Kousuke sighed, looking at the images reflected on the monitor.
He had adjusted the power, considering its potential impact, but he realized that a slight miscalculation could have affected the entire fleet.
Of course, it also stemmed from his humanitarian desire to avoid harming anyone.
More than that, though, even a minor damage to the fleet would have impacted future negotiations, so he wanted to minimize any casualties.
The monitor Kousuke and the others were currently watching was an existing function of Amamiya Tower.
Specifically, it was a function that activated once the barrier and attack capabilities were unlocked. It was apparently used to confirm locations for setting up barriers or launching attacks, as it was impossible to proceed without knowing where to direct them.
He wondered if having such a high-performance monitor was appropriate, but since it was a functional part of the tower, he decided to gratefully make use of it.
Incidentally, Kousuke and his group were in the control room of Amamiya Tower, but in the management layer’s meeting room, high-ranking officials from the executive branch and division heads from the Crown were gathered, watching the same display.
The reaction was so overwhelming that everyone, including Kousuke, was momentarily taken aback. However, since they had a certain level of expectation, they were able to recover much faster than others.
Although they couldn’t see it in the control room, those in the meeting room were still silently watching the monitor.
“Well, I hope this makes them back down. What do you think will happen?” Kousuke muttered, not directed at anyone in particular.
Floria, who was the most knowledgeable about politics among the members, responded to his voice.
“First, they’ll probably back down.”
“And why do you think so?”
“Seeing the result, no one would believe their fleet is unharmed. It’s a question of whether they’d be willing to sacrifice their entire fleet just to secure the vested interests in the west.”
“Are the benefits of West Town so great that they’d risk losing their military to obtain them?” Shurein’s question was met with a nod from Floria.
“More than that, it would be more beneficial to curry favor with Amamiya Tower and gain profits rather than continue to be adversaries,” Floria added.
“I see,” Kousuke nodded, seeming convinced.
While he felt a bit displeased about being militarily challenged, he acknowledged that it was a separate matter. They had sustained no human casualties, and in fact, the situation seemed to be progressing favorably for them. If this led them to retreat, he had no complaints.
After all, the tower’s functions couldn’t be used against other continents, so there was no intention of launching a distant expedition.
This meant that the Corum Kingdom would continue to exist, and maintaining a proper distance from their neighboring kingdom would be the best course of action.
Kousuke could figure this much out, so he assumed Alec would have already come to the same conclusion.
“So, we can leave the future matters to Alec, right?”
“No problem. In fact, it’s his specialty, so he’ll be eager to negotiate.”
Negotiations under such favorable conditions were usually unimaginable, but since they had achieved this result, the rest was up to negotiation.
Furthermore, the significant point was that the outcome of this attack wasn’t exclusive to the Corum Kingdom.
“Could it be… that this also serves as a demonstration of power towards other cities in the Central Continent?” Peach’s question was answered by Shurein.
“Most certainly,” Shurein replied.
“Well, it will have an impact not only on the Corum Kingdom but also in various other aspects,” Floria said with a hidden meaning. Kousuke gave a wry smile at her words.
“By ‘various aspects,’ do you mean including the executive branch and the Crown as well?”
“Naturally,” Floria confirmed.
“Speaking of which, can this function also be directed at the floors of the Tower?” Sylvia asked, as if a sudden thought had struck her, having remained silent until then.
“Well, I initially thought it couldn’t, but while experimenting, I discovered it’s possible if you use markers,” Kousuke replied. He had no intention of engaging in such self-destructive behavior, but knowing it was possible in certain situations was significant.
Incidentally, the “markers” were essentially targets for attacks. Of course, Colorado had been entrusted with one for this incidence.
Naturally, if the Corum Kingdom had acted rashly and done something to the merchant ship carrying Colorado, there would have been other ways to respond. For example, launching a direct attack the moment the merchant ship was targeted. Kousuke was relieved that it hadn’t come to that.
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In the silent meeting room, Schmidt’s voice echoed strangely. “I wonder… wouldn’t it be simpler to use this attack to wipe out the monsters on the continent?”
“Are you serious?” Gazelan asked, as if trying to suppress something in response to Schmidt’s unusual lighthearted remark.
“Of course, it’s a joke. Doing so would completely disrupt the ecosystem, and it’s uncertain if any living things would survive,” Schmidt clarified.
“There’s no point in maintaining a town if unleashing an attack like that destroys the town itself,” Dales said, exhaling deeply as he listened to their exchange.
“Just to be sure, can we build structures that can withstand that attack?” Alec’s question was met with Dales widening his eyes deliberately.
“Are you suggesting we work ourselves to death, Governor?” While Dales, true to his nature, never said “impossible,” this was essentially the same as saying it was impossible.
“Of course, I’m joking too.” The conversation was a mix of lighthearted banter and jokes, but it was necessary to break the current atmosphere.
As they were having this somewhat escapist conversation, a knock came from the door on the opposite side from the teleport gate. Only a select few could enter this place, so it was immediately clear who it was. In fact, this person didn’t need to knock, but their scrupulousness showed their character.
“Yes. Please come in,” Wahid responded to the knock on behalf of everyone. As expected, the members of the tower who had caused this disturbance entered. Kousuke was, of course, at the center of them.
“The result is excellent, wouldn’t you say? What are your thoughts?” Kousuke asked, maintaining his usual tone.
“Excellent is one thing, but it could also be considered a bit excessive,” Alec replied, a look of exasperation mixed with his usual demeanor.
“Oh? Was there a problem?”
“This incident will undoubtedly spread throughout the continent. It would be rather problematic if the Tower were perceived as a force that suppresses things through military might,” Alec explained. It was Alec’s firm belief that ruling solely through military force never yielded good results. It was precisely because Alec held such views that Kousuke could entrust the executive branch to him with confidence. Of course, he also believed in utilizing available resources to the fullest.
“Couldn’t we just announce that this was directed only at forces outside the Central Continent?” Shurein interjected into the conversation between Kousuke and Alec. Floria was not present on this occasion.
“Well, I suppose we have no choice but to do that… is that alright?” Alec confirmed. Kousuke shrugged.
“If we were to fire something like that inland, it wouldn’t just be environmental destruction. I have no intention of taking such a gamble. Besides, I lowered the power to the bare minimum,” Kousuke said with a wry smile, leaving everyone speechless.
“For reference, what would happen if you unleashed its full power?” Gazelan asked. Kousuke’s expression turned troubled as he answered.
“The land around where the tower stands would remain as small islands, and the rest would be at the bottom of the sea.”
Upon hearing Kousuke’s answer, Gazelan’s expression clearly conveyed that he regretted asking. Looking around, everyone had a similar look on their faces.
“Therefore, I have no intention of doing anything like that, so please proceed with that understanding.”
“Ah. Understood.”
“Alright, then. Is everything settled for now?” Kousuke confirmed. Everyone nodded. With that, the gathering was adjourned, but with each person having a mountain of tasks to attend to, they hurriedly began the aftermath of this incident.
