The sky is blue again today...

　I look up at the sky that fills my field of vision as I lie down on the lookout tower.

　The viewing platform at the top of the main mast has enough room for two adults to stand with room to spare. If you squeeze it tightly enough, you can fit at least four people in there.

　If there's that much space, I, a seven-year-old boy, can lie down with ease.

　This limited space is like a secret base for me, and I enjoy it.

　Normally, this small space would be cramped, but when I think of being surrounded by walls, I find it conversely good. It's strange.

　This small space is my own personal base that no one can invade.

　I guess that's why I get excited about such a small place.

　And to add to that, this is a base that is about thirty meters above sea level.

　There's no one else on the same level as me.

　The only way to get in here is to run up the shroud.

　Of course, as long as I'm here, I won't let them get away with it.

　The shroud would creak as soon as you put your weight on it, so you'd know it was coming.

　As soon as Irvine, Malt and the others come up, I can pour boiling water on them.

　Hmmm, that's a perfect fortress!　This is my own personal fortress in the sky!　No one, no matter who they are, can violate my sanctuary!

　I'm confident that this fortress can intercept Elinora's sister before she invades.

　Well, for now, let's just leave that sister alone and take a nap.

　The ship is being driven by the wind and swayed by the waves as it moves forward.

　The swaying of the waves is felt throughout the ship, and even the lookout tower is swaying slightly.

　However, it was like a cradle for a baby, which was very comfortable for me as I was lying on the lookout. The constant swaying of the crashing and receding waves seems to lure me into a dream.

　Right above me, sea birds are cooing and cooing as they fly around.

　Listening to this, it makes me deeply emotional that I'm at sea.

　The birds in the village of Koliat are good, but so is the sound of the seabirds.

　Their voices, which are not too loud and resonate well, make me feel relaxed.

　Little bodies aren't all that bad either.

　This is a way to enjoy it now. Let's enjoy it to the fullest.

　But if there's a complaint here, it's that the sun is a little too harsh.

　It's just the right season after spring, but the sunshine hits us briskly because we have no roof.

　Even though it is not summer, the sunshine that we are exposed to at 30 meters above the sea is harsh.

　I'll cover this with a little cloth.

　I used spatial magic and thrust my hand into the subspace while imagining a black cloth.

　Then the black cloth is tucked into my hand and I pull it out.

　I knew it was black to make it absorb UV rays. White which reflects UV rays is fine, but black cuts more and doesn't glare at you.

　Now, I want to cover this, but there is no protrusion here that could be covered with a cloth at all.

　It's a bit of a bad idea, but I think I'll let you shoot a small drawing pin made of earth magic.

　You'll be fine. It's a pretty small thumbtack. It's not a problem for a small hole like this.

　I'm going to use the hammer that I took out to drive the thumbtack into it with the newly taken out hammer, and with the cloth covered I lie down again.

Oh, it's less dazzling and cooler than before.

　I can barely see the sky anymore, but that's okay.

　If I ever want to get out of the sunshine again, all I have to do is roll up the cloth.

　I slowly close my eyelids.

　Yeah, the floor is a little hard.

　I could put a blanket down already.

　Humans are so greedy, they really shouldn't be. Even if you are satisfied with one thing, there is no end to the next one, and then this one, and then this one.

　But I'm loyal to my laziness and I'm not going to weigh myself.

　Immediately, I take a blanket out of sub-space and lay down on it.

　Then, I pull out a new towelling cloth and place it neatly on my stomach.

　In addition, you use ice magic to spray cold air around the area to lower the temperature around you.

　Yeah, it feels nice and cool.

　To continue this coolness, I'll make a bucket with earth magic and throw ice into it.......

　Now, it's no wonder I got a comfortable sleep........



　◆ ◆ ◆



　Noticing that Alfried wasn't there, Irvine asked Molto, who was sprawled disheveled on the deck, "Hey, Molto.

"Hey, Morto, where's Master Alfried? Where's Master Alfried?

'What?　Come to think of it, I haven't seen you since a while ago. Where did you go?

　Malt whips himself up and looks around.

　He hadn't seen Alfried since he played tag and got bored with the Tarzan ropes. To pass the time earlier, I looked in the cabin of the ship as well, but Alfried was nowhere to be seen.

　Realizing that Alfried was nowhere to be found on this ship, Irvine fearfully uttered the worst possible pattern.

'Oh come on, when will we be down at sea?

'You're a kid. You could be looking into the ocean and you could be dobbling or something...

　At Irvine's words, Malt whispers to himself, turning blue in the face of a sass.

　After all, Alfried is a small child of seven years old.

　It's quite possible that he's going to get on board and fall off while trying to look out at the sea from the boat.

''Oh no!　The target of the escort has been dobbling them off before you know it, or something serious!

Wait, wait, wait!　But first, let's check the ship again and ask the guys around.

　Irvine regained his composure at Malt's words.

　That's for sure. Alfried is a small child, and I may have just missed it.

　Then, just as I was thinking of asking the other guys as soon as possible, Aleusha approached me.

'What are you making a fuss about this time?'

　Perhaps it's because every time Irvine and Malt make a fool of themselves, their gazes seem to suggest that they are thinking about something nonsensical again.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one.　Have you seen Master Alfried?　He's nowhere to be found!

Maybe he fell into the ocean.

　As Irvine and Malt swoop in, Aleusha puts her hands on her hips in dismay.

'No way. That boy would be in the mainmast's lookout tower.'

'The mainmast lookout?　Why are you in such a small space?

'I mean, when did we get up there...'

　Irvine and Malt look at each other without thinking.

''........Haha, you're the object of our protection and you're a child, so watch him closely.

　Seeing such a situation of the two of them, Aleusha's dismay grew even deeper.

　You can't rest for a moment as long as the target of the guard is there, even if it is a free time, for adventurers.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of the location of the target of the attack, no matter how many other people are there to keep an eye on. The two of them, who had done numerous escort quests, knew this and couldn't say it back.

''Well anyway, let's go check out the viewing platform.

Yeah.

　◆ ◆ ◆


　Irvine and Malt climbed up to the main mast's viewing platform, which was covered with a black cloth.

'An?　What's that black cloth over the lookout?

A shade?

　Irvine and Malt put their hands on the cloth while tilting their heads - but the black cloth was held in place by what looked like a brown nail and could not be rolled up.

''Well it's held in place by something like a nail.

　It looks like iron, but it's not iron. This was made with earth magic.

　The Jenga made by Alfried was also of this color.

　Anyway, Irvine thought, there's no doubt that he's here.

'Oh, this one's not fixed. It's going to roll up.'

　Malt beckoned him to move to the other side of the room, and Irvine moved to the other side.

　Then he rolls up the black cloth, and there is Alfried, slumbering in his sleep.

　This was with his small body tucked into the small space of the viewing platform.

　Moreover, he has carefully laid out a blanket and even draped a towel over his belly.

　You can see how serious he was about taking a nap.

"d*mn it, he's sleeping out here!

'I mean, did Master Alfried carry a blanket and a towel up there by himself?

You wanted to sleep here for so long...

　The two of them were stunned, but they suddenly noticed that the air around them was cooler.

''........Isn't the air here just cooler?''

'Right. It's weird how cold the air is here...

　Where is the tingling, pleasant cold air coming from?

　Irvine and Malt looked around to find out.

'Hey, there's something in that bucket.

It's true. That's made with earth magic. That's amazing. There's no distortion at all. Aren't you a better dancer than Ilya?

　If you have soil magic, you can make anything. It is said that you can create anything with earth magic, but it is something that can only be accomplished with tremendous skill.

　It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for. A wizard is neither a blacksmith nor a designer.

　Without extraordinary powers of observation and modeling, they would not be able to make even a bucket satisfactorily.

　If made by an ordinary person, it could have a distorted shape or a hole in it.

　And yet, Alfried is building a house that he's been hoovering up, saying it's his home.

　Even the court wizards of the kingdom are surprised.

''Yeah, Ilya was dented by seeing Jenga, wasn't he?

　Ilya was amazed at how elaborate Alfried's Jenga was, so Alfried had given her one part of the Jenga and she had been practicing desperately trying to recreate it.

　After talking about the magic law, Malt leaned over and touched the bucket so that he wouldn't wake Alfried up.

'It's cold!'

'What?　Why is the bucket so cold? Is there ice in it?

　It was a joke, Irvine said, and he was right.

　Malt grabbed the bucket and looked inside.

''It's ... ice.''

What?

　Seeing Malt muttering with a serious expression and voice sound, Irvine also hurriedly checked the contents.

　It was tightly packed with ice and was constantly spitting out cold air.

　They couldn't help but pick up the ice.

''Hey, why is there ice in this place?　We've just passed the spring, right?　Do you have any ice in your cabin?

'Nobody puts ice on a boat trip. ....I mean, it's real. It's really cold.

　Then, the rest would have been made out of this by magic.

　I couldn't think of anything else. Who in this world would load the ice onto a ship?

　It was bound to be melted and useless, even if they carried it.

　If that was the case, Alfried-sama would be able to create as much ice as he wanted.

"...do you want to borrow this for a bite?

I like that.

　When they came to that thought, there was no need to hesitate. They looked at each other and laughed at each other.