Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 135:  The Fievegal and Mattarglos

Daniel shares his final dance at the banquet with Veiranoei. It’s thankfully much slower than the others, since his companions have thoroughly worn him out. And, the gatonine knight looks quite beautiful in an heirloom dress that she’s a little embarrassed to be wearing.

“Please don’t let my reputation cloud this, but you do look absolutely beautiful Dame Veiranoei.”

She looks to the side, her cheeks remaining rosy. “Thank you, your… Daniel.”

He laughs lightly. Officially, on paper at least, they’re going to have an engagement ceremony for the two of them. Kalegrynten wants to flaunt Veiranoei’s new status as an Empress Consort at every level, even if it earns the ire of the Grand Zenkon Empire. The reason the Empire won’t be able to functionally do anything against Mattarglos as a result is the fact that Mattarglos controls one of two remaining pass-throughs for the mountains, and a civil war near one of them would leave the defense of the east vulnerable. The other reason is that the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy is still the only territory producing enhanced magic crystals and certain magic devices that have made life easy, and which rely on the large synthetic crystals to function, such as water-related devices. Lastly, Mattarglos alone has little strategic or economic value compared to territories around it, since mines are quickly infested with monsters, farms have to be heavily guarded at all times, and the only direct sea access for the territory is far to the north in near-arctic conditions. Making salt is extremely difficult due to the cold, and they are unable to compete with trade prices from territories bordering the gulf or the southern sea due to the increased resources for manufacture.

While Daniel wouldn’t be foolish enough to believe no one would try to conquer Mattarglos, it would be an uphill fight for just about anyone, and the return on investment would be rather minimal.

Of course, Daniel comes from a world where most corners of the accessible surface were explored, and everything around was explored as an option for a usable resource. One of the most sought after resources on Earth seemed to be most heavily present in some of the most hostile terrain the Earth offers; from deserts to mountains, and even the deep ocean.

This world has no concept yet of the fuel that drove the bulk of the industrial revolution and continued well into the technology age. Not that Daniel wants to go through the rush that comes with that discovery, but if he can get ahead of it and begin setting policy, and can hopefully guide a responsible environmental policy around it.

The same would be true of the diamonds he and Wenlianna have been producing. Just because the other world leaders might be able to realize that they’re diamonds doesn’t mean they’ll be able to make as efficient use of the relatively tiny pebbles that had been in circulation prior to Daniel.

Likewise, if he can help Mattarglos capitalize on whatever resources are likely lurking beneath the surface, he can help both the Fievegal and Mattarglos stand strong. And, if he’s really lucky, he can reel in more allies to curtail whatever factions still want to pursue war.

“It feels so… awkward…” murmurs Veiranoei, yanking Daniel out of his ponderings.

“What does?”

“I… well… forgive me for saying so… being… a mistress. Th-Th-Though, I’m thankful that you don’t expect anything of me, Daniel!”

Daniel laughs again, mindful enough of his feet to stop when he feels his foot tap hers just before stepping on her toes. “On my world, it was unthinkable for some random guy like me.”

She smiles and relaxes a little, but her own foot steps on Daniel’s this time, and she turns a bright pink color. Daniel doesn’t pay it any mind, though, since she’s thankfully extremely light, and he is still wearing his work boots from Earth that thankfully were in range of the spell when he was transported. They have composite toes and a metatarsal guard, and while they stand out as very worn in at an elegant affair, no one is making too much of a fuss about Daniel’s humble appearance. The rumors and gossip are no doubt flying, but he doesn’t care. If anything, it’ll make his enemies lower their guard when they should underestimate him the least.

Daniel pulls Veiranoei close, causing her to squeak, and he whispers into her ear, “Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone saw it.”

“S-S-Sorry… I… It’s been a while… since I danced…”

“I learned about an hour ago with Reina.”

They both snicker softly, and she relaxes. “You know… I can’t… I can’t repay you… for Mattarglos, for me, for my Grandfather…”

“Well, for Mattarglos and your Grandfather, I think they’re going to repay me well by allying with the Fievegal. I expect a progress update tonight from Ahok regarding my request to detect environmental mana accurately, and I also intend to ask your Grandfather for permission to begin extracting salt on the sea.”

She widens her eyes, surprised to hear this. “B-But… It’s… difficult and time consuming, or so I’ve heard… Even during our best years, we still have to import most of our salt.”

“Don’t worry. He’s going to lend me some magic artisans to build a proper distilling unit, and then a full plant.”

“Di-...stilling unit? Like the alchemist equipment?”

Daniel nods. “I’ve also ordered some immigrating artisans to the Fievegal to begin making plate glass. We’re in need of greenhouses in the Fievegal, and they’ll be perfect for evaporative ponds. It’s impractical to make them too big that way, but if we can get distilling units up and running to concentrate the brine and then use crystallizers, we should be able to ramp up salt production in Mattarglos. And…” Daniel notices that Veiranoei’s eyes have glazed over, and he laughs softly. “Sorry. I had the idea when I was talking to Kalegrynten.”

“N-No no! I’m sorry that I can’t keep up. I… didn’t understand much of what you were speaking about.”

“That’s my fault. But, have a little more faith in me, and I’ll help produce some commodities for Mattarglos that should benefit everyone. And,...” Daniel sports a slightly evil grin as he holds Veiranoei especially close for a moment. “How would you like to mine enhanced magic crystals?”

The gatonine knight gasps. “I-Is that… That can’t be… I… If something like that existed in our mines…”

Daniel replies deviously, “They don’t… yet.”

She cocks her head, which is emphasized by her modest feline ears. “I… don’t understand…”

“While we’re at it, maybe we’ll start farming pearls as well. Most of the crawgistes live in Mattarglos, yes?”

“Y-You’re losing me, Daniel. I…”

The music for the song ends, and Daniel finishes the dance by kneeling and kissing her hand. “I am uniquely privileged to come from the world I come from and to have studied a little about a lot of subjects. If you’ll continue to help me, I won’t let you down.”

She trembles. Kalegrynten told Daniel that she was mistreated in her first arranged marriage, and it left her scarred and traumatized. She is kind, but she doesn’t trust him fully yet. Though, Daniel doesn’t mind that she doesn’t trust him. If she can at least open doors for him, he can make the improvements he’s promising. And, the large population of Mattarglos will allow him to do it more quickly than the small Fievegal territory or the distant Stalvaltan Grand Duchy.

He adds, “Oh, and did I mention the additional benefit of the distilling units?”

She shakes her head. “N-No. You’ve barely explained anything you’ve just talked about.”

Daniel stands up as he notices his companions closing in, casually, but with obvious interest in the conversation Daniel has been having. “Among the ‘waste’ of the distilling units will be fresh, drinkable water, that we can distribute.”

She twitches. Mattarglos has rivers and streams, but this has made the usable land rather limited based on where those are. If water can be sent further, then even the small settlements and towns have the potential to thrive. And, given her reaction, she has undoubtedly heard of the systems in the Kingdom of Mornistae, as well as the running water on the airship, meaning that is one promise Daniel is certain he can keep.

“This conversation started because I don’t know how to repay you already, Daniel, and you want to do more for my people. I… I can only ask what you would have me do.”

“Mostly make use of your connections, or more specifically, your grandfather’s. That, and pretend that you’re the one that came up with some of the ideas.” She cocks her head, and this is just when Hekate bounds up, snatching Daniel’s arm. “Daniel! You’ve been talking forever!”

“I…” murmurs Veiranoei. Ryuogriar helpfully answers the unasked question.

“Mukori is saying that he has no interest in his own reputation, dear, so long as it can benefit those who need it more than him.” She smiles as she cups his cheek. “The glory of the Dragon Emperor belongs to those who know him best.”

“Heeeyy…” warns Hekate. “He’s not just the Dragon Emperor…”

“And yet, ‘Feldrok Emperor’ doesn’t have the same impact…”

Before the fox-eared girl and her dragon matriarch rival begin bickering, Veiranoei murmurs, “I-I couldn’t possibly take credit… I… Your accomplishments…”

“You’d be doing me a favor if you do,” interrupts Daniel gently. “One man collecting accomplishments and hoarding them all to himself becomes an object of worship. I don’t know about Zenkon, but Emperors on Earth were frequently directly associated with godhood. Many kings and other royalty, too. But, just like them, in reality, I’m just some guy. Sharing all of the accomplishments is way better for my own health, as well as benefitting others.” Daniel then takes Veiranoei’s hand gently, bringing it to his lips, which causes her to blush and the others to glare at him enviously. He adds softly, “In addition to the favor, you’ll have your work cut out making these things happen. I know the basics to get us in the right direction. We still have to adapt it to magic technology.” He kisses her hand, and she whimpers bashfully, “A-All right… A-Anything I can do, I’ll do it.”

“I’m counting on it, thank you.”

Suddenly, Ryuogriar clears her throat and shamelessly snatches Daniel’s right arm. “Now then, Mukori, I would like you to go meet with Gwen’s family now that their ordeals have been dealt with. I insist we capitalize on claiming our rightful share of the honey they produce.”

Just before Hekate can reclaim his left arm, Reignleif appears from behind him, hugging his arm as she joins them. Hekate gasps, stupefied. “R-R-Reina!? I expected this treachery from Ryuo, but from you, too!?”

“I helped Mukori learn how to dance for everyone else,” replies the blue dragon bluntly. Hekate flinches, admittedly thankful that Daniel was able to dance with everyone because Reignleif was somehow skilled enough to teach him on the fly.

Wenlianna, somewhat sheepishly standing nearby, gets prodded by one of the Stalvaltan ladies-in-waiting. She yelps and nervously calls out, “D-Daniel, um, Hekate…”

The fiery ravenette scowls at Wenlianna defensively, but Wenlianna already knows how to play along. “I’m not here to compete. I just wanted to relay that Mother has recruited several candidates for maids, butlers, and a couple of ladies-in-waiting for you.”

“Sounds like a great way to install spies,” murmurs Aoloan a little skeptically.

Wenlianna flinches, but Geirahoel is the one to retort, “Her daughter is a consort. Even if we kept her sealed away, a message always gets out.”

“I-I’m not a spy!” refutes Wenlianna worriedly.

Treia jokes, “Just what a spy would say…”

This leaves the magic artisan briefly speechless, and most of the others snicker at her warmly.

“I’ll be the one to make the final say,” declares Hekate proudly, standing as tall as she can with her tail up behind her and her chest puffed up as much as she can. Ryuogriar frees up one of her arms from Daniel’s to pet Hekate’s head. “Yes, yes, dear, sweet Hekate…”@@novelbin@@

For once, the ravenette doesn’t bat her hand away, but she does glare up at the dragon.

Daniel finally replies, “We’ll go talk to Baron Honeydip first. I expect the final interviews will take a bit longer.”

Wenlianna turns to her lady-in-waiting. “Lady Cuess, would you let Mother know that we’ll meet her shortly?”

“Of course, your Grace. I believe her Grace said she will be resting in the airship. I will find and inform you if she is elsewhere.”

Once the young woman departs, Daniel’s group heads to the area where Baron Honeydip and his family have gathered. Gwenesphia is talking with her mother and sister, mainly, while the baron and his sons are talking with a boruan man, a shenwulf couple, and two humans.

Hekate greets the Baron to announce their presence, “Baron Honeydip, good to see you again.”

“Ahhh, your Imperial Greatness! Your Graces.” The Baron bows, and the Baroness curtsies, while Gwenesphia and Peiburi perk up, and Peiburi bows as well, since she’s still in her more masculine riding clothes, similar to what she wore for the fights.

Likewise, Lyrtef and the others Daniel doesn’t know bow politely and respectfully. It's a stark contrast to when the group first arrived.

Hekate leads the introductions between everyone, and the others reveal their names politely.

“Viscount Hoksaub, your Greatness,” answers the boruan man.

“Baron Kloven and my wife Wenestrue,” adds the shenwulf man.

“We are but humble merchants, rather than nobles, your Greatness,” explains one of the two humans. “I am Vurtain, and this is my colleague, Aegal.”

Aegal dips his head reverently, and Vurtain adds, “Please forgive his silence. He had an… unfortunate run-in with bandits in his youth.”

Hekate’s ears betray her thoughts, running through possible causes. But, she replies maturely, “My condolences, Mister Aegal. It must be a unique challenge being a merchant with a curse of silence.”

Aegal registers that there is a possible misunderstanding, but it’s close enough, and he smiles gently, nodding even more respectfully.

“Perhaps this is coincidence,” remarks Ryuogriar with an eager smirk on her face. “We were hoping to discuss the future, now that three of the largest obstacles to Mattarglos have been removed.”

“I still have trouble believing it,” replies Erue, Gwenesphia’s mother. “I’ve seen the bodies, but it’s difficult to believe our problems have been alleviated so… swiftly.”

“Not entirely,” replies Daniel. “We still don’t know for certain what is causing the creation of monsters, nor their evolution into more deadly forms like their named counterparts.”

“Of course,” replies Goelselmo warmly. “But, with Rohgattabor gone and even more with the mantarouck population reduced, we’ll be able to restore our family’s age-old industry.”

Kuboen, Gwenesphia’s older of the two brothers present, exhales quietly in exasperation. He’s still frustrated that Daniel and his companions were the ones to help, but the Barony will be able to prosper once more.

Wenlianna chimes in, “As Gwen has probably told you, we’re working on equipment to be able to narrow down a theory, and if possible, we should be able to isolate, contain, or eliminate the source of the anomalies.”

Erue smiles brightly. “Our gratitude knows no bounds for what you’ve accomplished, your Grace. And, to know that the esteemed first daughter of the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy is behind the endeavor is further reassurance on top of what the Fievegal has already achieved.”

“Indeed,” chimes in Baron Kloven. “And, in fact, we were discussing negotiations to begin trading in the Barony of Honeydip once more.”

Peiburi grins, joking at first, “Gwen is hoping Daniel likes honeydip. Heeheeheee!”

“Peiburi!” snap both Gwenesphia and Erue, while the others laugh together.

Hekate asks, “What was the joke about the name Honeydip? I don’t get it.”

This causes the Mattarglos citizens present to flush and fall silent, glancing awkwardly around.

Treia sighs and takes over. “Hekate, if you’ll drop it for now, I’ll explain later.”

Hekate studies the embarrassed face of Gwenesphia, the awkward expressions of the shenwulf pair, the two merchants, and the boruan viscount, while Goelselmo and Erue retain tense smiles.

The fox-eared girl sighs. “So, it's one of those things, huh?” She looks directly at Daniel and gives him a commanding scowl. “Three times, Darling. Three times.”

“I'm deciding this now, Sweetpea. It won't count if you lose track…”

Hekate gasps, and playful snickers surround her. She huffs and crosses her arms, while Ryuogriar continues, “I'm interested, Young Lady Peiburi. Which brings me to my question; how far west does your mercantile route take you, Master Vurtain?”

The two merchants twitch and then glance at each other.

“How far are you asking us to go, your Grace?” asks the human merchant.

“I would hope you’d be willing to peddle your wares at the Citadel and our vassal towns. Particularly, a rare and delectable honey.” She grins at Goelselmo and Erue.

“We’ll certainly dedicate as much as we can to you, your Grace. Our farms need to recover, but once they do,... I suppose I had assumed you would use your flying ships.”

Geirahoel chimes in, “There is a great deal of risk using the shuttles or airships right now. It’ll be safer if merchants travel the roads.”

“They’ll have to pay tariffs to pass through Castle Northwall. And, it’s probably illegal for private trade to pass through Fort Peony,” points out Lyrtef. The two merchants nod in agreement. “I can’t speak to your costs, but ours would be substantial. And, that’s without knowing how far it is to the Citadel itself.”

Ryuogriar pouts, and she hugs Daniel’s arm more firmly, looking at him pleadingly.

He thinks for a moment, and then an idea hits him. He looks to the Baron. “Baron Honeydip, forgive me for making assumptions, but am I correct that Mattarglos borders the sea?”

This surprises all of the locals of Mattarglos.

“I-Indeed, your Grace, but… travel to the north to reach the sea is treacherous. And, travel by the sea is often moreso.”

Daniel smirks at Ryuogriar, and she cocks her head curiously with a hopeful smile. He asks, “If the Fievegal can make shipping to the shore more tenable, as well as provide shipping across the sea, will you be willing to give us a sizable stake in your companies?”

This surprises the merchants, as well as the nobles. Treia snickers, while Vaergraes remarks dryly, “You’re going to do something very strange again, aren’t you, dear Daniel?”

“I’ll need a lot of help to make this one work. But, it truly is one of the technologies that made the modern age of Earth possible.”

“Well!?” snaps Wenlianna. “Are you going to share?” She already has her pencil and notebook ready.

Everyone that knows her laughs, and Daniel adds warmly, “I’m talking about a railroad.”

“Rail… road…” murmurs Wenlianna as she writes it down. “I get the ‘road’, but what do you mean by ‘rail’?”

“I am curious as well,” replies Peiburi. “There are already roads to the northern towns, but they pass through mountains and valleys, and many of the territories don’t have the resources to maintain them.”

“The Fievegal will have to get permission from your nobility, but this strategy will vastly increase your shipping capabilities. It’ll probably be a couple years before it’s completely usable, unless you allow us to march an army of workers and soldiers to protect them into the borders. That said,...” He looks at Ryuogriar. “It is the request of someone I hold dear, so for now, your personal supply will be transported via shuttle once we can establish a secure location to land, and the Fievegal’s supply will have to wait until the railroad can be finished.”

Daniel strokes his chin. “And, we’ll have to visit the north to improve the port’s capacity as well.”

Gwenesphia explains, “We’ll have to negotiate with the crawgistes separately, then. They are members of Mattarglos, but they retain a legal independence for their towns, since they don’t have the luxury of serving far away from sources of water.”

Daniel grins playfully, winking at Wenlianna. “What an interesting problem to have…”

“Oh! Water crystals!” blurts out the Stalvaltan family’s eldest daughter. She blushes when the Mattarglos nobles and merchants look at her, and she adds, “W-We can make equipment that they can wear to keep their bodies wet.”

“A-Are you saying… enhanced magic crystals can do that, y-your… um… Grace?”

Wenlianna walks over to put her hand on Daniel’s chest as she smiles endearingly. “They can. And, I have it on good authority that a cost-effective alternative can be produced, right, my dear Husband?”

Hekate hums in disapproval, but she doesn’t make an outburst in respect for the goings on. Daniel laughs nervously, but he replies, “She’s right. Though, ‘cost effective’ might be a misnomer if we want to make them safe.”

“R-Really?” asks Wenlianna, surprised. Daniel’s pretty sure she was bluffing a little anyways, but only because she has been looking for alternatives to diamond ever since she and Daniel began producing diamonds to use as enhanced magic crystals. Graphite can store magic like diamonds and salt crystals can, but its relatively inconsistent structure leaves a lot of room for failures. This, of course, can be accounted for in safety margins on the power levels applied, but she wants to make them safe to use, since graphite is significantly easier to mine and produce synthetically than diamonds are, given the time alone.

Unfortunately, the ‘cost’ Daniel is referring to is the temperature required to melt graphite under high pressure, which would allow them to produce liquid graphite and then cool it, which should give it a bit more uniform structure without the compacting time required to produce diamonds. The only substance he knows of off hand that can burn that hot and is easily attainable to him comes from…

He looks at Ryuogriar and Reignleif again, and then Geirahoel. Each of the three look at him expectantly.

Yeah, we’ll try to convince the other dragons to produce theirs for a reward.

Geirahoel perks up, as if reading his mind. “Mukori! You just thought that we could help, but you’re afraid to ask us! Why!?”

She storms over and stands beside Wenlianna, facing him as she stares into his eyes with a fiery gaze.

“I… uh… The diamond machine takes a long time to heat up, and if we want to produce a lot of low-cost crystals, we’d need something to produce a lot of heat quickly…”

“Ignityal…” states Reignleif, figuring it out. She smiles, squeezing his arm against her chest. “You may have as much of mine as you desire, Mukori.”

Both Geirahoel and Ryuogriar flinch. They exclaim together, “Mine too!”
“Hey!” snaps Hekate as she presses in between them to try to defend Daniel. “I… I probably produce ignityal, too!”

“This conversation is difficult to keep up with…” remarks Erue, the Baroness. Treia explains, “Ignityal is the liquid dragons produce. It can melt almost anything.”

The others become awkwardly quiet for a moment as the three dragons and Hekate whine to insist that Daniel use theirs, and he tries to think over the cacophony. “Either way!” he calls out. “We need to test if it can burn in a vacuum. If there is oxygen, the graphite will simply burn. We could also heat the vessel from the outside, but we’ll have to test vessels for durability under dragon fire, or we’re looking at an extremely dangerous explosion.”

They turn serious, finally, realizing that when Daniel says something is dangerous, it very likely could kill them all. In this case, though, it’s not the most destructive thing he’ll have done.

“So, our immediate goals for Mattarglos, in addition to identifying the sources of monsters and trying to eliminate the source itself, are to produce cheaper mid-grade magic crystals, improve transportation across the vast parts of Mattarglos to reach the sea, and improve quality of living for the crawgistes. Barons, Viscount, I would very much appreciate your assistance in getting the proper permissions for the Fievegal to operate and improve both of our situations. Master Merchants, I hope you’ll consider my offer. I know it’s a big ask for a stake in your company, but once you see what we’ll be building, you might be willing to sell me the whole ownership.”

Daniel is being friendly, but the industrial revolution likely would have taken a fair bit longer if it hadn’t been for the mighty trains. Their power and efficiency are undeniable, which is why mass transportation still relies heavily on trains when moving across land, even in the modern age. And, working in Daniel’s favor is the fact that, boiled down to the core components, old steam engines are extremely simple devices. Daniel effectively designed his tanks running on magic water crystals from the way a steam engine operates, though in that case, the steam had to be boiled, so he’s skipping a major step as long as the magic crystals have mana.

He’s not sure if driving the industrial revolution of Zenkon forward at such a rapid pace is a good idea, but his family has expressed things they want, and he can make them possible. Connecting his allies to the Fievegal will only strengthen the Fievegal’s defenses. In time, he can even use the trains to deploy forces quickly and efficiently, even if the routes are far more restricted than shuttles or airships.

“Daniel,...” starts Peiburi cautiously, and her parents whisper sharply. However, she ignores them to ask seemingly seriously, “Are you sure you want to marry my sister?”

“Peiburi!” snaps Erue, and Gwenesphia is shocked as well.

Daniel is hesitant to answer, since it’s a difficult topic for him, even now, but his companions seem to be gearing up to gang up on Peiburi, either to rebuke her about who actually gets to be married, or for betraying her sister.

The betrayal goes further, though, when the elder sister states, “I’m a lot more business savvy than Gwen, and I’m a better warrior…”

Their mother snatches Peiburi quickly, covering her mouth. “F-Forgive our foolish daughter, your Grace! She is being insolent.”

“Peiburi?” asks Gwenesphia, a little hurt.

Daniel, knowing the answer immediately, finally replies, “I don’t particularly mind anyone speaking their mind freely, but every word has consequences. I wouldn’t take as a companion anyone who could so readily try to undermine their own family for personal gain. I don’t dislike you, Miss Peiburi, but please keep that in mind.”

She twitches, but she looks down, finally seeming at least a little apologetic. Daniel then adds, “Noble ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be in contact for further negotiations. If you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend to.”

“Of course,” reply the others, while Erue bows her head, still holding Peiburi.

Ryuogriar and Reignleif let Daniel go to allow Daniel to usher Gwenesphia away so that she can have some time to cool down. He doesn’t want either sister to say anything mean or hurtful. He suspects Peiburi’s meaning wasn’t to harm Gwenesphia, but instead, to try to capitalize on an opportunity.

She just blurted out that thought without thinking about her youngest sister.

As they all head for the airship, Hekate bounds up beside Gwenesphia and takes her hand opposite of Daniel. “Don’t worry, Gwen. If you did your job right, Daniel can’t replace you now. My little… um… Nieces? Nieces and Nephews? Step-children? Whatever they are, I’d chew his face off if he betrayed anyone like that.”

“Don’t write me off so easily, Sweetpea,” retorts Daniel. “As we saw when the cause of my mana was discovered, I couldn’t escape the lot of you if I wanted to.”

Ryuogriar snickers. “That’s right. Even if you did get away, we’d track you down and drag you back, Mukori.”

Several others nod and hum in agreement.

As they walk, Daniel asks, “Neith, you’ve travelled quite far, yes?”

“Yes, my Liege,” chimes in Neith, having been following the group at a distance. Geirahoel scowls at him, but he does his best to not provoke her further.

“What do you know about the northern sea? Is there a reason it’s particularly treacherous to travel?”

“Well, I’ve never travelled by sea, but the main reason I’ve heard that people don’t sail across the seas is due to monsters that destroy ships.”

“Good to know. I guess we’ll have to make monster-proof ships, then.”

“S-Such a thing exists?” asks Veiranoei, ever-surprised by the things Daniel names so casually.

Daniel smirks at her. “Tell me, Veiranoei, do you think even the Dragonslayer would actually do much damage to a ship?”

“I… I don’t know… I’m still not sure how it works.”

“Yeah, and she hasn’t seen the tanks yet!” replies Hekate in her defense. “Wait! Is that it? You’ll put tanks on the ships?”

“Close,” replies Daniel with a bright tone. “As they say in my homeland, ‘when all else fails, you need a bigger gun.’”

He feels a little guilty at the result of his playful reply, which has no basis in reality. After all, every one of his companions is looking at him with wonder and imagination.

Thankfully, in this case, it’s close enough to the best strategy for dealing with monsters, wherever they happen to be.

***