After fighting off our pursuers, we used the pirates' ship to head for the village of the priests at the foot of Mount Amatsukami.



　Incidentally, the ship, which originally belonged to the pirates, officially became my property as a right of merit for capturing the pirates who were ravaging the seas.

　Well, I guess the officials really wanted to dispose of the ship, which had to be scrapped.



　In fact, when I examined the ship I received after repairing it, I found that it was a very old ship.

I think she would have sunk sooner or later even if she hadn't been caught in a storm off the coast.



　But, well, I decided to modify the ship to repair it since it was given to me.

　Fortunately, I had plenty of time and materials for modification.

　So while I was at Seibei's place, I was repairing the ship while making potions, so I didn't have too much free time.



"Ummm, I never thought that ships could really fly in the sky. ...... Are such things used as a matter of course in foreign countries?"



"No, no, that's just around Lex. No ordinary ship flies in the sky.



Yes, that's right.



　Haruomi muttered fearfully as he looked at the ground from the edge of the ship, and Mina denied it.



"That's not true. There are airships everywhere if you look for them.



"Is there?



"No, there isn't!"



　Well, we lived in a landlocked country, and for some reason, people in our country did not want to use flying magic, so it is not surprising that Mina is not familiar with airships.

　There were many countries that prohibited certain technologies for religious or geomagical reasons in the past.



　This is because the technology was not allowed due to the history of the land and various other reasons, or because it was dangerous due to the local characteristics that made it work in a bad way.



　So, for the people in those places, the technology that is common in the outside world seems to be a world full of unknown and unfamiliar.



　But it must not have been so in the old days in the East.

　Well, it is not unusual for a country where some technology caused a disaster to become forbidden afterwards, and I am sure that there must have been an accident caused by flying technology in the East after my death in the previous life.



　In my previous life, there was a country where some technology was permanently sealed off because of the mistakes of an engineer I knew.

　In fact, worldwide, it was quite common to have a major accident once a year or so and be designated as a dangerous technology .......



　Anyway, because of such circumstances, it was quite common for people from places where certain technologies were forbidden to go to other countries and see technologies they had never seen before as unknown technologies.

　So, airships and flying magic exist normally, just because Mina-san and Haruomi-san don't know about them.



"At the speed of this ship, we will arrive at Mount Amatsukami in a day. Until then, please take it easy and rest yourselves.



"Ya, rest up. ...... ummm, can I rest up?　...... won't crash, right?"



"It's okay. Lex built it."



　Well, it looks like an old ship. No wonder you're worried.



"There are no airships in this country, and our destination is well marked and easy to find, so it's easy for us to take our hands off the helm if we fix our course."



　Since we're here, let's make some additional preparations before we head for Mount Amatsukami.

　The enemy knows we are coming and is waiting for us, so there is no reason for us to rush in without a plan.

　They're going to attack us anyway, so we should be ready to intercept them!



"...... huh."



　Then came a sigh that sounded like it came from the depths of hell.



"...... huh?"



　Yes, that's Yukinojo.

　When he woke up, he was sighing in that tone all the time.

　To be honest, I wasn't sure what to say to him, so we all decided to leave him alone.



"Why am I so weak ......"



　Oh, he's talking.



"Even though I am the next general of the Tenpou Empire..."



　Well, Yukinojo seems to lack experience in actual battle, so it's no wonder that he is in the wrong.

　He seems to have had only a little combat training.

　It's a good thing that he survived to experience real combat.

　It's not all bad in the sense that you can expect to grow in the future.



　However, it is meaningful only if you are aware of it.

　If people around you say too much about it, it will not lead to your growth.

　Therefore, it is the unspoken understanding of the warriors to leave him alone when he is in doubt until he makes some kind of decision.

　Seeing that Haruomi-san, who is a member of our family, is keeping silent, it seems that it is the same in the East now.



"I cannot apologize to my late father for this!　Woah!"



　From the looks of him, he doesn't seem to have given up and is rotting away.

　I wonder if he will recover soon.

　Yukinojo stood up and turned to me.



"It's Lex!"



"Yes?"



　What is it all of a sudden?



"Will you not teach me your fighting skills!"



"What?　Me?"






　Yukinojo asked me to teach him combat techniques.



"But wouldn't it be better to learn from a skilled warrior from the East ...... than from me?　And my skills are from outside the country."



　I have learned swordsmanship in this country from an acquaintance from a previous life, so I can do some of it, but it is definitely better to learn from an expert.

　After all, my swordsmanship in the East is an arrangement of swordsmanship combined with the swordsmanship I know, and it is an old technique.



"No, you are Mina's master who easily defeated her pursuers whom even the best of our nation could not defeat. Then it is obvious that you are stronger than any of our masters!　I don't want to be slowed down anymore ......, I want to be stronger than anyone else!"



　Yukinojo-san asked me to be his teacher, saying that he could not forgive his own weakness.



"Young man!　You are the next Shogun of the Tenpou Empire!　No matter how strong you are, you may not be ready to learn the swordsmanship of a foreign country!"



　Haruomi, who had so far remained calm, objected to the idea, saying that he thought it was a bad idea.

　Yukinojo shook his head at Haruomi's words.



"No, Haruomi. You are right, I am the next Shogun. As you say, I am the next Shogun. There is no reason for the weak. Only by first showing strength can you reason with the people. Is this not the way of the samurai of our country?



"...... you are right."



　Haruomi nodded in frustration as he was told that it is more certain to learn the strong techniques of foreign countries without any pretense than to stick to the traditional martial arts of one's own country in order to carry out one's will.

　Well, it must not be a good feeling to be denied the traditional martial arts that we are proud of.



　But I'm overwhelmed. I understand Yukinojo-san's feelings, but there is only one day left to Mt.



"Isn't that a good idea?　Why don't you let him try?"



　It was Mina who said to me, "I've got to go.



If you are in the mood to do whatever you want to do, just let them do it first. If it doesn't work, just give up and find another way.



"Oh!　That's Mina!　You know what you're talking about!"



"It's only a day to the priest village, and you won't learn much in that amount of time.



　Mina-san convinces a disgruntled Haruomi-san.

　Hearing this, Haruomi also agrees with her.



"Indeed, you are right, Mina-dono. It seems that I have also lost my composure.



　Good. Haruomi seems to have calmed down.



"So, Lex, do you mind?　Can you give him some practice, even if it's just for one day?　I'm the client, after all."



"This is too much!"



　Yukinojo complains about Mina's heartless comment or two, but Mina ignores him.

　But I guess that the reason why Mina affirmed Yukinojo's practice was to ease Yukinojo's mind under the circumstances.

　Certainly, it would be better for his mental health to do something than to be told that it is impossible even if he tries hard in such a short time.

　You are the wise one of Team Dragon Slayers, considering the client's emotional stability!



"If that's the way it is, I understand."



"Oh!　Thank you, Lex!"



　Yukinojo-san shouts with joy that he gets to practice with me.



"Thank you, Lex.



"Thank you for your time."



　Mina and Haruomi thanked me and I told them not to worry about it and stood in the middle of the deck with Yukinojo.



I stood in the middle of the deck with Yukinojo and said, "Well, let's start with a light mock battle.



"Mm!"



"Rexu!　Give it a good beating!　We're running out of time, so I think it's best to be tough!　...... as long as it doesn't kill you."



"It's okay, Mina."



　I wouldn't screw up training to seriously injure someone.

　I'll cast a spell on my sword and Yukinojo's.



"Safety effect."



　When the magic is activated, each other's swords glow a pale green.



"Oh?　What is this?



"It's impact protection magic. It allows us to train seriously without hurting each other. It is a magic for when you can't prepare a sword with a mangled blade for mock battles, or when you want to train with your favorite weapon that you are used to using.



"Oh!　That would come in handy!"






　Yukinojo-san is excited to hear that he can safely train with his favorite weapon.



"Are you ready then?"



"Yes!　Mina, give the signal.



Yes, yes. Then, let's begin!



　Hearing Mina's languid signal, Yukinojo rushes headlong into the room.



"Taaaaaaah!"



"Sweet!"



　As Yukinojo-san raised his sword, I took a step forward and hit him in the side of the head with my sword.



"Gboaaaah!



What?



　Then, Yukinojo, for some reason, took the attack without even absorbing the damage, and he was blown away toward the bow of the ship.

　No, he took the attack on purpose to use the power of my attack as energy to back off!

　It was made to look like a direct hit, but I saw zero damage to bones or internal organs!



"PEGYAN!"



"Huh?"



　Yukinojo-san, instead of landing, hits the bow side of the boat and bounces up like a stone, heading for the tip of the angle of impetus.

　What in the world is he up to?



　When Yukinojo-san reached the tip of the angle, he fell off the boat.



"Aaaaahhhh～～～～～～!"



"...... fell off!"



Yukinojo!



Young man!



　I hurriedly chased after him with my flight magic and returned to the ship with a limp and unconscious Yukinojo in my arms.



"Oh no, that was a close call, wasn't it?



"Not so dangerous!　Our country's future was almost shrouded in darkness!"



I'm so sorry.



　Suddenly, Haruomi scolded me for nearly killing my master.

　I was indeed sorry for what I had done.

　Since I can't do my training any longer, I decide to let Yukinojo-san rest by casting a recovery spell on him.



"Well, this is no time for training. Okay, first of all, let's prepare some magic items to keep Yukinojo safe!



　With time running short, I changed my mind and decided to make a magic item to protect Yukinojo-san.



"Let's prepare and equip him with magic items for fall prevention, detoxification, and physical protection. First of all, safety comes first!



　Once that is decided, the development of magic items begins immediately with the materials on hand.

　I'm not sure if I have enough quality materials and facilities to make it seriously, but recently I've been able to gather some good materials, so I'm sure I can make something reasonable.



"I'm going to process Venom Beat's material and make it work as a poison remover, and I'm going to powder the Golden Dragon's scales once and harden them into a gold scale ring. I'll also make a string out of the bark of the Ancient Plant ...... and voila!"



　With the defensive magic item completed, I immediately put it on Yukinojo's sleeping arm.



"Now I'll be safe even if something happens!"



　Yes, with this, I don't have to bother with protective magic, which makes my training easier, so I can kill two birds with one stone!



　Meanwhile, the sky was turning red and Mount Amatsukami was getting closer.



"Do you think they will attack us at night?"



　We are flying unprotected in the sky, so I am sure the enemy can see us very well.



"Well, then, let's resume the ship modifications!



　I don't know how well we'll be prepared against the attack of the demons in the short time we have left, but we'll be as ready as we can be!