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Chapter 43: Maiden Voyage

At the end of summer, our ship was finally complete!

The first ship built by Barbar!

We did three days of test runs, and neither the ship nor the crew had any issues.

So we decided, it was time for our expedition.

According to the map we got from Viscount Norman two years ago, if we head east from here, there should be land.

Probably the northern part of the Kingdom of Algeas.

If we can find a town, we might be able to open a new route for trade.

Back at the start of spring, the sea had been rough, but as summer approached, the waves gradually calmed.

Now, even though summer is ending, the sea is still gentle.

And the seawater is warm, if someone falls overboard, we won’t lose them to hypothermia.

The conditions for a maiden voyage couldn’t be better.

「All right! Set sail!」

「「「「「Yeah!!」」」」」

At my signal, the makeshift sailors of Barbar pushed the longship out from the beach.

We leapt aboard as it slid into the water and gave our next command.

「Unfurl the mainsail!」

The longship, the Viking-style ship, spread its great sail wide.

The wind caught it, filling it fully.

Our ship picked up speed in an instant and began cutting eastward through the sea.

「Gaia! She’s a fine ship!」

Uncle Athos puffed out his chest proudly.

Compared to the galleys of the Vaffancrow Empire, this one’s much smaller, but this longship is Barbar’s own.

That makes me proud, too.

「Uncle Athos. We’ve left the shore behind. The waves are about to get rough. Please sit down.」

「Oh! Got it!」

As we moved away from land, the waves grew taller.

But as expected of a Viking ship, it didn’t even flinch.

I moved toward the stern, where Rosso of the Great Lizard Tribe was manning the rudder.

The rudder’s connected to a submerged plank via a wooden pole.

You need someone strong to handle it.

「Rosso! How’s it feel?」

「No problem. Just like in practice.」

We’re sailing east with the land to our south.

The coastline runs along our starboard side.

A Blumunt man standing at the bow began waving his arms.

He’s trying to get my attention.

Through the sea breeze, I caught his rough voice.

「Gaia! Head farther out! The current’s flowing east! Ride it!」

「Got it! Rosso! Aim the ship farther offshore, turn to port!」

「Okay… this way, right!」

Rosso carefully adjusted the rudder, and the longship slowly veered to the left.

Everyone’s still a bit uneasy with the steering, since we’re not used to it.

Soon enough, we caught the eastward current.

The longship surged forward with a noticeable boost in speed.

Rosso’s eyes widened in awe.

「That guy’s amazing…! He can see the current…!」

「Yeah, he used to sail on a galley ship.」

We had twenty crew members aboard today.

The main team was me, Uncle Athos, my wife Jessica from the Elves, the Elven chief Elranief, the Great Lizard chief Rosso, and his aide Drai.

The rest were selected from those who had previously sailed on galleys and volunteers.

The man who spotted the current was named Gauche.

He had spent over ten years as a slave rowing on a galley in the Vaffancrow Empire.

But I had bought him back out of slavery, allowing him to return to Barbar.

He was fiercely loyal to me and knowledgeable about the sea.

I had high hopes for him as a future captain.

The first day of our voyage went smoothly.

The wind blew west to east, directly in our direction, and the current helped too.

Gauche gave me a confident look.

「We’ve covered a lot of ground today.」

We found a safe beach and brought the ship ashore to make camp.

This was our maiden voyage, an exploratory expedition into unknown waters.

We packed plenty of barrels with food and water, and even brought along an Elf who could use water magic.

As for trade goods, we brought one barrel each of rock salt and brandy made from bran wood.

If we find a town, we’ll see if they’re worth selling. Bringing just one barrel of each means we won’t regret it if we lose them.

We also brought coins, currencies from the Vaffancrow Empire, Ring Kingdom, and Algeas Kingdom.

Now then… will we find a town? Will we succeed in opening a new trade route?

With a mix of anticipation and anxiety, I fell asleep that night.

, Day Two.

We had good wind again on the second day.

The current was with us, and the longship showed off its speed.

By midday, off the port side, to the north, we spotted a ship.

It was about the same length as ours, maybe seventeen or eighteen meters.

A stout little sailboat with a single mast.

A small merchant vessel.

Jessica from the Elves grabbed onto me.

「Gaia! A ship!」

「Yeah! That map was right all along!」

The map we’d gotten from Viscount Norman two years ago had paid off!

If there’s a ship out here, then this must be a shipping route!

Our longship was faster than the merchant vessel, and we were catching up fast.

Gauche, up at the bow, shouted out instructions.

「Wave your arms!」

He started waving slowly and widely, so the merchant ship could see.

I copied him, waving my arms in the same way.

Jessica, too, followed our lead.

「Gaia, what does this mean?」

「It’s probably a signal, ‘We mean no harm,’ ‘We’re a friendly ship.’「

「Ah, I see!」

We were close enough now to see people on their deck.

About ten of them.

They had been readying their bows at first, but now I saw the sailors hastily lowering them.

Soon, they started waving back, just like us.

「Don’t let your guard down…」

「Right. I’ll keep my bow close, just in case!」

「Thanks.」

Out here at sea, there are no witnesses.

That merchant ship could still turn pirate at any moment.

Even as I smiled and waved, I made sure everyone stayed alert.

—Day Three.

「A town! There’s a town up ahead!」

Gauche, keeping lookout at the front of the ship, shouted with joy.

Everyone craned their necks to see.

「Oh! He’s right!」

「It’s a big town!」

「We did it!」

We could see solid stone walls, countless buildings, tall spires, and a stone-built pier in the distance.

Uncle Athos beamed as he spoke to me.

「Gaia! It was closer than we thought!」

「We were lucky with the wind and current. On foot, this would’ve taken ages.」

「True enough! With a ship, trade’s going to be smooth sailing! Wahahaha!」

Uncle Athos’s laughter made everyone else laugh, too.

As we neared the harbor, we furled the square sail and used oars to carefully maneuver in.

Eventually, the longship docked at the stone pier.

As we moored the ship, a well-dressed man approached us.

「I’m the harbor official. Who is the captain?」

He was speaking Algeasian.

The accent was a little unusual, but perfectly understandable.

I responded in Algeasian.

「I’m the captain! Gaia, chieftain of the Blumunt Tribe of Barbar!」

「Huh? Barbar? Blumunt Tribe…? Never heard of them…」

The official clearly didn’t know who we were, not that I could blame him.

We’d had no prior contact whatsoever.

「We live north of the Vaffancrow Empire. We’ve come here seeking trade.」

「I see. If it’s for trade, you’re most welcome! I’ll issue a permit. Please pay five silver coins.」

「Algeasian silver, right? Will Vaffancrow silver do?」

「Hmm… Vaffancrow silver isn’t used much here… With the exchange fee, we’ll accept ten coins.」

Looks like Algeas Kingdom currency is the standard in this town.

I handed over five Algeasian silver coins.

The official wrote the date and signed a piece of parchment, then handed it to me.

This would allow us to stay in port for a month.

Then he told us the name of the town.

「Welcome to the trade city of Livonia!」