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chapter 16.
Personal Warship.
The Adbello family’s magnum opus, a peerless weapon created by gathering all the magic and technological power of the Kingdom of Adlavor.
Not much had been revealed about its military use.
But some rumors about the warship’s capabilities had spread.
It could not only float but run across the sea.
It could even dive.
Its small mounted projectiles could sink large battleships.
And it was even equipped with technology that made it undetectable by radar. It was no wonder surrounding nations coveted such a treasure.
Yet the Adbello family dismissed this dazzling masterpiece as “unfinished.”
“Of course it’s unfinished.”
That was what Vice Admiral Reto Oceanus—who was the first to operate the personal warship—often said like a catchphrase.
“When I first wore that thing, I swear it felt like I was carrying a whole house on my back.”
“It used to weigh twice as much as it does now.”
“If I hadn’t run into the General back then, I would’ve been fish food.”
“Whoever just said it’s a pity you didn’t end up as fish food—get down and give me push-ups.”
“Oh, was that Captain Velo who said it? Then instead of him, let Lieutenant Chitia over there do them.”
Because all the cutting-edge technology was crammed into it, and because it was designed as a military weapon, the personal warship was immensely heavy—and thus had never been put into mass production.
The royal knights, completely unaware of this fact, realized their mistake the moment they picked up the armor.
And the moment they put it on, they broke out in cold sweat.
When they plunged into the sea, they sank straight to the bottom like stones.
“…Are they dead?”
Lieutenant Colonel Ice glanced at the knights sprawled about like wet laundry.
“Check if anyone’s alive.”
A nearby sergeant nudged one with his foot.
“Ughh…”
“Cough!”
Lieutenant Colonel Ice beamed.
“Whew, thankfully no one died!”
He patted his chest in relief.
“Th-this is…”
Sir Ferata, his once-handsome red hair now a tangled mess like seaweed, wheezed and asked,
“W-was this… intentional?”
“Excuse me?”
“T-this…! Cough! This cruel… cruel treat—”
“Surely you’re not calling this hazing?”
That’s offensive to even hear!
Lieutenant Colonel Ice flailed his hands in panic, then pointed at his men chatting casually behind him.
“Ugh, my feet feel gross…”
“Switch with me later.”
“…How the hell do you switch feet?”
“Noa, can I come over for dinner tonight?”
“As said to Ami, you’ve stayed long enough.”
“Lies! As says she adores me!”
The special operations unit members were sunning their drenched bodies as if nothing was wrong.
Some of them were still wearing the heavy armor.
“……”
The knights, pale from nearly drowning, turned even paler.
These people had not only fished them out of the water while wearing armor but were now going through the same training again on their behalf.
“You see? Everyone’s perfectly fine.”
Ice shrugged. The knights’ faces flushed hot with shame.
“For a spec-ops soldier, this is routine training. We usually add extra weights to our legs, too.”
Normally, the exercise was to ride a ship out into the open sea, then swim all the way back to harbor.
“Good thing we skipped that today.”
“……”
The knights’ faces burned red with humiliation.
Damn it…!
Sir Ferata cursed inwardly.
They prided themselves on being the elite of the royal order.
Unless some mythical “aura wielder” appeared, there was no one stronger than them.
Yet now they were reduced to this pitiful state.
“We’ll need to find another way to learn more about the personal warship.”
“This exchange might be our only chance.”
Ferata grit his teeth. He’d have to change tactics.
“……”
“……”
Noa and Lieutenant Colonel Ice quietly observed him.
“Welcome to the South, Sir Dellat!”
“You must have had a hard journey.”
“Another bottle here!”
While the knights were busy drinking in seawater and salt, the navy officers were downing actual alcohol in broad daylight with Sir Dellat—led by Reto.
The location: a tavern in the South known only to those in the know.
Its name: Arcon.
“You bastard…!”
And behind the counter, the owner, Laxo, ground his teeth.
“Because of you, I had to open shop on my day off, in broad daylight no less!”
“You’ll earn money, so what’s the problem?”
Leaning on the counter, Reto scrawled his signature across a checkbook, tore one out, and slid it over.
“…Reto Oceanus.”
Laxo’s hands trembled as he received it.
“You said you’d help me earn money, but you hand me a navy-issued check?”
“Would you rather I gave you one in my own name?”
“Of course! That way I could overcharge you!”
“Too bad I’m such an incorruptibly honest officer…”
“Since when were officers who drink in broad daylight called honest?”
The check was unmarked, but Laxo didn’t dare exaggerate the amount.
And that wasn’t the only thing annoying him.
“What the hell is the Chief Chaplain doing here?”
The atmosphere wasn’t awkward at all—in fact, it was lively.
That was thanks to one man who had thrown himself into lifting the mood.
“My holy mother in heaven commands me to drink! How? Through her noble and divine blessing! Sha-la-la-la-la!”
Colonel Benedict, the head chaplain, was putting on a dazzling show with bomb cocktails.
As head of the chaplaincy, he was famous at headquarters for his devout faith—
and even more famous as “the life of the party.”
Right then he stacked shot glasses atop beer glasses and, with a karate chop, sent them tumbling down in a cascade.
“Bravo, Chaplain!”
“Colonel Benedict is the best!”
“So this is the legendary ‘Blessing of the Holy Mother’!”
The generals giggled like boys.
Watching, Reto smiled in satisfaction.
“As expected, he never lets me down.”
“Dear lord…”
Laxo shut his eyes as if unable to witness such blasphemy, hurriedly crossing himself with trembling hands.
“Like father, like son.”
When Reto asked with a smirk, Laxo shot him a glare.
“I don’t drink like that.”
“But you sell the stuff.”
“Talking to you makes me want to throw myself into the sea…”
With a sigh, Laxo glanced around the noisy tavern.
“…So, who?”
A flash of sharpness lit his violet eyes.
“The one who came here with the knight before?”
“You’ve gathered something, right?”
“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t already know.”
Leaving the counter, Laxo reached behind a display of expensive liquor bottles.
“Here.”
He pulled out a messy stack of documents.
“Don’t complain about the dust.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
Reto shoved them into a yellow envelope, stuffed until it bulged, and gripped it tightly.
“Hey, by the way.”
With business more or less done, Laxo returned to the counter.
“Are you going to meet that girl again?”
Reto only smiled faintly.
“…I don’t recall asking you to dig that deep.”
“That’s the sad part of being an informant. The more you gather, the more you end up knowing things you wish you didn’t.”
And one of the last things Laxo wanted to know was his friend’s love life.
“She’s too good for you.”
“Nobody knows that better than me.”
“Then let her go…”
Laxo thought of Noa, whom he’d met a few times before.
A beauty rare even in the capital, let alone the South.
And with her talent, she would surely become someone remarkable in a few years.
“……”
Reto kept fingering the envelope, silent. But the sly look beneath his smile gave him away.
“…You really are a bastard.”
Laxo clicked his tongue.
“That poor girl.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
This time Reto smiled with genuine happiness.
“Because even so—she says she loves me.”
“……”
Sigh.
Laxo could only shake his head.
“……!”
Clare suddenly whipped her head toward the window.
“What’s wrong?”
Beside her, Liri tilted her head, twin braids swaying.
“…I just got chills.”
Clare rubbed her arms.
“Like, um… how to put it…”
She paused, then found the perfect phrase.
“Like some creep is after my sister!”
“Eh?”
Liri tilted her head again.
But Clare looked around seriously, convinced her feeling was right.
Sensing something, short-haired Sensha rushed over.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think something bad’s going to happen to my sister!”
“Why?”
“My instincts say so! A woman’s intuition is warning me!”
Sensha’s eyes went wide.
“…If it’s a woman’s intuition, that’s proof enough!”
Forgetting all about their reading time, the little ladies huddled close, whispering excitedly.
“Does Noa have a man now?”
“There’s someone chasing after her.”
“Oh my gosh!”
“Heavens, what’ll we do!”
Clare rested her chin on her hand, looking troubled, while Sensha and Liri clutched hands in alarm.
“What kind of man?”
“He looks fine on the outside, but the inside… that’s the problem.”
Clare spoke gravely, as if sure his character was questionable.
The other two wore pitying expressions.
“But he outranks her and earns more money.”
Clare recalled the white wine Reto had brought over the previous night. Seeing how much As liked it before bed, it had to be expensive.
“Oh? So the guy’s a soldier?”
Liri sighed wistfully, looking far too mature for her age.
“Oh no… if she marries a soldier, life will be hard.”
“Right. My mom told me never to marry a soldier. Even my dad, who is one, said the same thing.”
Sensha nodded.
“But he really is handsome.”
So handsome that his unsettling inner nature could almost be forgiven, Clare stressed again and again.
“He’s the most beautiful, coolest person I’ve ever seen!”
“Hey, looks aren’t everything.”
Closing her book, Sensha pulled them back to reality.
“Look at my aunt. She married for looks, and then came crawling back. My mom and dad even bet on when she’d divorce—Mom won again.”
