Malicorne ran off perplexed.
The warship he finally found, Redoutable, was a splendid warship with forty-eight gates on the gunwale and seventy mails in length. A new warship that was perfected one month before.
Climbing up the trap and trying to board the warship that was hanging on a branch, an officer at the entrance stopped him.
“Hey! You! Where do you think you're going?!”
Panicking, Malicorne saluted.
“Military cadet, Malicorne de Grandple! Taking up a new post today!”
“I'm Lieutenant Moranju, person in charge of shifts.”
It was a noble officer wearing a mantle. He was checking the boarding soldiers at the entrance of the ship. Malicorne was relieved that the man was a noble. Guess that after all, there aren't many commoner officers.
After looking over Malicorne's fattened body from top to bottom, he asked.
“Is that your only luggage?”
Malicorne lifted up the bag hanging in his hand.
When Malicorne answered “Yes,” the Lieutenant scowled. After thinking a bit, Malicorne realized he had made a mistake. An answer like “Yes” does not exist in the army, especially the air forces.
“Yes sir, Lieutenant!” And he saluted. Right away, Malicorne was made to fix his language and the way he saluted.
“There is no need to be so stiff in the air forces. Boy!”
A boy approached them and saluted.
“He takes care of you cadets. If there is something you don't understand, ask. Lead him to the apprentice officer room.”
The last part was targeted at the boy.
“I will carry your bag, cadet. Ah, my name is Julian.”
Malicorne handed him his bag. The boy was younger than him. A black haired boy still around fourteen or fifteen.
“Cadet, where did you come from?”
“The Academy of Magic.” When he answered that, the boy's face lit up.
“What's wrong?”
“My older sister is working there. Her name is Siesta... Do you know her?”
Malicorne shook his head. The number of servants working at the academy was large. He pretty much remembers the faces, but he hasn't remembered every single name.
“That's expected. There's no way a noble would remember every single servants' name.”
After leading Malicorne to the apprentice officer room, Julian left running. It seems the boy has a mountain-load of jobs to do.
In the apprentice officer room there were three other military cadets like Malicorne. Moreover, one of them was a student from the Academy of Magic. He was an upperclassman, so Malicorne bowed his head. He was an attractive man with wild features. With thick eyebrows, a smile was on his cordial face.
“I'm Stix. You are?”
“Malicorne.” Saying so, he was asked if he was in the same class as Kirche. Thinking back to the boy just a while ago, he grumbled that there were quite a number of local subjects on this ship while nodding.
“In the past, a bit, you know, I got along well with her.” Stix said embarrassedly. Looking closer, there were traces of burns on his forehead. In what way did they know each other? He thought, but Stix was an upperclassman, so he couldn't ask. If it was an embarrassing wound, he would be angered.
Stix was firmly sitting in his chair.
“Now then, everyone.”
When Malicorne entered, it seems there was a serious meeting going on in the apprentice officer room. The other three were bending over and bringing their faces near Stix. It seems they were whispering. The newcomer Malicorne was offered a chair and sat down.
Stix stared seriously into Malicorne's face.
“We have to explain everything to a newcomer, it seems. Malicorne-kun, this ship is carrying fearsome explosives.”
“Explosives?”
Malicorne swallowed his breath and looked at the senior cadet.
“That's right.”
“Is it a new type of gunpowder? Or is it a new weapon?”
Shaking, he asked. A powerful new gunpowder? Or perhaps a difficult new weapon? Either way, it doesn't seem like something that could just be ignored.
“It's not something like that.”
Stix whispered.
“Then... what is it?”
“Human.”
“Human?”
Stix frowned and muttered.
“Yes. There is an enemy on board this ship.”
“Which means there is a traitor here?”
Malicorne raised his voice without thinking.
“Shhh! That person hasn't betrayed yet..., but the possibility isn't low. That's what I think. There are quite a number of senior officers that think this way too.”
“Just what is that person?”
Stix nodded.
“Now then, shall we show our new companion the rat?”
“Agreed.”
“Yeah.”
And so, Malicorne ended up going to inspect this “fearsome explosive”.
Proceeding to the afterdeck, the captain was there. He was discussing something with a tall noble officer. Seeing the captain, Malicorne became nervous. Mustached, he was a middle-aged man with a strong presence. Being the captain of the warship, he must be quite an elite. Just like his outer appearance, he is also quite “skilled” on the inside. And, the “fearsome explosive” the military cadets were talking about seems to be able to talk down on this captain.
“That would probably cause the ship to sink. To sail in the clouds is to always gamble with danger.” The fearless-looking man, who was at the prime of his life, said in a strong Albion accent to the captain beside him. The captain hanged his head in shame.
Hearing that voice, Malicorne jumped as if tongs were thrust at his spinal column.
Albion accent? Isn't that an enemy?!
Secretly, Stix whispered into Malicorne's ear.
“Look. His name is Henry Bowood. Without a doubt, a man of Albion.”
“What did you say? Why is someone from an enemy country on board?”
“Let me teach you what he did at the battle of Tarbes. He is, that large warship... Do you know about it? The 'Lexington'.”
“The giant warship that was sunk by the miraculous light of our army, right?”
The sinking of the Albion fleet became known as the “miraculous light”. Of course, there are not many people who know it's true identity.
“He was the captain of that 'Lexington'.”
“Wha-!”
Malicorne almost bit his tongue.
“Our army has employed several Albion air force officers, to help pilot around Albion's airspace, that were captured as prisoners of war. It is limited to people who hold dissatisfaction towards Albion's current political administration, but... how can they trust such people?”
“Exactly. How could they board on a ship with former enemies.”
“However, it seems the air forces have decided to use them. In other words..., we can't do anything about it.”
Stix spoke angrily. Hearing that, one military cadet said, “It's like they are saying we won't be of use,” in self derision.
At that moment, the captain saw the military cadets and waved his hand for them to come.
“Boys, come and say your greetings. This is Mister Bowood. He is here as an instruction officer. Mister, these are the youngsters of my fleet.”
Bowood smiled and held out his hand. Malicorne felt anger welling inside him.
He's an enemy.
It's too much to seek help from an enemy just because you don't have confidence in your own seamanship. And now we, military cadets, have to lower our heads to him?
The captain's expression changed.
“You boys... Mister Bowood worked for an enemy country, but he is employed in our army now. Not only that, but he is also from a noble pedigree. I won't let you go without your greeting.”