In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 254

Chapter 254: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the River Patrol Ship Michael Collins

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A few days later. I had brought Sonia and Bishop Fiorenza with me to the banks of the Elfen River, a great river that flowed right next to the city of Carrera. This river, which also served as Carrera’s water source, had a small river port built along it, and many riverboats that looked like fishing vessels were moored there.

Starting today, we were scheduled to depart for the “New” settlement in order to attend the three-party conference. Preparations for luggage and personnel were already complete, and all that remained was to set out.

“Oh my, this is quite a large river, isn’t it?”

“Yes. In terms of water volume alone, it probably doesn’t lose to the Sail River in the royal capital.”

I replied with a smile to Bishop Fiorenza’s words.

…Though for all its size, there really aren’t many fish in this river. You can catch some small fish, sure, but there are none of those hearty fish like the river trout that are commonly eaten in the royal capital.

Apparently, fish like that had gone extinct during the period of the Old Elfenia Collapse. Having a river and yet being unable to make much use of it as a food source was truly a shame.

“With this much water, even fairly large ships can be operated. All of the food supplied to the two elven factions is scheduled to be transported using this river.”

However, a river’s value didn’t lie solely in fish. Rather, its true worth was as a means of transportation. In this world of swords and magic, things like trucks simply didn’t exist. The mainstay of land transport was the wagon.

That said, it went without saying that the amount a single wagon could carry was limited. In truth, they were rather inconvenient. But if ships could be used, all of those issues would be resolved at once. The great advantage of river transport was that moving cargo by the ton was easily achievable.

“Um, by the two factions, you mean… The ‘New’ and the ‘Legitimate,’ correct? It seems the elves are having quite a hard time.”

With a pained expression, Bishop Fiorenza gazed downstream. Given her compassionate and warm-hearted nature, she surely couldn’t help but feel sorrow over the current state of the elves, who had been reduced to desperation and turned into barbarians.

“……”

Sonia was watching her with an expression that was hard to read. The other day, she had been completely down along with Gilberto, but by now her condition had fully recovered, and her complexion looked excellent. That both of them had ended up like that… Honestly, it had surprised me a little. Well, Sonia had probably just gone along with Gilberto out of consideration.

…But seriously, what should I do about Gilberto? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come to a conclusion, and it was really troubling. Personally, there was no doubt that she was a very appealing woman, but…

“So… That ship there is the one we’ll be using for this journey?”

Bishop Fiorenza’s voice snapped me back to my senses. Right. Now wasn’t the time to be spacing out.

“Yes, exactly. The Michael Collins, the first unit of Liseben’s waterborne combat force.”

I puffed out my chest and pointed to a riverboat that stood out as the largest among those moored at the port.

…Well, “large” was only in comparison to the surrounding fishing boats and small craft. Compared to the merchant ships anchored in the ports of western and southern Galea, it was far smaller. But it had been designed to operate in shallow rivers, and more importantly, it had been built in the short span of just a few months, so it couldn’t be helped.

This ship had originally been constructed to protect the shipping route to the mithril mine under development in the mountain range upstream along the Elfen River. It was equipped with sails to ensure a minimum level of mobility, and it also carried enough weaponry to drive off bandits and pirates… Well, river pirates, to be precise.

It was far too small to conduct true gunboat diplomacy, but I hoped it would at least exert a modest intimidation effect on the elves as well.

“For the three-party conference with the ‘New’ and the ‘Legitimate,’ we’ll be traveling by this ship. Of course, with the cargo hold filled to the brim with food.”

It was possible to reach the “New” settlement—the venue for the conference—by land, but naturally there were no properly maintained roads between it and Carrera City. On foot, one could somehow make the journey, but wagons couldn’t pass.

…Or rather, it was impossible. That was why I decided to use this newly commissioned Michael Collins as our means of travel. This way, we could transport both personnel and supplies at the same time. It was a strategy that killed two birds with one stone.

“I see, a voyage by ship. It’s been a while, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Nodding appreciatively, Bishop Fiorenza smiled. Though calling it a “voyage” was a bit much. It would be closer to a jungle cruise. Still, there was no doubt you could enjoy a sense of adventure without much effort.

…Adventure, or rather, this was a real adventure. Considering the recent attack, it was certain that the anti-‘Legitimate’ faction would attempt sabotage to interfere with peace mediation and the provision of food to the ‘Legitimate.’

“However, the elves are not a unified group… So there’s a fairly high chance that we’ll be attacked. Of course, we will marshal all our strength to protect you, but…”

“There’s no problem. I am standing here fully prepared for that much.”

After saying that with a serious expression, the bishop smiled mischievously.

“Besides, this isn’t my first time sharing the battlefield with you, Albert-san… Right?”

Indeed, during the civil war in the royal capital, Bishop Fiorenza had gone to the battlefield alongside me. Although she hadn’t participated in direct combat, she had already experienced real warfare. Her courage was genuine.

“Hmph…”

On the other hand, Sonia looked displeased. She apparently still harbored resentment over not being able to participate in the royal capital’s civil war. Well, she probably also felt a sense of rivalry toward Bishop Fiorenza…

“Hahaha… That’s right. Well then, please feel free to leave it to us and relax as if you were aboard a great ship. Though in reality, it’s not a great ship at all. It’s more like a small boat.”

After giving a small laugh, I pointed toward the pier where the Michael Collins was berthed.

“Now then, please come aboard. I’ll show you around the inside.”

And so, our voyage by ship began.

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