第１９３８堀：大事な視察 (Part1)
Chapter 1938: An Important Inspection
Side: Yayui
"Phew..."
Yuki-sama has finished coordinating with the various departments and is finally taking a breather. As I watch from the side, I continue my own work, processing the paperwork for Glass Port Town.
Ever since the completion party for the Glass Resort Hotel and Glass Port Town, the vast majority of my work has been related to the port town. For some reason, my name is listed as a person in charge of the ships—managing the fishing port and the like—so I’m also handling negotiations with Sisua-sama and Sona-sama, the two acting lords of the town.
Well, Aurelia and Hovis could do it too, but ever since I took charge of the ship operation training, I’ve become the primary point of contact.
As I’m thinking this, Hovis serves Yuki-sama some tea.
"Thank you for your hard work. How did things go with the various departments?"
"Ah, thanks, Hovis. Well, everyone was quite surprised. Even though the interior is still a work in progress, the exterior and armor are already half-finished."
"Ahaha... I suppose that’s a natural reaction."
Aurelia replies with a wry laugh. Yeah, when I heard the news, I was surprised too—I couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
"Still, it wasn't exactly unnatural, was it? It seems the armor was originally prepared for warships, after all."
"True. We’ve had the concept of building warships for a while, and we’ve been developing and producing fishing boats and small, sturdy vessels. Narjia-san and the others simply took the research from those projects and applied it to the land battleship."
As Prof-san and Yuki-sama say, while it was surprising, it’s not so strange once you hear the background. We had been building fishing boats and ships for adventurers long before the warships. Since operating in seas teeming with monsters makes wooden hulls unreliable, we had been developing armor for them; using that technology makes the speed of construction seem... well, perhaps not so impossible.
After all, the land battleship is a behemoth that rivals any warship. It’s at least ten times larger than a standard fishing boat. To have half of such a massive structure already assembled is still quite a shock, though.
"Surprise aside, being ahead of schedule is better than being behind. It saves on the budget, too."
"Indeed, as Yuki-sama says. We should be grateful for the excellence of Narjia-sama and her team."
Yes, as they both say, it’s far better than being late. After all, this means we’ll be in time for the troubles in the north and south of the New Continent.
If development weren't finished in time, even if we sent reinforcements, we would have to secure land somewhere to build an interception base. That would likely be unacceptable to the landowners whose property would be seized. On the other hand, trying to utilize existing towns would require negotiations with local power brokers, which is a massive headache in its own right.
That is exactly why a land battleship—a mobile fortress, if you will—is so convenient.
As I’m pondering this, Aurelia suddenly speaks up.
"However, while I understand the convenience of a land battleship, wouldn't deploying it to the north, let alone the southern wilderness, invite chaos?"
"There’s no way it wouldn't. To them, it’s the first land battleship they’ve ever seen. They probably won't even realize it’s a battleship. It’s doubtful they’ll even grasp the concept of a 'mobile fortress.' Well, that’s exactly why it’s convenient. It’s the perfect way to demonstrate our power."
"Power, is it? That feels a bit extreme for you, Yuki-sama..."
As Hovis says, it is extreme for the usual Yuki-sama, but in this specific instance...
"As Hovis says, I don't usually prefer such methods. But they are on the brink of life and death. In battle and in war, on-the-ground strength is what matters. I’m not saying political power isn't necessary, but first, you need support on the ground. If we make it impossible for them to ignore us, they won't be able to ignore Weed, either. It’s a move I wouldn't make in a peaceful region, but for this situation, it’s effective."
Yuki-sama does not hesitate to move military assets when necessary. We saw that when he decimated the coalition army approaching the north of Ohe. Well, "decimated" might be a strong word—he didn't exactly fill the plains with corpses.
"We only have connections like Viria-sama and her group in the north. Trying to gain trust and represent Weed from there would undoubtedly be a hassle. People’s attitudes change when they deal with someone they don't understand. Considering that trouble, sending in overwhelming force isn't a mistake. Besides, a land battleship literally moves; it doesn't seize territory or stay anchored in one place."
Prof-san calmly lists the merits of deploying the land battleship. It’s true; a land battleship won't permanently threaten anyone’s territory. People will be wary as long as it’s there, but it won't put down roots. Since it has the pretext of monster subjugation, I think it will be welcomed.
"We can't leave the negotiations with countries and high-ranking officials entirely to Viria and her group, after all. If we deploy the land battleship, we must negotiate as Weed. If we let Viria and the others handle it alone, there will inevitably be those who try to bring the battleship under their own influence."
"That is true."
Yes, Viria-sama and the others are acting merely as adventurers. Without the backing of the nation of Weed, there will always be those who try to make that power their own. That’s just how the world works.
"Well, the tea was delicious. Let’s go see the land battleship in the flesh. Everyone, get ready; we depart in ten minutes."
"Yes!"
We finish our break and prepare to head out. We were originally scheduled to visit to check on progress once the explanations to the relevant parties were finished. In fact, we plan to go check on the progress every day from now on.
Because...
"We’re pouring a massive amount of budget, supplies, and personnel into this, so it would be a problem if there were delays. Also, I need to make sure Narjia-san and the others haven't turned it into a 'miracle weapon' based on their own whims."
"Miracle" is a very gentle way of putting it. In truth, they have a tendency to create things like wide-area annihilation weapons.
"Ahaha... that sounds terrifyingly plausible. My Gun-Sword was heavily skewed toward firepower at first, too."
Ria-sama says with a wry laugh, glancing at the Gun-Sword she has prepared. That special blade was crafted specifically for her; it can be operated like a firearm, and its firepower was apparently on par with a cannon at the start.
...At close range.