Ch.236Yuyeol’s Hall. Harpoon Bay (4)

“I still haven’t been consuming alcohol or meat. Instead, my consumption of grains and vegetables has increased slightly, but…”

“That’s enough.”

“Yes.”

“If you’re staying away from meat and alcohol, there’s no need to worry about anything else. That was our agreement in the first place.”

After I laid down the law, the four of them—instinctively sensing that I would no longer tolerate their behavior—began to exercise superhuman patience.

I’m not sure how long it will last, but if they can purge alcohol and fat from their bodies for at least a month, their health should improve.

And from now on, I intended to be stricter with my companions.

Buying them everything they ask for, doing everything they want… they’ve become increasingly arrogant.

Look at Simon, how proper he is. Though he enjoys alcohol, he does so with moderation… How is it that those older than Simon behave more childishly?

I was well aware that humans and non-human races have different concepts of time, but… there should still be limits.

“And… how is the remodeling of the Sky Warden coming along?”

“It’s progressing smoothly. All procedures should be completed in another week.”

“That’s good… I’d like to take on a request, but… that would be difficult here.”

The aide nodded and continued with the next report.

The details were trivial, but it was my duty to receive reports on even the most mundane matters and make decisions.

Even now, Simon was at the site supervising the remodeling work with company personnel, and the Sky Warden would be completely redesigned from the keel up, transforming from a transport vessel into a fully-fledged battleship.

Once that happens, we’ll no longer face threats from sky pirates.

“By the time we reach the next continent, our army should be at least division-sized.”

“Exactly how much do you plan to increase it?”

“To about 50,000 men. Equipment, of course, is separate.”

Typically, a division consists of about 20,000 to 50,000 personnel.

Infantry divisions have more personnel, while armored divisions have fewer people but make up for it with powerful armor.

Of course, since I have plenty of money, I’ll recruit both infantry in large numbers and plenty of armor as well.

“I’ll base it on an infantry division and add armored regiments on top of that. With that much, there would be almost no force that could defeat us in a full-scale war, right?”

“No matter how vast the world is, there are hardly any mercenary groups that could withstand the combat power of a full division supported by battleship firepower.”

I nodded.

Considering that the Aura users who invaded my ship were clearly beneath me, as evidenced by how they vanished without a trace when faced with 155mm artillery, even Aura users couldn’t withstand overwhelming physical force.

No matter how well they can regenerate and repair their bodies, they need to have a body left to repair, don’t they?

*

A month passed like that.

Lucia, Casia, Berkman, and Hawkman kept their promise to me, and I rewarded them with alcohol and meat while saying:

“I’m not telling you not to enjoy alcohol and meat. I’m just saying to practice moderation.”

Of course, I too enjoy eating and drinking.

But I don’t eat mindlessly like that because I know I need to exercise restraint.

If the head of the household eats until bursting, the family must go hungry; if the lord lives in luxury, the vassals must live in poverty. That’s the principle of the world and how it operates.

“From now on, I won’t give you a single coin beyond what you rightfully deserve. If you need money, earn it yourself by adventuring or taking side jobs. Of course, I’ll be responsible for the equipment and supplies needed for our pilgrimage…”

They said nothing.

In truth, they couldn’t say anything.

Lucia and Casia, uncharacteristically, didn’t complain but poured wine into their glasses with a gurgling sound, and the dwarves… they even shaved their beards.

“I have nothing more to say. This is your last chance. Know that if you disappoint me one more time, you will all die.”

“…I understand…”

I left the dining hall, looking at the dejected Lucia as she answered.

The good thing about Lucia is that she represents the opinions of my party members.

There were actually two more party members, but Simon was more of an aide than a party member, and Raisha was my wife, so it was quite ambiguous to categorize her as a party member.

Therefore, the elves and dwarves were essentially all of my party members. Casia was a quiet alcoholic, and the two dwarves were pyromaniacs and bomb experts, so they lacked social skills.

In the end, whether she liked it or not, Lucia had to take the lead and represent the party members’ opinions, so even though I didn’t like her the most, I couldn’t drive her away.

At least if she was satisfied with an answer, the other party members would be satisfied too, and if she expressed dissatisfaction, the others would express dissatisfaction as well.

I returned to the inn and began to enjoy the table of drinks my wife had prepared in advance.

Dark beer with raw oysters… eel sushi and boiled pork seasoned with minced garlic…

“Huh?”

“Hehe… come to bed after you finish eating.”

At that moment, realizing the meaning behind the table setting, I couldn’t help but pause my chopsticks.

Damn! I should have noticed from the presence of both oysters and eel!

“S-sure… I’ll be right there.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

But I had no right to refuse. Unless I wanted to face my wife’s puffed-up cheeks all day, I had no future but to be squeezed dry.

With trembling hands, I picked up the side dishes and gulped down the dark beer, drawing up my Aura with each delicious bite and cool sip of beer that went down to my stomach, preparing for the battle ahead.

And that day, I was able to fall asleep after 121 ejaculations inside her.

It was winter.

*

“In just two more days, a masterpiece of a battleship will be born. Look at it. Doesn’t it look sturdy?”

“Indeed it does… It’s certainly worthy of being a flagship for an army.”

The appearance of the Sky Warden had changed significantly.

The upper part hadn’t changed much except for the enlarged turrets and densely packed CIWS, but the lower part boasted a visual like an entire apartment complex bundled together due to the added barracks and expanded armory.

“We’ve also attached 101 transport aircraft. 100 are multipurpose, and one is the exclusive shuttle for the Iron Walker Party.”

“Excellent craftsmanship. The flight deck looks sturdy too, which I like.”

“I’m honored by your praise. The Luminator. 60 turrets of 460mm triple gun mounts. 360 CIWS units combining 30mm autocannons and anti-aircraft missiles… And 40 launchers each for anti-air and surface-to-ground missiles. A total of 80 launchers. With this much, it’s an unmatched battleship in one-on-one combat.”

“And with about 50,000 combat personnel added to that… we could wipe out a small country… I’m very pleased. You’ve done your job well. You said two days from now? Please pay attention to the deadline and create a masterpiece you won’t be ashamed of.”

“Of course. We’ll work through the night if necessary to deliver a ship that meets the Luminator’s expectations.”

I nodded and commended President Royce.

It was an excellent battleship worthy of its 200,000 gold coin price.

“Total tonnage is about 230,000 tons… slightly heavier than requested… but well, the bigger the ship, the better.”

“That’s right. I would have liked to order a million-ton vessel if possible… but that would be too excessive.”

Everything should be in moderation to be useful.

A million-ton ship would be nice, but given our need to move around, a ship that’s too slow and large would just be a weakness.

Besides, I am virtually the only apostle of the Yangwol Order.

The apostles of the Four Great Gods try to kill each other whenever they meet because they believe their god is superior to the others.

I think so too.

Now that I can properly handle divine power, I will soon reach the Gem grade, and when that happens, I will literally become a demigod.

Whether I want it or not, my transcendence and ascension are foretold, and I have a duty to protect my people from the coming madness of the Four Great Gods.

So that even after my death, I can watch over another Apostle of the Sun walking these 13 continents from above.

“Now it truly lives up to the name ‘Guardian of the Sky.’ I’m very pleased.”

I muttered, stretching my wife’s cheeks while quietly gazing at the Sky Warden covered in welding sparks.

Now, it’s time to leave this Hall of Temptation.