Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

“The underground large bath was amazing.”

“Indeed. I can understand why it’s called a dream inn.”

Ryo and Abel experienced an astonishing aspect of the ‘Blue Jade Inn Wannya’.

The two of them were at the café of the ‘Blue Jade Inn Wannya’.

It seems to be called ‘Cafe Blue’, and even those not staying at the inn can use it.

However, it seemed to be quite expensive, and the patrons clearly looked wealthy…

“We can… eat and drink freely here, right?”

“Yeah. The Blue Jade Trading Company is really something.”

Ryo trembled at the generous treatment, and Abel was surprised at the generosity of the Blue Jade Trading Company.

And in front of the two was, of course, a special blend coffee from the Blue Jade Inn.

They inhaled the perfect aroma.

Enjoyed the exceptional smoothness.

And savored it all…

“Wow…”

A sigh of satisfaction escaped from both of their mouths in unison.

It felt like one of the pinnacles coffee could reach.

It was such a level of perfection.

The two were sitting by the window.

Outside the window was the second central plaza of Wannya.

Ryo casually looked out the window.

There was tight security at the inn located at the edge of the central plaza.

It wasn’t like that yesterday, so something must have happened.

Seeing Ryo’s expression, Abel followed his gaze.

“Oh, that’s an inn called ‘Peaceful Sea Inn’ apparently.”

Abel said, looking at the heavily guarded inn.

“How does Abel know that?”

“I overheard other guests talking about it in the large bath earlier. It seems some important person from another country suddenly came, so the government requisitioned the inn.”

“I feel like… I’ve heard that somewhere before.”

“It happened in Manyamya city too.”

“That’s right! They requisitioned the inn for Princess Iliaja. Could it be someone from the Kingdom of Suje again…”

“Who knows.”

Ryo speculated idly, and Abel casually brushed it off.

It was a rare occasion where Ryo’s completely random guess turned out to be accurate…

“That’s quite an impressive ship.”

“You mean the one docked at the commercial port? It seems to belong to the person who entered the ‘Peaceful Sea Inn’”

“What? Then is it someone important from another country? That design is too bold for a state-built ship.”

“Even if you ask me…”

While Ryo and Abel were enjoying the view of the plaza and sipping coffee, they overheard a conversation from a nearby table.

Originally, the three people were talking about things like the chamber’s sales and membership fees, but at some point, the topic shifted to the ship docked at the commercial port.

Despite their fine attire, they were probably seafaring men at heart.

They were getting excited over the rare ship.

Naturally, this piqued the interest of the two.

“Abel, it seems there’s an extraordinary ship out there.”

“Seems so. What classifies as too bold…”

“A ship too bold for a nation to build… I’m curious.”

“The Bashteek was a large ship, but it didn’t have an extraordinary appearance…”

Both Ryo and Abel were intrigued by that so-called extraordinary ship.

What kind of ship would even seasoned seafarers consider extraordinary…?

The two stood up to see the extraordinary ship.

They waded through the crowd gathered at the commercial port and saw it.

“Abel… I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“Ryo…what a coincidence, I also feel like I’m seeing an illusion.”

The ship they saw was…

“It looks like the Rain Shooter…”

“Yeah, it looks like it to me too.”

Indeed, docked there was the Rain Shooter, which was once said to be a revolution in ships, built in Whitnash, Kingdom of Knightley.

It was a trimaran, a three-hulled ship, and an astonishingly elegant vessel distinct from any other ship.

It had no sails, oars, or propellers… it used hybrid navigation with water-attribute magic below the waterline and wind-attribute magic above.

“The Rain Shooter disappeared a year ago. Is what you said, Abel.”

“Yeah, I did. I said that through ‘Soul Resonance.’”

“What did Abel say back then?”

“I think I said something like…it set sail from Whitnash a year ago for a maritime survey and hasn’t returned since.”

While talking, both Ryo and Abel kept their eyes fixed on the ship.

“A ship from the Kingdom of Knightley… all the way to this archipelago region…?”

“I don’t know. According to past records of the Kingdom’s Maritime Agency, sailing east or southeast of Witnash was considered difficult.”

“Could it be they forced a maritime survey despite that?”

The large port towns of the Kingdom were only as big as Whitnash.

Several small villages called fishing villages were scattered about, but they were not large enough for a ship like the Rain Shooter to dock.

“There was a report from the Maritime Agency about the completion of a powerful sea monster repellent. It showed considerable results in experiments. They wanted to conduct a maritime survey with it…”

“And the Rain Shooter didn’t return…”

“Yeah.”

Both Ryo and Abel frowned.

Ryo thought about the construction cost of 370 billion Florins.

Abel regretted his judgment at the time.

“Could it be a sister ship of the Rain Shooter or just a lookalike…?”

“For such a distinctive ship?”

“…No, I guess not.”

Ships, when imitated in appearance to make something similar, often do not succeed.

The unseen parts are where the designers’ and shipbuilders’ skills are embedded.

Neglecting those parts would result in a ship with fatal problems…

“The most realistic interpretation is…”

“That somehow, the Rain Shooter managed to reach this archipelago region.”

Both Ryo and Abel concluded that the overly extravagant ship in front of them was indeed the Rain Shooter itself.

“Could we get it back…?”

“That’s probably impossible.”

Ryo suggested, and Abel shook his head slightly.

Even if it were proven that it was the Rain Shooter itself, a request to return it to the Kingdom of Knightley would likely not be accepted.

Moreover, it wasn’t being used by just anyone.

A powerful figure, who had taken control of an entire country, was using it to travel to a neighboring nation.

The exchange “Please return it.”, “Sure.” was unlikely to happen.

In some cases, it might even be seen as a challenge to authority.

But still…

“If the Rain Shooter is happy, that’s all that matters.”

“I don’t quite understand, but…”

Ryo thought about the feelings of the Rain Shooter, which had been far removed from its birthplace and was now being operated by people they couldn’t identify.

Of course, Abel didn’t understand at all.

“The Rain Shooter has the right to be happy.”

“Oh, uh…?”

“I’ll just go have a chat with the owner.”

“Huh?”

“If the owner is a good person, that’s fine. But if they’re bad, I’ll take it away.”

“Yeah, let’s not create a diplomatic incident.”

“Abel, don’t stop me!”

“No, I’m definitely stopping you!”

Ryo declared with a look full of determination, and Abel tried to stop him.

Needless to say, Ryo had no right whatsoever to take the Rain Shooter away.

Even if one generously assumed the King of the Knightley Kingdom, Abel, who was originally associated with the Rain Shooter, might have some claim, it was still unreasonable…

“Even I can’t just demand its return at this point.”

Abel muttered, shaking his head.

The two of them returned to the second central plaza.

There was the ‘Blue Jade Inn Wannya’ where they were staying, but that wasn’t their goal.

“Peaceful Sea Inn.”

The inn where the foreign dignitaries who arrived on the Rain Shooter were staying.

It was requisitioned by the Komakyuta Principality and some guards who seemed to be the Kingdom’s soldiers were standing in front of the inn.

“Hey, Ryo…”

“I know. I won’t try to force my way in, of course.”

Abel said worriedly, and Ryo nodded firmly, indicating not to say more.

“Please, don’t trouble the Blue Jade Trading Company who’s been looking after us…”

“I understand. Abel, do you not trust me?”

“No, not at all.”

“What a thing to say…”

Ryo approached the guard in front of the ‘Peaceful Sea Inn’ with a bright smile.

“Excuse me.”

“What is it? This is where the diplomatic delegation is staying. Civilians must not come near.”

“Yes, I understand. They came on the Rain Shooter docked in the harbor, right?”

“I don’t know the name of the ship, but yes.”

“I’d like to know who they are and which country they’re from. Is it possible to tell me that…?”

Ryo asked softly, smiling to avoid appearing high-handed.

In such situations, whether the other person would answer or not depended on how you asked.

If someone approached with a smile and polite words… no one in their right mind would suddenly yell at them.

As a matter of common sense, no one would assign such an unusual person as a guard for a diplomatic mission.

If the guard caused a diplomatic incident, it would be disastrous.

Of course, if it were a question they couldn’t answer… no matter how they were asked, they wouldn’t answer.

“I’m afraid… I can’t answer that.”

The guard, not harshly, showed a face that said… he wasn’t allowed to answer such questions.

In this case, no amount of pressing would work.

“I see. Understood. But, could you at least tell me which country they’re from…? Could it be from the neighboring Suje Kingdom?”

Ryo probed further.

Making it easy for the guard not to have to give a clear answer.

A slight nod would suffice.

The guard glanced around and then gave a small nod.

“Got it! Thank you very much.”

Without saying anything unnecessary, Ryo thanked him politely and left.

He rejoined Abel.

“It seems they’re from the Suje Kingdom.”

“I see. Is it about Princess Iliaja’s matter or… the preliminary negotiations for the ceasefire with the assault fleet?”

“Or maybe both…”

“If it’s both, they must be someone important. Such a negotiation would be difficult, so they’d have to be given considerable authority.”

“If they’re that important, we won’t be able to meet them…”

Ryo said with a frown.

Genuinely considering speaking with the current owner of the Rain Shooter.

Where did this passion come from?

Abel, unable to understand it, shook his head slightly.

Nonetheless, as long as it didn’t inconvenience others, he didn’t mind letting Ryo clear his mind.

“Why not ask the Blue Jade Trading Company about who came from the Suje Kingdom? It seems to be a rather large trading company, so they might have means to gather palace information.”

“That makes sense! They’ve likely planted spies. Government officials don’t earn much, so if they dangle money, they’ll easily hand over information. Maybe they’ve even bribed a few ministers already…”

“The way you say it makes it sound like they’re corrupt merchants…”

“Abel, don’t say such disrespectful things. To make the right decisions, you need the right information. It’s only natural to use every means to obtain the correct information. It’s the officials who sell information for money who are at fault.”

Abel shook his head slightly at Ryo’s leaps of logic.

As a king governing a nation, it was highly concerning for information from the central government to leak easily.

“…What if giving money to officials is prohibited by law?”

“Then it can’t be helped. We’ll use another method. Like giving a ship to their wives or high-end dolls to their daughters…”

“Uh, yeah… I think all of those would likely get you arrested for bribery.”

“That might be the case in some countries. I’m not sure about the Kingdom of Knightley, though.”

“In the Kingdom, too… I think there are rules like that for officials and ministers.”

“Damn… as expected of the kingdom. They’ve already taken measures!”

“It’s probably because there were people like Ryo in the past who stole information.”

“Well, in any country and era, there are only so many ways to obtain central government information. You can either entice the officials with money or charm them with someone, or threaten their families. Make sure to protect the officials so it doesn’t come to that!”

“Y-yeah, right…”

Somehow, the premier duke ended up giving advice to the king…

The two quickly arrived at the Blue Jade Trading Company Wannya branch.

Located right next to the commercial port.

“Welcome. You must be Abel-sama and Ryo-sama. What brings you here today?”

The clerk who first noticed the two asked them this.

Even though the two hadn’t introduced themselves, the fact that the staff knew who they were meant that information sharing within the Wannya branch was thorough.

Such establishments tend to grow.

If I had shares, I’d definitely want to keep them…

“Excuse me, but I’d like to meet with the branch manager or Captain Bansox.”

“I’m sorry. The branch manager is currently out. The captain of the guard is in the guard’s waiting room on the second floor. Please follow me.”

The clerk smoothly answered Ryo’s question and led them.

A knock sounded.

“Come in.”

A voice came from inside, and the clerk who guided them opened the door.

“Abel-sama and Ryo-sama have arrived.”

“Hm? Oh, you two, good to see you. What brings you here today? Is there something you’re dissatisfied with at the ‘Blue Jade Inn Wannya’?”

Bansox, who had been reading something, stood up to welcome the two.

“No, we have no complaints about ‘Blue Jade Inn Wannya.’”

“Not at all. It’s a wonderful inn.”

Both Abel and Ryo were very satisfied with the ‘Blue Jade Inn Wannya’, and they answered clearly.

Hearing that, Bansox nodded happily.

Even if he wasn’t directly involved in its operation, it was gratifying to hear praise for a group company.

Especially since it was an inn he confidently recommended to his benefactors.

Ryo and Abel sat on the offered sofa and got straight to the point.

“We want to know who the person from the Kingdom of Suje staying at the ‘Peaceful Sea Inn is.”

“Ah, it’s been a topic of conversation. They arrived on that amazing ship.”

Abel inquired, and Bansox responded with a laugh.

Then he continued,

“The guests at the ‘Peaceful Sea Inn’ are well-known within the royal palace. It seems to be the renowned Lord Protector.”

“Kabui Somal?”

Both Abel and Ryo were surprised by this answer.

The head of the enemy country personally coming to the country they recently fought a fleet battle against.

“How bold.”

Ryo couldn’t help but say, and Bansox nodded in agreement.

“It’s unbelievable. It wouldn’t be strange if his life were targeted both domestically and internationally. Domestically, by factions supporting the old royal family, and internationally, by nations looking to intervene in the Kingdom of Suje’s chaos. Both would want Kabui Somal dead.”

“Of course, he’d have some means of self-defense and backup plans, but still…”

“He must have deemed it necessary for the Lord Protector himself to come. It must be that important.”

Bansox speculated, Abel pointed out the existence of a backup plan, and Ryo considered the reason for such actions.

“It’s not about cleaning up after the fleet battle, is it?”

“It’s probably about Princess Iliaja. Well, if they had won the fleet battle and acquired Princess Iliaja, it would’ve been fine.”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks to a certain swordsman’s interference, they were defeated. It ended up with the Lord Protector himself coming to the front lines. If the Lord Protector gets assassinated, it’ll be entirely Abel’s responsibility…”

“Why me?! It was Ryo who built an ice bridge and charged the enemy flagship, not me. It’s all Ryo’s responsibility.”

“Shifting blame is not admirable.”

“Right back at you!”

A fierce rivalry between the magician and the swordsman…

This is an unchanging dynamic throughout the ages.

It might even be considered a microcosm of the difficulty of achieving world peace…

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