Ch.88Ancient Vessel (1)

# Chapter 88: Ancient Vessel (1)

Those whose formal name changes every time they are mentioned.

Three days had already passed since the last report from the Marine-Purification Joint Force.

For the first and second day, we hadn’t given it much thought.

But on the third day…

“Minister, can it really take this long just to check out one ship?”

“Indeed. Thanks to this, I feel like I’m about to get gastritis again.”

I could feel my nerves becoming increasingly frayed as no reports had come in from the joint force.

The chaos in the eastern region was already intensifying, giving me countless things to worry about.

The Kerzin Federation, which had sent their special task force, was stealthily attempting to expand into the surrounding areas again—a nasty habit of theirs.

And those Red Flavor Fuksoviet Federation bastards, high on belated militarism, kept trying to pull diplomatic insanity.

I had to spend my days busier than ever, to the point where I missed the times when I was merely burned out.

[Event: Minister’s Overwork]

[News that the Minister of Diplomatic Enforcement of the Holy Sebeli Empire is suffering from excessive work has been reported in social circles and foreign media, becoming a hot topic.]

[Nervous Tension trait attached to Minister Arto Virtorius Sebeli]

And now this shitty event pops up in the middle of all this.

If several more days passed without any report, I might end up hospitalized with a nervous breakdown before then.

But…

-Ding♪

“Minister, a report has come in from the joint force.”

“Finally!”

As if sensing my situation, their report arrived at just the right time.

Despite my nervous condition, I immediately turned my attention to their report coming through the screen.

—————————

And as I listened to the subsequent report…

“Interesting.”

I felt my previous irritation vanish completely.

And in its place, I felt curiosity taking over.

“So you’re saying there are signs of combat inside the vessel?”

-“That’s correct, Minister.”

Of course, this in itself wasn’t particularly interesting.

Ambassador Prosnak had already informed me that movements from neighboring countries trying to obtain the vessel had been detected.

It was possible that special forces sent by nearby eastern countries had infiltrated the interior and engaged with the defense systems even before I dispatched the advance team.

But what followed, combined with this information, piqued my interest.

-“The issue is that according to our investigation, most of these traces were created extremely recently.”

“Recently? How recent exactly?”

-“Even at the longest estimate, less than 10 days ago.”

“10 days… Did the advance team report anything approaching the vessel?”

-“No, sir. According to the advance team’s report and the surveillance device recordings, there’s no trace of anything near the vessel.”

How fascinating.

The advance team I sent had been monitoring the vessel for a month already.

During that time, no one had infiltrated the vessel, yet there were signs of combat?

It couldn’t be anything but extremely interesting.

-“And… we also discovered bodies killed at the combat site.”

“Hmm.”

-“After examining the bodies, we’ve determined they belong to the Kerzin Federation’s Cerberus Special Task Force, Minister.”

And of all things, it happens to be the special forces of Kerzin, who supposedly receive support from the Pioneer Empire?

‘Are these gentlemen trying to hand the vessel over to Kerzin?’

I felt my mood souring at their blatantly biased behavior.

The fact that they infiltrated despite our comprehensive surveillance network meant they were either inside beforehand…

Or they used some bizarre Dark Age technology to teleport inside the vessel.

Moreover, the footage they showed me moments later of what they claimed to be Kerzin’s special task force provided clear evidence that my suspicions were correct.

‘That equipment looks like what the Pioneer Empire’s ground forces use.’

The equipment worn by the special task force was identical to what the Pioneer Empire’s ground forces used—the same equipment that made me curse every time I saw it in the game.

And as soon as I saw it, a new event message appeared before my eyes.

[Event: Sinister Intervention]

[The Pioneer Empire, a living fossil that has existed since the ancient Dark Age, typically doesn’t concern itself with external affairs.]

[However, for some reason, there is clear evidence of the Pioneer Empire’s involvement in this matter.]

[Further investigation seems necessary to understand their motives.]

It was just a typical event progression message with no particular rewards, but…

It was the most definitive proof that my suspicions were correct…

“…Alright, then prioritize securing the important areas of the vessel first.”

-“Understood, Minister.”

-“In case we encounter other entities during the search and securing process, how should we respond?”

When they asked me how to react to whatever they might encounter, I took a sip from the glass of water beside me before answering.

“If they’re hostile, deal with them without mercy. However, if they appear friendly… I’ll leave that to your judgment on the scene.”

At my words, a murderous aura visibly flowed through the expressions of the unit members giving the report.

-“Understood.”

-“Confirmed! From now on, we’ll transform this vessel into a Marine-vessel filled with fighting spirit!”

Though I think the Marine Corps was more about madness than murderous intent.

———————————

But the joint force, which had ended communication to begin their spirited exploration(?), soon sent me a new report.

-“Minister, it appears that Kerzin’s Cerberus Special Task Force has been completely annihilated.”

“Huh?”

Along with the report that those we considered our most dangerous adversaries, whom we were prepared to engage in combat if necessary, had all turned into corpses.

“Are you sure about that? You’re not mistaken?”

Even Riel beside me spoke like that, which says something.

But Meteorn on the communication screen shook his head firmly, showing a definite denial.

-“We’re certain. After confirming the number of bodies we found, it matches the personnel of one company-sized unit of the Cerberus Special Task Force.”

“Wow.”

-“Although some bodies were shattered or crushed by the defense system’s firepower, so there might be some discrepancy in the exact numbers…”

“So what you’re saying is that it’s an approximation at best.”

-“That’s correct, Minister.”

“I understand. Keep up the good work.”

-“Yes, sir.”

-Communication ended

After ending the communication with Meteorn, I felt the strength drain from my body due to the overwhelming sense of deflation.

“Minister, isn’t the Cerberus Special Task Force equivalent to our Purification Unit?”

“…That’s right.”

They were the ones I was most concerned about as our most dangerous enemies.

But when it came to actual combat, they were already annihilated, reduced to mere corpses.

I don’t know how to express this deflated feeling.

It’s like watching a child you were about to give a piggyback ride to, praising them as the best, only to see them knock themselves unconscious by hitting the ceiling… that might be close to how I feel right now.

But while I was feeling this way, Riel seemed to be looking at the situation from a different perspective.

With a serious expression, she tilted her head quizzically and addressed me.

“Plus, isn’t that equipment what they use in the Pioneer Empire?”

“Hmm… probably so.”

After hearing my response, Riel thought for a moment… and then spoke with an extremely serious expression.

“If people equipped with Dark Age gear were completely wiped out… isn’t our joint force in danger too?”

“…Hmm.”

The moment I heard those words, I realized this was no time to be preoccupied with the pathetic showing of Kerzin’s special forces.

‘Well, we’re screwed.’

So I immediately began operating my terminal to establish communication with the joint force to brief them on the situation, but…

-Beeeep…

-“Minister? I was just about to contact you with additional reports… what’s the matter?”

Surprisingly, at the very moment I was making the call, Meteorn was also calling me to report.

“What’s happening? Don’t tell me someone got hurt?”

Please don’t let that be the case.

If even one of you dies, I’ll have to face real-time grilling from Arthraia and Prosnak.

With that heartfelt prayer in mind…

Meteorn, receiving the communication, waved his hands dismissively, indicating that such a thing was impossible.

“That’s a relief… Wait, then why were you about to report immediately?”

“Well, I think it would be better for you to see it directly rather than have me explain.”

With those words, Meteorn turned the communication screen around to show me what they were seeing.

And the moment I saw it, I understood why Meteorn had wanted to contact me immediately.