Chapter 317: [Another Perspective] Rosso and Tran's Shock

[Rosso]

Building a ship. I could not imagine it being a simple task. There are small boats for fishing near the shore in my territory. However, they are mere vessels unable to venture even a few kilometers offshore. Of course, we have designed and built large ships before. However, none of them went well.

That is why I was skeptical about what Van said.

Consequently, upon seeing the completed large ship floating on the sea by noon the next day, I was completely dumbfounded.

“…Impossible, truly…”

That was all I could utter. After that, I just stood there, gazing up at the newly formed giant ship in a daze.

[Tran]

“Please show me the ship!”

It was a phrase born from childlike, honest interest and curiosity. Or so I thought. However, upon receiving the sudden report from my crew, I doubted my ears. And looking toward the land, I doubted my eyes.

“W-What is that…!? Whose ship is it!?”

It has only been one or two months since I arrived. I had confirmed that the Kingdom of Scuderia lacks the technology to build large ships. That likely applies to the Kingdom of Yelenetta as well. Yet, undeniably, that ship exists on the sea in front of the town of Tribute, which can hardly be called a port.

“I-I do not know! However, no matter how you look at it, it resembles this Fleetwood…”

The crew member said no more, but everyone must have been thinking the same thing about the mysterious large ship that suddenly appeared.

“…It seems we cannot simply return home immediately now. Prepare a boat. I am heading to confirm this with Marquis Rosso.”

Saying that, we launched a small boat and headed for Tribute, passing right by the mysterious ship. Unlike my Fleetwood, it does not use metal plates. However, it is made of a material I have never seen.

And before I knew it, a magnificent pier was extending from the town of Tribute. It was a pier jutting out nearly a hundred meters offshore, clearly designed assuming the docking of large ships. Surprisingly, it even seems equipped with facilities for mooring.

The Kingdom of Scuderia has no shipbuilding technology for large vessels. In other words, they should have no operational knowledge either. I was certain of that, but…

My confused mind could not organize my thoughts well. Arriving at Tribute in that state, fortunately, the very people I sought were lined up there.

“Ah, Tran-san.”

Called out by someone who noticed me, Van spoke those words the moment he turned around. Hearing my name called, I quickly finished mooring and moved swiftly across the pier.

“Viscount Van! Marquis Rosso! This… what on earth is this ship…!?”

I intended to ask calmly, but Van took a step back and smiled wryly. Instead, Rosso slowly turned around and spoke.

“…Y-Yes. This is a ship Lord Van built as a prototype after inspecting your ship, but…”

“B-Built, you say… He should have only seen the ship the other day…”

Hearing Rosso’s words, I looked at Van again. Van was laughing with a twitching face.

“Viscount Van. Could you please explain this to me?”

I walked immediately toward Van and asked. To that, Van nodded while letting out a dry laugh.

“Y-Yes. Well, um, after being allowed to board your ship, the Fleetwood, I thought I wanted to try building one, you see…”

“I do not believe it is something one can simply create just by thinking, ‘let’s try building one’.”

I felt something was off about Van’s answer and objected. To build a ship. Putting aside small boats, a large ship takes months to build one vessel. And it involves over a hundred workers. Especially the design and the exterior require skilled knowledge and craftsmanship.

I spoke with that in mind, but Van answered calmly.

“Actually, I build buildings and forts regularly… Ah, I have also built small boats within my territory before, you see.”

“No, small boats and large ships are completely different. Large ships require years of research. The shape of the hull, the depth of the draft, the weight and center of gravity relative to the area, the ingenuity to remain stable even when hit by rough waves… not a single one of these is simple.”

When I said that, Van nodded vigorously.

“That’s exactly right! To float a ship on the sea. That alone requires long years of research. But, fortunately, I had the opportunity to board a large ship that was actually built after years of research.”

“…That is.”

Surprised by Van’s words, I instinctively turned my gaze toward the Fleetwood. Van looked up at me with a smile.

“Yes! It is thanks to you, Tran-san! I couldn’t build it with just the shape of the ship you taught me simply at first. But, since I was allowed to confirm the vague parts with my own eyes by actually riding it…”

Van said that with a bashful smile. However, I could hardly laugh at those words. Even hearing Van’s explanation, my suspicion only deepened.

“…Then, what about this pier? This pier has a shape split in two to accommodate large ships requiring mooring at multiple points. And it is actually moored from the left and right with ropes. Furthermore, fenders are attached to the pier to prevent damaging the hull… Such knowledge should only exist in countries that operate large ships…”

While saying this, I also paid attention to changes in Rosso and Panamera’s expressions.

Did the Kingdom of Scuderia hide their own shipbuilding technology in order to steal our country’s ship technology? Such a suspicion cast a strong shadow within my heart.