PTB Chapter 6

On the fourth day since leaving Eretria, they finally arrived in Bastia.

Beyond the grand ramparts of Bastia Castle stretched an expansive sea that reached the horizon. A refreshing breeze carried with it a salty tang. At a glance, large and small ships were anchored in the harbor.

“A port!”

Bastia overflowed with the unique liveliness of a port city. Upon entering the outer walls, they reached a small square. Houses stood clustered together, making the interior rather crowded. Narrow alleys and amber-hued buildings created a serene atmosphere. The knights slowed their horses and made their way toward Bastia Castle.

As they reached the steps leading to the citadel, the Count of Bastia came out to greet them at the entLance. He was a distinguished-looking middle-aged gentleman with fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

“Welcome, Marquess Lafayette.”

“It’s been a while, Count.”

“Nearly a year, I believe. It feels like just yesterday I first met you, and yet so much time has passed.”

The Count of Bastia was one of the rare nobles who was friendly toward the Remigis Knights.

“I expected the Remigis Knights to attend this launching ceremony.”

The people of Dunstane Island had been seasoned sailors since youth. The Count asserted that no one in the Callon Empire was more suited to lead the ceremony than Arsen. He always felt regretful toward those who looked at the islanders with disdain, as they resembled the rough waves.

“I know you’ve been working hard in the capital, Marquess. Why not let the knights rest and recover from the journey?”

Arsen shook his head.

“I plan to inspect the hull as soon as we finish unloading our gear.”

“Understood. Allow me to guide you.”

The Count noticed the royal among the knights and bowed respectfully.

“A noble of Callon—it’s an honor to meet you.”

“No need for the formalities. I’m tired. Just take me to my room,” Aracne demanded, looking weary.

“My apologies for the oversight. I’ve already instructed the butler to prepare fine rooms. Please, come inside.”

The Count led them up the stairs. From its hilltop perch, Bastia Castle overlooked the entire city. Along the coastline in front of them, rowboats and sailing ships swayed with the waves.

Merchants and taverns along the docks were busy preparing for the evening market. Though the sun had not yet set, yellow lanterns were already lit along the streets.

Despite just arriving, Rose had already grown fond of the small port town.

“Quite a sight, isn’t it?”

Lance, who was beside her as an escort, whispered.

“I was completely enchanted with the market streets when I first came here. The lights are even more beautiful at night.”

“You must’ve stayed in Bastia for a while?”

He folded the fingers of his gauntlet-clad hand as he counted.

“I believe I stayed for almost ten days. It was my first visit to the continent, so I was quite thrilled. The others seemed more used to it, though.”

Because Bastia Port had heavy trade traffic, maintaining public order was crucial, and people from Dunstane Island had long been in charge of it. Naturally, southern port cities that frequently interacted with the islanders began to accept them.

“So that’s why the Count was so friendly.”

When the Remigis Knights first crossed over to the continent last year, Bastia had offered them much assistance. Lance spoke of shops and streets he had visited before.

“Being a trading port, you might think only large ships come through Bastia, but that’s not true. They seem to care about tourism too. There’s even a harbor for sightseeing on small boats.”

“Sightseeing?”

“Yes. Bastia has three harbors, and the smallest one is quite romantic. It’s a place where lovers can spend quality time together.”

He chatted excitedly, and Rose gave him a teasing glance at his rather vivid description.

“Sounds like a personal story? Your explanation is oddly detailed.”

Lance’s face was worth seeing—he turned beet red and stammered.

“I—I was being overly sentimental! And Your Highness wasn’t even asking…”

“Haha. No, it’s fine. If time allows, I’d love to visit that romantic harbor myself.”

“Your Highness…”

“Of course, I don’t have a lover, so I’ll be pitifully rowing a boat alone.”

Realizing she was teasing him on purpose, Lance flustered.

Once inside the Great Hall, the butler led the women to luxurious rooms on the second floor.

Along the hallway were numerous framed pictures. They were paintings of ships, the kind you’d expect from medieval Europe.

“What are these?”

“They depict the ships launched from Bastia.”

Each brass nameplate listed the launch date and name of the ship. As the paintings grew older and more faded, the inscriptions became sparse.

When they reached the first frame, it had only a blank nameplate—no inscription at all. The painting was so old its era could not be determined. It showed a large galley with dozens of oars. On its long hull was the image of a sea serpent coiled around an anchor.

Rose recalled a part of the novel The Immortal Emperor, where Arsen mentioned his family’s history. It said that the Knights were named after the ship favored by the first head of the family.
“Remigis.”

“You recognized it. This is the only ship that didn’t hold a launching ceremony in Bastia.”

The butler stroked his white beard and explained.

“Remigis?”
Lance’s eyes widened at the ship sharing the same name as their order.

“Yes. It was the ship commanded by the first Marquess Lafayette.”

“But why is a ship from Dunstane Island displayed in Bastia Castle?”

“That is by the decree of the great Emperor Vasca de Callon.”

The butler began to recount the history of Bastia Castle.

“After his victory in the Revan War, Emperor Vasca had all the ships from the launching ceremonies painted.”

Two hundred years ago, Callon was a small peninsula kingdom at war with the Papacy in the border region of Revan. The war lasted over a decade and the kingdom was in crisis when its king fell in battle. But the tide turned with the emergence of Vasca de Callon.

“He conducted joint operations with his close friend Lafayette. The Emperor led on land, and Lafayette on the Remigis, slicing through the waves and defeating the paladin forces.”

The naval victories over the crusaders earned Lafayette the title of Marquess, and the sailors who had served became the origin of the Remigis Knights.

“Emperor Vasca and the first Marquess Lafayette were friends?”

“Yes. Emperor Vasca was an exiled royal. According to oral tradition, he spent his youth on Dunstane Island, growing up with Lafayette.”

At that point, Aracne abruptly cut in.

“Sounds like a baseless rumor. There’s no way the noble Emperor Vasca would associate with a questionable man like that.”

“The records describe their bond as strong. There’s no other way to explain their connection to the island.”

“Who knows how well records from the distant past were preserved.”

She snorted in disbelief, refusing to accept the story of their friendship.

“I need some rest. It’d be a problem if I collapsed before the ceremony even begins.”

She gave Rose a sharp look and then slipped into her room.

“Some things never change—especially attitudes toward the House of Lafayette.”

The butler let out a sigh and spoke in a regretful tone.

“Does that mean they also looked down on the people of Dunstan Island in the past?”

“Yes. In the old days, the belief in fairy worship was even stronger. The Callon people despised Lafayette because he didn’t resemble the fairies in appearance.”

“That’s absurd. He was a friend of the emperor and made great contributions in the war. How could they discriminate against him?”

Lance cried out in frustration, his face showing injustice.

“That’s how overwhelming the ideology was. Lafayette was too different from the Callon people.”

Their combative appearance and combat style were drastically different from those of the continent. The Callon Empire actively utilized the advantages of the Remigis Knights, while at the same time looking down on them.

‘Their treatment only improved after they caught Tanasis’ attention.’

That was also the turning point in the original story when Arsen pledged loyalty to Thanasis.

“Emperor Vasca did his best, but the conflict between the two regions only deepened. Eventually, Marquis Lafayette decided to leave Callon.”

From that point on, it was a story Rose already knew.

“After returning to Dunstan Island, Marquis Lafayette governed his territory admirably. Those who had boarded the Remigis became his knights, and their legacy has continued to this day.”

The butler looked at the full plate armor of Lance’s knights. His gaze rested on the emblem on the shoulder.

“Seeing the honorable knights like yourselves, I feel assured that Sir Lafayette’s will is being well upheld.”

Lance bashfully fiddled with his dark brown hair. Then Rose met the butler’s eyes.

“Now that the noble Callon and Sir Lafayette are together again, it feels like a bond from the past has been rekindled.”

Suddenly, she wondered how the butler who managed Bastia Castle knew the Lafayette family’s chronicles in such detail. The butler continued guiding Rose to her room.

“The one across is for the escort knight. Please use that room, Sir Knight.”

The butler bowed cautiously. His aged yet graceful demeanor was perfectly poised.

“Then I wish you a peaceful rest. May the blessing of the fairies be with you.”

As the door closed, the butler bowed deeply. It was only after standing next to Lance that it became apparent—his skin was remarkably dark.

＊＊＊

Early in the morning, Rose went to the library of Bastia Castle. As befitted a port city, the walls were lined with books related to ships. She picked up a book that detailed shipbuilding techniques and the construction process.

“Ugh, just reading the title makes me yawn.”

Lance shuddered as if disgusted by the old tome she had taken out. Smiling faintly, she felt like she was looking at a student forced to study.

“How can someone from an island hate ships?”

“This isn’t a ship, it’s a book. And why are you even reading this?”

“The launch ceremony is tomorrow. It would be a problem if I knew nothing. I’m trying to at least gain some basic knowledge.”

In truth, Rose already knew plenty about ships. She had run a shipyard in her past life, after all.

Even so, the reason she was reading this book now was to understand the current state of shipbuilding in the Callon Empire.

The book detailed various ship shapes and construction methods, ranging from merchant to warships, depending on their use.

After skimming through to the end, Rose let out a quiet sigh. There was not even a mention of steel manufacturing—it was filled with medieval wooden sailing ships.

‘Just as I expected, they’re all wooden sailing ships.’

The ships that the Callon Empire primarily built were completely outdated by modern standards.
‘If I had known, I would have examined each type more closely.’

She tried to recall the ships and maritime history from the Age of Exploration that she had read in passing.

‘How were naval battles conducted back then?’

Rose wanted to refer to past battles involving the Remigis. As she stared intently at the paper, Lance commented over her shoulder.

“The Remigis is a dromon—a galley with a triangular sail. They’re hardly built anymore.”

“You know ships well?”

Rose looked at him with surprise.

“What’s the point of learning from books when you can get on a real deck on the island? Though we don’t have outdated ships like the Remigis anymore.”

“You seem to know a lot about a ship that doesn’t even exist anymore.”

“I’ve never seen one, but I’ve heard how it was rowed.”

The Remigis was a military ship equipped with oars. The dozens of oars protruding from each side looked almost like spines. Given that it had taken many lives in the Revan War, it wasn’t surprising.

“Nowadays, sailing techniques have advanced, so we don’t use oars, but back then, they must have been essential.”

“But the drawing of the Remigis has sails.”

“During battle, they probably lowered the sails and moved solely with oars. If the butler’s story is
true, the Remigis likely sailed on the inland sea near Tevere.”

Lance pulled a map from the shelf and spread it out. He pointed to the inland sea at the center of the continent.

“If they fought the Papal States near Tevere, then it must’ve been the Anatome Sea. Using sails in an inland sea with irregular winds is difficult. In that case, it’s better to lower the sails and row.”

Rose was astonished at the thought of a large ship like the Remigis moving entirely by manpower.

“A ship that big moved purely with human strength?”

“It’s not that surprising. As you can see, there are a lot of oars. That means there were plenty of people, too.”

“I don’t think just having a lot of people would solve it.”

Considering the weight of each oar, it was easy to imagine how overwhelmed one would feel. Even with Lance’s nonchalant expression, she could sense the difference in power. For the people who had actually fought in those wars, it must have been even more apparent.

“How were naval battles conducted?”

“Not much different from land battles. You board the enemy ship and fight. Of course, you have to make sure your ship doesn’t sink before then.”