February 7, 1615 Central Calendar

Second Civilization Area, Kingdom of Mu

For the people of Mu who lived in major cities along the country’s eastern coast, the winter months can be said to be the most unpleasant time to live. And this is not about the weather conditions caused by the cold water currents coming from the Northern Ocean. Unfortunately for the second-strongest superpower, it was caused by something that only a magicless mechanical civilization like theirs had: air pollution caused by the burning of coal.

It’s already bad enough that the thick smoke and ash belched by the factories at the industrial centers from sunrise to sunset every day filled the sky over Otaheit with aerosols detrimental to human health. But during the cold days of winter, people’s desire to have a warm dwelling drove them to turn on their coal-fired heaters, causing the air pollution to become even worse. The black smoke mixed with water vapor formed into tiny droplets which fell as sooty rain, making it impossible not to see the gray haze covering entire cities. It made one feel suffocated just looking at it. In addition, if a snowfall occurs, instead of the pretty sight of white fairy-like flurries gently falling down the sky, the most populated Muish cities instead saw their grounds blanketed by grayish polluted snow, hideous and disgusting to the eyes.

The Muish called this phenomenon ‘fumard,’ a portmanteau of the words fumée (smoke) and brouillard (fog). In the common language, it would be called ‘smog,’ a phenomenon that stuck like a sore thumb in a world filled with civilizations using a type of energy called ‘magic.’

The less-than-desirable (read: horrible) air condition has been the subject of concern (read: criticism) from a certain August Star of Heaven, especially during international conferences. Though other countries had their own grievances, as the strongest country in the known world, only the Holy Milishial Empire is the most vocal about this fumard problem, having their diplomats stationed in Mu to develop respiratory-related sickness after an extended period of staying.

Of course, with Milishial being Milishial, they in their pride and ‘benevolence’ decided to not only scold Mu for their nature-destroying behavior, but also try to offer the Kingdom an alternative in the form of pollution-free magic technology. This is a move that would obviously profit Milishial if Mu accepted it and decided to import it. However, Mu being Mu, they in their pride and spirit of ‘self-reliance’ to be free of any magic-related technology politely decline the offer.

That said, the Kingdom does acknowledge that the people are still getting sick, so while they are desperately trying to find a solution, they painfully and hypocritically allowed the government offices and individuals who can afford them to purchase and install the expensive magic-powered devices, which were considered luxury items.

…………

08:00

Meanwhile, in the western suburbs far from the center of Otaheit, where the air was cold but clear and the visibility was good, there stood a three-story building complex occupying a plot of land near the edge of the city. Though its old-style architecture, being built as a mansion of a noble family in the past, was not unlike the ancient tourist attractions in the Kingdom, the imposing fence, the row of national flags that lined the top of the building’s marble façade and the armed guards standing at the checkpoint at the gate reminded everyone that this was not a place for ordinary citizens to visit. In fact, this place is the headquarters of the Muish Ministry of Defense.

Inside one of the rooms of such a building, two men were having a meeting.

“Jean Pierre d’Artagnan is here. I apologize for my tardiness.”

“Ah, if anything I should be thanking you for taking your time out of your busy schedule, Admiral. Please, have a seat.”

Standing across from the stoic Muish Royal Navy commander is none other than the occupant of this room and the Kingdom’s Minister of Defense, Jérémie Nohelka, an elder of the same age as the Admiral with a neatly trimmed beard and a clean black suit that exudes the aura of a quintessential gentleman. With his warm tone of voice, Nohelka motioned d’Artagnan to take a seat in one of the chairs lining the sides of a long table in the center of this spacious room.

The Defense Minister’s office was formerly used as a dining room for the nobility that once lived in this building. Even though it had been renovated several times, it still retained the sense of grandeur and this signature long table. This is where Minister Nohelka conducts most of his meetings and discussions with his subordinates and visiting guests. This time, the Defense Minister had called the Commander of the Muish Royal Navy for a meeting to discuss a certain matter.

Eyeing a pair of glasses and a bottle of scotch whiskey already prepared on top of the table, the elderly admiral let out a rare grin and spoke as the Defense Minister poured some for the two of them.

“Thank you for such a warm welcome, Defense Minister.”

Nohelka chuckled, “Goodness, Admiral d’Artagnan. How long has it been since we met in private?”

“I am afraid that my duties prevented me from taking leave even once from work. Please forgive my rudeness for declining some of your invitations for a drink before.”

“No, no, it’s completely understandable. We know each other for a long time, and I don’t hold any ill will against you. There’s much to be done, especially since you became the commander of the Royal Navy, isn’t it? I heard that your fellow officers in the Navy aren’t exactly… agreeable.”

“Well, the same can be said for you, Defense Minister. I heard that the Parliament spent more time in pointless debates these days than actually doing anything concrete.”

“Alas, we both suffer from dreadful colleagues, aren’t we?”

The self-deprecating joke from Nohelka, d’Artagnan’s longtime colleague, caused the normally stiff admiral to let an amused chuckle. The two men laughed, making fun of their own situations in their respective workplaces. When it subsided, the Defense Minister continued on with a more somber expression.

“That being said, despite my wishing to make the most of this rare chance today, there are more pressing matters.”

Sensing the change of tone, d’Artagnan sipped his drink once and straightened his back.

“Very well.”

“First of all, regarding the last Parliament session… The bill of the new naval construction program based on your proposal has been accepted.”

“I see. Finally.”

While this should be a cause for much rejoicing, d’Artagnan’s expression did not change in the slightest. He merely propped his elbows on the long table and crossed his arms to show his satisfaction.

“Oho… as expected from you, Admiral, not losing your composure to anything. I was expecting you to be somewhat upset with the result,” Nohelka remarked.

“Hm. Although the reduction of the ten first-class battleships’ replacement from eight to four new designs seems like a painful compromise to the Neutralists’ opposition to the proposal, it is actually a reasonable one, something that only the most rabid of those so-called Innovators who are blind to the truth of our country would deny.”

“Is that so… then this is your plan for an actual compromise between the ideas of the Neutralist and Innovator factions? A naval modernization, but not expansion?”

“Yes. Modernizing the navy is a logical thing to do, looking at the Holy Milishial Empire’s example with their own, but don’t mistake this as me wanting to achieve parity with them. It just cannot be done.”

“I see… even you think so, too, Admiral.”

While advocating a more powerful capital ship design in the form of a battleship carrying a uniform main battery of large-caliber guns, Admiral d’Artagnan also proposed retiring a number of warships in a move to make the Muish Royal Navy slimmer, but deadlier than before. He believed that while Mu’s naval strength should be sufficient to deal with not only the next largest superpowers, the Navy’s primary duty is always to defend their waters against the invading neighbors in the immediate vicinity of the Second Civilization Area that don’t need too many ships. However, at the same time, he wanted the Kingdom’s technology to be advanced enough to not be oppressed by the Holy Milishial Empire that practically dominated the waters of the known world.

The Muish Royal Navy is designed to defend the Kingdom’s territorial waters, organized into four main fleets and six regional defense fleets. Of the 270 combat vessels deployed, eight of them are second-class battleships—old ironclads relegated to coastal defense, and ten first-class battleships. The latter was armed with two twin 305 mm (12 inches) guns as primary armament, supplemented by a variety of smaller-caliber guns intended to fight against wooden sailing ships. Powered by coal-fired steam engines, these beasts can reach speeds of 16 to 17 knots maximum.

The sight of a Muish steel ship arriving at a civilized country’s port city is already an intimidating sight to that country’s people. However, the design of the Muish battleships can be said to be quite obsolete and weak. From whose point of view? Holy Milishial Empire.

After all, for the Milishians, a ship made of metal armed with two main gun turrets, one in front and one in the rear, is what their very first modern magic battleship looked like many decades ago. After that, excavation of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s relics unearthed a more advanced design where their attempt in copying it resulted in their magic warships at the present day.

Milishial’s own navy, on the other hand, is capable of projecting power at least within the oceans of the known world, being organized into eight main fleets (the Zeroth Magic Fleet and numbered Magic Fleets one through seven) and three regional defense fleet commands, with a total of 344 surface combatants. While this number and Mu’s fleet did not seem too far apart, it was the individual capabilities of Milishian magic warships that made them so overpowered.

It’s the reason why the Holy Milishial Empire is feeling bold enough to adopt a policy as stipulated in their Imperial Naval Defense Act: the requirement that the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy should be superior to not only the second-best and third best, but all countries in the known world combined.

This is an outrageously ridiculous requirement, but considering the level of civilizations in the known world, 344 warships where each can confidently solo fleets of wooden sailing ships is a surprisingly realistic number. Such is the disparity between the strongest superpower with the rest of the world. Simply thinking about it already brought despair and a sense of hopelessness to these other countries.

Never mind if the Milishians are simply doing a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ with their ancient relics to the point that their magic technology’s strength is actually flaws. Power is power.

But what makes it even more terrifying, since if flawed defects made by Milishial are already too powerful to defeat by other nations, imagine what a perfectly-made one can do.

With 24 magic battleships, the number alone is able to beat Mu’s own battle fleet into submission. Each magic battleship is nearly twice as larger than the Muish first-class battleships, but much faster with the ability to reach 21 knots. The thirteen older Steel-class battleships were armed with six 343 mm (13,5 inches) Spirit magic cannons in two triple turrets forward and one triple 152 mm (6 inches) Spirit magic cannon at the rear, all using a fire control system to guide their bombardment. This rendered the crossing the T tactic by Muish warships to be ineffective in a hypothetical naval battle as the Milishian battleships are still superior to anything they throw against them even with only their forward guns.

On the other hand, the newer Silver-class retained the same gun caliber and armor scheme as its predecessor. However, it incorporates the sturdier silver magic alloy that allows it to use the state-of-the-art magical armor reinforcement technology, where its 280 mm belt armor can be enhanced to achieve the same strength as a 305 mm belt armor using magic within 30 seconds. That is why the Silvers are only about 1.000 tons heavier than the Steels.

D'Artagnan’s initial draft of the plan, which was estimated to be completed in a decade, was to eventually replace Mu’s old capital ships with eight all-big-gun battleships that will be equipped with the latest technologies that will emerge within those years. At the same time, the plan called for the increase of cruisers and small ships to deal with sailship-using navies and further funding for Project Whitehead, a project to develop the mechanical torpedo in response to Milishial’s Lancelot. In addition, sometime after October 1614, d’Artagnan made a revision to his new battleship’s design.

This proposal was greatly opposed by the Defeatists—ahem, Neutralists, who viewed such an act as completely unnecessary. It was the emergence of the magic torpedo that made these officers relent. However, the Neutralists still objected that eight all-big-gun battleships is still too many, so d’Artagnan further revised the plan to only include four—only one for each main fleet. Naturally, the Brats (Innovators) were outraged and started demanding that d’Artagnan not cave into the opposition.

The Admiral closed his eyes and sighed, “Those Defeatists and immature Brats… both are misguided in their views of what is best for this country. But no matter, what is done is done. The bill is already passed. By the way, Defense Minister, are there any expectations of when the construction of the first ship can be started?”

Nohelka perked up at d’Artagnan’s question.

“Ah, yes… Actually, Admiral d’Artagnan. I hear that you have been stockpiling steel in anticipation of building your ship since December, yes?”

“……Indeed.”

“If the ship is laid down around spring this year, when can it be completed?”

“I think…” d’Artagnan paused, trying to give a plausible estimate, “A new hull can be commissioned by the summer of next year.”

Nohelka nodded. The new construction program might require additional funds, but the Ministry of Defense is ready to find ways to get it. However, d’Artagnan did not miss the subtle expression of discomfort on the minister’s face and prodded him to get an answer.

“Are there any problems?”

“W-well… upon reading your proposal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs asked me one question regarding that.”

“Which is…?”

“If the construction starts in April, can that new ship be ready for the Eleven Countries Leadership Conference next year?”

The Admiral stared at Nohelka with his eyes slightly widened, but he quickly narrowed his eyes and asked in an incredulous tone.

“Pardon?”

“Yes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes that the new battleship design be present at the upcoming world conference as a representative of our country’s state-of-the-art technology.”

“………”

“Can it be done, Admiral?”

“Why so hasty, Defense Minister?” d’Artagnan asked back.

Seeing that d’Artagnan did not actually deny the question, Nohelka nodded to himself for a moment before getting up from his seat to pick up a newspaper hanging by the holder next to his office table. He then placed it in front of the Admiral for him to read.

“That is this morning’s issue. Read it.”

“…?” d’Artagnan raised an eyebrow but read the newspaper anyway. Upon seeing the headline, he finally understood what drove the Foreign Minister to ask that question.

“Inauguration of Le Brias Magic Train Station in the Altaras Kingdom…? So the railway line that Milishial is building in that country is already operating? They even claimed that another station in the southern part of Altaras will be in operation next month, two more on western and eastern sides, and even an airfield in the following months…”

The newspaper’s headline showed the black-and-white photograph of a magic train station with architecture clearly belonging to the Holy Milishial Empire complete with the sleek locomotive signature of a magic train on it. According to that article, the rail line will connect the Altaran capital of Le Brias with mines all over the country and other major cities such as Carifa in the southern point of the island.

As one of the two countries with the largest reserve of NMC-22 ore that the Holy Milishial Empire is currently seeking, Altaras Kingdom relinquished the mining rights of those useless substances in exchange for what can be seen as a very generous assistance from the August Star of Heaven in developing their country. In turn, Milishial is beginning to feel the benefit of investing in this country as it can also now sell more of the previously restricted industrial products. The Altaran government itself also proceeded with the policy of inviting as many Milishian investors as possible in a scheme to deter the Parpaldia Empire while the latter was still reeling from its domestic crisis. It can be said that 1614-1615 were very prosperous years for Altaras Kingdom, a country located outside the civilization areas.

The Milishian business community is pleased with the profits, their politicians took pride in the increased prestige and honor this deed had done, and a certain inventor was happy with the stream of supplies needed to realize his greatest project yet. The government of Altaras was glad, but a bit wary, while the Parpaldia Empire is seething over the fact that someone dared to encroach on their turf, but this someone happened to be the worst possible country to antagonize.

I mean, what can their Imperial Oversight Army even do? Volunteering for live target practice?

On the other hand, this recent news caused a stir in the minds of Mu’s officials, because…

“Is this what I think it is?” d’Artagnan looked up at Nohelka.

“…Yes. As you know, if Mu tries to compete with Milishial in terms of trade, you know well who would win. Our country can survive for this long because Milishial’s policy of restricting the exports of their magical technology created a niche that we can fill with our industrial products. But now that restriction has been lifted and Milishian products suddenly flooding the market, the noose around Mu’s economy will be tightened even more…!”

“Hmmm… to think that the day when Milishial is seriously committing to their rhetoric as the so-called protector of the world will spell the end of us. Very troublesome indeed. Then? What is the government’s response to this?”

“Nothing yet, I am afraid. We are currently debating the details of the government’s countermeasure… There is also the possibility that Milishial will expand even more, so there are talks that Mu should be ready to export something that Milishial hasn’t provided to the other countries yet…”

“Weapons.”

“Correct. Specifically, to the nations on the Second Civilization Area.”

“Including Leifor? If so, what are the chances they will stop sending its vassals to harass our borders as gratitude? Or is the government trying to use the new battleship to intimidate Leifor into normalizing our relationship with them, or to demand reparations that have long overdue?”

“………”

The problem coming from the ravine of a technological gap between Mu and Milishial finally reared its ugly head. The difference in technological and military might was one of the reasons why the Holy Milishial Empire was able to monopolize the entire trade with the countries of the known world, as their products kept sidelining Mu’s own. Even though Mu’s products were cheaper, Milishian products’ quality was so high in comparison that many decided to purchase them over Mu’s.

“Never mind. Then where will the new battleship will come into play in this?”

“The government thinks that the presence of state-of-the-art technology in the world conference as a testament to our country’s capability will instill a sense of confidence in other countries, convincing them to procure weapons from Mu. The situation isn’t too dire now, but we are running out of time, that’s why, Admiral! I know this is a very tall order, but please allow us to use your new battleship to be our country’s hope…!” Nohelka pleaded.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, d’Artagnan finally opened his mouth.

“Very well,” he said simply.

Nohelka sighed in relief, but three fingers from the Admiral’s right hand cut him off.

“Money, manpower, and space. If you can pull some strings to provide these and make sure that no one will get in the way of the construction plan, we might be able to finish one new battleship in exactly one year.”

“Y-yes, I understand. I’ll make sure that you will have things covered.”

“But be warned, Minister. I don’t promise that the new battleship will be fully complete by that time. You might want to attach dummy wooden turrets to fool everyone… or worse, install fake smokestacks and tow that new ship to the world conference. But even then, there might be someone out there who can’t be so easily deceived by the ruse. Also, let’s hope that the prideful Milishial will see this move as a joke… or otherwise, they will consider it a threat. Is the government willing to take the risk?”

The Defense Minister gulped, but nodded with resignation.

“We don’t mind. As long as we can bring the ship to the world conference next year, the government will do everything.”

“Fine. Do as you will. You have my word that I, Jean Pierre d’Artagnan, will do my utmost to help the government accomplish its goals.”

Nohelka stood up and walked over to d’Artagnan, offering his hand.

“Thank you, Admiral. I am counting on you.”

D’Artagnan silently stood up and shook Nohelka’s hand, his sharp eyes staring at the fellow gentleman with a burning resolve. The meeting ended shortly after that.

…………

20:00

After returning from his work, Admiral d’Artagnan and his aide, Ensign Antó, visited a workshop located south of Otaheit, where the former did most of his work in planning the new battleship design whose construction was already approved by the Kingdom’s Parliament.

Looking from the elevated platform at the floor, illuminated by the lights from the ceiling, there sat d’Artagnan’s project in all of its glory.

“We’re here,” the Admiral said, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

It is the 1/20 scale model of the revised all-big-gun battleship design. Just by looking at it, one already knows that this will put to shame any warship Mu has up to this point. It still retained the mast, smokestacks, turret shape, and open-air bridge typical of the Muish warships. However, the difference lay in the number of large turrets present in the model.

Still carrying 305 mm guns, the largest artillery in Mu’s disposal, instead of four twin and four single turrets that d’Artagnan’s initial design possessed, this revised battleship design only carries five of such monstrosities, each in the form of a twin turret where three are located on the centerline while the other two sat on the sides of the forward superstructure. Nevertheless, it was still more powerful than any warship that is not from Milishial.

It looked symmetrical, and not too cluttered, being a ship model.

“This will be a perfect defender of our Kingdom’s seas,” Antó continued, eagerness evident in his voice as he greatly looked forward to seeing the real thing.

“It will also be eminently expensive that the cost of producing and maintaining too many of them will be a massive money pit, a waste of taxpayer’s money,” d’Artagnan said.

“Eh…?”

Antó was taken aback, as his superior did not sound enthusiastic at his own creation. The elderly admiral then turned to the young officer and continued.

“The Kingdom’s economy is already struggling, but now that they have accepted this ship, they have no choice but to reduce the Navy if they truly want the Kingdom to survive.”

“But why, sir?”

D’Artagnan sighed.

“The existence of Neutralist and Innovator factions in our Navy, is a reflection of how the people of Mu feel. The Neutralists are your superior officers who were commanders of the ships during the Humiliation of 1582… In that standoff, they saw firsthand just how intimidating Milishial can be, and decided that they should have been content with just surviving in this cruel world and not making a nuisance out of themselves. But depression got the better of them and they transformed into a shadow of their former selves. They became resentful of advancements or expansion because they were afraid it will bring Mu into an uncontrollable euphoria that will end in another confrontation with Milishial, and by that time, they think it is even possible for Mu to finally be wiped off the map. Those people are what you youngsters call ‘Defeatists,’ Antó.”

The young ensign looked down at his superior’s scolding.

“On the other hand, Innovators. They are young souls with noble dreams, but lacking in touch with reality. They dreamed to stand on the same ground with Milishial, but more often than not they neglected the people. For the sake of pride, they did not think of the long-term consequences of their actions. Honestly, those two factions are making me sick, have they even considered what each other feels besides calling them names and insults?”

This was the reality of the current state of Mu as d’Artagnan saw it. The Kingdom was slowly being consumed by the conflicting feelings of its own people, and it was getting harder and harder for the elderly admiral to look at them without feeling a tinge of guilt.

“Then, Admiral… is this ship your way to reconcile those conflicting ideas?” Antó dared to ask. He wanted to know where his superior really stood.

“Yes. As a shipwright, I wanted to build a ship so beautiful and majestic that the people of Mu can be proud of it, but at the same time I want to give those who are too confident a dose of reality, that everything comes with a price. The Neutralists’ inaction and the Innovators’ ambition… I want them to understand that the military exists to protect the people, not make them suffer, before they go too far.”

D'Artagnan might make enemies of both the Neutralists and Innovators at the same time, but he didn’t care. The admiral wanted to stop Mu from marching to its own ruin, even if it means shooting itself in the foot. But at the same time, it’s his duty as a shipwright to give the Kingdom an ironclad defense from its enemies.

The duality of this Kingdom is as painful as it is wonderful.

“But… the results of the meeting earlier will hurt that intention, to be sure,” d’Artagnan murmured.

“Speaking of which, Admiral, how did the meeting with the Defense Minister go?” Antó asked, curious.

The admiral was brought from his melancholy, gazing at the battleship below.

“Ah, yes. I almost forgot to tell you about it. Actually…”

Upon hearing it, the ensign nearly jumped with his eyes widened in shock.

“HUH!?”

Currently Publicly Available Information

NAVY STRENGTH COMPARISON OF 1615 CC

As of February 1615 CC, the Muish Royal Navy, the second-best navy in the known world, is comprised of around 270 warships, compared to the 344 warships in the Holy Milishial Imperial Navy's possession.