Assassins Beneath The Sea

Southern waters off the mainland of the Polia Kingdom.

Ten ships moved across the vast ocean. One of them was a massive battleship, large enough to stand out even from afar. Another was a smaller cruiser. Surrounding them were four destroyers moving in formation.

On top of that, four transport ships were accompanying the fleet, carrying numerous soldiers onboard. Altogether, it resembled the formation of a small-scale fleet. And their current destination was none other than the Marin Archipelago.

They were en route to suppress a rebellion that had broken out. Inside the bridge of the battleship Mythos, Prince Ian was seated. Around him were some familiar faces from before, while others were new.

Because the battleship was much larger than the previous cruiser, it required a significantly larger crew, and the number of personnel in the bridge had also increased. Ian glanced out the window at the sea, then turned to the deputy captain beside him and spoke.

“We still have about ten days of travel left, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s quite a distance.”

“The Marin Archipelago lies far out in the southern sea, after all. But it’s still quicker than crossing the continent.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

Everyone nodded at Ian’s words. Though they were sailors, used to the sea, long voyages always took a toll on both body and mind. Of course, for now, their spirits were high. It had been a long time since they’d been out to sea.

“By the way, how was everyone’s leave?”

“Well, I think it was the longest vacation I’ve ever had. I spent the whole time with my family. Honestly, my wife and kids kept asking when I was going back.”

“My daughter was just born, so I was itching to get back out to sea. Not that I dislike my daughter, of course. It’s just… being cooped up at home got a bit stifling.”

Both the deputy captain and the adjutant were married. Being in their late twenties to mid-thirties, it was only natural. They had clearly spent their entire leave with their families. This made Ian reflect on the fact that he, too, would need to marry eventually.

“A family, huh. I suppose I should get married, too?”

His fiancée, Lady Michelle, was still young, so the marriage had not been finalized yet. To be honest, he sometimes questioned whether the marriage should even happen. There was a notable age difference, and emotionally, he wasn’t sure he could truly accept Michelle.

‘Counting my past life… how big is the age gap, really?’

It was to the point where it felt more like a grandfather marrying his granddaughter, despite technically marrying young in this life. It made him feel morally conflicted. Of course, if everything were judged by his past life, then he’d probably never get married at all.

“Ugh, I don’t know. I’ll deal with it when it comes. For now, focus on the mission—worry about the rest later.”

“Come to think of it, you graduated from Blair Naval Academy, didn’t you, Captain?”

“You did too, didn’t you, Deputy Captain?”

“That’s right. I graduated from there as well.”

“So did I.”

Following the deputy captain, the adjutant also confirmed his alma mater. It was clear now that the academy had a strong reputation in the navy. In fact, many of its graduates had gone on to become admirals.

“To be honest, I wonder if I really learned enough in just a year. I do worry.”

“Even if it was a year, you learned well. And with the time you spent training under me, you’ve gained a decent foundation in knowledge.”

At the words of his adjutant, Captain Mardin Russo, Ian couldn’t help but wonder if that was really true. Still, he had no intention of directly commanding in combat. He was still just a greenhorn with only a few years of naval tactics under his belt. There had been times when he was forced to take command.

“When we captured this ship, the situation was so urgent that I had no choice.”

During the capture of Mythos, there had been no commander available, so Ian had to lead on the spot. He was lucky, and everyone trusted him, so the operation ended safely. Still, there was much he had to learn and improve upon.

“Captain, sir.”

At that moment, a voice came from the side. Turning his head, Ian saw a stout man with a brown mustache. He recognized him—it was the ship’s cook. The man was carrying a tray, on which sat a steaming teacup.

“I’ve brought some tea.”

“You didn’t have to go out of your way to do that.”

“Oh no, sir. It’s an honor for me to personally serve you tea.”

“Well, I’ll drink it gratefully, then.”

At that, adjutant Mardin took the tray from him. He then inserted a needle-like object into the teacup. It was a magic tool used to detect poison.

Seeing it again reminded Ian of how magic was deeply integrated into everyday life. In any case, a captain’s health was of utmost importance on a ship. Since poison or assassination was always a risk, the adjutant routinely used the magic tool for safety checks.

The cook seemed unsurprised, nodding as the adjutant returned the tray with a signal of safety.

“It’s safe to drink, sir.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Raising the teacup to his nose, Ian caught a pleasant aroma. The leaves were clearly of high quality. He hadn’t cared for tea in the past, but as a royal, tea time had become a common part of his routine.

As Ian sipped his tea and the fleet sailed toward the rebellious Marin Archipelago, beneath the waves there lurked dark shadows swimming silently.

Somewhere beneath the waters of the Marin Archipelago.

Two metal objects moved quietly at a depth of 20 meters—they were submarines, a new type of naval warship. Though only 400 tons and unfit for open-ocean operations, they were prototypes used for experimental purposes.

These were the first and second vessels of the “Label-class” submarines, secretly developed by the Doicheun Empire. They had not traveled underwater all the way from the mainland; instead, they were discreetly transported by carrier ships and released here.

Their target was the Mythos, which now flew the flag of the Polia Kingdom. They planned to launch torpedoes from beneath the sea and strike the battleship in secret. Naturally, nothing aboard the subs could be traced to the Doicheun Empire.

Both the submarines and their crews kept their identities completely hidden. If they were to die, their deaths would go unrecognized. But all of them carried a deep patriotism and were fully committed to their mission.

“The target has departed.”

“Is that so? Then the time for the hunt has come.”

Using the latest technology, wireless communication had been used to contact secret intelligence agents stationed in the Marin Archipelago. Naturally, the reason they could receive information from across the continent was thanks to the telegraph lines that extended all the way to the archipelago.

In any case, upon receiving this news, the submarine captain wetted his dry lips with his tongue. Soon, the proud battleship that had once left their homeland would be sunk by their very own hands. He still felt shame that a prized vessel of the Doicheun Empire had been captured by the Polia Kingdom.

‘They’re too busy dealing with the rebellion. There’s no way they’ll notice us.’

He was moving in tandem with the second ship, its sister vessel. No matter how thick a battleship’s armor was, if it took multiple direct hits from torpedoes, it would be doomed to sink. Especially since the target belonged to the Polia Kingdom—he believed the sinking would be easy.

‘Unlike our Empire, which has prepared countermeasures against submarines, they probably haven’t even imagined the existence of such a weapon. They won’t stand a chance.’

The captain, thrilled by what was to come, wished for the moment to arrive quickly. And so, the two submarines swimming silently around the Marin Archipelago waited patiently for their time to strike.

In truth, the Doicheun Empire had never forgotten its grudge—bringing out submarines they had previously kept hidden for the sake of national prestige.

By the time they had sailed for ten days, February had arrived. Having finally reached the Marin Archipelago safely, Ian felt relieved when land began to appear after days of staring at the open sea.

‘It’s definitely better to see something than just endless water.’

Of course, they had only just arrived at the archipelago. They still had to travel further to reach their destination: an island named Phero. It was the largest island in both area and population within the archipelago.

It was the most developed location in terms of infrastructure, and also the origin point of the rebellion. Ian had read the documents before—Phero was about three times the size of Jeju Island, with a population of 110,000 and a reputation as a famous tourist destination.

Its main source of income was its beautiful, emerald-colored coastline that attracted tourists, followed by its prosperous fisheries using the vast surrounding sea. However, due to the rebellion, tourism had plummeted and seafood exports had also declined drastically.

‘Taxes should be raised within reason, but they went too far. Wouldn’t it be better to grant tax incentives to prosperous areas so they can grow even more?’

So much money was being poured into warship production that they ended up squeezing areas like this. Resistance against such excessive policies eventually turned into full-blown rebellion. Even local elites joined the uprising, which only served to increase its scale.

‘They said the rebel forces number over 30,000, didn’t they?’

With a population of 110,000, that meant nearly all able-bodied men were participating. In effect, the entire island had risen up. As Ian clicked his tongue inwardly, he recalled that the number of troops they’d brought via transport ships totaled around 10,000.

‘With support from naval gunfire, landing 10,000 troops should be enough.’

He didn’t know much about army tactics, but he understood that the combat effectiveness of a trained army far surpassed that of untrained rebels. Besides, the rebels lacked sufficient coastal artillery to defend their city.

‘They said the number of coastal batteries was drastically reduced during the last war with the Doicheun Empire.’

There wasn’t enough money or time to restore them, so they remained in poor condition—a fortunate circumstance for Ian. In total, the journey to Phero Island took about two more days, and along the way, they passed many fishing vessels that had not joined the rebellion.

Each island had small boats out to fish, and there were even a few cargo ships sailing for export. Many were shocked to see a fleet passing through. The most attention-grabbing vessel was undoubtedly the Mythos.

Its 30,000-ton size was enough to stun onlookers in this era, especially those trapped within the isolated archipelago. Reactions ranged from awe to fear, to admiration.

A tiny fishing boat floated on the sea. With just enough space for three people, it carried boys who looked to be in their late teens. In this region, even the young had to work the sea to make ends meet.

The three boys aboard that boat were gawking with wide mouths at the fleet passing through the water.

“Whoa! Look at that!”

“That’s huge! How can a ship be that big?”

“Isn’t that what they call a battleship?”

They kept chattering excitedly as they watched the fleet sail by in the distance. Deep down, they wondered if it was heading to the island where the rebellion had supposedly broken out.

“If ships like that are going, that island’s finished.”

“The village chief always says it—no matter how hard it gets, just endure. Otherwise, you’ll die.”

“Yeah, seeing that… I kind of get what he means now.”

“Do you think I could get on a ship like that someday?”

“Come on, like you could.”

“What’s wrong with me?! I totally could!”

“You have to study to get on a navy ship, right? You suck at studying.”

“So what if I suck at studying?!”

“See? You can’t even argue right. No way you’re getting on a ship like that.”

“Ugh, maybe I should study?”

“Yeah right! Hahaha!”

As they laughed and joked, the three boys watched the fleet slowly disappear into the distance before returning to their fishing.

Then, as they resumed their work, one boy spotted a dark shadow below the surface of the water. It was deep, blurry, but something was definitely moving beneath them.

“Huh? What’s that? A whale?”

“What is it?”

“Something just swam underneath… I think it was a whale?”

“A whale?! Think we could harpoon it?”

“You’d have to be suicidal. A whale could flip this tiny boat like nothing. You want to die?”

“Y-yeah, probably.”

“Quit dreaming. Just catch the damn fish!”

With that exchange, the boys returned to their work. Meanwhile, the dark shadow beneath the water had already vanished.