Chapter 673: Naming
“Ugh… my head is killing me…”
“My head feels like it’s about to explode…”
“It’s so unpleasant…”
The partic.i.p.ants, who had indulged in lively conversations the previous night, attended the meeting with headaches from their hangovers. This excluded Jin, Reinhardt, and Elsa.
Since the meeting wouldn’t be productive in their current state, Elsa, in a show of empathy, opted to cast a healing spell.
“[Entgiftung] [Genesung].”
“Oh, wow… I feel so much better!”
“Miss Elsa, so you can do things like this too…!”
“As expected of the nation’s chosen healing sorceress, Reichartz.”
After a round of praise for Elsa’s skills, the morning meeting began.
“Now, early this morning, the Prime Minister should have left for Loizart. He is expected to arrive around noon. The launching ceremony is scheduled for approximately 2 PM.”
Christoph detailed the day’s agenda.
“After that, we’ll spend three days conducting various inspections at Lake Wa.s.s, and on December 8th, we’ll set sail for the sea.”
Lake Wa.s.s is linked to the sea through a waterway approximately 20 kilometers long.The width and depth of this waterway are more than sufficient, posing no obstacles to navigate the new ship.
“When we’re at sea for our first voyage, we intend to embark on a round trip to the southern end of the Elias Kingdom, Potlock.”
The announcement took everyone by surprise.
“After this, we will be recruiting volunteers, and those who partic.i.p.ated in the construction can expect to be given priority.”
“I’m going!”
Declared Clea, the first to express her desire to partic.i.p.ate. Following her, Generos also raised his hand.
“I’ll go too.”
“Oh, having a Magi Engineer in the team is rea.s.suring. Anyone else?”
Jin, Elsa, and Reinhardt didn’t raise their hands. Shipwright Kubalt from Simos Town also seemed uninterested.
And the last person.
“…I would like to go as well.”
Rodrigo declared his wish in a small voice.
“Understood. Clea, Generos, and Rodrigo, the three of you will be added to the pa.s.senger list under my authority.”
“Thank you!”
The next item on the agenda was naming the ship.
“The Emperor has given us permission to name it as we built it. Does anyone have any suggestions?”
Jin remained silent. He was aware that his sense of naming was unconventional.
The first to speak up about this was Clea.
“How about ‘Pioneer’?”
“Indeed, it’s a new type of ship.”
Next, Generos raised his hand.
“I think ‘Imperial Glory of the Empire’ would be good!”
“Yes, it’s a ship that will go down in the history of our Shouro Empire.”
“Objection! Such stern names are not suitable!”
“What! Are you saying even ‘Pioneer’ is too cliché?”
“What did you say!”
“What’s with that!”
The others, except Clea and Generos, sighed at the ongoing exchange between the two. With mild interest, they observed the verbal sparring. Christoph then sought additional opinions.
“…Ah, is there anything else?”
“Yes.”
This time, Reinhardt raised his hand.
“What about ‘Loizart’?”
“Indeed, the name of a city. We can align the second and third ships with the names of cities. …Any other suggestions?”
“Bernstein.”
This was Elsa’s suggestion, inspired by its amber-colored appearance.
“Some good names have come up, but is there anything else?”
By this point, Clea and Generos were tired of talking and listened to the opinions of others.
“How about ‘Sea Dragon’?”
Jin couldn’t stay silent any longer. It was fitting, considering it’s a sea creature… or rather, a magical creature.
“The Countess.”
“Water Undine.”
Rodrigo and Kubalt also voiced their opinions. With Christoph as the chairman abstaining, everyone else contributed their suggestions.
“Let’s take a majority vote, then.”
Christoph decided to cast a vote as well.
The result was surprising: ‘Bernstein’ received three votes.
Elsa, Christopher, and… Jin.
“Well then, the name of the new ship shall be ‘Bernstein."”
“Well, not bad at all. No objections!”
“Agreed.”
Clea and Generos also supported the decision, and thus, the name of the new ship was decided.
“In that case, Miss Elsa, you’ll be in charge of presenting its name at the launching ceremony.”
“!?”
Elsa was surprised by the sudden and unexpected request.
“As for the attire, you can borrow something from the hotel. Elsa, come to my place after this. We’ll discuss the details.”
“Yes.”
So, unexpectedly, Elsa’s naming proposal was accepted, and simultaneously, she was entrusted with the significant task of naming the ship at the launching ceremony.
＊ ＊ ＊
“…”
“Well, Elsa, it suits you.”
Elsa was dressed in what could be described as a frilly dress. It had a light blue base with white lace and frills, adorned with gold decorations for emphasis, making it quite flashy.
A silver tiara sparkled on her head.
Underneath the skirt, she wore a pannier, creating a slightly puffed silhouette.
Although it was called a pannier, it wasn’t made of fabrics like tulle. Instead, it was a structure known as a ‘farthingale’ from a bygone era. In other words, it had a framework made of elastic material attached to the waist, puffing up the skirt.
“Is this what they do in traditional launching ceremonies?”
Half in amazement and half in admiration of Elsa’s attire, which was quite unusual for him to see, Jin asked.
“Hmm, honestly, I didn’t know either. After all, this is the first time a large ship like this has been built.”
“That’s true.”
“However, in the past, when they constructed several military ships, they might have done something similar.”
Referring to the coastal patrol ship of the 10-meter cla.s.s.
“This marks the beginning of the ceremony.”
Elsa explained the program to Jin.
“I see, they created a new ceremony based on past traditions. So that means, you become the honored first person to perform the naming ceremony.”
In contemporary Earth ceremonies, it’s common to break a bottle of red wine or pop a champagne cork.
“But, it looks good on you.”
It wasn’t exactly Gothic Lolita, but the design seemed related to it in Jin’s eyes. Given Elsa’s preference for simple and easy-to-move designs, it was a new discovery for him.
“…Don’t stare too much.”
Elsa herself felt uncomfortable in the unfamiliar dress with a design she didn’t like.
“No, I’m praising you.”
“Still, it’s embarra.s.sing.”
She seemed uncomfortable with the attention in an outfit she wasn’t used to.
“You won’t be able to have lunch dressed like that.”
Reinhardt made an unusual comment.
“Yeah, so after this, I’ll practice and then change.”
The outfit was somewhat old-fashioned, to the point where even using the bathroom seemed challenging. Jin thought that a more modern outfit, according to Earth standards, would be more suitable.