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On the other hand, in the Great Conference Hall of the Clendor Kingdom.

The atmosphere here is subdued, unlike Ed’s foundry.

This is because Leon’s name was mentioned during the discussions about selecting the next expedition leader, triggering past traumas.

“·····Ahem!”

Leon Clendor.

Just thinking about that guy makes my face flush even in the cold air.

Not only did the entire former citizenry get intoxicated by the nationalistic video he created, but I’ve also witnessed it all getting exposed as a lie, leading to a public education moment.

“Don’t even mention Prince Leon!”

As a result, the name ‘Leon’ has become a taboo word.

To put it in modern terms, it’s like saying, “Is Korea afraid of Vietnam’s growth?” and having the entire Vietnamese population cheer, if you catch my drift.

Moreover, it’s like if young Korean girls were going crazy over Vietnamese boys, and most Korean men envied the looks of Vietnamese guys, while being incited by videos predicting that Vietnam will soon stand shoulder to shoulder with America as a superpower.

“·····I’ll be direct.”

At that moment, the second prince, known as the ‘Light of Clendor’, opened his mouth.

He is a natural genius who far surpasses all abilities compared to Leon, and is one of the strongest candidates for the throne.

Just by seeing how the political bigwigs pay attention to his every word, you can gauge his status and skills.

“First of all, the root cause of all this is the political ambitions of my brother. He made a rash move after becoming conscious of falling in the hierarchy competition.”

The second prince said this while looking at the third prince sitting across from him.

I’m talking about Bianca Clendor, known as the ‘Flower of Clendor’.

She boasts abilities no less impressive than the second prince and is the future of the Clendor royal family.

“So, I want to propose to everyone. In this meeting, we should exclude all political maneuvers and focus solely on elevating the national dignity of the Clendor Empire.”

The second prince Ian, who desires nothing but national interest.

At this point, Princess Bianca glanced at her younger brother sitting next to her.

The future of the Empire, known as a prodigy, Luke Clendor.

Eventually, when Luke slightly nodded, Bianca said to Ian,

“So, what’s the method to restore our national dignity, brother?”

A method to restore national dignity.

Ian smiled.

As if he already knew that method.

“Bianca. There is an old saying that has been universally accepted throughout the world. The strongest on land is Orserk, and the strongest at sea is Clendor.”

“······.”

“However, due to my brother’s recent failure, that common saying has been tarnished. Currently, the Empire ridicules us to the point that ‘the descendants of the Sea God’ is becoming a popular satirical play.”

“…So?”

“You will participate as the representative of this expedition. I will entrust you with the command of the warship.”

“·····!!!”

The room stirred.

Handing the initiative of the expedition to Bianca was essentially giving her a chance to elevate her status.

And it’s no wonder; Bianca has an innate talent for commanding battleship combat.

“···Are you serious?”

And this was an unexpected remark even for Bianca.

She and Ian are half-siblings born of different mothers, making their relationship competitive, yet he was willing to so easily relinquish command of the fleet.

“Yes. I’m serious.”

But Ian was indeed serious.

With unwavering eyes, he firmly expressed his will.

Even when his aides panicked and hurriedly tried to dissuade him, he was unperturbed.

“However, that doesn’t mean I won’t participate.”

But Ian added a slightly ambiguous statement at the end.

Claiming to give command of the expedition to Bianca but stating he wouldn’t be out of it.

Then, he elaborated on his reason.

“What I really want is our joint participation. I will entrust you with the command of the fleet and the navigation, but I want to operate the ‘Sea Hunters’ within the fleet myself. That would be the best arrangement for both of us to showcase our skills, wouldn’t you think?”

Bianca nodded.

Ian is an outstanding sea monster hunter, incomparable to Leon.

She would take charge of the fleet, while Ian would oversee the Sea Hunters.

It was a suitable arrangement considering each other’s talents.

“···So what is the method to restore our national strength?”

Then, what could be the way to recover Clendor’s tarnished image?

Eventually, Ian answered Bianca’s question.

“It’s about demonstrating the difference in caliber. Specifically, the difference in battleships.”

“······.”

“The only unembellished footage my brother shot is of our fleet overwhelmingly dominating the Empire. The reason the Empire cannot set foot on our land is that naval warfare itself has no basis. We just need to make them feel that difference clearly.”

…That makes sense.

Although in person-to-person underwater battles, Clendor might lose, in naval battles between ships, Clendor is indeed overwhelming.

“…But will there even be a naval battle with the Empire? Unless it’s war, I doubt it will happen. There’s no justification.”

However, Ian’s suggestion seemed unlikely to materialize.

There wouldn’t be ship-versus-ship confrontations unless it was war.

“No, there is a way.”

But Ian declared there is a method.

Then he suggested they could create that opportunity under the pretext of ‘training.’

“As you know, we have stationed a rescue ship at the ‘return point’ in case of an emergency. We can utilize that rescue ship.”

A rescue ship.

Literally, it refers to the ship left behind at the rear as insurance against unforeseen accidents during the main fleet’s operations.

When the main fleet runs aground due to an unexpected accident, it’s a backup vessel left for teleporting back using the ‘Teleport Magic Sphere.’

Naturally, there is a limit to teleportation distance, and in the vast ocean, the only feasible teleportation options are the ships stationed nearby.

“What I mean is, we’ll assign the duty of guarding the rescue ship to the Empire folks. If they make a mistake, the rescue ship might get raided by pirates.”

“Hmm… That would indeed create justification for training. A naval battle against pirate ships.”

“Exactly. Using this training as a pretext, we need to firmly imprint how robust our Empire’s fleet is. And the footage from this training could serve as a balm for the wounds of our citizens. What we need right now is to restore our pride, which has fallen to the ground.”

Bianca nodded.

It may seem a tad childish, but there is no better way to reclaim their shattered pride.

After all, the Empire couldn’t possibly defeat Clendor at sea, no matter what tricks they might pull.

“And about that Edgar Fix guy. I will take care of him.”

At that moment, Ian gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

A blue haze enveloped his entire body, and the energy spread throughout the Great Conference Hall.

Countless nobles gulped as they witnessed the rage on his face.

Eventually, he spoke.

“That guy has torn apart our royal family’s heirlooms. Furthermore, he turned the legends entwined with the ‘Sea God’s Relics’ into complete lies, which has caused the authority of our royal family to plummet. …Isn’t that unbearably shameful? I can’t possibly sleep soundly at night without catching him.”

Bianca and Luke looked at the angry face of their half-brother.

The strongest underwater combatant, dubbed Clendor’s hope.

A powerful candidate for the throne who exhibits remarkable skills, to the extent that the myth of the ‘Legend of the Sea God’ created to uphold the authority of the royal family might actually represent something real.

“…How do you plan to catch Edgar Fix?”

It’s a grave offense to measure the chances with that boy.

He was the strongest among the notoriously tough sea hunters, and the thought of him losing in underwater combat seemed unimaginable.

Rather, what Bianca should be concerned about is how to frame the potential clash between her powerful brother and Edgar Fix.

Having her brother challenge Edgar Fix to a duel is akin to an adult seeking a serious duel with a child.

“We don’t need a duel. I’ll kill him myself.”

“······!!!”

However, that statement from her brother was shocking.

Kill Edgar Fix?

Bianca exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s too dangerous! If anything goes wrong─!”

“That guy!”

“······?”

“He did it on purpose! He knows that part of our family heirloom is not a true artifact! He deliberately provoked my brother! To expose the secret of the heirloom…!”

“······.”

“I’ll never forget that expression on his face. That sinister smirk twisting at the corners… I will definitely twist his neck in retribution.”

“…What’s the plan?”

“Real combat. As you said, it is foolish to create an accident under the guise of training. Therefore, I plan to set the course to a different route than usual. One of the most dangerous paths through the Magentani Channel.”

Ian stated this while pointing to a route notorious for the emergence of high-risk sea monsters.

Ian smirked, continuing his explanation.

“Even though he may board under the premise of ‘observing’, if he passes through this route, he will have no choice but to participate in underwater combat. The rescue ship carrying the cadets won’t be able to receive necessary protection from the main fleet.”

“…That certainly makes sense.”

“Exactly. That means he will believe in his strength and do everything to protect the rescue ship. He would willingly dive into the water. And when that moment comes…”

“That’ll be the chance to kill him.”

“Yes. I will kill him. It’s enough to make it look like the arrogant fool recklessly challenged a sea monster and died.”

Bianca nodded.

Given her brother’s abilities, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to easily dispatch a fish in the sea.

Since it’s underwater, there wouldn’t be any evidence left behind.

“Alright. Let’s combine our strengths.”

Eventually, Bianca smiled and extended her hand to Ian.

Ian also returned a confident smile, taking Bianca’s hand and shaking it.

It was a historical moment where Ian, once Clendor’s greatest political rival, stood united with Bianca and Luke.

***

A week later.

A letter from Clendor reached the princess.

The content was news that Prince Ian, Princess Bianca, and Prince Luke would be visiting to apologize for the previous unfortunate incident.

In other words, all the royal family members of Clendor would be joining.

“Everything is going smoothly.”

And at this very moment.

Ed was busy constructing a shipyard based on the iron produced in bulk by his foundry.

He had finally begun establishing a factory to manufacture battleships.

However, at this stage, Ed owned 64 construction robots and was producing high-quality iron in large quantities.

This meant a tremendous reduction in the construction period.

‘Surely, the spells are great. I can employ laborers at will.’

Moreover, Ed was actively utilizing spells.

He had purchased a large quantity of ‘Recovery Spell Scrolls’, enabling him to relieve the laborers’ fatigue in real-time, ensuring they could work in top condition.

Of course, since he provided bonuses and delicious meals, the laborers, who had previously suffered from famine, dedicated themselves to the work with gratitude.

For those who had lived miserable lives day after day, having something to focus on for their future was nothing short of a blessing.

In fact, the fervor they displayed day and night during this moment was the utmost joy for them.

“Urgh. I doubt anyone else can work their master as hard as you do.”

“Haha. Please bear with it a bit, Master.”

And Ed invited a special guest to expedite the shipyard’s construction.

The Great Mage Elena, to be precise.

He was using her bizarre telekinesis and teleportation abilities to make use of the laborers.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do. It’s your request, and it will help speed up the expedition schedule.”

Elena said this as she effortlessly lifted and moved dozens of tons of steel.

Without even a hint of strain on her face, she spoke calmly.

She could truly be called a monster among monsters.

‘How fascinating. She truly stands out among NPCs.’

The Great Mage Elena, boasting the most potent abilities among the main NPCs.

Her power was so far beyond that the player’s efforts to compete might barely touch her feet.

It was baffling to consider what kind of thought process led to designing such an unbalanced NPC.

After all, her strength is utterly incomprehensible within the game’s context.

“Ahem. Then, please work hard. I have to prepare for the next schedule.”

Regardless, that was that.

He couldn’t afford to get lost in thought.

He had been so occupied with founding the foundry and shipyard that progress on the suit development had fallen behind.

Elena pouted as she spoke.

“Tch. You use me like a dog and then leave.”

“·····Haha.”

“I’m just joking. Hurry along. I can’t help but smile when I see that face making such expressions.”

Ed apologized and bowed to Elena before returning to his container.

Meanwhile, Fix, who had been working on the suit, welcomed Ed with excitement.

Ever since he named it Eve, it had become adorably more affectionate.

“Shall we begin?”

As the time for suit development he had longed for arrived, Ed buzzed with excitement.

He spread out the design he had envisioned.

The design was for a new small torpedo named ‘The Strayed Sea God’.

-Whack.

Next, Ed pulled out another design.

This design was a modification blueprint to enhance his diving suit’s ‘Leviathan’ mode.

An upgraded suit that was granted special spells to effortlessly absorb dissolved mana in the water and use it as a power source.

“Then Fix, shall we get started!”

“Weeeee~!”

Ed pulled out his equipment toolbox from his inventory.

 

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