Ch.185The Path to the Continent of Meridia (2)

BANG BANG BANG!

“Ugh…”

I wrapped my head and got up at the sudden noise.

Looking at the clock, it was still 4 AM. Too early to be getting up.

“Captain? Captain?! It’s an emergency!”

At the word “emergency,” I hurriedly straightened my clothes and opened the door to the captain’s quarters.

“What’s going on?”

“A warship, sir. Even at a glance, it looks about 10 times our size and is demanding we stop!”

“Calm down, Jongsa. Wake my companions and issue an emergency alert. Sound the siren.”

“Yes, sir!”

The red cloth tied around Jongsa’s right arm gleamed bright red even in the bluish dawn as he ran off.

EEEEEEEEEE!!!

Soon, the loud siren echoed throughout the ship, and I could hear the crew below frantically getting up and rushing to their positions.

“Captain!”

“Helmsman.”

“What should we do?”

“Stop the ship.”

“Aye!”

After giving that order, I went back into the captain’s quarters.

Not to go back to sleep, but because there were voice tubes inside connecting to each department, allowing me to communicate with the section leaders.

As soon as I sat down, a voice came through the tube labeled “Communications Room.”

“Captain!”

“What is it?”

“The warship is asking about our affiliation.”

“We have none. If anything, tell them we belong to the Fleet of the Sun.”

“U-understood.”

The brass cover of the voice tube closed, and I pulled the cord attached to the tube labeled “Deck.”

This cord was connected to a caller that could notify someone near the voice tube that I had something to communicate.

Click!

“Captain?”

“All crew to battle stations. And have my companions gather in the captain’s quarters.”

“Yes, sir!”

Before long, through the window of the captain’s quarters, I could see a massive airship coming into view.

With long main guns hanging like whale baleen, that warship could reduce us to dust in an instant if it wanted to.

But for some reason, I didn’t feel afraid.

Rather, I felt a sense of excitement.

How strange.

“Captain. The warship has positioned itself on our starboard side. Shall we open the gangway?”

“Open it.”

The gangway refers to the small doors on both sides of the ship.

All manner of cargo and personnel pass through these small doors, so opening the gangway was an act of great significance.

“Party leader.”

At that moment, my companions, armed and ready, gathered in the captain’s quarters, and Raisha also stood behind me, equipped with armor and spear.

“As you can see, we’re in a tight spot.”

“That warship is no joke. With something that big, they’ll surely have mages too… I won’t be much help.”

I nodded.

In truth, using high-powered weapons in shipboard combat was extremely difficult.

If an aura-infused arrow pierced a window, the pressure difference would suck crew members out, and cutting through the deck with a sword would cause us to lose buoyancy and fall.

But that also meant they couldn’t easily overwhelm us either.

THUD!

“Ugh!”

As I rose from my seat, a cloud bridge connected between the gangways of both ships, and through the transparent bridge’s windows, I could see several people heading our way.

“Let’s go to the gangway.”

When I spoke, everyone nodded.

*

Hisssss…

The gangway had a double structure to reduce pressure differences.

Being exactly like an airlock, those coming from the warship wouldn’t be able to easily take over this ship.

Anyway, those who appeared before us looked like officers and non-commissioned officers.

“…”

They scanned our party and then fixed their eyes on Simon.

“Are you perhaps…?”

“Not me.”

Simon then glanced at me.

“Do you have business on my ship?”

As I subtly revealed myself as the captain, the officers and NCOs removed their hats and greeted me.

“We’re from the MCC Excelsior, a battleship of the Meredia Coastal Principality. Excuse me, but this ship’s design perfectly matches that of our punitive fleet that set sail five years ago. May I ask where you obtained this vessel?”

“I repaired it after finding it stranded on a coast.”

“Ah. If I may ask, where was this coast?”

“Far east of the Miriam continent. Besfeld Coast.”

When I told them this, the NCO and officer exchanged glances.

They must have confirmed that this ship originally belonged to them.

“Then it seems this was indeed originally a supply ship of our coastal principality. The location matches perfectly with the movement of our punitive fleet.”

“I see.”

I could read their eyes.

They were starving.

Their hollow eyes and loose-fitting clothes due to weight loss proved it.

“If you’re trying to requisition our resources based on this airship’s past affiliation, I’d like to offer some advice.”

“…What would that be?”

“The advice that this ship is now mine. I know you’re hungry. And this ship has over 1,000 tons of flash-frozen sailfish stored.”

“1,000 tons…”

Gulp!

The sound of one NCO swallowing was clearly audible.

In truth, if they were determined to plunder our food, our chances of winning would be very low.

Our crew members had no professional combat training and were vagabonds who had been worried about starving to death just a month ago, while they, though hungry, were soldiers of a battleship entrusted with a nation’s core defense.

“So purchase food through proper procedures. I believe a battleship captain has the right to issue military vouchers.”

“Ah…”

When I said this, the officer’s expression softened.

He must have been relieved that the possibility of negotiation had opened up.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll get permission from the Major General.”

I nodded slightly, and soon the officers and NCOs returned to their battleship through the cloud bridge.

*

“Emergency alert is hereby lifted. Everyone conduct personal maintenance.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Everyone to your positions!”

At my command, the frightened crew members dispersed with sighs of relief.

“Mess Officer!”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Go prepare a banquet. Thaw and grill the sailfish, bake white bread with wheat and butter, and prepare wine and oatmeal with cinnamon powder.”

“How many servings should I prepare?”

“How many can you cook at once?”

“Um… we can cook up to 40 servings at once.”

“Good… Then invite 38 people to this ship, excluding Simon and myself. Raisha.”

“Yes?”

I handed Raisha the coat I was wearing and said:

“Cross over to the battleship through the cloud bridge and inform them that I’m inviting the captain and 38 others to a banquet. I’ve given you my coat, so they won’t ignore your words even though you’re a woman.”

“Understood, Master.”

They are starving right now.

They don’t seem to be of very high rank, but if the NCOs and officers, who are like the spine and head, have grown thin, it’s hard to imagine the condition of the lower-ranking combat troops.

“Dwarf brothers, Elf twins. Just in case, stand by near the storage area. If you see any unfamiliar faces, subdue them. I command this by the authority and power of the captain, shipowner, and party leader.”

“…Understood.”

“Leave it to us, boss!”

The elves and dwarves followed orders without complaint.

Right now, we need to deal with potentially stronger enemies.

But there’s no need to worry too much.

A good leader knows how to turn crisis into opportunity.

“Simon.”

“Party leader.”

“You know what you need to do, right?”

Simon nodded.

If I was an officer, Simon was an NCO.

And what that meant needed no explanation.

I watched Raisha crossing the cloud bridge with my coat wrapped around her as I headed to the captain’s quarters.

The spacious captain’s quarters could easily accommodate 40 people for a meal, so I ordered the crew to clean the room and bring in a long table and chairs.

Before long, Raisha returned with an NCO, who politely returned my coat and said:

“The captain has accepted your dinner invitation. He will be coming with 37 senior officers within 30 minutes.”

“Very well. You may go now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Though I wasn’t a soldier, the NCO gave me a respectful salute before leaving.

“30 minutes… They must be really hungry.”

I sneered as I headed to the captain’s quarters.

There’s an old saying that a general who fails in vigilance can be forgiven, but one who fails in supplies cannot.

Whether it was someone else’s fault or their own didn’t matter.

Normally, breakfast time would be 2-3 hours away, but the fact that the captain and senior officers were rushing to eat before 5 AM showed just how serious their situation was.

How interesting.

Now I have the initiative.

“Hehehehe…”