Chapter 50
The East dared to declare war because they trusted in their enormous undersea forces.
What? You say controlling land monsters gets you treated like a witch or black mage, but controlling sea monsters is fine?
That's just how it is when the Emperor says so.
Land monsters are easy to subjugate. But it's hard to subjugate those who have the sea firmly in their grip.
So when the founding emperor established the Empire, he gathered the best underwater monster handlers in the East and entrusted them with the Empire's seas.
Thanks to that, unlike black mages who are treated as traitors the moment they gather, mages who handle underwater monsters have been treated as valuable assets.
That situation made them arrogant.
"Ha, those idiot surface fleet bastards. They couldn't even stop a single merchant ship and got their ship sunk?"
"This is why those guys are hopeless. They go around calling themselves captains and admirals, but in the end they come begging us for help, don't they?"
The East's underwater monster handlers did not take this incident seriously.
That was because they were confident they could sink a ship like that with ease.
The battleship that's supposed to be the South's new weapon? Well, I suppose its firepower is passable. But what can they do if we attack from underwater?
"Yaaawn, let's get going now. At last, His Grace Grand Duke Edward has given the order."
So they took the naval blockade order lightly.
We just wait underwater like always, and when something shows up on the surface, we pop out and sink it, right?
With that careless mindset, the handler of the 200-meter-class monster Tusoteuthis sent the beast into the high seas between the South and the East.
Without even imagining what awaited them.
***
Submarines do not have windows.
Because ordinary glass cannot withstand the pressure of the deep sea.
Once submerged, the only things you can trust are sonar and the crew's skill.
Going into the water blind, unable to know what awaits you, is always nerve-racking.
"Captain, this is a message from the forward recon wyvern! Contact confirmed: a 200-meter-class monster Tusoteuthis at 28 kilometers, bearing 0-9-2!"
"Have we filled the oxygen tanks enough?"
"Yes. Estimated submerged operation time is about three hours."
"That should be enough. All departments, prepare to submerge!"
But U-7's crew and Captain Ethan had already been aboard the submarine for over half a year.
Their movements, now thoroughly accustomed to the water, held no hesitation.
Bang-!
As the submarine hatch closed, the 37 crew members all sprang into action at once.
The periscope lowered, and the external air intake closed. The power driving the vessel was switched from the diesel engine to battery-powered electric motor propulsion.
Beep- beep- beep-
With the slow-sounding dive alarm as a backdrop, reports came in from each department.
"Diesel engine stopped, main battery propulsion engaged!"
"Dive planes set. Ready to open the main ballast valves!"
"All crew have been assigned to compartments. Confirmed all hatches throughout the vessel are closed!"
"Captain, all departments have completed submergence preparations!"
After hearing all the reports, Ethan issued the order in silence.
"Good. Let's begin the hunt."
Kuuuuuu-
The sound of churning bubbles enveloped the surroundings, and the blade-like streamlined hull began to tilt downward into the water. U-7's form disappeared as if melting into the sea.
As U-7, the leader of the wolf pack, submerged, the submarines following behind also began to dive all at once.
Where the ten trails that had sliced across the sea vanished into the water, all that remained was a calm sea shimmering with the colors of sunset.
But the cold, dark world beneath the sea was different.
"We've reached target depth."
Rrrrrrr...
In the dark sea, all that remained was the bubbles spat out by the buoyancy control system.
The hounds that had trained for this hunt for half a year each began preparing for battle.
Ding- ding-
The short, sharp echo of active sonar rang out through the bridge, which had been silent for some time.
"Contact bearing 0-0-3, distance about 25 kilometers. Identified as a 200-meter-class beast, Tusoteuthis."
"The distance is currently shrinking in real time. At this rate, the enemy beast will be within our torpedo range in less than 30 minutes."
Ethan closed his eyes for a moment as he listened to the report.
To recall the order he had heard from Lord Kyle Leopold just before departure.
***
What is the greatest honor for officers of the South?
It was to take part in a meeting chaired by Lord Kyle Leopold.
In meetings chaired by Lord Kyle Leopold, new weapons and new tactics were always unveiled. They were all among the South's top secrets.
Therefore, all the officers invited were trustworthy and capable.
A hierarchy had quietly formed between officers who had attended even one meeting and those who had not.
Ethan ranked fairly high in that hierarchy.
He had been summoned to meetings three times just for the submarine fleet.
By the third time, he should have been used to it, but Ethan still couldn't hide his nerves.
"We meet again, Colonel. Your name was Ethan Crescent, wasn't it?"
Tall stature and broad shoulders. A lean, masculine build. Blond hair and blue eyes, traces of royal blood. A voice that was friendly yet somehow authoritative.
On top of that, he possessed the strength of a 9th-circle mage and the brains to produce countless weapon blueprints, including battleships and submarines, while managing the South to perfection.
If a biologically perfect person existed, wouldn't he look like this? The man who made you think so was none other than the Grand Duke of the South, Kyle Leopold.
He was such an extraordinary person that even Ethan, who prided himself on having lived an elite life, hesitated for a moment.
Ethan, who was nearing fifty, naturally spoke to the twenty-six-year-old Kyle Leopold with deference.
"It's truly an honor that you remember such an insignificant name."
"Haha, insignificant? It won't do for the one taking command of our submarine fleet to put himself down like that."
"F-Flotilla commander...? Me?"
"That's right."
It was a fact everyone could feel: war was approaching.
The time had come to face the terrifying monsters that had ruled the sea for a thousand years.
The first battle in the history of humans and underwater monsters. The position of supreme commander, who would lead that first battle, was anything but light.
Enough to make even Ethan, ambitious for advancement as he was, hesitate for a moment.
"I'm truly sorry, but I'm not ready yet. Perhaps you should find another outstanding officer..."
"That goes for every officer in the South. How many people are there who can handle a weapons system that's only just over nine months old better than you can?"
"But..."
Kyle said, lightly patting Ethan's hesitant shoulder.
"I wasn't a prepared leader either. When the South's collapse was right before my eyes and the corporations were all trying to fend for themselves, I had no choice but to step forward first."
"..."
"As you know, the perfect operation the staff has spent days pulling all-nighters to prepare is only valid until the first shot is fired. In that situation, the most important thing isn't preparation, but the individual commander's ability to respond to the situation."
"I called you because I thought you were the person with the greatest individual ability."
Only then did Ethan accept it and reply.
"Then I, Ethan Crescent, will do my best not to let down Your Grace's expectations."
"Good."
Kyle took the operational plan the staff had prepared out of the drawer.
"This is the Tusoteuthis hunting method our staff came up with."
The operation plan was not that complicated.
Once the wyvern knights pinpointed Tusoteuthis's location, the submarine fleet would spread out and take up their respective attack positions.
What would draw the enemy into the middle of the submarines, which were lying in ambush and preparing to encircle it, was a single 6,000-ton coal transport ship attempting to break through the naval blockade.
After placing the coal transport in the middle of the trap and evacuating the entire crew, they would wait until the enemy took the bait.
"After that, it's simple. We hunt the enemy that got caught in the trap."
An enemy placed at the center of the encirclement laid out by ten submarines.
Torpedoes flying in from all directions, and the wolf pack's encirclement that couldn't be escaped no matter which way you fled.
For that operation to succeed, the most important thing was the flotilla commander who would adjust the fleet's position according to the Tusoteuthis's movements.
To keep pressing the prey until it wore itself out, the flotilla commander's skill was absolutely critical.
"Your role is important."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Ethan also knew very well how important this was.
Because the South's very lifeline depended on whether this operation succeeded or failed.
Not even a single mistake could be allowed.
To perfectly hunt the underwater monsters that had ruled the sea for a thousand years, not the slightest error in judgment could be allowed.
With that in mind, Ethan opened his eyes.
"Where is the coal transport?"
"It's within about 4 kilometers of the target point. It should arrive soon."
"Then it's about time we started the operation. Entire fleet, spread out!"
The instant the order was given, the ten submarines following U-7 moved to their assigned positions exactly as they had practiced.
After all the other ships had moved away, only U-7 remained in the dark, cold waters of the South Sea.
"Torpedo tubes flooded!"
"Torpedo tubes 1 and 2 are ready to fire!"
The leader of the wolf pack bared its teeth.