Chapter 306: Arrival at the Western Tip of the Abyss Continent
Our ship, on a quest to circumnavigate the world, had sailed steadily eastward from Hinomoto, finally reaching the western tip of the Abyss Continent.
「King General, that’s quite a complicated harbor. Looks like it could make a fine port.」
Mearid, the admiral who clung to my arm alongside Shizuka, the Great Emperor’s daughter, commented with excitement.
While Shizuka had joined us on this journey, Mearid also seemed to be treating it like a honeymoon.
「Yeah, you’re right. In the knowledge of my original world, this area should correspond to the city of San Francisco.」
「A city? I don’t see a single soul around.」
Releasing my arm, Mearid climbed up to the lookout post on the mast and scanned the area.
「Hmm…」
It seemed that, in this world, this harbor had yet to be discovered. There weren’t even any signs of indigenous people.
「For now, let’s dock here and take a look.」 「Hero-sama, are we already in the country of Silesie?」
Still clinging to me, Shizuka asked curiously.
「Haha, not quite. We’re only halfway there. This is the Abyss Continent, located even further east across the ocean from Hinomoto—」
As I was explaining, Mearid suddenly started shouting from the lookout post.
「Hey, King General! Something’s coming our way. Looks like this place isn’t as uninhabited as we thought!」
「What do you mean, something’s coming?!」
Climbing up the mast, I looked toward the horizon and saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance. A group was approaching with a thunderous rumble.
「UOoooooiiii!」
I can hear them shouting at this distance.
As they got closer, it became clear that they weren’t indigenous people. Instead, I saw a familiar covered wagon racing toward us.
And standing atop the wagon’s canopy, waving energetically, was—
「Archbishop Nicholas?!」
Even after reincarnating as a baby, that guy’s personality hadn’t changed a bit.
He still couldn’t speak properly, but thanks to the White Feather artifact he used to project thoughts directly into people’s minds, he was just as noisy as ever.
Dealing with him was always a chore, but we had no choice but to disembark and reunite.
「This is unacceptable!」
「That’s your opening line after not seeing me for so long?!」
What’s so unacceptable about this? I have no idea what he’s on about.
「We endured countless hardships to make it to the westernmost point of the Abyss Continent, and you beat us here? That’s just cruel! We even brought a commemorative monument for the occasion!」
Ah, I see now.
From the wagon, they unloaded a large stone monument engraved to commemorate their arrival at the western tip.
Considering they went to the trouble of preparing something like that, I could see why they’d be upset to find us here first.
Still, we’d circumnavigated half the world to get here, so it’s not like we had it easy either.
「Ah, my bad, my bad. Still, isn’t it crazy? Running into each other while circumnavigating the world like this—it’s got to be more than just coincidence.」
「Indeed! Surely, this is the will of the great goddess Asama herself!」
We had only stopped by to replenish our water supplies. The fact that Nicholas’s expedition team, traveling westward across the Abyss Continent, and my crew, sailing eastward from Hinomoto, had crossed paths here of all places—it really did feel like divine intervention.
「Well, it’s not the most delightful intervention, but it’s good to see you all alive and well.」
「‘Alive and well’? Thanks to you, we’ve had to endure no end of hardships!」
「Haha, sorry about that. Alright, tell you what—I’ll say you guys were the first to arrive here. How’s that sound?」
「Really?! You mean it?」
「Yeah. We’re focused on completing our circumnavigation of the globe, so that’s enough of an accomplishment for us. I’ll make sure the history books say Nicholas was the first to reach the westernmost tip of the Abyss Continent. Better yet, let’s commemorate your achievement by founding a port city here—San Nicholas. This natural harbor has the potential to become a major hub in the future.」
「San Nicholas, you say? What a marvelous idea! Surely, this too is Asama’s will!」
Nicholas, thoroughly pleased with my proposal, seemed entirely satisfied.
Incidentally, a thousand years later, historians would still be debating whether the first arrival at Saint Nicholas’s harbor had been me or the “Exploration Saint” Nicholas. Heated academic disputes would ensue, but that wasn’t our problem.
Since we’d run into each other, we decided to take a break from our travels, sharing a meal and exchanging stories. Unsurprisingly, the conversation mostly revolved around Nicholas boasting about his daring adventures. Even when taken with a grain of salt, his tales were wildly entertaining.
「So, this giant, over ten meters tall—you’re listening, right?」
「Ah, yeah. I mean, what else could you do but run?」
The eastern side of the Abyss Continent was so treacherous that even the demon tribes had given up on settling it. Monsters of that scale were hardly surprising.
「And then, we discovered what appeared to be ancient ruins.」
「Oh?」
「There was a rift—something that looked like a tear in space-time. And from it emerged these flying eyeball creatures. We were in serious trouble.」
「Flying eyeballs, huh? Sounds like… quite the sight.」
「This is no joke! Just meeting their gaze turned people to stone.」
Apparently, it wasn’t just petrification. Those caught in the creatures’ sights would fall ill, vomit green liquid, or suffer from bizarre ailments.
「Unbelievable.」
「We also encountered these monstrous, walking vines that devoured people. By the way, we’ve got corpses of both the flying eyeballs and the vines as proof.」
「Whoa, seeing them up close makes it hard not to believe.」
These remains would surely make for valuable research material—Lyle-sensei would be thrilled.
Still, that mention of a space-time rift…
In the usual pattern, such anomalies often held clues to returning to one’s original world. But… was this really one of those times?
「Well, best not to mess with it.」
「Mess with what?」
Knowing how Real Fantasy operates, there’s no guarantee that rift leads to my original world. More likely, it’d fling me into some completely different dimension. Given the nature of those monsters, who knows? It might even be an SF world next.
「Ah, nothing. Just thinking out loud. So, what did you do with that dangerous ruin?」
「It was far too hazardous, so we sealed the entrance with stone and closed it off.」
「Good call.」
Surprisingly, Nicholas can make reasonable decisions in moments like these. I wouldn’t want him nearby, but he’s well-suited as a leader for distant, high-stakes expeditions.
Still… my original world, huh.
I’ve built a life here. A big family. I don’t see any reason to go back to Earth anymore.
While the coast around here seems safe, it’s clear that developing the interior of the Abyss Continent won’t be easy. I promised Nicholas and his team that I’d send additional aid to help with the damages they’d suffered.
Kaara will also set up a teleportation circle in this port, so I’ll be able to return whenever necessary. In the end, running into Nicholas here makes for a good story to share later.
「Hero-sama, who is this peculiar, dancing infant?」
As I listened to Nicholas’s report, Shizuka descended from the ship, her entourage in tow.
「Who is this filthy foreign woman?!」
「Ah, this is Shizuka, from Hinomoto…」
Seeing Shizuka cling to my arm, Nicholas pressed a hand to his head in mock despair, adopting a tragic expression. Even reincarnated as an infant, his obnoxiousness remains unchanged.
「More debauchery! Good grief, I miss the man you used to be.」
His level of irritation is astonishing.
「You, on the other hand, haven’t changed at all. Reincarnated or not, couldn’t you have grown a little?」
Even Ria has grown more than you.
「Regardless of my form or place, I remain a devout servant of Asama.」
Nicholas clasped his hands in an exaggerated display of prayer.
Just so you know, I thought, suppressing a grin, Asama is not impressed.
Honestly, meeting Nicholas again after so long—only to find him the same as ever—was almost funny.
Now, my crew and I plan to complete our circumnavigation of the Abyss Continent, mapping its entirety, before returning to the Kingdom of Silesie.