The mysterious ships anchored off the coast of the Jagus Principality had maintained their silence all this time, but inside them, a debate was underway.
"They aren't making any moves."
"That just means they aren't stupid."
"Shall we wait a little longer?"
"That wouldn't be very interesting."
"Then what should we do?"
"Why don't we scare those fellows peering down from above a little?"
"Warning shots?"
"Exactly. But make absolutely sure not to hit them."
"That might be amusing."
"Something low-powered should suffice."
With that, one anti-aircraft weapon was activated.
The Hot Air Balloon Squad of the Jagus Principality continued their reconnaissance from above.
"Hm? Something just pointed toward us..."
"Stay sharp."
A moment later, something came flying their way.
"...Is that some kind of short arrow?"
By the time it reached an altitude of fifty meters, its speed had decayed enough for several observers to visually confirm its shape.
"It almost looked like a blowdart, didn't it?"
Indeed, the weapon deployed was an Air Cannon—an application of wind-attribute magic designed to fire dart-like projectiles using compressed air.
Dozens of them shot up in rapid succession.
Drifting on the wind, none struck the hot air balloons.
However, among the ten-craft Hot Air Balloon Squad, there was one soldier whose blood ran a bit too hot.
"That's an attack! We have to retaliate!"
His colleague calmly tried to rein him in.
"Stand down. We haven't taken a direct hit. If you fire back without being struck, you're disobeying orders."
"Guh... Dammit..."
Biting his lip, the soldier countered:
"Then we'll fire a warning shot of our own!"
"Uh, well... I suppose that might be fine... maybe?"
The colleague was unable to firmly object.
"All right, here goes..."
The hot-headed soldier was a proficient user of fire-attribute magic.
"Fire Bullet!"
The fiery sphere plunged into the sea over twenty meters away from the mysterious ships.
On Hourai Island, Reinhard had arrived to join Jin and Saki.
Watching the mysterious ships fire their Air Cannon toward the sky, his eyes went wide.
"Whoa, is that anti-aircraft fire?"
"No, Reinhard-san....It does not appear to be 'fire' in the strict sense. They are launching projectiles with compressed air."
Laojun offered a precise correction.
"I-I see."
"Both sides are now exchanging warning shots... It is a rather precarious situation."
"Why do you say that?"
"Yes, My Lord....Whether carried by the wind or through a misaimed shot, it would hardly be surprising if this instantly escalated into full-scale war."
"So that's how it is..."
"However, our fleet will arrive on the scene momentarily."
"Oh, right."
The four vessels—the battleship Hotaka Kai and the special cruisers Azusa, Yodo, and Katsura—broke through the horizon.
The first to notice the Hourai Island fleet were, surprisingly, the mysterious ships.
"Fleet approaching!"
"What?"
"Four vessels spotted to the northeast."
"What kind of ships are those?"
"All-metal hulls...? But they aren't ours!"
"Could it be... Hourai Island?"
"Do they exist even in this era to stand in our way!?"
The conversation paused for a beat before resuming seconds later.
"Target change!"
"Targeting the four vessels believed to be the Hourai Island fleet!"
The three mysterious ships began to move...
The first to notice the trio of ships underway was, naturally, the Jagus Principality's Hot Air Balloon Squad.
Tracing their heading, the scouts just as naturally spotted the four vessels from Hourai Island.
"Mysterious fleet spotted to the northeast! Count: four ships!"
"Three of them look to be hundred-meter-class. And the last one... is massive! It's more than double the size of the others!"
"...Does that mean it's at least two hundred and fifty meters long!?"
"Just whose fleet is that...?"
Meanwhile, on Hourai Island, Jin was fretting over something rather belated.
"Laojun, what should we do about their nationality and allegiance?"
Reinhard spoke up with an answer.
"For military matters, you've been attributing everything to Deus Ex Machina, right?"
Jin nodded.
"Then I think it's best to say that you're simply hitching a ride on Maquina's fleet, Jin."
Laojun agreed with Reinhard's suggestion.
"My Lord, I believe that would be most prudent. For the time being, it remains best to keep our base here on Hourai Island and its true military capabilities concealed."
"So Reinhard and Laojun are of the same mind..."
It was true that Jin currently maintained far fewer public ties with the outside world than he had four hundred years ago.
He also keenly felt that piling on more secrets would only make future operations more complicated.
At this juncture, Jin figured it would be wise to clearly demonstrate that Deus Ex Machina and the Magi Craft Meister were actively working hand in hand.
With his mind made up, he issued a new command.
"Raise the flags!"