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“Yeah, yeah, that’s good, Jenis.”

Once again, Walter was caught up in his chaotic life, taking charge of the treasury management for military affairs. Naturally, budget allocation for the treasury is determined by the Royal Family and then goes through the review process of the Imperial Assembly. The Imperial Assembly’s review can easily be bypassed or rendered ineffective by the Royal Family if they wish, and while Rose might have a say, there was no reason for Walter to meddle in the management of taxes.

However, if Walter Hellhound, who was currently spending the most money and consuming the most resources in the empire, had no insight into the treasury’s condition, it would be impossible to know the limits on resources that could be used for military campaigns. Once he began to tweak the budget as needed, the Hero absorbed everything related to budget management like a sponge, shouldering even more burdens.

Fortunately, the fact that Rose and Alex were actively trying to share or manage this problem made Walter’s load a bit lighter. Typically, budget-related documents would bypass proper scrutiny, but Walter was compelled to summon the Great Sage due to the absurdly large quantity of wood and iron ore requested by the Magic Tower.

“Where in the world are we planning to spend such a budget? The number of weapons we’re submitting to the Magic Tower is actually decreasing over time. Bringing forth such a request now, just when we were about to reduce resource allocations, is quite perplexing.”

“Oh, so the Hero was actually reviewing this item by item? That’s surprising.”

Jenis responded with wide eyes, appearing startled. Walter sighed and took off his glasses.

“Do you really think I’m the kind of person who would brush this off? Anyway, no matter how great a Sage you are, you can’t just stamp an invoice that pulls resources from the empire’s finances without proper explanation.”

“Well, there’s no helping it then. I was a bit embarrassed and was going to hide it for a while… but I’ll show you, Hero.”

As if she had been waiting, Jenis pulled out a scroll from her belongings. It was clear to anyone that her attitude was not that of someone who planned to keep it hidden for long. Knowing Jenis was a magician, Walter expected some bizarre magic scroll to pop out, but what she presented before him was something entirely different.

Walter looked at the scroll she handed him, tilting his head in confusion as he once again put on his glasses.

“…A ship?”

“It’s still just a concept. We need to discuss the specific designs with local experts. Well, as you can see…”

“No, no, I don’t understand any of it. What on earth is this supposed to be?”

Walter couldn’t hide his genuine surprise, shoving the design in front of Jenis again. She stumbled back, surprised.

“You can see it, can’t you? It’s a battleship.”

“Listen to me, Great Sage. We haven’t fought at sea in ten years, TEN years. Do you really think I didn’t realize how useful it would be if I could reroute water paths?”

“Of course, I understand the reason. It’s time to start addressing that problem.”

Walter looked at the design again, astonished. Jenis’ plan depicted a large wooden battleship covered in defensive magic to maximize its defensive capabilities, topped with iron plating to create a veritable maritime fortress.

It was undoubtedly an eye-catching and unconventional plan, yet what stood out even more were the large caliber cannons, five on each side. It was so confounding that he didn’t even know where to start pointing out the issues.

“Ten cannons? Ten cannons, really? Do you know, Jenis, that there isn’t a single ship in our country equipped with cannons? That means we have no production system for ammunition whatsoever. We would have to reassign gunsmiths just to produce artillery shells for this one project.”

“Is that a problem? The conscription is over, and the demand for armor and weapons is only going to decrease. Now there is only left the demand for supplementary supplies for worn weapons and armor. Given that they are quality goods, that demand isn’t particularly large compared to the scale of the military. It’s about time to propose this, and if this was during a time when swords and shields were in high demand, I wouldn’t have even submitted this request.”

Jenise’s confident assertion was factually correct, so Walter couldn’t argue back about that.

“Gunpowder… is a good weapon. But you know why we don’t use it, right?”

“Because a Lich can easily block it with magic shielding. Non-magically processed projectiles won’t work. Hmm, I was a bit rattled after seeing the Moriarty Machine too. If the Demon King’s Army starts using such devices in earnest, it will be hard for the Eramenia archers to strike from a distance.”

The magical enchantment, being much better at blocking long-range attacks than close-range ones, was the reason behind this. Although fleets themselves had been annihilated, even if they were reformed, primitive ramming attacks would still be more effective against a magically reinforced wooden ship than cannon or arrow attacks.

“You’re saying you want to operate ten cannons using magically processed ammo, right? You know that’s immensely labor-intensive, given that you’re a magician.”

“Right, it’s not an easy task.”

“It would be tough to carry a large number of shells on a single voyage. Maintenance wouldn’t just be required for that alone.”

“If we frequently set sail, we must be prepared for that.”

“For example, how do you expect to prepare 100 metal chunks for a voyage? Even if we poured on cannon fire from one side, we could probably only fire about twenty shots per shot? Will that even provide meaningful ground support?”

“Ground support? Hmm… Well, I guess it could be used for that purpose. But this was envisioned as a naval fortress…”

Amidst Jenis’s ambiguous statements, Walter felt that she had set a goal beyond what he had assumed. The Hero felt a headache coming on as he once again examined the design.

“Where are the sails?”

“What?”

“I said, where are the sails? You can’t steer a ship without sails. With iron plating on the cannons, not to mention heavy ammunition and various supplies, the displacement must be outrageous. Isn’t the sail going to be too massive?”

“Um… There are oars. That’s actually a backup. Should I attach a small auxiliary sail just in case of emergencies?”

Walter looked at Jenis with a face that said, “What on earth are you talking about right now?” Jenis shrugged as if to say she hadn’t said anything wrong.

“There are no sails. If I rely on wind power, I won’t be able to operate it as I wish. Also, compared to the number of cannons, having few combat troops aboard would lead to a lack of living space for the crew if we were to hire specialist navigators. This is a fortress, Hero. A fortress for ocean navigation.”

“Then how do you plan to move the ship? Are you going to attach a waterwheel? Or will it be a steam engine?”

“That’s not it. There’s no fuel to boil water.”

Sadly, this world hadn’t gone through the proper formation and maturation processes. The amount of fossil fuels buried underground here couldn’t compare to Earth, and unless they recklessly deforested the Eramenia forests, there wouldn’t be enough firewood either. Occasionally, there existed eccentrics in the Magic Tower who couldn’t let go of steam engines, claiming, “This engine will change the world,” but in reality, without fuel to burn, the machines that had transformed human history on Earth couldn’t barely gain traction in this realm.

“If you know that well, then tell me how you would float a chunk of iron on water without sails.”

“I’ll be the one piloting it.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll be piloting it. Ah, this isn’t about a mass production plan at all. There’s no way to mass-produce such ships for actual combat! That’s absurd! This fortress will be my personal ship! Did you think I was planning to make several of them? Well, if miniaturization and commercialization of the Moriarty Machine were possible, I’d consider it… but if that’s the case, there wouldn’t be a need for such a fortress to begin with; there would be more efficient ways to fight against the Demon King’s Army.”

Walter couldn’t tell whether Jenis was being stupid or had come up with a brilliant idea. It was only now that he was beginning to empathize with the feelings of those around him when he suddenly made a shocking suggestion.

Whenever Walter proposed a totally inappropriate strategy, those around him would show doubt with expressions like, “Wait, is that really right?” but ultimately adopt his suggestions, thinking, “Well, it’s the Hero; maybe it will lead to something,” and today, the Hero found himself in a similar predicament.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t grasp what she was trying to achieve. However, he had upheld his friendship with Count Harker while watching over Jenis, suspecting she might one day emerge as a significant talent to sway the world.

Walter personally assessed Jenis Harker as “a fox hiding tiger’s claws.” Would such a person really demand the empire’s resources for something totally meaningless and absurd?

So, Jenis aimed to operate a ship that utilized her own mana. A plan to build a floating iron fortress, utilizing the power of the Magic Tower and the tax money from the people, just for her own use.

Walter decided to try to empathize with Jenis’s thoughts, suppressing his rising questions and resentment. After all, he too had often felt vexed when facing legitimate criticisms in the Imperial Assembly about military reductions. If he pressed too hard on Jenis now, would that just amount to his venting against the frustrations he had faced?

“Okay, Jenis. Fine. Your plan has passed. Let’s say this ship eventually gets built. And you’ve constructed a magic system that allows you to float this ship and maneuver it freely using the Sage’s staff, and you’ve secured a skilled fighting force aboard. Everything’s ready. The ammunition is plentiful. Now, what will you do?”

“Simple. We must head to the sea.”

“Are you going to kill the Kraken?”

“Well, that’s the only option, right? It was a weapon intended for that from the start. Creating this just to provide ground support with bombardment is kind of silly. What’s the point of that?”

Sweat began to trickle down Walter’s forehead.

“Are you planning to target the Western Sea of the Continent?”

“If you engage in a landing operation there, you’ll draw attention from the Dragon Lord. The ship’s defenses have been reinforced, but there’d be no way to respond if they attacked from the sky. No, this isn’t a weapon meant to counter dragons. It’s a weapon designed to capture the Kraken.”

Losing the skies meant losing answers on land and sea. The Dragon Lord might be lying low for now, just observing, but if such a terrifying weapon came targeting its territory, it would surely dispatch dragons for defensive purposes.

“Then are you planning to set sail from the east?”

“That makes sense.”

“Most of the coastline, dominated by the alliance, is thickly forested with Eramenia woods! Naturally, there’s no port in Eramenia’s territory. Where exactly do you plan to launch the ship?”

“There are small ports in Count Koesernis’ territory. We might be able to enlarge it a bit.”

“So, you’re demanding that I invest immense resources to construct a high-risk, high-cost weapon that sets sail from the southernmost point of the continent, moves a mana-operated iron fortress thousands of kilometers north, while also taking out the Kraken, all to attack the eastern coastline of the Demon King’s territory?”

“You summed it up well.”

Jenis replied simply. Walter removed his glasses and returned the design to Jenis once more.

“I think this entire Log plan is absurd. Sure, I also get labeled a fool by those around me often, but I can’t fathom what situation you’re trying to project with this.”

“Well, that’s something the Hero foresaw when he forced the professor to resign from school and withdrew from the front lines. Could you explain?”

“That’s confidential.”

“Then I’m confidential too.”

Jenis blurted out boldly, refusing to back down. While Walter was staring at the Great Sage in a daze, Count Harker let out a playful laugh and tapped her staff.

“We have similar weapons. We both know better than anyone what our secrets mean. Right, Hero?”

With a resigned expression, Walter shook his head and pulled out the royal seal he had stealthily stolen from Rose, stamping the budget documents with it, approving Jenis’s request. Jenis smiled widely and bowed her head toward the Hero.

“Thank you for your understanding, Hero.”

“I have a deep understanding. A bit too deep for my own good.”

The Hero replied. Walter, aware of just how considerate those around him were to his overly sensitive nature, reflected that he ought to return something to them even if just in this form, an utterly meaningless self-talk.

 

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