Translator: Pai_

The voyage of the Blue Marlin began with the loud ringing of a large bell mounted beside the ship's bow.

At the captain’s command, the anchor was hoisted, and the ship’s three massive sails were unfurled. As they caught the wind and tightened, the sails began pulling the ship forward.

While the crew busied themselves with their duties, Turan leisurely lay on the bed in his cabin, reading a book.

The first book he read detailed the rules and regulations aboard the ship.

Starting with the hierarchy of the crew, it explained the various positions on the ship, followed by unwritten rules and superstitions, of which there were quite a few peculiar ones.

Not allowing women aboard, not looking down at the sea at night, not whistling...

There were so many things that weren't allowed, it was almost ridiculous.

Moreover, the punishments for breaking the rules were all rather severe, most of them involved tying the offender to the mast and whipping them.

Next, Turan picked up a book about mermaids. Perhaps because it had been written near a place where mermaids were said to live, it contained far more detailed and specific content than the one he had seen at the Orem City library.

It included tales of the magical mirror that connected the North Sea and South Sea, as well as stories of mermaid royalty who could transform into giant fish.

For a book he had picked up on a whim, it turned out to be surprisingly interesting, allowing him to pass the time rather enjoyably.

After about two hours of reading, Turan began to feel cramped in the small cabin. He closed his book and stepped out onto the deck.

By then, the land had long disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving the vast expanse of blue ocean stretching in all directions.

Because of this, even though the ship was cutting through the wind and moving forward, it didn’t quite feel like it was progressing.

"Oh my, Sir Knight has come out!"

As soon as Turan stepped onto the deck, the first mate, Osban, greeted him warmly.

Thanks to the book he had just read, which explained the ranks of the crew, Turan knew that Osban held the second-highest position on the ship after the captain.

From being responsible for all the cargo to managing the ship in the captain’s absence, his duties seemed extensive.

However, his overly servile attitude made him seem somewhat lightweight and unimpressive for a man in such a position.

“I just came out to get some fresh air. Staying inside feels too stifling.”

"The cabin is quite like that, isn't it? Haha... Actually, merchant ships aren't usually this cramped."

Osban said, laughing awkwardly.

He explained that the shipowner, driven by greed, had excessively expanded the cargo hold, reducing the space for accommodations.

Normally, even the senior crew would have slightly larger rooms than Turan’s cabin, but on this ship, they had to share one slightly larger room.

Hearing this, Turan decided to feel grateful that he at least had a room to himself.

"I heard it takes twenty days to a month to reach the Enril Desert."

“Yes, but that’s assuming favorable winds and calm waves. The North Sea is a notoriously rough place.”

Osban replied. He shared that he had sailed in the South Sea during his younger days. The waves there were mild, and the winds gentle, which made the ships slower but minimized the unpredictability of the voyage.

In contrast, the North Sea was the exact opposite. While favorable winds could let a ship fly as fast as the wind itself, the risks of straying off course or sinking were significantly higher.

And, of course, pirates and creatures like mermaids swarmed wherever they could, leaving no place truly safe.

“Still, with you on board, Sir Knight, I feel much more at ease!”

Even though he had never seen Turan’s abilities, Osban loudly boasted that no pirates or mermaids would dare approach the ship with Turan aboard.

Turan, slightly embarrassed by the flattery, responded with a bitter smile but didn’t stop him.

After all, cutting him off might sour the atmosphere unnecessarily. More importantly, the lower-ranked sailors nearby seemed to take comfort in Osban’s words.

It seemed likely that Osban’s exaggerated praise was a deliberate attempt to reassure his subordinates.

Truthfully, regardless of the weak foundation of his claims, Osban’s belief wasn’t entirely unfounded.

There wouldn’t be many enemies capable of attacking a trade ship guarded by someone of Turan’s caliber, someone ranked in the upper-middle tier among nobles.

After listening to the ongoing conversation for a while, Turan asked Osban a question that had been on his mind.

“I don’t really understand why the value of knights here is so high. Wouldn’t it be more profitable for House Carmine to station knights on their trade ships at a reasonable price to prevent them from being plundered? After all, they’ll be collecting taxes on every trade anyway.”

Even in House Arabion, weren’t the knights from their vassal houses handling tasks as bodyguards?

Although Turan hadn’t looked into it deeply, surely their pay wasn’t exorbitantly high to the point where trade ships couldn’t afford them.

"Well, that's..."

Osban hesitated, scratching his cheek. He then replied in a somewhat cautious tone.

“With all due respect, this line of work, sailing, I mean, puts us at constant risk of death, doesn’t it? When we sailors lose contact with someone we knew for a few years, we don't think 'they must have gone somewhere far' but rather 'ah, they must have died.' So..."

“So, you’re saying that even knights are scared because, in the end, if the ship sinks, they’ll die too?”

“N-no, that’s not quite what I meant!”

“No, now that I think about it, you’re right. Every situation has its own reasons.”

Thinking about it, even he wouldn't easily venture to return to land if the ship suddenly sank in the middle of the ocean.

Sure, there’d be no shortage of water since seawater could be purified into drinking water with magic, and food could be managed by catching fish and cooking them. But swimming all the way to land? That would be a monumental task, not to mention figuring out where to sleep.

If even someone like Turan felt that way, ordinary knights wouldn’t last long. Once their magic power ran out, they’d be no different from regular humans and would eventually drown.

Perhaps House Carmine had once actively deployed knights on trade ships in the past but raised their fees later when the losses became unsustainable.

“It sounds like you’re having an interesting discussion.”

At that moment, Captain Pires emerged from below deck, adjusting his eyepatch, and spoke up.

He first bowed his head slightly toward Turan.

“I’ve hosted a distinguished guest aboard, yet I haven’t even greeted you properly for hours. I hope these idiots haven’t caused you any discomfort?”

“Not at all. I’ve been having some interesting conversations.”

“That’s a relief. Osban, check the storage for the grain, it looks like there might be a leak. Rearrange things.”

“Aye, sir!”

Osban replied with a salute, pounding his chest with his fist before heading below deck.

Watching this, Turan took the opportunity to ask Pires a question he had intended to ask earlier.

“Now that I think about it, what do you mainly trade in the Enril Desert? I’m not very familiar with the region.”

“A variety of goods. The desert is a true desert, nothing but sand as far as the eye can see. They can’t grow cotton there, so cotton and muslin sell well. And ever since overland trade with Arabion was cut off, grains have also been in high demand. But honestly, the real profit is made on the return trip rather than the journey there.”

“The return trip?”

“Yes. The goods needed in the Enril Desert are all heavy and bulky compared to their price. But the items we bring back from there to Abacha are high in value and easy to store. Most are spices and gems, so we can sleep more comfortably on the return journey."

“It’s a shame I won’t be on board for the return trip. I would’ve liked to experience that.”

Pires chuckled at the remark and asked,

“Are you planning to stay in the Enril Desert for a long time?”

“Yes, most likely.”

The truth was, Turan still hadn’t figured out how to uncover his roots in the lands of Zahar.

Storming into the main estate without knowing his father’s identity was akin to blindly reaching into a box, not knowing whether it held treasure or a blade.

If he ruled out that reckless approach, the only clues he had were a portrait of his mother and a few keepsakes.

Using just those, finding anything might take years, or even longer, in the vast expanse of the desert.

*

Turan's first voyage was, fortunately, smooth for the entire week.

No storms, no tidal waves, no pirate or mermaid attacks.

Which, of course, meant that it was a string of uneventful and boring days.

“Is this the fifth rope?”

"Yes. When strong headwinds blow from the front, we need to loosen this and those two middle ropes over there to quickly gather the sails. If we don't, the ship will just spin in place."

“Oh, I see.”

Having finished all his books, Turan began satisfying his thirst for knowledge by approaching idle crew members one by one to learn various techniques, starting with how the ship was operated.

At first, the sailors were flustered that a knight, someone akin to a god in their eyes, wanted to learn skills meant for lowly sailors. But after seeing how attentively he listened and how quickly he retained what he learned, they enthusiastically shared their tricks and techniques with him.

In truth, given his youthful appearance, Turan seemed like one of the youngest among the sailors, which made teaching him feel less out of place.

“Time for a meal!”

“Alright, let’s eat and get back to it! Everyone, to the dining hall!”

Meals were served three times a day, and as expected, the quality and quantity were far inferior to meals on land.

The ship’s food storage had not been generously allocated, and most of the preserved food was of poor quality to begin with.

Even the captain’s cabin wasn’t spacious, so Captain Pires and Turan also ate in the largest dining hall onboard, alongside the crew.

“At least they don’t skip the pickled cabbage! Without it, we’d all have died from gum disease ages ago.”

“Gum disease?”

“Yes, sir. It’s a disease where your gums bleed, and you die from it. Eating sour foods cures it. Since fruits spoil too quickly, pickled cabbage is the best option. Though it tastes absolutely awful, hahaha,”

Renak, the bosun, said as he laughed while eating hardtack with salted meat and pickled cabbage.

Over the past few days, as Turan learned the ropes of sailing and asked various questions, Renak had begun treating him less like a noble knight and more like one of the rookie sailors, though his words still carried a respectful tone.

"That's interesting. How did people find that out?"

“Well, I suppose someone figured it out at some point, and word spread. Before that was known, they used to eat mermaids raw, they say."

“Oh.”

The image of dark elf necromancers chewing on humans flashed through Turan’s mind, and he suddenly lost his appetite. He put down his food.

At that moment, a loud shout came from the sailor observing from the masthead.

“Ship spotted! Two o’clock direction! Medium-sized vessel!”

“What?”

“Is it pirates?!”

One of the sailors who had been eating yelled, and after a moment, the reply came.

“I can’t tell! There’s no noble house flag flying!”

“Feels like pirates to me. I knew something was off, the weather’s been too nice without any rain. Prepare for battle!”

At the bosun’s command, the sailors, who had been eating, jumped to their feet and hurriedly ran up to the deck or began distributing weapons without needing further instruction.

First Mate Osban turned the Blue Marlin to port, trying to avoid the approaching ship. Meanwhile, Captain Pires, though slightly tense, maintained a composed demeanor as he stayed seated at the table, observing his crew handle the situation.

Turan slipped through the bustling sailors and stepped onto the deck. Using Detection Magic, he began identifying the approaching ship.

At a glance, the approaching ship was slightly smaller than the Blue Marlin, with four sails. Judging by its speed, it seemed to be a little faster than their own vessel.

Moments later, the unidentified ship turned to the right, as if it were pursuing the Blue Marlin.

“Damn it, they really are pirates!”

“What should we do, Captain? Should we try to shake them off? They’re a bit faster, so if the chase goes on for too long, they might catch us. If the wind is in our favor, we might be able to dock at a nearby island before that happens.”

Turan noticed Captain Pires’s gaze sweep over him briefly.

Though Turan had proven his abilities to some extent, Pires seemed a little uneasy, likely because he hadn’t yet witnessed Turan’s combat prowess in action.

“Can you handle this?”

“Unless there’s a knight or noble on their side, it won’t be a problem.”

“...Alright then. Turn the ship around! We’ll face them head-on!”

"Long live Sir Knight!"

"Kill them all, Sir!"

Turan’s confident response seemed to reassure the Blue Marlin’s crew, who, though slightly nervous, displayed a growing sense of trust.

Shortly after, the Blue Marlin turned back toward the approaching ship, and the two vessels rapidly closed the distance between them.

The sailors aboard what appeared to be a pirate ship seemed momentarily flustered by the Blue Marlin’s sudden change in direction, but their aggressive demeanor didn’t waver.

"Hey there-! Stop your ship-! If you do, we'll spare your lives-!"

When the distance narrowed to about several hundred meters, a man standing at the bow shouted in a booming voice.

Hearing this, Turan became curious and turned to the bosun beside him.

“If we surrender, do they really let us live?”

“It depends on their mood, from what I’ve heard.”

"As I thought."

It wasn’t surprising. Expecting pirates, who ignored the law, to keep their promises would be absurd.

That realization freed Turan of any moral hesitation.

After all, humans who killed others for their own greed were no better than wolves that needed to be hunted.

The two ships drew closer and closer.

When the distance between them narrowed to around thirty or forty meters, Turan leaped with superhuman strength and landed squarely on the pirate ship’s deck.

With a deafening crash, the deck splintered under his landing.

The pirates, staring at the destruction, were left with dumbfounded expressions.