"Here."
Tirpitz fired a signal flare, guiding the escort fleet’s approach.
Far in the distance, Bismarck could be seen waving.
"Sister? What brings you here?"
"Ahem... I just thought something might happen, that’s all."
"Haa...! Why do I have to come out to greet that idiot!"
Hipper grumbled as she walked over.
"Hee~ Who was it that kept whining about how lonely they were without the Commander~?"
Eugen teased Hipper with a smirk.
"Y-you! Shut up!"
Hipper’s face turned red as she chased after Eugen.
Then, all of a sudden—
Beep— beep—
An ominous chime stabbed at their ears.
"This is...! It’s the Commander’s distress signal!"
Tirpitz hurriedly turned toward the direction of the Commander’s ship.
"What?!"
Hipper stopped chasing Eugen and snapped back at Tirpitz’s words.
"Head to the Commander’s location immediately!"
Under Bismarck’s command, the Iron Blood fleet surged forward at full speed toward the Commander’s ship.
When they arrived, a horrifying scene lay before them.
The destroyer girls who had come as the escort fleet were strewn about, and the door to the Commander’s bridge had been smashed in.
"Damn it..! Damn it..!"
Tirpitz wailed at the fact that the Commander was gone, pounding the deck again and again.
"These girls! They’re still breathing!"
The destroyer Ayanami trembled as she forced herself upright.
"Ugh... what happened...?"
"We are Iron Blood’s escort fleet. Can you tell us what happened?"
Bismarck asked Ayanami calmly.
She looked composed on the outside, but in truth, she was the most shaken of all.
As proof, Bismarck’s hand was trembling uncontrollably.
"...The light cruisers who were accompanying us took advantage of the moment when Tirpitz disappeared and subdued us..."
At Ayanami’s words, Bismarck grew even more agitated and asked,
"D-did you get any idea who did this?"
".....Sorry. I don’t really know. All I saw was that they were wearing fox masks and shrine maiden outfits..."
"I’m sorry... I’m sorry.... Sister... If only I’d paid a little more attention..."
Hipper and Eugen were still searching the ship, convinced the Commander might be hiding somewhere aboard.
"You idiot! Come out already, this isn’t funny!"
"Commander! If you’re here, answer me!"
Bismarck and Tirpitz entered the bridge and examined the scene of the crime.
The flung-open door had shattered the command chain, and the whole place was a mess.
Then—
"This is..."
Tirpitz spotted something on the floor.
"It’s the Commander’s gun..."
It used .50 caliber rounds, so it had a distinctive shape that made it easy to remember at a glance.
"If the Commander’s gun is lying here, then it’s clear he resisted whoever attacked him. It was probably those fox-mask bastards."
"Then who in the world was it?"
"Obvious, isn’t it..."
Bismarck pulled her hat down low.
"It was Azur Lane... That much is certain."
Hipper and Eugen finished searching the ship and came into the bridge.
But when they saw the grim look in Bismarck’s eyes, they could only freeze in place.
"....Tirpitz. Let’s return to headquarters first. We’ll continue the search after that."
...
Ugh....
Where am I...?
My head was resting on something soft, and the air was full of a pleasant scent.
Just a little... longer... I can sleep a little more...
I let go of the consciousness I’d just started to regain and tried to drift back to sleep.
Wait, but I don’t remember lying down in a bed?
That thought jolted me fully awake.
"Oh my, are you awake?"
In front of me was Belfast’s smiling face.
"Is this a dream?"
"No, this is reality."
"Ahh... Master... I’m so happy and yet I can hardly believe we can be together that I just...!"
Dido said, taking my hand.
"You may lie down a little longer. My proud master. You must have been exhausted and worn out after being held captive by Iron Blood. If... if you would like, I would be truly delighted if you used my lap, I, Sirius..."
I was terrified beyond words.
How did they even know I was here?
And if I said even one wrong thing, there was this crushing sense that I might get beaten badly.
Once those facts sank into my head, my heart started pounding.
But whether she understood my situation or not, Belfast placed a hand over my chest and said,
"Ahh... Master. It’s been so long since I’ve felt your heartbeat this close... Heh, I, Belfast, am deeply honored to have once again been granted the privilege of seeing you in your sleep."
Belfast wore an ecstatic expression.
"B-but, Master? Why are you sweating so much? Could it be... those vile Iron Blood women made you skip a meal?!"
Dido said, wiping the sweat from my face.
"Ahh..! What do we do..! Look at all this sweat.... Master, I’ll go prepare a special meal with the head maid right away, so please wait a moment..!"
"Head maid... the Commander surely couldn’t have eaten properly in Iron Blood... I think it would be best if we quickly made something delicious for him."
"Yes, I agree. Sirius, please take good care of our master. We’ll go prepare his meal."
Belfast carefully lifted me from her lap and moved me onto Sirius’s.
I could feel Sirius’s hand gently stroking my cheek.
"Heh... my glorious master... It’s all right. Everything will be all right now."
"....Sirius."
"Yes, my proud master...! You’re finally calling my name... I’ve missed your voice so terribly...?"
Seeing Sirius so overjoyed just because I’d said her name once, I couldn’t bring myself to say what I’d been about to say next.
"Now then, Master. The beef stew you like so much is ready."
"W-we really put our hearts into it since it’s been so long! I’m sure you’ll love it, Master!"
Belfast scooped up a piece of meat with a spoon and brought it to my mouth.
"Come now, Master... ahh~"
I decided to obediently do as these girls said, for now.
Resisting terrorists or kidnappers while you’re being held captive is madness.
Unless you’re some kind of superhero who can take them all down alone, it’s better for your own safety to just do as you’re told.
As soon as I took a bite, everyone cheered as if they were watching a child take their first successful steps.
"Belfast... I can eat on my own..."
"Master, you can call me ‘Bel’ like before if you’d like..."
"...Bel, I’ll eat by myself."
"Heh, by all means."
The three of them watched me eat with obvious delight.
I mechanically finished the food, not even sure whether it was going down my throat or my nose.
Seeing how happy they were over every little thing, a question suddenly rose in my mind.
Didn’t they cast me out? Then why were they acting so attached to me now?
I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and asked directly.
"You girls threw me away before, so why are you acting nice to me now?"
...
Bismarck burst into the office, flinging the door open.
"Request reinforcements from every allied faction immediately."
At Bismarck’s grim command, everyone quickly reached for their communications devices.
"I’ll make them pay in blood for stealing something precious from us."
Bismarck said, glaring at the world map.
Once word spread that the Commander had been kidnapped, every ally immediately declared that they would send reinforcements.
In particular, the Sakura Empire decided to dispatch a large fleet including two carrier groups and battleships, while Vichya announced that 90 percent of its forces would go as reinforcements.
"Littorio, what’s got you so cheerful?"
"Haha, things are getting interesting."
Littorio said, twirling a pen.
"What is?"
"It seems the Iron Blood Commander we were planning to go see has been kidnapped by Azur Lane."
"....What?"
Littorio rose from her seat.
"How amusing. Now I really want to see the Commander everyone’s fighting over."
"Littorio... your hobbies really are strange sometimes."
"Hmm? Isn’t chasing after someone else a fresh and interesting experience?"
Littorio rested her chin on her hand.
"I was just about to go meet the Commander myself... So those brazen fools who interrupted that plan should pay for stealing my time. And since Iron Blood is requesting reinforcements, I can honor my ties with Iron Blood and get my personal revenge. Two birds with one stone."
Littorio stood and stretched.
"Then let’s set out."
...
"Your Majesty! We have a major problem!"
Elizabeth, who had been planning operations, looked up at the source of the commotion.
"...What now?"
Warspite knelt on one knee and began her report.
"A massive fleet has gathered in the North Sea! We’ve confirmed not only Iron Blood, but also the Sakura Empire, the Vichya Dominion, and even the Sardegna Empire!"
"....! Im...immediately order all fleets into battle formation!"
Elizabeth stood and handed Warspite the operation plan she had been working on.
"...It’s still unfinished, but the basic outline is complete. Pass this to the staff and have them conduct the battle according to this policy as much as possible. And send requests for reinforcements to the Northern Parliament, the Eagle Union, and Iris Libre."
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
They sent out reinforcement requests to the three factions at once, but only Iris Libre replied.
Iris Libre had no choice but to join, since they had a valid reason to intervene after having protected the Commander when Iron Blood attacked.
But the Northern Parliament and the Eagle Union, the two factions with the greatest military strength, gave no reply despite the urgency of the situation.
Elizabeth went directly to the Northern Parliament.
"You came without an appointment. This must be quite urgent."
Sovetskaya Rossiya said as she slowly took her seat.
"This seat isn’t normally one that can be arranged without a reservation... but since it’s you, we in the Northern Parliament made an exception."
"I’ll get straight to the point. Send reinforcements to us immediately."
Sovetskaya Belorussiya sneered.
"Hmph, is that any way to ask for a favor? I’ve heard the Royal Navy is a nation of gentlemen, but I suppose those were all empty rumors."
Elizabeth clenched her fist.
"....So that’s how you want to play it?"
"We have no justification to get involved. What exactly is your intention in dragging us in and making us spill blood?"
"....Do you really think Iron Blood will stop with just us?"
"If the Royal Navy disappears, who do you think they’ll come for next?"
Elizabeth glared at the two battleships with a menacing aura.
It wasn’t as though Elizabeth had ever been able to rule just by being a reckless, self-indulgent queen.
She had the charisma to command everyone around her.
That was how she had remained queen until now.
Elizabeth stood.
Then, after delivering one final warning, she vanished.
"Think carefully. The saying ‘the lips perish and the teeth grow cold’ may end up referring to you."
""...........""
At words they could not refute, the two battleships froze.
A few hours later, the Royal Navy received word that the Northern Parliament would be joining the war.
"Hmph, so that’s how it was going to be in the end. Why act so tough?"
"Now it’s the Eagle Union’s turn."
But the Eagle Union would not be swayed by the Northern Parliament’s approach.
They had nothing to lose, and even if Iron Blood dragged its allies into a fight against the Union, the Union would not be outmatched unless they kept doing something foolish over and over again.
So Elizabeth sent a document implying that she knew information about the Commander.
A few hours later, the Union sent back its refusal to participate.
Bang!
"Tch, sly bastards."
After reading the document Elizabeth had sent, the Union realized they were ahead of everyone else when it came to information about the Commander.
The Royal Navy only knew that the Commander had betrayed them and was with Iron Blood.
But the Eagle Union had just succeeded in pinpointing the Commander’s location through a submarine that had spotted him while on watch in the Indian Ocean.
The Eagle Union decided to focus on finding the Commander.
If it was the Eagle Union, then as long as they sincerely begged the Commander for forgiveness, they would surely be forgiven.
After all—
[Result of the vote to impeach the Commander]
In favor: 10
-Queen Elizabeth
-Warspite
-King George V
-Prince of Wales
-Duke of York
-Sovetsky Soyuz
-Sovetskaya Rossiya
-Sovetskaya Belorussiya
-Richelieu
-Jeanne d’Arc
Against: 1
-Enterprise
Abstained: 5
-New Jersey
-North Carolina
-Essex
-Shangri-La
-Saratoga
Not a single ship from the Eagle Union had voted in favor.
That alone would give them the upper hand when they tried to persuade the Commander later.
The Eagle Union quietly and discreetly dispatched a reconnaissance team to an island near the Indian Ocean.
But this operation, which they thought was being carried out in secret, was being eavesdropped on by someone.
...
"The Union pinpointed the Commander’s location?"
Bismarck asked Hipper in return.
"Yeah. I thought it might be Azur Lane’s doing, so I hacked into the communication channel and listened in, but it seems only the Union knows about it."
"....In terms of distance, we’re much closer. If we leave right now, we’ll get there first."
"We have to leave immediately. Otherwise, they’ll take the Commander from us."
Bismarck gathered every ship she could mobilize on the spot and formed a special unit.
"Your mission is to rescue the Commander. Use any means necessary. Bring the Commander back no matter what."
They placed a hand over their chests.
Watching them recede into the distance, Bismarck’s strength gave out and she sank to the ground.
"Commander....please... just stay alive..."
For the first time, Bismarck tried to kneel and pray to God.
Then someone grabbed her shoulder from behind.
"If you have time to pray to God, do what you can right now."
Words she was sure she’d heard somewhere before.
Words she had definitely heard from the Commander.
"Zeppelin..."
"If the Commander saw you like this right now, he’d definitely say that."
"...Heh, you’re right."
Bismarck swallowed the tears threatening to spill over and jumped into the sea.
"Thank you, Zeppelin."
"...Let’s go crush that hateful Azur Lane."
"Yeah..."
Side by side, Bismarck and Graf Zeppelin headed for the North Sea.
And so, the two forces moved out to find the Commander.
"You’re asking me why I’m only helping you now?"
I stared at the girls in disbelief.
What the hell was this?
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