第１６４０堀：海の防衛は難しい (Part1)
Chapter 1640: The Difficulty of Maritime Defense
Side: Dressa
"Hmm..."
I am in the office of the harbor town’s naval base, staring at the documents delivered to my desk, lost in thought. The contents are reports on monster activity since the naval base was established—or rather, since the military began its operations here.
We are conducting aerial and maritime surveillance to guard against the Dark Guild, but there have been no notable issues on that front. After all, Kirika’s subordinates are keeping a tight watch on the enemy. Perhaps they are being cautious, as they haven't gone so far as to deploy a dungeon yet. Thanks to that, we’ve been effectively "closed for business" in that regard for a while.
The problem lies in the documents I’m looking at now. They detail daily skirmishes where monsters were either put down or driven off. Not a single day goes by without an incident. Reports of at least five monsters appear every single day. Fortunately, the military is capable of handling them, so it isn't a crisis, but at this frequency...
"General fishing is going to be quite difficult."
After all, they are civilians. Their combat ability is naturally inferior to that of soldiers. That means the probability of fatalities is high. Above all, while it isn't quite the open ocean where military support cannot reach, the support becomes thin once they move significantly away from the coastline. Surely, no one would apply for such a job.
"And yet, if we secure the territorial waters and provide surveillance via a dungeon, there’s no reason for adventurers to come here, is there?"
According to what I heard from Milly, what makes the sea profitable for adventurers are the sea monsters that aren't hunted to extinction. If things continue this way, they’ll end up just hunting land monsters, or perhaps fishing for monsters in waters a bit further out. I wouldn't say that’s meaningless, but it places a heavy burden on the adventurers.
"Ugh... Still, the safety of the tourists and, of course, the residents of the harbor town is absolute. What should I do..."
No, this isn't something I can solve on my own, but the frequency of sea monster attacks is higher than I anticipated. The navy is active, but they are only maintaining the bare minimum safety zone—that is, the immediate vicinity of the resort, within 200 meters of the beach. Honestly, if the number of monsters increases any further, it’s questionable whether we can keep them contained. I have to admit that balancing the protection of fishermen with the defense of the waters surrounding the harbor town is a difficult situation. The military doesn't have infinite personnel or an infinite budget, after all.
"...At this rate, I need to consult with the higher-ups."
After agonizing over it, I decide that this is nearly impossible to handle with the forces currently held by the harbor town, and I reach out to Yuki, who is in charge.
"Oh, what is it, Dressa?"
"I have a consultation regarding the defense of the harbor town."
"I see. That’s perfect timing. I just met with Vilia, so I’m heading your way."
"Excuse me? Vilia should be at the naval base right now, shouldn't she?"
"Yeah, you knew we were coming for an inspection, right? It seems Vilia was waiting for us—coincidentally, or perhaps intentionally."
"Ah, now that you mention it, that’s right. Understood. I’ll be waiting."
I end the call. Come to think of it, he did say he was coming to the harbor town for an inspection today. Well, the main event was supposed to be the bento shop that Canaria built, so I thought the inspection was just a pretext. I even thought he’d be stuck at the bento shop the whole time.
"So, the bento shop went well, then."
"Yes, it did."
"My, you're fast."
The moment I mutter that, Yuki and the others enter the room.
"I was already guiding them," Vilia says from the side.
I see. So they were already inside by the time I made the call.
"So, what’s the talk about?"
"Ah, right."
And so, I explain the situation regarding encounters with sea monsters and convey that it is quite difficult to ensure safety.
"Well, it is the sea. I suppose we lack the absolute numbers to patrol it evenly."
"Yes, that is exactly right."
Yuki had said from the beginning that maritime defense, let alone underwater defense, would be difficult. He understands my current situation.
"So, I thought we should reconsider the plan or at least think about how to handle this from here on out, which is why I contacted you. Vilia, you think so too, right?"
When I say this to Vilia, she replies:
"Yes. Brother, as Dressa says, while it might be fine for us or the military, it is quite difficult for ordinary people to go out to sea and catch fish. At most, it would be the immediate coastal area—the resort beach or the breakwaters. If things go poorly, even the breakwater at the edge of the fishing port could see monster encounters. Therefore, I believe we need to rethink the plan from the ground up."
Since Vilia has been reading the reports just like I have, she has noticed the same problem. However, since this would mean a major change in plans, it can't be done without consultation. As for Yuki's reaction...
"I understand the situation. So, we can't open the fishing port as it stands?"
"Impossible. It would just be a pile of corpses—or rather, they’d just become monster feed. The Rogari sea is that dangerous."
"I agree with Dressa."
Rarely do Vilia and I agree on the opinion that people will die. No, it’s just that the Rogari sea is truly that dangerous.
"For now, there’s talk from Sisua, Sona, and Ratz about whether we can deploy a dungeon to ensure safety, but what do you think?"
"It wouldn't be perfect. You know that the waters within 500 meters of this harbor town are already under dungeon management, right?"
"Yeah."
"And yet, five monsters invade our territorial waters every single day. Unlike on land, we can't just build a wall, and even if we did, that would cause its own problems, wouldn't it?"
"True. If the currents stop, the fish won't come. Besides, the monsters themselves are a target for harvesting."
That’s right. While monsters are a threat to human life, they are also an important resource for the harbor town. And by capturing them, adventurers can earn an income. The balance is truly difficult.
"If we expand the territorial waters in the current situation and increase the detection range, we would certainly be able to detect them before they reach the current 500-meter limit, but then..."
"There's no doubt we'll end up detecting even more monsters."
"Exactly."
If we expand the territorial waters, the detection range expands with it. That means the probability of finding monsters increases. And since it's already difficult now, can we really cover everyone?
"Vilia, what do you think?"
"We definitely lack the manpower. Sheila-san and the others are doing their best, but even today, they were caught off guard by monsters entering the near-shore area and had to scramble to pursue them. Well, I suppose that is because the detection range is limited to 500 meters."