ON top of a high tower in San Luenne’s royal castle, a guard saw something that made him doubt his eyes. The sun had only just begun its ascent. Underneath the barely lightened sky, two enormous black sailing vessels floated out at sea. They looked to be Federation navy ships.
“What in the world?”
He hadn’t been informed of any ships coming from the Federation. Baffled by the situation, he checked again, this time with a spyglass. What he saw stunned him. Two flags flew off each jet-black ship’s stern. One was the Empire’s griffin raising a sword and the other was the Federation’s with its symbolic lion and eagle duo.
“Two flags?”
As if propelled by an unseen force, the lookout jumped up from his chair and rushed down the stairs with a fierce urgency. He couldn’t very well sound the emergency alarm because of the imperial flag flying. But he had no doubt that this was a highly unusual situation.
Despite the fact that dawn was only just breaking, when the guard reached his destination, he found the chancellor standing there. In his confusion, he didn’t realize how unnatural the marquess’s presence was. It actually relieved him to see their country’s most dependable person there.
“What’s wrong? Why are you running?” he asked.
“Lord Chancellor, two Federation navy ships are heading toward us!”
“And you’re certain of the Federation flag?”
“Yes. I mean, no. There were two flags—imperial and Federation.”
“I see. The Empire’s flag means we can’t be too hasty in our approach. Return to your post, soldier.”
“What? But…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens.”
“Understood, my lord.”
If the chancellor said so, then he needn’t be anxious. Because he basically ran the country. So the guard went back to the tower and once more turned his spyglass in the direction of the black ships.
“What the…?!”
Though no ships sailed out yet from the Kingdom to greet them, the Federation vessels nevertheless lowered small boats one after another into the water. These small boats then advanced single file toward the port of San Luenne.
“They’re going to run aground on the reefs!” he cried.
The network of reefs surrounding this island was incredibly complicated. It wasn’t something foreigners could navigate. Just as he was about to run down to inform the chancellor of this new development, he noticed the movements of the small boat in the lead.
“Huh? It’s avoiding the reefs perfectly?”
That wasn’t the end of it. A second boat followed closely behind the first, continuously dropping things into the water as it traveled.
“Those are…!”
Buoys. Buoys made from circles of lumber tied to heavy chains and stone, painted bright white. They clearly marked the route to be followed, avoiding the reefs. When the second boat ran out of buoys, the one behind it picked up the slack and threw their own supply into the water. And so the pattern continued as the procession steadily made its way through the reefs.
“They’re giving away the safe route!”
The route that was so complicated to travel that it was akin to threading the eye of a needle. That complexity made it the country’s greatest defense. So it was a crime to make the route this clear. San Luenne didn’t have an army. Any attack signaled the end for the nation.
“Chancellor! Lord Chancellor! We have a major problem! The sea route!”
On his way down the stairs, a group of brawny, unfamiliar men blocked the lookout. They quickly tied him up, covered his mouth so he couldn’t speak, and shoved him into a closet by the stairs. The guard had no idea what had just happened to him.
“My lord, it’s done.”
“Good work. Now go hide yourselves until I tell you it’s safe to come out.”
“Yes, sir.”
After instructing his private army, Chancellor Maxim strode in a relaxed manner to the royal palace. He asked a passing maid to wake up the king because important guests from the Empire were en route. She hurried to the residential wing of the palace to do his bidding.
Luennians who lived near the coast started stepping out of their homes, looking out toward the sea.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“I can see an imperial flag on the lead ship. Does that mean they have one of our special pilots guiding them?”
“Hey, look. There are buoys on the route. Whoever he is, he signed his own death warrant.”
“Can our government even execute an imperial, though? All they would have to do is lodge a complaint and that would be the end of it.”
“Now I’m wondering why none of our pilots are out there.”
Spectators streamed outside one after another. By the time the sun rose fully in the sky, around a thousand people stood on the coast watching the line of small boats as it drew closer.
“Hey! Those aren’t imperial soldiers!”
“Aren’t they from the Federation?”
At that, everyone ran back inside their homes. They mistakenly thought that the Federation had come to invade while deceitfully flying the Empire’s flags.
Luca continued giving instructions in the lead boat, just like he had practiced countless times in Federation waters.
“Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, ten o’clock! One, two, three, four, five, twelve o’clock!”
As a child, he had loved riding on ships by his father’s side. The two of them had made the ocean journey between San Luenne and the Empire of Centaur on innumerable occasions because of his father’s business. Sometimes, they returned right back to San Luenne without ever stepping foot in the Empire.
At some point, he had wanted to memorize the complicated route to the port of San Luenne, so he would count the numbers as he rode along. Since record-keeping was strictly forbidden, he learned the numbers just for fun. Which was how he ended up learning the timing of the ship’s rudders as they turned. Next up is two o’clock. Three, four, five, twelve. He had enjoyed playing the guessing game with himself. Eventually he memorized the timing perfectly when his guesses always hit the mark.
Luca had boasted about his trick to Bertine a few times, right around when their engagement was supposed to be formalized. But he never would have guessed she remembered his silly bragging. And he certainly couldn’t have imagined himself being part of a plot to destroy the royal family like this.
Once the plan had been set, he had practiced calling out directions, charting the secret sea route again and again on a Federation ship. With his detailed instructions on the speed of the ships, the Federation ships now cut through the waters at the same speed as San Luenne’s.
Father, I was finally able to avenge you. Are you watching? Memories of his father flicked through his mind. He had to focus on the task at hand. Otherwise the tears would fall. Suppressing the surge of emotion, Luca continued guiding the ships down the route.