This is this month's chapter.

We're finally meeting people. It seems like quite a long time to do this once a month... but I'll try to keep this up for uninterrupted posting.

- Kazuhiro Kasami

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Two full days had already passed since Asahi's crew began its voyage.

"Amagi, Katsuragi, any radar contacts?"

"This is air search radar, no response yet."

"This is surface search radar, also no response."

For the past two days, they had been sailing at a slightly increased speed of 12 knots, but anyway, nothing had happened. Except for running into wyverns on the first day, there was really nothing.

"Hnggg... could it be that the prophecy is off...?"

Fusou, standing next to Asahi, looked concerned.

"I was indeed told to head to the northwest... Did I do something wrong...?"

"Well, it's more likely that we just haven't gotten there yet, since we have enough fuel and food to last us a while longer."

In fact, taking all the vessels together, they should last at least three more days. However, food and water for the thousands of personnel aboard the Akitsu Maru and Kumano Maru (in this case, not all of them combat personnel, but also engineers and scientists who died during the war), plus more than 10.000 people aboard the special transport ships, was tight.

"Somehow, we've got to make contact with a moderately capable civilization soon... Oh, boy. Taihou? Is the Saiun back?"

"Yes, sir. It had just returned to the communication range, so if there is anything, there will be a report."

"I see. Then we will wait for the Saiun's report."

During the past two days, they have launched the Saiun many times, but there's still no contact... Perhaps they were headed in the wrong direction, because they couldn't even see land. If it had not been for the encounter with a flock of wyverns on the first day, this silence would have made Asahi wants to cry.

"Good grief... they say that good news must wait for sleep, but there's a limit to that..."

Then the radio began picking up noise.

"Oh, finally."

"The onboard radio also seems to have a higher capacity... but it's better to use telegrams?"

The aircraft of the Okura Fleet are equipped with both radio and Morse code transmitters, so they can use whichever they prefer.

"This is Recon Plane 1! A fleet of ships has been discovered 120 kilometers west of the area where the fleet is sailing, but there are three small ships clustered around one large ship! It appears that the large ship is being attacked by the small ships!"

Asahi responded with an impressed, "What a quintessential Imperial soldier" as the person across the line gave a detailed report on the condition.

"This is the Fleet Commander. What are the ships look like?"

"The small ships are very similar to a larger version of those Western galleys! I cannot see any cannons! The larger ship is black and has steel plates on it, very similar to the Japanese atakebune!"

When he heard the report, a certain entity came to mind.

"A ship like the iron-plated ships (tekkōsen) that Nobunaga Oda had Yoshitaka Kuki build to counter the Murakami navy... does that mean it has cannons and is armed with muskets?"

"I can see cannons! But we don't know if they wield muskets!"

However, if there were cannons, it is safe to assume that there were at least muskets. However, if the cannon is the Sengoku-era culverin... then the accuracy of ranged weapons of that time was unusually poor. Probably whoever they are have used up their ammunition while their enemies were moving around. Since iron-plated ships were uncommonly slow to begin with, they were probably set up for a boarding attack.

Moreover, atakebune was not originally built for ocean navigation. It would not be able to sail far enough, and Asahi didn't know how long it would be able to hold out.

"This is worse than I thought..."

"Commander, what should we do?"

Asahi came up with the answer in an instant.

"The most efficient way to do this would be to have the carrier launch the Ryusei... Fusou, notify Agano and Noshiro. 'Proceed to the area at maximum speed or at a speed equivalent to maximum battle speed, and sink those small vessels. If there are any drifters, rescue them and support the crews of that iron-plated ship at the same time.'"

It was clear from the report that the other side did not have air power. Therefore, dive bombing or torpedo attack from the sky would take care of the problem in an instant. However, Asahi had a hunch that one of the ships that they had just discovered was the one they needed to contact. Therefore, he thought that if they used the same ship, a warship with a powerful bombardment, they would know that they had the capability to do so.

"Why the Agano and the Noshiro?"

"There are three of them. The truth is, we could make change with just Agano alone, but the more people we have in rescue... the better. And I want you to support the larger iron-plated ship with the land forces on the ship. If they think we're there to help, it'll make the rest of the negotiations easier, right?"

Fusou digested the explanation and nodded.

"Besides, the Agano-class light cruisers are the fastest ships in the fleet after the destroyers. Now that they are sporting bulbous bows, they should be able to rush to the area more efficiently. Fuel will be supplied later by the transports."

Some of the transports are oil tankers converted from whaling ships in the old world, so they can supply fuel to a certain extent.

"Understood, sir. I will order the ships to increase speed immediately."

Fusou handed the radio to Asahi.

"Agano and Noshiro increase the speed to 30 knots, close to maximum speed, and rush to the area. After that, while rescuing those adrift, form a boarding unit, board the iron-plated ship, and after identifying friend and foe, begin combat and eliminate the enemy."

"Agano, acknowledges!!"

"Noshiro, rolling out!!"

Asahi added, "But the other party's condition suggests that they have already been pushed to a certain extent. Unryū, launch the Reppus ahead and have it strafe the small ships."

Unryū responded, "Are you not worried about some misfires, sir?"

"Right. Then, aim at the furthest ship from the iron-plated ship. If there is damage from strafing, that alone will scare them off. If the victim can counterattack even a little during that time, that should buy us some time."

""Understood!!""

The two ships increased their speed vigorously from the previous 12 knots and began to speed through the sea at nearly three times the speed.

"...I'm sure this will do... With Ōi and Kitakami, I'm afraid to use them without a second thought in case a fire magic or something lands on them..."

"That's... true."

From the Sun Goddess' words, Asahi had already been told that magic exists in this world, so he feared the damage that could result from it. If those torpedoes were to detonate, the hull of a medium-sized light cruiser of around 5.500 tons would be obliterated into atoms in an instant.

"Sorry, you two, but it looks like there will be no torpedoing for you at the moment."

Then, a muffled voice came back from the radio.

"Don't mention it..."

"I'm glad you're thinking it through, sir..."

At least it was worth the effort. Satisfied with the two's reply, Asahi gazed out over the horizon.

"I'm counting on you two..."

. . .

Half an hour later, 110 kilometers away from the Okura Fleet (which had closed the distance for 10 kilometers), the sound of metal clashing echoed across the supposedly quiet ocean.

On the Shikishima, a warship belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy and exclusively for the Imperial family, soldiers of various races were duking it out with men dressed like pirates. These pirates were donning Western-style clothing, while on the other hand, the Imperial Japanese Navy soldiers were dressed in kimonos. They were of different races, but they all looked Asian.

The battle was fierce, and magic spells were flying around through the air.

"Accursed pirates!!"

An Imperial Japanese Navy marine elf unleashed a wind magic, "Lightning Arrow," and with that alone, it cut down two pirates.

Their ship was originally made of wood, so they couldn't use powerful fire magic, no matter how much it was covered with steel plates. Originally, there were five pirate ships attacked them, but they were able to sink two of them with the bombardment of the spirit magic guns on board. In addition, the number of pirates had been reduced to nearly half of their original strength, due in part to the intense barrage (only by this world's standards) of continuous fire from spirit matchlock guns. However, even so, their numbers were still too many, and at last, the enemy boarded their ship, resulting in a hand-to-hand battle.

Kuki Yoshiyori, a Warwolf commander of the Imperial Navy, was killing the pirates with his tough face contorted in fury.

"Damn, I didn't expect this on my way back from attending a social gathering with a friendly nation!!"

"Captain, there is no use in blabbering."

This world, "Magicakreuz," is a planet about the same size as Earth, and basically mankind lives only in the northern hemisphere of the world. In the northern hemisphere, the lands were called the First, Second, and Third Continents, along with a system of "Non-Civilized Countries" that do not belong to any continental group.

Although the Japanese Empire does not belong to those civilizations, it is only 300 kilometers away from the Third Continent and serves as an intermediate base for trade with the island nations scattered to the east, and for 'certain reasons,' it boasts a national power on par with the powerful nations of the civilized regions despite being a Non-Civilized country. However, in recent years, incidents of military ships clashing with some countries along the coast of the Third Continent in their territorial waters have been occurring, causing tensions to rise.

Unfortunately, this country was the protectorate of only one powerful nation on the Third Continent, and the Japanese Empire tended to be kept at a distance from other civilized nations. In order to overcome this situation, the current sovereign of the Japanese Empire, Akeno-Osame-no-Kimi, dispatched a delegation to a powerful country that shared the same faith as his own and sought to strengthen relations with it.

"What the hell are you doing!? There are only a few of them!! Crush them all now!!"

"B-but the enemy is skilled, sir!! We're also fewer—"

"Tch!!"

The fortunate thing was that the pirates have also greatly reduced their numbers, so they can not devote a large number of people to the attack on Shikishima, giving the defenders an advantage.

Amidst the heavy fighting...

Wooooooooooooooommmm......

"What? What's that sound?"

Elves and beastmen with good ears listened carefully for a sound that shook the air.

"H-hey! Look at the sky to the east!!"

A pirate shouted, causing all to look in the same direction. A large-sized something flew by with an echoing sound.

"That... looks like the one that was flying around on the ship earlier."

No one answered Yoshiyori's mutterings, but he was certain of one thing.

"That flying object... why has it been nothing but loitering since a few minutes ago?"

From the movement of the flying object circling around the ship, he could somehow picture that it was an act of surveillance. However, he could not imagine why it was scouting for them. But this time, the flying object was different.

WOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!

Just after it suddenly dived down, it approached the only pirate ship that had not yet docked with the Shikishima and something lit from its wings. After a delay, they could hear the sound of something bursting incessantly before seeing numerous holes in the upper deck of the pirate ship.

"What the—!?"

The pirates froze, unable to comprehend that they had suddenly been attacked. The flying object circled in the sky and repeated the same attack two more times, then, perhaps satisfied, flew away again into the eastern sky.

The pirate ship was not hit by a flammable substance, or it did not manage to sink. However, not only were there are large holes in its mast, but there also seemed to be a lot of deaths among the crew.

"Bastard! What was that!? What the hell is going on!?"

The pirate leader roared, but that didn't change anything. He had no choice but to order his men to plug the holes in the sails. For the next hour or so, the stalemate continued. Finally, however, it will soon come to an end.

"Oooi!! What is that!?"

A man who appeared to be a pirate dwarf shouted, causing everyone to turn to the east again to see a gray ship nearly 40 meters long and more than three times the size of the Shikishima approaching.

"What!? I don't know there is a ship like that in the Japanese Navy!!"

. . .

Meanwhile, Agano and Noshiro had finally spotted the enemy visually. The distance was already less than 20 kilometers.

The 60 caliber 155 mm cannons (a modified version of the 60 caliber 155 mm triple-barreled cannon used on the Mogami-class cruisers) were within range, but this time it was necessary to get even closer, as they were not permitted to misfire. Agano was standing on the bridge, taking command.

"Observer, how many kilometers to go?"

"Eighteen kilometers to go, ma'am!!"

"Well then, open fire at five—no, less than three kilometers. They are hard to see on the radar, so we can't use the radar sighting fire."

"Understood!!"

Although each ship was equipped with powerful radar due to refit, only two types of large ships, the Fusō-class battleships and Agano-class light cruisers, were capable of state-of-the-art radar sighting fire, other than the destroyers. However, this time, their enemy was small wooden ships that would not show up on the radar, so rangefinder observation or visual sighting would be the key.

Then, after a few minutes...

"Captain, we are now less than seven kilometers away from the enemy."

"How fast is the enemy?"

"It's probably trying to launch a boarding attack, but it's almost at a standstill. Probably one to three knots."

"Good, all hands, Class 1 battle stations! Ready to fire the main guns!!"

"Ready to fire the main guns!!"

As the buzzer sounded, the forward twin main guns of the Agano and Noshiro slowly took aim while making noise. Even a near miss would be enough to breach the enemy below its draft and sink it, but if possible, they would like to hit them accurately.

"The rangefinder in the main turret says the ship is in sight."

"Range will soon be less than three kilometers."

"Just aim calmly... right, open fire!!"

"Firing!!"

BOOM!! BOOM!!

Agano's forward main guns opened fire in rapid succession, one shot hitting the deck near the mast of one pirate ship and another near the other ship's bow.

BOOOOOM!

The wooden ship was quickly wrecked and burst into flames, slowly beginning to sink from the ruptured point. The other ship was blown to pieces. Apparently, it had ignited the oil used to shoot fire arrows.

"First attack hit."

"The distance between the two ships was quite close. I don't think it's fair to ask them to miss this one."

While the crew members were muttering their thoughts, Agano kept her stern expression.

"Two ships left!! Fire!!"

BOOM!!

But this one shot missed. It flew over the pirate ship and landed on the sea surface about 300 meters away.

"Correction!!"

"Yes, ma'am!! Correction, elevation minus two degrees, one degree to the right!!"

"Corrected!!"

"Fire!!"

BOOM!!

The shell from the second main gun directly hit the target and hit the pirate ship in the weak spot. The poor vessel burst into flames after a brief spark and sank unceremoniously.

The remaining ship was also sunk by Noshiro.

"Noshiro, sorry, but we need your help!!"

"Sure thing, Agano-neechan!"

Noshiro slowed down, lowered her small boats, and quickly began the rescue. Meanwhile, Agano approached the iron-plated ship that was under attack.

"Land troops, are you ready?"

"Yes, captain!!"

"Ready when you are, ma'am!!"

The land forces on the ship carried Type 99 rifles, Hamada pistols and navy-style military swords on their waists. But unlike the Kōa Isshintō used by the Army, the Navy's sword is characterized by being made of stainless steel to prevent rust.

Honestly, if they have modern helicopters, etc., it would be possible to board directly by rappelling, but they don't have that luxury. Finally, the ship slowed down even more as it approached the iron-plated ship, just short of berthing or not.

"Alright... hit the pirates with the spirit of torpedo unit!!"

"WOOOOOOOHH!!"

With the shouts of these strong men, ropes with grappling hooks flew from various parts of Agano. Hooking on the other ship, the land troops quickly crossed the ropes and climbed aboard. On their backs were heavy Type 99 rifles and on their waists were lowered naval swords, and even while carrying such heavy objects, they quickly climbed up the ropes and quickly secured their formation from those that had landed on the iron-plated ship. Fortunately, the ropes were hooked to a place that led to the top deck, and while the pirates were stunned, several of them had finished boarding.

"Who are they!?"

"You cur, who the hell are you!?"

The pirates shouted, but the commander, who had just landed at that point, ignored them and turned to Yoshiyori, who was standing at the back of the ship.

"You there. Which of you is commanding this ship? We have come to join those who defend this ship."

Many were surprised, but Yoshiyori quickly answered.

"That would be me, Kuki Yoshiyori, a general belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy!! I am the one who was in charge of protecting this ship!! It is a shameful situation, but we were in danger of being attacked by pirates!! Thank you for your help!!"

The pirates seemed to panic at Yoshiyori's words, wondering if they were Japanese reinforcements, and changed their aim to the land forces and attacked. There were still 20 of the pirates against 12 land force members.

However, none of the land troops were afraid.

"All hands, take those in kimono as allies and the ruffians as enemies!!"

"Screw you!"

"Don't joke around!!"

The pirates were approaching with cutlasses in their hands, but the land forces were in no hurry because they were still at a distance and the enemy was slow on their feet.

"Fire at will!"

BANG!! BANG!!

After one shot each, most of the pirates tumbled down. The rest stood there, not seeming to understand what had happened.

"W-what the!?"

"Are you still going for it?"

The remaining eight seemed to have been intimidated by these suddenly appeared unknown beings, who attacked so quickly and powerfully, causing them to go pale in fear. From behind them, the soldiers of the Japanese Empire were closing in. There were no more ships to return to, and the numbers were quickly reversed. The pirates no longer had a chance.

"...Shit, I give up!"

The man in command of the pirates dropped his sword, followed by the other seven before they kneeled. Yoshiyori quickly shouted, "Secure them!" and the Japanese Empire soldiers quickly bound the enemy with ropes.

Agano then crossed the rope herself, leaving the command to her XO. For some reason, she is carrying a large, machete-like sword on her back.

"Alright, pirates, I, Agano, will be your opponent—heh? Already done?"

"Yes, Captain. This ship has already been secured."

"Huh? I wanted to kill some villains, too~"

"Stop talking nonsense, Captain."

Laughter broke out among the land forces at the sight of Agano's easygoing appearance. Then Yoshiyori came up to her and bowed.

"I'm sorry, I really appreciate your help. But you are very strong. What in the world army are you from?"

Agano scratched her cheek, "Ah..."

"S-sorry, I can't explain that... can you wait a bit longer? Our commander will be arriving soon."

"Goodness! There is a higher commander than you!?"

It seemed that he was not bothered by the fact that she is a girl, but even Agano thought it would be more convenient for her to have her commander, Asahi, explain things.

"I understand. How much longer is it going to take?"

"Err... one more hour... give or take? Can you understand that?"

"Of course. Although we are a Non-Civilized country, we do have a clock."

It seemed that they have the same concept of time. Inwardly, Agano was relieved.

After detaining the pirates, Agano returned to the ship and informed the fleet that she had succeeded in defeating the pirates. The reply was, "We'll be on our way quickly, so please wait for us."

"Ugh... Commander Asahi, hurry up and get here!"

However, even the Fusō-class battleship with increased engine horsepower and a bulbous bow installed can only reach 29 knots. Furthermore, there are several ships that are slower in terms of maximum speed, so it will inevitably take time to match them. Even so, the fleet had been refitted at the divine realm to increase their speed, and all the ships, including the transports, were capable of 23 knots.

Finally, the fleet appeared.

"Ah, there they are."

Yoshiyori looked through the telescope at the sound of Agano's voice and was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the ships. Comparing the other ship with Agano's, he noticed that they were much larger.

"Are all of your ships... covered with iron plates like ours!?"

"No. Our ships are all made of metal."

To Yoshiyori's knowledge, he had never heard of such ships, with the exception of a few powerful nations. He was afraid that they were about to make contact with an unusual entity.

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Finally, they came into a civilization. A country with "Japan" as its name... look forward to seeing what will happen.

I played the event area of the Kancolle arcade yesterday, and suddenly I saw a limited illustration of Murasame Kai...! I'm worried that I'm not getting off to a good start.

I'll post the next chapter on July 23rd or 24th.

- Kazuhiro Kasami