It is taking forever to remove the gangway. Seeing the three rough lads and one lady servant, I consider whether I should destroy it myself.

I summon a fireball, large enough to blast the reliable gangway into smithereens.

When I instinctively turn to my left, the Captain looks as if he sees someone crazy. Turning to my right, everyone is the same.

By now, the fireball I conjured is twice the size of my torso. I throw it away from the port and into the sea, causing a brief rain.

"Whatever," I say as I search for my cabin. I try not to be affected by the stares, as embarrassed as I already am.

At least, I didn't order my men to shoot them down. I console myself knowing that I could have done worse.

After closing the door behind me, I call my men using the transceiver. It is a spherical magical device small enough for my hand to cover it, issued by the military as an experiment to measure its usefulness in the field. Only a few squadrons are lucky enough to be selected for the testing. The selection being hugely dependent on topography, I heard. In this case, it is to determine how reliable the prototype is on the sea.

"How's the situation?"

"Nothing abnormal, Lieutenant," replies one of them. The rest report the same.

"Alright. We have a new mission. Meet me at my cabin ASAP."

"Sir, can't you explain it to us through the transceiver instead?"

I facepalm, irritated at the question. I can't scold my subordinates either because I'm aware that I am slightly acting paranoid. "These devices are still new to us, which is why we can't divulge too much information here. There is a chance that the higher-ups are also listening, assessing how tight-lipped we are when these become standard issue."

"Oh, alright, then!"

"Glad you understand, Pink," I say to the only woman in our unit. Pink is usually very bright, especially in battle. But for some reason, her airheadedness shows when she has not seen blood for too long.

"But why am I called Pink?"

Before I can tell her to shut up, I heard shouts and screams coming from the upper deck.