The Book Eating Magician Chapter 139:

Chapter 139 – Unusual Passenger Ship (2)

“Hmm… I’m sorry, but I’m not sure . ”

However, Theodore’s expectations were burst . Randolph had been active as a mercenary on the central continent for nearly a year, but he didn’t know anything about the secret ship .

Randolph gave his reply with a frustrated expression while eating his grilled fish . His stomach was empty after the two day pursuit, so he was transforming this fish into energy .

Randolph chewed one more time before continuing to speak, “I certainly came to the central continent earlier than Young Master, but the scope of my activities wasn’t that wide . At best, I moved from the midwest to the center of the south? I never went close enough to the east to see the coastline . ”

“…I see . ”

“Well, even if I was active in the east, it is unlikely that I would know this information . Based on Belf’s story, it seems to be a pretty secretive ship . ”

Randolph laughed as he drank his cup of beer, stating that the job of a mercenary wasn’t one where they would be trusted with anything confidential .

It was natural . Mercenaries were those who would kill someone for a few gold coins or throw themselves onto a battlefield they had nothing to do with . Those types of mercenaries had no sense of belonging and would regard secrets as nothing more than a contribution to their well-being . Who would want to share secrets with people like that?

It went without saying that merchants were well aware of this habit .

“We’ll just have to see,” Theodore muttered while putting down his empty plate .

No matter what trap was hidden on the ship, both of them needed a way to get out of Kargas quickly .

Come to think of it, it had only been two days . As soon as they left Sipoto, they had been attacked by undead on a nightly basis, and Theodore and Randolph had barely gotten any sleep . It was clear they wouldn’t last much longer while traveling by land .

Regardless of the trap, it was like child’s play compared to what they were facing, so the opinions of the two people were unanimous .

Jingle .

“I ate well . ”

They paid for the food just as the sun was setting . It would soon be the departure time Belf mentioned .

Thanks to that, Theodore didn’t have to wait and moved straight to the marina . The distinctive fishy smell of seawater tickled their noses as they got closer to the sea . It was a new experience for two people who had lived on land all their lives .

Theodore kept moving as he looked at the number on his boarding pass .

‘This is Number 3… If it is Number 5, we have to go a little further . ’

Fortunately, there were signs all over the marina, so they didn’t get lost .  The two people soon arrived at Bay 5, in front of the ship indicated on the boarding pass Theo purchased from Belf .  Then their mouths dropped open .

“…Young Master, isn’t this pretty big?”

“…It isn’t just big . ”

The ship was enormous . Unlike the military ships which required agile movements, passengers had more value the larger they were . That was because they could hold more guests and facilities .  If this was the case, the ship in front of them would be considered one of the best in the industry . What was the ‘secret purpose’ of this ship? Theo felt a burning curiosity about its purpose .

Despite being unable to think, the two of them approached the ticket inspector at the entrance to the ship .

The inspector asked them in a blunt manner, “A passenger?”

Theodore answered with his boarding pass, and the inspector stepped aside after examining the contents, indicating they could go inside the ship . Theo and Randolph crossed the plank connecting the ship to the pier and entered the enormous passenger ship with worried expressions .

Randolph grumbled at the unfriendly treatment, “What, there isn’t a guide for such a big boat? Aren’t they going to let us know our room?”

“Is it really like that?”

“Eh?”

Theodore looked at the number engraved on his boarding pass .  There was a three digit number which wasn’t the boarding date or departure time . In this situation, it was likely to refer to only one thing—their room number .  Thanks to the indoor maps placed all over the ship, Theodore could easily find their room, Room No . 306 .

Randolph stepped forward first in case there was any danger and opened the door .  At the same time, he let out a sound of admiration, “Ohh . ”

Theodore belatedly looked inside and had the same reaction . ‘I truly can’t believe this is a ship . ’

Some of the famous passenger ships in the Soldun Kingdom had banquet rooms inside, but that wasn’t the case in Meltor, where shipbuilding wasn’t very developed .  However, what about the interior of the room before them?

There were luxurious sofa beds and furniture made out of wood which wouldn’t be easily corroded by the sea breeze . A chandelier hanging from the ceiling didn’t use real fire, but was a magic light which could be turned on and off by pulling a string .

The ship was several times more luxurious and functional than those in the northern continent . However, these differences were inevitable .

The two powers in the north, Andras and Meltor, couldn’t afford to develop their shipping businesses . In the past, they had tried to make ships to enter each other’s territories, but the ships were sunk by the harsh currents .  Moreover, they had developed small merchant ships and fishing boats, but they weren’t able to invest more due to the wars .

“Phew, I feel better now . ” Randolph looked around the room before falling down on the couch . This meant there was nothing that could be a problem .  It was the same with Theodore . He used Hawkeye to examine the ship, but no issues were found .

However, Theodore still felt suspicious . “…It is too plain . ”

“Huh? Isn’t it good if it is plain?”

“No, it is ‘too’ plain . ” Theodore shook his head and rejected Randolph’s words . “I thought this would be a pleasure ship, a gambling ship, or even a smuggling ship . Those are the only reasons to operate a ship secretly . Rather, this is just a passenger ship . ”

Nevertheless, this ship was too plain, but it wasn’t in a particularly good or bad way . Theodore was able to confirm this because he used vision penetration magic on the whole ship .

The guests in the rooms were all dressed, and their behaviour wasn’t frivolous . They were nobles, or at least nouveau riche . If so, there should be something on this ship which could squeeze their wallets .

‘No . I looked around a few times and such a facility doesn’t exist . ’

There were no places for gambling or parties . The structure of the guest rooms and dining rooms were completely faithful to its function as a passenger ship . Apart from the guests, only the crew were on board .

Theodore knew that the world wasn’t so clean, so he couldn’t let go of his doubts so easily .  However, Randolph’s way of thinking was a little different . “Well, why don’t you think about it later?”

Just like magicians, mercenaries had their own rationales .

“Besides, there is no one on the ship who can threaten me or Young Master . There is no point worrying about the problem with no answer . ”

“…Aren’t you too relaxed?”

“I am a mercenary . Young Master’s head is part of your assets . You should use this time to have a break . ”

Randolph’s words were a mess, but in the end, Theodore was convinced . As he said, there weren’t enough clues to reach an answer .  It wasn’t too late to make a judgement after seeing the ship for a few days . Right now, it was time to recover from the chase which had lasted two days .

‘…I’ll close my eyes this once . ’

Theodore climbed onto the fluffy bed and closed his eyes as he felt the shaking of the ship .  The sound of people shouting and rowing indicated that the ship was about to depart . It also meant they had escaped the Orcus Company’s pursuit .

Chwack…chwack…

As he listened to the choppy sound of the waves, Theodore fell asleep .

 

*     *     *

A few days passed by .

Unlike the doubts which Theodore had on the first day, the passenger ship continued its voyage . There were no disruptions on board, and the others guests spent their time walking around the deck or in their rooms .

At first, Theodore was busy looking around . However, his expectations were soon defeated and he started to study . He had reached the 6th Circle, but Theodore hadn’t had the chance to learn many 6th Circle magic due to being chased .

‘If possible, I wanted to learn space magic first but…’

Theodore looked at some of the stacked books with unhappy eyes .

The difficulty level of space magic was beyond awful . He hadn’t expected to reach the same level as the White Tower Master . However, just learning to travel long distances like Shugel would require staying in a room for years and raising his proficiency at calculating space magic .

He didn’t know if the White Tower Master had written any books, but right now, Theodore’s understanding wasn’t good enough .  The only source of comfort was that the expansion of his vessel was going smoothly .

“…Hmm . ”

At that moment, Randolph opened his eyes from where he was meditating in a corner . On the first day, he had rested without thinking . However, after that, Randolph hadn’t missed a day of training .

He had already become a master in terms of swordsmanship and physical abilities, so the only task remaining was to awaken his Aura Ability . Randolph had kindly explained that meditation was required to gain an image of that ability .

However, today’s meditation had no results .

“Damn, it is visible but not visible . I felt like I can almost reach it if I stretch . However, I really don’t like meditation,” Randolph grumbled as he loosened his muscles which were stiff from sitting .  

The two of them had never left their room since the moment the ship departed until to now . Meals were called to the room, so apart from when they went to the bathroom, they only trained .

Randolph finished his grumbling and finally looked at Theodore .

“Ah, that reminds me Young Master . ”

“Huh?”

“You seem to have learned an interesting martial art since the last time I saw you . Do you want to have a quick spar? It will be a light one with just bare handed fighting . ”

“Umm…” Theodore thought for a moment, but he also felt a stiffness from being stuck in one place .  He placed a bookmark in the book he was reading before responding to Randolph’s suggestion .

“Then let’s do it lightly . ”