Chapter 47: The Conclusion of the Death Struggle
“…! RINGO, charge forward!”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
It was a prime opportunity. Even though the strategy was difficult to accept as the Control AI, I would execute the Commander’s orders without hesitation. I directed the accelerated Ship #17 (Quebec) of the Alpha-class to ram into the side of the thrashing Rain Croin.
This was a ramming attack.
The moment we collided, the protective membrane absorbed the shock, but—
“Give it everything you’ve got!”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
The force of the charge did not wane. The bow of the ship buckled under the pressure, steel crumpling and structural materials shattering. Yet, we did not cease our acceleration, pushing the hull deeper into the Rain Croin.
“The protective membrane has dissipated… It will not regenerate.”
“Good, fire! Fire!”
Overwhelmed by Quebec’s pressure, the protective membrane vanished. Six 150mm smoothbore cannons from Ship #15 (Oscar) and Ship #16 (Papa) unleashed a barrage of armor-piercing shells.
The Rain Croin, struck by Quebec’s ramming, twisted its massive body in agony. Its thrashing form alone was a terrifying sight. Just a brush from its forelimbs caused half of Quebec’s upper structure to detach. The hull, crafted by RINGO, still held together, but it wouldn’t last another minute.
Yet, one minute was all we needed.
More than 250 armor-piercing shells struck the Rain Croin’s body. An immense amount of blood stained the surrounding waters crimson. The Rain Croin seemed to have almost exhausted its strength. Its body moved weakly, but that was likely just a reflexive motion.
“…Did we somehow win?”
“Thank you, Ma’am. We managed to secure a swift victory.”
The damage to The Tree consisted of the large number of shells and torpedoes expended, along with the loss of Quebec, which had been used for the ramming. The upper structure was nearly destroyed, and a third of the hull had been crushed beyond recognition. Thanks to the meticulously segmented watertight compartments, it had not sunk, but it was fair to say it was severely damaged. Remarkably, the main engine and screws remained intact, allowing for some degree of autonomous navigation.
“The cost-effectiveness may have been poor. I wonder if we could have taken it down just by continuing to bombard it…?”
“…No, Ma’am. If we had let it escape in that situation, there was a possibility of damage to The Tree’s external facilities. Your judgment was impeccable, Ma’am.”
“…I see, I see. Okay, let’s go with that.”
She let out a deep sigh and sank into the luxurious chair of the command seat. What a relief it was.
“Ah… I’m really tired. This has been the most mentally taxing time since I got here.”
“Thank you for your hard work. I will handle the follow-up, so why not take a rest?”
“Perhaps I shall… Well then, I’ll expect the report later.”
With that, RINGO followed the departing Ma’am out of the command room. Naturally, RINGO’s main body resided within the supercomputer, The Core. There was no issue in attending to the Commander while managing the aftermath.
It seemed Commander Eve was heading to the bathhouse for now. Originally, The Tree had no such facilities, but after RINGO expressed a casual (and rather blatant) interest in bathing, five types of bathing facilities were created. Although she was initially reluctant, it seemed she had grown fond of them and used them almost daily.
“What shall we do about dinner?”
“Hmm… Meat…?”
Thanks to trade with Port Town of Terek, fresh meat had become available. By purchasing it raw and flash-freezing it, we had secured enough meat for the seven sisters. That said, we were also planning to venture into livestock farming soon. Additionally, with the large equipment now somewhat established, we were considering hunting large marine creatures like whales.
“Meat dishes, then. Understood.”
Speaking of which, I recalled that Ma’am had mentioned wanting to try cooking back at the beginning… Once things settled down, I decided to add a task to my list to suggest we cook together.
Now, regarding the main subject of this incident, the Rain Croin. I had gathered information using the Communicator Androids from Port Town of Terek, but there was nothing particularly useful. Given that massive body and its agility, it was hard to believe any ship that encountered it could escape unscathed. It was no surprise that we only had rumors to go on.
The most fitting rumor about a sea monster was the Wandering Fear. It was said that if you encountered it, you would not return alive—a terrifying creature indeed. The fact that such rumors existed while claiming no one returned alive was a common exaggeration, but it was still noteworthy. In reality, there were reports of crew members who had managed to escape.
The Rain Croin’s swimming speed was remarkably fast, and it seemed to operate with some sort of incomprehensible (fantasy) power, suggesting it could appear widely from the open sea to the coast.
In summary, it would suddenly attack from below, devour a ship in a single bite, target all vessels in a fleet, and deflect cannon fire—there was no mistaking it was the Rain Croin.
The question remained whether the Rain Croin was a unique individual or not. Eyewitness accounts were nearly nonexistent. If a ship was attacked, it would be annihilated, so that was to be expected. It was unclear whether the damage was caused by the Rain Croin or other factors, leaving the extent of the destruction entirely unknown.
Ultimately, I concluded that if there were multiple monsters of that caliber, large sailing ships wouldn’t be in vogue. Even if they existed, it wouldn’t be more than a handful in the vast ocean. Indeed, during a single hunt, over ten marine beasts had been wiped out. If there were dozens of Rain Croins, they would likely face extinction quickly.
Currently, we were towing that massive body towards The Tree. It was so large that even two Alpha-class ships struggled to pull it. Calculating based on the typical length and weight ratio of crocodiles, it was estimated to exceed 1,500 tons. With Ship #18 about to roll out, it would also need to be dispatched for investigation. Furthermore, the Paraiso 2 was currently returning from Port Town of Terek, which would also be utilized.
It had become clear that there were safety concerns in the surrounding waters.
Well, expecting to foresee a threat of that magnitude was unrealistic.
However, there was no guarantee that a colossal creature capable of deflecting armor-piercing shells wouldn’t appear again. We had managed to cope this time, but if there had been two Rain Croins, I honestly doubted we could have held our ground. It was urgent to bolster The Tree’s immediate combat capabilities.
Additionally, we needed to investigate the marine creatures that had been left unharmed. After being attacked by The Tree, they had shown clear protective behavior.
If they were merely emergency rations, that would be fine, but if wild animals exhibited protective behavior…
“Children, huh?”
“Yes, Ma’am. When protecting a nest or young, they display highly aggressive behavior. Of course, it varies by species.”
I nodded thoughtfully. It was possible that the Rain Croin had laid eggs in the carcasses of the marine beasts.
“…Could it be breeding? That thing?”
“Unknown. However, based on the analysis of the tissue composition, we found no significant differences from typical animals, so it is likely to fall within the ecological framework of existing organisms.”
We still had no clear understanding of what magic (fantasy) was like in this world. However, it was hard to believe that spawning and breeding behaviors relied on magic (fantasy) and exhibited inexplicable ecological traits that could not be scientifically anticipated. I surmised that the usual ecology fell within the realm of science.
“At the very least, no issues have been confirmed scientifically regarding the tissue composition. Ignoring the size, it could be considered a type of crocodile. If that’s the case, the magic (fantasy) involved would pertain to its size and durability.”
“I see… Well, if it were a creature that relied on magic for everything, we would expect to see abnormalities in its tissue composition. So, yes…”
She concluded that we would have to wait for the results. In any case, we would understand more once we investigated the actual specimen.
“If we could obtain a juvenile, it would greatly expedite our research.”
That was the situation at hand.