The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 77: Life on the Ship

Episode 77: Life on the Ship

We showed our boarding passes to the staff at reception and crossed the pier leading to the Eleonora. Along with us, many other people were still boarding the giant ship.

The body of the giant ship was made of metal. But the deck was wooden, like other ships.

On the deck, the crew members were busily moving around. Watching them from the side, we entered the ship.

“First, we check our room. Once that’s done, we’ll look around the inside of the ship. Still, with this many people, we probably won’t be able to take our time looking around.”

“We have time, so let’s look around slowly later. More importantly, we need to get a map of the inside of the ship first.”

Following the guidance numbers posted above the passageways, we proceeded to the residential area. Elise had said we needed a map. But actually, I had already obtained a map using Auto Mapping.

But since this was a trip that also included sightseeing, it might be good to get a paper map as a keepsake.

While being mindful of Lilia nestled at my chest, I followed behind Ardan. Behind the large Ardan was a safe zone when there were a lot of people. Maybe Jill and Elise knew that too. Because they were firmly using Ardan as a shield.

After turning a few corners, we could see the number of the residential area where we would be staying. The residential areas seemed to be divided into several sections: for nobles, for high-income individuals, and for general use.

Among those, we had come to the residential area for high-income individuals.

“This is it. Like I said before, don’t forget the room number. In the worst case, you can just say the room number to make your way back here.”

“I got it. Let’s go inside already.”

Pushed by Jill, we entered the room. Even though it was for high-income individuals, the inside of the room was small. There were two bunk beds. And between the beds there was only a round window and a small desk. I guess the fact that it was a private room itself gave it value.

“It’s smaller than I thought.”

“Small.”

“Very small.”

Jill and the women didn’t seem to like it. Maybe the ship wasn’t originally designed with female passengers in mind. Judging by this, we probably couldn’t expect much from the large public bath either.

Since there were no chairs, we sat on the beds.

“We still have time before departure. Look, there are still lots of people trying to board. Until the ship departs, it’s probably better not to walk around.”

Taking turns to look out the only window in the room, just like Ardan said, people carrying luggage were getting on and off. It seemed not just people, but also a lot of luggage was being loaded. Well, that makes sense. If anything, the main purpose of the ship was probably to carry cargo.

Just like that, we spent time in the room until departure. Many people were walking back and forth in front of the room. We could hear the outside noise from inside. And this was the high-income section. I wonder how noisy the general-use area was with even more people. I was glad that, even if small, we had a private room.

“Looks like we’re about to depart! Let’s get up to the deck!”

Jill said that. He was looking outside the window. Looking outside, the pier connected to the ship was being removed. It looked like loading people and cargo had finished.

We decided to move before the people heading to the deck surged in.

When we got up to the deck, several people were already waiting. From the passageway we had come from, people were pouring out one after another. Moving to the edge of the ship, we could see that many people had gathered at the port to see the Eleonora off.

The wheels attached to both sides started moving. It looked like departure time had come. Many people had crowded the deck to watch the land as it moved away. And yet, the ship didn’t tilt – I guess that was to be expected of it.

As the ship started to move, many people on the land began waving their hands. We waved back at them. I couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious and lonely. But I was also excited about what was waiting on the other continent.

Back in the room, we discussed how we would spend our time from here on. Somehow, Jill had a map of the Eleonora in his hand.

“Looking at this, it seems like the dining halls are separated by residential section.”

“Well, they have to separate us from the nobles at least. It was like that on the magic-powered ship too. Maybe the information gathered on that ship is being used here too?”

“Probably. It would be a pain if trouble happened inside the ship where there’s nowhere to escape.”

To avoid trouble with the nobles, we had to make sure not to enter the residential area where the nobles stayed. By combining the information from the map Jill brought back and the Auto Mapping, we clearly figured out where everything was. Thanks to that, we were able to properly understand from where on it became a danger zone where nobles were. And we also figured out the location of a mysterious space.

Surely, in that place, the magical tools used to move the giant ship must be kept. I hope we can go see it.

“First, let’s all check where the dining hall is, and the toilets. And just in case, the bath area too.”

“Yeah. Along with that, we should also check the emergency escape route and the place where the lifeboats are stored.”

“Ardan, you’re as serious as ever~. But still, I wonder if they’ve properly prepared enough small boats for everyone? Maybe there are only ones for the nobles?”

Lilia said something ominous. It’s true, if they reduce the number of lifeboats, they can carry more cargo. I don’t think they would do that. But we need to confirm it just in case.

The ship departed, and it had been about an hour since the port disappeared from view. By now, maybe the inside of the ship had settled down.

“Alright then, let’s go explore the inside of the ship. Oh, and we also need to check out what’s being sold in the ship’s store.”

“That’s true. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that the items will be gone.”

So that we wouldn’t get lost, we all walked around the inside of the ship together. With Jill holding the map in front, we proceeded through the ship. And we were safely able to locate the dining hall and such. The dining hall for high-income passengers wasn’t very big.

“Not being able to cook in the room is a problem. Well, I guess that’s to be expected. It would be a disaster if a fire broke out.”

“It seems like it’s best to use the dining hall as much as possible. We should probably save the food we brought in the magic bag as much as we can.”

“The real issue is what kind of meals they serve. Since we’ll be here for fifteen days, even if they can’t give us a different dish every day, I’d like to have some variety.”

If it comes to that, we might end up missing Ardan’s home-cooked meals. If I’d known, I should have stored some of his cooking in the magic bag too. I had only stuffed it with food bought at food stalls in town. I’ll use this as a lesson for next time.

We came up to the deck again. Our goal, of course, was to check the emergency lifeboats. More people than I expected were still on the deck. Looking closely, they seemed to be ordinary passengers. There were even a few dressed like adventurers.

“There’s more people than I thought. Oh, are those the emergency lifeboats?”

In a corner of the deck, many small boats were tied up with ropes. The number… wasn’t that many, was it? There were some on the other side too. But even adding those, it didn’t seem like there were enough for a thousand people. Maybe it’s because they assume the giant ship won’t sink.

The route the ship was taking was probably the same as commercial ships use. Because of that, there’s probably no need to worry about running aground. Even if we hit a storm, I don’t think the ship would capsize. If that’s the case, maybe the small boats really won’t be needed.

“Looks like those people over there have come up to the deck to take refuge. Look, there are even people relaxing and sitting down. The crew seems to be warning them though.”

“Yeah, doesn’t seem like the general passenger section is very good.”

Jill had a grim look. Maybe a lot of people were packed together in one big room. Might be a good idea to check out what it’s like later.

“Hmm—, the number of lifeboats is definitely not enough. If it sinks, that’s the end for us, probably.”

“We came for a vacation, but now it’s not really feeling like a peaceful trip anymore.”

Ardan gave a wry smile without thinking. But it was a decision we all made together to board the ship. Even if something happened, no one would blame Ardan. And if something *did* happen, we could probably survive somehow.

We could use the nearly endless seawater to build an ice boat, or even have Lilia make one using her spirit magic. One way or another, we’d manage. But only *we* could. There was no way we could build a ship that could carry this many people.

All we could do was pray that this ship wouldn’t sink.