The Water Magician

Early the next morning.

The day in the Free City of Kubevasa dawned peacefully and quietly.

However, the tranquility lasted only until ten in the morning.

The commotion spread from the Free Port.

“What is that?”

“...A ship, maybe?”

“It’s a ship. It’s coming closer.”

“No, wait. Even from this distance, the extent of it is...”

“It fills the entire horizon...”

The news of the fleet approaching from beyond the horizon spread rapidly.

Of course, some people rushed to the port authorities...

“It’s a ship from the Duchy of Atinjo. A request has been submitted.”

That was the official response.

The officials could not imagine the pressure with which the fleet, sprawling across the entire horizon, was approaching.

Therefore, they could not understand why the citizens were in such a state of confusion.

“Go outside and look at the horizon!”

Pulled by such citizens, I went outside to see the scene.

And I understood.

The grandeur of the great fleet.

The overwhelming might.

The sense of despair it instilled...

“What on earth is that...?”

Words involuntarily slipped from the official’s mouth.

The great fleet that filled the horizon.

Moreover, it was not their own fleet.

It was the powerful fleet of a neighboring country...

To instill such a sense of despair.

“Is it really... okay?”

The citizen who had pulled the official outside asked.

“I don’t know...”

“That’s not an acceptable answer.”

“I don’t know! Ask someone important!”

Both the citizen and the official thought the same.

With something like that coming... is this Free City really okay?

“It’s amazing, a fleet that fills the horizon. It’s a sight you don’t see often.”

“Indeed.”

Compared to the despair felt by the official and the citizens, the conversation between the mage and the swordsman lacked any semblance of despair.

The reason for that was likely the difference between being from one’s own country and another.

“Our Naitorei Kingdom also needs a great fleet!”

“No, we don’t. This is likely to intimidate the opponent, right?”

“It’s called gunboat diplomacy.”

“There is no opponent for our country to intimidate with a great fleet.”

“That’s unfortunate...”

The greatest hypothetical enemy of the Naitorei Kingdom was the Debuhi Empire.

However, that Empire was a completely landlocked country without access to the sea.

Even if they were to build a great fleet, they could not intimidate anyone.

Moreover, intimidation often backfires against powerful nations...

But at that moment, Ryo seemed to have an idea.

“I’ve thought of something great!”

“I’m not expecting much, but what is it?”

“Let’s build two hundred Golden Hinds!”

“Huh?”

The Golden Hind is the pride of the Naitorei Kingdom, an Aerial Battleship armed with the incredibly powerful main cannon, Vaidra.

However, it had been sunk by the demon Garwin during the recent Great Mage War...

To reconstruct it?

While it had been sunk, it should be possible to repair and reuse it.

“We’ll build two hundred Golden Hinds! If we need wind magic stones, I’m prepared to provide them from Duke Rondo's territory!”

“That means... overharvesting in that mountain, huh...”

“It’s better if the important people don’t ask for too many details. Just nod!”

Ryo, for some reason, had a mischievous look and said something audacious.

“Well, either way, I can’t grant permission.”

“Why!”

“Because it would cost too much, even without the wind magic stones.”

“...Is that so?”

“Even if mass-produced, it would cost one trillion florin per ship.”

“O-one trillion florin... The curry at the Feast Pavilion costs one thousand florin per bowl, so that would be... enough for a billion servings? That’s certainly impossible...”

“I don’t understand why you compared it to curry. Anyway, that's too expensive a ship.”

Abel was astonished by Ryo's analogy.

But Ryo noticed something.

“The fact that Abel knows the estimated costs for mass production means someone has already planned the Great Fleet of Golden Hind before me!”