One month later, I was off.
Though tiny, the ship was surprisingly solid. A propeller engine was attached to it, which made it easy to steer. I stood on the deck, the sun’s rays so strong I pulled the hood of my robe over my head.
“Dad really pushed himself getting all of this together.”
It wasn’t just the ship—he found me a rifle, sword, and other miscellaneous things as well. I had water, food, and weapons, enough to last a single person a while. No amount of gratitude would repay what my parents had done for me; they had really pushed themselves financially. The ship we already owned, but Dad added the propeller engine—a substantial expense for an impoverished noble house like ours.
The ship also had electricity and gas, which made me wonder again what the hell kind of fantasy world this was.
I sat with my rifle drawn up against me and took in my surroundings through binoculars. I set them down, took my map in hand, and fished out my compass. “Now this is fantasy.”
Two hands split the compass’s face, one for my current direction and another set to a specific destination. It was rather convenient, a compass equipped with a dial you could set to point wherever you wanted to go.
My knowledge of the game had faded over the last ten years, but fortunately, right after I regained the memories of my past life, I recorded the coordinates for the treasure hoard on a piece of paper. Past me really was looking out for present me! And/or past me had fantasies about using cheat items to wreak havoc and got too distracted by his rigorous country lifestyle to pursue any of them, tomato, to-mah-to.
“I really should have put more effort into finding these things sooner.”
It was human nature to recognize what you should be doing and still not do it. You could call me a perfect example of that. I’d mumbled the same refrain numerous times and lamented endlessly, but still never taken any action. I’d just dragged myself through each day until this crisis finally lit a fire under my butt.
But I could justify my inaction with the fact that my life in this world was far harsher than it had been in Japan. Work on the farm was really rough, and I’d spent all my extra hours studying for the academy. I spent every day exhausted. I didn’t even have the extra strength to train on my own, nor did I possess any unique intelligence or skills. Where were my special reincarnation perks, huh? What about super smarts I could use to cheat and manipulate domestic affairs? Nope, nada, and often as not I found world knowledge from my previous life just didn’t apply in the game world.
I watched boulders float in the sky around me as I sailed on.
“The sky is blue, the ocean is blue… Everything is the same boring color. Except the occasional cloud.”
I wondered how close I was to losing my mind. I could just use my gun to end it all here. Maybe a better life waited for me after this one—my previous one hadn’t been nearly this bad.
I entertained that thought for a moment but shook my head vigorously. I had to endure.
“My death isn’t going to solve anything. Those hags will just take Colin as their victim instead.”
I talked to myself a lot more in this life, that was for sure.
I lifted my head. The sun was blindingly bright.
I miss Japan.
I’d thought numerous times about abandoning everything and running away, but this world was more dangerous than my old home. There were monsters and pirates. The risk of death was everywhere. Even if I did escape, how would I find work in the kingdom? “This world is tough for background characters.”
If I ran into an air pirate now, it would be all over. I surveyed my surroundings warily.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, and my map flapped about wildly. I set my compass on it to keep it from flying away, which was when I noticed the needle—the one that was supposed to be pointing to my destination—spinning uncontrollably.
“What’s going on?”
I stood, and the gusts grew stronger. I had to brace myself to keep from falling. I gripped the railing and looked overboard, but the ocean was completely calm. The clouds were floating at their usual languid pace. It didn’t look like a storm was picking up.
A shadow began to block the sun.
“So it’s above me?”
When I glanced up, all I saw was a white cloud. A large cloud. My left hand, which shielded my face, curled into a fist.
Below, then?
When I looked down at the ocean again, part of it was glowing green. I slumped over, pressing my forehead to the railing, and stifled the laughter bubbling up from my throat.
“So that’s it. Of all things I could get, I’m getting this! Is it because I paid real money in my past life? Or did it exist in this world to begin with? Well, not that it matters either way. This is the jackpot. The ultimate jackpot!” I howled, looking up at the sky and throwing my arms open wide.
I had hoped it would be here, but I hadn’t been able to invest too much faith in the idea for fear of disappointment. I just came out this way to check—and sure enough, bingo!
“Hold on, I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet,” I cautioned myself.
I regained my composure and moved the ship closer to the water, heading straight for the glowing marker. Tremors ran through the vessel, creaking under the strain.
“Come on, don’t fail me now.”
I got the ship over the marker, and then I was no longer steering it—that was all the marker. The ship jolted upward, the momentum so fierce I couldn’t even stay on my feet. All I could do was sink to my knees and grit my teeth. My boat hurtled through the air, up into the clouds, until everything around me was a stark white. My body was cold, and my clothes were damp.