Two days after the captain’s message, Marco was not idle.
He had tried sending just one ship when multiple had failed but ended up in a crushing defeat.
No matter what he tried, they couldn’t cross the border.
The situation was being reported to the home country by able wizards with long-distance communication, one by one.
While wizards with long-distance communication weren’t numerous, they weren’t entirely absent.
The larger the country, the more they had.
This was because of their importance, and the fact that they were dispatching these treasured wizards showed how seriously they viewed the current matter.
The instructions from the home country, relayed through these wizards, were to continue as before.
Ultimately, Marco’s decision had been the same, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
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Two days after the message.
Two more merchant ships arrived from the Central Continent.
One of them was an old ship, close to becoming a derelict.
It remained at anchor for a while at a barely visible distance, but then the other ship left the near-derelict behind and approached Marco’s fleet.
Unlike the previous merchant ship, it was clear this time that they were intentionally approaching Marco’s fleet.
Since the opponent wasn’t an armed ship and there was only one, he didn’t think they could do anything with just that, but caution was still natural.
More importantly, the abandoned derelict ship was also inexplicable.
While this was happening, it approached to a certain distance and initiated communication.
They probably knew that approaching carelessly would be dangerous.
There was a universally recognized method for ship-to-ship communication to prevent accidents.
They initiated communication using that method.
The content was a request for a meeting, stating that they would send the captain and a few others.
Marco made an immediate decision and sent back his consent.
The opposing merchant ship launched a small boat and approached Marco’s flagship.
He couldn’t tell if this was to prevent revealing their strength by being cautious of them, or if they had deliberately sent a small group to avoid making them wary.
In any case, the occupants of the approaching small boat were immediately brought aboard the flagship.
There were five people in total on the small boat.
One of them clearly appeared to be a civilian official, sent for the negotiation, rather than a sailor.
As expected, that civilian official handled the conversation with Marco.
“Nice to meet you. I am from the executive branch of Amamiya Tower. My name is Colorado.”
“I am Marco, Admiral of the Corum Kingdom’s Third Fleet.”
After exchanging greetings, they quickly got to the point of the matter.
“So, what is the purpose of your visit?”
Marco accepted Colorado’s presence easily because he didn’t believe the Central Continent side would initiate hostilities.
After all, there were no armed ships in the Central Continent, only merchant ships.
There was little point in possessing such things in the Central Continent, where no nation existed.
Marco expected that if any kind of battle were to occur, it would happen after they landed.
Of course, this wasn’t just Marco’s thought; it aligned with the Corum Kingdom’s analysis as well.
“I have three requests. First, I wish to be permitted to make contact from now on. Second, for a period after I make contact, I ask that you do not move this fleet. Third, I want you to keep an eye on that derelict ship.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes. That’s all.”
“What is our benefit in complying with that?”
He spoke with a slight intimidation, implying he had no intention of easily complying with the demands of the enemy.
Colorado, receiving the intimidation, replied with a nonchalant expression.
“Your proud fleet wouldn’t sink.”
A murmur spread among the subordinates around him at those words.
“You expect us to be sunk by just two merchant ships?”
“Hahaha. No, of course not. That derelict ship is truly just a derelict ship. No one is on board. The other ship is also simply a merchant ship with only adventurers aboard for monster countermeasures.”
Monsters naturally appeared in the sea as well.
Having personnel for monster countermeasures was the same as hiring guards for a merchant caravan.
Marco didn’t feel like Colorado was lying.
He could understand that the ship Colorado was on was also just a merchant ship.
It didn’t look like it was carrying any combat personnel.
Of course, he wouldn’t let his guard down, as they could be hidden in the cargo hold.
“… Where are you going to make contact?”
“With Amamiya Tower, of course?”
Colorado replied as if asking, “Where else would it be?”
“What is the content of the contact?”
“To inform them that preparations are complete.”
“Preparations?”
“It’s about that derelict ship. We are supposed to disembark personnel once it reaches its intended location.”
This was incomprehensible.
For what purpose had they brought that ship all this way?
There must be a reason why they brought it when they were present.
“What do you intend to do with that derelict ship?”
“Well, I haven’t been told the specifics either. They say they will use the power of the tower to sink it in one blow. After seeing that, if you try to interfere with us, you should be prepared.”
“… The power of the tower?”
“Apparently so. As I said before, I don’t know the specifics.”
Colorado continued to speak in a detached manner, seemingly unaware or unconcerned about being surrounded.
Currently, the pace was entirely set by Colorado.
“Ah, by the way, there’s no point in doing anything to me here right now. After a certain amount of time has passed, they will assume something has happened to me and proceed without question.”
Marco inwardly clicked his tongue.
It seemed they had taken proper precautions.
He had assumed the civilian official was nothing more than an amateur at combat, but he wasn’t that naive.
“… Very well. You may proceed with the contact you mentioned.”
Upon hearing Marco’s reply, Colorado immediately began making contact right there.
Of course, Marco could hear the conversation, but there was nothing unusual about it.
He was simply informing them that preparations were complete and that they could proceed anytime.
The other party acknowledged this, and the communication was immediately cut off.
Marco, observing the exchange, became curious about how the communication was being conducted.
Existing magic tools were either disposable or unusable on moving objects like ships.
Alternatively, it would require wizards to communicate directly.
However, Marco didn’t seem to be using magic, and the tool didn’t appear to be disposable.
Before Marco could ask about the tool, Colorado pointed towards the derelict ship.
“It will be soon, so please watch carefully. If your subordinates’ lives are important to you.”
And then it happened, shortly after Colorado said that.
The first to notice were the combat wizards.
They felt an immense power emanating from the derelict ship, unlike anything they had ever felt before.
Before they could even convey this, a giant explosion occurred on the derelict ship.
Although the derelict ship was quite far away, its impact reached the fleet.
A gust of heat, presumably from the explosion, reached them, albeit slightly.
The crew of the fleet, witnessing the explosion, were speechless for a while.
Marco, watching the same scene, felt much the same, but as the leader of the fleet, he desperately tried to hide his astonishment.
Everyone on the fleet at that moment must have thought the same thing.
What if that explosion were directed at their ship?
Everyone reached the same conclusion, the same speculation.
They would be sunk without being able to resist at all.
By the way, the barrier was set closer than the maximum range.
This was to lure the fleet to a location where the explosion could be properly activated.
