Armin, Summoned

Ian’s inspection tours extended beyond the industrial complex. There were five major shipyards in the capital. At one such shipyard, he was able to witness battleships that were nearly completed.

He could see the grandeur of battleships equipped with 305mm guns and modified with the latest engineering designs. Ian couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. He also conversed with several admirals who had just joined him.

Since there were currently no battleships available, admirals using cruisers as their flagships appeared visibly anxious.

“Wahaha! Look at that! How magnificent and awe-inspiring. Just look at the form of that massive vessel!”

“That enormous and long… thing (?) that looks like it could smash any warship—isn’t that a true masterpiece that stirs the soul of a seafaring man?”

“I can’t wait for the day we receive one of those.”

Was it just an illusion, or did someone drool excessively? Given that they’d been deprived of battleships for so long, their reactions weren’t unexpected. For the record, several of the admirals present here were newly appointed.

Naturally, due to the former allegiance of some admirals to other princes, many had to be replaced. As a result, the newly appointed admirals could essentially be considered Ian’s men. While observing the battleships, Ian asked,

“Shouldn’t we retrofit all existing battleships with new guns as well?”

“Indeed. To be honest, the 250mm guns are far too weak. Equipping all battleships with 305mm guns would significantly increase our fleet’s striking power.”

The one speaking was Admiral Brudwar. A duke and commander of the 1st Fleet, he had pledged loyalty to Ian and was steadily becoming Ian’s devoted man. Of course, he hadn’t been subjected to mental manipulation, so it was unclear if his loyalty was genuine, but outwardly, that’s how it seemed.

Ian, for his part, selectively used mental manipulation, dividing those who had been influenced from those who had not. Applying it to everyone took too much time and effort, and he also disliked the emotional toll it took. Thus, he had limited it to a set number of people.

“More importantly, Your Highness, what are your thoughts on the proposal I submitted earlier?”

“Ah. You mean the one suggesting each fleet should have two battleships?”

“Yes, precisely. If all nine fleets have two battleships, we would have a total of eighteen.”

Everyone’s eyes sparkled at Admiral Brudwar’s words. Adding even a single battleship to their fleet would vastly enhance its power, so they all hoped for the opportunity. But Ian’s next words brought disappointment.

“That’s excessive.”

“But Your Highness, the Doicheun Empire and other empires are acting aggressively. Each one likely has more than thirty battleships already. And their numbers are still increasing.”

Just as Admiral Brudwar stated, the imperial nations had ramped up battleship production. The Doicheun Empire, which had lost many in the last war, was now launching over a dozen simultaneously. The Magnia, Moria, and Noma Empires were also accelerating construction.

These empires already possessed dozens of battleships and were now competing to build more. With such developments, unease naturally spread among the admirals.

Everyone knew by now that the number of battleships was the key to victory in modern warfare.

“To be frank, eighteen battleships is far too many. Do you realize how much military spending such construction would demand?”

Of course, the Polia Kingdom had the national strength to push through and build them. If not for King Julian, they likely would have tried to mass-produce such warships—and likely thrown them straight into the whirlpool of a great war.

“But I’m worried that other nations may misinterpret our stance. They might look down on us.”

“That’s a valid concern.”

In truth, that was a very real possibility. While the other empires boosted their battleship count through aggressive expansion, Polia might appear weak in comparison. That could indeed invite misjudgment.

With that in mind, there had already been plans to construct a few more battleships. As Ian acknowledged this, smiles appeared on the faces of the admirals—and the shipyard executives. For the latter, battleship construction meant money, and they now stared at Ian with gleaming, expectant eyes.

Sensing these gazes, Ian paused briefly in thought and then spoke.

“Honestly, I think we should increase our scale a bit. So, let’s approve the construction of three more battleships.”

“Only three?”

“Why? Does that seem too few?”

“Your Highness, three is far too few. We must have more. We already lag behind the empires in naval technology, and if we fall short in numbers too, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

“Still, with those three, we’ll have twelve in total. Considering other kingdoms only have two to three at most, this is already excessive.”

“Compared to the empires, it’s still too small in scale.”

“Then let’s build more cruisers and destroyers instead. Say, ten more cruisers and around forty destroyers? That sounds about right.”

If the fleet appeared small, then boost the numbers with cruisers and destroyers. The admirals were speechless at Ian’s words. They simply couldn’t understand why he’d make such a decision.

The king had personally experienced naval warfare. He’d piloted a battleship and been in the thick of gun duels. Of all people, he should know the value of battleships. And yet, here he was, cutting back on battleship production and increasing cruisers and destroyers instead—naturally, they were frustrated.

‘They all look like they’re dying of frustration.’

Ian understood their feelings. Still, he had no intention of pouring all national resources into ships that were likely to serve as little more than cannon fodder later. He felt it was far wiser to invest in cruisers and destroyers that could serve as escorts instead.

‘I need to get started on the aircraft carrier design soon.’

They could probably repurpose cruiser hulls. Since they weren’t dealing with jet-powered aircraft, the flight deck wouldn’t need to be made of special materials. All things considered, developing an aircraft carrier might not be too difficult.

Of course, that was just Ian’s assumption. In reality, it might be far more complicated and time-consuming.

‘Come to think of it, this reminds me of Armin.’

He remembered Armin saying he’d develop warships when he entered university. Armin must have started university at 18, which would make him a third-year student now. Ian thought it likely that Armin hadn’t yet realized his full dream.

‘I’d like to see him again sometime.’

He was, after all, Ian’s first subordinate. Deciding to contact him soon, Ian turned to the admirals who still wore expressions of incomprehension.

“I understand how you feel. However, I believe we must maintain and expand the fleet without overextending ourselves. If we recklessly grow the navy to the point of destroying our national finances, that’s not courage—it’s folly.”

At Ian’s firm words, the admirals had no choice but to reluctantly agree. Those who were under mental manipulation readily agreed without hesitation. Even though they questioned the reduced number of battleships, since Ian said so, they accepted it wholeheartedly.

August 2nd.

In the capital city of Pullea, Polia Kingdom, there were many universities. Among them was an institution called Grossia University, renowned for its specialization in the arts and technology.

Many artists and skilled engineers had emerged from this place. Although art and technology might seem incompatible, the two curiously coexisted in symbiosis here.

In any case, this university was filled with students studying and working hard to acquire knowledge for their future. Among them were some who had already attained near-professional levels of skill, despite still being students.

Among those outstanding students, one of the most notable was none other than Armin von Glang, Prince Ian’s very first subordinate.

“It’s done.”

“What’s done?”

At the question from his dormmate, Armin grinned and looked proudly at the model in front of him.

“It’s a model I’ve spent quite some time working on.”

“What is that bizarre ship? There’s no cannon, and the top is too flat!”

“That’s because it’s designed to allow aircraft to take off and land.”

“Oh, is that the thing you talked about before? So this is what you meant?”

His dormmate showed mild interest, though it wasn’t deep. He was also studying naval architecture, but his primary interest lay in battleship design and development.

Though the idea of launching planes from the sea was fascinating, he thought it ultimately pointless.

“You’re really something. You even made a scale model. The interior and overall shape are all scaled down from the real thing, right?”

“Of course. I’ve already completed the design plans too. The structure was simpler than I expected, so it wasn’t that difficult to design.”

“If you say so, I’ll take your word for it. But… you’ve always been the top student every year. If the professors find out you’re building this kind of thing, I doubt they’ll be happy.”

“It’s fine. I’m doing it for my own satisfaction. And besides, there’s someone I want to give this to as a gift.”

“A gift? Who are you giving it to?”

“There is someone like that.”

“Someone? Are they older than you?”

Armin just smiled at the question. Of course, the person he wanted to give this model to was none other than Prince Ian—no, now the King himself.

‘He really surprised me.’

He had won the succession struggle overnight and had his coronation just a month ago. Though Armin hadn’t been able to attend, he had always honed his skills to one day stand before His Majesty again. In fact, Armin had gained the reputation of a genius among geniuses at Grossia University.

He had deliberately kept a low profile, only studying modestly until the outbreak of war. But when he witnessed Prince Ian achieve great military feats and renown, he realized he couldn’t remain idle.

With more and more stories of Prince Ian reaching his ears, Armin pushed himself to study at full throttle, and as a result, he had never failed to take first place.

One of the ship designs he invented even created a stir. It was a structure that significantly reduced damage from incoming shells upon impact.

‘That design of mine is supposed to be applied to the new battleships being completed now, isn’t it?’

Given such accomplishments, it was only natural that the professors had high expectations of him. Achieving so much at the age of twenty made them excited to see what else he could create. Of course, they weren’t particularly fond of his talk of aircraft carriers.

“No, he’s the same age as me.”

“Same age? Then isn’t he just your friend?”

“He’s my friend and also someone I want to follow for the rest of my life.”

“Is he from a high noble family?”

“Well, something like that.”

Armin couldn’t bring himself to say “His Majesty the King.” In fact, since entering university, Armin had never mentioned anything related to Ian. That’s why most people didn’t even know he had gone to school with Prince Ian.

Given that he attended a university unrelated to his high school peers, it was natural they wouldn’t know. Besides, Armin had no intention of boasting about that fact. What troubled him now was that, despite completing the model, he had no way to deliver it.

‘It’s probably really hard to meet him now.’

He couldn’t just ask to see someone like that anymore. Maybe His Majesty had already forgotten about him. Now that he was king, perhaps someone like Armin no longer even crossed his mind.

‘If that’s the case, I’ll just serve him in my heart alone.’

Just as he thought that, knock knock, came a sound from the dormitory door. His roommate asked, “Who is it?” and moved toward the door. Armin watched as he peeked out and exchanged a few words with someone, then opened the door wide.

‘Who is it?’

Four people entered. One of them was the dormitory supervisor, wearing a stern expression. Armin wondered what was going on. Then, a towering figure—easily two meters tall—stepped forward. As Armin got the feeling he’d seen him before, the man spoke.

“Armin von Glang?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“It’s been a while.”

“Huh? Do I know you?”

“I saw you before, running around the deck of the battleship with your eyes practically glowing. My name is Mardin.”

“Oh—!”

“So you recognize me now.”

“Wh-what brings you here?”

“His Majesty has summoned you.”

“His Majesty?”

“His Majesty?!”

At those words, Armin’s roommate’s face paled in shock. Meanwhile, Armin’s heart thudded in his chest the moment he heard that His Majesty had asked for him. If it were true, that meant His Majesty hadn’t forgotten him.

“Wh-when should I go?”

“Would now be possible?”

“Of course! Oh, I have some things I’d like to bring with me—would that be alright?”

He gestured toward the aircraft carrier model. Mardin glanced at it briefly and nodded. At that, Armin immediately began preparing his things.

Meanwhile, both the dorm supervisor and his roommate could only stare blankly at Armin. The fact that the King himself had summoned him left them speechless.

Especially the roommate, who now couldn’t help but recall what Armin had said just moments ago.

‘The person he said he wanted to follow for life… was the King?!’

Truly, it was a moment of sheer astonishment.