Chapitre 4: From Storm to Serenity: A Prince's Odyssey

I was free. Hot damn!

At first, I had been wary after being shown to my cabin, but for the first time since I had got my class, people actually treated me with respect. I had stayed in my cabin for almost the first day until a servant brought me a hot plate of food that made me drool just from the smell alone!

"How do you make such good food?" I asked as the plate was placed into a grove on the desk beside my bed.

"We have a chef on board that has a cooking class," The servant replied, and my eyes shot up.

"No way? Can I meet him?" I asked, but then winced, thinking I was back home, but the man smiled brightly.

"Once you are finished, I can take you down to meet him. It is not very often that royalty would ask to visit the kitchen."

I grinned and started to eat. Oh, man. This food was like ambrosia after all the half assed meals I'd been getting for the last week. "I am not really your average royalty," I said between bites. "I got my class and my father basically cast me out."

"Ah, yes I heard about that."

I looked up from my food, but the man didn't ask me what my class was. "You aren't curious?"

"Please keep your class to yourself until we get to the kingdom in two weeks. The king has given very strict instructions to everyone on board this ship not to ask you. My deepest apologies. I should have informed you right away," he said, lowering his eyes in an apology.

It was the opposite of what I received in my own kingdom. I had been so... scared to tell anyone about my class back home that I found myself slightly disappointed that I didn't have to say anything here. Was it because it was seen as common courtesy, or was it to prevent people from snickering behind my back?

Regardless, I found myself ready to explore the ship. After quickly finishing my meal, the servant, whose name was Alex, led me around. He seemed cool and was pretty laid back, chatting easily with me as we moved around.

We ended up in the kitchen, a bustling area with an almost frantic pace. The chefs and his subordinates were busy preparing for dinner, but when they saw me, they paused.

Alex cleared his throat and gestured towards the tall man who was flipping something over the stove. "This is Chef Vernon. He is our head chef and has the Cooking Class, Level 3."

The man glanced at me, nodding respectfully as he wiped his hands on his apron. His deep-set eyes were sharp, inspecting me curiously. "Never had a prince in the kitchen before. What brings you here?"

"Your food is fantastic," I praised genuinely, and a faint blush colored the stoic chef's face. "I am curious about cooking, and I wanted to learn from the best."

"After tasting your meals, your title is well-deserved, Chef Vernon," I added, seeing his pleased expression.

By the end of the first week on board the Stella Maris, I had managed to earn a few new skills:

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| Cooking(Beginner): Level 1 | +1 Wis, +2 Con per level

| Sailing(Beginner): Level 1 | +1 Dex, +1 Int per level

| Fishing(Beginner): Level 1 | +1 Luck per level

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My days were filled with bantering with the sailors, cooking, cleaning, mending, and so much more. I was no longer just Gideon, the unwanted prince of the Vienerstien Kingdom. I was Gideon, the eager learner, the curious helper on board Stella Maris. And it was invigorating. I yearned to keep learning, keep proving myself.

Each new learned skill was contributing to an increase in my stats as well, but not until I got them past the first level. Still, it brought me a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Even my charisma, lowest of all, had seen a slight increase as I interacted more with the ship's personnel.

In return, they treated me with kindness and camaraderie, a far cry from the cold shoulder treatment I was used to back at home. My status had improved considerably from when I had been forced out, and this instilled me with a newfound sense of courage.

I stationed myself at the bow of the ship one day, allowing the salty sea breeze to ruffle my hair as I held onto the railing, peering forth into the endless expanse of the ocean. I was thinking about my previous life, and how many days since I had been able to have a drink. God knew I could have used one back home, but this stupid body was still a child.

"So, are you excited to come to a new land and kingdom?"

I turned back to see Gaius, the ship captain, who came to stand beside me. The man towered over me, but it didn't bother me. I had somewhat gotten used to being a little shit, but like any kid, I couldn't wait to get bigger.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess? I would be lying if I didn't say I was a bit nervous considering the mess that I just came from," I said, looking back out at the endless water.

Gaius laughed, but then sighed. "I know about your class. The king told me."

I turned to look up at him, but the man was smiling at me for some reason. "Is it really worth smiling about?" I asked, starting to feel thorny, but it was unwarranted.

"Your fathers kingdom is much different than the one you are going to now. I think that you will find a much warmer reception when we arrive."

"Really? Even knowing my class?" I asked, not sure if this guy was playing with me.

"Velemir is a strange one, but the King is also a follower of the deity. Your class is much more special than your father knows. I am sure that he thinks that he got the best deal by getting rid of you for an alliance, but our king doesn't think so."

So, this king seemed to know about my class and its potential, but then was he just going to use me somehow?

Seeing the distrust on my face, Gaius placed a hand on my shoulder. "The king is not like your father. He doesn't want to use you, but he would like to help you grow, since it is a benefit to our kingdom as well. We understand the significance of a Master Craftsman in the long term."

"I see. It's nice to be seen as a person, not just a pawn," I said, my voice barely a whisper, touched by his words. If what he said was true, I had definitely lucked out on my new kingdom. My heart began to beat a little faster in anticipation.

As the vessel continued its journey through the vast waters, I found myself yearning for this new life, this new start. I couldn't wait to meet the King, nor my bride to be, Princess Marcella. I still had fears about the forthcoming wedding, but I was determined to take it in stride.

More importantly, I just couldn't wait to unlock the full potential of my Master Craftsman class.

Here I was, a middle aged man from earth, transported into an alternate world and reincarnated as royalty, then cast out because of some second rate class that was actually a cheat in disguise. Now I just needed to become proficient and work my way up to Master Craftsman and slap the shit out of all these people with my pimp hand!

Raindrops started to fall, and the captain's face grimaced. "Still have a week, but this storm coming is going to slow us down," Gaius said, and then pointed down. "I would ask that your highness head below deck and stay below during the storm. I think that I will have to ask our wind mages to help stabilize an area around the ship, but that will not make it perfectly safe."

As much as I wanted to see these mages in action, I spared no time in getting inside the ship. If I was completely honest, I didn't really like being on the boat on the open sea with no land in sight. On Earth, I had never been on the ocean, and never had the desire to go. Now it was clear to me that these boots were made for walking, not swimming.

Since we had been at sea, I had gotten bored, and an itch for some gambling. Sadly, any paper on the ship was being used, so even crappy cards were out. All was not lost, and as I came down from the deck, my servant handed me what I had requested.

"Nice! You actually found a little saw too?" I asked in surprise as I was handed a plank, saw, and rounded file.

"What do you plan on doing with this?" Alex asked, and I grinned.

"I am getting bored, so I thought that I could make something to entertain myself," I said as Alex followed me back to my room. He offered to carry it for me, but I didn't want to give the first tools I had gotten my hands on up.

Once I was back in my room, I turned to Alex after he had closed the door. "Do you know what my class is?"

"Yes, your Highness."

"Good," I said, and got to work.

My plan was pretty simple. I was going to cut 5 even cubes, file them, and then use some ink from the well in my desk to make the pips on them. As I worked, Alex watched me silently. The job was peanuts, and hardly took any time, but I got a notification that made my eyes light up.

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| Woodworking(Beginner) Lv.1 has become Lv.5 | +5 Dexterity and +5 Wisdom |

| You have created an Item that has caught the attention of a Deity. +3 Charisma and gain the Title: Juvenile Gambler: +5 Luck while this title is equipped. |

| Your Class, Master Craftsman has level up! Level 1 has become Level 2. Please check your status. |

Catch the attention of a deity?! I must have exclaimed out loud because Alex chuckled, breaking my concentration from incredulity. My eyes darted from the new carved dice to my status

| Name: Gideon Von Alphonse Rose Vienerstien | HP: 290/290| MP: 90/90|

| Class: Master Craftsman | Level: 3 | Exp: 150/300 |

| Title: Juvenile Gambler (+5 luck) |

| Additional Title: Returned Son |

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| Strength: 44 |

| Dexterity: 23 |

| Constitution: 29 |

| Intelligence: 9 |

| Wisdom: 34 |

| Charisma: 5 |

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| Class Abilities: |

| Craftsmen Knowledge: Learn any crafting skill from interacting with the Craft. |

| Tools Are My Trade: Gain skills and proficiency with skills that are connected to Skills you already have. |

| I Am Craftsman: Instead of receiving stats from leveling this class, all bonus's come from leveling Skills. |

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| Skills: |

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Combat Skills:

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| Swordplay (Beginner): Level 2 | +1 Dex, +1 Str per level

| Dagger Proficiency (Beginner): Level 3 | +1 Dex per level

Crafting Skills:

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| Blacksmithing (Beginner): Level 1 | +2 Str, +1 Con per level

| Cooking (Beginner): Level 2 | +1 Wis, +2 Con per level

| Construction (Beginner): Level 2 | +2 Str, +1 Con, +1 Dex per level

| Masonry (Beginner): Level 5 | +2 Str, +1 Con per level

| Woodworking (Beginner): Level 5 | +1 Wis, +1 Dex per level

Survival Skills:

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| Survival (Beginner): Level 1 | +2 Con, +1 Tenacity per level

| Sailing (Beginner): Level 1 | +1 Dex, +1 Int per level

| Fishing (Beginner): Level 2 | +1 Luck per level

Knowledge Skills:

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| Appraisal (Beginner): Level 1 | +2 Int per level

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"Juvenile Gambler?" I whispered, my voice pitched in disbelief. "Does making a set of dice make me a gambler?" I hadn't expected this! I had just created a set of dice for amusement because it was preferable to boredom!

Already, the 'title' was giving me some extra tricks in my bag. The five additional points in luck seemed minor but significant, considering the luck-based nature of gambling. Velemir must find my action amusing to bestow me with such a title. Was it because of my determination or the simple action of creating a tool for gambling? I wasn't exactly sure what to make out of it.

"Are you a fan of gambling?" Alex asked, his eyes focused on the wooden cubes with a glint. "I'm a bit of a seasoned player myself."

I looked up to see the glint in my servant's eyes and laughed. I couldn't exactly tell him that I was actually a 35 year old man from another world, so I lied instead.

"I've never had a chance to try gambling until now," I admitted ruefully. "My father always kept a tight leash."

"Well, perhaps we could arrange a little game for you to experience it," Alex suggested, his gaze alight with mischief. "Some of the sailors have been known to enjoy a round or two of Dice Poker. They'd probably be thrilled to join the Prince in a game."

I thought about it for a moment. Back on earth, I used to relish a good game of Poker, and I was originally making the dice to play 10,000. The idea of joining a friendly game, not as a Prince but as a fellow player, was enticing. Though, I was not really the type to just play for fun.

"I suppose a game or two wouldn't hurt," I said, my grin turning slightly wicked. "But what's the fun of a game without some wagers, huh?"

Alex chuckled, showing his surprise. "Very well, your highness. Perhaps a few coins to make things fun?"

I shook my head. I had no money, and I wasn't looking to fleece my servant. "No, I am more interested in tools. If I can beat you, I want to know what kind of tools this ship has and a list of all the classes on this ship."

Alex frowned at me. "But your highness, you only have to request it of me, and I will do that! There is no need to place a wager for such information!" he explained, but I waved my hand at him.

"This is fine. Gold does me no good as royalty, and you will do pretty much whatever I ask, so there isn't much I can ask for, Alex," I said, my tone firm. I wanted him to take me seriously on this.

Alex looked indecisive for a moment, but then nodded. "Very well, your highness," he said finally. "Then I suppose we have ourselves a wager."

And so, our friendly game of chance turned into a royal gamble. With my bonus luck, I managed to win often enough that I scored a healthy list of all the classes on the ship along with a collection of small tools from their supplies.

It wasn't much compared to the resources of an entire kingdom but to me, it was a start. And I was dedicated to using every available opportunity to advance and learn.

As the storm approached and we were confined below deck, I used the time to practice and familiarize myself with the various tools, trying my hands on small crafting projects.

Day by day, I grew stronger and wiser, gradually unlocking the potential my class held. And with each passing day, I felt more ready to face my new life in the Havenby Kingdom.

| Cooking(Beginner) Lv.1 has become Lv.2 | +1 Wis, +2 Con per level |

| Fishing(Beginner) Lv.1 has become Lv.2 | +1 Luck per level |

| Construction(Beginner) Lv.2 has become Lv.3 | +2 Str, +1 Con, +1 Dex per level |

| Masonry(Beginner) Lv.3 has become Lv.4 | +2 Str, +1 Con per level |

I wasn't a formidable warrior like my father or siblings. I wasn't rich or influential. However, I was becoming far more skilled, innovative, and adaptive than any of them could ever dream of being. Still, the way that my stats were climbing was eyebrow raising.

| Strength: 47 |

| Dexterity: 29 |

| Constitution: 41 |

| Intelligence: 13 |

| Wisdom: 37 |

| Charisma: 7 |

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With just two weeks at sea, a journey that was considered a hard trip due to the onset of the storm, I had already grown from someone pushed at the deep end to someone ready to swim.

The final day of the journey was a strong memory. The Stella Maris had been waylaid by a tempest as we crossed waters reputed for their roughness. As one moment the skies were clear and blue, the next they were dark, lined with ominous storm clouds.

I could hear the roar of the storm from below deck, the raging winds slapping against the hull of the ship. The vessel swayed violently, the tempestuous sea battling against it. Even in the relative safety of my cabin, I could feel the ship being thrown about by the storm. It was a terrifying night, and despite my attempts, sleep was impossible.

When the storm passed and the first rays of sunrise kissed the sky, we finally saw the majestic silhouette of the Kingdom of Havenby. As the ship drew nearer, I felt a wave of uncertainty wash over me but I steeled myself.

I was ready to face what awaited me. I was determined to carve my own path in this new kingdom.

"Welcome to your new home, Prince Gideon!" my loyal aide, Alex, proclaimed excitedly as the ship docked at Havenby's bustling harbor. Despite the recent storm, the harbor was abuzz with activity.

I disembarked from the ship, clutching at my new set of tools - my only real possession - and drawing a deep breath. I tried to take everything in - the lively atmosphere, the foreign structure of homes and buildings, the chatter of people in tongues I was yet to understand, the richness and variety of life, so different from my old kingdom. It was overwhelming.

And in the chaos, a pair of icy cold eyes found mine. They belonged to a young woman, standing beside what seemed like Havenby's welcoming party, beautiful in her own special way. I felt Alex's nudge, and he leaned closer to whisper, "That's Princess Marcella, your betrothed."

I personally did not feel that she shared the view of me as I did her. This bitch looked cold as ice, but my father had cut her previously betrotheds head off. I was also 8, and her 22. Oh boy, I really don't need to wonder why she isn't happy to see me.

Well, this was going to be quite the introduction, and not the usual romantic bullshit I read in those novels. I evaluated the princess in the brief moment, mentally preparing myself for the various potential challenges that might greet me in the upcoming days. I had hoped I'd have some time to prepare myself to meet my future wife, but fate had other plans.

As cold as her gaze could be, I couldn't hold it against her. She was in a similar position to mine. Used as a pawn for political alliances, marriage wasn't something she sought but was thrust upon her. I could only hope she wouldn't be so bitter by the time I grew up.

But, before I could let the heavy numbness of my situation bog me down, I hardened my resolve. I straightened my shoulders, I held my head high, I let my back straighten out, puffing out my chest a bit. I looked towards the princess, giving her a reassuring smile, even if it was bittersweet, and gave her a small wave from where I stood.

There was no backing down now.

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