Steel and Mana

Chapter 298 – Need A Captain

"Long time no see, Duke Kustov." I spoke first as he entered the throne room, going to one knee before me.

"Indeed, My Sovereign. To be honest... We didn't even meet, not when I was conscious like now."

"Ahaha, now that you mention it like that..." I laughed, waving my hand to let him stand up. "I am glad to see you are fine. It wasn't easy to come this far, was it?"

"It is all thanks to you, My Sovereign. You did save my life and my family's life. My bloodline. I would be dead otherwise, so it is perfectly right for me to serve you and your orders. Whatever they may be."

I don't know if it was still the original brainwashing talking or not... Whatever it was, by now, it was in the past, and he was one of my most loyal people, someone who I trusted. Plus, his daughter was the future wife of my Prime Minister. All is good that ends well, isn't it?

"I heard you have an important message. What happened?" I asked, sitting up straight on my throne. "Was the Silver Region attacked?"

"No. Not... Exactly." He muttered, shaking his head. "We are trapped. In a sense, My Sovereign."

As he continued to explain, I quickly understood what he was saying. If Mirian was right, and I believed she was, they managed to erect an invisible wall that would disable all of our main machines if we wanted to cross over it.

"Even if we are isolated," Merlin spoke up after thinking it through, "We can still use it to bolster our defenses and armies. They must realize this!"

"The Empress's idea is," Kustov nodded, agreeing with him, "that the Emperor deemed us dangerous enough to seal us off. He wants to end the wars raging all around Ishillia so he can focus on us with his complete attention and the entire might of the Empire. We are being cut off until then..."

"I prefer it this way." I chuckled, scratching my chin. "I would have been more annoyed if they had sacrificed all of their southern territories just to bring the hammer down on us."

"Still..." Merlin murmured, crossing his arms thoughtfully, "If we want to attack, we will have to deal with it. I can think of coming up with a countermeasure–"

"No." I interrupted him, looking into his surprised eyes, "It is fine. I would be more interested if we could copy something like this."

"Sovereign?" They asked simultaneously as some of my ministers also began to stir, thinking about why.

"There are two reasons," I explained, leaning forward. "For one, we can attack from an angle they don't expect. We can travel through Atuvia and enter from their side without them realizing it. If our new toy is ready, we could transport the troops much more quickly... And their regular armies won't have time to pack up and shift positions. Well... We could also use it to split them."

"If they move away..." Kustov murmured, making me smile.

"Yeah. If we go around and the forces facing us regroup and retreat from the borders to meet us, a second, regular army can cross without issues, and then we can capture them in a pincer attack."

"What is the second reason?" Merlin asked curiously.

"Its range," I answered, tapping on my armrest. "How high does it go?"

"High?" Kustov blinked his eyes, making me nod my head.

"Exactly. If we can, we should somehow test it out... because if it has a certain cut-off point, we can easily exploit it."

"I think, I don't understand, My Sovereign." The aging duke asked, looking a bit taken aback, "Are you... are we able to fly over it?"

"We will be soon enough. I will need to ask Mirian, how high Ishillian ships can go..."

"In your measurements..." Kustov muttered, making me smack my lips because I did hope he would remember it. He captained one, after all. "About 2,000 meters?"

"Well..." I smiled, my fingers drumming more rhythmically now, "There is a number I think we could match easily. And then some."

"But..."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Merlin," I looked at him confidently. "I am not saying it would work; that is why we will need to test it first! But I do believe if this spell is designed to keep the Judgement from swooping in and harassing Pascal and his forces, then it had to be built to the parameters the ship is capable of achieving."

"If we could cross it, they would be completely blind to our advances, and we could land behind their backs!" Kustov exhaled, his eyes glowing in a brilliant light.

"We could paradrop our troops behind enemy lines, yes."

"Para... drop?" They asked in synch, making me shake my head.

"I will explain it later! For now, it isn't important. We are just theorizing anyway. First, we need the ship to be ready, and then we can start actually planning."

"A ship..." Kustov whispered under his breath, finally understanding it. I guess he thought we were building something similar to what he knows of. Well, why not reward my loyal Duke, then?

"Merlin!"

"Yes, My Sovereign?"

"Prepare a tour of our base. I'd like to show our progress to my good friend~!"

I don't know which was a bigger shock to him. That I called him a friend or that we had a ship in the works. Either way, I couldn't help but smile, seeing Kustov's eyes get watery.

...
....
......

The air within the cavern was cool at the entrance, yet the deeper we descended, the hotter it became, thanks to the constant work of my people and our machinery. Only Merlin, a group of soldiers, and I came along as I let Kustov tour my secret base, knowing he wouldn't tell a soul about it, not even to his own son or daughter. Below the mountain of rocks, it was just as bright as outside as a sea of bright lights along the walls illuminated the cavernous space in soft golden hues, casting long, shifting shadows of the thousands working within.

I watched as Duke Kustov stepped through the massive, circular hole on the side of the mountain, his expression guarded but his eyes alive with curiosity. By now, the entrance was chiseled into an immaculate and round shape, wide enough for the future when my airship would fly out of it. Later on, I was planning to install sealing mechanisms for it, but... that can wait.

“Welcome, Duke Kustov,” I said, gesturing grandly to the expanse of the underground base after we arrived and the giant inner grotto came into view. “To what may be one of Avalon's best-kept secrets.”

Kustov almost forgot to blink while his gaze swept across the chamber. His boots clicked softly against the polished stone floor as he took a tentative step forward, peering into the brightly lit depths.

“I… I did not expect this,” he murmured. “The scale of it... This is... incredible. I don't think Ishillia could do anything like this!”

“Maybe not. Maybe they do. We never know, but come, let me show you what we’ve been building.” I honestly felt like someone who could finally show off his collection... I felt way too proud, but damn, it felt good!

We began walking down a sloping path carved from natural rock, lined with rails used to transport materials deeper into the cavern. Workers bustled about us—craftsmen, engineers, and guards—each focused on their task, only stopping when recognizing me, saluting, and greeting us with a proud shout. Kustov’s eyes were wide, darting between the sights, be it the railway built to roll carts up and down between the base and the surface or the dozens of metallurgy workshops built into the giant room.

“Is this... really a factory?” he asked, marveling at the machinery humming steadily in the background.

“It’s more than that,” I answered. “This will be the future birthplace of most of my inventions. Hidden away from prying eyes! We are constantly digging deeper and expanding. You could say this is my hidden second city. If Avalon ever gets in danger, I will have a place where I can pull back all my people and save them from death.”

"Who could endanger your city, My Sovereign?" He asked in disbelief.

"Monsters can." Merlin shrugged, shaking his head, and he was right.

Kustov didn't ask more, and I just smiled, letting his mind take in the spectacle of the massive frame of gleaming steel and the shape of my airship. To his eyes, it was the skeleton of a beast alright, suspended by thick chains and supported by scaffolds as workers were plating it in steel armor, covering its 'bones.' Even in an incomplete state, this airship radiated an almost otherworldly presence, something he never had seen before.

“By the Gods…” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the din of construction.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” I chuckled after letting him savor his surprise, my voice carrying a mix of pride and mischief that I couldn't mask. “This is the future, Kustov. The skies will no longer belong solely to Ishillia. While their ships mimic those that sail the waters... Mine will dominate the sky. This is what an actual airship is supposed to look like!”

Kustov’s steps were slow and deliberate as he approached the edge of the viewing platform. He placed a hand on the railing, his fingers gripping the cold metal tightly, squeezing it, breathing heavily.

“I’ve seen airships before,” he began, his voice tinged with disbelief. “I have even become a captain of one, albeit only shortly. But this... this is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. The size alone... The Judgement could easily fit into its belly!”

“It’s more than size,” I patted his shoulder, stepping beside him. “Every beam, every plate, every rivet has been crafted with purpose. This ship isn’t just meant to fly—it’s meant to overpower. Anything that the Judgment can do, this can do it better.”

“You’re serious? You’ve truly built something that can rival Ishillia’s mightiest vessels? No... something that can smite them down?”

“Yes, my friend. It wasn't made to rival them. It was made to surpass them.” I gestured toward the airship’s hull, which shimmered under the lamplight. “I can carry my Knights and drop them from the skies, right on top of my enemies... And that is just one thing this aircraft will be capable of doing. You'll see.”

Kustov’s gaze followed my hand, tracing the monumental metal frame. Workers swarmed the structure like ants, some welding plates into place, others maneuvering newly brought, locally created plating, holding it as if it weighed nothing, thanks to their tools.

“And the power source?” Kustov asked, his voice shaky. “Surely this requires more than a few CC.”

“Yes. That is true." I chuckled, glancing at Merlin, and I knew he wouldn't want to share this information. Not because he didn't trust the Duke but because he was afraid someone would capture him and get all the information out of his mind. "The airship will run on a twin system. We have two massive monster cores in it, one to make it fly, the other to power its weapons.”

Kustov’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He simply shook his head, overwhelmed by the sheer ambition of the project.

“Would you like a closer look?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Yes... please. My Sovereign!”

I simply nodded and led him down a series of winding stairs and onto a platform closer to the airship’s base. Here, the noise was deafening—hammers striking metal, the hiss of steam escaping pipes of the machines, working to churn out steel, and the rhythmic clanking of machinery. The air was thick with the smell of grease and molten metal, constantly purified by magic formations, yet not fast enough to eliminate it all. Walking next to it, Kustov reached out to touch one of the massive support struts, his hand brushing against its cool, smooth surface.

“This... This could change everything,” he murmured. “With this, Avalon would be untouchable.”

“That’s the idea,” Merlin agreed. “And it’s not just about war, Duke Kustov. It is about to strike fear into our enemies' hearts. Ishillia used the ships to deter its enemies, and it worked for centuries. Now, we are going to do the same...”

We stood there for a moment, gazing up at the colossal structure. The airship’s frame seemed to glow with potential, and I felt the same way as the Duke. I wanted to stand on it and see it fly already.

“I must admit, My Sovereign,” Kustov exhaled, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “I would love to be here when it leaves its cage and takes to the skies.”

"Good." I grinned, looking into his eyes. "Because I need someone who has captained a ship before."

"What?!" He and Merlin asked at the same time. While Kustov remained stunned, forgetting to breathe, Merlin just shrugged, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"What do you say, Duke Kustov? Care to become a captain once again? I will need someone to pilot my ship~!"