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——

San Diego, California

Kaios hummed in pleasant surprise as he noticed the chilly air inside. Thinking about the Tear-based ventilation systems in Esthirant, he wondered how the Americans’ so-called ‘air-conditioning’ worked. For a nation that claimed to have no magic at all, they were certainly able to replicate effects created by magic. Was this truly the potential of science?

Raita led him to an elevator, where one of the hotel staff showed them how to operate it. The machine was simple: all they needed to do was press a button to reach the floor they desired. Kaios immediately thought of the towering spires in Esthirant; this ‘elevator’ would’ve been quite the innovative and desirable tool for such tall buildings. The numbers on the buttons were alien to him, but bore an interesting resemblance — one that he could not identify. He looked toward Raita, who was learning the Americans’ numerical system.

After a couple minutes, Raita seemed satisfied with her knowledge and, comparing the buttons to a slip on her hand, pressed the corresponding floor number where their unit was located. With a soft jolt, the elevator rose upward, accelerating and then calmly slowing down as it reached its destination. 

“Oh dear,” Kaios said, his knuckles white from holding the rails. “That felt… peculiar.” He immediately let go, slightly embarrassed that he had overreacted to something that Raita seemed unfazed by. 

“Hmm?” Raita asked. 

“It was of no concern,” Kaios dismissively said. They walked out of the elevator together. “So, Raita. Where is the room?”

“It is just around this corner,” She said as she walked up to a door, keycard in hand. With a soft beep, the door unlocked and she opened it, walking into an even cooler environment than that of the hallway. 

The temperature of the air surprised Kaios; although he was familiar with the technology itself, he didn’t realize how cold the Americans could make the air. Parpaldian cooling technology was erratic, limited to the purity of the magic gems that powered their Tear systems. Although mages themselves could cool an entire room to such drastic levels, they could only maintain this magic for minutes. Kaios finally began to understand just how advanced these ‘barbarians’ were. 

He looked around the room, somewhat unimpressed by the small size, but simultaneously intrigued by the design and amenities available. Although small, the room held a certain elegance to it. Then, something caught his eye. “Ah… Raita?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Is there only one bed?”

“Yes. They had no other options available,” Raita said with a mischievous smile. 

Kaios blushed. “Very well…”

While Raita unpacked the luggages, Kaios inspected the room. The beds were satisfactory, even better than the best beds that nobles in Esthirant could buy. The restroom contained several alien items, but he recognized lotions and toothbrushes. After studying the objects and the picture cards associated with their uses, he moved on to the bathtub. 

Eyeing the hose-like appendage above with great curiosity, he turned the knob. The faucet below ran with water, and expectedly began filling the bathtub. “Hmm, not much difference there,” Kaios said to himself. He then pulled a pin on the faucet itself, and was surprised as his head was drenched with cold water. “Oh!” He recoiled backward in surprise. 

Raita came rushing in. “Sir Kaios, are you alright?”

“Yes, Raita.” He grabbed a white towel and dried his head. “I could see the potential of this device with respect to hygiene. Their plumbing must be extraordinary if every household is equipped with something like this…”

Compared to Parpaldian plumbing, of which only Esthirant and a few other major cities had installed, American plumbing seemed to be much more developed. Even the water system in Esthirant was still unable to heat water before coming out of the faucet. There were a few savvy innovators who had come up with a heating system that employs red magic gems, but none have been able to market it. With an uncomfortable feeling creeping up in his mind, he reasoned it away, convincing himself that these amenities were likely restricted to wealthy establishments such as this hotel. Still, what if he was wrong?

He exited the restroom and walked back into the main room, where he took interest in a black mirror on the wall. “What a peculiar mirror,” he said. “Strange how the one in the restroom is a normal mirror, but this one is incredibly dark.”

Raita looked back as she sorted clothes on the bed. “If I recall correctly, that is not a mirror. These seem similar to the screens from the dome building: they display moving images.” She scanned the screen’s surroundings, eventually finding a remote. “I don’t quite remember how to use this device; the man only explained it slightly.” She pointed to the power button. “I do know that this button is used to turn on the device, and the arrows are used to navigate through the different ‘channels’ as he called them. Here, try it out.”

The screen sparked to life as he pressed the red button, immediately displaying a menu. He toyed around with the arrows for a few seconds before achieving a grasp of how the device worked. Intuitively, he figured that the central, circular button allowed him to select items on the screen, and he clicked on a random channel: ABC News. 

The screen demonstrated an abrupt shift as the image transformed from the menu to a scene from Qua Toyne almost instantly. Kaios recalled his time in the Holy Milishial Empire, noticing that the American newscaster was similar to the Milishial newscasters. As the man discussed economic policies and industrialization, Kaios tuned out, wondering if the United States could even surpass the Holy Milishial Empire in terms of technology. 

Throughout the Central Continents, Milishial magic screens are heralded as the near-pinnacle of technology. Displaying moving images in color and with great fluidity, they easily outshone the black and white screens of the few other nations that were advanced enough to even conceive of such a device. Although relatively bulky, magic viewers allowed for the real-time transfer of visual data across vast distances, even surpassing the capabilities of the Agarthan mages. The screen before him, however, was almost entirely flat, like a mirror. The resolution was also clearly superior, with colors also being more vibrant. 

Raita, noticing Kaios gawking at the screen, chimed in, “Sir Kaios?”

“Oh,” he snapped out of his trance. Sighing, he lamented on the superiority of American magic viewers. “Operated by magic or not, these devices clearly dwarf those from even the Holy Milishial Empire. That airshow we saw in Esthirant was an informative first impression — a warning to not provoke them. But with this,” he gestured around the room and the skyscrapers outside the window, “It is evident that they have a greater industrial capacity than we do. I used to think that we could overwhelm their fleets, but now, it dawns on me that this would be impossible. I just hope Miss Remille doesn’t antagonize them.”

——

Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire

“I trust that the transactions are buried?” A feminine voice asked, the silhouette of her figure accentuated by the lights in the background. 

“Yes, Miss Remille. None of these items can be traced back to you, or the Imperial Family,” a man said, bowing deeply. 

“Good,” Remille said. “When can I expect the ‘pirates’ to begin?”

“They shall set their sights on Amanoki by tomorrow’s eve, Miss Remille. It won’t be long before the Fennese come crawling back to use in exchange for protection.”

A sinister giddiness flowed through Remille as she excitedly awaited the fruits of her endeavors. “And for their prior insolence… Please direct the ‘pirates’ to cause as much havoc as possible as they plunder the city. I also heard that the Americans gifted the Sword King with several products from their homeland. Find these if possible, and bring them back for analysis.”

“It will be done, Miss Remille.”

——

Amanoki, Kingdom of Fenn

After the demonstrations from the Parpaldians and the Americans, word of the Military Festival spread throughout the ‘barbarian’ regions. Because the witnesses were all high-ranking officers and other trusted personnel, the events were taken seriously. As the festival waned over the days and its participants wrapped up, Fenn saw a significant influx of diplomatic personnel, all of them looking for ways to come into contact with the United States of America. 

They were told to wait for the next scheduled arrival — a science vessel called the USS Intrepid and her escorts. As the vessel docked along the shores of Amanoki, they were immediately swarmed by diplomats from numerous nations, all of them brimming with anticipation that had been cultivating for days. After a couple hours, the storm settled down and the diplomats agreed to wait for another ship, which would come in a week to help sort everything out. 

The Intrepid pulled away from the docks after loading up on supplies, but halted, much to the curiosity of the Fennese onlookers. In the distance, dozens of newcomers appeared flying black flags. They surrounded the cove in such numbers that escape was impossible.

——

USS Barry

“Captain, we have about thirty unidentified ships surrounding us. I thought Fenn wasn’t at war with anybody?” Master Chief Barnes wondered. 

Captain Winslow frowned as he analyzed the radar. “Now, just where the hell did these guys appear from?”

A radar technician replied, “Sir, magnetic storms and inclement weather are prevalent around here. They must have slipped past.”

“Hmm…Kovich, open a channel to the Intrepid. They’re still around the docks; have them check in with the Fennese, if they’re expecting any visitors.”

“On it, sir.”

While they awaited the Intrepid’s response, the unknown fleet sailed inward, closing in on their position. Fearing an incident, Winslow contacted his superiors. Knowing just as much as he does, they left the situation to his discretion and emphasized the safety of the Intrepid. As the ships edged closer, Winslow felt more and more apprehensive. His anxiety reached a summit once he noticed the flags of the ships. 

“Say, black flags… Are they pirates?”

“It would appear so, Captain,” Barnes said. 

Winslow scratched the back of his head, thinking about his next course of action. “No response yet from the Intrepid?”

Kovich replied, “No, sir. They’re still en route to the shore. They were kinda far.”

“Damnit.” Winslow clenched his fist. Taking a deep breath, he weighed his options. Trying to make a run for it could potentially put the lightly-armored Intrepid at risk, especially considering that the potential hostiles were armed with cannons. However, they were slow enough that if he could break through one end of the blockade, the Intrepid might be able to slip past and flee. Of course, if push came to shove, he could simply wipe out all the ships, but he also did not want to accidentally cause a diplomatic incident. 

Coming to a decision, Winslow ordered his ship forward, to issue a warning. Maintaining a distance of four kilometers, he made sure that the ships of the line were out of combat range. “We should probably bring one of those mana comms next time, huh? Anyway…” Winslow turned his attention to the blockade. “Unidentified vessels, you are interrupting the maritime activities of the United States Navy! Form an opening so that our ships may pass through!”

Winslow watched the ships ahead begin to turn. He breathed a sigh of relief, which then became stuck in his throat as he realized that the ships weren’t turning to make way — they were turning to open fire! Smoke erupted from the sides of the ship as cannonballs fell short of their target. “Fucking bastards… All hands, prepare for combat! Have the Intrepid form up alongside the Benfold. Sink all ships ahead of us, but hold off on the missiles.”

The Mark 45 gun on the Barry’s bow turned to face the lead ship of the line and then fired. The shell pierced through the wood and iron plating of the pirate ship, coming into contact with their ammunition stores and igniting it. With an incredible explosion, the lead pirate ship was turned into confetti, showering wood and other debris onto its comrades. The Barry pulled back as it fired, ensuring that no counterattacks could reach it, but Winslow realized that they were running out of water; they were being backed up into the shoreline and the rest of the blockade was currently closing in on their position. 

On the open ocean, this wouldn’t be a problem. With the agility and range of the Arleigh-Burke class, they could fight until ammunition ran dry. However, they now had little room to work with; they could easily pulverize all thirty ships, but not before one of them was able to get close enough to fire upon the Intrepid. Seeing no other alternatives, Winslow authorized the use of missiles. 

While the Mark 45 guns annihilated the nearby ships, scores of missiles soared overhead, engulfing the destroyers in smoke. Ten missiles headed for the reinforcing pirate ships, which had already blown past dozens of Fennese merchant, fishing, and patrol ships. 

The survivors of these downed boats witnessed vengeance as what seemed like meteors came crashing down upon the pirates, annihilating their ships with fiery doom. The power of the detonations were so severe that not even the hull could be recognized; the aftermath consisted only of driftwood and burning debris. Those who had been to the Military Festival immediately saw the connection between the American ships and the destructive power that befell upon the pirates. They were satisfied with the retribution that punished the pirates, but were also terrified with the power wielded by the Americans. 

To wipe out ships of the line so easily, just how powerful were they?

——

Esthirant, Parpaldian Empire

Remille held her head as she wondered the same question. If it had been a simple report, she might not have believed it, perhaps even reasoning that the scum pirates simply made off with their gifted ships. However, she watched the entire scene unfold via her crystal viewer. The ‘pirates’ that she hired to strike Fenn had, by a stroke of poor luck, come into contact with an American military vessel. They were then undoubtedly annihilated by a small escort of only two ships. 

Thankfully, she ensured that the pirates couldn’t be traced back to her or the Imperial Family. Anyone with a brain however, could likely determine the source of this heavily armed fleet, which appeared out of nowhere and boasted technology that only a nation like Parpaldia could produce. She hoped the Americans would be too ignorant of this world and simply assume that they were actually pirates without looking into the matter. 

Regardless, the entire mission was a catastrophe. Due to the heroic actions of the Americans (despite their aid to the Fennese being unintentional), her plan likely ended up pushing the barbarians further into the American sphere of influence. To make matters worse, she saw no possible plan to take against the Americans. If two of their smaller combat ships could do this to a fleet that was strong enough to take out an entire country, then what is their entire navy capable of?

The minutes dragged on, turning into hours as she held onto her thoughts. Eventually, she experienced a moment of realization: Parpaldia cannot challenge the United States directly. If anything, now is the time to act. To prevent the barbarian realm from falling into the hands of the United States, she resolved to subjugate as many barbarian countries as quickly as possible, although with great caution. She didn’t want the same mistakes as Louria — she didn’t want to accidentally declare war against a country that the Americans already had a defensive treaty with. 

With this in mind, Remille marked Parpaldia’s next target: the Kingdom of Altaras.