第１９３９堀：懸念の答え (Part1)
Chapter 1939: The Answer to Our Concerns
Side: Stasia
"Um, I wonder if it was really okay for us to come here?"
The one voicing this concern is Tori, who is currently entrusted with the defense of the fortress in the southern wilderness of the New Continent.
Well, I can certainly understand her hesitation.
The town in the north of Ohe, which I am responsible for, remains stable, but we haven't exactly struck at the root of the problem yet. We are still in the process of conducting steady, methodical intelligence gathering.
That said, it is unlikely that things will shift suddenly, so there is no issue with us stepping out for a bit like this. We can always respond instantly via Gate travel.
"You’re worrying too much, Tori. We have permission for this outing, and Fiora, Aslin, and the others can handle whatever comes up back there."
"Well, I guess you're right."
"Indeed. Fiora is a given, and Aslin is more than capable as a commander."
"True. I have to trust them to do their jobs."
Tori’s anxiety seems to have eased, and she offers a smile. To Tori, Aslin is an especially precious younger sister figure. As for Fiora, she is a good friend and often handles field command, so I imagine she isn't too worried about her.
Though, if Aslin were unable to act, it would be a nightmare having to manage both the south and the north simultaneously. But in such a case, they would send an emergency contact, so there is no need to dwell on that now.
What matters right now is...
"We are here to inspect the progress of the land battleship as planned. We certainly can't have them handing over something with a bomb attached."
"Right. We have to confirm that. Though, I’m sure they’ve at least installed a self-destruct mechanism, considering the risk of capture."
"A simple self-destruct is fine. It’s the wide-area detonation that would be highly problematic."
"That sounds like something they’d do..."
Truly. I acknowledge the capabilities of Narjia-san and the others, but they do have a tendency to prioritize maximum destructive power above all else. If they were to do something like that near Ohe or out in the wilderness, there is no telling what kind of impact it would have.
And so, we are heading to the shipyard that was hastily constructed at Glass Port.
Well, if the opportunity arises, I’d like to have them add features that would make the land battleship more convenient for Ohe’s defense or for operations in the wilderness. However, if I say the wrong thing, development might veer off in an incomprehensible direction...
"According to Yuki-sama, the exterior alone is already half-finished."
"That’s shocking. Well, there was a plan to build warships from the start, so they must have had various materials on hand, but it’s still fast."
"Indeed. Well, permission for the land battleship’s development had already been granted, so it wouldn't be strange if they had been pulling strings to prioritize it."
"That’s possible."
Considering the personalities of people like Narjia-san and Agil, I cannot deny it at all. I can only imagine them developing it with glee. In fact, it would be more convincing if someone told me they had anticipated this outcome and built it accordingly.
"Well, for now, let’s confirm the situation..."
Just as I began to say that, I was unexpectedly called out to.
"Oh, if it isn't Stasia and Tori. What’s this? Are you two curious about what’s going on here, too?"
"Yuki-sama. Yes."
"Oh, it’s Yuki-san. Hi there, Ria! Are Prof and the others doing well?"
It seems Yuki-sama and his group are also concerned about whether the land battleship is being built normally, as we ended up bumping into each other in front of the military port. Tori leaves her greetings with Yuki-sama brief and heads toward Ria and the others. She must have sensed that Yuki-sama and I needed to talk.
"So, I’ll ask again—is this an inspection?"
"Yeah. Checking to see if they’ve made any strange modifications or loaded it with unauthorized weaponry. Or, you know, checking if the land battleship is already finished."
"Haha, that’s a joke that isn't very funny."
There is no way a land battleship could be finished in a single day. ...Or so it should be, yet for some reason, I cannot bring myself to deny it. Yuki-sama doesn't look like he’s joking, either.
"Are you serious?"
"About sixty percent?"
"More than half?"
"Well, worrying about it here won't change anything. Hey, Tori, let’s head in."
"Oh, okay!"
Indeed, letting my imagination run wild here won't change a thing. We just need to go inside and confirm the situation. And so, we all enter the military port, after presenting our identification and passing through the security checkpoint.
"It’s become stricter than before, hasn't it?"
Prof remarks as she looks at the area she just passed through. It can't be helped. What used to be just a gate is now properly enclosed in concrete, with strict inspections in place for everyone passing through.
The reason is simple.
"Good work. Did you have lunch?"
"Yeah, soldier. It was delicious. Time to get back to work."
That is because civilians are coming and going through the military port. Well, strictly speaking, they are civilians employed at the military port, but their numbers have increased since the shipyard was built.
The land battleship, and warships in general, are full of military secrets. Strict inspection and surveillance systems are necessary to prevent the leakage of such information.
"It’s more peaceful than I expected."
"Well, yeah. In Weed, the soldiers actually do farm work, too. I suppose a big part of it is that they aren't just there to collect taxes."
"I see. In my country, soldiers were not allowed to do farm work. Or rather, they weren't able to."
For them, a soldier’s job was strictly to protect the nation. Farm work was considered out of the question. Even among the nobility, some cultivated their own lands, but in the military, it was said that gaining strength was more important than anything else.
"Soldiers doing farm work is pretty unique. The Tondenhei were more like agricultural workers. Farmers, maybe? Well, close to reservists. The soldiers Stasia is talking about are pure-blooded military, right? That’s a bit different."
"Is that so? I thought the soldiers of Weed were fine soldiers? They handle agriculture as well, don't they?"
"Ah, that’s a bad comparison. Even if we say Weed’s soldiers do agriculture, it’s only a portion of them. Specifically, the units commanded by John. They basically lay the groundwork there. Plus, the agricultural tools are well-stocked. We’ve introduced tractors and other specialized agricultural machinery, after all."
"Ah, that is true."
In Weed, they have introduced agricultural machinery to cultivate vast tracts of land.