第９１９堀：異国の港へ (Part1)
Chapter 919: To a Foreign Port
Side: Steve
We, the Goblin Special Forces, are currently receiving our mission briefing from the General.
Honestly, between the intercontinental exchange conference and the wedding, we’ve been swamped with monitoring and guarding Gaull-san. Now that’s finally over, and we’re right back at it.
When are we ever going to get a break?
Well, this job doesn't sound particularly difficult, so it should be easy enough.
"…And that is the operation."
"So, it’s primarily a reconnaissance mission, then?"
Exactly. This time, our only job is to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the Gusdo Kingdom’s port from high altitude.
A lovely night stroll, if you will.
But that brings up a question...
"What should we do if the members of the diplomatic mission are in danger?"
"I doubt we’ll be able to discern that level of detail from high-altitude recon. First, we need to confirm if the diplomatic ship is even in the port. Once we know that, I’ll issue further instructions. Does that work for everyone?"
The General turns to confirm this with...
"Yes. Please prioritize confirming the fleet. I will provide further instructions once we know if the fleet is present or not."
That’s Menou, a diplomat dispatched from Seasifo.
Apparently, this person is a reincarnated individual, just like the General, Taiki, and Taizo-san—a former Japanese citizen.
Well, that doesn't seem to be a lie.
She didn't show any particular surprise when boarding the aircraft carrier, and she ate the curry in the cafeteria without hesitation, tears of joy streaming down her face.
Anyway, putting that aside, it seems our primary goal is definitely to confirm the fleet's location.
"And, just to confirm, General Lake will be accompanying us?"
"Yes. I will be accompanying you to identify the fleet. I apologize for the trouble."
General Lake says this while bowing his head.
"No, please, don't worry about it. We wouldn't know which ship is which, after all."
"I appreciate you saying so. I will do my best not to be a hindrance."
Right. Since we might need immediate responsiveness, we need someone on-site who can make decisions, which is why General Lake is coming along.
We considered using a drone for recon to avoid putting the General in danger, but that would prevent us from taking immediate action, so we scrapped that idea.
If it were just us, we’d inevitably have to wait for instructions from above.
So, it was decided that we would take General Lake with us, despite the risks.
"Currently, the aircraft carrier Lilishe is positioned 30 kilometers out from the Gusdo Kingdom’s port. Moving the carrier any closer might alert the enemy. Therefore, Steve, you and your team will take General Lake and head to the port for reconnaissance from this point."
The General says this while tracing the map.
That’s the troublesome thing about aircraft carriers.
They’re so massive that they’re spotted immediately.
That’s when a thought occurred to me.
"General, speaking of which, can’t we use Seira-chan’s unit for underwater recon?"
That’s right. If it’s Seira-chan, she should be able to approach via the sea.
"A group of giant fish swarming the port just to check on a ship would be problematic. The risk of being discovered is too high. It’s better to have General Lake confirm it."
"Ah, that makes sense."
Sounds like some kind of disaster movie.
"That said, we’ve already sent in a small underwater unit, and we’ve confirmed there are no particularly dangerous monsters in the port area. At worst, you can retreat by riding on Seira-chan’s back, so if you get shot down, it’s better to fall into the sea."
I see. So an escape route is already prepared.
"Then, if we need to rescue VIPs, we can just toss them into the sea, right?"
"Hm? Ah, in a way, that might actually be better."
"Indeed. People usually assume you’re dead if you fall into the sea. We can exploit that and have Seira-dono and her group rescue them."
"Exactly. If we do it that way, we won't have to split our numbers to guard the VIPs, which makes things easier. So, I want Seira-chan and the Sahagins to infiltrate the port thoroughly. At worst, they can act as a decoy to cause chaos."
"Well, that’s a last resort. Our relationship with the Gusdo Kingdom would be ruined."
"I would like to avoid that until the very end. Regardless, the priority is whether our Seasifo fleet and crew are safe."
Diplomat Menou says this with a wry smile.
Well, it’s never pleasant to discuss worst-case scenarios.
"Well, setting aside the worst-case talk, how does the port look from a distance? It’s not like we have zero intel, right?"
"We have footage. We had a bird monster carry a camera over."
As he says this, the monitor switches to show footage from high above.
"…It’s just the deck of a ship from the sky. Don't we have anything closer?"
"We aren't prepared for that. A bird carrying a camera is suspicious as all get-out."
"Well, I suppose that’s true. But if we tried, we could probably identify the ship."
"First, General Lake needs to confirm it properly. Depending on the situation, we might switch to a rescue operation immediately. Fortunately, the port town doesn't look like it’s in chaos, so the chance of a hostile conflict with the town is low. But we won't know for sure until we hear the actual situation. So, if you confirm the ship and have time, take General Lake and use optical camouflage to gather information on the town."
"Understood."
It really feels like a reconnaissance mission.
And at worst, a VIP rescue mission.
Man, if it follows the usual pattern, this is going to be a very busy story.
"As you can tell from the flow of the conversation, information gathering is the priority. Diplomat Menou and General Lake will handle the negotiations, so please avoid causing any problems before that."
"Yes. Even if the Gusdo Kingdom has detained the mission, if there is no immediate danger to their lives, we will start with negotiations. I ask for your cooperation."
Seasifo Kingdom’s stance is to be as peaceful as possible.
Well, there’s no reason to create more enemies when their navy has already been decimated by sea monsters.
"Alright, that concludes the briefing. Operation start time is 1800."
"That’s surprisingly early."
"There are no lights on the sea, after all. And it will take nearly an hour just to cover the 30 kilometers. More importantly, we need to confirm the ship, the envoys, and the safety of the crew. Depending on the situation, we might need to survey the town, and we won't be able to confirm anything if everyone is asleep."
"Ah, I see."
Come to think of it, we were talking about checking their safety if possible.
...Is this going to be unexpectedly tedious?
Well, that depends on the situation.
"Don't push yourselves. Grasping the situation of the ship and the envoys is the top priority. No matter what happens, defer to General Lake’s instructions first."
"Understood."
"General Lake, please don't push yourself either. In the worst-case scenario, I will bring the aircraft carrier to the port."