The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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After spending a few days here, I realized something. Or rather, I might have felt it right after I arrived.

This ship. It was clearly much larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. It’s not that the ship was small, but it looked a bit precarious for the guards and others.

However, as soon as I boarded, I understood. This wasn’t just a physically possible space. To liken it to something, it was as large as a grand sailing vessel. Ho-yeon said there was no magic, but if this isn’t magic, then what is it?

“Hey, Ho-yeon. Didn’t you say there wasn’t any magic? But this seems a bit too… spacious, doesn’t it?”

There were all kinds of lanterns hanging around, made by principles unknown to me. It was spacious enough that six soldiers could share a room, and the facilities were good too.

“It’s not really magic, just basic technology… It’s actually strange if it were any less than this.”

But for Ho-yeon, it must be ‘normal’. I was convinced when I saw her casually say that it was pitiable for people in this continent to live without even such basic technology.

What kind of place is the Eastern region? Well, I could already guess that teleporters and flying continents weren’t that surprising here.

Still, why does this continent seemingly have technology of a different level? Moreover, none of this had appeared in the original story.

Descriptions of advanced pharmacology existed, and there were mentions of genetically modified plants, but not a single line about this technology. Where exactly did history diverge?

Wait, is this even the world I knew? Now, I’m seriously contemplating things that seem rather meaningless, and Ho-yeon poked me from the side.

“…Excuse me? Are you listening to me? Dokan?”

“No, I just can’t imagine what the place you lived in was like. The technology where the inside is wider than the outside is just widely used by the entire populace, right…?”

“Uh? Yeah. From the very beginning, city designs were built on such technology.”

Just listening to the story makes it sound like paradise on Earth. Advanced technology, free education at all levels, free housing, free medical care… It’s no wonder there’s no currency system.

However, there was an inexplicable discomfort lingering in my heart. Particularly the term ‘sacrifice’ and the societal structure that seemed to completely ignore individual will.

“…I see. That’s pretty amazing. I wonder what would happen if one of the technologies from your continent crossed over here.”

“No, that wouldn’t work. The continent is filled with this polluted mana. Until we clear that, nothing will function. And why would we pass on our technology anyway?”

Okay, okay. Then let’s head home. Ho-yeon was talking casually, but her expression was clearly excited.

Seeing her made me feel like I was looking at a little kid eager to show me around the neighborhood, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Dokan, there’s going to be a great sight at the front of the ship. Wanna come see? We’re about to break free from the influence of the divine power, and I can show you something amazing. Or you can go into your room and rest.”

She could just ask me to come, but she always has to phrase it like that. It’s basically a direct invitation, so of course, I’d go.

Having already got bored from chatting in the carriage, I thought it was good timing and cheerfully followed her up to the deck.

Once I got on the deck, it felt noticeably narrower than being inside. It was still spacious, but it didn’t feel cramped.

Given that we’d broken free from the divine power’s influence, it was clear this ship was moving automatically. No one was rowing, and there was no wind blowing, yet it was moving at quite a fast speed.

When we first set off, it was moving slower than a snail, but now we had picked up speed to the point where I could feel the sea breeze properly.

It felt different somehow, but I couldn’t quite place it. Refreshing… maybe? Before I could ponder further, Ho-yeon was already at the tip of the ship.

I went over to see what she was up to, but she was just sitting there with her hands neatly clasped and eyes closed. There was nothing unusual about it.

However, just as I thought she might be trying to tease me again, glowing drops of seawater approached her.

…What is this?

— — —

Sure enough, now that we were outside the divine power’s influence, I could feel the gods all around us.

— Kid, have you already been there? Did time flow that quickly…? More importantly, who’s that guy next to you?

— You truly lack perception. Naturally, he must be your lover. How could someone so oblivious manage to reach this position?

— …Welcome back, child of the stars. We’ll hear about what happened later. It seems you’re not alone, after all.

Not only the sea gods beside me but various voices echoed from everywhere. Hmmm, hearing that I had “returned” made me feel oddly shy.

…Wait a minute, had I told my mother?

A bead of cold sweat trickled down, but since I had to steady myself, I collected my thoughts again. I had promised Dokan that I would show him something splendid, so I shouldn’t shrink back now.

— I’ll tell you the full story later, but for now, I have one request.

— What do you mean by that!? Not alone… Huh. Really? What’s going on; that once innocent and cute child is now a mother… Then, where’s the father… Hmm, it’s too early for wild speculation. Surely that can’t be true. So what’s your request?

The gods seemed to have come to some understanding and thankfully lent me their ears.

— I would like you to open the waterway home, please.

Rather than a breeze or such, riding a direct current would be much faster, so I made a special request to the sea gods. Normally, this sort of thing would require many sacrifices, but since it’s me…

Because I was once tormented… I mean, loved by all kinds of gods since childhood, just this was particularly possible. Receiving a power beyond the norm by making requests or offering trivial rewards.

…This time I would have to tell a long story, but even so, the price was reasonable. Usually, such a display of power would require someone to plunge into the depths like in a fairytale.

What was it… they said? Without the cost of goodwill, humanity would lose the will to progress and ultimately lead to only dependence on the gods.

When I asked my mother why sacrifices were necessary for receiving favors from the gods, that was the explanation I received.

Well, if I had a perfect, all-time working, unpaid, omnipotent servant who simply did whatever I said, I think I’d become lazy too.

If all I had to do was wave a hand and food, gold, and entertainment would appear, why would anyone want to work and put in effort?

Thus, my mother insisted that miracles without payment shouldn’t exist.

…Even so, the conditions remained quite generous. Promising a harvest plentiful enough to last for half a year in exchange for just a month’s worth of grain seemed like a pretty sweet deal.

There must be deeper meanings involved. I hoped that Dokan could witness the grand and magnificent scene that was about to unfold without deep thought.

“…Ho-yeon, what are those droplets…?”

Dokan looked shocked, as if he couldn’t comprehend the sight of the water imbued with the divine power. Hmmm, if he was this surprised now, we might be in trouble.

The immense flow of mana concentrated where the ship was passing and soon, a gigantic wave began to form ahead, heading our way.

Dokan, now unable to articulate properly, was making strange noises, but I wasn’t too shocked as I had seen this kind of spectacle before.

But every time, it was a majestic yet eerie sight. The view of the horizon rising, as if it were going to swallow us whole, was enough to evoke primal fear. My eyes instinctively began to close.

Right before the massive wave, which I could only call a tsunami, crashed over the ship, I felt Dokan envelop me. How touching. But nothing like what he was thinking happened.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself calmly swimming in the sea, surrounded by fish.

“What the… Wait, are we… in the ocean right now?”

“Uh, yeah. How is it? Pretty nice, huh?”

It looked as if we had entered a giant bubble. The only difference from a bubble was that the scenery outside was changing at breakneck speed.

If I ever stuck my hand out, I’d probably get swept away in an instant.

Dokan was still bewildered, unable to tell whether this was reality or a dream. Honestly, I had been surprised when I saw this for the first time.

Now that I think about it, it felt more like Dokan was clinging to me out of fear than trying to protect me. I gently pushed him away, dusted off my shoulders, and straightened my rumpled clothes.

“…Uh, that’s about it for sights. If you want to see the ocean, you can stay on the deck. But I won’t recommend it since there isn’t much to see.”

Really. Even looking beyond the bubble would bore you in about 30 minutes. The view was simply flying by too fast to see anything properly.

Let’s see, it’s pretty much like taking a turbo express train home… I wonder if we’ll arrive in about five hours?

Until then, I should think carefully about what to explain to my mother, father, and the gods.