Volume 4 Chapter 113 Rampage
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Morning. The weasel kid was gone.
”She is not here!”
Kenze burst out of the former captain’s quarters, pounded on my door, shouted that, and ran toward the deck.
That was ridiculous. We were away from the dock, and there were watchmen on the bow, the stern, the mast, and the bridge. She probably just woke up early, wandered around the ship, and passed out somewhere.
I sat up, even though it was a little early.
Alyona had been here last night, but the kitchen crew wakes early, so she was already gone. She had started out shy, but lately she had been demanding, and the sheets were bunched up in a mountain where they had peeled off the bed.
Well, I do not mind a reserved woman coming undone in my arms.
I hummed to myself while getting dressed, thinking about the night before. Then from the next room came Sinon’s crying, and Kamea and Leakle-san’s children joined in.
”The weasel kid is gone!”
Kai shouted as she came out of her door and ran up the stairs.
I opened the bathroom door to relieve myself, and found not the weasel kid, but her older sister, Kutori.
”My bad.”
I closed the door. A beat later, a scream erupted from inside. Kamea came flying out, holding her child.
”What happened?”
She asked in her clumsy Schweilitz language. I told her: I opened the door, Kutori was there, and she screamed. Kamea gave me a long, heavy sigh and went back to her room.
Still, she was not even a teenager yet, and she screamed like that. Maybe she came from a good family before ending up as a homeless wanderer.
A moment later, Kutori came out, her face burning with anger, and marched into the former captain’s quarters. Her little sister was missing, and she seemed awfully relaxed about it. I filed that thought away and went into the bathroom.
Maybe I should scream if someone opens this door without knocking.
The thought crossed my mind, but I would just get laughed at, so I dropped it.
When I reached the bridge, it was more chaotic than I had expected. The watchmen on duty had been gathered and were being questioned by Squad Leader Fredys about what had happened last night.
”Just before dawn, I heard a splash from the bow. I looked over, but there was nothing,” said one watchman.
”I heard it too, but nothing after that. It sounded like a fish jumping,” said another.
”I did not hear anything from the stern, but there were fish jumping nearby,” added a third.
So she probably did not fall into the canal.
But sneaking in, swimming a kidnapped little girl out without a sound, that sounded like something a Navy SEAL could pull off. Even if this was an isekai version of the American continent, probably not.
”Then she is likely still aboard. Let us split up and search,” said Squad Leader Fredys, organizing the search with crisp efficiency. If you ignored her thing for little boys, she would be competent back on Earth too.
But.
They did not find the weasel kid.
At that point, we asked Leakle-san to request the local Amazons to search the city.
But there were some who were not done with this.
Kenze, who was always looking after her.
Tomoe, who clung to me and I had been doting on like a child.
Katarina, who desperately wanted to be spoiled.
Kai, who got the wrong idea when the kid called her “big sister.”
In a way, the four strongest, and most troublesome, women on this ship mobilized.
”Hey. We are goin’ to find her. Get the boat ready. Now,” said Katarina, coming to me as their representative.
”Goin’ to find her,” she repeated, as if that explained everything.
Kenze had a dagger at her hip. Tomoe carried a naginata. Katarina had not brought her suicide drones, but she had her coilguns and a gun-belt slung crosswise over her shoulder with cartridges sticking out. Kai carried a coal shovel she used to stoke the boiler.
”What exactly are you planning to do?” I asked.
”Just goin’ to find our girl.”
No, no, no. You look like you are about to storm a castle.
”Can’t approve that,” I said, saying what any acting captain would say.
And then I was surrounded by these four.
”That is fine, right?” Katarina pushed, her voice hard.
Could I hold them off? Katarina and Kai, I could probably manage. But Tomoe was dangerous. Kenze was even more dangerous. While I was dealing with one, the others would punch me from behind, and I would end up getting mobbed.
No choice. Since I had already slept with them once, I would let my women have their way this once. Not because I was scared, obviously.
”Fine. But do not kill anyone. And no starting fights,” I said, and signaled Fredys with my eyes. Her deck crew immediately lowered the boats.
”Acting Captain, are they gonna be okay?” asked the dwarf bridge squad leader.
There was no way they were okay.
”They did not take an interpreter with them,” I muttered.
”She is probably planning to negotiate, with her fists,” said Fredys, pointing to the Mesoamerican stepped pyramid at the end of the eastbound road from the harbor. At its peak sat two altars. Depending on which god you were offering to, you chose the left or right altar, and there, they would tear out the sacrifice’s heart.
”Apparently there is a Mexictli Kingdom trading post at the foot of that pyramid, and a building where they keep the sacrifices,” I said, passing on what I had heard from Leakle-san.
”Then a fight is guaranteed,” said Fredys.
”Yeah. So let us get the boiler fired up. And call Leakle-san,” I ordered.
When Leakle-san arrived, she said, “As long as none of my Amazons die, we can deal with the rest. Actually, you should have just ordered me to have the trading post people all killed.”
Wait, really? That did not even cross my mind.
”Anyway, I will watch from the fixed-wing drone. Get ready to sail anytime,” I said, putting on the remote-control helmet and launching the reconnaissance drone. About five hundred meters to the pyramid, or rather, the trading post.
Leakle-san said that no matter what happened, I just had to take her to the city of Colla. Hmm. Something about that did not sit right.
The four problem women were walking down the wide boulevard. Two hundred meters to go. The locals were clearing the way, drawn by their strange, threatening aura. Yeah, that checked out.
From above, I could see that this city had almost no buildings over two stories tall. Mostly single-story, with roofs of wood or leaves. Thanks to that, the residential areas sprawled out below, wide dirt roads with no cobblestones. Canals snaked between the houses.
The only multi-story buildings near the harbor were the Amazon compound, the trading post the four were heading toward, both wooden two-story structures, and what I assumed was the sacrifice house, stone-built but with a wooden roof.
Was the weasel kid at the trading post? Even from the air, there were almost no visible windows. Behind the trading post were a few cheap-looking wooden warehouses. Maybe she was there. Or maybe she had been put in the stone building from the start.
Now, what were the women planning?
Whether they noticed or not, a dozen locals had started trailing behind them. Probably just curious spectators wanting to see what these odd women would do.
Whether they knew or not, the four arrived at the entrance and charged inside. Almost immediately, a man flew out the door and hit the ground. He was not getting up. Bad landing. The spectators just circled around and watched, making no move to help.
Here we go. I thought that.
”Captain.”
A little girl’s voice came from behind me, and I felt her arms wrap around my back.
No way.
I pulled off the helmet and turned around. There she was. The weasel kid.
Why are you here. They searched the whole ship, did not they?
More importantly, those four. And before that, the recon drone, now uncontrolled, was diving. I managed to recover it, but my head was spinning.
Crap. A second, then a third victim came flying, or rather, was thrown, out of the trading post. From above, I watched Kenze and Kai leave the main building and head for the warehouses.
At the same time, what looked like a squad of Amazons was approaching the trading post.
”Captain,” said the weasel kid again.
”What the hell is going on?” I demanded of whoever was on the bridge. No answer.
”Why is the weasel kid here?” I asked again.
”I think she was… somewhere,” said Fredys, sounding sheepish.
”Go stop those four right now! And tell Leakle-san to get word to the Amazons!” I shouted.
”The poles are already on their way,” came the reply.
Right, right. Quick response was good, but one of the warehouses just collapsed. Kai must have used her brute strength to break down the door.
Another person came flying out the trading post entrance and slammed to the ground. Right behind, Tomoe and Katarina burst out and headed for the stone building. I was guessing the people inside the trading post were no longer in good shape.
Where were the poles? Still halfway there.
As I watched, another warehouse went down. This might not be something you could just pay to fix.
Then, almost instantly, Tomoe and Katarina came back out of the stone building, and were surrounded by Amazons.
Please do not kill anyone.
Tomoe raised her naginata. Katarina aimed her coilguns at the Amazons.
”Captain, play with me,” said the weasel kid, rubbing her face against my back.
Seriously, where were you this whole time?
”Mama is gone. Tomoe is gone. The inn lady is gone. Big sister is gone. Play with me,” she whined.
I did not have time for that right now.
One of the Amazons stepped forward, spear leveled at Tomoe. Tomoe stepped back half a step, swept her naginata in a warning arc, dropped low into a ready stance, and then thrust the butt of the shaft into the charging Amazon’s chest, sending her stumbling back.
I was admiring that when I realized all the trading post warehouses had collapsed. Kenze and Kai were running toward Tomoe. Kai reached her first, swinging her shovel to clear the Amazons away. Once the three reunited, the Amazons gave them more distance.
Right. These women were dangerous. Cross them wrong and you were dead.
Finally, the poles arrived. The men shouted. The women faltered at the sound, but Kenze gave an order, and the entire group, men and women, started running toward the harbor. Good call. The Amazons did not pursue. They just watched them go.
”Yamawel, where were you?” said Leakle-san, her voice cutting through the chaos.
The weasel kid, who had been clinging to my back demanding to play, finally let go.
Kenze and the others had made it back to the harbor district. I recovered the drone. Since we had the boiler going, I ordered the engines engaged to bring the ship alongside the pier.
”Honestly. I told you, if you are going to do it, kill all of them,” said Leakle-san, scolding me as she pointed toward the pyramid.
A single strand of red smoke rose from it.
”That is a signal fire. Red means war,” she said.
”War?” I repeated.
”It means ‘start preparing for war.’ Look over there,” she said, pointing north.
I followed her gaze. In the distance, far but visible, another red column of smoke rose.
”From here, this news will reach Tenochtitlan, the capital of Mexictli Kingdom, within a day and night,” she explained. And then an army would march toward us. In about a month, apparently, it would reach Colla, the Amazons’ main city.
”Sorry to say, you are the ones who will have to fight that war,” she said.
You are kidding.
”That is why I said kill them all. Now that it has come to this, you will have to take responsibility. The Amazons are not involved,” she continued.
She was not wrong, but…
”Can’t we just run away?” I asked.
”Do you think the Amazons would let you?” she replied.
Yeah, thought not.
”For now, you will have to go to Colla. They will send a messenger by fast horse in about three weeks, so you have time to take it slow,” she said.
”Can we negotiate peace there?” I asked.
And she said: “Have twenty slaves ready, for food and sacrifice.”
Yeah, no way. I could not buy people just to have them killed.
”By the way, how many soldiers are we talking?” I asked.
If peace was not an option, we fight. If they were under two thousand, we had a chance, even with fewer than fifty on our side.
”Last time I was here, when I fought the Amazons, they came with thirty thousand,” she said.
That was an order of magnitude off.
”What if we capture the trading post people as hostages?” I suggested.
”They ran the second that smoke went up. Even if you catch them, it will not stop the war,” she said.
Apparently, prisoners were the first ones sacrificed. So even if we caught the trading post staff, the kingdom would either assume they had already been sacrificed, or just offer them up and never think to negotiate.
According to Leakle, there were only three ways to end a war here:
Get a third party to mediate.
Keep hitting them until they surrender.
Keep getting hit until they declare victory.
Well. That was a dead end.
By the way, where had the weasel kid been this whole time?
”Captain’s room,” said Fredys.
So I was told. My room. Apparently, she had been curled up in the crumpled sheets on my bed.
If only I had checked.
Hindsight is 20/20. Next time I am with Alyona, I will ask her to straighten the sheets afterward.
The Izumo, having retrieved Kenze and the others, abandoned its scheduled voyage and sailed up the canal under canvas, heading for the city of Colla.
—
Summary:
The Izumo’s morning chaos erupts when the weasel kid goes missing, prompting four heavily armed women to storm a Mexictli Kingdom trading post while the protagonist watches from a reconnaissance drone. The kid was hiding in his bed the entire time, but the damage is done. Red signal fires now declare war on the Amazons’ territory.
—
Trivia:
The weasel kid was hiding in the protagonist’s bed the entire chapter, buried in the crumpled sheets from his night with Alyona.
The four women, Kenze, Tomoe, Katarina, and Kai, are described as the strongest and most troublesome on the ship.
Katarina carries coilguns and a gun-belt but left her suicide drones behind.
Kai’s weapon of choice is a coal shovel from the ship’s boiler.
The pyramid at the city’s edge has two altars for human sacrifice, with the choice of altar depending on which god is being offered to.
Mexictli Kingdom is an Aztec-inspired Mesoamerican civilization with Tenochtitlan as its capital.
Red signal fires mean war, and the news travels from the port to Tenochtitlan in a day and night.
The Mexictli army previously marched with thirty thousand soldiers against the Amazons.
Leakle has prior experience fighting the Amazons in this region.
Peace negotiations would require offering twenty slaves for food and sacrifice.
The only ways to end a war here are third-party mediation, total defeat of the enemy, or total defeat of oneself.
Prisoners of war are the first to be sacrificed, making hostage-taking useless.
The protagonist’s internal denial, “Not because I was scared, obviously,” is the comedic keystone of his character voice.
The ship’s name is Izumo, and it sails under canvas up the canal toward Colla.
Notes:
• Kenze – Kenze is a muscular, brown-skinned Amazoness and former Tashkurgan operative turned research student. Energetic and urgent, she wears gauntlet-like armor, has dragon tattoos, and fights with precision. Formerly bonded with Earnest, now a rebel leader on the Izumo, she rooms with Larry—whom she prioritizes—and cares for the weasel kid and her daughter Sinon. Deeply protective of children, she reacts with horror to child sacrifice. Impulsive actions escalated tensions toward war. Currently nursing an egg while declining in health.
• Alyona – Slender, devout Russian Orthodox slave aboard Izumo. Works in Dining Hall, speaks Russian-influenced Japanese. Appears timid, submissive, formal, leading Larry to dismiss her as dead weight. Masks latent sadistic streak. Formerly held by Hodayn Administrator and Rhein. Now assists crew, has intimate relationship with narrator. Shy initially but demanding in private. Spent night with 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.
• Leakle – Administrator-level Amazoness official at Viscount’s Palace in Oceanus. Wears administrative clothing. Fluent in Schweilitz, diplomatic interpreter and intermediary for Acting Captain’s crew. Speaks formally, analytically, with elegant restraint and calm superiority. Mother of children on ship. Next Administrator of Amazoness. Received transit permit from Queen of Oceanus. Reacts with alarm to Hole-Eaters, mobilizes for Larry-san. Provides clinical exposition on region’s history, politics, and Mexictli Kingdom’s child sacrifice. Diplomatic, apologetic, firm about not letting Izumo crew escape.
• Kamea – Amazoness crew member, former acting captain, knowledgeable navigator. Larry’s physical partner. Mother on ship, holds child. Speaks clumsy Schweilitz, communicates via Leakle. Brings rice, recommends green fruits. Unrelated to syphilis outbreak.
• Sinon – Infant daughter of Kenze. Amazoness child hatched from egg. Currently in larval-to-early childhood stage, develops slower than human children. Cries in morning. Recently learned to stand by holding onto things. Draws crowds of women who fuss over her. Playmate of weasel kid and older sister Kutori.
• Kai – Dwarf department head in the Engine Division. Small in stature and younger than Katarina. Referred to as “big sister” by the weasel kid. Possesses monstrous strength and, under Maria’s tutelage, mana handling second only to the protagonist. One of the four troublesome women. Loud and enthusiastic. Misinterprets the weasel kid calling her “big sister.” Carries a coal shovel. Gen Z conversational cadence.
• Kutori – Older sister of the weasel kid. Playmate of Sinon. Mentioned as at risk of being taken for sacrifice. Older sister of the weasel kid. Young teenager. Short-tempered and prone to screaming. Formerly from a good family before becoming homeless. Speaks in simple, emotional phrases.
• Schweilitz – This kingdom, featuring towering academy spires and a full military arsenal of Royal Army troops, forces the protagonist to return. Ruled by a king involved in a hostage exchange, this political power holds a captive feared for execution. It also ordered the confirmation of Princess Rosa’s corpse, driving a scheme that the Queen has caught onto.
• Fredys – Battle-hardened former slave, Izumo deck crew foreman, pragmatic squad leader. Related to Ullmans, lives with Roland, loyal voice of reason to Acting Captain. Assumed command after Earnest’s capture; navigates Izumo to Luzon, oversees rescue ops post-Whale Eater attack. Left on standby with flee orders. Competent organizer, crisp command presence, noted preference for young boys. Asks clarifying questions about Amazoness operations and child sacrifice.
• Tomoe – Tall, strong warrior woman serving Hojo as attendant and watchman. Daughter of Higuchi, skilled with naginata and longbow. Maintains blank expression in battle, yet calm and deadly. Easily flustered by nudity, naive around men. Grows close to other women, aids protagonist with language, and holds deep ties to deceased Children. Shot terror bird’s head from fifty meters, claims can hit stationary target from two hundred. Clings to protagonist, doted on like child.
• Katarina – Katarina, 32, Izumo flight squad leader, volatile telepathic mage. Voluptuous, good-looking, divorced. Observed children in stone hall, questioned fate. Described as degenerate. Teases protagonist by listing exes, pressures subordinates, advocates for Gida, target of Eida, after Larry. Protective of weasel kid despite irritation. One of four troublesome women. Aggressive, pushy, demanding, desperately wants spoiled. Carries coilguns, speaks clipped. Refuses orders unless rescue.
• Captain – The middle-aged commanding officer of the Izumo is outwardly calm, experienced, and traditional, masking a ruthless, pragmatic leader who prioritizes vessel survival over subordinates and civilians. While rarely reprimanding his men, he will execute deserters. Bebel reports directly to him, holding orders to return to Kure should the protagonist fail to return from their mission.
• Yamawel – Five-year-old younger sister, nicknamed Weasel Kid, rescued from water-supply cliff. Darts around constantly, has no clear memories, steals jerky. Learned Japanese words before Schweilitz language, says “grandma” in Schweilitz to Kenze. Acting captain of Izumo, reincarnated with modern Japanese sensibilities in fantasy world. Dry, sarcastic internal monologue. Pragmatic, easily overwhelmed by chaotic women under command, maintains authority while panicking inside.
• 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.
• Izumo – The iron-hulled primary vessel, named and personified as a character herself, who loyally carries the protagonist and his crew throughout their journey.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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