Sword, Magic and Academic Society

"Raise the anchor! Open the sail!"

The next morning, at the first crack of dawn, I shouted so in my full voice.

"Hey, Ren! Do you have experience in operating ships?"

Dan approached me with a face full of smiles--- honestly, that smile was so ridiculously big that it made me cringe inside just from watching.

Normally, he would act like some wise man, watching everyone from a step behind. This was the first time I saw him with a childish, age-appropriate expression on his face, though this was also making his potato-like face stand out more than usual.

"Do you even need to ask? I'm a total noob, duh. I just wanted to try saying that once."

His shoulders dropped in dejection when I said that while sticking my chest out. 'Don't do that again once the ship sails to avoid confusion...' he said. Well, I don't know any other line except those so I couldn't do it again either way even if I wanted to.

The ship we were currently on was something secretly built by Serene Wind using all their resources which they were going to present to the Count family once Dan turned 12 when he advanced to a higher study.

However, the plan was later postponed when Dan instead managed to break through and enter the Royal Academy.

The ship was the fore-and-aft sail archetype capable of sailing against the wind. I kind of imagined it was going to be the tailwind type that relied on the wind pushing it from behind for propulsion. You know, the type of ship that you acquired in the late stage of a certain famous RPG.

Overall, it looked like a yacht but bigger.

By the way, most military ships were essentially galleys, where numerous rowers propelled the vessel forward by rowing with oars protruding from the sides, although they typically also had auxiliary sails for assistance.

In coastal and inland river areas designated for naval battles, where wind direction and speed were often unstable, these types of ships, while limited by the stamina of their rowers, excelled in maneuverability such as acceleration, deceleration, and turning compared to sailing ships.

...I didn't like that one bit though. I mean, what was romantic about relying only on body-strengthening magic to push the ship through?

Though it seemed like some great nobles had ships equipped with propulsion engines, they had not been adopted for military ships because they couldn't achieve high speed.

The monster-repelling tool had already been installed on the ship overnight. We then set sail from the dockside harbor of the Serene Wind while bathing in the morning's cool, invigorating breeze.

◆◆◆

The wind was blowing in our direction as the ship exited the harbor and entered into the sea.

The fore-and-aft might have been capable of traversing through the headwind but the same couldn't be said when the headwind was blowing at it head-on.

The ship typically sailed 45 degrees to the left or right of the wind direction --- a zig-zag pattern to be precise --- when the destination happened to align with the direction of the wind.

It depended on a ship's capabilities of course, but an angle any smaller than that would make the sailing difficult for even vertical sails.

Dan was standing at the helm cockpit located at the rear of the ship, steering this nearly 20m ship alone. Gutx, who had been standing beside him ready to assist, said in a dumbfounded tone.

"All the lines have been routed to the helm cockpit so a single helmsman can effectively control the entire ship single-handedly... but I never expected someone to actually handle that perversely heavy primary sail with just one hand with ease. Even less so to expertly handle the ship in this wind on their first try... I've seen something unbelievable."

The primary sail was the biggest sail on the ship and the lines were the ropes to raise or lower those sails to control the ship in the direction the wind was blowing.

The lines manipulated the ship while the speed and direction of the ship were controlled by the shafts called tillers.

Dan had apparently been playing around with small-scale ships since the age of 8 when his mana organ manifested so he more or less had the know-how in his head.

Aside from Gutx, there were also the other members of the Serene Wind as crewmates onboard. The company seemed to have just as many sailors and fishermen among their employees. They elected to not take the help of outsiders to prevent word from reaching the Count and to give Dan space to hunt Deareise without any concern.

"Then you have yet to widen your horizon, Gutx. The Royal Academy is crawling with even more absurd monsters."

Dan said and flashed a smile my way.

In the end, I ultimately told Mimosa and the others that I was his classmate from the Royal Academy. Well, I was expecting too much for them to quietly believe we just happened to become acquainted at the Royal Capital. Not when I brought him out from the Count Estate and even got to borrow their priceless magical tool.

I had already learned my lesson. It was better to explain now than let the rumors make a mountain out of a molehill and I also asked them to keep it a secret.

At least, I was sure Mimosa and Gutx wouldn't spill the beans to the others.

"But it sure sounds fun, Dan! I also want to try it. Let me take over!"

He looked incredibly happy --- and, even more importantly, cool --- steering the ship and sailing against the wind so I requested to take his place.

"Ohh! Are you interested? Come here, I'll teach you the basics."

I learned about the fundamentals of sailing and its key points from him for a while before switching spots.

◆◆◆

"Starboard - Tuck!"

Dan instructed me with a hand signal from atop the pole put up at the bow of the ship.

"Starboard! Tacking!"

At the signal, I unhurriedly cut the tiller and changed the route from the port side to the starboard side (basically turning the bow of the ship to the left side to avoid the wind).

Tacking referred to turning the bow of the ship into the wind and then across it. Of course, the direction in which the wind hit the sail reversed when the route of course was changed from 45 degrees to the right to 45 degrees to the left of the wind direction.

As the primary sail expanded with the wind and rotated clockwise around the mast to prevent it from thrashing about during the maneuver, I swiftly pulled in the lines to tighten the sail in sync.

"Close-hauled!"

Next, Dan passed the order to halt the ship's turning at the angle where it could just about cut upwind--- also called 'close-hauled.'

"I'm surprised how he can maintain his position atop that pole despite the three-dimensional shaking of the ship......."

I muttered dumbfounded. Was this how he trained his sense of balance from childhood...? Honestly, I had always been amazed by his strong core balance. If anything, 'amazing' was hardly enough to describe his sense of balance.

In the practical classes of the Royal Academy, we were made to train in areas with peculiar footing like lanky trees or ropes set up at a high place and stepping stones in ponds, among others.

It was like an athletic event with a high level of difficulty. And Dan alone was the undisputable high-ranking achiever in that class. There was no other person who could match his speed to skip and jump around.

"It's the optimal place to take note of the wind and waves after all. He has already been on it since like, the age of 9? No amount of warning managed to stop him from going there. 'It's alright,' were his usual words.

But since the ship never toppled even if there was some error in handling, we eventually gave up. Well, you're also not bad if you ask me. This level of handling just from hearing it once is stellar... To the point that I want to open your head and see how your brain is structured."

Gutx told me with a twitching expression. Well, it was hardly a secret.

"I am simply acting based on Dan's instructions. I'm sure any of our classmates would be able to pull this level of operation with just one briefing. It's frustrating but the way Dan cut through the wind and waves with smooth movements was something out of my league."

It was only after holding the lines and rudders with my hands that I realized that handling them was a lot harder than it appeared.

It was clear from the speed of the ship. The intensity of wind hadn't changed but the ship's current speed was only 80% of what Dan was bringing on. The 20% wasn't a gap that could be easily filled for sure.

"Any amateur would have been shaking from nervousness when tasked with operating a ship but... I guess I now understand why the Royal Academy is called a den of monsters."

Gutx shook his head in exasperation after saying that and continued.

"Dan... was someone capable of doing anything you throw at him. He was like a little bundle of liveliness when he mingled with us adults, but he never seemed to fit among the kids of the same age...

He did integrate himself seamlessly between them, but if you ask me, his demeanor gave off a lonely vibe. On top of that, he was then pulled into the stiff world of nobility, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

...But my perspective changed after seeing him so carefreely talking with you. He has finally encountered the friends that he can go all out with, a place where he can fit in... Thank you, Ren. He is finally out of his shell."

...Ah, I guess things like this do happen often, huh?

The difference between individual abilities could have never been so distinct without the influence of magic in this world, and this ability was a source of bitterness for both the ones who possessed it and the ones who lacked it.

I had experienced the same out-of-place feeling in the elementary school I attended, and I was sure everyone must have experienced something similar.

'I came to this academy to train together with similarly talented friends and aim for even greater heights,' Leo did say this, didn't he? I bet he was the epitome of the 'the peak is often solitary' trope.

Honestly, even though he often flashed that punchable, fearless grin, his mismatched puppy-like expectant gaze looked so annoying that I usually lose my steam to be mean to him. I guess this was also one of the reasons why my elder sister doted on me to an abnormal degree. She was an all-out bundle of talent, so there must have been no way she was able to adapt back at our place when even I couldn't.

Well, having someone like Furie-senpai talking to her on equal footing seemed to have given more colors to her life so it was all turning for the better. Now I just hope her loneliness gets cured to the point that I am no longer in her mind.

We continued to chat with such silly topics as I operated the ship, changing between tacking and close-haul, when Dan returned to the cockpit.

"Corrinda strait is the region between this island and continent. We're going to fold the sail and lower the speed."

Dan released the hold on the sail with precise movement and turned off the monster-repelling magical tool.

Right now, it was just the small auxiliary sail and the spanker--- the sail at the stern of the ship used to control the ship's drift caused by the wind.

At the same time, I caught the screeching sound of sea falcons in my detection magic range.