第８１９堀：海の都に到着 (Part1)
Chapter 819: Arrival at the Sea Capital
Side: Yuki
"Wow, it’s amazing!"
"It’s amazing, indeed! A real ocean!"
"Fufu, you’re right. We’ve never seen such a breathtaking view before. It truly is magnificent."
"Yes. It’s hard to believe that our continent might lie far beyond this vast sea."
The little ones stared out at the coastline stretching alongside the driver’s seat, their voices filled with wonder.
"My apologies for their rowdiness."
"Not at all. It brings me great joy to see you enjoying the scenery of our nation."
That’s right—we had already breached the territory of the Kingdom of Seasifo... or rather, we had officially entered its borders.
"Though, if I may ask, was it truly wise to leave your main army behind? We did use the Gate to travel as far as the Haiden border, but..."
We had arrived in the Kingdom of Seasifo by driving ahead, but the main force of the Seasifo army, unable to match the speed of our vehicle, would not be arriving for quite some time.
"It is of no consequence. That army is infantry, after all. These are peaceful times, so this serves as an excellent training exercise. Besides, we were able to travel to the border with ease thanks to the Gate; to ask for anything more would only invite sloth among the troops."
"I see."
They certainly seemed disciplined in that regard. However, the fact that they were strictly an infantry force meant they clearly categorized their soldiers by function. If we were ever to go to war with Seasifo, they would be a formidable opponent indeed.
"Furthermore, I have been given strict orders to prioritize conveying the fact that we have secured the cooperation of Haiden, as well as you, Yuki-sama, and the rest of Weed."
"Is the situation in Seasifo truly that dire?"
"No, we had originally planned to have Haiden teach us magic, with a three-year mastery period in mind."
"Three years, huh..."
"With all due respect, General Lake, I find it difficult to believe that magic can be mastered in a mere three years."
The one who voiced this critique was, naturally, Kagura, the representative of Haiden. It was a reasonable point. While one wouldn't expect them to reach the pinnacle of magic in just three years, if it were that easy to bring someone up to a practical level, every nation would be overflowing with mages. If they could pull that off so easily, Haiden’s status as a magical superpower might be jeopardized. It could even become the spark for a great war on this new continent.
Well, there was no use dwelling on that. If the Kingdom of Seasifo collapsed before then, it would be the end for its people regardless. As if to affirm my thoughts, General Lake replied to Kagura’s skepticism.
"I am well aware of the difficulty. However, we are in a situation where we must obtain some form of countermeasure against the sea monsters, no matter the cost."
"Does this mean the situation at sea has already been communicated to your vassal and allied states?"
Were they panicking because their current plight had already reached the ears of neighboring countries?
"...I do not believe the details have been shared. After all, the story of our naval fleet—the pride of the Seasifo Kingdom—being sunk by monsters that shouldn't even exist would likely be dismissed as an absurd fairy tale."
"So, in that sense, you are running out of time."
"Yes. I am not privy to exactly how our diplomats are explaining it, but they did set a three-year deadline for results. That is likely the maximum amount of time we can keep the reality of the situation hidden."
I see. A blessing in disguise, perhaps? The neighboring countries still viewed the monster problem in the Seasifo seas as a dubious rumor. But they were clearly desperate, fearing that any further delay would lead to a catastrophic failure. The Kingdom of Seasifo was acutely aware that if it became known their naval power was effectively useless, they would be in grave danger.
"I understand. Hence, the focus on magic."
"Yes. We concluded that magic would be the most effective way to demonstrate our national strength in a clear, undeniable manner."
"In that case, would our presence—the presence of Weed—have very little impact?"
"That is a possibility. Once they witness your true strength, Yuki-sama, our domestic populace will surely be calmed. However..."
"You need the name of Haiden to convince the outside world, don't you?"
"Precisely."
Well, that made sense. If they claimed to have cooperated with Haiden to handle or repel the sea threat, other nations would be convinced and wouldn't dare harbor any strange ideas, given Haiden's reputation as a magical superpower. But if they claimed to have cooperated with "Weed"—a small nation the neighboring countries hadn't even heard of—it might lead them to conclude that Seasifo’s national power had fallen significantly. We, too, wanted to avoid sparking a war over such trivial misunderstandings.
"The world is a complicated place, isn't it?"
"Indeed. It is not built for simplicity. However, I am overjoyed that we could return home accompanied by not only the representatives of Weed, but also those of the magical superpower Haiden, the Findar Empire, and the Haile Church."
General Lake never forgot to flatter us, even in moments like these. One might call it a gentlemanly approach. As we chatted and continued along the coast, the foot traffic began to thicken. People didn't just stare at us in bewilderment; some were so shocked they collapsed to the ground, which made me feel a bit guilty.
"There are so many people now!"
"Uncle Lake, are we almost there?"
"Yes, just as Filia-jou says. Once we cross the hill ahead..."
As General Lake spoke, Maroda crested the hill, and the sight that greeted us was like something out of a painting: a town nestled around a large bay, with a magnificent castle standing on a cape that jutted out into the center.
" " "Whoa!!" " "
Not just Aslin and the others, but even Kagura and her group let out cries of surprise at the sight.
"My, how impressive. I suspect those lines are the city walls, aren't they?"
"Likely so. If that’s the case, it’s a massive castle town. They’ve built the city to follow the coastline."
"Indeed. This is our nation's pride: the Royal Capital, which serves as both our largest fishing port and our naval base."
Looking closer, I noticed that the cape with the castle acted as a divider, separating the fishing port from the naval port. The difference in the size of the ships made it obvious.
"A castle atop a cliff, a port and town below, and all of it encircled by walls. And with the sea at its back... attacking this place would be a nightmare."
"You're right. Attack from land, and you're flanked from the sea. Attack from the sea, and you face a brutal interception from land—not to mention the Seasifo navy, which excels in naval warfare."
Princess Stacia and Agil were discussing the difficulty of sieging the Seasifo capital like the seasoned generals they were. It was an occupational hazard for those two.
"I am honored to receive such an assessment from General Stacia. Though, regarding the castle town, it feels as if they’ve simply added more walls as the city grew. Ah, Yuki-sama, our destination is the gate that lies in a straight line from the castle on the cape you see there. Please head that way."