Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 179

“On long voyages, you absolutely must watch out for scurvy!”

Standing at the ship’s bow, Ashley Lambus adjusted the wheel while feeling the sea breeze and Rupert’s words suddenly came to mind.

“The young master was right after all.”

Lambus had long been aware of scurvy’s existence.

While fishermen rarely fell victim to it, those sailing to the Eastern Continent for trade frequently succumbed to this terrifying illness.

It was known as the curse of the sea—a disease where sailors grew increasingly fatigued, lost their teeth, bled from their gums and body, and ultimately died.

“The Sea God is angry!! We must offer sacrifices!!!”

People, unable to pinpoint the cause, often threw food into the sea as offerings—or even went so far as to sacrifice human lives.

But Lambus knew the true cause lay in vegetables.

“What is that?”

“This? It’s a traditional dish from my homeland—pickled cabbage in vinegar.”

On one of his journeys to the Eastern Continent, a fellow sailor had brought along this mysterious food.

At first, Lambus refused because of its sour smell, but when the man—who had sailed to the Eastern Continent multiple times without ever contracting scurvy—offered him some, he decided to give it a try.

Miraculously, while most of the crew fell victim to scurvy, Lambus and his companion remained completely healthy.

After several more voyages, Lambus began to observe a pattern.

Those who avoided scurvy were the ones who consumed vegetables, fruits, or raw foods in some form.

He eagerly shared his discovery with others.

“What? Don’t be ridiculous! A sailor only needs booze and meat!”

Yet, everyone mocked him.

Even when he proposed the idea to captains, they dismissed him, claiming there was no space for such supplies.

With no other choice, Lambus began stocking vegetables and fruits just for himself.

“Captain Lambus! Are you giving us pickled cabbage again today?!”

“Hmm… This is supposed to be for the officers.”

“Come on, Captain! Can’t you share some with us too?!”

When lunchtime arrived, the crew approached him, pleading for portions of the pickled cabbage.

Unable to hold back his laughter, Lambus marveled at the absurdity of this miracle.

“Fine! Just for today, I’ll share the pickled cabbage with everyone!”

“Hooray!!!”

Sailors who had once survived on dried meat and liquor now willingly ate pickled cabbage and fruits—all thanks to Rupert’s advice.

“You mustn’t distribute it immediately. Only share it with yourself and the officers at first.”

“Excuse me?”

Lambus had initially been shocked by Rupert’s suggestion.

It felt cruel to give healthy food only to the officers while the rest of the crew remained vulnerable to scurvy.

“In time, the regular sailors will demand vegetables and fruits themselves without any need to force them.”

And Rupert’s foresight had proven true.

During their westward voyage, Lambus followed his advice, initially rationing fruits and vegetables only to the officers.

Sailors, who had once scoffed at the idea of eating such foods, started grumbling about favoritism.

Before long, they began demanding vegetables and fruits for themselves.

Pretending reluctance, Lambus distributed the supplies just as Rupert had instructed.

Now, the crew willingly stocked up on vegetables and fruits without needing any persuasion.

Thanks to this, not a single case of scurvy had emerged on this voyage.

While others called it Somerset’s miracle or the goddess’s blessing, Lambus knew the truth—this miracle was Rupert’s doing.

“Lately, I’ve realized the world is full of things we don’t understand.”

“You too?”

While navigating the unpredictable sea and eating his meal, Lambus was approached by his first mate, Jack.

“You saw it too, didn’t you, Captain?”

“Yeah. I still can’t get that scene out of my head.”

The two men recalled a recent, unbelievable sight they had witnessed.

“It’s a white whale!!!”
“No, that’s the giant whale from Pinocchio!
“Does it matter? If that thing hits us, we’re going down! Change course immediately!”

After days of monotonous sailing with nothing but the horizon in sight, what appeared before them was a colossal whale.

Although Lambus and his crew were all seasoned sailors who had seen whales before, this one was unlike anything they had ever encountered.

The massive creature breached the surface, revealing a body as large as their sailing ship, before disappearing beneath the waves again.

For a moment, Lambus and the crew could only stare in awe, rendered speechless by the sight.

Though it had thankfully not collided with their ship, the mere thought of such a behemoth ramming into them left Lambus wondering—how could they possibly defend themselves against such a monster?

The sailors buzzed with chatter, arguing whether it was the white whale from Moby-Dick or the giant whale from Pinocchio.

“Maybe Krakens really do exist.”

Lambus silently thanked himself for having brought a camera to capture the sight.

He had initially packed it to photograph the landscapes of the uncharted western continent once they arrived, but now he felt certain that even before reaching their destination, they were bound to uncover countless wonders that would astonish the world.

*****

“What in the world….”

“Greetings, Master. I am a new-generation golem created by Master Zinnia.”

Rupert was stunned into silence as the figure before him—a woman, no, a golem—spoke.

“I didn’t mean to surprise you….”

“This is my masterpiece! No other dwarf could even dream of making something like this!”

While Rupert was flustered, Zinnia fidgeted nervously, and Krune brimmed with pride, unable to stop boasting.

“So, you’re saying you and Krune built this together?”

“Yes. You once mentioned that it would be nice to have something to assist with your work….”

Rupert’s bewilderment only deepened at Zinnia’s explanation.

‘I was talking about something like a magical pen!’

The new-generation golem Zinnia and Krune presented to Rupert as a “gift” was far too complex to be called a mere tool.

“So… just how advanced is this thing?”

“Think of it as having intelligence comparable to a human. It’s more effective in learned scenarios than unpredictable ones, but still….”

Zinnia continued her explanation, step-by-step, detailing the golem’s structure, learning capabilities, and functions.

‘This is practically an android!’

The more Rupert listened, the more he felt that this creation resembled the kind of AI robots Earth hadn’t yet developed.

The underlying principles and technology were entirely different, yet the end result seemed impossibly futuristic.

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“No! Do you know how hard we worked to keep it a secret?”

Rupert sighed in relief at Zinnia’s response.

If news of such a golem leaked, it wouldn’t be long before the Imperial Palace came knocking, eager to claim it.

“The only ones who know are Marquis Bradley and Miss Ada.”

“My father and Ada?”

“Well…”

Zinnia hesitantly explained the incident from before, leaving Rupert visibly pale.

“Then Edric knows too?!”

“Don’t worry. He won’t spread any rumors about this.”

“I know, but still…”

“Trust me. I can guarantee it.”

For some reason, Zinnia’s absolute confidence left Rupert unable to press further.

“Master, please give me a task.”

“Uh… can you stop calling me ‘Master’ and just call me Rupert?”

“Understood, Rupert.”

If not for the mechanical tone, the new-generation golem looked indistinguishable from a real person, leaving Rupert unsure of what to do.

‘What should I even call this thing?’

The awkward title of Master resolved, Rupert mulled over what name to give the golem.

“From now on, I’ll call you Siri. How’s that?”

“Siri… Is that my Pinocchio?”

“What?”

“Miss Ada taught me. A creator bestows a name upon their creation.”

For a moment, Rupert was stunned. How did the golem know about Pinocchio?

Then, hearing Ada’s name, Rupert immediately suspected she had meddled again.

“Well, a name is important, after all.”

“Thank you, Rupert. I will continue learning to fulfill any tasks you assign me.”

Rupert nodded, then turned to Zinnia and Krune with a stern reminder.

“We must keep Siri’s true nature as a new-generation golem a secret.”

“What? You want me to hide such an amazing creation?”

“I understand.”

Krune protested, but Zinnia immediately grasped Rupert’s concerns.

Rupert elaborated for Krune’s sake.

“Siri is something every nation on this continent—and beyond—would covet. If word gets out, not only our household but both of you could be in danger.”

Krune’s expression darkened as he finally understood the severity of the situation.

Even now, Krune lived safely under the protection of the Somerset family. Without such backing, he could easily be kidnapped and enslaved—just as his race had suffered during the past tribal wars.

“Fortunately, Siri looks human, so as long as we’re careful, we should be fine.”

Finishing his explanation, Rupert turned back to Siri.

Though the situation had taken him by surprise, he now saw Siri as a gift that could be immensely useful amid his already overwhelming schedule.

He was eager to test its capabilities as soon as possible.