Volume 20 Chapter (1-6)

Chapter 1, Western Continent

Peach was visiting the 79th Floor village to confirm something.

The purpose was to confirm the lore of Succubus from Gizelle.

"A higher species of succubus?"

"Yes~. Anything, do you know any lore about it?"

At Peach's question, Gizelle crossed his arms and pondered.

"Hmmm… I've never heard of it."

"I see~. I was hoping there was something about it…"

Peach was downcast at Gizelle's answer.

"I don't know, but maybe the old lady knows something about it?"

"Old lady?"

The old lady they were referring to was the oldest living representative of Peach's clan.

Gizelle's knowledge only served to unite the clan, so when it came to folklore and stories, the old woman was the one to go to.

"I'm not very knowledgeable about fairy tales. If it's that kind of story, the old lady should know more."

"I understand. I'll go there later."

"Hmm."

"By the way, how are things here?"

"Better than ever, I guess we're fortunate to be under the protection of the Tower."

Before they came to the Tower, they lived a life of hiding and running, and there were a few deaths as a result of their pressured lifestyle.

But after coming to the Tower, those deaths drastically decreased.

The number of deaths among those who were outside the Tower because of their duties was not exactly zero, but it was still a far cry from what it had been before they came to the Tower.

In addition, babies and children were less likely to die because of the stability of life here in the Tower.

Clearly, the clan's future had taken a turn for the better after coming to the Tower.

"I see~. That's good to hear. Kousuke-san won't say anything if the clan doesn't do anything behind his back, but please don't take it for granted."

"Of course not. I will not be so foolish as to give up the good fortune we have received."

Even if they abandoned the path of living in the shadows, Kousuke would not abandon the succubus either.

However, they would not abandon the path of living in the shadows.

He knows that it was necessary for the Tower, so it was their way of returning the favor.

"Well, be that as it may… I overheard something just a few minutes ago…"

After hearing Gizelle's report, Peach decided that she needed to tell Kousuke as soon as possible, so she returned to the Administration Floor.

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The training he had been doing for some time to suppress his divine power from leaking, was showing steady results, and then Peach told him about the story.

Of course, he knew that the information came from the Succubus clan, so Kousuke immediately went to the Fifth Floor to check it out.

According to Sylvia, in his current state, he would not be recognized as a living god unless they saw him directly, so he headed toward his destination with some caution.

Kousuke went to Alec's place.

Kousuke rarely came to the government offices in the first place, so he did not have a direct channel to Alec.

In the past, when due to the commotion Kouhi caused, Kousuke was able to directly go to Alec because there was a high-ranking official guiding him.

However, when there was no such person, it was not that easy to meet Alec in person.

"We cannot allow you to meet with someone without an appointment. Please withdraw."

At the reception desk, Kousuke was politely refused.

"Just as I thought…"

This was related to the matter of him not coming to the Fifth Floor at all.

When he reflected on it, there were only a few people in the Fifth Floor who knew Kousuke's face.

The only time he showed his face on a large scale was during the inauguration ceremony of the temple, so his face was not that well known.

Kousuke could not complain about the receptionist's treatment of him, since some people intentionally try to side-step normal procedures.

He pretended not to notice that Kouhi, who came with him as a matter of course, looked somewhat uncomfortable.

There was no place in the Crown headquarters where one could go without a Crown Card.

There were security personnel on duty, but as long as the card was verified, one could basically go through.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to travel to and from the transition gate, likewise, to and from the Administration Floor. It was a system they adopted from the very beginning.

Since Wahid's place was very close by, they quickly went to Wahid's place.

Wahid widened his eyes at Kousuke's sudden visit, but as soon as he heard what was going on, he agreed to accompany him to the executive branch.

With Wahid there, there was no one to stop them at the government office's reception desk, and this time, they were immediately let through to Alec's place.

The receptionist was shocked when she saw that Kousuke, who she refused entry to before, suddenly dragged Wahid, the highest authority in the Fifth Floor, with him.

Having brought Wahid with him, Alec soon entered the room, which Kousuke and the others were seated in.

"Oh. How unusual. You came too?"

Alec said as he saw Kousuke's face.

"Yes. I was going to come without Wahid at first, but the receptionist stopped me."

Kousuke laughed and said so, and Alec chuckled.

"Come on, why not install an authentication system over here as well?"

The Crown Card was already the best form of identification.

The authentication system that instantly identified the card itself was the best in the world in terms of security.

The reason why the government was not implementing the authentication system was because they didn't want to be dependent on Crown, which was an external organization without anything to tie them down.

"Let's talk about that another time. For now, please, let's hear what Kousuke-sama is here for."

Wahid, prompted by the conversation, urged Kousuke to speak.

"Alec, I'm sure you've already caught wind of the story, but what's going on in the western continent?"

At Kousuke's question, Alec stopped moving.

"…Where did you hear about that?"

"Well, I guess, it's because of them."

Alec knew that Kousuke, rather than Tower, employed a clan that acted within the shadows.

It was only natural that Alec would know, since he was also getting some of his information from them. Yet, only a minimal number of people knew about their presence in the Tower.

"I see… No, it was only a few moments ago that I received that information."

Alec paused and immediately began telling his story.

"I have received information from a city in the west. That a certain kingdom on the Western Continent is moving to send troops toward us."

It was the kingdom closest to the western city on the Central continent called the Kingdom of Column. It was originally a nation built on trade with the Central Continent, more specifically, western cities of the Central Continent.

Therefore, there was a part of the kingdom that looked at the current situation of Crown's domination of the Central Continent with bitterness.

It was not surprising that the situation would come to this point. Thus, for Alec, it was just something that was finally happening.

"Hmmm… So? What about the western city?"

"They seemed to have been able to avoid a war so far, but this time, it will be impossible. Also, they have finally made the decision to join our side."

Normally, it would be ideal for the city to remain as an independent city as it had been until now, but the Column Kingdom's movements made it impossible for things to remain as status quo.

The Column Kingdom's objective was clear. They wanted the city to clarify which side they were on.

The army that overtly showed its movements was not seriously trying to invade, this time at least. It was only just for show. It could be said that they were just bluffing to show their resolve. However, that bluff turned out to be crucial in a situation like this.

As a result, the western city was forced to decide, so it could be said that the Kingdom of Column achieved its goal to some extent, no matter what the outcome was.

"On our side… Does that mean we can use that?"

Alec tilted his head at Kousuke's words.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Didn't I tell you about the functions of the Tower before?"

"…. Are you really going to use that?"

"I thought it would be a good idea to show it as an example for the first time."

At Kousuke's words, Alec crossed his arms for a while and thought about it.

"As long as they are willing to work with us, with the Tower, we have no objection to that. I'll make my move based on that assumption, would that be okay?"

"Yes. Yes, that's fine. Kindly notify me once you have more details."

" Okay, I'll get right on it. I will make arrangements immediately."

Alec nodded in agreement, and Kousuke stood up as if to say that this was the end of the discussion.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the fate of the Central Continent was decided at this time, but Kousuke and the others were not conscious of it..

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Chapter 2, Column Kingdom

Calistreme, the Royal Castle of the Kingdom of Column.

It was the castle where the king of Column resided.

In a room in the castle that only a limited number of people were allowed to enter, there was a man.

His long beard showed his dignity, and his eyes were powerful enough to subdue anyone.

The person who occupied the best room in Calistreme Castle was, of course, the owner of the castle, King Balm Edrea Column.

For Balm, the king of a country, there was little distinction between public and private life.

The room he was in was a private room, but it was almost the same as his office.

In fact, even now, he was processing a mountain of documents.

There were kings who left most of the work to their subordinates and spent their time leisurely, but Balm was not that type of king.

As a result, a certain number of documents were brought to this room every day.

While Balm was sorting through these papers, a certain someone came to visit him.

As usual, he did not even knock.

During official business, he told the person that it was a waste of time and that he did not have to do such a thing.

If there was a bandit who could reach this private room in the first place, he would have to be an exceptionally skilled bandit.

Of course, even though it was a private room, there were several knights guarding it, so it was not unprotected in case of an emergency.

Naturally, only an important person in the country of Column would be able to pass through such a situation.

The person who came to visit Balm was one such person.

"….General Gadrea? What do you want?"

"Yes…. I received a reply from Central."

At those words, Balm finally took his eyes off the document and looked at Gadrea.

His gaze urged him to continue on.

"Quite simply, the reply came from an unscheduled source. No, I guess you could say it was, in a way, as expected?"

Saying this, Gadrea handed a written document to Balm.

Balm looked it over and his face contorted.

"What did it say?"

There was a warning from Amamiya Tower.

Of course, it was not clearly written as a warning, but it was a distorted and roundabout warning.

In other words, the warning said that they would not allow any attempt to suppress the Central Continent by force.

It was undeniably true that the Column Kingdom was about to take military action against the city to the west of Central.

However, they did not intend to launch a full-scale armed invasion.

They deliberately had not prepared the numbers to do so.

It was a bluff, so to speak, that they could do so at any time.

Of course, they knew that they were being read.

However, it was meaningful just to show that they were ready to attack at any time.

"To be clear, I do not understand. As far as that place is concerned, it looks like information about our plans were easily discovered, but we don't see the important parts of theirs."

It was unexpected that Amamiya Tower would appear at this stage, neither for Balm nor for Gadrea.

They thought that if they did show up, it would be at a much later stage.

In the first place, Amamiya Tower did not seem to be actively trying to dominate the Central Continent.

The towns with transfer gates seemed to show reverence, but there was no indication that the Tower was actively working on that front.

It was as if each town had made its own decision and fallen into their hand of authority.

That was why they moved the army to make an example to the western towns, before it was too late, but it had the opposite effect.

"But now we will know how powerful they are, yes?"

"Yes, we will."

Gadrea nodded, not denying Balm's words.

"How are the other countries moving?"

"It seems that they have seen us moving and are restraining their movements."

"Hmm. A wait and see approach, huh?"

The Column Kingdom was not the only one who was bitter about the current situation on the Central Continent.

Each of the cities to the east, west, south, and north had their own kingdoms claiming territory on the Central Continent.

Of course, the Column Kingdom would not be immediately crushed if it were to give up one of its cities in the west.

But the profits they were getting from it were far too large to ignore, which was why they decided to actually make a move like this.

"So? What do you want to do?"

"Nothing. We'll go as planned."

Reports continued to flow in that the influence of Amamiya Tower was, indeed, getting bigger.

But it hardly appeared to be a military threat.

The number of adventurers that Crown employed could certainly be considered a threat, but they did not expect all the adventurers to be able to operate.

Naturally, Column's military action was based on such analysis.

While they did not expect the Tower to appear at this early stage, they were fully aware that it would appear later on.

If there was any concern, it was that a messenger had appeared, and the reasons for its appearance have been thoroughly investigated.

The analysis was also because, based on the actions of past representatives, were not motivated by military reasons.

The action was based on a solid analysis.

Thus, they were not going to halt their plans so easily.

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"Will it be good or bad?"

Leril Bacium, the lord of the western city, muttered to himself in his mansion in the western city on the Central Continent.

A letter was placed in front of his eyes.

The letter contained a request from the executive branch of Amamiya Tower regarding this matter.

The letter was an invitation for the western town to leave the Column Kingdom and join Amamiya Tower.

To begin with, there was no doubt that the western town was a town that prospered through trade with the Column Kingdom.

However, due to the military threat posed by its proximity, the city was being ripped off… It was also true that the city was a town in the west of the Column Kingdom

If what was written in the letter was really possible, Amamiya Tower would be more of a threat than the military power of the Column Kingdom.

If they could see it before others did, it was acceptable for them to accept the request written in the letter.

What was written in the letter was really a simple text.

[Please give your tacit permission for Amamiya Tower to move regarding the military action of the Column Kingdom. Amamiya Tower will not allow the intervention of military forces from outside the Continent. When the Column Kingdom tries to intervene, Amamiya Tower will deal with them.]

Such was written.

Especially, the third item was something that Leril could not ignore.

It was not clear to what extent the Column Kingdom would intervene this time, but if they could deal with the situation, it would be a historical moment for the Central Continent.

On the Central Continent, where the threat of monsters was great, it was not possible to have a force that could compete with the military forces of other Continents.

This situation could be turned upside down historically.

If Amamiya Tower were to possess such power, they would not be in the same position as they have been until now.

But that did not mean that they would simply reject the Column Kingdom's demands.

That was why we decided to accept Amamiya Tower's request for this matter.

In short, they decided to wait and see.

"If they really can get rid of the forces of the Column Kingdom…"

Leril shook his head, thinking about the future.

He reminded himself that there was no point in thinking about it as long as he did not know how things would turn out in the present situation.

Amamiya Tower's demands were, for the moment, not outrageous, or even problematic.

Even if Amamiya Tower failed to deal with the situation, the western city would be able to maintain its indifference to the situation.

Of course, Leril knew that Amamiya Tower was aware of this.

Leril could not predict what the outcome would be at all, so he was very much focused on what would happen in the future.

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Chapter 3, Effects of the Barrier

The Varling Sea lies between the Central and Western Continents.

Because it connected the Central Continent and the Western Continent, the Varling Sea had been a key intersection in maritime transportation for a long time and was visited by many ships.

It should be noted that there was no large island between the western city of the Central Continent and the city of the Kingdom of Column in the Western Continent, but small islands existed as stepping stones.

However, there were not enough of them to create a state, and the size of the islands was only about the size of an islet.

For this reason, no nation was ever built around the islets, and they existed only as relay points.

The distance between the western city and the Kingdom of Column could be navigated in about 20 days by the latest sailing vessels available.

Historically, they found the route from the Western Continent to the Central Continent, but originally, it took about three months to sail through it, so this was great progress.

Of course, this was due to a number of factors: the discovery of the shortest route, the advancement of ship technology, and the advancement of navigation magic.

This distance of about 20 days was not a major problem from a military point of view.

Nevertheless, the reason why the Kingdom of Column did not attempt to attack the Central Continent until now was because they were directing their forces toward the interior of the Continent.

Another reason was that there was no nation that could invade it with a large army.

It was left alone because there was enough profit to be gained without having to go to the trouble of a military invasion.

In addition, there was a possibility that if they tried to reach out to the Central Continent, they might encounter nations within the same Continent or from other Continents.

Furthermore, the Central Continent was a treasure trove of monsters.

Maintaining it as a nation would not bring sufficient returns.

For these reasons, they could profit by trading with the western region, where they existed as a single city.

The fleet was anchored near an island in the Varling Sea.

On the flagship of the fleet, Marco, the captain of the fleet, had his arms crossed with a difficult look on his face.

Marco was not only the fleet commander, but also an admiral in charge of one of the naval forces of the Kingdom of Column.

The fact that the Kingdom of Column was going out of its way to send one of its admirals on an expedition showed that it considered this matter to be of great importance.

Naturally, Marco was aware of this, but the current situation was not good.

This could be clearly seen from the similar expressions on the faces of the high-ranking officials in Marco's vicinity.

Originally, they had not planned to anchor at such a place.

However, just the other day, when they tried to move on from there, they realized that they could not.

To be precise, it was possible to sail a day or so beyond this island, but there was no way to proceed beyond this point.

There wasn't any kind of physical wall.

But after some progress, they were back in the same place.

It was like a lost forest on land.

The wizards on board told them that there was a magic similar to that of a lost forest.

They concluded that it would be impossible to break the spell.

"…Indeed. Indeed. The king had asked us to be cautious, but I never thought it would come to this."

Marco said this with an unintentional sigh, and the surrounding others looked similar or the same.

Even Marco, who had spent many years on sea, was experiencing this for the first time.

The number of wizards he had brought with him was not large, so he had no way to deal with the situation.

But since it was certain that it would be impossible to breach even if they brought a large number of people, there was nothing he could do even if he went back.

There was no way they could just wander back, so they had to find a way to get further ahead, no matter what.

In this helpless situation, they couldn't advance, and they can't just return to the country empty-handed, so they were trying to find a way to cope with the situation.

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The situation changed the next day.

The next day, a lookout spotted a commercial vessel sailing from the Central continental side of the island.

Of course, Marco was informed of this.

When Marco heard about it, he immediately decided.

He knew that the commercial ship was headed for the island.

The island near where the fleet was currently anchored was an important base for reaching the Kingdom of Column from the western city on the Central Continent.

He decided to talk to the captain of the ship when he stopped by the island.

Because of the nature of the situation, he decided to get off the ship himself and head for the island.

Though, of course, he was accompanied by several escorts.

Since the island was small, there was a rule that when a new ship arrived at the island to resupply, the previous ship had to give up its place to the new ship.

Therefore, the merchant ships that arrived from the Central Continental side were to replace the ships that had been there before that were stuck because they couldn't get to the Central's side.

The only problem was that both captains were merchants.

Since both sides probably knew what was going on, they seemed to have made a deal to exchange cargo and return to each other's original continent.

It was fortunate that both ships were of the same size.

The only way they could proceed was for the two sides to swap the goods they had originally carried, and complete the business negotiations, which was nothing short of brilliant.

The two captains' faces broke into a smile, so it must have been a good deal for both of them.

Marco looked at the faces of the two captains and concluded that it was a good deal for both of them.

The two captains' reactions to Marco's face were strikingly different.

One had a twitch on his face, and one had a smile on his face.

He didn't bother to check to see which was the merchant on whose side he was.

"I don't mean to interfere with business between merchants. I just wanted to have a few words with your captain."

"Yes, yes. Then the business meeting is over, and I will be leaving."

The captain, his face scrunched up, said this and quickly walked away.

"You have a question for me about this, don't you?"

Before Marco could ask, the captain produced a card.

"Thank you for being quick to the point. And what's that?"

"It's a Crown card."

Marco frowned as the captain answered simply.

As a military man, Marco could naturally hide his expression.

He deliberately showed that expression.

"…Do you know what I mean?"

Nobody was unaware that Crown, which currently boasts of its power on the Central Continent, belongs to Amamiya Tower.

And rumors had already spread that the Kingdom of Column was not on good terms with Amamiya Tower.

"Of course. Or rather, I have been told by those involved to show it to you."

"….What?"

"I heard that even if you took this away from me, it would be impossible to cross that barrier. I was also told that this could only be activated by my magic power."

"Even if that's the case, wouldn't it be a good idea to take you with us?"

"That's not allowed either. It can only be applied to that ship… It's a mystery, even to me, how it works."

Marco inwardly clicked his tongue.

At present, he could not discern whether the captain's story in front of him was true or not.

However, emotionally, he believed that the captain's story was true.

Otherwise, they would not have taken the trouble to send a merchant ship to the place where they appeared to be headed.

Marco knew that the Crown card responded only to the individual's own magical power.

Naturally, the story had been passed down in the Kingdom of Column, and although it was being thoroughly researched, the principle was not understood at all.

As Marco was pondering what to do about the captain. Meanwhile the captain, whether he knew what he was doing or not, continued.

"And then, two days from today, during the day, they're going to put on an interesting spectacle, right? He says it would be better not to decide what to do with me until then."

He seemed to fully understand his own fate when he said this.

"…Why should I wait that long?"

"Can you take me back to the country just like this?"

"…Did Amamiya Tower put you up to this?

"Well, what do you think?"

Marco decided to accept the captain's words for the time being, as the captain showed a deft imitation of shrugging his shoulders with a laugh.

Whether they go to the Central Continent or return to the Kingdom, there would still be plenty of time in the schedule.

He could wait a couple of days.

He thought it would be a good idea to check if the information brought by the messenger was correct.

However, even in the future, Marco would continue to worry about this decision even after he retired from the military.

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Chapter 4, Explosion

While waiting for two days after the captain's request, even Marco didn't stop to think about what he could do.

He tried to get a single ship to go with him, but the results were disastrous.

No matter what he did, he could not cross the Barrier.

The situation was reported to their home country by a wizard who could communicate over long distances.

There were not many wizards who could communicate over long distances, but that did not mean that there were none.

The larger the country, the more wizards it employed.

The fact that they had dispatched their wizards showed the importance they had attached to this matter.

The instructions from their home country that came through the wizard were to continue as before.

In the end, the decision was the same as Marco's, and Marco was relieved about that.

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Two days after the message was given.

Two more merchant ships arrived from the Central Continent's side.

One of them was an old ship that was about to be scrapped.

The two ships remained at anchor for a while, barely visible, but soon the other ship approached Marco's fleet, leaving the one that was about to be scrapped behind.

Unlike the previous merchant ship, this time it was clear that they were coming for Marco's fleet.

Since the other ship was not armed and there was only one ship, it was unlikely that it would do anything on its own, but it was still natural to be wary.

Above all, the other ship that they left behind also made no sense to him.

Meanwhile, they came close to a certain distance, but they communicated with each other from that position.

The other ship must have known that it would be dangerous if they approached carelessly.

There was a universal method of communication between ships to prevent accidents from occurring.

They used this method to communicate with each other.

The message said that they would send the captain and a few others to meet with him.

Marco immediately made up his mind and sent his approval.

The other merchant ship sent out a small boat and approached Marco's flagship.

Whether this was to alert the other side and prevent them from knowing their strength, or whether they dared to keep their numbers small so as not to alert the other side, could not be determined.

Regardless, the crew on the approaching small boat was immediately accommodated on the flagship.

There were five people on that small boat.

One of them was clearly more of a civilian officer for this negotiation than a sailor.

Sure enough, that civilian officer came to Marco's side.

"Nice to meet you, I am from the administrative office of Amamiya Tower, and my name is Colorado."

"I am Admiral Marco of the Third Fleet of the Kingdom of Column."

They greeted each other and quickly decided to ask each other about the request this time.

"So, what are your requests?"

Marco accepted Colorado easily because he did not believe that the Central Continent's side wanted to initiate a war.

To begin with, there may be merchant ships on the Central Continent, but there were no armed vessels.

In the Central Continent, where there existed no such thing as a nation, there was almost no point in possessing such a thing.

Marco believed that if something like a battle were to take place, it would only happen once they were on land.

Of course, Marco was not alone in this thinking, as the Kingdom of Column analyzed.

"I have three requests. One is that you allow me to contact you from this point on. The second is that you will not move this fleet for some time after contacting me. The third is that you keep an eye on that abandoned ship."

"Is that all?"

"Yes. That's all."

"And what would be the benefit to us in doing so?"

He said with some intimidation, meaning that he was not going to bother to meet the demands of the enemy side.

Under this intimidation, Colorado simply said, without changing his expression.

"This proud fleet of yours will not sink, I hope."

His words caused the surrounding men to rustle.

"You think we can be sunk by just two merchant ships?"

"Hahaha. No way. That abandoned ship is really just a scrapped ship. There is no one on board now. The other ship is just a merchant ship, and the only fighters on it are anti-monster adventurers."

Of course, monsters also appeared in the sea.

Having such anti-monster personnel on board was the same as hiring an escort for the merchant fleet.

To Marco, it did not seem as if Colorado was lying.

He could tell that the ship Colorado was on was just another merchant ship.

It did not appear to have any combatants on board.

Of course, they could have hidden things in the ship's cargo hold, so they wouldn't be caught off guard.

"…Who are you going to contact?"

"Amamiya Tower, of course."

Colorado asked in a bored tone, asking who else it could be.

"What's this about?"

"To let you know that we are ready."

"Ready?"

"That abandoned ship. We're supposed to drop people off when we get to the desired location."

That didn't make any sense.

What was the purpose of bringing that ship here?

They brought it all the way here when they were there, so it must have a meaning.

"What are you going to do with that abandoned ship?"

"Well. I haven't heard too many details either. But they are going to use the Tower's power to show us how to sink it in one shot. After seeing that, if you still try to mess with us, I hope you'll be prepared for that."

"…The Tower's power?"

"It seems so. Like I said, I don't know the details."

Colorado was talking nonchalantly, as if they knew what they were getting themselves into, whether they knew they were surrounded or not.

For now, it was completely at Colorado's pace.

"Oh, by the way, there is no point in doing anything to me here and now, okay? After a certain amount of time, they will decide that something has happened to me, and they will do it with or without me."

Marco inwardly clicked his tongue.

He had heard that the measures taken by the people behind this were very thorough.

He thought he was a civilian officer who was an amateur in combat, but he wasn't so naive as to think that he was a mastermind either.

"…Very well. You should try that contact you mentioned earlier."

Upon hearing Marco's reply, Colorado immediately began making contact on the spot.

Of course, Marco could hear the conversation, but there was nothing unnatural about it.

He simply informed the other party that he was ready and that they could initiate the plan whenever they wanted.

The other party agreed, and the communication was immediately terminated.

Watching the exchange, Marco became curious as to how they were communicating.

With existing magical tools, they were disposable, and in a location like a ship that was moving, those were the only ones he knew to be commonly used.

Or a magician who could only communicate directly with another.

But it did not appear to Marco that he was using magic, and his tools did not appear to be disposable.

Marco was about to ask about the tools, but before he could, Colorado pointed towards the abandoned ship.

"It's about time, so please keep an eye on it. If your men's lives are important."

As soon as Colorado said that, it happened.

The first to notice were the wizards in the combat crew.

They felt a power stronger, one than they had never ever felt before, coming from the abandoned ship.

Before they could tell, a huge explosion occurred on the abandoned ship.

Although the ship was located at a considerable distance from the fleet, the effect of the explosion reached the fleet.

The hot air from the explosion reached the fleet, albeit slightly.

The crew of the fleet, who saw the explosion, were unable to speak for a while.

Marco, who was also watching the explosion, felt the same way, but as the leader of the fleet, he tried hard not to show his astonishment.

Everyone in the fleet at that time must have felt the same way.

What if that explosion had been directed at this ship?

Everyone imagined the same thing and came to the same conclusion.

They would end up sinking, unable to do anything to resist.

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Chapter 5, Reactions from the Tower Side

Kousuke let out a sigh as he watched the images on the monitor.

He had thought that he had adjusted the power of the device after considering its impact, but if he had made a slight mistake, it could have affected the fleet as well.

Of course, there was also the humanitarian aspect of preventing harm to others.

But more than that, he wanted to minimize the casualties as much as possible because he thought that even a little damage to the fleet would affect future negotiations.

The monitor that Kousuke and his team were watching was originally part of the Tower's functionality.

To be more precise, it was added after the functions of the barrier and attack were released.

If they didn't know where to place the barrier or attack, there was almost nothing they could do, so it was apparently there to confirm the target location.

He wondered if such a high-performance monitor was really necessary, but he was grateful to have it.

Incidentally, Kousuke and the others were in the control room of Amamiya Tower, but in the conference room on the Administration Floor, high-ranking officials of the executive branch and the heads of Crown's departments and above were gathered to watch the same thing.

The results of the meeting were so unexpected that everyone, including Kousuke, was a bit on the edge of their seats, but they had expected it to some extent and were able to recover more quickly than the rest of the group.

Kousuke and the others in the control room could not see it, but those in the conference room were still looking at the monitors in silence.

"Well, I hope this will make them pull out, but let's see what happens."

Kousuke muttered to no one in particular.

The response to that comment came from Floria, the most politically savvy of the members.

"I think they'll pull out."

"What made you think so?"

"Nobody could look at that result and think that their fleet would be safe. I wonder if they would be willing to sacrifice their entire fleet to fulfill the interests of the Kingdom."

"Are you saying that the interests in the western cities are not so great that they would want to lose their armies to get them?"

Floria nodded at Shrein's confirmation.

"More to the point, I think they would rather benefit from Amamiya Tower than continue to be hostile to it."

"I see."

Kousuke nodded in agreement.

Well, it was a military set-up, and although he didn't find it interesting, he would just follow up as needed.

Since there were no human casualties on either side, or rather, it would be advantageous for them to proceed with discussions in the future, they would not complain, especially if they could be pulled out of the situation.

In the first place, Tower's functions could not be used for other Continents, and hence there was no need to go to the trouble of an overseas expedition.

This would mean that the Kingdom of Column would continue to operate, so it would be best to maintain a moderate diplomatic relationship with its neighbors.

Since even Kousuke could think of something like this, Alec would have naturally thought of it.

"So, is it safe to leave the matter to Alec from now on?"

"No problem. I mean, that's their specialty, so they'll negotiate enthusiastically."

It would be difficult to negotiate on such favorable terms, but now that they achieved that result, it was up to them to negotiate the rest.

And it was important to note that the results of the attack were not limited to the Kingdom of Column.

"Even if it isn't – will it also serve as a demonstration against other cities on the Central Continent?"

"I have no doubt it will be."

It was Shrein who answered Peach's question.

"Well, it will affect not only the Kingdom of Column, but many other places as well."

Kousuke chuckled at Floria's comment.

"And by 'various places' do you mean the executive branch, Crown, and so on?"

"Of course."

"Speaking of which, can this function be directed to the Tower's Floors as well?"

Sylvia, who had been listening silently until now, asked, as if it had suddenly occurred to her.

"Well, I originally didn't think it was possible. But when I was trying various things, I found out that I could do it if I used markers."

For Kousuke, he did not intend to attack himself with it and commit suicide, but just knowing that he could do it in some cases was significant.

Incidentally, a marker was used as a guide when launching an attack.

This time, of course, Colorado had the marker.

Of course, even if the Kingdom of Column had taken the initiative and done something about the merchant ship on which Colorado was riding, it would be a possible target.

For example, they could have launched a direct attack on the merchant ship once it was attacked.

Kousuke was glad that it did not come to that.

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"What a surprise…"

Schmidt's voice echoed in the hushed conference room.

"I think it would be quicker and easier to have them use the current attack to wipe out the monsters on the continent, don't you think?"

"…Are you serious?"

Schmidt's unusual light-hearted comment prompted Gazeran to ask.

"Of course I'm joking. If we do that, the ecosystem will be ruined, or rather, I don't even know if any living creatures would survive the attack in the first place."

"It wouldn't do any good if we unleash that attack and destroy the town itself, you know."

Dulles, who had been listening to their exchange, exhaled deeply.

"Just to be certain, can you build a structure that can withstand that attack?"

Alec's question was answered by Dulles with a deliberate eye roll.

"You want us to collapse from exhaustion?"

It was typical of Dulles to never say it couldn't be done, but this was effectively the same as saying it couldn't be done.

"Of course I was joking."

The conversation was a mixture of light talk and jokes, but it was impossible to switch the current mood without doing so.

While they were having this kind of conversation, a knock came on the door on the opposite side of the transition gate.

Since only a limited number of people were allowed to enter this place, they knew immediately who it was.

He was someone who didn't need to knock in the first place, but his lawfulness revealed his character.

"Yes. Come in."

Wahid answered the knock on behalf of the others.

Sure enough, the members of the Tower who had caused the commotion this time entered through the door.

At the center of them, of course, was Kousuke.

"As for the results, I think they're up to the task, don't they?"

"…I'd say it's a bit too much."

Alec answered without changing his tone, but still with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Huh? Is there a problem?"

"This matter will definitely spread throughout the Continent. If they think that Tower will suppress problems with military force, it will be awful."

It was Alec's opinion that there would be no positive results if he ruled by force alone.

It was because Alec held this view that Kousuke felt comfortable entrusting him with the executive branch of the government.

Of course, he also believed in using what was available to the maximum extent possible.

"Why don't we just notify them that it is only for forces outside the Central Continent?"

Shrein interrupted Kousuke and Alec's conversation.

Incidentally, Floria was not present here.

"…Well, we have no choice but to do so… Are you sure about that, though?"

At Alec's confirmation, Kousuke shrugged.

"If I blasted something like that inland, it would be more than just an environmental disaster. I don't intend to take on such a task. Besides, even that attack was already the most we could suppress, you know?"

Kousuke said with a wry smile, leaving everyone speechless.

"For reference, what would happen if its power was increased to the maximum?"

Kousuke answered Gazeran's question with a troubled expression on his face.

"The land around where the Towers stand would only remain as small islands. The rest would be blown to the bottom of the sea."

At Kousuke's answer, Gazeran's expression turned into a look that said he shouldn't have asked.

Looking around, everyone had a similar expression on their faces.

"So, since we really don't intend to use it to do that, please go in that direction."

"Ah. I understand."

"Well then. Is that all regarding this topic?"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Kousuke's confirmation.

With that, the meeting was dismissed, but each of them had a lot of work to do, so they hurried to clean up the mess.

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Chapter 6, A Big Impact

Marco could feel the atmosphere around him and, unlike them, he was able to calm down.

At the very least, the current situation was not good for the Kingdom of Column.

The surrounding crew was completely absorbed in that explosion.

If he, the admiral, reacted in the same way as those around him, it would affect future negotiations.

He thought it was a miracle that he was able to regain his footing so quickly, even if it was just a bluff.

Marco, who thought of such a thing instantly, and was able to avoid showing his inner-feelings on his face, showing his distinguished status as an admiral of a country.

Marco tried to make the first move and call out to Colorado, who for some reason was showing the same surprised expression, but was unfortunately stopped by the other party's muttering.

"Oh no. That is more than I expected…"

Hearing this murmur, Marco stopped moving involuntarily.

Furthermore, he couldn't stop himself from raising his voice in question.

"…What?"

At Marco's questioning look, Colorado cowered his shoulders.

"I will speak with their permission, but that thing you just witnessed can only be used within a certain area away from the Central Continent."

"…Are you sure you want to tell me that?"

Colorado let out a deep sigh at Marco, who unintentionally asked.

"It's probably not something one would consider normal, though. Because that place is, in many ways, beyond normal."

It goes without saying where Colorado was referring to when he said, "that place".

"They say that the Barrier you are stuck with, and the current attack, are both powers of the Tower."

"I see. So, it can only be used within a certain range?"

For some reason, Marco, who was supposed to be the enemy, was listening to Colorado blabbing about what should normally be crucial matters.

Marco, who later recalled the conversation, was puzzled as to why he was listening so openly at that time.

"Well, we don't know whether the current location is the limit or not."

"By all means, I'd like to know about that, if possible?"

"I could if I was given permission… is what I'd like to say, but we really don't know because information regarding the Tower is something we ourselves don't really know."

Marco couldn't help but look at Colorado with sympathy as he sighed in resignation.

Although the current situation was only temporary, it was still an exchange between two adversaries.

Naturally, they could not continue in the same mood as before, so they returned to their previous mood.

After exchanging a few words, Colorado left the flagship.

Of course, Colorado did not push them into a corner, because he was instructed to not do so.

It was obvious that if they were unnecessarily pushed into a corner, they would end up ruining the situation. Thus, Colorado was instructed to give them enough time to get in touch with their home country and respond to the situation.

Of course, Marco understood this.

On that basis, the first meeting with Colorado was completed.

After confirming that the next time they would meet would be on the island, Colorado returned to the merchant ship he boarded.

As Marco watched, he sighed inwardly.

He felt depressed, wondering how he was going to tell his home country what had just happened.

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Marco's report was understandably not accepted at first.

He was simply dismissed, telling him that it could not be true.

However, it was difficult to deny the fact that they had all seen the same scene, even though they were not under mass hypnosis.

Some people suggested that the abandoned ship had been rigged from the beginning, but Marco denied this because of what he had heard from Colorado.

It was significant that Marco risked his job to report these stories as true.

The report that the fleet itself could have been lost if they were forced to stay any longer was also a factor.

Of course, an attack on a mere ship with no protection would be different from the damage a fleet of wizards with defensive magic on board would suffer.

That said, such things offered no comfort.

He had the wizards do some analysis before reporting, but even if they could, it was determined that they could only protect the personnel and not the ship itself.

To make matters worse, in the chat during the meeting with Colorado after that, they were told, to their dismay, that the attack was already suppressed.

He asked him if he was joking, but he replied that it was apparently true.

He even told me that he had asked the same question himself and had received the same answer.

There would be no way to confirm whether this was true or not, but if it were true, it would certainly make the Central Continent inviolable to nations on other Continents in the future.

There would be no way to prevent such an attack.

Putting aside his own feelings, Marco conveyed all this information to his home country without hiding anything.

Of course, Marco's report was delivered through a magician, so it was simply the facts he had learned so far.

Still, the impact was tremendous.

"Poking around in the bushes and bringing out the snakes, huh?"

The people present reacted to the words of Balm, King of Column.

An emergency meeting was being held with all concerned parties in response to Marco's report.

"You don't mean to tell me that you believed Admiral Marco's report?"

So said those on the side who did not believe in the existence of offensive weapons as reported.

In a way, they were the ones who had a realistic streak, but in this case, it would only get them into trouble.

They were only looking at the gains to be made from the western cities of the Central continent.

They didn't believe in weapons that could easily wipe out an entire fleet.

"If you don't believe his report, what do you trust?"

The king's words made the man shush.

King Balm was not a fool who would trust in words alone.

He was the type of king who listened carefully to the opinions of those in the field.

In fact, at times like this, he tended to rely heavily on the opinions of those on the field.

Those around him understood this, of course.

"Admiral Marco is the type of admiral who can properly calculate damages and profits. If he reports that there will be a lot of damage if we continue as we are, then it must be true."

The military officials nodded at King Balm's report.

They knew that Marco was not the type to raise false reports for his own protection.

He was the type to clearly state what he could do and what he couldn't do.

In fact, it was a well-known story in the military that he was almost demoted on several occasions for doing so.

"So you are giving up on the western cities?"

One of the civilian officers asked me.

"I would not say so. In the past, our country would have collapsed if we lost the profits from them, but fortunately, our country is different now, isn't it?"

Everyone nodded at the king's words.

"So you accept Amamiya Tower's point of view?"

"Is there anything that is unacceptable in their demands?"

Amamiya Tower's position had already been made clear through Marco and Colorado.

They only wanted an equal trading relationship, without having a connection as a nation.

Until now, the Kingdom had been using their power as a nation to the fullest, trading with the other, keeping the other alive and not killing them. However, they would no longer be able to use this method.

Although they would lose some profit, that did not mean that they would lose all the benefits they have established.

It would remain to the extent that it would be regrettable to give it up.

It could be a real loss if the western cities were to be shifted to neighboring nations as trading partners.

The Column Kingdom was not the only maritime nation on the Western Continent, after all.

King Balm decided it would be better to accept Amamiya Tower's proposal.

At present, they were still at the stage of being asked.

A formal notice would come eventually. Rather, it was a request for that purpose.

King Balm did not know in what form it would come, but he thought that they would accept the offer when formal negotiations started.