CH 217

Return by sea

Our entry to Samandour Kingdom from Divine Empire Sydnia was by crossing the border off of the main road. This wouldn’t have been possible without the special carriage and Tsubaki.

Inside the carriage, Sophia asked the rescued Elves if we should escort them back until Yggurle Kingdom or if they would live in the Sanctuary.

「We would like to return to our country at one time, but we had become the playthings of Humans. Even if we return to the country as we are now, the way people would look at us is likely to be icy. If so, would it be possible for you to receive us in the Sanctuary of the Spirit Tree where the Great Spirits have manifested?」

「Yes, the Third Princess Mimir-sama sojourns in the Sanctuary as well, so it would be fine to request to travel back to the country, and we have no issue with taking you there either.」

「Thank you very much. Even so, more than anything, it’s a relief that you were safe, Sophia-sama.」

Though there were some among the enslaved women that weren’t directly acquainted with Sophia, they knew of Sophia who was active in the Chivalric Order of the Royal Capital. It was because of this that persuading them was simple during the rescue mission.

When Sophia neared the Imperial Capital, the women learned from the Spirits that, besides Sophia, Akane and I were trustworthy.

「Although it is running at full speed on a bad road, it barely shakes, doesn’t it?」

「Yes, this carriage was the handiwork of Takumi-sama as well. We’ll be travelling like this until we reach the coast in the border of Samandour Kingdom, but I imagine you will be even more astonished there.」

Regarding the Elven women we rescued, as expected, even though they’re of a long-living race, they have not had any experience in riding an unrivaled modded carriage pulled by a rare Dragon Horse. When they were surprised by the outlandish speed, Sophia mentioned that there would be something waiting for them that would be even more gobsmacking.

Although it would have been fine to return via a land route, I thought that it was too pathetic for the Elven women who were enslaved for many years to all be crammed into the carriage for an extended period of time even though the interior was already enlarged. And so, I teleported back to the Sanctuary for a bit and asked Laeva and Marnie to come pick us up at Samandour Kingdom with the ship.

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「Huh?!」

「A mo-monster ship.」

「How gigantic…」

「Look! It’s moving even though there are no sails!」

The gigantic ship I made in order to rescue the immigrating mermaids. It’s a 100m long and 20m wide ship. Seeing the ship at a distance made of magic metal alloys and Sea Dragon materials for the first time, the former Elven slaves looked absolutely dumbstruck. After all, because Galleon-style ships don’t exist yet in this world, they were surprised by the artistic stern tower.

We had travelled without stopping by any town or village as we headed straight for the meetup with Laeva and the crew.

I didn’t think there were any, but I was worried about pursuers so I didn’t want us leaving any trace in Samandour Kingdom. We travelled on a very strict schedule, but since the interior of the carriage was a comfortable space, the women had little stress.

Ten days of Tsubaki pulling a carriage at crazy speeds, we finally arrived at the beach slightly past the border of Samandour Kingdom.

I was the only one with a ton of work to do, so I had teleported back and forth from the Sanctuary and the carriage during the travel. Since I installed a teleportation marker in the carriage, it was safe to teleport no matter where the carriage went.

And then, the same gigantic ship they saw in the distance was mooring right in front of us when we arrived. Witnessing this, the women were both surprised and frightened, but Sophia immediately informed them that this was our ship and somewhat calmed them down.

「Is this the ship of Yggurle Kingdom.」

「No, it is the personal property of Takumi-sama.」

For some reason, Sophia boastfully answered their question of whether this was the ship of their motherland.

「What?! ……to own a ship of this magnitude, just who is Iruma-dono?」

「Well, rather that it being my property, it would be more accurate to say that this is the Sanctuary’s ship.」

「The keeper of the Sanctuary and the Spirit Tree is Takumi-sama, so it is most undoubtedly Takumi-sama’s property.」

Because Sophia ended up divulging information that didn’t need to be said, the women’s demeanor changed.

「Iruma-dono, not an Elf but a Human, is the keeper and protector of the Sanctuary and the Spirit Tree?」

「W-well, it just turned out that way so please pay it no heed. Undine, Sylph, and the other Great Spirits simply forced me into it.」

While I was giving a sufficient excuse to the former Elven slaves, a Wire Attack shot out from the ship and Titan pulled the ship to the shore.

A ladder from the ship was laid across the shore.

「 Ｍａｓｔｅｒ，Ｍｏｏｒｉｎｇ，　ｃｏｍｐｌｅｔｅ．」

「Thanks Titan. Everyone, please board the ship.」

Even though I said that, the Elves were still unmoving. As such, Sophia guided them.

I made Titan and Tsubaki return to the Subspace, stored the carriage in the Item Box, and boarded last.

The sequence of actions that occurred a slight distance away from the border of Samandour Kingdom had naturally confused the citizens of Samandour Kingdom.