That report was a bolt from the blue.
“An unidentified fleet is heading towards the port!”
It started with an emergency signal from the Great Moa Lighthouse. It was an emergency contact, one that was never normally used. The person in charge who noticed the signal initially had no idea what it meant. It was taught to him on his first day of assignment several years ago, and had never been used since, so he couldn’t identify the signal.
“Hey, that’s a fleet approaching alarm!! A fleet, five or more ships, unidentified!!”
One person in charge, famous within the department as a manual maniac, saw it and shouted. His colleagues didn’t doubt his knowledge, and the communications officer immediately ran to contact the harbor Garrison.
Meanwhile, the mysterious fleet was naturally continuing to approach. Merchant ships that noticed it hurriedly raised their sails and began to evacuate from its path. If they were to block the path of a warship, they couldn’t complain even if they were sunk without question.
The right of way for warships is the highest priority, and merchant ships are the lowest. However, the warships of the Repuitari Kingdom are known for being strict in discipline and courteous.
“Damn, we won’t make it!”
“Hurry!! Raise the sails!!”
However, ships that had dropped anchor and were moored couldn’t move so easily. They desperately tried to raise their sails, but most of the ships in the harbor had most of their crew ashore. It was inevitable that some ships wouldn’t be able to move as they wished.
“It’s coming this way!!”
“…! It turned…? Hey, it turned, it turned! You, drop anchor, run, run, run!!”
The approaching warship slowly changed course to the left. It seemed to be trying to avoid the merchant ships that couldn’t move. The ships that noticed this hurriedly furled their sails. If they caught the wind carelessly, they might end up on a collision course. If the other party was avoiding them, it was best not to move.
“Whoa…! How huge!”
“What country’s ship is that!?”
“It’s not using sails, and it doesn’t have paddle wheels! Is it Repuitari’s latest ship!?”
The warship had a pure white hull. It had no sails and only one mast, so it was easy to imagine that it was a powered ship. Despite being as large as the main warships of the Repuitari Kingdom, its speed was unbelievably fast. It had approached in front of them in the blink of an eye since the lookout had noticed it.
“Watch out for the waves!!”
“It’s rocking! Grab on!!”
The wake created by the white warship rocked the merchant ships greatly. The sailors clinging to the gunwales and masts stared blankly at the hull as it passed by. Normally, warships would never pass this close. The route is announced in advance, and warships rarely dock at the port of the capital, Moa, in the first place.
As a result, Moa Port was in a state of mild panic. It wasn’t quite a riot, but rumors were flying about a new type of ship being unveiled, or an attack by an enemy country, and onlookers were crowding the port and piers. Naturally, with so many people gathered, the navy’s response, which should have been the first to move, was delayed. Several coast guard boats managed to set out somehow, but they were clearly understaffed.
Amidst the confusion, the fleet slowly came to a stop. One ship, presumably the flagship, was particularly huge. Eight warships surrounded it at close intervals. Even though they hadn’t dropped anchor, they maintained their positional relationship perfectly. Anyone who knew what they were looking at would understand that this was a very advanced technique.
“Captain, what do we do!? Do we inspect them!?”
“You idiot, you can’t inspect a warship from another country!! We’ll get killed!”
And the coast guard boats couldn’t approach carelessly either. Naturally, if they tried to inspect a warship, it would be judged as an act of hostility and they could be sunk without complaint. Well, the country might complain, but it would be their own lives and those of their subordinates that would be lost. Unless they had a formal order, they wouldn’t want to approach it.
Fortunately, the pure white warship was just stopped there and didn’t show any signs of doing anything. They would have to stay here under the guise of surveillance until orders came from headquarters. The captain made that decision and gave the order to drop anchor.
“I haven’t heard anything about this. What was the coast guard doing!?”
“They may have infiltrated the Lafret Sea under the cover of darkness.”
“Of course! That’s why we have ships patrolling the Carmola Strait, how many do you think we have stationed there!”
Grand Admiral Alban Breias, who was stationed at headquarters, roared at the subordinate who came to report. The Lafret Sea, despite being a bay, was very large and also bordered other countries, making it impossible to monitor everything. Therefore, they had increased the number of Garrison boats in the Carmola Strait, and stipulated that at least three boats should be on alert, especially at night. To let a fleet of nine ships pass through unnoticed was nothing short of incompetence.
“Lord Alban! An urgent letter has arrived from Carmola Port!”
“…Read it.”
“Yes, sir. From: Commander Crudo Moa, Carmola Port. To: Naval Headquarters Liaison Department. At 08:16 on the 32nd day of the 10th month of the New Calendar, an unidentified fleet was visually confirmed passing through the Carmola Strait. Six ships confirmed. Estimated eight or nine ships. All ships are powered. Contact by Garrison boat was unsuccessful. Please be advised. That is all!”
“…Today at 8 a.m., you say?”
It was currently 4 p.m. on the 32nd day of the 10th month. That meant that the fleet had traveled from the Carmola Strait to the capital, Moa, in eight hours. Of course, if the report was to be believed.
“Lord Alban! An urgent letter has arrived from Braolitter Port!”
Alban Breias silently urged him to continue.
“Excuse me! From: Commander Berias Grand, Braolitter Port. To: Naval Headquarters Liaison Department. At 12:36 on the 32nd day of the 10th month of the New Calendar, a report was received from Carmola Port of an unidentified fleet entering the area. At 12:51, a Garrison boat visually confirmed a ship silhouette suspected to be the unidentified fleet. One ship confirmed. Estimated to be powered due to the absence of sails. Contact by Garrison boat was unsuccessful. Please be advised. That is all!”
This proved that the report from Carmola Port was correct. The fact that a similar report came from another port meant that it was correct information, unless they were colluding. And it was unlikely that the naval colonels of the Repuitari Kingdom would all submit false information.
And after this, similar reports and follow-up reports would continue to pour in from ports and Garrison boats all over the country.
At this point, he couldn’t deny it.
That fleet, which was stopped in the port of the capital Moa, had traveled from the Carmola Strait to Moa in just eight hours or so.
That was a speed that even the Repuitari Kingdom Navy’s most advanced ships hadn’t achieved. Officially, it would take more than 20 hours for the latest steam-powered screw ship to travel that distance, and even unofficial speed measurements never fell below 15 hours.
“This is bad…”
The Grand Admiral muttered involuntarily. Fortunately, it seemed that no one had heard his mutter. The top of the navy couldn’t possibly show weakness. Grand Admiral Alban Breias took a deep breath and gave instructions.
“We are prohibited from making any moves. Make that a strict order down to the lowest ranks. Also, prepare an envoy immediately. Put the fleets stationed at Braolitter Port, Weissritter Port, and Vatzira Port on alert. I will go to the royal palace to report, send a messenger ahead. Also, I want to see it directly. Attach someone familiar with armaments. I’m leaving immediately.”
“Understood!”
The people around him began to move busily at the Grand Admiral’s instructions. There was an underground passage connecting to the port’s watchtower, so he could use that to check immediately. An unidentified warship had entered right in front of the port. At worst, it might be possible to bombard the royal palace.
There was not a moment to lose.
And all of that was being watched by a spy bot, clinging quietly to the corner of the ceiling.