Previous Chapter: The Kingdom of Riem Behind the Scenes
Castle Albion, Runepolis, Holy Mirishial Empire
An emergency meeting was being held at Castle Albion in the imperial capital Runepolis. At the head of the meeting was Emperor Mirishial VIII. The attendees included Minister of Military Affairs Schmill Pao, Director of National Defense Agra, and several other military officials.
Notable mentions, which usually don’t meet in the same room, are Director of the Antiquities Department of Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations of the Imperial Ministry of Countermeasures Against the Ancient Sorcerous Empire Hirkane Parpe, Captain of the Pal Chimera aerial battleship that went toe-to-toe against the Gra Valkas Empire Meteos, Intelligence Bureau Director Arneus, and finally Foreign Affairs Minister Peclas and Supervisor Liage.
Many other distinguished and first-rate members participated in the meeting. What they were about to discuss is a matter so important that the Holy Mirishial Empire couldn’t ignore…
“We will now commence this meeting.”
Intelligence Bureau Director Arneus took the role of presiding over the meeting and declared its commencement. The report regarding the movements of the Gra Valkas Empire was first on the agenda. Characters began to magically emerge on the stone tablets that everyone was holding.
“A short while ago, the magical ocean surface detectors we have installed in the non-civilized country of Meiss have detected a large group of people advancing through the ocean. Due to the enormous scale, the lack of any other magic sources, and the speed at which they move, we have deduced that this is no doubt the Gra Valkas Empire. We have ascertained that this massive fleet is currently east of the Central World travelling eastward. Furthermore, we have estimated their speed at 13 knots and they number in the thousands.”
The room erupted in hushes.
“There’s even more of them this time in comparison to when they fought with the World Union Fleet!!!”
“How in the world did a fleet this massive get past the Central World?!”
Arneus continues his explanation.
“The fleet appears to have circumvented the Central World. The fleet that we have discovered this time far exceeds the military scale that the Intelligence Bureau has expected. In the event that the entirety of this fleet attacks Japan, the Intelligence Bureau has analyzed that while the fleet will suffer a considerable amount of damage, the Japanese capital will be burned and leaving a lot of their warships sunk or at the very least heavily damaged.
Furthermore, their industrial areas will be levelled beyond recovery by bombings and naval bombardment. The enemy’s force has deviated so much from our expectations that I think it will be necessary to rethink our decision to deploy.”
A question popped into National Defense Director Agra’s head.
“How are those bastards able to supply themselves? Even if this great fleet is made up of mechanical warships, will supply ships alone be sufficient in powering a fleet this enormous?”
“We are assuming that their preliminary source of replenishment are their supply bases in Leifor. There’s also the fact that Riem in the Third Civilization Area and Qaiz and Groot on Newland Island outside the civilized areas have virtually become subject to the Gra Valkas Empire. Since they have built ports in these countries that are able to accommodate their ships and have readied them as supply bases, we are assuming that they will stop by these bases at least once.”
“So their supply problems are also taken care of…”
Even if they were to attack them now, the scale of the enemy force is too big, and by the time they form an attack force, the enemy will have already completed their resupply and will have departed for Japan. Since the Emperor had already said in their previous meeting that they will instead just watch as the fleet attacks Japan and aim for the ammo-depleted fleet that will return after the attack, Agra had nothing more to say.
The room further erupted in hushes.
With a raise of his hand, Emperor Mirishial VIII quiets the room.
“So if things go as they are, Japan will be reduced to a state beyond recovery?”
“Yes. That is how massive the fleet of the Gra Valkas Empire is this time.”
“Well, what will happen if, although unlikely, the fleet will be wiped out?”
“Naturally, with such a massive fleet, we don’t know how many ships there are left in their homeland, but just like any other country, if a fleet this enormous gets wiped out, it will take a considerable amount of time for them to rebuild!”
“Hmm…”
Mirishial pondered.
“Just as I thought. We can’t let it get to the point where everybody else says that we just let an ally get attacked. We should at least do the bare minimum… Inform Japan of the scale and direction of this new Gra Valkas Empire fleet. As for our military…”
The Emperor turns to Agra.
“We won’t make it in time.”
“Indeed, Your Excellency!”
“Well, ready our forces for when they’re en route back home. While we’re on the matter, Hirkane…”
“Yes, Your Excellency?”
“Will the aerial battleship Pal Chimera be on time if it sorties now?”
“The unit is currently being readied! Even if we were to deploy at once after we finish changing the components and replenishment, we will still be able to reach the mainland of Japan in time. Even if the replenishment were to take longer than anticipated or the unit were to take the longer route around the Rodenius continent, we would still make it to Tokyo in time.”
“Good. Sending one is just fine. However, Meteos…”
“Yes, Your Excellency?”
“Our goal this time is to show Japan and the world that the Holy Mirishial Empire will come to their aid. It would also be useful for us to show Japan our power. This time, however, I will not tolerate you getting too close and being shot down like the other unit. You must pick your fights, even if it takes longer to achieve. In the event ammunition or fuel is low, don’t force yourself into a tight situation and return home promptly.”
“As you command, Your Excellency!”
The Emperor continues to issue orders.
“Liage…”
“Yes, Your Excellency?”
“Tell this to every country outside the civilized areas: If you do so much as sink even a single ship from the Gra Valkas Empire, your country will be elevated from a 5th class status to a 3rd class status. Also, tell the other countries on Newland Island that if they start an attack on Qaiz and Groot, the Holy Mirishial Empire will send for support later on. Any country that will take an attitude with us will be stomped on. As for Riem, the Holy Mirishial Empire will crush them.”
In the empire’s diplomacy, there exists a class/rank system. Japan and the other superpowers are considered special class countries. The 11 countries that participate in the world conference and the rest of the Central World are considered 1st class countries. Those in the Second Civilization Area are considered 2nd class countries. Those in the Third Civilization Area are considered 3rd class countries. Those belonging to outside the civilized areas are considered 4th class countries and below.
Most of the countries outside the civilized areas and those on the fringes of the Third Civilization Area fall under the lowest class, the 5th class. Once these countries sink at least a single Gra Valkas Empire ship, they will be elevated to a 3rd class country, putting them on the same level as those from the Third Civilization Area. Due to the higher degree of technological outflow that will be allowed, their national power will be greatly increased. From the perspective of these non-civilized countries, this will be an exceptional, special advantage that allows them to possess and edge against their neighbors.
“A-are you certain, Your Excellency?”
“Yes. With the emergence of Japan, the balance of power in the near future will be shaken. It’s about time that we use our influence on the non-civilized countries. While we’re on the subject, tell the adventurer guilds and associations in the eastern countries that if they’re able to land at least a single magic flame bullet or a magic shell from their cannons on a Gra Valkas Empire ship, the Holy Mirishial Empire will bestow upon them a great reward.
This reward is open to everyone, regardless of their status. In particular, if the guilds from Qaiz and Groot are able to land a successful attack, they will receive not only a reward, but a 3rd class citizenship under the Holy Mirishial Empire. Make sure this also gets to the pirate guilds.”
“With haste, Your Excellency!”
The results of the meeting were swiftly decided. The Holy Mirishial Empire has finished concocting its scheme.
・・・
Steel Claw tavern, a certain northern town, the island kingdom of Nahanath
Located 400km south of the Rodenius continent is a small island where the Nahanath Kingdom, a country outside civilized areas, resides. Represented as a mere dot on any world map, the 70km wide island serves as the bridge between the Third Civilization Area and the southern world. Famed for its great meals and alcohol, the Steel Claw tavern was brimming with life.
“Oy, oy!!! Did you hear the stuff down at the adventure guild?!”
An adventurer-esque man was talking to a pirate-esque man.
“Uhuh. A GVE or whatchamacallit-empire fleet will pass through here. It seems that the Holy Mirishial Empire will reward anyone who could simply just land an attack on that fleet. Not only that but this offer is up for anyone, right? That means that even I, a pirate, am eligible for that reward. With that reward from the Emperor, anyone is set for life.”
“Yeah! I’m all fired up now… All I need to do is land a shot with my wyvern and pull back immediately. This’ll be easy.”
The drunkards continued to talk about their fantasies.
“Hol’ up. It couldn’t be that easy, right?”
“Oh? Why it ain’t the commander of the dragon knights! What? You came here to arrest me? Oh? Is that alcohol I see in your hand? Are you sure someone of your caliber is permissible to drink here?”
“Nah. I recognize for now that you pirates and adventurers are important for this task. The kingdom is in a frenzy… HME has also told our country that if we could sink at least a single ship, they’d consider us a 3rd class country… The royal palace suddenly roared to life. Once we become a 3rd class country, we’d all be filthy rich. We’d be so rich that we could rub them riches on the face of other countries!”
“Well ain’t that great?!”
“Yeah but it ain’t that straightforward. Without any magical display devices or radio, info doesn’t spread to this part of the world as quickly, so it’s only natural that y’all don’t know that… the Gra Valkas Empire is the same country that toppled the superpower Leifor. Man, at least get to know that much…”
“R-really?”
“Those guys from the Central World and the Holy Mirishial Empire itself led a fleet under the banner World Union Fleet to try to oust the Gra Valkas Empire. I heard that even when they deployed the ancient superweapons, they still didn’t manage to push the bastards out. That’s the kind of monster we’re dealing with here.”
The men who dreamt of fantasies were suddenly silent.
“Emperor Mirishial sure knows his tricks. I can’t believe he even told the adventurer guilds and such. Normally, there are many countries who are afraid of being attacked back helplessly knowing that they’d lose a lot. However, by getting the adventurer guilds to act, no matter what country they’re from, they’d act swiftly and attack those bastards with their wyverns. With that said, naturally, the countries that lie on the path of the empire have to brace themselves for a counterattack. In the event that they are attacked, they’d be forced to bring in everything they got… Still, they’re up against those monsters.”
“And what about Nahanath, sir dragon knight?”
“Heh… Actually, a few months back, we were approached by a country calling itself Japan. I heard that those guys were able to crush a Gra Valkas Empire fleet in Mu.”
“Ah! Those guys! They’re the ones that pummelled the superpower Parpaldia Empire to the ground as if it were nothing!”
“Yeah, yeah. Do you remember that big Mu port in the town to the east and the airfield used by mechanical planes?”
“Yeah. I heard that we are letting them use it. I think it was in preparation for the invasion. Since they offered a hefty sum for those places, I think they’re someone you don’t wanna mess with. Even the King recognized that. Already there are 9 steel ships anchored off the harbor and 12 iron dragons stationed at the Mu airfield. There also seems to be a group from the Japanese army hiding out in the forest in the northeast. In addition to them, I heard that a 120-strong Mu fighter force will arrive here as well. They’re probably gonna pick off the straggler ships after Japan pulverizes most of them.”
“H-huh…”
“What’s with that face? This is our chance!!!”
“???”
“You’re so slow, brother! Once the Japanese army attacks, there’s sure to be some stragglers who will survive the onslaught! Attacking those stragglers still counts to the reward, right? If anything, the navy also plans to sortie after the Japanese attack! Even if we were to attack those retreating ships, a sunk straggler is still a sunk ship!”
“Ohh!!! I see your point now!!!”
Their interpretations of the conditions matched with one another.
・・・
Mainland Defense Command, Ministry of Defense, Tokyo, Japan
With the threat of the Gra Valkas Empire taking center stage and an invasion imminent, the Japanese government established the Mainland Defense Command to centralize the information collected by the different facets of the Self Defense Force and allow for swift decision-making. All information related to the Gra Valkas Empire is gathered and processed here. Experts and military officials from the JGSDF, JMSDF, and JASDF are all gathered here as well.
“Foreign Affairs has received an emergency notice from the Holy Mirishial Empire.”
Using a computer, they opened the email. The urgent message was sent to them from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a PDF and was promptly printed and distributed to everybody in the room. Everyone quickly perused through the paper. The Holy Mirishial Empire had detected a fleet that consisted of more than a thousand ships.
“So even the HME detected them…”
They have already confirmed via their reconnaissance satellites that multiple advance fleets have already arrived at the ports at Riem, the Qaiz Kingdom, and the Groot Knightland.
“They may have secured resupply ports in other countries… It’s definitely possible that once they wrap up their replenishment, fleets from multiple ports will converge and attack us in a single sweep.”
So far, they were able to confirm 56 ships in Riem, 230 ships in the vicinity of Qaiz, 210 ships in Groot, and 996 ships cruising through the east of the Central World.
“The empire may swing around south of Rodenius. There’s too many islands scattered to the north. It makes me feel uncomfortable that we have to intercept them before they even link up.”
“Yeah. As much as possible, I would want to only have to shoot down 300 or less. It’d be bad if they all converge at once.”
“Still, we are only able to secure permanent bases in Altaras, Qua Toyne, Quila, and Nahanath. The rest are all temporary licenses…”
“There’s just too many of them this time. Still, we mustn’t lose heart!”
The discussion continues.
“Hm?”
Mitsugi from the Ministry of Defense reaches the last part of the document.
To help dampen the enemy fleet, we will send out a single unit of the aerial battleship Pal Chimera.
“How worrisome. Do we have any enemy-friendly distinction protocols for the HME’s aerial battleships?”
“Obviously not. Them sending one of them is proving to be a headache…”
As of now, they have already completed the mid-air targeting programming for their guided anti-ship missiles, but since the invasion came before they could upgrade existing platforms, there was no way that their anti-ship missiles would accidentally home in on an aerial target. However, they still couldn’t rule out the possibility that an anti-air missile may accidentally hit their allies.
“And then there’s this…”
“Yeah. Due to the Holy Mirishial Empire’s directive, we should be seeing intermittent wyvern attacks on their fleet from every country that could field them. It’s only gonna result in friendly fire if they decide to attack them near one of our bases. Visible anti-air combat is no joke either. We have to get Foreign Affairs to send out a notice to everyone not to enter within a certain radius from our bases.”
“But sending out a notice like that means that we’d be giving off the locations of our bases to the enemy.”
The Ministry of Defense continued to worry over the information that kept on coming in.
・・・
Qaiz Kingdom, Newland Island, outside the Third Civilization Area
Adventurer Alhaw flew through the skies of the Qaiz Kingdom in his wyvern.
“You on the dragon over there! Turn back this instant!”
He ignored every message he heard over the magic comms that started coming in a while ago. He was confident that the arm that can control a wyvern will never lose. As the commander of the oversight troops under the Royal Dragon Knights, there was no way he would lose. In his 18 years in the adventurer business, there was only one instance where they were able to participate in something big.
When the wicked dragons came, with the help of his fellow brethren and his wyvern’s reliable magic flame bullet, they were able to save the kingdom. At the time, the King bequeathed upon him a handsome reward, allowing him to pursue his dream of becoming an adventurer and finding a bride. However, his life as an adventurer didn’t go well, plunging his wife and child into a life of subsistence.
In the midst of their suffering came the talk of a reward from the Holy Mirishial Empire. Adding to their fortunes were rumors that the Gra Valkas Empire was in port in Qaiz.
Whether they are superpowers or not, to him they were sitting ducks. Their iron dragons may be strong but there was no way they’d win over someone who can control a wyvern as skillfully as he could. All he has to do is launch a magic flame bullet from above and pull back. This was something even he could do.
Once he reaches his maximum height, the reward is as good as his. With citizenship from the Holy Mirishial Empire, his wife and child are set for life.
It certainly felt like a dream.
Alhaw cut through the air as he controlled his wyvern.
“Hm?”
Multiple dots appeared in front of him.
“So those are the rumored iron dragons?”
Just in case, he immediately dropped his altitude to a point where he seemed like he crawled across the surface. However, the iron dragons followed suit, dropping in altitude and facing his direction. A bad premonition surfaced in his mind telling him to jerk his wyvern to the right.
“Wha-!!!”
Bullets of light rained down on the path he would’ve taken just moments before, raising up clouds of dust as they individually landed on the ground below. After they unleashed their barrage, the iron dragons raised their noses and climbed at divine speeds.
“T-they’re quick!!!”
Alhaw quickly changed stance and unleashed a magic flame bullet at his enemies. However…
“T-that’s ridiculous! Did they just dodge that one that easily?! Not only is it fast but it turns superbly as well?!”
Its nose soon faced his direction. The high-pitched shrill of the iron dragon further exacerbated his dread. The ground was covered in sand and there was nowhere he could hide.
“F-fuck!!!”
He feels that death is coming for him. The bullets of light that were hurled by the enemy seemed so agonizingly slow as he stared at them. His life flashed before his eyes. He felt as if he had seen the weeping faces of his wife and child at the end.
“I-I’m sorry…”
An intense sensation of heat ran through his body before the feeling disappeared together with his sense of consciousness. In the end, all that Alhaw thought of was his family.
1st Advanced Fleet, Gra Valkas Empire Combined Fleet
Following the capture of the Crown Prince, the higher ups have decided to attack Japan by deploying a fleet so large that it dwarfed every other operation before it. Leaving only the Capital Defense Fleet and the Leifor Defense Fleet, the Imperial Navy has mustered every single bit of firepower it has for the unprecedented operation. Organizing a Combined Fleet, the higher ups assigned Caesar, the one with the highest number of battles fought among the Three Great Generals, as commander.
However, the Combined Fleet this time had an abnormally high number of destroyers. After declaring war on the entire world at the World Conference in the Holy Mirishial Empire, they focused on mass producing destroyers. The reason for this is due to the limited number of civilizations that are able to reliably sink a single destroyer. While the new class of destroyers have been commissioned into service, their ammo standard differs from their established classes. Since mass production of their ammo hasn’t kept up to speed, the new class of destroyers weren’t counted as combat-ready. With reserve ships being dragged out for the fight, their fleet had swelled in size but its composition was dominated by destroyers.
Mirkenses, the sole woman among the Three Great Generals, was given command of the 1st Advance Fleet.
“How long till the resupply is finished?”
“Ma’am! We will be done in about an hour!”
Due to the fleet being exceedingly exposed and weak during resupply, Antares carrier-based fighters were sent out to patrol the skies above the fleet in the harbor. The sounds of gunfire reverberated across the ocean as sailing ships sank under bombardment.
“Not again… Idiots…”
Since some time ago, wyverns that intermittently break into the no-fly zone have been shot down by their guns. They’ve already shot down 13 of them. 12 sailing ships, which arrived without prior notice, have also been sunk.
“Let’s wrap this up quickly. I don’t want to waste any more ammo. It seems that these irritating attacks will continue until they actually hit a ship.”
The Gra Valkas Empire is troubled by the attacks of impatient adventurers.
Previous Chapter: The Kingdom of Riem Behind the Scenes
Castle Albion, Runepolis, Holy Mirishial Empire
An emergency meeting was being held at Castle Albion in the imperial capital Runepolis. At the head of the meeting was Emperor Mirishial VIII. The attendees included Minister of Military Affairs Schmill Pao, Director of National Defense Agra, and several other military officials.
Notable mentions, which usually don’t meet in the same room, are Director of the Antiquities Department of Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations of the Imperial Ministry of Countermeasures Against the Ancient Sorcerous Empire Hirkane Parpe, Captain of the Pal Chimera aerial battleship that went toe-to-toe against the Gra Valkas Empire Meteos, Intelligence Bureau Director Arneus, and finally Foreign Affairs Minister Peclas and Supervisor Liage.
Many other distinguished and first-rate members participated in the meeting. What they were about to discuss is a matter so important that the Holy Mirishial Empire couldn’t ignore…
“We will now commence this meeting.”
Intelligence Bureau Director Arneus took the role of presiding over the meeting and declared its commencement. The report regarding the movements of the Gra Valkas Empire was first on the agenda. Characters began to magically emerge on the stone tablets that everyone was holding.
“A short while ago, the magical ocean surface detectors we have installed in the non-civilized country of Meiss have detected a large group of people advancing through the ocean. Due to the enormous scale, the lack of any other magic sources, and the speed at which they move, we have deduced that this is no doubt the Gra Valkas Empire. We have ascertained that this massive fleet is currently east of the Central World travelling eastward. Furthermore, we have estimated their speed at 13 knots and they number in the thousands.”
The room erupted in hushes.
“There’s even more of them this time in comparison to when they fought with the World Union Fleet!!!”
“How in the world did a fleet this massive get past the Central World?!”
Arneus continues his explanation.
“The fleet appears to have circumvented the Central World. The fleet that we have discovered this time far exceeds the military scale that the Intelligence Bureau has expected. In the event that the entirety of this fleet attacks Japan, the Intelligence Bureau has analyzed that while the fleet will suffer a considerable amount of damage, the Japanese capital will be burned and leaving a lot of their warships sunk or at the very least heavily damaged.
Furthermore, their industrial areas will be levelled beyond recovery by bombings and naval bombardment. The enemy’s force has deviated so much from our expectations that I think it will be necessary to rethink our decision to deploy.”
A question popped into National Defense Director Agra’s head.
“How are those bastards able to supply themselves? Even if this great fleet is made up of mechanical warships, will supply ships alone be sufficient in powering a fleet this enormous?”
“We are assuming that their preliminary source of replenishment are their supply bases in Leifor. There’s also the fact that Riem in the Third Civilization Area and Qaiz and Groot on Newland Island outside the civilized areas have virtually become subject to the Gra Valkas Empire. Since they have built ports in these countries that are able to accommodate their ships and have readied them as supply bases, we are assuming that they will stop by these bases at least once.”
“So their supply problems are also taken care of…”
Even if they were to attack them now, the scale of the enemy force is too big, and by the time they form an attack force, the enemy will have already completed their resupply and will have departed for Japan. Since the Emperor had already said in their previous meeting that they will instead just watch as the fleet attacks Japan and aim for the ammo-depleted fleet that will return after the attack, Agra had nothing more to say.
The room further erupted in hushes.
With a raise of his hand, Emperor Mirishial VIII quiets the room.
“So if things go as they are, Japan will be reduced to a state beyond recovery?”
“Yes. That is how massive the fleet of the Gra Valkas Empire is this time.”
“Well, what will happen if, although unlikely, the fleet will be wiped out?”
“Naturally, with such a massive fleet, we don’t know how many ships there are left in their homeland, but just like any other country, if a fleet this enormous gets wiped out, it will take a considerable amount of time for them to rebuild!”
“Hmm…”
Mirishial pondered.
“Just as I thought. We can’t let it get to the point where everybody else says that we just let an ally get attacked. We should at least do the bare minimum… Inform Japan of the scale and direction of this new Gra Valkas Empire fleet. As for our military…”
The Emperor turns to Agra.
“We won’t make it in time.”
“Indeed, Your Excellency!”
“Well, ready our forces for when they’re en route back home. While we’re on the matter, Hirkane…”
“Yes, Your Excellency?”
“Will the aerial battleship Pal Chimera be on time if it sorties now?”
“The unit is currently being readied! Even if we were to deploy at once after we finish changing the components and replenishment, we will still be able to reach the mainland of Japan in time. Even if the replenishment were to take longer than anticipated or the unit were to take the longer route around the Rodenius continent, we would still make it to Tokyo in time.”
“Good. Sending one is just fine. However, Meteos…”
“Yes, Your Excellency?”
“Our goal this time is to show Japan and the world that the Holy Mirishial Empire will come to their aid. It would also be useful for us to show Japan our power. This time, however, I will not tolerate you getting too close and being shot down like the other unit. You must pick your fights, even if it takes longer to achieve. In the event ammunition or fuel is low, don’t force yourself into a tight situation and return home promptly.”
“As you command, Your Excellency!”
The Emperor continues to issue orders.
“Liage…”
“Yes, Your Excellency?”
“Tell this to every country outside the civilized areas: If you do so much as sink even a single ship from the Gra Valkas Empire, your country will be elevated from a 5th class status to a 3rd class status. Also, tell the other countries on Newland Island that if they start an attack on Qaiz and Groot, the Holy Mirishial Empire will send for support later on. Any country that will take an attitude with us will be stomped on. As for Riem, the Holy Mirishial Empire will crush them.”
In the empire’s diplomacy, there exists a class/rank system. Japan and the other superpowers are considered special class countries. The 11 countries that participate in the world conference and the rest of the Central World are considered 1st class countries. Those in the Second Civilization Area are considered 2nd class countries. Those in the Third Civilization Area are considered 3rd class countries. Those belonging to outside the civilized areas are considered 4th class countries and below.
Most of the countries outside the civilized areas and those on the fringes of the Third Civilization Area fall under the lowest class, the 5th class. Once these countries sink at least a single Gra Valkas Empire ship, they will be elevated to a 3rd class country, putting them on the same level as those from the Third Civilization Area. Due to the higher degree of technological outflow that will be allowed, their national power will be greatly increased. From the perspective of these non-civilized countries, this will be an exceptional, special advantage that allows them to possess and edge against their neighbors.
“A-are you certain, Your Excellency?”
“Yes. With the emergence of Japan, the balance of power in the near future will be shaken. It’s about time that we use our influence on the non-civilized countries. While we’re on the subject, tell the adventurer guilds and associations in the eastern countries that if they’re able to land at least a single magic flame bullet or a magic shell from their cannons on a Gra Valkas Empire ship, the Holy Mirishial Empire will bestow upon them a great reward.
This reward is open to everyone, regardless of their status. In particular, if the guilds from Qaiz and Groot are able to land a successful attack, they will receive not only a reward, but a 3rd class citizenship under the Holy Mirishial Empire. Make sure this also gets to the pirate guilds.”
“With haste, Your Excellency!”
The results of the meeting were swiftly decided. The Holy Mirishial Empire has finished concocting its scheme.
・・・
Steel Claw tavern, a certain northern town, the island kingdom of Nahanath
Located 400km south of the Rodenius continent is a small island where the Nahanath Kingdom, a country outside civilized areas, resides. Represented as a mere dot on any world map, the 70km wide island serves as the bridge between the Third Civilization Area and the southern world. Famed for its great meals and alcohol, the Steel Claw tavern was brimming with life.
“Oy, oy!!! Did you hear the stuff down at the adventure guild?!”
An adventurer-esque man was talking to a pirate-esque man.
“Uhuh. A GVE or whatchamacallit-empire fleet will pass through here. It seems that the Holy Mirishial Empire will reward anyone who could simply just land an attack on that fleet. Not only that but this offer is up for anyone, right? That means that even I, a pirate, am eligible for that reward. With that reward from the Emperor, anyone is set for life.”
“Yeah! I’m all fired up now… All I need to do is land a shot with my wyvern and pull back immediately. This’ll be easy.”
The drunkards continued to talk about their fantasies.
“Hol’ up. It couldn’t be that easy, right?”
“Oh? Why it ain’t the commander of the dragon knights! What? You came here to arrest me? Oh? Is that alcohol I see in your hand? Are you sure someone of your caliber is permissible to drink here?”
“Nah. I recognize for now that you pirates and adventurers are important for this task. The kingdom is in a frenzy… HME has also told our country that if we could sink at least a single ship, they’d consider us a 3rd class country… The royal palace suddenly roared to life. Once we become a 3rd class country, we’d all be filthy rich. We’d be so rich that we could rub them riches on the face of other countries!”
“Well ain’t that great?!”
“Yeah but it ain’t that straightforward. Without any magical display devices or radio, info doesn’t spread to this part of the world as quickly, so it’s only natural that y’all don’t know that… the Gra Valkas Empire is the same country that toppled the superpower Leifor. Man, at least get to know that much…”
“R-really?”
“Those guys from the Central World and the Holy Mirishial Empire itself led a fleet under the banner World Union Fleet to try to oust the Gra Valkas Empire. I heard that even when they deployed the ancient superweapons, they still didn’t manage to push the bastards out. That’s the kind of monster we’re dealing with here.”
The men who dreamt of fantasies were suddenly silent.
“Emperor Mirishial sure knows his tricks. I can’t believe he even told the adventurer guilds and such. Normally, there are many countries who are afraid of being attacked back helplessly knowing that they’d lose a lot. However, by getting the adventurer guilds to act, no matter what country they’re from, they’d act swiftly and attack those bastards with their wyverns. With that said, naturally, the countries that lie on the path of the empire have to brace themselves for a counterattack. In the event that they are attacked, they’d be forced to bring in everything they got… Still, they’re up against those monsters.”
“And what about Nahanath, sir dragon knight?”
“Heh… Actually, a few months back, we were approached by a country calling itself Japan. I heard that those guys were able to crush a Gra Valkas Empire fleet in Mu.”
“Ah! Those guys! They’re the ones that pummelled the superpower Parpaldia Empire to the ground as if it were nothing!”
“Yeah, yeah. Do you remember that big Mu port in the town to the east and the airfield used by mechanical planes?”
“Yeah. I heard that we are letting them use it. I think it was in preparation for the invasion. Since they offered a hefty sum for those places, I think they’re someone you don’t wanna mess with. Even the King recognized that. Already there are 9 steel ships anchored off the harbor and 12 iron dragons stationed at the Mu airfield. There also seems to be a group from the Japanese army hiding out in the forest in the northeast. In addition to them, I heard that a 120-strong Mu fighter force will arrive here as well. They’re probably gonna pick off the straggler ships after Japan pulverizes most of them.”
“H-huh…”
“What’s with that face? This is our chance!!!”
“???”
“You’re so slow, brother! Once the Japanese army attacks, there’s sure to be some stragglers who will survive the onslaught! Attacking those stragglers still counts to the reward, right? If anything, the navy also plans to sortie after the Japanese attack! Even if we were to attack those retreating ships, a sunk straggler is still a sunk ship!”
“Ohh!!! I see your point now!!!”
Their interpretations of the conditions matched with one another.
・・・
Mainland Defense Command, Ministry of Defense, Tokyo, Japan
With the threat of the Gra Valkas Empire taking center stage and an invasion imminent, the Japanese government established the Mainland Defense Command to centralize the information collected by the different facets of the Self Defense Force and allow for swift decision-making. All information related to the Gra Valkas Empire is gathered and processed here. Experts and military officials from the JGSDF, JMSDF, and JASDF are all gathered here as well.
“Foreign Affairs has received an emergency notice from the Holy Mirishial Empire.”
Using a computer, they opened the email. The urgent message was sent to them from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a PDF and was promptly printed and distributed to everybody in the room. Everyone quickly perused through the paper. The Holy Mirishial Empire had detected a fleet that consisted of more than a thousand ships.
“So even the HME detected them…”
They have already confirmed via their reconnaissance satellites that multiple advance fleets have already arrived at the ports at Riem, the Qaiz Kingdom, and the Groot Knightland.
“They may have secured resupply ports in other countries… It’s definitely possible that once they wrap up their replenishment, fleets from multiple ports will converge and attack us in a single sweep.”
So far, they were able to confirm 56 ships in Riem, 230 ships in the vicinity of Qaiz, 210 ships in Groot, and 996 ships cruising through the east of the Central World.
“The empire may swing around south of Rodenius. There’s too many islands scattered to the north. It makes me feel uncomfortable that we have to intercept them before they even link up.”
“Yeah. As much as possible, I would want to only have to shoot down 300 or less. It’d be bad if they all converge at once.”
“Still, we are only able to secure permanent bases in Altaras, Qua Toyne, Quila, and Nahanath. The rest are all temporary licenses…”
“There’s just too many of them this time. Still, we mustn’t lose heart!”
The discussion continues.
“Hm?”
Mitsugi from the Ministry of Defense reaches the last part of the document.
To help dampen the enemy fleet, we will send out a single unit of the aerial battleship Pal Chimera.
“How worrisome. Do we have any enemy-friendly distinction protocols for the HME’s aerial battleships?”
“Obviously not. Them sending one of them is proving to be a headache…”
As of now, they have already completed the mid-air targeting programming for their guided anti-ship missiles, but since the invasion came before they could upgrade existing platforms, there was no way that their anti-ship missiles would accidentally home in on an aerial target. However, they still couldn’t rule out the possibility that an anti-air missile may accidentally hit their allies.
“And then there’s this…”
“Yeah. Due to the Holy Mirishial Empire’s directive, we should be seeing intermittent wyvern attacks on their fleet from every country that could field them. It’s only gonna result in friendly fire if they decide to attack them near one of our bases. Visible anti-air combat is no joke either. We have to get Foreign Affairs to send out a notice to everyone not to enter within a certain radius from our bases.”
“But sending out a notice like that means that we’d be giving off the locations of our bases to the enemy.”
The Ministry of Defense continued to worry over the information that kept on coming in.
・・・
Qaiz Kingdom, Newland Island, outside the Third Civilization Area
Adventurer Alhaw flew through the skies of the Qaiz Kingdom in his wyvern.
“You on the dragon over there! Turn back this instant!”
He ignored every message he heard over the magic comms that started coming in a while ago. He was confident that the arm that can control a wyvern will never lose. As the commander of the oversight troops under the Royal Dragon Knights, there was no way he would lose. In his 18 years in the adventurer business, there was only one instance where they were able to participate in something big.
When the wicked dragons came, with the help of his fellow brethren and his wyvern’s reliable magic flame bullet, they were able to save the kingdom. At the time, the King bequeathed upon him a handsome reward, allowing him to pursue his dream of becoming an adventurer and finding a bride. However, his life as an adventurer didn’t go well, plunging his wife and child into a life of subsistence.
In the midst of their suffering came the talk of a reward from the Holy Mirishial Empire. Adding to their fortunes were rumors that the Gra Valkas Empire was in port in Qaiz.
Whether they are superpowers or not, to him they were sitting ducks. Their iron dragons may be strong but there was no way they’d win over someone who can control a wyvern as skillfully as he could. All he has to do is launch a magic flame bullet from above and pull back. This was something even he could do.
Once he reaches his maximum height, the reward is as good as his. With citizenship from the Holy Mirishial Empire, his wife and child are set for life.
It certainly felt like a dream.
Alhaw cut through the air as he controlled his wyvern.
“Hm?”
Multiple dots appeared in front of him.
“So those are the rumored iron dragons?”
Just in case, he immediately dropped his altitude to a point where he seemed like he crawled across the surface. However, the iron dragons followed suit, dropping in altitude and facing his direction. A bad premonition surfaced in his mind telling him to jerk his wyvern to the right.
“Wha-!!!”
Bullets of light rained down on the path he would’ve taken just moments before, raising up clouds of dust as they individually landed on the ground below. After they unleashed their barrage, the iron dragons raised their noses and climbed at divine speeds.
“T-they’re quick!!!”
Alhaw quickly changed stance and unleashed a magic flame bullet at his enemies. However…
“T-that’s ridiculous! Did they just dodge that one that easily?! Not only is it fast but it turns superbly as well?!”
Its nose soon faced his direction. The high-pitched shrill of the iron dragon further exacerbated his dread. The ground was covered in sand and there was nowhere he could hide.
“F-fuck!!!”
He feels that death is coming for him. The bullets of light that were hurled by the enemy seemed so agonizingly slow as he stared at them. His life flashed before his eyes. He felt as if he had seen the weeping faces of his wife and child at the end.
“I-I’m sorry…”
An intense sensation of heat ran through his body before the feeling disappeared together with his sense of consciousness. In the end, all that Alhaw thought of was his family.
1st Advanced Fleet, Gra Valkas Empire Combined Fleet
Following the capture of the Crown Prince, the higher ups have decided to attack Japan by deploying a fleet so large that it dwarfed every other operation before it. Leaving only the Capital Defense Fleet and the Leifor Defense Fleet, the Imperial Navy has mustered every single bit of firepower it has for the unprecedented operation. Organizing a Combined Fleet, the higher ups assigned Caesar, the one with the highest number of battles fought among the Three Great Generals, as commander.
However, the Combined Fleet this time had an abnormally high number of destroyers. After declaring war on the entire world at the World Conference in the Holy Mirishial Empire, they focused on mass producing destroyers. The reason for this is due to the limited number of civilizations that are able to reliably sink a single destroyer. While the new class of destroyers have been commissioned into service, their ammo standard differs from their established classes. Since mass production of their ammo hasn’t kept up to speed, the new class of destroyers weren’t counted as combat-ready. With reserve ships being dragged out for the fight, their fleet had swelled in size but its composition was dominated by destroyers.
Mirkenses, the sole woman among the Three Great Generals, was given command of the 1st Advance Fleet.
“How long till the resupply is finished?”
“Ma’am! We will be done in about an hour!”
Due to the fleet being exceedingly exposed and weak during resupply, Antares carrier-based fighters were sent out to patrol the skies above the fleet in the harbor. The sounds of gunfire reverberated across the ocean as sailing ships sank under bombardment.
“Not again… Idiots…”
Since some time ago, wyverns that intermittently break into the no-fly zone have been shot down by their guns. They’ve already shot down 13 of them. 12 sailing ships, which arrived without prior notice, have also been sunk.
“Let’s wrap this up quickly. I don’t want to waste any more ammo. It seems that these irritating attacks will continue until they actually hit a ship.”
The Gra Valkas Empire is troubled by the attacks of impatient adventurers.
