Chapter 20: Assistant Ringmaster Ella (1)
Today is the day the ship sent by the Vergsong Family is due to arrive.
We loaded all our baggage onto the wagon and waited for the ship.
Perhaps it was thanks to the warning from the Asville Merchant Guild, but this time, there was no one causing trouble or disputes.
Some even gave us friendly glances among the crowd.
It was all because we had injected new life into this rural market town for the past few days.
The promised time was approaching.
In the distance, we could see the flag of the Vergsong family on the approaching ship.
The members started to murmur as they confirmed the ship's appearance.
"That's it?"
"Nah, it can't be."
"It's probably just a passing ship."
However, contrary to the members' expectations, the ship didn't change its course.
It was clearly heading straight towards us.
As we watched the ship approaching Asville, the members couldn't hide their astonishment.
"Wow..."
"Look at that."
"Why is a ship like that coming here?"
"Hey, everyone, clear the way for the ship!"
"Hurry up!"
The ships that had been docked haphazardly quickly moved to the edges.
Even to an outsider like me, the difference between the old ships and this state-of-the-art steamship was apparent, both in size and elegant appearance.
The overwhelming grandeur was enough to fill the port to the brim.
We weren't the only ones surprised; even the local residents who had been working came out to watch the steamship entering the port.
"Is that the ship the ringmaster requested...?"
"Well, well, well. I only received a reply from Lady Anais saying they would send a ship."
"Surprising, isn't it? I thought at most we'd get a cargo ship to carry our stuff..."
I agreed with the words.
This was beyond our expectations.
Anais had been so strict about sponsorship, even demanding that I write letters every week for expenses, and now she was sending such an extravagant ship.
"Is it expensive?"
"Expensive? Ha!"
Ella chuckled.
"Even if we pooled our earnings from the past ten days, it would be difficult to rent a cabin for a day."
"Are you saying that for just one cabin?"
"Just one, indeed and with Just Womon we wont be able to fit in."
The money we had earned in the past ten days was not insignificant.
Despite the incident at the market, the performance continued to thrive.
It was a full house every day. They even gave us more compensation than what was written in the contract, thanking us for our efforts at the Merchant Guild.
We had earned quite a bit, or so I thought...
"Steamships are generally expensive. And this one is among the most luxurious."
"Is that so? This is... Anais's intentions are hard to understand."
I pondered, and Ella turned to me with a narrowed gaze.
"Hey, what are you talking about?"
"You know. She asked me to send letters every week... she was so strict with our expenses. And now she is sending such an extravagant ship... Is it because she is stingy or generous...?"
What could be her motive?
While I was contemplating, Ella looked at me with a pitiful expression in her eyes.
"Why are you saying that?"
"Sending letters... it's just that..."
She pursed her lips as if about to say something but soon sighed and turned her head down.
"...No, it's nothing."
What was she trying to say?
At that moment, a familiar voice came from the ship.
"Hello! Ringmaster Wonderstein!"
I looked up at the deck and muttered in admiration.
Certainly, this ship was too grand for just our use.
It was not only large, but also very expensive.
But if important figures from the Merchant Guild were on board, it made sense.
A slender woman with green hair leaned on the railing.
Anais Vergsong.
She was the heiress of the Vergsong Domain and the chairman of the Vergsong Merchant Guild(Grand Assembly).
She waved and smiled warmly at me.
"It's been a while."
It had only been two weeks, but she looked significantly different.
Her pale face had regained its rosy colour, and her once feeble gait was now confident.
Support characters are generally immortal and cannot be controlled, but instead, they automatically use support skills while following the main character.
There are dozens of support characters available in each game.
Support characters could be recruited into the party as the main quest progressed or by meeting specific conditions.
Up to 6 support characters could be brought along at once, and the choice of support character combination could drastically change the gameplay style.
Name: Porsche Grape
Age: 43
Favourability: 100
Title: Devotee of Vergsong
Occupation: Gunner
Recruitment Condition: Discover the "Devotee Pledge" at Vergsong's Mansion and have a conversation with him at the refugee camp.
Abilities:
[Automatic Firing]: Fires penetrating bullets every 1 second.[Gunner's Pride]: Favourability 15 Reward: Overcomes challenging situations on their own.[Explosive Shot]: Favourability 30 Reward: Fires explosive bullets dealing 5 damage every 10 seconds.[Reload!]: Favourability 50 Reward: Increases the attack speed of all ranged characters by 15%.[Paralysis Shot]: Favourability 75 Reward: Fires bullets causing 1-second paralysis every 12 seconds.[Leave It to Me!]: Favourability 100 Reward: Receives player-targeted skills every 80 seconds.
Gunner Porsche Grape.
A gruff personality, middle-aged with a mustache, and some unfavorable attributes.
Due to his sometimes tactless remarks that had adverse effects in certain dialogue choices, he was often referred to as "that mustache" among fans.
However, despite this image, he was an excellent support character in terms of performance.
His favourability reward, "Reload!", was essential when forming a ranged party, and his favourability reward "Leave It to Me!" was a rare skill nullification in the game.
Any game wide-area buffs and survival skills.
While he might not have reached S-tier, he was always present when discussing A-tier supports.
And he was my "original comrade" in this world after coming over.
My happiness in seeing him was genuine.
Members of the Monster Circus.
Anais, Pierre, the butler, and so on.
I had only seen people meet unfortunate fates until now, but finally, I met someone without any burdens.
"I heard that you saved Lady's life... but as an expert, I couldn't help but notice a few shortcomings. Well, I can't blame you for being less experienced than us professionals..."
Hmm, is this a bit uncomfortable?
Whether in the game or here, he was always chatty.
Unfortunately, there was no skip conversation function like in the game.
"If I was there, I would have quickly deflected the revolver even with it on my back. Even like this, thanks to my reflexes trained through practice, I could aim accurately in less than a second..."
"Grape!"
Anais glared at him fiercely.
His momentum, which was bragging just a moment ago, was instantly broken by her.
Was it just my imagination that his mustache seemed to droop like that?
"Captain wants to have a conversation with you, so please step aside."
"Oh, alright."
Porsche Grape moved away with a slightly surprised look on his face.
Anais corrected her expression and looked at me again.
"I'm sorry. Porsche is the patron saint of our territory, so even if he receives a modest compliment, he tends to get carried away... and endlessly boast until you scold him."
"Haha, where can you find a gunner who doesn't brag about themselves? If I ever meet one who doesn't boast about their marksmanship or guns, I thought I'd have to buy them a drink someday, but I haven't had the chance yet."
Anais burst into laughter at my words.
This was a joke thieves made when traveling with Porsche Grape as a supporter, but it was well received even here
I was seated across from her.
A waiter who had been waiting in the distance approached and served me a refreshing drink as well.
"But is Lady also going with us?"
In response to my question, Anais twitched her shoulder.
She frowned as if implying something.
"I'm not, not necessarily because I want to go! It's just that if you show us in a pathetic light and ruin our reputation, it's not good for our guild... We're going to monitor you!"
"Hehe, is that so? Thanks to you, it seems like it will be a pleasant journey."
It wasn't an empty word.
I genuinely enjoyed her company.
I got tired of the carriage trip after just one week.
To modern people used to traveling by car, this era's carriages, which were slow and uncomfortable, would never be tolerable.
That would be the same for ships, I thought.
Ships rocking on the water would make me feel seasick just by looking at them.
I thought I should create the "Gravity Ringr" feature recommended by the Evolution Research Lab.
In the meantime, I was relieved that I could ride on such a luxurious cruise ship.
"Will you continue to travel with us in the future?"
Traveling in luxury on an airship, how comfortable it would be.
"Will I continue to travel with you...? Well, I'm a busy person, you know? Well, I guess I could consider it if you really want me to..."
Anais avoided giving a clear answer, turning her gaze away.
I guess she couldn't give a straightforward reply.
Well, it was nice to travel together for a while.
On such a beautiful ship,
"I hope we can continue to travel together."
Anais blushed and turned her head as if she were embarrassed.
