Arrival at Hardwin
Even without that factor, the warships of De Marinda—already top-tier vessels—entered an entirely different league the moment Leviathan began pulling them. The wind whistled sharply. Standing on the deck, Bagan felt it whipping fiercely across both cheeks. It was clear proof of their incredible speed. Every so often, waves surged up along the ship's sides, towering to a terrifying height.
Bagan quietly let his body sway with the ship's rolling motion and thought to himself, At this rate, the hull won't hold up. Forcing their way through the water's resistance like this would wear down the ship's lifespan faster than expected. It might be fine for now, but he couldn't help wondering what Razetta's face would look like later when the vessels needed major repairs or outright replacement. She hated wasting money on unnecessary things, so it would probably be quite a sight.
With that idle thought, Bagan headed toward the command room.
"Selena, mind if I come in?"
"Of course."
Selena's voice answered from inside, and Bagan opened the door. Even aboard ship, she was surrounded by paperwork. It looked like more work Razetta had assigned her.
"Take it easy," Bagan said, reminded of the days when she'd been crushed under that workload. She'd even entered a dungeon just to earn some vacation time, so she'd already endured every kind of hardship imaginable. Seeing her still buried in duties tugged at him.
"It's not so bad, actually. At least it's not a stuffy office. The sea breeze is refreshing, and the rocking isn't unpleasant. Though it is a bit faster than I expected. We can always ask Protavist to adjust the speed."
She consoled herself that it was still better than being stuck working in De Marinda. Her expression showed she was genuinely enjoying it.
"Oh, that reminds me—when did Protavist become the captain?"
"He seems surprisingly suited for it. He says sailing is a novel experience, and sometimes he even pulls the ship by himself."
Selena laughed, saying Protavist had finally found work that suited him. Still, it felt odd to see a being who could swim dozens of times faster than any vessel standing on the deck. More than that, Bagan never imagined the creature who once boasted about being Cyron's right hand would be so delighted by such a humble role.
"Even though it was Cyron's order, he himself is quite satisfied with it," Selena added.
Bagan shook his head, finding the whole situation utterly fascinating. Just then, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Gruon's voice.
"Commander-in-Chief, may I enter?"
"Yes, please come in!"
His position didn't require asking permission, but Gruon showed respect anyway. Selena granted it, and he stepped into the command room. His face was flushed with excitement. He'd always thought of himself as someone hard to surprise, yet riding a ship pulled by Leviathan was no ordinary experience. In fact, it was something he'd never even imagined. He'd flown on wyverns before, but this was an entirely different thrill.
"Incredible. Your sister has created something truly remarkable. At this rate, I'd say Seiros Kingdom's naval combat strength might be the strongest in the world."
Though Gruon's words carried some exaggeration, even Bagan had to admit that with this level of power, the claim wasn't far off. Especially if they could deploy the massive Leviathan—or even a kraken in an emergency—any invading force would face an impossible battle.
Unfortunately, the drawbacks were exactly what Bagan had expected: the ships' durability and the crew's onboard combat capability. If they couldn't rely entirely on Protavist, both the sailors and the vessels themselves would need significant improvement.
The ships' inherent quality can't match what the dwarves produce, after all.
Dwarves were master craftsmen. Their kingdom of Hefeka was filled with every kind of machine imaginable. Considering that several devices Bagan had seen in De Marinda were all of dwarven make, there was still a long way to go before catching up.
"Without Cyron, this would have been impossible," Bagan said.
"Ah, of course. Since he's staying in De Marinda now."
Gruon immediately understood once Cyron's name was mentioned. After finishing his admiration for the ships, he finally revealed his reason for coming.
"So, I take it you won't be joining the expedition?"
"Correct. We've only been permitted to escort the troops as far as Hardwin territory."
"A shame."
"After the expedition ends, we'll remain stationed in the coastal waters near Hardwin so we can return immediately if needed. Should anything happen, we'll provide support with a small contingent."
Selena spoke brightly, though she desperately hoped such a situation wouldn't arise. Gruon's desire to secure a decisive victory in this battle was obvious. It had even led to the suggestion of mobilizing the entire De Marinda navy. But in Bagan's opinion, with the orthodox nobles' support and the element of surprise, defeat seemed impossible. So, albeit reluctantly, Gruon accepted the decision.
"Understood. An order is an order, after all."
With those words, Gruon left the command room to head to his assigned quarters.
Once he was gone, Selena let out a long sigh.
"Whew. That would have been disastrous if he'd tried to force us to come along."
"I've been watching him. He has plenty of ambition, but he doesn't push unreasonable demands. It'll be fine from here on."
"Yeah."
Selena swept away her lingering concerns and returned to her work.
The De Marinda warships raced across the open sea throughout the night, reaching Hardwin territory before the sun had even climbed to its zenith. Hardwin was a border city in the Sog Kingdom, governed by Viscount Lorenzo Hardwin. Though a relatively new noble with limited experience, rumors said he'd been sharpening his blade for this very war—raising the quality of his troops and working to restore the orthodox faction's momentum.
When the De Marinda fleet appeared at Hardwin's docks, fishermen preparing for their early morning catch stared wide-eyed, shaking their heads in disbelief, unsure whether they were dreaming. Some were seeing Leviathan for the first time, while others had only encountered it in books or encyclopedias.
The viscount himself had to come out to calm the flustered fishermen.
"Everyone, please don't worry! They are our allies!"
"Ah, Lord Viscount!"
The fishermen all bowed when Viscount Hardwin appeared in person. However, he didn't seem to care much for such formalities.
"There's no need for such ceremony. Those of you heading out to fish, don't concern yourselves with this and prepare your boats!"
He settled the fishermen and cleared the docks. The fishing vessels needed to move out quickly so the warships could dock. As a result, Viscount Hardwin could only watch the fleet from a distance for a while. He swallowed hard, worried that Leviathan might accidentally destroy the pier. Its size and majesty were simply overwhelming.
Following the viscount's instructions, the fishermen tried not to pay too much attention to the De Marinda ships as they loaded their gear and set sail. Still, they couldn't help stealing glances. After fully indulging in those curious looks, all the fishing boats finally cleared the docks, and the warships slowly approached.
Viscount Hardwin guided the six vessels to appropriate berths, silently praying for a safe docking. Fortunately, Leviathan under Protavist's control performed the maneuver with surprising skill. The first ship to dock lowered Gruon and the other key figures, who immediately greeted the viscount.
"So you are Viscount Lorenzo Hardwin."
"Indeed. I may not have much to boast about compared to a fleet like this, but welcome to Hardwin territory."
Gruon and Viscount Hardwin exchanged a firm handshake, neither losing composure. Though Gruon generally disliked nobles, he had resolved to endure it this time.
"The rest of you are welcome as well. Oh! So that is the famous Silver Eagle Legion."
Viscount Hardwin let out an admiring gasp at the sight of the Silver Eagle soldiers disembarking. Their silver armor caught the morning sunlight, giving off an almost sacred aura. Their disciplined appearance would draw gasps from anyone seeing them for the first time, but the early morning light made their splendor even more striking.
"My own soldiers might lose confidence after seeing this."
Hardwin spoke without any prejudice, openly acknowledging the legion's majesty. Gruon found himself surprisingly fond of the viscount's character.
Next, Hardwin offered to explain their precise strategy and led everyone toward the main castle. Even during the walk, the people's hidden unease was obvious. The viscount dashed about like his tail was on fire, reassuring them. Watching this, Bagan judged him as a rather foolish lord who insisted on handling every little thing personally despite his title—but since he was simply doing his job, it wasn't entirely bad.
Once they reached the castle, only those who needed to hear the explanation gathered in one place. The Silver Eagle Legion waited in the castle's open grounds, while the De Marinda sailors remained at the docks except for Selena.
"First, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Lorenzo Hardwin, viscount of Hardwin and a loyal noble of the orthodox faction in the Sog Kingdom."
Everyone nodded at his introduction. When he finished, Gruon introduced himself as the representative.
"A pleasure. I am Gruon de Kairos, royalty of the Seiros Kingdom and lord of De Pruna."
He then introduced the others.
"This is Selena, Commander-in-Chief of the De Marinda Navy. This is Yurien Daphne, commander of the Silver Eagle Legion. And these three are Bagan, Sally, and Arien—adventurers from De Meca entrusted with important duties."
After the introductions concluded, Viscount Hardwin nodded to show he understood. He then spread out a large sheet of paper on the wide table. It was a detailed map of the Sog Kingdom.
"Let's get straight to the point. This spot I've marked is Hardwin. We will march this evening and arrive at our target territory tomorrow afternoon—right here."
The place Viscount Hardwin indicated had the words Count Tyram's Territory written on it.
"Count Tyram's lands. Given their distance from the Seiros border, they likely haven't made any preparations. They would never dream that forces from Hardwin would launch an attack."
"That makes sense. Still, to be safe, how many troops does the enemy have?" Gruon asked for more specific details to ensure nothing was overlooked.
"Even so, it's a count's household, so they should have about five hundred regular soldiers, ten commanding officers, and fifty mage soldiers. The most dangerous among them are Count Tyram's own sons—Julian Tyram and Darian Tyram. Both are swordsmen who graduated from the academy and can use aura, so we must be cautious."
"Aura users, huh..." Gruon turned to Daphne. "Relay this to the Silver Eagle soldiers: if they encounter those two, delay direct engagement as much as possible until we can join the fight."
"Understood."
Bagan found himself curious about the pair's skill level. Aura-using swordsmen weren't exactly common, though not impossible to find. Moreover, as members of a count's family, they likely possessed their own unique sword style. He wanted to see it for himself—to gauge just how impressive their technique truly was.
"We'll depart this evening, so please rest sufficiently until then."
"Understood."
With that, the simple strategy meeting came to an end. All that remained now was the actual fighting. As the time drew closer, the combatants' expressions grew increasingly grave. The casual jokes meant to ease tension now felt like they belonged to a different day entirely.