Chapter 76

The ship had arrived, and I had finished preparing to leave this place during the voyage. I was waiting for the ship, which was about to arrive, along with a few guild officials. Although the general public should not have been informed that the ship was coming today, it seemed that rumors had spread from somewhere, judging by the number of onlookers.

I was looking forward to seeing what kind of ship it was. After all, it was said that the construction of this ship had nearly bankrupted the country just because the development of one of its equipment pieces took longer than expected. Its name was the Dragon Killer. From the name, it seemed capable of slaying dragons, but in reality, it was said that the limit was fighting sub-dragons with the help of adventurers. However, since it could deal effective blows to sub-dragons without the help of strong adventurers, it was undoubtedly powerful.

My knowledge of the ship was limited to that, but I wondered what kind of massive warship it would be. As I looked out to sea with such expectations, I could see something that looked like a ship on the horizon. Was this planet larger than Earth? The horizon seemed much farther away.

"The ship seems to be in sight. Is that it?"

"...I can't see it yet. Colt, can you see it?"

I asked the branch manager, but it seemed he still couldn't see the ship. He was quite old, so it was understandable. I could barely make out that it was a ship.

"I can't see it either."

"I see. It must still be quite far away."

It seemed that even the young man, who appeared to be a fairly important person in the guild, couldn't see it yet. About 15 minutes later, someone named Colt spoke up.

"Ah, that's it. There aren't many ships that large without sails."

"Finally. ...Is Kaede's eyesight that good?"

"Considering the time, it must be a ship 20 kilometers away..."

Colt said, sounding surprised. Perhaps his vision had improved along with his strength and magic power.

The ship finally arrived about 15 minutes later. By then, people had gathered, and the coast was crowded. I could clearly see the ship, but it looked... small. No, compared to the standard ship size in this world, it was large, and it was anchored slightly outside the port due to the insufficient depth. However, compared to large warships on Earth, it seemed small. It was probably about 70 meters long and proportionally wide. A large cylindrical object that ran across the deck was noticeable. If that was the main gun, its caliber would exceed one meter, but firing such a gun from a ship of this size would likely sink it. It was smaller than a battleship, and even smaller than modern warships, which were half the length of those. The metal parts that seemed to fix the gun looked much less durable than those on a battleship's turrets. Moreover, the deck was crammed with various equipment, making it look extremely unstable. It seemed like it might capsize just by turning. Perhaps magic would help, but it was still worrying. ...Would such equipment be enough?

It turned out my worries were unfounded. After boarding the ship and receiving an explanation, it seemed that the ship was equipped with highly advanced magical devices for posture control. This allowed it to maintain its posture even when turning at angles close to the engine's (or magical device's) limits, preventing it from capsizing. In fact, its high maneuverability was one of its strengths. The explanation then moved on to the anti-aircraft equipment, as the area we were heading to was known for many flying monsters.

"Please look, this is the Dragon Killer's pride and joy, the 64-barrel anti-aircraft magic cannon! It can fire 64 rounds every 3 seconds, capable of bringing down most flying monsters! This is made possible by ancient magical devices..."

"Interesting."

"And this is the anti-aircraft barrier magical device! It's the strongest barrier that has never been broken! It's said that theoretically, it can't be broken by anything other than sub-dragons or dragons."

"Wow..."

"And this is..."

Impressive weapons kept appearing. In total, six anti-aircraft weapons were introduced. Given the ship's strength, its anti-aircraft equipment seemed to be top-notch. I felt a bit guilty for doubting the ship's capabilities. After the explanations, the person who gave them started walking toward the front of the ship.

"And this is the main anti-aircraft weapon for this expedition! A staff that spans about 60 meters across the deck, the largest currently in practical use..."

"Wow."

"It's a staff! Those who can use magic, including adventurers, will take turns using this to bring down flying monsters!"

"..."

A staff?

It suddenly seemed less impressive.

"Does it have any special functions?"

"Yes, it has a function to accelerate magic!"

It's just a long staff...

Wouldn't it be better to use something else?

"The other equipment seems more advanced. Why a staff?"

"Well... the staff is strong too. The length means acceleration, so a magician with decent skills and magic speed can hit about a third of the targets. Sometimes they miss, and we get bombed..."

"Bombed... Is it safe?"

"It's safe."

Is it really safe?

There must be a reason.

"Wouldn't it be better to just put up a barrier?"

"No, we generally don't use barriers, but the deck and equipment are quite sturdy."

So, they expect to get hit!

"Why don't you use the powerful weapons? Is it because there's no one who can handle them?"

"No, it's a budget issue. We're generally not supposed to use them except in emergencies..."

A budget issue...

This ship, which is crucial for national defense, can't use its weapons due to budget constraints.

"Why don't you secure more funding? There are no other ships that can fight sub-dragons, right? If you explain the situation, can't you get more funding?"

"Well, recently, there haven't been any sub-dragons that require the ship's deployment, so there have been no achievements. Additionally, the rewards for adventurers have increased due to events like the Broken Suppression War, and the financial strain has affected us recently. I'm sorry."

What!

The adventurers are the reason this ship can't use its weapons!

Are these greedy adventurers so selfish that they don't consider the national defense budget is limited? Someone must have made a fortune during the recent events.

"...It's not your fault."

The fault lies with those adventurers.

Not with me or this person.

For some reason, my chest ached.

"I understand. I'll do my best to shoot down as many birds as possible while I'm awake."

It's not my fault, but if the reason the weapons can't be used is due to the actions of my fellow adventurers, I should at least try to make up for it.

"Thank you! We'll be entering an area with many flying monsters in about 10 minutes, so please prepare. Most of them are Ixplondors, so be careful of invisible bombings."

"Understood. Is it okay to test fire?"

"It would be a problem if you ran out of magic power during the real thing, but I've heard that won't be an issue for you. There's no cost other than the magic power needed for shooting, so feel free to test fire."

"Got it."

After confirming the nod from the explainer, I immediately started preparing. The staff's tip was placed next to a reclining chair. When I tried sitting in the chair, I realized it allowed me to look up at the sky comfortably. The staff was in a good position, and the shooting environment was well-prepared. There didn't seem to be any equipment to protect the seat from bombings, but I guess I have to protect myself.

While thinking about this, I fired a test shot into the sky. ...I couldn't see the bullet. Well, I could see a faint afterimage, but my current dynamic vision made this unusual. As I was thinking about this, an Ixplondor-like bird entered my field of vision. I fired a shot at it, and it exploded almost instantly, falling into the water. The distance was farther than when I fought in Desibattle, but this time, I didn't need to set up a bullet curtain. The length of the staff made this much easier.

Soon, we entered the territory of the monsters, and I was shooting down about 10 monsters per minute. There were many targets, but I could fire many more shots, and I didn't miss. It was a one-sided annihilation, not really a battle. Another magician came to check on me, worried about running out of magic power, but when he saw the monsters disappearing from my field of vision, he left looking almost sympathetic to the monsters.

After about 30 minutes of this, the person who explained the ship to me walked over.

"We'll be making sharp turns soon, so be careful. This area has many islands, and we'll be making turns close to our limits."

"Careful of what?"

Looking around, I saw many islands. It would be challenging to avoid them. However, the ship had a posture control system, so it wouldn't tilt so much that people would roll around like in a manga.

"The ship will tilt significantly, so be careful not to fall. Also, these islands are home to flying monsters, so expect more attacks."

"Oh, I see. No problem, I'm ready."

I had stored all loose items in an item box, and I wouldn't fall off the ship just because it tilted a bit. For a ship this size, it would probably only be enough to make a water bottle roll. I was confident, but...

As we approached an island, the ship tilted. The angle was probably around 30 degrees.

"Whoa!"

Caught off guard, I fell off the chair. A 30-degree angle is similar to an escalator and would be classified as an advanced ski slope. I quickly regained my composure, sat back in the chair, and used magic to stabilize myself. The ship's tilt didn't change, indicating the posture control system was working. The ship was turning at an incredible angle, but that was its design. It was a ship known for its maneuverability in this world. It reminded me of the Osumi-class transport ship I saw on TV, which could turn almost 90 degrees with a near-zero turning radius. This ship might even surpass that.

While thinking about the ship's maneuverability and shooting down birds, a dull sound and a vibration ran through my body. If my senses were correct, it came from below. A moment later, the ship's tilt increased sharply. Could it be...