Chapter 42: The Night Before Departure

Walking along the beach with Eugen, chatting, Lin Lan felt time slipping away quickly, and before he knew it, it was already late at night.

Even though he wanted to keep wandering around, maybe checking out the Manjuus unloading cargo at the dock, Eugen insisted on taking him back to the fortress, saying he needed to rest.

The first floor of the Ironblood Fortress was empty, and the two of them quickly reached the fourth floor by elevator.

"Commander, Sister Eugen, you're back!"

As soon as Lin Lan stepped out of the floating elevator, he was greeted by Z23, also known as Little Nimi.

Nimi wasn't wearing her usual Ironblood uniform but a light blue dress that showed off her slim figure, making her look incredibly cute.

Lin Lan couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her brown hair, smiling at the adorable little destroyer with her blue hat and black and red bow:

"Hey, Nimi, were you waiting here just for me?"

Despite the happiness on her face, Z23 cleared her throat and put on a serious expression:

"Commander, I'm here to inform you that Lady Bismarck has made all the arrangements, and we can depart tomorrow morning."

Hearing Z23's words, Lin Lan suddenly remembered that he was supposed to leave for his new post tomorrow.

After all, to reunite with all the shipgirls at the port as soon as possible, he had to work hard.

"Since Lady Bismarck has made the arrangements, the Commander should definitely rest early tonight~"

Eugen chimed in, smiling as she patted Z23 on the head.

Nimi looked curiously at Eugen, who seemed much happier than usual. She couldn't shake the feeling that today, Eugen's smile was more genuine than ever before.

But considering that Eugen had spent the day with Lin Lan as his secretary ship, Z23 quickly figured out why.

Since Lin Lan's room was on the third floor near the elevator, he soon arrived at his door and waved goodbye to Little Nimi and Eugen.

"Goodnight, Commander~"

"Commander, have sweet dreams."

After saying goodnight, Lin Lan watched Z23 and Eugen leave before opening his door.

But as soon as he did, he saw a carefully crafted flower basket on the floor just inside.

The blue and white flowers, arranged like precious works of art, were breathtaking.

They were the same flowers he had casually mentioned earlier that day on the balcony of Hipper's room.

"Hipper really is something..."

Smiling warmly, Lin Lan carefully picked up the flower basket.

That tsundere with golden hair had a delicate heart, after all.

"Chuu? Chuu chuu?"

As soon as Lin Lan walked inside, he spotted a yellow, round Manjuu rolling around on his bed.

It was the same Manjuu he had asked Bismarck to send over yesterday.

Placing the flower basket gently on the windowsill, Lin Lan turned towards the bed.

Seeing the little Manjuu staring at him, he grinned mischievously:

"Heh heh heh, you think you can escape from me, little Manjuu? No way!"

"Manjuus like you are born to be captured by the Commander, there's no point in resisting!"

As Lin Lan approached, the yellow Manjuu on the bed looked up at him with a very human-like expression of fear.

"Chuu chuu chuu!!!!"

…

Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of the Ironblood Fortress.

In Bismarck's dimly lit office, three Ironblood shipgirls stood before her desk.

Bismarck looked at the three of them thoughtfully before slowly saying:

"Since relocating the fortress requires a lot of manpower, and Brunhilde is still on her way back from the Eagle Union, Friedrich and I have decided on tomorrow's escort list for the Commander."

Bismarck handed a paper with the names to the three girls.

"Once the Commander's new port location is confirmed, we'll begin transferring fortress supplies and forces in stages."

"Before our main forces arrive, you must protect the Commander at all costs and clear any obstacles, even if it means facing powerful enemies."

Though Bismarck knew the loyalty of the three standing before her, she still emphasized her point.

After the three had finished reading the list, she continued:

"Since we currently don't have many mass-produced supply ships, tomorrow's fleet will mainly consist of those with sufficient combat power and a knack for quick strikes."

"After all, if we run out of oil, you can always resort to raiding tactics."

One of the shipgirls, with long silver curls, a black military cap, and a white coat, chuckled coldly:

"Why not just destroy this weak, unfamiliar nation outright? I don't understand why the Commander is holding back."

"Slaughter, destruction, annihilation—we have the power to bring this wretched world to its end."

Her red eyes gleamed with cold contempt as she crossed her arms, the oath ring on her right hand reflecting the dim light.

Bismarck sighed, rubbing her temples, questioning whether it was wise to have her accompany Lin Lan.

After all, a chuunibyou with the power to back up their words was a dangerous thing.

But after some hesitation, she decided it was too late to change her mind.

Another shipgirl, draped in a black and red cape, stood beside her, exuding an air of elegance and strength.

Her long, silver-white hair flowed freely, with a streak of red highlight—a signature of Ironblood shipgirls—woven into the bangs at the front of her forehead.

Her golden eyes shone brightly in the dim light, resembling a cat's gaze. 

Apart from the devil-like black horns on her head, her face bore a striking resemblance to Prinz Eugen, sharing five or six similar features.

"Anyone who dares to stand in the way of the Commander and Ironblood will be crushed like a weak wave against a mighty one. Rest assured, Lady Bismarck, hehe."

She smiled with absolute confidence, as if no enemy, no matter how powerful, could stand against her.

Bismarck, pleased, nodded at this shipgirl, then turned her gaze to a shadowy corner of the room.

There, in the shadows, stood a slender woman with short black hair. She had remained silent the entire time, saying nothing.

Dressed in a black, off-shoulder short robe and black, tight-fitting thigh-high leather boots, her flawless, icy cold face was unforgettable, yet she seemed to have no presence at all.

If placed in a crowd, she might go completely unnoticed.

Bismarck slowly stood up, looking solemnly at this stern, black-haired shipgirl, and said:

"As the flagship of tomorrow's fleet, we entrust the Commander to you during this time. Make sure to protect the Commander and hold on until we arrive."

The black-haired shipgirl gently pushed aside the bangs covering her right eye, revealing her yellow eyes, and nodded slightly.

She was Ulrich von Hutten, the commander who had led the victorious exercise just two days ago.

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Well, since last week's mission failed. From now on the update rate will go back to 1 chapter a day.

Thank you~!

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20 Advanced chapters on patreon.com/SenatusTheta