On the fifth day of the voyage, he was getting used to the tasteless food.
　Instead, Eltria began to complain more.

'I should avoid excessive gastronomy. I'm getting a little tired of this hard bread.

'It's a hard-baked bread that's meant to be preserved. I've skimmed off the moisture. It's natural for it to taste bad.

That and the potato rotation. It really gets old.

Those are the staples, but the soup changes every day, doesn't it?

Basically, it's an onion that lasts a long time.

There were tomatoes in it last night.

'I'm almost out of stock, so from now on, every day is an onion. I declare that when I return safely to port, I will never eat an onion again.

'Are you sure?　Onion fries are delicious, and you won't be able to talk about meat sauce, will you?

　Onions are a concentrated source of flavor and sweetness. Avoiding them would inevitably lead me away from gastronomy - but I feel like I'm not.

　When I pointed this out to her, she lowered her voice and said
...then we'll just hold off for a week or so.
　And I retracted my previous statement.

　Seeing her makes me smile a little bit.
　For some reason, I thought, this person is Yulia's mother too.
　I feel the same bloodline in her whimsy and selfishness.

　As I was thinking like that, my two daughters, my subordinates, arrived.
　They were Lilith the succubus and Anemone the elf.
　Did they come to complain about the food to me, too?　
　Then I was offended, and there was nothing I could do about it in the first place.
　I thought so, but that's not the case.
　They have been given a message from the acting captain of the Sea Eagle.

　Anemone said.
Go tell Mr. Ike and Miss Eltria that the Acting Captain is about to cross dangerous waters.
　He said.

　Hearing the report, I turned back to Eltria and crossed my gaze.
　So, shall we go out on deck, I didn't need to ask her that, but she followed behind me.
　We walked out of the cabin and onto the deck.
　As soon as I opened the door, light flashed into my eyes, and the endless horizon stretched out before me.


　As I stood on the deck, a middle-aged man, the acting captain of this ship, asked Eltria.

'Miss, we've arrived in the waters of the example...'

　I was tempted to ramble on in my mind, "You're not even old enough to be a young lady," but I should refrain from doing so.

　He seemed to be an aide who had served Eltria since her active days on the ship, and he knew Eltria well from her days as an envious maiden.

'I'm totally baffled,'

　I said to myself and went to the edge of the deck and looked out to sea.
　I followed him.
　The sea was pure blue.
　The water was crystal clear.

　There was no dripping water for domestic and industrial use like in the previous world, and the sea was probably maintaining an environment close to the primordial sea.

　The water was a deep blue color that stretched on forever.
　It was our second trip on the boat, but I never get tired of seeing this beautiful sea again and again.
　The last time I had been out on deck with Satie, I had spent a whole day looking at the color of the sea.

'It's a beautiful sea,'

　When I say this, Eltria nods her head in agreement with me.

"-- as long as there are no sea serpents or kraken lurking at the bottom of this sea.

'Yes. The sea is full of romance, but it is also full of fear.

　The sea has many faces.

　The calm and beautiful daytime sea, the dark night sea full of fear and awe, and the stormy sea that makes a large sailing ship look like a bamboo boat.

　The sea is full of mystery, but at the same time it has a magical side.

　Fortunately, I've never experienced the raging sea, but I'm sure that I'm horrified to think that a monster is lurking at the bottom of this crystal clear sea.

　But is it the sad nature of men to be excited at the same time?
　Why do giant creatures tickle men's hearts like this?

　In a past life, I remember dreaming that if megalodon or an elasmosaur had survived, I would be somewhere in the ocean. Though in a daze.

　And this time the defeat of the Sea Serpent is actually more curiosity than fearful feelings.
　A giant monster that could sink a number of large sailing ships is not something you'd be quick to see.
　I'm the one who lives a life that has nothing to do with being on the sea.

　Besides, it's said that such a monster that can sink dozens of ships only appears once every few decades, and even sailors often end their lives without ever witnessing it.

　In that sense, it may be a valuable experience in a way.
　That's what I thought, but of course, I didn't say it out loud.
　This is because I am aware that it is inappropriate.

　To the red-haired woman in front of me, she is a hated enemy who has killed many of my subordinates and is a disaster that will rob Zenobia of her wealth.

　I tried my best to regain a respectful expression, but it was a little too late.
　I wondered if she recognized me from my expression and gestures, but Eltria asked me as if she had looked into my heart.

'Apparently your curiosity has outweighed your fear,'

..........

　She's a really sharp woman. Maybe more troublesome than Cephiro in some ways.
　But she was also a better talker than Cephiro.

'No, I don't mean to chide you. A man has to have that much backbone. And I believe that curiosity is what a man of the sea needs more than a sense of timidity.

　And then she continues.

'It's been a few hundred years since Zenobia set foot in the Southern Ocean, a hundred years or so since it has been driven across the five seas, but many passages have been discovered by curious men, discovering new islands and specialties. It's men like you who have explored these oceans and enriched Zenobia.

It won't just be men. There's a "woman" in the mix, too.

It was. You forgot to count me in.

　She laughed vigorously.

Well, thank goodness such a man is going to be the son-in-law of my octave family. And having such a brave man on board is a great comfort to me.

I hope you're right.

'On which side of the line does the word hang?　Can we interpret that as a son-in-law?

　She asked me that when she gave me a look like my former boss, Cephiro, but she didn't get an answer from me.

　It wasn't because I was muddling through with my tea.
　For suddenly the half-bell rang out.
　I looked up and saw a sailor in a watchtower set up on the mast, striking the half-bell with all his might.
　It was made of bronze and made a deafening sound.

'Oh dear, am I the only one who always seems to be interrupted by someone else when it comes to the subject of grooming?

No, I have a feeling that's what it's like for me, too.

'Your cheeks look loose, but let's not go into that.

That's very helpful.

'Of course, I haven't given up, so don't get me wrong about that.

　Eltria said arrogantly, and began to send instructions to the sailors.
　She had regained her face as a sea woman.
　When I confirmed that, I jumped up into the sky with the magic of 《Flying(Fly)》.
　This was to confirm the guy called Daigai-Serpent-sama.
　I jumped up higher than the mast and stayed in the air for a few seconds, then leisurely looked down at the ocean field.
　Indeed, as the guards claimed, a black shadow could be seen from a distance.

　To my eye, it was at least as large as a large sailing ship. No, even more than that, there was a huge shadow meandering towards us.

　Its speed is quite fast.

　I wonder if its speed is comparable to that of a large ship in a forward wind, and at this rate, it will probably be close to the enemy in a few dozen seconds and entangle itself in the lead battleship.

　I communicated this to Eltria with the magic of the [Telekinesis].
　She doesn't reply by words, but by actions.
　I order the gunners of the flagship, the Sea Eagle, to quickly release their cannons.
　A roar that is louder than the sound of a half-bell reaches my ears as well.
　The shells that were fired in an arc seem to have hit the back of the giant creature that was lurking under the water.
　I can't help but send a heartfelt compliment to it, brilliant.
　It hasn't been that long since we started exporting cannons, but they are being used brilliantly.
　It seemed that his skill was as good as or better than the dwarven gunners belonging to our 8th Corps.
　Practice firing of a cannon takes a lot of money and effort.
　And a cannon is not something you can shoot by intuition.
　It is a specialized soldier who fires based on careful calculations.
　It is not possible to become an artillery soldier without a high level of mathematical knowledge and untiring efforts.

'To train so much in such a short time, Zenobia's, no, Mr. Ertoria, is not to be underestimated.

　I let out a sigh of relief and added in my mind, "I still think that the Trade Federation should fully cooperate with the Demon King's army and take on some of the naval power.

''After all, shall we have the Trade Federation fully cooperate with the Demon King's army and take on a portion of our naval power?''

　He who controls the sea controls the world.
　There is a country that was once known as the British Empire.
　That country, which was heralded as the Empire where the sun never sets, also used its overwhelming naval power to create an empire greater than any other in history.
　If the Demon King's Army was to follow in the footsteps of that country, it would naturally be necessary to increase its naval power.
　A mixed force of only half fishermen (sahagin) and other sea monsters is a little unacceptable.

''Well, isn't that an issue for a mid-level executive like me?

　I blurted out. Our Demon King's Army's general manager is Lord Oda Nobunaga, who seems to have put an end to the Warring States period.
　If it is her, she should have already made some preparations without saying anything.

　After all, she is the one who created the weapon called "ironclad ship" and rewrote the history of Japan's history even in naval battles--

　While he was formulating such a concept, Eltria began to load the next round.
　The next one hits the Great Sea Serpent's back with even more precision.
　The Sea Serpent unbearably protrudes its huge body from the surface of the sea and lets out a loud growl.
　It was a loud cry that seemed to resonate to the depths of his stomach.
　Elves with good hearing, such as Anemone, involuntarily covered their pointed ears.
　On the other hand, the Lilith guy was unperturbed.
　It could be that he is accustomed to the roar of demonic beasts, or perhaps it could be that he is accustomed to the roar of demonic beasts.
　The contrast between the two was interesting, but I stopped chanting the 《Flying》 and landed on the deck to call out to the girls.

''Well, that's the Sea Serpent in question, what do you think?''

　They both answer at the same time.

'It's bigger than I thought.'
It's bigger than I thought.


　It was kind of nice to start by talking about the way they look, which was kind of like them.
　And it's encouraging to see that they aren't timid in the face of that huge body.
　I ask, "Are you not afraid of that monster?

"Aren't you afraid of seeing a monster like that?

　They both shake their heads at the same time again.


'Not at all.'
Not at all.


　Why?　I didn't have to ask, but the girls would answer why.

'Have we ever lost a battle that Ike-sama commanded?

　was Lilith's words.

'Fortunately, no, never.

Then I won't lose. Let's just do it quickly, shall we?

　And then he pulled out his weapon from his own waist.
　The rapier, which is enchanted with magic, emits a suspicious light.
　On the other hand, Anemone also pulls out a silver item.

''Fortunately, this place is on the sea, full of the power of the Wind Spirit (Sylph) and Water Spirit (Windine). I'm sure they can be of more help to you than war.

　As she declared this, she floated softly in the air.
　It seems that she immediately borrowed the power of the wind spirit and gave herself buoyancy.

　I'm not sure if it's difficult to adjust the magic of the "flight", but it's not possible to stop in the air as well as Anemone did.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's not a bad idea.

''Well, the bombardment is not our problem,''

Well, they say a rice cake maker is a rice cake maker, and a gunner is a gunner.

'Exactly, it's not for amateurs to interfere. Besides, Mr. Eltria's instructions are perfect. They are skillfully directing the fleet and bombarding the Sea Serpent without pause as they surround it.

'The bombardment and the Sea Serpent's roar from earlier was unbearable in May.

　And Anemone covered her large ears with her hands.

'It's a sorry state of affairs for the hearing elves, but, well, it's proof that the war situation is favorable. Bear with me.

　Just - and I add.

I'd say it's an advantage, but that would only be the first time.

You don't think it's possible to win this war with just a bunch of shells?

　Anemone asks.

'They don't seem sweet enough to win on that basis alone.

　He points at the enraged Seerpent.

'Look. You've certainly hit the gunfire accurately, but your skin is popping the lead ball shells and the explosive powder is quickly extinguished.

'It's true. It's rare that it's meh, but it's one in a few. And the wounds are shallow.

Yeah, he's a legendary monster that appears every few decades. They say it can't be scared off by a cannonball.

It's amazing. As expected of a legend (legend). If this continues, the fleet will be wiped out like last time....

　The moment Anemone uttered the ominous prophecy, the tail of the enraged Sea Serpent was raised high in the sky and swung down.

　The blow pierces the deck of the Sea Serpent of the defeating fleet.

　The mass of the Sea Serpent's tail is so great that the ship is crushed by that blow alone, and many sailors' lives are lost.

　Lilith, who had been watching the scene from above the Sea Serpent, let out an "aha!
At this rate, it's going to be a repeat of last time.
　I let out a sigh.

　It was certainly going to happen.

　The Sea Serpent, which had rendered the Umi Tobi ship incapable of fighting with a mere blow, seemed to have set its sights on the Umi Tobi ship next. Its huge snake-like body wrapped around the Umitaka and was about to crush the ship.

　The sailors of the clothed U.S.S. Kailakos are trying desperately to resist with their swords, but it is also empty.
　Even a blow with their full weight seemed to be a futile resistance in front of the Sea Serpent's steel-like scales.

　Partly, the blow of the owner of the magic-impregnated weapon barely penetrated the scales, but it was pointless in front of the fleshy Sea Serpent's attack.

　The sailors' blows were not fatal.
　Their cannons were not very effective, and their close combat was not decisive.
　There is no way to deal with this kind of situation.
　You can easily see that the sailors on the Sea Eagle are also in turmoil.
　I sensed it firsthand and gave instructions to Lilith and Anemone.

It seems that the idea that we can get by with just artillery fire was too convenient. Let's go with plan B here.

Plan B?

　With a look of puzzlement, Lilith asks me.
　Apparently, this guy was dozing off at the strategy meeting earlier.
　When I approached Lilith with my flying magic, I grabbed Lilith by the neck and threw her off.

''We Demon King's Army's are going to make a suicide attack and make use of it.

　Lilith was suddenly thrown to the ground, but she didn't seem to be angry, on the contrary, she grinned and peeked out her white fangs.

''The quintessential Ike-sama. In fact, I was just thinking it would be a shame if it ended up being just a gunfight.

　Lilith happily leapt towards the Sea Serpent as it was.
　I turned around to the Elf Anemone and we crossed our gazes at each other.
　Without needing to be ordered, she used the power of the wind spirit to fly to the Seaserpent.
　Anemone's beautiful blonde hair danced in the sea breeze.
　I also chanted the 《Flying》 magic as if I was following her shimmering blonde hair and approached the Ceasarpent.