Volume 4 Chapter 53 Curiosity
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Izumo steamed up the turbid river, belching black smoke. During the dry season, the navigable channel was narrow—water ran through only about half of it. The rest was either exposed riverbed or large stagnant pools that gave off a strong, fishy smell.
Unexpectedly, human activity was busy—boat traffic was heavy. Thanks to this, we had to yield the channel to downstream vessels and were even forced to tow stranded ones.
The animals found here were all new to the Izumo’s crew. When hippo and elephant herds appeared, people would gather on deck in astonishment—though Daran warned us of the danger, so we gave them a wide berth. There were also large birds, strange monkeys, and lizards that somehow found their way onto the deck to crawl about.
In the early mornings and evenings, cattle, deer, and wild boar would come to the riverbank to drink.
At night, we dropped anchor—navigation was impossible in the dark. Daran also forbade the “Poor Man’s Lamp,” claiming it would attract venomous snakes. The ship was dark, lit only by moonlight, and when we were quiet, we could hear wild roars echoing from deep within the jungle. It was frightening.
More than anything, the flies made it impossible to eat properly during the day, and at dusk, we were swarmed by clouds of mosquitoes. To deal with this, we burned incense purchased at Tinde Port throughout the ship, day and night—but its effectiveness seemed to be waning with each passing day.
”Mr. Daran, how many more days will this take?”
On the fourth morning of our upstream journey, I went to the Dining Hall and found Department Head Gida—hair a complete mess—cornering Daran, who was serving as our pilot. There were several mosquito bites on her face, so I could understand her frustration.
”This ship is fast. We’ll enter Manica Gorge by noon. After we get through it, about a day and a half, I’d say.”
Apparently, beyond the gorge lies mountainous terrain where the riverbanks narrow and the current grows stronger—a sailing ship would take at least three days, but with our self-propelled vessel, the time would be halved. And indeed, we entered Manica Gorge before noon, even earlier than Daran had predicted.
This was because the Engine Department, urged on by the crew, had been feeding more asphalt and coal into the boilers—though no one reported it to me, the acting captain. Not that I would have scolded them for it. But I would have liked to know.
Inside the gorge, cliffs rose on both sides. The river, which had been at least a hundred meters wide, narrowed to half that—deep and with a decent current. At the inlet before the gorge, a few medium-sized ships and several small boats were waiting for favorable winds.
”There are quite a few people here, aren’t there?”
I admitted that, having seen no one since leaving the Amazoness Royal Capital Ram until reaching the river’s mouth, I’d assumed the area was sparsely populated. Daran explained that north of the Sanbeji River, the jungle was teeming with dangerous beasts—unsuitable for human habitation. By contrast, the climate to the south was suitable for agriculture and had more people, but with few roads, most east-west trade relied on the river.
”Once we pass Manica Gorge, we’ll enter the Kingdom of Kush, where things become a bit more comfortable.”
He said it with a hint of pride.
Indeed, by evening, after passing through the gorge, the climate seemed to change. The air wasn’t as humid—the temperature had dropped, if only slightly. And more importantly, the mosquitoes that swarmed at dusk were noticeably fewer.
”You can light the lamps at night now—it’s safe.”
Because of the venomous snakes drawn to light, we hadn’t used the Poor Man’s Lamp since entering the river. That night, we gladly lit the lamps and started a celebration—only to find that, while the mosquitoes were fewer, they were replaced by clouds of gnats that gathered in ridiculous numbers.
Late at night, with the mosquitoes mostly gone, the incense still burned, its fragrance drifting through the air. On the quiet bridge, I recorded the latitude and longitude that Bridge Leader Roland had measured, along with the climate change after passing Manica Gorge, in the ship’s log. That was the end of my work for the day.
Avoiding the lights where the gnats were swarming, I had a late meal and took a break with some coffee I’d bought at Hodayn Port.
”Work… done?”
Kenze came over with a tray of food and sat in front of me. She’d been delayed with the Children.
”How are the Children?”
It had been about a month since the oviposition. Our nights together had been fewer, and I hadn’t had many chances to talk with her properly.
”Still… okay. But when can we get back to the sea? Worried about water.”
Last time, at Zaboo, we’d been inland, so we’d used fresh water for the Children’s larval stage. But this time, the oviposition had happened at sea, so they were being raised in saltwater. Now, however, we were traveling upriver—there was no saltwater. According to Kenze, the larvae needed to be raised consistently in either fresh or saltwater—switching wasn’t possible.
She’d apparently brought enough reserve water in jars for a month, but that wouldn’t last forever. She was worried about how long we’d be staying in the Dwarven kingdom.
”I want to return as soon as possible.”
Honestly, I wouldn’t know until we actually had talk with the Dwarves. But given everything that had happened, I wanted to do whatever I could for Kenze.
”I see.”
That was all she said, and she began to eat. If it came to it, maybe I could send her back to the port at the river’s mouth alone. No—that wouldn’t work. Even with her combat abilities, I couldn’t send her off alone with a jar of children in an unfamiliar land.
”I see… so that’s how it is with Kenze.”
That night, when I returned to my cabin, Pamela was there, and I told her about my conversation with Kenze in the Dining Hall.
It all depends on you, don’t it? After all, you’re the acting captain in the real captain’s absence.
She continued in telepathy while stretching up on her toes, pressing against me and seeking my lips.
I know, I know. I’ve got to figure something out.
I responded in kind while holding her small body, returning her kiss.
Now then, you’re with me. Don’t you go thinkin’ about other things.
She nipped lightly at my tangled tongue.
Sorry, sorry. Alright then, sit down.
I loosened our embrace, took her by the small shoulders, and lowered her to the floor before loosening my own belt. She bared herself below the waist in turn, watching my expression as she took me in her mouth. Wrapped in the warmth of her mouth, I swelled instantly.
Still partial to this, I see.
Not that I’d deny it—I genuinely enjoyed it. I gently cupped her dear little head in my hands.
”Ahh, that was a good night’s sleep.”
The next morning, I heard similar comments all around the Dining Hall. Likely because we’d been able to sleep without the drone of mosquitoes.
When I reached the bridge, the anchor was already raised and the ship was underway. The river ran almost perfectly straight, with flat land on either side and ranges of mountains visible in the distance. The river was less than a hundred meters wide, yet despite the dry season, the water level was high.
”From here on, aside from the confluence with tributaries, the water’s deep enough—we’ll have no trouble proceeding.”
Indeed, that was true—but other vessels weren’t so fortunate. The wind came from diagonally ahead, forcing them to zigzag upstream using triangular sails, making their movements hard to read. Passing them was rather tense.
Before the gorge, the people on local boats were almost entirely Black human folk. After the gorge, however, they were all stocky Dwarves with bronze hair and beards—we must have entered the Kingdom of Kush.
That day, we made good distance. By evening, the mountains on both sides had receded, and we seemed to have entered a large basin.
”You see that smoke rising over there?”
Daran pointed, and indeed, something like black smoke was visible.
”That’s the Royal Capital of Tete. If we were a bit earlier, we could have made it today—but the Levbote River flows in from the west just before the city, making the terrain complicated. We’ll anchor here tonight.”
It was probably only about ten kilometers away, but the sun had already begun to hide behind the distant mountains. Here, the sun sets almost vertically, so darkness falls in an instant. I wanted to hurry, but it seemed we’d have to be patient.
That night, I was writing in the ship’s log on the bridge when I heard a commotion outside. At first I thought the deck crew was drinking and making noise, but it was something else. I stood and stuck my head out the window to find the ship surrounded by small boats.
Was this an attack by the Kingdom of Kush, like with the Amazoness?
”So they’ve come after all.”
I turned to find Daran, who’d been sleeping in a hammock on the bridge, now sitting up and addressing me.
”Who’s come?”
”Curious scholars and artisans, that’s who.”
Come to think of it, this one (Daran) had also boarded the ship without permission and wandered around poking his nose everywhere.
”But Tete’s half a day away from here, and besides—how’d they even know we were coming?”
”Ships that run on coal were already talked about from Amazoness lands, and refugees from the captain’s homeland told them too. Look, the river here’s a straight line—they could see the smoke from a long way off.”
Refugees—that must mean Rosa. And indeed, after leaving the gorge, the Sanbeji River ran as straight as if it had been carved along a great fault line. So that’s how they’d spotted us from afar.
”Oi! No boardin’!”
Suddenly, I heard the crew shouting. A clumsy conflict with the Dwarves would be a headache later.
”Can these people understand my language [Schweilitz]?”
”Yeah, information from Schweilitz and Turku comes in the original language—they’ll probably understand about eighty percent.”
Come to think of it, the bearing materials came from Dwarven technology, so there must have been exchange between Dwarven communities. If they could understand eighty percent of my words, that made things easier.
Hurrying down the stairs, I found about a dozen Dwarves already on board via the starboard side.
”I’ve no problem with you lookin’, but keep your hands off.”
I signaled to the deck crew member trying to block them that it was all right, then shouted loudly at the Dwarves.
”Oi, they’ve given us permission to look!”
Whether they’d understood me, I heard that cry in response. With no further resistance to boarding, more Dwarves carrying lamps came swarming aboard.
There must have been a hundred of them, easily. Even if I hadn’t given permission, I doubt we could have stopped them. Still, they did honor my request not to touch anything, so I supposed I’d have to accept it.
I spent a while managing the traffic, but eventually I gave up and returned to the bridge to continue writing the log—only to have Dwarves streaming in after me. The Artillery Department crew on duty were bombarded with rapid-fire questions about their coilguns and the cartridges on their gun-belts. Nearby, the fixed-wing drone operators were being questioned about their kit cases, the two of them too frightened to say a word while the Dwarves launched into excited discussions about the coilguns and ammunition.
Meanwhile, the young man on bridge watch was being interrogated about the clock Romy had made. Listening in, the Dwarves seemed to have a fair understanding of magical tools—some of them even knew that mana monomers generated electric and magnetic fields like electrons, which surprised me.
Watching them, I realized their thirst for knowledge was bottomless. They were interested in everything, and with the language barrier gone, they asked questions I struggled to answer. It was relentless enough that I almost wished I couldn’t understand them.
”Excuse me—do you know Rosa?”
I asked one of them, a Dwarf with knowledge of monomer mana.
”Ah, I know her—I certainly do. Half-human, surname was Schramm, if I recall. She was my professor.”
”Professor? The Dwarf who answered had unkempt hair and a wild, overgrown beard.”
”Can I see her when we reach Tete?”
”Of course. She’s teaching at the Academy now. Busy as she is, I doubt she’d refuse a visitor from her distant homeland. If you like, I could take you myself.”
It was good that we could meet her so easily—but there was a problem. If she was embedded in their educational system, bringing her back to our country might be much more complicated than I’d thought.
”By the way, what’s your connection to Professor Rosa?”
He turned his hairy face toward me and asked.
”Well, you could say she’s my former student.”
I answered casually.
”Could it be—are you perhaps Professor Larry the Great?”
What a question. I couldn’t exactly answer “Well, I don’t know about that”—so when I confirmed it, a huge commotion erupted. The bridge was flooded with Dwarves, and I was bombarded with questions about the ship and mana. Before I knew it, dawn was breaking.
I was exhausted, but there were gains, too. In between their questions, I’d asked my own, and learned that the southern part of this basin had nickel and chromium mines, the west had volcanoes producing manganese and sulfur, the north had large coalfields, and iron ore could be found just by digging. It was a dreamland for Dwarves.
I also learned that the Academy where Rosa taught was the foremost research institution in this country—or rather, the Dwarven tribe—and that many of those who’d boarded the ship belonged to it. She was a visiting professor there, and apparently she’d talked about fixed-wing drones—which they also asked me about, but I declined to answer, citing military secrets. The truth was, it was genuinely a military matter—and also, if I started talking carelessly, there’d be no end to it.
The Dwarves didn’t leave the ship even when morning came, instead demanding we take them all the way to Tete. They said they’d abandon their small boats.
We fired the boilers, raised anchor, and began moving—and the Dwarves squealed with delight, scampering around like children on a field trip.
After spending the night with them, I’d come to a conclusion: they were incredibly self-centered, completely unable to read the room, and never listened to what anyone else said. But they were as harmless as children, which made them impossible to handle.
The only saving grace was that when I said “look only,” they truly only looked—they never touched. Naturally, they didn’t steal anything either.
The real problem was that there was no way we’d satisfy their curiosity within the next month.
—
Summary:
The Izumo continues its river journey into Dwarven territory, passing through Manica Gorge and entering the Kingdom of Kush. After anchoring near the Royal Capital Tete, the ship is swarmed by curious Dwarven scholars and artisans who board en masse to examine the vessel’s technology. The protagonist endures a nightlong interrogation while learning valuable information about the region’s resources and Rosa’s position at the Academy.
—
Trivia:
The Sanbeji River runs almost perfectly straight after Manica Gorge, resembling a fault line, which allows smoke to be seen from great distances.
The Dwarves in this region understand about eighty percent of Schweilitz and Turku languages due to established trade and information exchange.
Rosa is a visiting professor at the Dwarven Academy, the foremost research institution in the Dwarven tribe.
The protagonist, Larry, is recognized as “Professor Larry the Great” by the Dwarves, implying significant academic renown.
The basin surrounding Tete contains nickel, chromium, manganese, sulfur, coal, and abundant iron ore—making it a resource-rich region.
The Dwarves have knowledge of mana monomers generating electric and magnetic fields, indicating advanced magical-scientific understanding.
Kenze’s Children require consistent water conditions (either fresh or saltwater) and cannot tolerate switching between them.
Pamela uses telepathy to communicate privately, her speech marked by Appalachian rural warmth and contractions.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Izumo – The iron-hulled ship serving as the primary vessel for the protagonist and his crew.
• Daran – A local pilot hired to guide the Izumo up the river. He is confident and knowledgeable about the waterways, with a slightly boastful edge. He previously boarded the ship without permission and wandered curiously, hinting at his own inquisitive nature. Dwarf traveler who boards the Izumo for passage to Tete. Uses incense to repel mosquitoes. Blunt, pragmatic, and knowledgeable about river travel.
• Ti – A component of the name of the Port Administrator.
• Gida – The Izumo’s disciplined Maintenance Department Chief is a pragmatic, disheveled former finance bureaucrat who stepped down from captaincy to avoid leadership burdens. Outwardly insolent yet meticulously controlling, this older department head manages crew logistics, uses sesame oil for skincare, and once shouted in Schweilitz to buy it all. She clashes with Daran and initially resisted hiring Raphael.
• Roland – A Dwarf serving as bridge squad leader aboard the Izumo. He executed the reverse docking maneuver that impressed the passengers. Head of the bridge crew on the Izumo. He is competent and indispensable. He is gay and lives with Fredys and a young boy. He purchases a stimulant tonic and uses telepathy to explain his purchase.
• 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.
• Kenze – A muscular, brown-skinned Amazoness with a dragon tattoo, this former Takshurgan operative is a lethal crew member, guardian, and interpreter using hesitant artificial speech. Deeply bonded in unspoken care with the protagonist, she stayed behind rather than joining Larry ashore so she could nurse and raise her “Children” after recent oviposition, while worrying about returning to the sea.
• Zaboo – Kenze’s missing seven-year-old daughter was delivered from a jar during the Haritz Rebellion and 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 and a companion, who shared a close bond with her.
• Pamela – A diminutive dwarf woman with a youthful, flat-chested appearance, this Engine Department leader speaks in an archaic, rural register. A drowsy mage skilled in telepathy and mana manipulation, she is a warm mentor and partner to the protagonist. She balances motherly support with blunt authority, though she will bite if propositioned while asleep, later offering to take care of him.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• 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.
• Rosa – A genius dwarf-human hybrid engineer and former student of Larry, this Naval Academy professor designed the Izumo and fought in the Fifty-Third Defense Battle. Kidnapped from Suez by Amazonesses to build black ships, her technical expertise is a major geopolitical threat. Now sought by Larry and the Major, her safe return is the primary motivation driving current negotiations and regional tension.
• 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.
• Romy – An Academy assistant professor from Baron Wilson’s territory, this sea-loving crew member arrived in Cain on a black ship. Though a struggling troublemaker, she built a graphite timepiece that caught the Dwarves’ attention. Saved from slavery by Larry, she shares a deep bond with him and works with Marie. She is frequently discussed despite her absence in recent events.
• Larry – A dark-haired, weary 16-year-old former reincarnation, this cynical Second Lieutenant is the Izumo’s pragmatic chief engineer, acting captain, and Associate Professor. A Mana user and founder of the Fee Grand Principality, he carries Kakuka Saba’s letter and King Philip IV’s Treasure Sword. Suspicious of superiors, he navigates complex politics and crew drama while protecting Rosa.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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