Hunting Success! But Again?!

Back when they had hunted the Kraken in the past, they had written a separate report and made it available as a textbook for all naval officers. It laid out methods for how to properly deal with the creature.

‘With Admiral Nudelria’s capabilities, he should be able to handle the Kraken.’

He trusted the man, yet at the same time, he worried whether the Kraken could truly be dealt with without major losses. Just as Viscount Rubingston had said, they would likely have to accept significant bleeding.

His contemplation stretched on, but in the end, he had no choice. No matter how much he agonized, the conclusion could only lead to one outcome.

‘Trust him. If I don’t trust him, who else would I trust?’

Once he reached that conclusion, he immediately contacted the 9th Fleet and issued the order to begin the Kraken hunt. A real-time message was sent through the communicator, and upon receiving it, the 9th Fleet moved at once to hunt the Kraken.

‘It’ll be fine, right?’

Time passed under that lingering anxiety.

December 21.

Fifteen days had passed, and amid the continuing wait, the long-awaited report finally arrived.

“You’re saying they succeeded in hunting the Kraken?!”

“Yes, they report success.”

“More importantly, what were the 9th Fleet’s losses?”

That was what mattered most. He had never doubted victory, but the key was how much damage they had taken against the Kraken. Viscount Rubingston spoke as if to reassure him.

“They say the losses were not very large. Two destroyers sank, and one was crippled, but the other ships are unharmed.”

“Is that truly so?!”

“Yes. They say Count Nudelria made excellent use of aircraft. With scout planes launched in all directions, they observed the creature’s shadow from above and relayed it immediately by radio. They then dropped depth charges, and when it surfaced, they opened fire with naval guns at once.”

“Right. We had aircraft.”

They had steadily built aircraft carriers and assigned them across fleets. People still had doubts about their combat role, but accepted that they would be invaluable for reconnaissance. As construction completed one by one, they were deployed—and the 9th Fleet had received its share as well.

‘In an era like this, an aircraft carrier was actually a military ship that could be built far more cheaply than a cruiser.’

In any case, unlike before, they could use aircraft too. That likely made hunting the Kraken much easier. Realizing this, he felt he had been worrying for nothing. Still, the first time had been overwhelming, so it made sense.

Now that they already had established methods—and with a fleet dispatched—the situation had not been as perilous as he feared. Of course, since two ships had sunk and a destroyer had been crippled, it was not as if there were no losses, so celebrating too openly felt wrong.

Even so, succeeding with only that level of damage was a very good outcome. Feeling his mind finally ease, he spoke.

“Send a congratulatory telegram to the 9th Fleet. Tell them congratulations on hunting the demon of the sea.”

“I will send it at once.”

“We should inform everyone quickly.”

It likely would not provoke the same intense reaction as when he first hunted the Kraken. The first time had been shocking because it was unfamiliar; the second time, people would have some immunity, making extreme reactions less likely. Soon, the news reached the public.

“The 9th Fleet under Admiral Nudelria succeeds in hunting the Kraken!”

“With the Kraken’s reappearance, stability has returned to the western ocean!”

“The 9th Fleet alone defeats the Kraken—there is no need to tremble in fear anymore.”

“His Majesty the King’s congratulatory telegram to the 9th Fleet that hunted the Kraken! (Now the demon of the mythic age is no longer something to fear.)”

As expected, there was no explosive uproar like before. Still, many people praised Admiral Nudelria and the 9th Fleet for eliminating the Kraken.

Every evening, people gathered in taverns to talk about it, praising their nation’s naval power. Yet at the same time, there was also worry. Since the Kraken had reappeared, people felt anxious that it might appear again at any time.

Inside a tavern somewhere in Pullea, the capital.

After finishing work, many people gathered to drink beer. At one table, they were talking about the newly reported Kraken hunt.

“They hunted the Kraken this time—amazing, isn’t it?”

“And they did it with only the 9th Fleet, right?”

“I still can’t forget what I saw in the theater five years ago. That gigantic sea monster actually existed out there… how terrifying.”

“Come to think of it, I heard a lot of people died before it got hunted.”

“I heard that too. Sounds like there were ships attacked before it became public. Makes working at sea feel kind of scary.”

“My cousin’s on an oceangoing fishing boat… I wonder if he’ll be okay..”

“If it keeps showing up like this, won’t it come back again someday?”

“Hey, don’t say that. You think it’ll really show up again?”

“People thought that the first time too, and it showed up this time. I’ve got a bad feeling it’ll keep happening.”

“Enough with the bad luck—just drink.”

At the raised-toast remark, even the one who had spoken tried to erase his unease, lifted his glass, clinked it with a sharp clink, and drank. Amid laughter and chatter, the tavern scene flowed on like any other.

And the worry voiced there soon became reality. News arrived that another Kraken had been spotted elsewhere.

December 26.

“So the Kraken appeared again? Where this time?”

“This time it revealed itself in the northwestern sea of the Noma Empire.”

“So it was there this time. The places it appears feel irregular.”

“We have reached the same conclusion. It felt… somehow artificial.”

“Hm. Don’t tell me someone actually released the Kraken?”

“We cannot be certain yet, but we are considering the possibility.”

At Viscount Rubingston’s words, Ian thought, Could something like that really happen? Bringing a creature that massive somewhere would be nearly impossible. Still, he felt it was not utterly impossible.

Even if someone brought it as a juvenile, it could be hidden deep underwater long enough to grow—unfound—until it emerged on the sea’s surface. And if there were any group likely to orchestrate such an event, it would be that secret organization.

“It’s likely to be them—the secret organization. But what purpose would they have for doing this?”

“If the world falls into chaos, wouldn’t that suit them?”

“I don’t know what they think they’ll gain, but I doubt it’ll be that effective.”

“This time it appeared in Noma waters, so they will handle it themselves.”

“I’m not sure they can spare a fleet.”

“Even so, if they leave it, it remains a major source of anxiety, so they will surely try to eliminate it.”

“Prince Alexei will understand that as well, so he’ll pull forces aside and deal with it.”

With prior experience, he believed they could prepare adequately, yet he could not help but feel grim. This would not end with this incident alone. There was a strong chance such events would occur periodically going forward.

“The sea may no longer be the sea we once knew.”

“There is also a strong possibility of frequent loss of life. If that happens, fewer and fewer people may be willing to go out to sea.”

For the island nation of the Polia Kingdom, having sea routes choked off could cause severe damage. If people stopped going out to sea, there would be fewer sailors to operate ships, and transport could become paralyzed. He felt they needed countermeasures.

“We need to find a way to prevent Kraken attacks.”

“Yes. But to do that, we would need to capture one alive first—and that is the problem.”

“If we captured one alive, could we do it?”

“Wouldn’t it be nearly impossible? The very idea of attempting a capture operation against such a monster seems reckless. It would likely cause enormous losses.”

“Honestly, I agree.”

Ultimately, the most practical measure was for fleets to conduct regular patrol reconnaissance in their waters. He could not think of any better method. Of course, he knew the Polia Kingdom’s sea territory was so vast that they could not cover everything.

“Tell the navy to expand their patrol range. Start with the trade routes.”

“I will do so.”

As a stopgap, he intended to increase patrol activity centered on trade routes whenever possible. It would require an enormous budget when considering fuel consumption, but he judged that it was still better than having trade routes collapse.

As the Polia Kingdom moved to expand patrol operations in response to the Kraken’s reappearance, the Noma Empire also recognized the Kraken’s presence and began seeking a solution.

Blaine, the capital of the Noma Empire.

In the freezing air that dipped below zero, the snow-covered capital did not feel especially grim. Though they were fighting a great war, their vast territory made this place a virtually inviolable zone, so people lived without much anxiety.

After news spread that the Doicheun Imperial Army had pushed quite far inward but was now being forced back south, people instead wished the war would end quickly so the dreadful war tax would disappear.

For Noma citizens, the war tax looming before them was far more frightening than the war itself. The atmosphere in the imperial palace was much the same. They had raised a massive force exceeding ten million and were spending that manpower to push the Doicheun forces southward.

The emperor and the empire’s leadership were fairly optimistic about the war. The Moria Imperial Army and the Magnia Imperial Army—now allied—were also pushing from east to west. With their own forces advancing southward too, they believed the flow of war was turning in their favor.

In the midst of such conditions, the Kraken’s sudden appearance was an unwelcome intruder. The Kraken was roaming the northwestern sea and attacking fishing boats. They needed to eliminate it quickly.

The problem was that their opinions were split.

In the grand conference chamber of the Noma Imperial Palace.

“To eliminate the Kraken, we absolutely need at least one fleet!”

“To pressure the Doicheun Empire right now, isn’t it difficult to pull out an entire fleet?”

“But we cannot leave the Kraken as it is! At minimum, one fleet must move!”

The one shouting was none other than Prince Alexei, the Fourth Prince. His claim sounded reasonable, but even so, their circumstances made it difficult to pull out a full fleet. Even if the Doicheun navy was focused on defense, it would seize any opening to strike.

“Doicheun submarines are targeting our ships everywhere. If we focus on the Kraken, the likelihood of being attacked at that moment is extremely high.”

“So what are you suggesting?!”

“How about sending only around five cruisers for now?”

“Hah. You don’t understand the Kraken’s terror. Cruisers won’t be enough. At minimum, a fleet that includes battleships must move together, so it can respond organically to the creature’s movements and strike.”

Some agreed with Prince Alexei, and some did not. Everyone had read the report written during the previous Kraken hunt, so disagreement was inevitable.

“Five ships will be enough. We have already prepared sufficient depth charges, so if we lure it properly, we can kill it.”

“It’s not that simple! We need far more ships to reduce losses and capture it!”

Prince Alexei pushed back again, and the emperor, watching the standoff, finally stepped in. Resembling Alexei, he spoke with a stern expression.

“Enough. I will decide.”

At the emperor’s words, everyone fell silent. The emperor then stated his conclusion.

“It is certain that we cannot allow that monster called the Kraken to keep roaming the sea. However, pulling out an entire fleet is too great a burden. Therefore, we will mobilize six cruisers and hunt the Kraken.”

Not five, but six. At the order to deploy six cruisers, Prince Alexei’s expression hardened. In the end, his father—the emperor—had chosen to hunt the Kraken with an ambiguous number of warships.

‘…This is bad. At this rate, we could lose all the cruisers.’

That he could not prevent it was deeply regrettable to Prince Alexei.