The docks at Pritz Harbor.
The Glory had already been towed into port.
Perhaps because Vice Admiral Dusk belonged to the Giant pathway, his flagship was noticeably larger than an ordinary pirate ship. Visually, at least, it was a size larger than both the Golden Dream and the Future, and much more rugged.
But compared with the steel behemoth moored beside it, the Glory looked exceptionally flimsy and tiny.
That ship was an ironclad covered in thick armor, with a hull over a hundred meters long and cannons, machine guns, and torpedo launchers mounted all over it.
This was the Pritz, which the Kingdom had launched not long ago.
By Earth's standards, its dimensions were already approaching those of a battleship. In this era, it was an undisputed behemoth.
But in reality, this ironclad, brought out to make an impressive showing, had not participated in the operation at all.
After all, the mission had been to investigate Beyonder phenomena in an anomalous stretch of sea. The Pritz was merely a conventional warship with big guns, and its enormous hull was ill-suited to the operation.
Still... the public and the reporters did not know that.
When the Pritz had first been launched, the authorities had publicized it everywhere, even declaring that "the age of pirates is over for good." His Majesty the King and a host of nobles had personally attended its launching ceremony, and the King himself had named it. It had enjoyed every possible honor.
And the result? All this time after its launch, apart from occasionally heading out to sea to flex its muscles, it had no noteworthy achievements to show.
As luck would have it, Vice Admiral Dusk had been killed this time. After discussing it, the navy's senior officers simply swallowed their shame and credited the