I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain

Swoosh—

Beneath a sky choked with heavy storm clouds, the steady rhythm of oars cutting through the water echoed in Ian’s ears. Standing on the stern deck, he took in the coastline sliding past the starboard side once more, slowly and carefully.

"Roll up the front sail properly! It’s not secured right!"

Sanford’s shout rang out from below, but Ian paid it no mind.

At both ends of the curved shoreline, towers of stacked brick rose into view—lighthouses, and watchtowers as well. Even now, torchlight flickered within them. The terrain was all jagged rock rather than sand. It sloped upward the farther inland it went, making any approach from the sea effectively impossible.

Even at a glance… not an easy place to rotate shifts.

Ian’s gaze drifted naturally toward the bow. With most of the sails already furled, the view ahead had opened up.

What caught his eye first was the dark, squat fortress built at the center of the coastline. It wasn’t particularly tall, and its structure looked simple enough, but it was more than sufficient to serve as a defensive stronghold. Especially with the outer walls facing the sea, where narrow arrow slits lined the surface between the flanking towers.

To take that fortress, one would have to land on the shore and circle around. Of course, even that was not easy.