Published: January 17, 2026
With the discussion about the future wrapped up, the conversation turned back to the ship.
“...Still, I’m quite curious about that silver exterior. How exactly does it protect the ship from large demonic beasts?”
His Majesty muttered those words, and I sighed, shaking my head from side to side.
“Well, we’re still in the stage of making various guesses... To be honest, if we could just acquire the silver armor and the navigation technology for open seas, this ship could set sail immediately. We could even aim for the Fiesta Kingdom, or make contact with the Solstice Empire ourselves…”
After saying that, Aperta shrugged her shoulders and let out a short breath.
“In other words, it’s not yet practical. But those technologies would surely take decades to develop from scratch. Ideally, we’d like to lure experts from the Fiesta Kingdom here.”
Without hesitation, Aperta voiced an opinion that seemed to perfectly hit on my thoughts. Aperta, what a formidable child.
Thinking that, I cleared my throat lightly and replied.
“Ahem… Yeah, that’s about right. In the end, if we research independently, it’ll require a lot of budget, personnel, and time. But if we can hire people who have already studied those skills and knowledge elsewhere, it’s more cost-effective. That said, I think that will be difficult this time.”
Aperta nodded in agreement with my opinion.
“Certainly. Even just gathering intelligence on neighboring countries connected by land is difficult, let alone reaching out to maritime nations across vast oceans. Conversely, those maritime nations can contact us anytime and negotiate alliances or trade from a strong position. This kind of relationship is not good. The captain named Tran seems to be a very manageable person, but those managing the core of the country are not so easy. If possible, we want to establish an alliance of equals before the Solstice Empire does.”
“Even if we form an alliance, they wouldn’t leak the most important secrets. The only thing we can do is hire Fiesta’s captain like mercenaries and borrow their ships for operation. But that’s not very rewarding.”
At Aperta’s words, His Majesty spoke with a slightly suggestive tone. It wasn’t a simple agreement or disagreement with Aperta, but it felt like he had something else to say. And if I wasn’t mistaken, that implication was directed at me.
Perhaps sensing the same thing, Aperta glanced at me after hearing His Majesty’s words. Feeling a bad premonition, I looked at their faces in turn.
“...Is there something?”
When I asked to confirm, both smiled brightly.
“I’m counting on you, Viscount Van.”
“I never thought I’d entrust the future of our country to a child of about ten years old, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed. Ha ha ha.”
With that, the two laughed out loud. It was a refreshingly complete pass-off of responsibility. No, no, the Kingdom of Scuderia is supposed to be one of the world’s leading powers. They should have researchers in many fields. Somehow, it felt like the attitude was, “If it’s something new, we’ll just leave it to the genius boy Van-kun.”
Thinking that, I looked up at them with half-lidded eyes.
“Eh, even I think it’s impossible. If anything, I want to improve the ship to build one faster than those from the Fiesta Kingdom. Since ballistae don’t have the recoil of cannons, they can be installed facing every direction and are much easier to handle. I really think we could fight like a moving fortress.”
Sharing the idea I had been thinking over with them, His Majesty lowered his chin with a serious expression.
“...Truly a terrifying boy. What kind of mind does he have?”
When His Majesty said that, Aperta lightly nodded as well.
“The Fiesta Kingdom probably hasn’t acquired the Solstice Empire’s cannons yet. But Viscount Van was already considering how to install cannons if such a ship carried them. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses, he concluded that ballistae would be more powerful…”