An hour after they contacted a warship from a kingdom called Fenn, Tanaka Noboru, the other diplomats, and the MSDF officers with them are now at a small harbor town called Higashinohate in the kingdom's easternmost tip. After they landed, the captain of the warship, Kakeru, invited them to come ashore to the town's castle as guests, but they refused, citing contamination reasons. Not understanding what they meant by contamination, Kakeru misunderstood it as a reluctance to set foot in their barbarian country. However, he believed in his hunch that the Japanese were good people, so he set out to meet the local warlord of the province, Amaya, who was in the castle at Higashinohate.
It has been some 30 minutes since Kakeru left the Japanese at the harbor. The Japanese, with their peculiar clothing, stood out among the Sengoku era-esque facilities of the harbor. The fishermen that were coming back from their early morning fishing eyed the Japanese at the harbor with curiosity. Sensing the eyes on him, Tanaka couldn't help but shiver from the attention and the cool, early morning breeze hitting his back.
"I wonder where the captain went? I really need that damn coffee..."
Higashinohate CastleThe region's warlord, Amaya, and Captain Kakeru looked down on the Japanese at the harbor from up atop the tall walls of the Sengoku era-esque castle of the town of Higashinohate. Amaya's gaze on the Japanese was filled with feelings of intrigue and curiosity with a hint of disdain. A foreign delegation refusing to visit the warlord's castle on their first visit was a sign of disrespect to the Fennese. Despite being made to wait at the harbor for 30 minutes, the Japanese refused to budge, giving Amaya the impression that they were likely a proud nation themselves.
"What country did they say they were from again?"
Amaya asked Kakeru without turning to face away from his gaze at the Japanese.
"A country to the southeast called Japan. I find their story hard to believe. There have never been any land masses to the immediate southeast, yet here they are claiming that they suddenly appeared in this world. While I find their story doubtful, their boat, attire, and their desire to form diplomatic relations with us tell me that they're not from around here. What's more, is that they speak a language very close to our native tongue!"
Amaya looked up in confusion. How did strangers from unknown lands know their native tongue? Unable to find suitable answers, he returned his gaze to the Japanese on the harbor before he replied to Kakeru.
"I see. Before we let them tell us their stories, we must first find out if they are truly willing to talk to us."
Upon finishing his sentence, Amaya departed from the walls with two of his swords in hand. Kakeru saw this and immediately followed him.
"But, great warlord! We mustn't yield to these Japanese! Just a little more time and they will be the ones asking us to take them into the castle!"
"I'm not yielding. As far as I can see, these people have hearts and spirits. If they really want to see our Sword King, they will have to show that they know how to use their hearts and spirits!"
Higashinohate harbor"It's still early, but it's already hot!"
Tanaka complained of the heat as he wiped the sweat from his neck and face. He wondered if he had to wait another 30 minutes to see the Fennese authorities. Just as he was about to sit down on the docks, one of the other diplomats motioned to him.
"Look! Someone is coming with the captain!"
Looking to where his colleague was pointing, he saw the captain from a while ago walking towards him. Walking in front of him was another figure who looked similar, but the style and neatness of his Japanese-style clothing invoked a higher sense of authority. The man's hair was tied behind his head, and he carried two sheathed swords in his left hand. Just as Tanaka was about to say something, the linguist behind him tugged on his sleeve and whispered something to him.
"That man! He looks just like a daimyo! I suggest you address him accordingly!"
Whispering "alright" back to him, Tanaka then took a deep breath before initiating a conversation with the daimyo figure who now stood some meters away from him.
"Great warlord of the kingdom of Fenn! Forgive our sudden arrival on the shores of your domain."
Tanaka bowed deeply, followed by the rest of the diplomats with him. Rising up from his bow, he proceeded to introduce himself.
"My name is Tanaka Noboru, and I lead the diplomatic delegation to your kingdom on behalf of the government of the State of Japan."
Visibly impressed by the manners and the proficiency in which they used his native tongue, Amaya bowed before introducing himself.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Tanaka. I am Amaya, great warlord of the Higashinokuni region of the kingdom of Fenn! I am delighted that you stopped by my town for your first time here."
Sensing that they were going somewhere with their conversation, Tanaka then went straight to their objective.
"Well met, great warlord Amaya! We've come to-"
Before Tanaka could say more, Amaya abruptly raised his hand towards Tanaka, visibly asking him to stop. While feeling disrespected, Tanaka stopped for the sake of maintaining a good diplomatic posture. With Tanaka quiet, Amaya lowered his hand before facing Tanaka with stern, serious eyes.
"While I am impressed by your stubbornness in refusing to pay a visit to me in my castle, that is not enough. If you are asking for diplomatic ties with the kingdom, the great Sword King, Shihan, is the one you're looking for. However, Fenn does not know you, and therefore Fenn has no need for you. If you're truly willing to talk to the Sword King, you must prove that you are worthy to see him in the first place."
After taking note of Fenn's political structure in his head, Tanaka then asked Amaya.
"How do you suggest we do that?"
To answer Tanaka's question, Amaya took a sheathed sword from his other hand, and presented it to him.
"I duel you to a one-on-one sword fight. With this, we will know of your country's worth to meet the Sword King!"
The other diplomats and the MSDF officers were stunned by the proposition. They weren't trained to handle sword duels in a diplomatic setting. Not only was Tanaka not a master swordsman, but the daimyo they were talking to was also likely a seasoned warrior. Not only did they fear that Tanaka would be slain on their first contact, but they also feared that they might lose their diplomatic footing in this new world. Even if Tanaka did somehow emerge victorious in the duel, he would most likely be contaminated by the sword he was given. They did bring a sword as a diplomatic gift, but they thought it would leave a bad impression to give the king a sword with the blood of their daimyo on it. All in all, everyone thought that accepting the duel was a bad idea. The diplomats whispered to Tanaka to get him to refuse the duel and look for more civil methods instead. However, Tanaka, reading in between the lines of Amaya's statement, decided to ignore his fellow diplomats.
"Hmph. I accept your challenge."
As he accepted Amaya's challenge with a hint of smugness on his face, the other diplomats behind him tried to contain their frustration.
If anything, hopefully this act will give them the message that Japan is a nation that will not yield.
Telling himself arguments to convince himself that he was doing the right thing, Tanaka took the sword offered by Amaya. Remembering his high school kendo days, he unsheathed the undeniably genuine sword from its scabbard. As he looked at the sword's clean blade and admired its quality, he assumed that the Fennese took great care of their blades. Bringing up his memories of high school kendo and adjusting his grip to the sword, which was different in weight from the wooden sword he grew up with, he adjusted his posture and readied himself for the duel.
However, contrary to what everyone expected, Amaya sheathed his sword. As he looked up towards the confused looks of the Japanese diplomats, he noticed that Tanaka didn't show the least bit of confusion. If anything, Tanaka's expression showed that he was expecting it. Smirking from the diplomat's cunning, Amaya then spoke to him.
"I assume that you were expecting that, weren't you, Sir Tanaka?"
Tanaka relaxed his posture as he mentally patted himself on the back. Amaya then continued.
"By showing guts and spirit, you have impressively shown me and the kingdom that you are more than worthy of meeting the Sword King himself! I will personally arrange for your transit to the capital and vouch for you at the audience with the king!"
As the other diplomats sighed in relief, Tanaka sheathed the sword and presented it back to Amaya. Still, they couldn't afford to wait for transportation to the capital. Choosing his words carefully, Tanaka asked Amaya.
"We are grateful for the offer, but our government is expecting results within the day, so we can't afford to wait any longer. Will it be possible to travel to the capital through our boat instead?"
Seeing an opportunity to witness and experience the 'fast boat' that Kakeru told him about, Amaya jumped at it.
"Of course. Luckily for you, the capital is right next to the sea. If possible, I would like to come aboard as your guide."
Before he could reply, Tanaka felt a tug on his sleeve. The diplomats all wanted to turn down Amaya for fear of contamination. Tanaka, feeling that the Amaya would insist and refuse to show them to their king, tried to convince the others.
"If you fear contamination, we've already had plenty of it. We will be quarantined when we return home anyway."
Finding logic in Tanaka's answer, the other diplomats relented. With Amaya in tow, the diplomats set out for the capital, Amanoki, followed by some Fennese warships under Amaya's command.
Amanoki, later that dayHaving landed at Amanoki due to the guidance of Amaya, the Japanese delegation was accepted into the royal castle. After some time, they were allowed to have an audience with the Sword King, Shihan. Attending the audience with the Japanese delegation was Amaya, who earlier promised to vouch for the Japanese. As the delegation sat in the mats opposite to the Sword King, they admired the extensive aura of power and discipline emanating from just his posture and presence. Tanaka even thought that he was a prime example of the bushido doctrine. As the atmosphere remained stiff, Shihan then spoke to the Japanese delegation.
"You have done quite a show lately. According to Amaya here, you said that you were the ones who sent the pristine, flying object that flew over our skies and Gahara's. What was equally intriguing was the fast boat that you came in. Furthermore, to have convinced Amaya here that you are worthy to see me is an extraordinary feat. Amaya is well-known throughout the non-civilized areas as an expert swordsman, and any sane man would not have accepted his challenge."
Breaking it down, Tanaka's mind raced to try and make sense of one of the Sword King's statements. What were the non-civilized areas? Setting aside the question for later, Tanaka bowed in gratitude for the Sword King's compliment.
"I'm honored that you think highly of me."
Without rising up, he continued.
"As for our aircraft trespassing your airspace, the Japanese government extends its apologies. It was a scout aircraft meant to find out if we are no longer in our world."
Intrigued by his statement, Sword King Shihan motioned closer to ask.
"'No longer in our world'?"
Moving to the next agenda, Tanaka rose up and opened his briefcase to procure a map of Japan.
"Yes, it is as I said. The country of Japan is an island nation with a population of 120 million people..."
Hearing the words '120 million people,' Shihan's eyes widened, followed by him mouthing the same words as if to confirm if Tanaka wasn't mispronouncing.
"...We were originally from another world. However, roughly 6 hours ago, we lost contact with a lot of the nations around us and found ourselves in an empty ocean. Sending out scout planes, we found your land, the Kingdom of Fenn..."
As he listened to Tanaka's explanation, Shihan admired the quality of the map's paper. Looking up to Tanaka, he gave out his honest thoughts.
"While I find your story hard to believe, your actions, technology, and clothing are indeed not from these parts. Before I give the final word on our nations' diplomatic relationship, I need to know... What's in it for us?"
Expecting the Sword King's question, Tanaka turned to acquire a bigger container from one of the other diplomats. As he opened it in front of the Sword King, Amaya, and some other high-level authorities, they were all intrigued and fascinated by the objects inside. Just as they controlled themselves from reaching out, Tanaka motioned to speak.
"From the data we collected from the scout plane, we determined that you might be in demand of some of our products. Right now, our country is in dire need of trading partners. With you being close to our lands, we figured that you would be one of the first."
As the Sword King and the others looked at the objects with interest, Tanaka began to explain to them what they were.
"This is a flashlight. It's a compact tool that allows you to shine a light. You can carry it around, and it can be stored anywhere."
Grabbing the flashlight, he turned it on and pointed it to a dark corner of the room, wowing the Fennese. He then gave the flashlight to one of the Fennese officials who examined it.
"This is a pen. This is our regular printer paper. While you may be familiar with the paper, this one is of much higher quality. This pen, however, is a revolutionary tool. Despite its size, it can write a lot for a long time."
Demonstrating the pen, he wrote some stuff continuously on the piece of paper he had. The Fennese were astonished by the pen's lack of messiness and its ability to write without needing additional ink continuously. Tanaka then gave the pen to one of the officials to try out.
"This is a watch, and it allows us to tell time. Since it's so compact, anyone can carry it on their arm."
Tanaka then gave it to Amaya, who was mesmerized by the ultra-small needles moving in seemingly perfect sync to time. The others, however, were more surprised by the craftsmanship required to craft the watch's body, leading them to assume that the Japanese have master craftsmen. The other items in the chest were perfume and sake, which while the Fennese were familiar with them, they admired the products' amazing quality, smell, and taste. Lastly, Tanaka lifted up the largest item they brought and presented it to the Sword King.
"If you will."
Accepting the gift, the Sword King then took the extremely polished scabbard from Tanaka's hands. The shiny, sturdy material of the scabbard made it comfortable to hold, and its decorations pleased the eyes. However, Shihan knew that a good scabbard did not necessarily mean that it contained a good sword. Holding the sword's grip, which was also comfortable to hold, he pulled the sword from its scabbard, revealing its polished, sharp blade. Just before he lost himself in admiration of the blade's construction, he then sheathed it and put it down. Looking back to Tanaka with a satisfied face, he asked a question everybody wanted to hear.
"Are you willing to trade us more of these items?"
Smiling in victory, Tanaka nodded in affirmation.
"Then I guess we will have to work out the details. For that, I will agree to our countries forming a diplomatic relationship."
Later on, trade negotiations between the Kingdom of Fenn and Japan would begin, signaling the start of Japan's geopolitical journey in this new world. In addition to the trade of modern, everyday commodities, there were also agreements on studying Fennese language and culture, allowing Japan to begin studying the common language. In addition, they enlisted the help of Fenn in expanding their knowledge of the new world's geopolitical situation to help set their foreign policy. However, the question of mutual defense was left unanswered but not completely off the table.
Ocean south of Ishigaki island, Okinawa prefecture, 10:00Despite the Fenn diplomatic mission going well, the same could not be said in the oceans south of the Japanese island of Ishigaki. With orders from the High Council, a fleet of galleys from the Principality of Qua-Toyne's 2nd Fleet unknowingly sailed close to the territorial waters of Japan near Ishigaki, prompting the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force to respond. Unable to heed the JMSDF's warnings due to a language barrier, the Qua-Toyne ships simply stopped and stayed where they were. In response to their apparent refusal to heed their warnings, the Izumo, Maya, Murasame, and Ikazuchi destroyers of the JMSDF, which were in Okinawa following a recall from a joint exercise with the USMC during the transfer, sailed to face the unknown, possibly hostile ships. Not willing to risk a diplomatic row, the sailors on board the JMSDF ships tried communicating with them through light signals, flag signals, and verbal warnings. However…
"What magical chant are they saying?!"
"Their ships are so massive!"
"Why are they shining lights at us?! Is it an attack signal?!"
As the sailors on board the Qua-Toyne ships panicked from the anxiety of the situation and the intimidation from the four massive grey ships that sailed to meet them, Captain Midori could only do so much to keep his men calm. Not yet received a response from the Myhark Naval Garrison, he was at a loss on what to do. He can't afford to go against the orders he was issued with, nor can his ships attack the unknown ships that were likely a dozen times more massive than their own and come out victorious.
Residence of the Prime Minister, that same time"Fuck..."
After receiving an urgent message that multiple warships of unknown origin approached Ishigaki, the Prime Minister Takamori Hideaki quickly convened his cabinet to assess the situation and figure out what to do. Still stuck with dealing with domestic problems, the potentially dangerous situation made his and his ministers' day much more frustrating. Courtesy of the JMSDF, they were able to watch a live view of the standoff unfolding in the oceans.
"Those flags... Who are they from?"
Takamori asked the Foreign Affairs Minister, Agano Kenzo.
"According to the shots taken by the JMSDF in their scouting runs earlier, the flag flown by the ships is the same as the flags that were flown in the country with the large swathes of farmland, which means that they are from the country we are prioritizing in contacting..."
Takamori and the others frowned at the prospect of stepping on a diplomatic landmine with the one country that might alleviate one of their pressing problems. Already the Japanese and foreign population were riotings in the streets due to the imposition of strict rationing on top of unrest from the transfer. If they fail in securing a food trade with this country, their woes will only get worse.
"Won't they respond to our calls and warnings?"
Answering Takamori's question was Defense Minister Okada Masako.
"I'm afraid not, Prime Minister. There seems to be a language barrier between us as they don't respond to our English or Japanese warnings."
With the diplomatic team still some time away, Takamori and the others could only hope that the standoff didn't deteriorate.
Helicopter destroyer IzumoWith their attempts at communication still fruitless, the JMSDF has decided to try and approach the galleys with their fast boats to try and communicate with the sailors at a closer range. However, as the fast boats approached, the galleys rowed back, and their sailors began shooting arrows, prompting the fast boats to turn away. Watching the scene unfold was the captain of the Izumo helicopter destroyer and those within the bridge.
"No good either, huh..."
"Dammit... We are only serving to intimidate the poor sailors. But if we pull back..."
Hearing his men speak amongst themselves, the captain also chimed in on the discussion.
"Hey... Why don't I go up there and offer myself as a hostage?"
Before the others could shoot down his idea, they saw something emerge from the ocean. Within moments, a sea monster surfaced and assaulted one of their fast boats, capsizing it and throwing off its passengers overboard. Seeing their comrades in danger, the men on the Izumo quickly ran to their stations.
"Contact the Murasame and see if they can kill the bastard!"
"Captain! The Murasame's captain is on the line!"
The Izumo captain picked up the phone to speak with the Murasame's captain.
"Are you out of your mind?! Even with our smaller main cannon, we still have the risk of hitting one of our own men!"
"Contact your RHIBs and see if they can attack the monster!"
"We can't let another RHIB get taken out by that monster!"
Shit...
Out of options and soon, time, the Izumo captain could only curse himself for not reacting fast enough to the threat before it put his men in danger.
Qua-Toyne side"It's a Kraken!"
"It's juvenile, though..."
"Shit! It's attacking the people that got thrown overboard!"
Seeing the events unfold, the Qua-Toynian sailors on the deck could only watch the terrible scene before them. Just as they wondered why the massive ships did nothing to help their comrades and whether they should help, one of the elves took the initiative.
"Alright you bastards! I don't know who they are, but if they can't even defend themselves against a juvenile Kraken, then they need our help!"
The elf was joined by two other elves, who began chanting and conjuring flames from their hands. Moments later, they started flinging fire balls at the Kraken. While some of the fireballs missed and hit open water, a good chunk of them hit the Kraken, burning its sensitive skin and making it flail its tentacles in pain as it let out a terrifying shriek. With its tentacles up in the air, the third elf finally saw an opening for him to deal with the killing blow. Chanting in the elven language at a fast speed, his hand started to glow. Finishing his chant, he let out a massive bolt of lightning across the sea. The bolt of lightning crackled as it instantly traveled across the sea and towards the long, exposed tentacles of the Kraken, shocking it with a fatal dosage of electricity. With its hearts stopping from the electrical attack, the Kraken's tentacles lifelessly fell back to the ocean as it let out its final, dying shriek.
Japanese side"Holy fucking shit! Did you see that?!"
"They had flamethrowers? A tesla coil, perhaps?"
"No, dumbass! Those things came from the hands of the sailors themselves!"
"You saying they conjured those fireballs and the lightning?"
As the surprising revelation that magic exists in this new world threw the Japanese sailors into joy, shock, confusion, and other extreme emotions, the captain of the Izumo grounded himself in the reality of the situation.
"The sea monster's unresponsive! Quick, get the RHIBs to get our men out of the water!"
・・・
"Was that what I think it was?"
"I... I don't know what to say..."
As the ministers watching the feed struggled to make sense of what happened personally, Takamori looked at the screen with interest and satisfaction.
Magic... Abundant lands to the south... This is indeed the world that father came to...
Hiding his expression from the others, Minister Agano motioned to get his attention.
"The diplomatic team has landed on the Izumo!"
Qua-Toyne sideWith their elven sailors killing the attacking Kraken, Captain Midori, in the spirit of goodwill, commanded his men to get their ship closer to pull out the unknown people from the ocean. However, their relatively slow speed, even with oarsmen rowing, to the small craft of the other side meant that they arrived late to the scene of the attack. The small craft had already begun pulling their people out of the water by the time their ship reached the location. As they got closer, however...
"Captain! It looks like one of the people that were attacked has been fatally injured... We identified a gash across their chest and abdomen."
Midori then walked towards the side of the ship to assess the situation. There, he saw one of the people wearing blue floating on the ocean with a massive gash across their chest and abdomen. He even saw the person writhing in pain. He didn't spot long ears reminiscent of elves, nor the fur associated with the beastmen, nor the scales associated with dragonfolk on the man. The man didn't seem to be a dwarf either. To his and everyone else's personal relief, they didn't see any glowing, light wings behind the person's back.
These people... Are they just humans? That means that they're not the ancient sorcerous empire... But how did they...
Cutting his train of thought, he noticed that the person's expression was starting to loosen.
"Curses! The man is about to die! Quick! Get him out of the water!"
Some of the elves used their water magic to have the seawater carry the injured man closer to their ship. With the man now within arm's reach, the other personnel pulled him out of the water.
Japanese sideAs they were tending to the wounds of their comrades, one of the RHIB's personnel cried out.
"Hey! Those guys are pulling out one of our guys from the water!"
"What?! Shit, get Kagami on the other RHIB to stop them!"
As the commands were relayed over the radio, the other RHIB turned and darted towards the Qua-Toynian ship. Fearing what the others would do to their colleague, the JMSDF officers on the RHIB anxiously waited for their boat to arrive. Midway, they spotted the sailors gathering around their colleague, who was laid down on the deck of the galley, and an eerily comfortable light began emanating from the hands of some of the sailors and their colleague. Watching the scene with fear and curiosity, the RHIB personnel clamored to reach out for the galley's deck as they arrived at the scene. As they climbed up the deck, they witnessed a unique sight. The massive gash on the abdomen and chest of their colleague slowly disappeared, giving way to new, healthy-looking skin. Not only were the Japanese sailors astonished by the mesmerizing chanting but also by the miraculous sight they witnessed. Moving closer to their colleague to check his injuries, they touched the parts where the gash was supposed to be, finding no trace of the gash and only their colleague's unscathed skin. One of them quickly grabbed their radio to report back.
"K-K-Kamakura was-! They used-!"
"Give me the radio!"
Taking the radio, the sailor named Kagami, trying to contain his emotions, reported back to his superior. What they just witnessed was an application of healing magic, a common magical spell that varies in effectiveness according to the user's mana or the additional external mana they have on their person. While a common sight to the Qua-Toynians, this exhilarated the Japanese sailors and their superiors, who saw the injured man, Kamakura, get attacked by the sea monster from their ship. As Kagami waited for a response, another RHIB pulled up to the galley, this time carrying men in suits.
Qua-Toyne sideThe Qua-Toynian sailors, who observed the peculiar uniforms of the humans that boarded their ship to retrieve their comrade, were hushing amongst themselves.
"Their outfit... They're all wearing the same outfit..."
"They really are just humans... How the hell do the humans build such massive ships?"
"So that's just their language... I really did think it was a chant but... I still can't lay a finger on where I heard it..."
As they wondered why one of the human sailors talked to a small, black box on his soldier, the Qua-Toynian soldiers then saw that more men were climbing up to their ship. While it did make them tense, the lack of hostility shown by the human sailors, as well as their reaction to them using magic, made them think that they weren't much of a threat. In a world where magic is the foundation of power, which the Qua-Toynians believed in, they saw the non-magic using Japanese as inferior.
As the new humans climbed aboard, the Qua-Toynian sailors noticed that the men wore a different attire from the sailors. The black clothing was much more pleasant to look at and the cleanliness gave a calming feeling. Captain Midori, however, sensed a different aura from the men that had climbed up. Walking towards the front of his men, he puffed his chest up, knowing that these suited men were likely high-ranking personnel of the other side. He then spoke to the suited men in the common language.
"We are only doing our job as sailors in saving helpless lives from the jaws of monsters out here in the ocean. From one naval officer to another, I believe you understand that you are currently aboard my vessel, so I'm asking you to please return back to your ships unless you have something to tell me."
Japanese side"Yeah... They are definitely speaking a different language from us."
One of the diplomats whispered to the diplomat in front, Kuribayashi Jizaburo, who was looking at the otherworldly captain (presumably) with seemingly hostile, unrelenting eyes. Expecting this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after learning that Fenn spoke an older version of Japanese, had some introductory lines in the new world's common language prepared, courtesy of the diplomatic delegation they had sent to Fenn. Kuribayashi then took out a piece of paper and read out the common transliterated language in introducing themselves.
"Greetings. I am Kuribayashi Jizaburo and I represent the state of Japan. We would like to request a diplomatic meeting with your country to facilitate the construction of a diplomatic relationship between our two countries. The Japanese government would also like to apologize for our aircraft trespassing into your country's airspace."
Qua-Toyne sideCaptain Midori only got more questions than answers from the statement of the man calling himself Kuribayashi. The state of Japan? He has never heard of such a country, but a country that can build such massive ships and urbanized islands is undoubtedly a powerful country. Moreover, how did they miss such a country before? In all the times he passed through the seas between the Rodenius continent and the islands of Fenn and Gahara, he never once encountered such a country. The cherry on top of the cake was that they claimed responsibility for the unknown flying object that flew over Myhark. They even apologized for it! The only two things that he took from his statement were that these people from Japan didn't know how to speak common and that they were asking for a diplomatic meeting with Qua-Toyne. Inferring from their politeness and fish-out-of-water attitude, he concluded that they were not Lourian or Parpaldian allies at the very least. Nodding in affirmation to Kuribayashi, he turned to his men.
"Alright! We got ourselves a diplomatic delegation from another country! Get on the manacomms and inform Myhark Naval Garrison!"
High Council Meeting Chamber, Principality of Qua-Toyne, 10:30"What the hell are these massive ships?! Could the captain be miscalculating their size?!"
"We can't know for sure until we get a reply! If anything, the prospect of some urbanized islands with massive ships close to our borders is a terrifying thought!"
"If they're not the Lourians, could they be in league with them?! Maybe the Parpaldians?! They do have some iron ships in their service!"
With the meeting between the High Council members devolving into disagreements, Senior Advisor Kanata could only lament as he looked at the face of Princess Llanfair, who seemed as if she was ready to explode in anger. Building up the courage to try and diffuse the intense atmosphere for the ninth time, someone ran in from the entrance of the meeting chamber.
"Your Highness! Your excellencies! A new message from the Myhark Naval Garrison!"
Hearing this, the council members immediately silenced themselves and turned to the messenger waiting for Princess Llanfair to allow him to speak.
"Tell us the message."
Hearing his cue, the messenger took out a parchment and read it aloud.
"Captain Midori from the 2nd Fleet has spoken to a diplomatic representative from the island with the massive ships, which he mentioned was a country called Japan. The diplomatic representative has asked for a diplomatic meeting with us, the Principality of Qua-Toyne, and has extended their government's apology for their 'aircraft' passing over our country."
The council members were all stunned. The island country that had massive ships and urbanized towns also had flying objects that outmaneuvered their own wyverns. While it was indeed worrying to have such a powerful country next to their own, that same powerful country was asking for a diplomatic meeting with them. In a world where the weak are smitten by the strong, their behavior baffled the council members. Moreover, they apologized for sending their flying object over Myhark. Unable to come up with any replies, the council members looked to their princess, who was deep in thought. Tales of massive ships and flying objects reminded her of the emissaries of old and the towering buildings on the islands were reminiscent of the ruins the emissaries left behind in the Kingdom of Quila. Reasoning with herself that if this state of Japan were indeed hostile, they would not have asked for a meeting in the first place, let alone prevent their baffling weapons from laying waste to Qua-Toynian cities and ships. Acknowledging that her reply will seal Qua-Toyne's fate, she finally breaks the silence.
"Tell them: Come."