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The chairman’s office, decorated with a clean white and green interior, saw Raihan nervously tapping a pen on the desk.

“Have you located the captured Apostle?”

The secretary, wearing a black mask, operated a device in hand and swiftly transmitted data marked as sourced from the Strategic Information Office to the monitor in front of Raihan.

“I’ve narrowed it down to about three potential locations, but access to the deeper areas is difficult except for key personnel. Restraid has firmly refused all contact with us. Attempts for indirect access through the Foundation are being blocked as well.”

“Damn those old-fashioned noble bastards. They think they can monopolize what should bring prosperity to the world.”

Raihan muttered. How could they claim such a precious thing for themselves? That Apostle of all things! It was destined to be a groundbreaking discovery that would shake the very foundation of humanity and even the history of science.

For someone like Raihan, who prided himself on leading the advancement of the world, this was utterly intolerable.

It was laughable and contemptible how these outdated monkeys thought they could hoard it all for themselves.

Of course, the reality was that it was Restraid’s foulness trying to sneak in spies within the clan to extract information, which aggravated Restraid’s demeanor.

Yet, in front of the century’s discovery, such trivial matters were of no concern to the excited Raihan.

“Anyway, these noble elite who flaunt their noble blood are impossible to reason with! What’s so special about their traditions, anyway?”

How could anyone understand their fixation on the past when it was such a bygone event?

They preach saving the world and sacrificing for others while treating the remains of their ancestors like treasures. It’s so hypocritical.

If we could clone the heroes of the Great War, imagine how spectacular it would be to see the resurrected first hunters walking the earth.

It could turn the tides of the current battles against the monsters!

The chairman sunk into thought. Truly, among all the people in Rustroom, only the Grand Mage was someone he could have a sensible conversation with.

“Nonetheless, Restraid is just a bunch of folks fiddling with metal. They’re sure to request cooperation from external research institutions. Track down the relevant individuals. All of them! By any means necessary! We must secure some samples of the Apostle. What is the Policy Cooperation Office doing?”

“We just obtained a list of academic figures who are presumed to have contacted them recently.”

As Raihan skimmed through the updated data provided by the secretary, his eyes darted quickly.

First up, the affiliated organizations. They should preferably be in a relatively neutral position that Restraid and the Federal Parliament factions would like.

Recent activities of these figures and their standings within academia are important too, along with their specialties and talents. He weighed in what he knew about their tendencies.

The most vital point was the recent movements and actions of other clans.

Considering all the reports and analyses received from below…

“…No way, it’s you again?”

As he finished the calculations, the rapidly scrolling screen stopped at a certain point.

“Damn it, luck must be on your side.”

The chairman’s face twisted with jealousy and spite.

**

Far beyond the western side of Academy City, near the Karnak Archipelago, the first review ceremony of the Violet Navy was being held as green sunlight rose.

“Wow! It’s our fleet!”

With five long-range fishing boats and a whaling ship leading the way, about twenty small fishing vessels lined up in a spectacle.

On the deck, makeshift machine gun mounts were welded into place, and occasionally there were ships equipped with automatic cannons, missile launchers, or harpoon guns meant for monster hunting.

All of this was a testament to the efforts of the Violet sailors.

They got hands-on experience with engines and various equipment for the first time and hired crew members to learn the basics of operation.

Of course, since the Violets weren’t professional engineers or sailors, they often failed to start the engines.

As a result, they had broken a few boats as well. Engines had burned out, or they had messed something up, unable to bring them back under repair.

Moreover, the larger the ship, the more delicately and sensitively it had to be handled.

They thought it would be as simple as just inserting the key and turning it, but in reality, a ship’s engine was an orchestra made up of pipes, pumps, engines, generators, boilers, and hydraulic systems.

Many ships were automated to some extent, but the novice conductors, the Violets, could only manage to learn how to start and stop the engines.

“Whoa! What’s this? A valve?”

“No, don’t pull that—”

-Pushhkk!

“Hydraulic’s leaking!”

Overall, they effectively couldn’t use most of the ship’s functions. They could only move it forward and backward.

They were learning diligently and becoming familiar, but for the time being, just starting the engine would be like a miracle.

“The ventilation system is supposed to be here, the engineer said…”

“It’s okay! We just need to steer it after all.”

Regardless, having brought the ships over and lined them up, looking down from the sky gave a sense of fleet demeanor.

“Now commencing the Violet Navy’s review ceremony!”

“Wow! Wow!”

But, the longer they engaged, the more awkward it got.

Perhaps because they were nothing but captured fishing vessels or merchant ships rather than combat warships, up close, they looked rather shabby and flimsy.

Those who didn’t know the situations would think they were just a group of working fishing boats.

“This isn’t the Navy, it looks like a bunch of beggars…”

“This isn’t any Navy at all!”

Thinking of the Federal Navy soaring through the skies on air battleships made their current state seem incredibly paltry.

The sailor Violets looked around and felt a little dejected.

“Can we even call this a Navy at this rate?”

Unit 1 encouraged the slightly downhearted Violets.

“Don’t worry, let’s form our own clan later! And then we’ll get an air battleship!”

The Violets nodded. While it was a bit disappointing, maybe they could indeed get a proper warship once they gathered funds later.

After all, the main force of the Navy in this world were air battleships.

“Let’s think positively; it might actually be better to have an old ship, right? It’ll help us blend in!”

“Thinking about it that way makes sense.”

The Violet Navy’s specialty, the wolf pack tactics, would shine in close-quarter ambushes.

To catch the enemy off-guard on the vast seas, it would be effective to reassure them.

This review ceremony was a kind of practice training for large-scale maneuvering.

Though how often they would actually lead these ships to a fight was uncertain.

Nonetheless, their mere existence filled them with determination.

The practice had concluded, and it was now time to look for new tasks.

“Another request came in!”

This new request was rather special.

“Is it another experiential learning task?”

The first-time hearing of this academy was to safeguard students’ observation of marine monsters and erosion zone experiential learning.

Considering they hired them, it seemed to be a smaller facility.

Yet still, escorting innocent students meant it was undoubtedly a noteworthy and wholesome job fitting for the Navy.

“Alright, let’s take on the challenge!”

The Violets accepted without hesitation.

**

Ten fishing vessels and one whaling ship cut through the sea briskly. On the white marine research vessel in the center of the formation, boys and girls in uniforms armed with weapons looked around with curious eyes.

“Hey! Look over there, a monster!”

“No, that’s a dolphin.”

The once clear and blue sea had, at some point, begun to take on a bizarre inky black hue, as if marked with a ruler.

It felt like tar or perhaps blood, that off-putting goo.

As the exploration vessel anchored near the islands and pulled up the nets, oddly mutated fish appeared, likely influenced by magical power.

“The waters near Rustroom are mostly safe, but west of Cascadia, the marine ecosystem here is locally mutated due to the influence of Ether. This is due to the effect of the Gate. Because of this, it’s also the habitat for marine monsters. These fish you’re seeing may look different than usual.”

As the marine researcher explained, the students nodded. The Violets assigned to the escort duties boredly watched from the fishing vessel.

“It’s not a monster, but I can’t eat it!”

“Ugh! I was going to have that for lunch…”

The Violets who were sneakily fishing, upon hearing the lecture, tossed their catch back into the sea.

“At least it’s not a big deal.”

The Violets had absolutely nothing to do.

If truly threatening monsters approached, all they had to do was issue a warning and take them down, but though the islands west of Cascadia had a strange atmosphere, no significant threats seemed present.

“Wait, do you hear engine sounds somewhere?”

Calmness was moments away when an unidentified armed ship appeared amidst the islands.

With a suspicious pattern flag flying, ignoring common transmissions, they might just be pirates.

“It’s pirates!”

The Violets tensed up.

They quickly grabbed their weapons, started the fishing vessel, and charged full speed towards the pirate ship.

“Surround them! Don’t let them escape!”

The Violets encircled the mysterious ship.

“Stop! Halt! Identify yourselves!”

As they aimed machine guns at the bridge and demanded surrender, the crew looked completely bewildered.

“Run! We’ve got to run! Right now!”

“Wait a minute; something’s off. Are those guys really pirates?”

Just as they boarded the captured crew onto their vessel, one Violet raised a question while observing the situation.

In that moment, a radio transmission from the exploration vessel came through.

“Emergency! A massive unidentified magical power response has been detected. Immediate evacuation is required!”

And in that instant, a rusted ship erupted uproariously from the depths of the sea.

-CHAHAK!

What appeared from the sea was a heavily rusted warship, its hull writhing with tentacles and various shells intertwined.

At a glance, it looked like something from the era of the Great War.

“W-What is that?!”

Upon someone exclaiming in surprise, a person who seemed to be a teacher answered.

“It’s a monster! A machine combined with a monster, turned into a relic! What’s such a hybrid doing here?!”

On the ship, ghoul-like sailors and crab-resembling monsters were aboard. Even more horrifying was that the vessel was starting to move while emitting smoke.

The round turret of the battleship creaked as it slowly turned.

-CRUNGG!

Thanks to the rusty cannon’s accuracy, strangely wavering shells landed anywhere but intended. Yet the water spouts generated from the explosion climbed high.

Horribly, the monsterized warship began approaching and firing on the central research vessel.

“They must not care about us at all!”

“They’re looking down on us just because we’re in fishing boats?”

The Violets couldn’t decide whether to be pleased or sorrowful about this unexpected camouflage working.

Time was of the essence.

“Charge!”

The Violet Navy turned to race towards the twisted battleship.

“Let’s create a clean sea!”

The first battle of the Navy was about to commence.

 

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