Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

T/N: Edited 10/28/24.

The reputation that it takes three full days to walk the distance is well-known, but there probably aren’t many people who have actually walked that road, except for soldiers.

Because high-ranking officers from the Federation usually took a carriage if possible, and people from the Empire had no reason to go to the port city.

Moreover, the information that it takes three days is based on when the road was well-maintained.

There was a well-maintained road from the port to Leman, but not the other way around.

So, it would be safe to say that I discovered the fact that it takes four and a half days to walk from Leman to the port city of Rosko.

“There it is.”

How many times have I crossed the wild mountains filled with bushes?

Finally, the lights of civilization are visible.

Forgetting the stinging of my scratched skin, I gazed down at the panoramic view of Rosko from the top of the wild mountain.

Dazzling mana lamps are spread all around.

The vermilion artificial light drives away the night, dimly illuminating the entire port, and as if in competition, red and white towers emit light in all directions from far away on the dock.

They are called lighthouses.

They were quite unfamiliar structures to me, who enjoyed the warmth of a flickering candle in a small room.

Is such a huge device necessary just for ships to come in and out?

But even they were just playing a supporting role in this dock.

“……”

I am from the inland.

The only boats I’ve seen are the ones floating on rivers.

Later, when I looked at encyclopedias from the Federation, I saw the sailing ships used to cross the sea for the first time.

Seeing that ridiculously large sails and dozens of crew members were needed to cross the waves of the ocean, I thought that humans are indeed small beings in front of nature.

“I think I need to change my mind……”

Three steamships docked at the port.

Among them, the most impressive was the ship on the far right.

A huge smokestack and a wide deck that looked like it could easily carry 300 people.

The flag of the Federation flutters in the wind.

[MV James Eddington]

The Eddington.

That noble mass of steel was floating on the sea, showing an ambition to split all the waves.

The departure of the Eddington is tomorrow morning at 11 o’clock.

The other two ships are not only heavily guarded but also small.

There are few places to hide, and the probability of getting caught increases exponentially, so it is almost impossible to cross the sea through those ships.

Moreover, it is not always the case that large ships, like the Eddington, come and go.

If I miss it now, I might have to wait for months.

I had to get on that ship no matter what.

It was a given that I couldn’t use the normal way of buying a ticket and being escorted to a cabin while receiving the hospitality of the crew.

#July 21st. Clear.

The sky is blue.

A refreshing breeze is blowing under the white cumulus clouds.

There couldn’t be better weather for departure.

The front of the Eddington was crowded with people.

Not only because of the weather, but also because the Eddington, which goes back and forth between the Empire and the Federation every two months, was the most popular ship among the people.

Of course, soldiers made up 80% of those people.

“Finally, I’ll get to step on my homeland.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. It was a mistake to go because they said they would raise my salary. I regretted it so many times.”

“You knew there were only ruins and barbarians when you came, right?”

“I really didn’t know there would be only those two things.”

The chatter of two soldiers in military uniforms was unexpectedly loud, so not only the people around them but also the young crew member standing guard on the deck of the Eddington heard it clearly.

He was one of the many young people who dreamed of becoming a crew member out of respect for Sir Eddington.

Who is James Eddington?

The only one who was called a hero in the cruel war.

Now, the Federation is the undisputed winner and treats the Empire like its servant, but in the early stages of the war, the Federation was busy defending against the offensive.

The offensive of the Imperial Navy, which once commanded the world, even if it was old-fashioned, boasted tremendous power.

A total of three landing operations.

It was not enough to deal with the sudden appearance of hundreds of thousands of infantry troops on the coast.

The Federal Army only repeated evacuation and retreat orders endlessly.

There was an area where that couldn’t be done.

The Orlan Archipelago.

The 60 soldiers and 460 civilians isolated in the Orlan Archipelago were stuck in a situation where they couldn’t go anywhere.

The Federal Navy didn’t have the luxury of sending transport ships to pick them up, and even after gathering all the fishing boats of the people engaged in fishing, they only managed to evacuate 80 people.

They were in a situation where they had no choice but to become hostages of the Imperial Army.

However, a passenger ship businessman named James Eddington stepped forward.

Speed: 14 knots. 0 cannons. No armor.

James Eddington, who appeared on the Orlan Archipelago with a ship thoroughly built for passenger use, took all remaining 440 people trapped on the archipelago.

It was overloaded by more than double the specifications, but no one blamed it.

That evacuation operation was later called the Miracle of Orlan Archipelago and was evaluated to have played a major role in the Federal Army gaining the upper hand.

Because the moment four hundred hostages were captured, it was obvious that the war would enter a stalemate.

After the war ended, the Federation government conferred a title on James Eddington while commending various military merits.

That’s how the businessman James Eddington became Sir James Eddington.

The young crew member admired him.

As a result, he was able to become a crew member of the Eddington – the new passenger ship of the Eddington company.

“What will you do first when you go back?”

“Of course……”

“Alcohol.” “Women.”

“Right?”

““HAHAHAHAHA!””

The two soldiers burst into laughter.

The young crew member found their behavior disagreeable.

He didn’t become a crew member to politely serve such guys with a forced smile.

The senior crew member immediately noticed that the junior had impudent thoughts.

He whispered:

“Junior. They are still soldiers. The people who protected our lives.”

“The ones who actually participated in the war received medals and took high positions or were discharged due to trauma. Don’t we all know that those soldiers are all hot shots?”

“Who doesn’t know that?”

The senior continued:

“If it weren’t for them, we’re the ones who would have been called barbarians.”

“……”

“No. Since many Frauvians have red or blonde hair, we might have been called monkeys.”

The young crew member fell silent.

He definitely didn’t like that.

“I guess being a crew member was a very noble dream for you.”

“……Yes. That’s right.”

“Since you’ve achieved your dream, what will you do if you don’t do your job?”

As the junior sighed, a commotion occurred in the middle of the boarding line.

Shouts and fistfights.

People’s murmurs.

Decisively, the sound of metal clanking was heard in succession.

The figures were not visible due to the crowd, but the sound definitely reached.

“Let go! Let go of this!”

“Stay still. Illegal boarder.”

“Ah, no! I’m a Frauvian!”

A desperate cry.

However, instead of the atmosphere becoming serious, it turned into a sea of laughter.

Even the noblewoman who was crossing the temporary bridge to board the ship, the soldiers waiting for their turn, and even the people watching what was happening all joined in and it became a sea of laughter.

Because the Frauvian was too clumsy, even for what is considered clumsy.

Among them, there was a low sneer that seemed to belong to a crew member.

“If you’re going to pretend to be a Frauvian, at least practice the language first. Barbarian.”

Soon, the sound of a person being dragged away was heard.

The young crew member finally saw the owner of the voice.

It was a middle-aged man with gray hair and a shabby appearance.

The one dragging him was a man in a crew uniform who had caught an illegal boarder trying to get on without a ticket.

It was one of the main duties of a crew member.

“Welcoming passengers and chasing away those who are not. That’s our job.”

The senior, who said that, had a loaded pistol on his waist.

The young crew member learned during crew training that the trigger had been pulled quite a few times.

The reason is simple.

Because illegal boarders try to get on the ship even if it means killing the crew.

It’s self-defense.

“……I will do my best.”

The young crew member pulled his hat down.

There was someone who heard all those conversations up close.

It’s me.

Apart from the conversation between the young crew member and his senior, I was in a quite difficult situation.

The original plan was as follows:

Infiltrate under the cover of night.

Even at night, the deck is bright, and there are quite a few guards.

However, there was a place they didn’t guard, which was the bottom of the ship.

It’s natural.

Because there is no need to guard it.

But I can use one of the most useful spells, [Levitation], to instantly move to the bottom of the ship.

The plan was successful.

I moved to the bottom of the ship in the middle of the night, landed on a suitable ledge, and waited for an opportunity to sneak in. Early in the morning, I slipped inside, taking advantage of the guards withdrawing for roll call.

A well-maintained interior.

However, that is limited to the area for passengers.

The area where the crew stays and the engine room, which only needs occasional maintenance, was extremely dirty and had a few people passing by.

It is a suitable place to hide.

After searching and searching for the right place, I unexpectedly found out that the warehouse right under the deck was safe.

I immediately hid there.

“I succeeded…”

I wasn’t caught by anyone.

I was happy that I had easily overcome one of the three difficulties.

Back to the present.

I wasn’t very happy now.

“……”

“……What are you looking at?”

“Uh, well. Shall we introduce ourselves?”

When I realized that there were two passengers in the supply warehouse that seemed to have no one at first glance, there were so many passengers that I couldn’t rashly open the warehouse door.