Leakle. Though she called for intelligence gathering, she is unrelated to the origin of the local syphilis outbreak.
• Tim – Jarek Dvorak, 14, the village’s eldest son and recent graduate, has short dark hair, a lean build and thoughtful eyes. He arrived in Obernbach with his father, watches the Golem’s arrival with trepidation, and, as a sugar‑beet cultivator from a family that refines sugar, boasts of pleasures in the district. A carefree, slightly reckless friend of Larry’s.
• Ti – A component of the name of the Port Administrator.
• 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.
• Pamela – A loli elf mage and the protagonist’s companion. Uses pseudo-archaic Japanese with playful undertones. Acts as the protagonist’s lover and telepathic partner. Mischievous and quick to play along with schemes. Carries magical abilities. Loli elf mage and Earnest’s master. Sharp-tongued and practical. Uses telepathy and mana techniques. Acts as Earnest’s caretaker and disciplinarian. Observes the provisions gathered. Reacts with disappointment to the estimated duration. Knows the protagonist’s usual cautious nature and expresses surprise at his boldness.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Boltechino – An entity that departed from Rus, this explorer traveled to discover a continent that became the birthplace of shipping trade.
• The Boltechino – Military force that conquered Takshurgan. The main antagonist faction referenced throughout the chapter.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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