Epilogue: The Peace Keepers.

I gained my consciousness as a faint light shone by my eyes which made me open them slowly.

"Urgh…"

"He's awake. Call the Director."

"Yes, Doctor."

Doctor? Oh, seems like I am in a hospital… The ceiling fan above me and the smell of antiseptic and disinfected cloth proved it…

"Is he conscious enough for a conversation?"

"I am still confirming it, sir. He was taken from a literal wreckage of a ship. He must've shaken one or two screws in his head."

"…I see."

The doctor pulled down my lower eyelids, looking for signs of internal inflammation. But now that I have regained my senses and can feel my arms and hands again, I decided to pull off a small prank to him.

"Boo."

"Ahh-!!!"

"Aha…hahaha…haha…"

After I held his hand which shocked him greatly, I laughed slowly as my chest still hurts.

"Haah… You gave me quite the shock, Captain."

Oh. That's right. I am Fumikage Ryuusui. The captain of Ashigara… wait… this hospital and these wounds… No… It can't be-!

"D-D-Doctor… Please tell me… Ashigara… My ship…"

"…I will call the Director. He will explain everything to you, Captain."

"The… Director?"

The doctor went away from my vision and called in a man dressed in a black trench coat. From the way he walked in and sat at the stool beside my bed, he looks like a military man.

"Are you… the Director that he mentioned?"

"Yes. That is both my title and my name in the force, Captain Fumikage. As for your question, I believe it will be better to tell you everything once rather than in parts."

"…"

"It has been three months since your ship, IJN Ashigara, has held the line in Mizuki province's sea. As you may already suspect, your victory cost about 273 of your men, including much of the high-ranking officers and technicians who were found above your injured body. It seems like before the bombs let out by the Air Grenadiers hit your ship, your subordinates piled themselves around you to protect you from certain death…"

"Everyone… I'm sorry…"

"Don't be too glum about it, Captain. Your men decided to save you. The best way to thank them for it is to live a good life that they decided to sacrifice for your sake."

"Yeah… I'll recover back to tip-top shape and return to the service."

"Right now, there are no wars for you to fight. Mizuki Island has been liberated from the Arakami pirates and there has no other battles happening around our allied borders. It is a good thing for the common people and an opportune moment for the armed force… especially for me who especially came here under orders from the Kirin Lord."

"Iwasawa-kou-sama? If he ordered you directly, this would likely be of great importance."

"It does, Captain. Now that Ashigara has been damaged substantially and is currently under deconstruction to have its materials repurposed for the Battleship program, your designation is now free. As such, this folder is being given to you ahead of its proposal to the Congress and Senate… This is a matter of the highest secrecy, Captain Fumikage. I wish to tell you that if anyone except you hears of this, I was given the freedom to shoot them to death immediately."

His cold tone carried no signs of lying. He really is handling this as secretly as possible.

"I understand. Let me see it."

"Here it is. Your new designation."

After being handed the folder, I saw images and words on the paper that almost made my eyes bulge out of its sockets.

"This technology… this is even more impressive than the Balloons of the Air Grenadiers!"

"It is. That's why we need someone as good as you in the sea to lead it."

"Once we have a fleet… no, even just a task force of these, we would be the rulers of the sea… Nothing will be impossible for us."

"I expected nothing less from you, Captain Fumikage. As someone who knows a lot about technology and is a very proficient seaman, this is exactly how I saw this meeting to turn out."

"You expected this already…Just what is this all about…?"

After I asked him that question, he stood up from his stool and looked at me from over his shoulder.

"I was ordered by Iwasawa-sama to assemble a team that will not only secure peace, but also maintain it for all of the years to come. He might not be a man of great ambition, but he has a drive that needs him to do these things…"

"…Then, am I one in this so-called "team" that you are assembling?"

"Only if you accept this offer, Captain."

Even though I still have injuries and my body is sorely weakened, I stood up from my bed and raised a salute before speaking my answer.

"I accept my designation. Allow me to be useful for my master and country."

Today, The Ghost of the Northern Sea, someone who will be instrumental to the unification of this Japan, was born from a single answer and single statement.

"Admiral Fumikage Ryuusui… welcome to the Naval Silent Service."