Volume 4 Chapter 11 Diplomacy
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The order to board had been given informally, so we did not need to gather at Naval Headquarters as a group. On the day of departure, I went to HQ with Pamela and Katarina to pick up our supplies, including our uniforms.
The reception area was empty, probably because we were late, but the pier was full of people rushing to load cargo.
””Professors.””
A high-pitched voice called out from behind me. If that “Professors” was aimed at me, those were the last people I wanted to see. I kept walking, refusing to turn around, but Katarina reacted.
”Oh, isn’t that Janet and Claudia?” Katarina asked, her tone light and curious.
Of course it was. Janet was Gauer, a research student at the Academy. She was a gossip—the kind of unpleasant person who had pressed me about my relationship with Professor Lizabel the very first time we met in the classroom. Claudia was the stout student who had “accidentally” operated and broken that fixed-wing drone (a small flying machine without a pilot)1. That little stunt cost me thirty million Yen.
”Larry-sensei,” Janet called out, her voice sharp and insistent.
I had meant to ignore them, but someone grabbed my arm.
”Ah, Janet-kun. It’s been a while,” I replied, my voice sounding very forced.
The gossipy former student of mine gave Katarina a quick look before curling her lips into a nasty smile.
”I heard about it, you know. You and the Assistant Professor, doing it in the workplace. You really are something else,” Janet sneered.
”Assistant Professor” meant Katarina; the rumors were spreading like fire. But what exactly was I “something else” for? Behind her, Claudia was giggling—though, strangely, there was something different about her way.
”Impressive, isn’t it? You have a good eye, Sensei. Claudia’s become quite the beauty, hasn’t she?” Janet added with a wink.
Is “impressive” her favorite word or something?
Anyway, I’d stared at Claudia for just a second, and she’d noticed. She really had grown into a beauty.
”Did you find a man or something?” I asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
”Larry-sensei, you’ve always been young, but you’ve always had that faint smell of a middle-aged man about you,” Claudia remarked, her voice dripping with playful dislike.
What is this “middle-aged man smell” nonsense?
”Well, it’s half true. But it sounds like they broke up. If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t be boarding the “Izumo” at all,” Janet stated, sounding pleased with herself.
””Orders to board the “Izumo” have been issued?”” I asked, surprised.
The words “boarding orders” and “the ‘Izumo’” felt a little off.
”It’s a real shame, isn’t it? Neither of us is in the Torpedo Division,” Janet sighed.
Neither of us?
Does that mean Janet is boarding too, not just Claudia?
”You really don’t know? I’m on the destroyer Mutsuki, and Claudia is on the Kisaragi. We both went all the way to Cain in the Fee Grand Principality,” Janet explained.
”Come to think of it, weren’t you in charge of the boilers?” I recalled.
”Boilers? I was in charge of the propulsion systems. That’s why I’m assigned to the Engineering Division here, too. I think Tura wanted to board, but since Rosa isn’t around, the Navy thinks she’s too important for building the next ship. So, I volunteered instead,” Janet clarified.
Wait, you’re telling me it’s not a forced assignment? It’s volunteer-based?
”I was thinking that, if I got lucky, I might just eat you up, Larry-sensei—but with Katarina-sensei around, it sounds like a lot of work. Tell me, how about it? Claudia is young; she might even give the Assistant Professor a run for her money,” Janet teased, looking at me with hungry interest.
I don’t need a matchmaker. But Janet loves gossip; maybe she has information on other people.
”Are there any other students or teachers from the Academy boarding the “Izumo”?” I tried asking casually.
”Assistant Professor Tatyana, from the Dean’s office. She’s been made the leader of the Artillery Squad. Oh, and you probably don’t know this, Professors, but there’s one student from the Dean’s office in the Flight Squad, too,” Janet revealed.
I looked at Katarina after hearing that, but she just shook her head. Assistant Professor Tatyana was someone who had fought alongside me during the 53rd Defense Battle; if she was in charge of the Artillery Squad, I could leave it to her with peace of mind.
”Also, not from the Academy, but it seems there’s one of my underclassmen here, too. Though I don’t know who she is,” Janet added.
”An underclassman? From where?” I pressed.
”Bizan Magic School. You were there for a little while too, right, Professors?” Janet answered.
That’s a nostalgic school name.
”If Janet doesn’t know, could she be someone from my time?” I muttered to myself.
Janet is twenty-four this year, and I’m sixteen. It’s very unlikely she’d be from my group.
”I don’t know. Well, we’ll find out in two days,” Janet concluded.
That was true enough. We parted ways with the two of them. I hadn’t expected Claudia to have grown that attractive. Before, she was just an unsettled little rich girl who made me want to grab my head in frustration, but it was the first time I realized just how much a woman could change.
”An o-nushi is planning to lay your hands on that girl as well?” Pamela asked, her tone stern.
”There’s no way I’d do that. I’m already at my limit, you know,” I defended myself, feeling flustered.
”Which mouth is saying that? What is this?” Pamela remarked, pointing a finger at Katarina.
Pamela pointed a finger at Katarina, presenting her proof. Katarina herself looked away, clearly uncomfortable.
If I get into anything more, I won’t be able to turn my neck back. Even if a woman invites me, I absolutely will not! I won’t! …Maybe just a little.
I’m weak when I’m tempted. It’s because I’m honest—or maybe just simple-minded.
After leaving the pier, we went our separate ways to rest. That evening, the crew gathered aboard the Izumo for a small send-off—one final night on shore before the voyage began.
—
Summary:
Larry prepares to board the Izumo with Pamela and Katarina, encountering former students Janet and Claudia at the pier. Janet reveals gossip about Larry’s personal life and explains that many are volunteering for the mission, including familiar faces from the Academy and Bizan Magic School. The conversation ends with Larry feeling flustered by his companions and unsettled by the manipulative and transactional nature of the relationships surrounding him as the departure date nears.
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Trivia:
- Janet and Claudia boarded the destroyer Mutsuki and Kisaragi respectively.
- The Izumo mission is volunteer-based, not a forced deployment.
- Assistant Professor Tatyana is the leader of the Artillery Squad.
- The term “middle-aged man odor” is used by Claudia to tease Larry about his perceived maturity.
- Larry reflects on the possibility of being replaced by Rosa if the major powers reach a pact.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Katarina – A 30-year-old former Chief Researcher and drone expert, this tall, stunning squad leader has long, slender limbs and an assertive personality. Once the protagonist’s intimate subordinate who still spends nights clinging to him, she now serves as Earnest’s telepathic attendant after being expelled by Pauman. Despite an explosion-triggered instability, she recently decided to marry her partner, Larry.
• Pamela – A sharp, cynical female slave acting as a ship’s Medical Mage in a Corporal’s uniform. Sharing a bed with the protagonist Larry, she playfully teases him about his looks and finances while monitoring his interactions with other women. Bold and mocking, this medical officer has a habit of rendering patients unconscious by draining their mana during treatment.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Claudia – A former Academy Engine Department student and Royal Capital researcher, this student of Camillo has grown from a chubby youth into a beauty. Noted for being less than stable, they now teach boiler maintenance on the ship Kisaragi. Along with Janet, they struggle to cope with the ship’s environment, and they once questioned the protagonist about his wives.
• Janet – A 22-year-old former Bizan Magic School research student and pupil of Camillo, this unstable woman is assigned to the destroyer Mutsuki. She teaches the crew engine maintenance and has a strong command of communication, often gossiping and prying into the protagonist’s life. Currently, she struggles with severe seasickness and expresses a strong desire to leave the ship.
• Lizabel – Lizabel (Liza), a dignified, flirtatious Academy professor in her late thirties with a striking physique, researches at the Simple Magic Investigation Department. Lysan’s sister, Doris’s mother, and Josef von Möller’s side wife, her scandalous private life causes the protagonist discomfort. She lives next door to investigate the protagonist, who previously escaped her household.
• Liza – Lizabel is a dignified, flirtatious Academy professor in her late thirties with a striking physique and scandalous private life. Also known as Liza, her name causes discomfort for the protagonist during a comedy performance. The sister of Lysan, mother of Doris, and side wife to Josef von Möller, she lives next door to investigate the protagonist, who previously escaped her household.
• Larry – Sammy I (Larry-sama) is a 16-year-old bald, dark-haired Grand Duke, Second Lieutenant, and Engine Department Head nursing a broken rib. Reincarnated from a professor across multiple lifetimes, this serious, flustered naval officer uses tech, mana, and telepathy to design ships and dynamite. Frequently underestimated, he maintains heavy influence through his four wives and children.
• Principal – The mother of Line and the administrative head of the institution. She exercises authoritative control over research assignments and seeks to trade Larry for Ilse Klein due to interpersonal conflicts in her laboratories. The mother of Sabrina and Rhein who intervenes during Rhein’s violent corridor assault to break up the confrontation.
• Cain – A remote town and former Marque stronghold, enemy hub, and mapping center, this location is now a crucial Grand Principality base linked to a fleet. Centered around Grand Duke Thiele’s estate, it hosts the Duke, his loyal Minister of State (a revered former guard commander), and the traveling Village Head of Trabius amid intense political negotiations, making it a target for Thomas’s weapon-seeking forces.
• Fee – Larry Fee Getys is a 15-year-old reincarnated youth and titular Duke. Pragmatic and telepathic, this sharp-eyed young man leads the Getys household and rules Strock Village alongside Hans, Iffens, Teressa, and their maid Nico. While building a new nation, he enjoys prime whale meat and maintains crucial connections to Adolf and various underground networks.
• Rosa – A 14-year-old, square-built Sabaski shipyard professor of noble half-Dwarf descent, this cynical genius has immense mana and psychopathic tendencies. A wealthy Kure associate and drone pilot, she profited from the protagonist’s blueprints to design the ship’s piping and Bohemian glass propulsion before being kidnapped by the Amazoness, deemed a state danger, and targeted for assassination.
• Tura – An emotional Elf Mage over 20 with a child’s appearance, this Military Academy professor from a Kure mining family designs advanced technology. A former student of Camillo with a decent personality, she missed meeting the protagonist due to being busy. Serving under Alan with Rosa, she assists Earnest and Katarina with drones, engineering ships despite heavy past sacrifices.
• Tatyana – A playful yet composed 31-year-old human female, Royal Magic Academy Assistant Professor, and divorced mother of two from Viscount Bizan. Intimately involved with Katarina, this protagonist’s associate synchronizes with Golems in combat and guides students. She respects veteran grannies and links with a former 101 Golems Battalion member leading the Artillery Squad.
• Dean – A professor whose office serves as a central hub for academic administration.
• Al – Alberto (Al), a massive red‑haired man recently wed to Mary, lives near the Dish Basin. He’s a companion of Hans, helping intimidate and rally elders as a villager and leader.
• Bizan – The Viscount of the Bizan family name is the lord of a territory associated with a popular local fabric shop. He owns a castle built within the Danube River.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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