The Water Magician

The day after repelling the raiding fleet.

The transport fleet is advancing steadily towards the capital.

Ryo is sitting on the upper deck with a chair and table, reading a book on alchemy.

He has started on the second of the three books he purchased in the City of Manyamia.

A little distance away, Abel is swinging his sword.

From what Ryo can see, he appears to be moving more carefully and slowly than before, confirming each movement with precision.

After a while, Abel finishes his practice and walks over to Ryo's table.

Naturally, he sits down on the ice chair with an ice mat that has been prepared.

And, as if it were the most obvious thing, he drinks the coffee that is offered to him.

"Ahh..."

A satisfied sigh escapes his lips.

Abel murmured, "I wonder what will happen with the Sujay Kingdom."

"What do you mean by that?"

Not wanting to ignore him, Ryo decides to respond.

Indeed, Ryo is a really good guy.

Even if no one says it, he is a good guy!

"There was a battle between the fleets and there are captives and seized ships. Eventually, peace negotiations will take place, but I wonder what the Sujay Kingdom is thinking."

"Hmm..."

Ryo ponders Abel's words.

Ten seconds later, he looks up and says, "What if they simply abandon them?"

"Abandon them? What do you mean?"

"The captives and the ships."

"No... that's not possible..."

Abel shakes his head at Ryo's unexpected suggestion.

"The fleet, which is not under the government's orders, will argue that they clashed with the neighboring fleet on their own."

"Yeah, that's definitely a stretch."

Abel shoots down Ryo's reasoning.

However, Ryo is not discouraged.

"Unlike land clashes, maritime conflicts have the advantage of making it easier to adjust the expansion of the front lines."

"Suddenly, what? What do you mean?"

"In the worst case, even if they are wiped out, the damage is only to the ships and their crew."

"Hey..."

"If this were on land, cities would fall, and the next city would be in danger too... The reckless expansion of the front line would be possible. The people would become anxious, the political situation would worsen, and the extent and speed of the impact would be completely different on the sea."

"I see... I understand what you want to say."

"So, this clash could also be dismissed as if it never happened! I think it’s a valid judgment..."

"Yeah, but that's still not going to happen."

Abel dismisses Ryo's final leap in logic.

"I was so close... What a shame."

"Not even close."

Ryo looks disappointed while Abel shakes his head slightly.

This is just a casual conversation between the first duke and his majesty the king.

As they talk, someone approaches them.

As the person tries to get closer, two marines standing right next to them block the way.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I just caught a whiff of that wonderful coffee aroma."

The person who approached says with a wry smile.

"That's Lockday, right?"

Abel says, raising his hand slightly.

The marines who blocked the way step back behind Lockday.

"You are the one who surrendered, right? Well, please, go ahead."

Ryo says, creating an ice chair and cup, and pours the remaining coffee from the French press into the cup.

"Thank you very much."

Lockday replies, sits down on the ice chair with an ice mat, and takes the cup.

The hand that receives it is bound by wooden shackles, resembling handcuffs.

It looks a bit difficult to drink, but there's nothing to be done about it.

Neither Ryo nor Abel has the authority to remove those shackles.

After slowly savoring the aroma, Lockday takes a sip of the coffee.

And then, he swallows.

"Oh..."

An involuntary murmur escapes his lips.

He takes another sip.

"This is truly delicious."

He says with a delighted expression.

"Right? It's a special blend from the Azure Orb Pavilion in Manyamia."

Ryo replies, equally pleased.

After enjoying the coffee for a while, Lockday looks at the ice cup and says, "This water attribute magic is amazing."

"Well, it's not that impressive."

Lockday praises him, and Ryo gets shy.

"You were the one who commanded the ice bridge cast during the battle, weren't you?"