Chapter 44: …I don’t know. I don’t understand anything.

"A looter?! During a crisis?!"

While Takeru and Agaron stood face to face on the front lines—

Far away in the port town of Anat, Lululu screamed after receiving a report from her subordinate.

"When we checked, the treasury was completely empty!"

"What were the guards doing!?"

"We can’t contact them. It appears they’ve abandoned their posts and fled."

"In a time like this...!"

Lululu had been entrusted with logistical management in the port town.

It was her job to ensure the supplies gathered in this town were sent swiftly to the front lines.

And Lululu had properly understood the intent behind Jikei’s words.

When the Deken navy arrived, they would need to hire sailors to mount a defense.

They had to buy time—just a day longer, even a second more—until the main Saripa army could arrive with reinforcements.

"Now we can’t send supplies! Or gather troops!!"

"Please, Lady Lululu, remain calm—"

"What exactly do you expect me to do now?!"

But the treasury in the port town of Anat was completely empty.

Who took the funds, where they went—none of it was known.

Already mired in despair, the added insult of a looter pushed her into a full-blown tantrum.

"If it’s come to this, I have no choice but to go around the shops myself and ask for aid—"

"Lady Lululu…"

"And we’ll need to recruit volunteers, too. You! You’re coming with me as a guard!"

Still, what was stolen was gone. All they could do now was act with what remained.

If there was no money, she’d squeeze it out with the charm of a princess.

Lululu tidied herself up and made her way to the city center and the harbor.

She would persuade the profit-driven merchants to give her money, and even beg if she had to, just to get the sailors to fight.

…However.

"What the hell is that…?"

"Lady Lululu…"

But when she actually saw the sea, Lululu finally understood why people had run.

She could see them—those ships of despair looming closer.

The Deken navy was a black, writhing mass stretching across the horizon.

Even a rough count made it clear—there were easily over a hundred vessels.

"……"

There was no fight to be had. Lululu realized that just by seeing the number of warships.

The ships floating in Saripa’s port numbered maybe ten at most.

And they weren’t warships—they were fishing boats, meant for catching fish or carrying goods.

Even if every single ship in the town went out to meet them, it wouldn’t be a battle—it would be a slaughter.

"It looks like most of the merchants have already fled."

"Almost none of the sailors remain either."

Right. There was no reason for anyone to stay in such a dangerous place.

The merchants who had their own ships had already escaped.

All that remained in the port were a few stray sailors.

"Uuh… uu…"

"Please stay strong, Lady Lululu."

The Deken Empire was the greatest superpower in the world.

Even Lululu had known from the start—it was a losing battle.

"Uwaaahhh…!"

"Lady Lululu!"

She had only been trying to do whatever little she could, mustering every ounce of resolve she had.

But after the treasury funds were stolen, the townsfolk fled, and she came face-to-face with the overwhelming power of Deken, her spirit finally broke.

"What am I even supposed to do…? There’s nothing I can do anymore…"

"W-We still have ships! And if you look closely, there are still some sailors—"

"A few ships at most! You expect them to drive off an unprecedented fleet?!"

What resistance could they even offer with just a handful of ships?

And would the sailors even fight?

They valued their lives too, didn’t they?

"Maybe we should just surrender without a fight… beg for mercy and offer them my head so the townspeople won’t be harmed…"

It was precisely because she was so intelligent that she gave up so quickly.

She could clearly see that defending the entrusted port town was impossible.

No matter how many hands she played, she probably couldn’t even buy a single day.

"Lady Lululu, we have a new report. It appears the whereabouts of the missing funds have been discovered."

"…Huh? So the looter’s been caught?"

"Well, not exactly…"

Lululu, already halfway resigned to despair—

—was now hit with a new report that only worsened her headache.

"The funds were withdrawn through official procedures."

"What? 'Official procedures'… for what?"

"They say it was a budget approved by Lady Rishali. The research group filed the request—"

"Excuse me?"

——It was a report revealing that her younger sister, Rishali, had made an unbelievable blunder.

Lululu frantically checked the documents detailing the withdrawal.

Sure enough, there it was—a signature from Rishali authorizing an enormous expenditure.

The name of the research lead: Juugi Wett.

"Uh, wait, this—"

"Right here, Lady Rishali’s signature."

"…HOGYAAAAAAAAA!!"

Lululu’s face turned completely pale.

It was something Rishali herself had mentioned just the other day during the princesses' council.

——“Juugi’s paperwork is always so thorough, I just approve it without thinking, one after another!”

"Ah… ah… THAT IDIOOOOT!! Rishali, you absolute moroooon!!"

"Oh?"

The research budget written in that document was far beyond anything related to steam engine development—it was a staggering amount.

Rishali had probably signed it without reading a single word.

In other words, there had never been a looter. The treasury had simply run dry because of her sister’s blunder.

"That person over there… could it be—"

"…Juugi!?"

"Long time no see, Lady Lululu."

Just as Lululu was screaming at the top of her lungs over her sister’s screw-up, someone called out to her.

It was none other than the man at the center of all this—a gaunt figure in a white coat: Juugi Wett.

"You—why are you here…? No, more importantly, what the hell is with that budget amount!?"

"I never imagined it would be approved immediately… It was meant to be a long-term proposal, you see."

"Exactly! No sane person would approve something like that!"

Compared to before, the man in the lab coat looked noticeably healthier.

It was likely because he’d been going out more. Compared to his past life of reclusive research, he now seemed much more well-adjusted.

"F-Fine! Juugi, you’ve got money, right?"

"Eh? Well, yes… thanks to Lady Rishali’s generous support."

"I don’t have enough funds to build a proper supply line! Can the Wett family help cover the cost?"

"…But of course. Please, make full use of my family’s fortune."

"You’re a lifesaver!"

Juugi Wett was of a marquis family and had no shortage of wealth.

On top of that, he had received massive financial support from the crown for his research.

So when Lululu asked for funding assistance, Juugi immediately agreed without hesitation.

"Great! That should at least solve our logistics crisis. Now if only we could deal with that navy…"

"Ah, but Lady Rishali truly has a sharp eye. Perhaps she foresaw all of this."

"Sorry—what are you talking about?"

"The project she approved was meant for exactly this kind of situation."

Even amidst this dire crisis, Juugi's face was calm, even confident.

Then, smiling pleasantly, he pointed toward the handful of ships still docked at the harbor.

…Lululu followed the direction of his finger.

"…What is that?"

"They’re called steamships."

It hadn’t been clear from a distance, but now she could see: the "ships" moored in the port town—

They were covered in massive, ominously gleaming black metal.

---

"Boss Juugi, sorry! We can’t make five in time!"

"No matter. Just finish four."

"Got it!"

This was at the far end of the port—an area privately owned by Juugi Wett.

When Lululu looked up, she saw four unfamiliar ships moored there.

"…Wait, are these warships?"

"Indeed. When I heard the Deken Navy was coming, I used the Wett Marquisate’s resources to hire earth mages and had them built at full speed."

——There were hundreds of people gathered in the area.

Ironworkers, water mages for cooling, ship designers, day laborers hauling supplies, and sailors dashing around inside the steamships.

It was as if every technician in town had been called together in one place.

"Once the Wett family guaranteed their wages, people flocked here in droves."

"Time to wring every coin we can out of our noble sponsor!"

"YEAH!!"

So it wasn’t just that the sailors had fled from fear.

Most of the remaining sailors had already been hired—by Juugi.

"This… this can’t be right, can it?"

"Is something wrong, Lady Lululu?"

Lululu stared at Juugi’s steamships in total disbelief.

They were built with a design that made no sense in this era.

Could something like that even move? Could it even float?

All of it shattered Lululu’s understanding of what a ship was supposed to be.

"Juugi… is that thing… covered in iron?"

"Yes. Quite the spectacle, isn’t it?"

Even someone as brilliant as Lululu couldn’t grasp it at first. And who could blame her?

Without knowledge of the future, no one would believe such a ship could even function.

"And it moves, with all that weight?"

"Of course it does."

In this era, warships were still sail-powered. Ships were controlled by wind and sails.

Heavy ships were considered useless because the sails didn’t generate enough thrust to move them.

——Unless they were powered by an internal steam engine.

"What’s with those absurdly large cannons!?"

"They’re the latest model."

"…Won’t the ship capsize from having cannons on the sides?"

At this time in history, it was common for warships to mount their main guns on the bow and stern.

Ships were long and narrow in design—built to absorb frontal impacts, but weak against attacks from the side.

So it was standard practice to only equip warships with forward- and rear-facing guns.

Broadside artillery wouldn’t become the norm until far into the future.

Reading the wind, maneuvering sails, and firing at the enemy’s side—that was the essence of naval warfare in this era.

"C-Can you really… really say this will work!?"

"Heh heh heh…"

Incidentally, the Deken Navy was known to possess some of the world’s most advanced naval technology.

They developed ships that could outmaneuver others with exceptional speed and agility, thanks to their skillful control of multiple sails.

Most of the marines were seasoned veterans, capable of navigating quickly and precisely.

Even the navy of Deken was the strongest in the world.

"…I don’t understand. I don’t understand anything."

"Well, just watch."

Normally, mounting cannons on the sides of a ship carried a high risk of capsizing.

But if the ship was absurdly heavy, that risk no longer applied.

"How’s the movement?"

"Steady as she goes! No issues, Boss Juugi!"

Juugi’s steamships, with hulls reinforced by iron plating, boasted immense durability and weight.

That weight made it possible to fire powerful volleys in all directions—shattering the conventional rules of naval warfare.

And thanks to the power of the steam engines, they achieved propulsion on par with sail-powered ships despite their massive weight.

"All ready! Hop on board, Boss Juugi!"

"Good. Then I’ll be off, Lady Lululu."

"W-Wait a minute!! You still haven’t explained everything—!"

The invention of the steam engine—of the Industrial Revolution itself—had propelled human technology forward by leaps and bounds.

And among the fields most transformed by that revolution… was naval engineering.

"I’ll explain everything later. Just give me about half a day."

"Half a day!?"

With the advent of steamships, humanity had gained a source of propulsion beyond the wind and sails.

Thanks to that, they’d won the right to sail freely—even with the heaviest of warships.

"I’ll be back by evening."

"Wait a sec—!!"

If it had been Rishali instead of Lululu standing here—

—She might’ve muttered something quietly upon seeing Juugi’s ship.

…“A black ship,” she might’ve said.

"…So, is Lord Juugi going to be our commander?"

"Yes. Though, I must confess—I have no experience in commanding."

"That’s not very reassuring…"

Leaving a flustered Lululu behind at the harbor, Juugi’s steamships set out to sea.

Four vessels, crewed by sailors with barely any combat experience.

"So, what exactly does a commander do?"

"Maybe shout something cool to boost morale?"

"Hmm… What kind of rallying cry do people use in naval battles?"

"Let’s see… ‘Raise the sails!’ maybe?"

"I’ve heard ‘Boarding party, move out!’ before."

"Hmmm…"

The sailors, being men of the sea, could sense that these steamships were something extraordinary.

They didn’t say it aloud, but they were inwardly awestruck by Juugi’s creation.

"That doesn’t feel right. Sails aren’t even the main propulsion here, and we’re not boarding anything."

"Right, right."

"Then allow me to come up with my own unique battle cry."

Against the world’s strongest navy, the Deken Navy, Juugi set out with just four ships.

"Now then… the battle begins. We fight to protect the future of Saripa! All hands, prepare yourselves!"

With a loud voice, amplified by a speaking tube, Juugi gave the first command of the sea battle.

——

"Prepare for naval artillery combat!"