The Varling Sea lies between the Central Continent and the West Continent.
Given it’s the closest sea route between them, it has historically been a vital hub for maritime traffic, seeing many ships come and go.
While it’s not entirely devoid of land between the West Town on the Central Continent and the Kingdom of Corum on the West Continent, small islands dot the sea like stepping stones.
However, these islands are not numerous or large enough to form nations, and they are merely the size of a small island.
Therefore, no nation has been established around these islands, and they simply exist as transit points.
It takes about twenty days to sail between West Town and the Kingdom of Corum on the latest sailing ships.
Historically, the route from the West Continent to the Central Continent was discovered, but it initially took about three months, marking a significant advancement.
This progress is, of course, due to various factors, including the discovery of the shortest route, advancements in shipbuilding technology, and progress in sailing magic.
A journey of about twenty days is not such a long distance that it poses a major military problem.
Even so, the Kingdom of Corum had not attempted to attack the Central Continent until now because its military forces were focused within the continent itself.
Another reason is that there was no nation with a large enough army to launch an invasion.
They had left it alone because there were sufficient benefits to be gained without needing to militarily conquer it.
Furthermore, meddling with the Central Continent could have drawn in nations from the same continent or even from other continents.
Moreover, the Central Continent is a treasure trove of monsters.
Maintaining it as a nation would simply not be worth the reward.
For these reasons, they profited by trading with West Town, which existed as a single city.
Beside one of the islands in the Varling Sea, the fleet was anchored.
On board the flagship of this fleet, the fleet commander, Marco, stood with his arms crossed, a troubled expression on his face.
Marco was not only the fleet commander but also an admiral in charge of a division of the Corum Kingdom’s navy.
The fact that an admiral was personally dispatched on an expedition indicated how seriously the Kingdom of Corum was taking this matter.
Marco, of course, understood this, but the current situation was far from ideal.
This was evident from the similar expressions on the faces of the high-ranking officials around him.
Originally, they had no intention of anchoring in a place like this.
However, just recently, when they attempted to proceed further, they realized they were unable to advance.
To be precise, they could sail for about a day beyond this island.
But beyond that point, they simply could not move forward.
There was no physical barrier.
However, after advancing a certain distance, they found themselves returning to the same spot.
It was like being trapped in a Maze Forest on land.
Upon urgent inquiry with the wizards on board, they confirmed that a spell similar to that of a Maze Forest had been cast.
They concluded that it was impossible to break through the magic.
“…Honestly. The King warned me to be extremely cautious, but I never thought it would come to this.”
Marco muttered this unintentionally, and those around him wore similarly grim expressions.
Even for Marco, who had spent many years at sea, this was an unprecedented experience.
Moreover, they did not have many wizards with them, so there was little they could do.
However, even if they had brought more, they were told it would be impossible to break through, so returning would have been futile.
They could not simply turn back in shame, so they had to find a way to move forward.
In this hopeless situation, they were trying to find a solution that would allow them to advance, as returning empty-handed was unthinkable.
The situation changed the following day.
The lookout spotted a merchant ship sailing from the Central Continent.
Naturally, the news was relayed to Marco.
Upon hearing the report, Marco made a swift decision.
It was clear that the merchant ship was heading towards their current island.
The island where the fleet was anchored was an important base for voyages from West Town on the Central Continent to the Kingdom of Corum.
He decided to approach the ship’s captain once they reached the island.
Given the circumstances, he chose to disembark himself and head to the island.
Naturally, he was accompanied by several guards.
Due to the island’s small size, there was a rule where newly arriving ships would take over the replenishment spots from ships that had been waiting to depart for the Central Continent.
Consequently, the new merchant ship from the Central Continent switched places with the ship that had been stranded, unable to reach the Central Continent.
However, the captains of the ships, being merchants, understood the situation.
Since they both comprehended each other’s circumstances, they seemed to have made an agreement to exchange cargo and return to their respective continents.
Their ships being of similar size was also fortunate.
They were able to trade their original cargo and conclude the negotiations with impressive efficiency.
Both ship captains beamed, indicating that it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Marco concluded this upon seeing the expressions of the two captains.
The reaction of the two captains upon seeing Marco’s face was starkly different.
One’s face contorted, while the other smiled.
There was no need to confirm; it was obvious which was which.
“I have no intention of interfering with the transaction between merchants. I merely wished to speak with your captain.”
“Y-yes. The negotiation is concluded, so I shall take my leave.”
The captain whose face had contorted quickly and sheepishly departed.
“You have questions for me, surely regarding this?”
Without Marco needing to ask, the captain produced a card.
“That’s very helpful. So, what is that?”
“It’s a Crown Card,” the captain replied concisely.
Marco scowled at the captain’s blunt answer.
As a soldier, Marco could, of course, conceal his emotions.
He intentionally displayed his expression.
“…Do you understand what you’re saying?”
It was common knowledge that the Crown, currently a dominant force on the continent, was affiliated with Amamiya Tower.
And it was already rumored that the Kingdom of Corum was not on good terms with Amamiya Tower.
“Of course. In fact, I was instructed by someone involved to show it to you.”
“…What?”
“Even if you took this from me, they say it’s impossible to cross that boundary. Apparently, it’s designed to be activated by my magic.”
“Even so, couldn’t you just take both me and the card?”
“That is also not possible, apparently. It seems to apply only to that particular ship… It’s quite a peculiar story.”
Marco inwardly cursed.
At this moment, he couldn’t discern whether the captain’s story was true.
However, he had a gut feeling that the captain was telling the truth.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent a merchant ship to a place where they themselves were stranded.
Furthermore, Marco knew that the Crown Card reacted solely to an individual’s magic.
Naturally, this information had reached the Kingdom of Corum, and it had been thoroughly researched, but the principle behind it remained entirely unknown.
As Marco pondered what to do with the captain, the captain continued, seemingly unaware of his predicament, “Also, two days from today, at noon, they say a most interesting spectacle will be presented. It would be best not to decide my fate until then.”
His words suggested that he understood his own uncertain future.
“…What is the reason we must wait until then?”
“Can you take me back to the kingdom alone, just as I am?”
“…Is that also advice from Amamiya Tower?”
“Well, what do you think?”
Seeing the captain skillfully shrug and smile, Marco decided to accept the captain’s words for the time being.
Whether he went to the Central Continent or returned to his kingdom, they still had some leeway in terms of schedule.
He could easily wait for about two days.
He thought it might be good to verify whether the information brought by the messenger was accurate.
However, Marco would continue to agonize over this decision long after he retired from his military career.
The barrier finally appeared in actual combat lol.
Its effects are too significant, so it seems like it will play its part and conclude this time.
