The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

 I may have slept in, but fortunately, I arrived on time at the place I promised to meet the old fisherman at the tavern yesterday.

After briefly introducing my companions to Agni, we headed to the restaurant he knew for a meal.

The restaurant Agni led us to was quite a high-class establishment.

But I suppose even this city has restaurants like this.

After all, with fishing so prosperous here, many merchants visit from all over the country to transport fish, so it’s a city with a lot of capital flowing through it.

Plus, it’s a place where many trade ships bound for Ziliville often stop for layovers.

So, in addition to fishing, the shipbuilding industry is also thriving.

“Well, is this too much?”

Seeing the old man grinning playfully, I smiled brightly.

“Yes, it’s a bit too much.”

At my answer, he was taken aback instead.

“Hmm, should we go somewhere else?”

“No, it’s fine. Since the story you told me yesterday was interesting, I’ll splurge a bit.”

Seeing my mischievous smile, Agni laughed merrily, finding it amusing.

“Ahahaha! If you’re treating me so grandly, I can’t sit still either.”

Even before the meal came out, Agni told various stories in the form of idle chatter.

He spun tales so entertainingly, it wouldn’t be strange to say he lived his whole life as a storyteller rather than a fisherman.

Thanks to that, not only was the meal not boring, but even people from the next table chimed in.

They treated us to drinks and even asked to join our table.

Finishing the meal and heading outside, Jade thanked Agni.

“I think I understand now why nobles summon jesters or minstrels during meals. This was the most enjoyable meal I’ve ever had.”

At Jade’s assessment, Agni waved his hand, saying it was nothing.

“I’m just old, so I’ve experienced and overheard a lot of things. Rather, I was amazed by your friend’s broad knowledge.”

As Agni’s gaze turned to me, I shrugged.

“I’ve merely read a lot of books.”

More precisely, I’ve read a lot of information online for various reasons.

Moreover, the knowledge Agni was amazed by was just stuff learned in middle and high school science classes.

I wasn’t a diligent student, but I was pretty good at studying.

More accurately, I was good at memorization.

“So why did someone who has read many books buy me such an expensive meal? The favor you mentioned yesterday must be quite a grueling task, huh?”

The experienced old fisherman seemed to know that goodwill doesn’t come without reason.

At his question, I laughed lightly.

“Who knows? It could be called grueling, but it probably won’t be a big deal for you, good sir.”

“Oho, grueling but not a big deal? What might that task be?”

I took out a fishing rod from the bag I had prepared and showed it to him as I answered.

“Since we’re in a fishing village, shouldn’t we enjoy some sea fishing? This area has a lot of reefs, but also many fish that nest in those reefs, right?”

“That’s right, there are more fish than in the shallow waters of Ziliville. If the pay is good enough, piloting a boat isn’t hard. When are you thinking of going?”

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to set sail today.”

At my words, Agni nodded and took the lead towards the port.

“But how far out are you thinking of going?”

I gave a simple answer to the old fisherman walking ahead of me.

“The Whirlpool Archipelago. Ah, you prefer the name White Wave Archipelago, don’t you? It’s a place of old memories for you.”

The old fisherman’s expression stiffened slightly.

“A place of memories?”

To him feigning ignorance, I continued speaking as if answering a rhetorical question.

“As I mentioned, I’m very interested in the mermaid legend.”

“And?”

“After hearing your story, I became even more curious. So I investigated and found out the protagonist of the mermaid legend spread in this city is still alive.”

“…”

“Not only that, but he’s still actively piloting boats at that age, imagine that!”

At my cheeky fuss, the old fisherman slowly came to a halt.

I suppose the restaurant we just dined at was situated such that you could enjoy a beautiful ocean view in addition to delicious food, as we had already arrived at the port.

“As far as I know, there aren’t any other fishermen around your age, am I wrong?”

The old man, who had been gazing at the sea with a wistful look, didn’t answer and instead asked:

“What is it that you want? Are you some kind of mermaid hunter?”

Mermaid blood and scales make for good magical ingredients.

Not only that, there were even legends of them being elixirs of immortality, making mermaids targets of power-hungry elders’ greed.

These days, they’re treated as superstitions or old legends, but it seemed he had suffered quite a bit from such mermaid hunters in his youth.

“No, why would I hunt an innocent person? It’s too much for you to treat me like some shameless ruffian.”

“Then why are you interested in mermaids?”

At his hostility, I answered while searching for his boat moored at the port.

“Aren’t mermaids said to be excellent singers? I simply wish to hear their song.”

“Song?”

“Yes, and while I’m at it, check if they’re doing well.”

The old fisherman furrowed his brow at my answer.

As if asking why I would check such a thing.

Spotting the old fisherman’s boat with his name on it, I boarded it and asked:

“Do you truly believe, as the legend says, that the mermaid sent her lover away thinking he would be happier living with his family and friends?”

I asked if he really thought so naively.

*******

Agni unfurled the sail and rowed.

It wasn’t low tide with the seawater receding, and being midday, the land was hotter, so the wind blew from the sea towards land.

Even so, the old fisherman’s boat advanced to sea as if it had caught a favorable wind.

“Hoho, impressive. Any fisherman would covet this.”

The old fisherman marveled as he navigated the boat.

Of course, that was a natural reaction, as it was the small spirits on my shoulders controlling the winds and currents moving the boat.

“Mages would covet it too.”

“Agreed! I’m envious!”

Jade and Sylvia also coveted my spirits.

At their reactions, Agni laughed affably and pulled the rope connected to the sail to change direction.

I merely provided the wind and waterways; reading nature and piloting the boat was entirely his skill.

In other words, I became the engine, but the navigation was handled by the old fisherman as the captain.

“But what you said must be true, right?”

At the old fisherman’s distrustful question, I gazed at the small archipelago visible far in the distance.

“Perhaps it is? I also deduced this fact by combining various information, so there is a possibility of it being wrong.”

My answer made his expression crumple. But he had no choice but to resign himself at my following words.

“But if you miss this chance now, you will never again have a way to see your lover.”

“…Yes, I can’t get past those whirlpools and storms on my own.”

The old fisherman lamented.

That lamentation was mixed with resignation yet full of lingering attachment.

And a hint of excitement was felt.

Naturally so, as this voyage would be different from the futile efforts of the past decades.

As I attached bait to the fishing rod, I requested,

“So please, tell me the old story.”

At my request, he smiled. And then he reminisced not a story disguised as someone else’s experience like a legend, but an event he had personally experienced, full of purity and passion.

********

Agni, a young but skilled fisherman, set out to fish with his senior fishermen at the lord’s command.

A senior fisherman leaned against the railing of the large fishing boat and sighed.

“Sigh~! When will this conscription end? There’s no motivation when the fish we catch aren’t even ours.”

At those words, a seasoned fisherman nearing retirement appointed as the captain comforted him.

“But they say the situation around Blantzbarg is almost resolved, so this year should be the last.”

“I hope that’s the case.”

About 10 years ago, when Fortress Blantzbarg was breached by the grand demon ‘Red Eyes’, the previous generation’s commander fell in battle and countless monsters spread across the kingdom’s northwest.

The kingdom couldn’t ignore the monsters inflicting great harm on civilians and destabilizing the rear of the Bastille Mountains front line.

Therefore, by royal decree, a general mobilization order was issued to all territories, with nearby territories conscripting troops and distant territories requisitioning food.

The territory the fishermen belonged to was relatively close to Blantzbarg in terms of distance.

However, blocked by the Socre Mountains and Bastille Mountains, they had to take a roundabout route and were classified as a remote territory.

“Come on, everyone! Let’s get moving! Rookie! Judging from the weather, there seems to be a school of fish near the White Wave Archipelago!”

At the captain’s call, Agni, the helmsman, turned the wheel to change direction and fix it in place, then helped the boatswain pull the sail ropes to catch the wind.

The White Wave Archipelago was visible from afar, but the actual distance was nearly 100 kilometers, making a day trip impossible.

Therefore, the boat carried a massive fish tank.

Like that, diligently furling and unfurling the sail, turning it left and right with the boatswain for a while, they found themselves arriving at the archipelago before they knew it.

But at the same time, the weather began to change abruptly.

“Damn! A storm! Lower the anchor so the boat doesn’t get pushed and furl the sails!”

At the captain’s shout, the fishermen moved busily.

There was no time to take shelter in the cabin.

The moment they mishandled it, the boat would capsize in an instant.

“Captain! Shouldn’t we move to a different spot?!”

“The boat won’t capsize! My gut is telling me! There’s something big down here! At this rate, even if we skim off half, no one will notice!”

At the captain’s words implying they could embezzle half without anyone noticing, everyone gulped in anticipation.

The intuition of an experienced fisherman was sometimes more accurate than a prophet’s prophecy.

Having any fish they caught so far requisitioned, it was common for not only the fishermen but their families to go hungry on unlucky days.

When was the last time they had a bountiful table? Everyone was desperate.

That’s why, led by the captain, the fishermen began to take risks. The problem started from there.

The storm gradually intensified, and waves began to splash over the railing, drenching the deck.

Even so, as the seasoned captain predicted, it wasn’t enough to overturn the boat. However…

“Aaaaah!”

“Brother!”

The boat endured, but the people on it couldn’t.

The fishermen on the boat were all veteran workers worth a hundred each, but one fisherman who couldn’t take care of himself while looking after his family bounced on the rocking deck.

Everyone reached out to grab him, but he fell into the sea.

They couldn’t save him.

Just as everyone thought that, the youngest fisherman on the boat took a rope connected to the mast and ran.

“Ah, Ag, blargh! Agni!”

“Leave the kid, blurgh! The father goes first!”

“Thank you…!”

The young fisherman tied the rope around the senior fisherman’s waist belt and tried to tie himself too.

But the rough sea didn’t readily allow time.

A fierce wave several meters high crashed over his head, making him lose his grip on the rope and get swept away.

“Agni!!”

“Capt-! Blub!”

He tried to swim towards where the senior fisherman was, but even he, who had lived his whole life at sea, couldn’t overcome nature.

“Agni-!”

He could hear a voice calling the young fisherman from afar, but no matter how much he flailed, he was only swept away by the waves.

The senior wasn’t the only one the boat had abandoned.

“M-Mother…!”

Struggling like that, the young fisherman left his last words and slowly sank into the sea.

In the murky and turbid sea, the young fisherman saw large fins and glittering scales.

-Aaaah~!

And he heard a voice that shouldn’t be audible.

A singing voice so beautiful, one might think it was an angel from heaven calling.

And the young fisherman lost consciousness.