| 038 | The Fleet Admiral's Dilemma

In the metallic hallway of the UNS Light Bringer's interior were Captain Lux and 2nd Lieutenant Campbell walking beside one another. Behind the two was a group of Marines, and in front of them was their highest of command, Fleet Admiral Abraham Shepherd.

"So you're telling me that the Fleet Admiral is trying to charm that gargantuan eastern dragon?" Captain Lux quietly muttered to the blond-haired 2nd Lieutenant.

"Well… Technically, when we found her first. She was merely a gorgeous lady with dragon traits like her jet-black horns and tail. None of us knew that she could become an actual dragon."

2nd Lieutenant Campbell stated since they were ignorant of her true form. But ignorance wasn't the same word they could correlate to their Fleet Admiral.

This eludes that their highest of command might have been knowledgeable about her true form as an actual pitch-black eastern dragon.

"I guess the Fleet Admiral knows no bounds. Even a real dragon wouldn't be far from his grasp." For some reason though, Captain Lux was amazed.

In his eyes, a dragoness was the perfect spouse of their Fleet Admiral. It fits perfectly with the United Navy, and it would make their highest of command's lineage grander.

"That is to be expected from the Fleet Admiral. He's beyond human understanding. His goals are outside of our capacity to conjure. A dragon for a spouse might be the very most understandable of his plans."

2nd Lieutenant Campbell was skilled in the art of yapping. He uttered such words without a tinge of embarrassment. He even was proud of it, as though he stated a fact.

"I wonder when we'll hear news about the Fleet Admiral's children-" Before Captain Lux could continue babbling his weird dreams, Abraham who walked in front of them stopped taking a step forward.

He slowly turned his gaze towards the ones behind him and they swiftly avoided his gaze, acting like nothing just occurred.

"You do understand that I am in front of you, correct? And I can hear you clearly with my own ears." Abraham strictly muttered while his subordinates kept avoiding his gaze.

After some time, he sighed and continued walking towards the Combat Information Center of the UNS Light Bringer.

He didn't know what had happened. But his reputation was at rock bottom. He only thought of dragons as cool. Why were his subordinates starting to pair him with Laplace?

*Ding!*

| That's because you're a furr- |

'As I said before, I'm not.' Abraham denied the accusation, and out of nowhere, Systema retracted her statement.

| It appears that I was wrong. |

The middle-aged man felt hope upon hearing such monotone words. The dream of regaining his respected reputation dawned.

But then, it was washed away by the biblical flood from Systema's following words.

| The correct term would be a scal- |

'No… And what are you trying to say, Systema?' Abraham raised an eyebrow as his partner has been annoying him since the emergence of Laplace.

| Fleet Admiral, do you understand the world you are in? |

Systema asked a strange question to the middle-aged man, making him confused. What did she mean by it, or what was she trying to say?

'I don't understand, Systema. What do you mean by understanding this world?' Abraham inquired, wanting to know more about the intention behind her question.

| From the parameters set by what is fantasy. Through giant animals, sea monsters, magic, medieval ships, and many more signatures. We can conclude that this is a fantasy world. |

'And? What does this fantasy world have to do with the United Navy or me?' Abraham asked as he became more dumbfounded by what his precious partner was saying.

| You are close-minded, Fleet Admiral. A fantasy world signifies the existence of monster girls. Whether it'd be cat girls, wolf girls, fox girls, mermaids, harpies, and perhaps demon girls. |

The middle-aged man felt enlightenment through the cultured words of his partner. His abandoned dreams long lost to time resurfaced inside his mind.

'However, I'm not interested in going on a harem spree, Systema. I might not look or appear like it, but I'm a monogamous guy.' Abraham declared his personal views.

| … |

| Impossible... |

'What do you mean impossible? Do you think every man only wants to f*ck? We also want to have a happy marriage and a loving wife who cares of us.' Abraham felt a bit vexed.

Every guy wants to be happy in their lives. It was as simple as that.

Besides, while a harem might be intriguing at first glance, Abraham doubted that he would be able to handle more women in his life. One already needed your whole attention. What about two or more of them?

It would be the death of him.

| I see… You're much of a better man than I had previously thought, Fleet Admiral. You have grown. |

For some reason, Abraham felt like being praised by a single mom who realized that her troublesome son had finally grown up into a respectable adult.

He immediately shook his head and decided to ignore the strange feeling. At the moment, he must tackle the problem before him.

Abraham and his entourage entered the Combat Information Center. Every naval personnel looked at the Fleet Admiral with a piercing gaze. 

After all, they saw him talking with a gargantuan eastern dragon as though they were close friends. Obviously, they would be curious.

"Attention!" Captain Lux shouted, gaining the eyes of others. The old white-bearded man straightened his back and announced.

"The Fleet Admiral has something to say, so listen carefully." With his words resounding throughout the Combat Information Center, the naval personnel were ordered to listen.

Seeing that most of his subordinates were ready to hear him, Abraham slightly coughed and looked at his naval personnel with the sternest expression he could conjure.

"We are here to change our battle plans to act in the upcoming events. Our strategies will change once again as we have gained the assistance of an important ally."

"The United Navy will be bringing the fight to the sea monster. And along with our eastern dragon friend, we will prevail from these precarious circumstances and achieve complete victory."

"So, prepare for battle!" The current strategy of the United Navy was entirely overturned. They would be now fighting against the sea monster without thoughts of retreat.

The naval personnel in the CIC straightened their backs and saluted to the Fleet Admiral at the same time. It was quite a sight to see and the previous embarrassment of Abraham faded.

"Okay, let's start." Abraham nodded in satisfaction and declared. The naval personnel swiftly returned to their positions and assumed their respective duties.

The news about the change of strategies was also sent to the data link along with some information regarding the eastern dragon, who would be their ally.

Their tactics are arranged in a maneuver that would support the eastern dragon in her brawl against the Elder Leviathan. 

Abraham watched his subordinates prepare for the upcoming monster brawl, and the report he expected had finally emerged.

"Sir, two big radar signatures are rising from the bottom of the seas. They are heading to the surface fast." One of the radio operators reported.

Abraham only grinned upon hearing the news and muttered.

"Let the monster brawl begin."