“Wow, the banished gods are coming back…”
Is the story I shared that shocking?
Archbishop Pierre sighed repeatedly and looked down.
It’s only been a short while since we thought the Dragon had been defeated and peace had come to the continent, so hearing such news would be anything but pleasant.
If it weren’t for those outsiders, I’d have already been playing with everything I’ve built up until now.
To be blunt, considering my wealth and reputation, it wouldn’t be difficult to set up a foundation for my great-grandson to play around with.
“Most of them are not that threatening. The losers who fled from Kalon, their strength is at best that of a Great Demon, isn’t it?”
“A Great Demon is a strong enough being that humans cannot deal with.”
Is that so?
With a bit of a beating, a Great Demon would probably just go home crying.
“Even if they’re strong, they aren’t on the level of the Dragon. And… they likely won’t recover their strength. It takes a lot of power to return the banished ones.”
That was a flimsy excuse.
But as I said it, it actually sounded quite convincing. Entering this world from outside isn’t as easy as passing through a toll booth; they’d have to go through a complicated and difficult process.
In response to my words, Archbishop Pierre clasped my hand tightly.
“I’m imposing too much on you this time.”
“If not me, then who?”
“You…”
The Archbishop seemed quite moved by my words. It feels a bit off to lie to someone who trusts me so completely.
“So what will you do? Our church can lend you a ship, and you can take that…”
“No, I plan to make the ship myself.”
“Wouldn’t that take too long?”
“It’ll take about half a day to make.”
“Haha, isn’t that a bit too boastful?”
“You’ll see.”
You shouldn’t try to explain things like this with words.
Seeing is believing; unbelievable tales are best shown right in front of someone. I stood up and said,
“Then I’ll show you tomorrow.”
“Considering your skills, I’d love to see it.”
Archbishop Pierre nodded with eyes full of expectation.
—————–
“Lord Quartz, is it really okay just to leave these materials here?”
The carpenter who brought the wood for the ship asked me, looking confused if he’d really heard correctly. It’s strange to just be told to stack lumber on the floor.
“Yeah. Just leave all the materials here.”
“Yes, understood! Hey! Put all the wood here and leave!”
They only brought quality woods.
Well, if they were caught trying to pull a fast one here, it wouldn’t just end with losing their life, so it makes sense.
“Lord Quartz! I’ve brought everything as you ordered!”
“Got it. You can go now.”
“Um, is it really alright for me to leave? For making a ship, people…”
“It’s fine, you can go.”
The carpenters exchanged puzzled looks between the lumber and me, then shrugged and disappeared. Standing in front of the pile of wood with my arms crossed, Archbishop Pierre asked with a tone full of curiosity.
“What are you planning to do?”
“I can’t take a regular ship to fend off the outsiders. Even just waving my arms around would destroy it.”
“That’s true. But this is ordinary wood.”
“But what if I can make this ordinary wood extraordinary?”
I laid my hands on the wood, feeling the hard texture typical of well-dried wood at my fingertips. I began to summon the energy of the World Tree into the wood.
“This, this is…”
“It’s the power of the World Tree.”
“How can you…”
“Once, the World Tree asked for my help. In return, I received its blessing.”
“You have two blessings?”
“Indeed.”
I didn’t need to mention the blessing of the Quartz family.
There’s no point in saying it.
“Incredible! Absolutely incredible! No one in the continent’s history has had two blessings like you!”
I let Archbishop Pierre’s praises wash over me as I gazed at the wood infused with the power of the World Tree. What was once a bright yellow had now taken on a gray hue.
“If I make a ship out of this wood, it will become the strongest ship in the world.”
“Certainly. But how do you plan to build a ship with this material? The World Tree is not an easy material to handle…”
“Crafting.”
At my word, a properly sized sailing ship was created.
“…I’m starting to think that having questions for you is becoming a foolish thing.”
“Is that so?”
“…If you can make a ship this easily, who would need shipbuilders?”
“Well, no one else can do this.”
Even if you have a crafting skill, making a ship in one go with ultra-rare materials requires an S rank. In other words, it’s impossible for anyone but me.
“Then how do you plan to move it? You haven’t laid down any round wood underneath…”
“I plan to just lift it.”
“A ship this big?”
Well, if I have two blessings, it should be easy to lift this much. I drew on all my blessings and said,
“Please step aside. If it hits you, it won’t end with just a fracture…”
Heave.
I grabbed the bow of the ship and slowly lifted it. As I tilted the ship slightly and moved toward the sea, I could feel the many eyes watching me.
“Wow…”
“Is he really lifting a sailing ship by himself?”
“Am I dreaming right now?”
“Am I still drunk? Ted, slap me!”
“Shut up! You’re not seeing things!”
I quietly placed the ship in the empty space. Then I turned to the crowd, here to see my show of strength.
“Don’t try this at home. You’ll hurt yourself.”
Now, shall we go and prepare to set sail?
————-
“Hehe, Johann, this reminds me of when we came to the continent by ship.”
“Can’t believe it’s been a year and a half.”
“Ugh, I feel so nauseous…”
Elisa clung to me with a pale face; looks like she’s suffering from seasickness. Going boating later is going to be tough. The others seem fine, though…
“Uncle, what is this material? It’s wood but incredibly sturdy!”
“It’s the World Tree.”
“…The World Tree? That World Tree?”
“That’s right.”
Viola was left speechless, staring at the ground. It seems she was shocked to learn that the massive chunk of World Tree she was standing on is harder to obtain than mithril.
Well, it’s hard not to be astonished when you’re standing on a ship made from the material of dreams, the World Tree.
“Uncle… this scale is too big.”
“Get used to it.”
“It’s a shame we can’t go out to sea on this.”
“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities.”
Once we deal with all the outsiders, we can relax and explore the sea.
I thought while watching the workers loading the supplies onto the ship.
But with only one person aboard this large ship, there’s just way too much space. Though it was actually less space than it appeared.
I’ve made various modifications to prepare for the battle with the outsiders.
A regular ship just wouldn’t cut it for dealing with them.
“Lord Quartz! We’ve loaded everything!”
“Got it! You can all head back!”
I handed out payments from my pouch as I sent the workers off. Once they left and only our group remained on the ship, everyone gathered around me.
“It’s a shame that making the ship wasn’t for a boat ride.”
It would’ve been fun to take the kids out for a ride.
“Don’t worry about it! We can go boating later! Johann, you don’t have to feel sorry!”
“Yeah! We have plenty of time!”
“Right… ugh.”
“Let’s just hold off a bit. With Uncle going through hardships, we can’t throw tantrums.”
“Do I not get to go this time?”
“It’s fine.”
I heard it was weaker than Lugaru, so it felt a bit off to leave Karina without protection. To put it bluntly, those outsiders could set up assassinations or kidnappings like the Halphas Cult.
“If you’re alright with it…”
Renny’s eyes revealed undeniable worry. They looked like a woman watching her new boyfriend head off to danger alone.
It’s literally true, but saying it like this makes it feel more real that we’re dating.
“Renny, don’t worry too much. I’ll come back in one piece.”
“I, I know that!”
“Renny, you’re adorable.”
“I agree.”
“C, Karina, don’t tease me!”
Renny shouted with a rare soprano voice.
“Hehe. Johann, you have to come back quickly! I get extremely worried if I don’t see you for even a day. Last time was pure hell for me.”
“Millia, don’t worry too much. It won’t take long.”
“My siblings are worried too, so come back safely.”
Receiving the worried gazes of everyone, I flashed a confident smile.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of all the outsiders in just a few days.”
