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“With this ‘Fire of Judgment,’ we will surely bring down the guardian deity…!”
Staring at the weapon, Carlo broke into a fearless grin.
“Target! The buoy one hundred meters ahead! Align the turret!”
“Aye!”
At Carlo’s command, the sailors aimed the barrel at the buoy.
Meanwhile, Galileo activated the mana furnace; it began roaring with a low growl.
“Young Master Jonah, please step back.”
“Y-yes.”
Aurora, who had been standing nearby, spoke up. Jonah, watching anxiously, nodded and took a few steps back.
And then—
“FIRE!!!”
—BOOOOM!!!
“UWAAH!?”
A thunderous roar echoed across the Central Sea as a magical fireball shot straight from the steel barrel toward the buoy.
The deafening blast was too sudden; Jonah couldn’t cover his ears in time and reflexively shouted, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Wh-what happened!?”
Jonah frantically looked out to sea.
There—a hole ten meters wide had been carved into the sea surface, surrounded by towering walls of spray.
“A-amazing…!”
At the terrifying power of the magitech, Carlo first looked stunned—then the corners of his mouth lifted into a wide grin.
“We can do it… We can do it, everyone! With the Fire of Judgment, this time we’ll kill that guardian deity! We’ll avenge our fallen comrades!!!”
“UOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!”
Carlo thrust his fist skyward, and the sailors raised theirs in unison, an enormous cheer erupting.
Among these sailors were surely some who, like Carlo, had barely survived the last battle. Several were weeping with emotion.
To the people of Benedia, the Fire of Judgment had become hope incarnate.
Yet—
“It’s impossible…”
Jonah watched everyone with a cold expression and muttered calmly to himself.
He hadn’t seen the Guardian Deity of the Central Sea himself, so he couldn’t be completely certain—but if even Carlo, who had witnessed its form and terror firsthand, said it was mountain-sized, then it must be true.
Above all, the guardian deity was no ordinary magical beast.
From the test results, Jonah reaffirmed that the magitech had been designed for use against humans or structures like castle walls. He could not believe it would work against the guardian deity.
That said, there was no denying the weapon was terrifying against human targets.
“We’ll definitely kill that guardian deity!”
“Yeah! We’ll avenge our dead comrades ourselves!”
Watching Carlo and the sailors celebrate like it was a festival, Jonah shook his head.
While quietly inscribing a tiny magic circle on the deck.
“What’s wrong, Jonah? You look down.”
Back at the harbor, Carlo asked the heavy-footed Jonah as he descended the gangway.
The earlier excitement was gone; he had returned to the face of a commander.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
“Is that so? Well, alright then…”
Seeing Jonah’s weak smile, Carlo asked nothing more.
Aurora and Priscilla watched the pair with worried expressions when—
“Welcome back, Your Highness.”
Waiting at the foot of the gangway was the head steward, Federico.
“Yeah, it went perfectly. Now we can finally avenge everyone.”
“That is most fortunate.”
“So, what brings you all the way here?”
“Yes. His Majesty the King requests an immediate report on today’s magitech test upon your return. And also—”
Federico turned to Jonah.
“He wishes to meet the guest of Your Highness, Master Jonah.”
“Me!?”
At the unexpected words, Jonah cried out in surprise.
When he was still a ducal heir there might have been a tiny chance, but now he was a commoner—and he had asked Carlo to keep his background secret.
That’s why he couldn’t guess the king’s intentions.
“Well… I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Would you mind meeting him?”
Carlo spoke with a complicated expression.
Perhaps Carlo understood what the king was thinking.
“…You’re right. I am indebted to you all.”
Though reluctant, Jonah nodded.
If it turned troublesome, he could simply hide somewhere until the day of the subjugation. That’s what Jonah decided.
“This way, please.”
They boarded the carriage Federico had prepared and headed toward the castle.
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