第８０５堀：整いつつある戦力 (Part1)
### Chapter 805: Forces Taking Shape
**Side: Yuki**
“...And that’s the gist of it. Kagura and the others’ training is coming along smoothly. Here’s the report.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
As I listened to Mauve’s explanation and scanned the report, I noticed it was filled with photos of them being eaten by fish—well, fish-type monsters. If this were a comedy movie, it’d be a gag, but in real combat footage against monsters, it’s just a casualty confirmation reel.
“If I’d taken them out there without knowing any of this, it would’ve been a disaster.”
“I agree, but since their equipment can compensate for the gaps, I don’t think there’s much to worry about, right?”
“Equipment isn’t absolute, though. Besides, gaining the experience is important. And more than that, the Sea-Cypho issue isn’t just about monsters; it’s about their firearms.”
“So that’s the real concern.”
“Yeah.”
I’d consulted with Taizo and the others, and we all reached the same conclusion: the people on the other side are far more dangerous than most monsters. As for the sea, as long as we’re on the aircraft carrier Taizo prepared, it shouldn’t be a problem. If there were monsters capable of destroying an aircraft carrier, crossing the ocean would be impossible to begin with. We’d be talking about a scale that defies logic—a true clash of titans.
Of course, there’s a chance of enemies boarding and causing damage, but in that case, the enemy’s size would naturally be limited. And if they’re that size, we can handle them. Plus, we’re bringing along the sea monsters led by Shera, so I’m not worried about our combat strength. That leaves the one thing that keeps me up at night: what’s waiting for us behind the scenes.
“Still, if we don’t solve the sea problem, it’ll be hard to negotiate with Sea-Cypho, won’t it?”
“Well, we’ll take it one step at a time. In the meantime, I need you to look after Dressa and the others. My wives will be with them, but you and your crew are better at handling sea monsters. You guys handle the coastal defense, and we’ll head into the deep ocean to find the source.”
“I really shouldn’t have spent all that free time summoning sea monsters just for the sake of fighting them in their own home turf...”
“You should be happy that experience is actually coming in handy now.”
The reason I entrusted Kagura’s training to Mauve and his men is exactly what he just muttered: they have the experience of calling out sea monsters during their downtime and fighting them in the ocean. According to them, they wanted to test their mettle against monsters they couldn’t normally reach. So, they used their Dungeon Master skills to summon every monster they could find and fought them one by one. Thanks to that, they’re useful now—it just goes to show that it pays to try your hand at everything.
“Well, if you’re asking for help, I’ll help.”
“I appreciate it.”
“You owe me a treat next time.”
With that, Mauve started to head out of the room, but he stopped abruptly.
“And one more thing. I’m more worried about the guns. Keep your guard up regarding that.”
“Yeah.”
“Was that meddling? See ya.”
Mauve walked out for real this time. My wives, who had been watching him leave, chimed in.
“It’s rare for Mauve to be that insistent.”
“Yes, indeed. It’s likely his intuition as an adventurer.”
“...An adventurer’s intuition, is it? It’s surprisingly not something to be taken lightly.”
“Mm. Even if Mauve is sloppy in his daily life, his intuition is sharp. He always wins when it counts.”
It might come as a surprise, but my wives hold Mauve in high regard. Part of it might be that he’s an acquaintance of Milly’s, but he was also the one who scouted my wives when they were slaves. Mauve has a keen eye for people, and he has the track record of surviving that war. He may seem unlucky, having lost his family and comrades, but the fact that he’s still alive and well must be a stroke of fortune. Though, I doubt he’d ever see his situation as lucky.
Anyway, that’s enough about that. Let’s talk about the guns.
“Mauve’s intuition is whispering to him, huh? Kirika.”
“Yes? What is it, Master?”
“Mauve seems concerned about Sea-Cypho’s firearms. Once we arrive, I’ll summon you and your team, so I want you to move straight into an investigation. Thanks to Zargis and the others, you’re able to operate stably in the New Continent now, right?”
“Yes. Thanks to the developments made by Zargis-dono and his team, our operational time has increased dramatically. However, instead of waiting for you to arrive, we could also infiltrate the Sea-Cypho Kingdom ahead of time.”
“No, no advance infiltration. We don’t know the state of the monsters in certain areas yet. It’s better to operate within a range where we can retreat immediately if something happens. It’s safer if we go first so we can gauge the situation. Especially since I plan to deploy a dungeon immediately upon arriving in the Sea-Cypho Kingdom.”
If I don’t do that, I won’t be able to deploy the warships. I’d either have to perform the impossible feat of building a ship on the spot or ride one of the Sea-Cypho Kingdom’s vessels. I’d rather avoid both. Weed will provide its own ships. And we’ll make our stance clear. They probably won’t understand the concept of an aircraft carrier, but from what I’ve heard, they only have wooden ships. Once they see our massive steel warships, they’ll be forced to recognize the disparity in power.
“Come to think of it, Yuki-san, according to Taizo-san, you were planning to bring an aircraft carrier, right? Does that mean you’re loading it with airplanes?”
“Ah, that’s true. If you’re bringing an aircraft carrier, it’s not just for transport, is it?”
“Exactly. But even before carrier-based aircraft, you haven’t purchased any fighter planes with DP, have you?”
“Jet fighters are too expensive. Zeros are too fragile, so they’re banned. The only air power Weed has right now is the Wyvern Corps.”
“As everyone said, we don’t have fighter planes, but as Cleena mentioned, we have the Wyvern Corps, so I’ll be deploying them. That said, since the main theater will be underwater, the Wyvern Corps will mostly be on standby. Just in case.”
It would be a laughingstock to have an aircraft carrier without any air power. The crew will be handled by Steve’s and John’s units, and the same goes for the ship Dressa and Mauve will be boarding.
“By the way, what are we going to name the ships?”
“Ah... no, I hadn’t thought about naming them at all.”
They’re just things I’m summoning with DP, after all. If I give them a half-baked name, they’ll surely fail to live up to it.
“Should I ask Aslin?”
“I wouldn’t say Aslin has bad taste, but it’ll probably end up being something like ‘Kuu-chan’ or ‘Uu-chan’.”
“‘Kuu-chan-class Aircraft Carrier, Ship 1: Kuu-chan,’ and ‘Kuu-chan-class Aircraft Carrier, Ship 2: Uu-chan.’ Such adorable names.”
“Mm. Ship 3 will be ‘Boo-chan’.”
“Alright, let me think about this for a bit.”
It’s terrifying because that’s exactly what would happen. No, it’s not that Aslin is bad, but it’s a fact that if you don’t name these things properly, you’ll regret it later. Remembering that is the only reason—it has absolutely nothing to do with me disliking Aslin’s naming sense.
“Then, how about women’s names? I’ve heard that ships and vehicles are often given female names.”
“Indeed, I have seen literature that suggests as much.”
“But in that case, it’s going to cause a stir over whose name you choose, Yuki-sama.”
“And it feels like bad luck if we name them after ourselves and they end up being sunk.”
Right, naming them after my wives is out. As Samantha said, it would cause trouble, and as Cleena said, it’s bad luck if they get sunk. Still, finding an appropriate name is tough... An aircraft carrier, huh? Names like *Soryu* or *Hiryu* are a bit iffy for good luck, given the history of the Second World War. Both of them were sunk, after all...
“Hmm. A good name... Usually, you’d name them after famous people or historical figures... Wait, ah, I’ve got a good one. I don’t know if it’ll bring good luck, but...”
“Eh? What kind of name would bring good luck?”
“Was there such a person?”
“Ah, are you talking about Japanese historical figures? Like ‘Mr. Togo’?”
“Mm. Like Yamamoto Isoroku.”