第８３５堀：翠玉の判断 (Part1)
### Episode 835: Emerald’s Judgment
**Side: Yuki**
"Is Comet doing well?"
"Yes. Initially, she was somewhat self-deprecating, but after speaking with Lady Viria and Lady Hiiro, that has dissipated."
I was receiving an update on Comet’s condition from Kirika.
Originally, the Kirika unit was tasked with supervising—or rather, acting as a liaison for—Viria, Hiiro, and Dressa. However, since Comet had joined the fold, I had asked them to extend their support to her as well.
Still...
"So, Comet was really taking that failure to heart. I mean, I thought I understood as much from our talk yesterday, but it seems it weighed on her more than I imagined."
"It appears so. She clearly had many thoughts on the matter."
"Well, of course she would. That girl triggered a massive incident that engulfed an entire continent. Even if she died as a result, there’s no way she could just brush it off," Deryu interjected. "If anything, the scale of the damage she caused far exceeds anything I’ve ever done. Since her resurrection, she’s simply been too busy to find the time to look back."
"So, now she’s finally found the time to reflect?"
"Indeed. Though, I suspect seeing the way you and the rest of us live was the catalyst for that. Regardless, with Viria and Hiiro’s words, she will recover. Comet isn't that fragile."
"You're right. We have to keep working hard ourselves, too."
"Indeed."
As Deryu said, Comet will do her best in her own way. The same goes for Dressa, Viria, and Hiiro. The stage is set, and the support is in place; the rest is up to them.
With that, it was time to shift gears. We were currently at the Sea-Cypho royal castle to discuss future policies.
"The problem, however, is the compensation for the two ships we destroyed. Viria and Hiiro..."
"We’ll just have to provide them with some suitable vessels," I replied.
Milly was the first to bring up the wooden ships we had reduced to near-total wrecks during yesterday’s mock battle. It was something I had been worrying about as well.
"No, I don’t think they’ll actually demand compensation from us, given the circumstances," Deryu mused.
"Deryu, we *do* need to offer reparations for what we broke," I countered. "It’s a fact that we’ve diminished Sea-Cypho’s military strength, and it wouldn't benefit us to see their power wane. If a neighboring country decides to invade, that becomes our problem."
"You’re not wrong about that."
Exactly. While they couldn't easily demand we pay up after yesterday’s display, we couldn't afford to let their military capabilities drop. Besides, losing to a nameless, small nation would clearly make them look weak—a vulnerability we had to prevent, for our own sake as much as theirs.
"Well, I understand, but it’s a hassle nonetheless. That reminds me—what were the results of the investigation into those destroyed ships?" Deryu asked, looking toward Kirika.
Come to think of it, I hadn't received that report yet. It was tied to the very issue that had piqued our interest in Sea-Cypho in the first place: What was the status of their firearms development and proliferation?
"Kirika, what about the equipment on those ships?"
"Yes. The ships under the command of that officer, Maran, relied primarily on bows and crude firearm-like weapons for long-range combat. There were no weapons or equipment that could be classified as cannons, which was our initial concern. I have since confirmed this on other docked ships as well; none were found. I apologize for the delay in reporting; I intended to finish surveying the remaining vessels and warehouses first."
"No, don't worry about it. It’s just a progress report. Still..."
Only firearm-like weapons? It felt incredibly unnatural, but since I didn't know the trajectory of this country’s technology, it was hard to say for sure.
"What? No cannons?"
"Well, that would make sense. If they had cannons, they would have used them in yesterday’s mock battle."
"I thought perhaps they were keeping them hidden from us," Deryu noted.
"That, too, is something Kirika will investigate further, right? Isn't that so, Yuki-san?"
"Right. It’s only been three days since we started looking. We’ll keep digging from our end as well. We have a meeting coming up, after all."
"Understood. I will leave the information gathering during the direct dialogue with the Queen to you. In the meantime, we intelligence agents will investigate the firearms themselves, their developers, and the internal situation of this country."
"Yeah, I’m counting on you."
"Understood. Since our escort has arrived, I shall take my leave."
With those words, Kirika vanished as if melting into her surroundings. It wasn't a sudden disappearance, but rather the activation of her optical camouflage. Still, it served its purpose.
As I was pondering this...
*“Yuki-sama. May I come in?”*
General Lake’s voice drifted through the door. So, the General himself had come to fetch us. That alone showed how much importance they placed on us. I glanced at everyone, and upon seeing their nods, I gave my reply.
"Yes, please come in."
General Lake entered. "My apologies for the wait. Please, follow me."
It seemed the meeting was ready. With no reason to refuse, we followed the General.
"I must apologize for the two ships yesterday," I said.
"No, that was unavoidable. Perhaps it will serve as a wake-up call for those fools. To think they could mistake a ship for being invincible just because of its appearance..."
"Well, we are newcomers here. And they didn't even know where we came from. It’s only natural they would be wary."
I meant that sincerely. I would have questioned their sanity if they had blindly entrusted the fate of their nation to people who had appeared out of nowhere.
"I appreciate you saying that. Maran is deeply remorseful as well..."
"Having spoken with him, he struck me as a fine soldier. He showed a strong will to protect his country with his own power. We hold no ill will toward him. He was courteous to us as guests, so we would be grateful if his punishment could be kept light."
"I am humbled by your consideration. To be honest, we have been at a loss as to how to apologize for yesterday’s events."
"I see. So, the punishment has already been decided?"
"Yes. If you could voice those sentiments before the Queen, I believe it would earn him some leniency."
"Understood. I have no desire to see a capable soldier lost, so I will cooperate."
"You have my gratitude."
I suspected that was the real reason General Lake had come. They clearly didn't want to lose a commander as capable as Maran. If they had truly been furious, he would have been executed for insubordination or punished on the spot for violating military regulations. They were using me to plead for his life. Sea-Cypho understood that losing more military strength would be disastrous. It was good they had that much sense of crisis.
By the time I finished these thoughts, we arrived at the conference room. As before, the high-ranking officials were already seated at the round table, with others occupying the outer perimeter. We were guided to our seats at the center. This time, Aslin and the others were also invited to the round table.
Were they planning to include them in the meeting, or was it merely a gesture of respect?
"You kept us waiting, Yuki-dono."
As I pondered this, Queen Emerald, seated in the most opulent chair at the table, stood up and addressed me.
"Not at all. Given that this is the day after, I think you’ve managed to organize this quite quickly."