CH 209

“Next, please see the Dierbe River.”

Following the announcer’s cue, the spectators who had packed into the harbor turned to the Dierbe River. If you look a little to the west from Lubek, you can immediately see the water there, since it’s not a fortified city with walls.

“Hey, what is that ship?”

“Looks weird~.”

The spectators raise their voices of doubt at the medium-sized boats that have gathered near the mouth of the river from both the sea and upstream. But the mystery was soon solved.

“Wha?! The ships are lining up vertically and connecting!?”

The strangely shaped medium-sized ships that just arrived formed vertically to connect both banks. The sailors quickly tie the ships so that they do not move. Then, the upper part of the flat ships were all connected. It was as if a bridge had suddenly appeared there.

“Are they going to cross over that?!”

Cavalry marches on top of the connected ships. The cavalry marched in perfect order on the narrow and swaying ships. In addition, the infantry followed behind the cavalry. The march is beautiful, perfectly aligned, and without gaps.

Even Lubek often hired mercenaries to wage war. There are also soldiers who are still in active service to maintain public order in the town. However, the level of training was clearly different from those of hired swords. Their appearance marching on the narrow, swaying boats without disturbance showed how strong the soldiers were.

“What is that behind the infantry?”

“That’s… it’s similar to the thing that attacked the pirate ship just now!”

“It’s not similar! It’s the same thing as them!”

The cavalry marched on, followed by the infantry, and behind them was something like a black cylinder on what looked like a cart. It also crosses the bridge above the ship. After crossing the bridge, the army marches through the town. The children were gleeful and cheered at their cool appearance.

“As you can imagine, this is the Caan Cannon that sank the pirate ship earlier. Now then, this is going to be extremely loud, so please be careful if you’re close by… FIREEEE!”

With that signal…

Don! Don! Don!

Caan cannons for land battles lined up facing the sea from the harbor, then spouted fire one after another. Splashes of water far offshore mark the impacts.

“I can’t believe they reach that far!”

“Amazing…”

“I didn’t think you could use them on land as well as at sea…”

The audience felt a tremendous sense of relief. Even if pirates come again, as long as House Caan’s Merchant Fleet and its Knights will protect them, they will be absolutely safe. They can clearly see that the Hollant Kingdom’s Navy isn’t even standing at eye level to them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please take a look at the sandy beaches on both sides of the port. The Caan Merchant Fleet will begin landing operations there.”

“What?!”

“Where, where…?”

Spectators look curiously at the sandy beaches on either side of the harbor. As this was only a port city, there are many people in Lubek who are involved in sea work. They were willing to see how well the landing work was done.

“What is that?”

“Another strange ship…”

Although they said they were going to start the landing work, the House Caan Merchant Fleet first sent to shore a strange-shaped ship instead of an ordinary dinghy. The boat sails up to the sands.

“That ship is called a pontoon ship. It is a ship for immediately setting up a temporary floating pier to make the landing work more efficient.”

As the shape flat, wide shape suggests, this is a vessel that instantly becomes a floating pier. 1 Landing work on the sandy beach is inefficient and labor intensive if the dinghies for landing runs arrive on the sandy beach one by one. Therefore, from the start, this pontoon boat runs on the sandy beach, immediately sets up a floating pier, and provides a harbor for several dinghies at once to improve the efficiency of landing work.

Floating piers also have the advantage of keeping cargo and crew dry. This floating pier was very effective for unloading things that can get wet but you wanted to stay dry.

If they were to attach a floating pier, it would be easy to interfere with the landing if an enemy attacked it, but that is not the case. It’s true that they set up a floating pier for efficiency and time reduction, but if the enemy attacks there, all they have to do is land the dinghies directly on the sandy beach as usual. Even if the floating pier is a fixed target, it being so easy to attack wasn’t much of a downside.

“Hurry up!” a navy officer yelled. “They’ve already made landfall over there!”

In no time, the cargo was unloaded from the House Caan Merchant Fleet. At the same time, the soldiers were moving around and starting fires.

“What is going on there?”

“What are they doing?”

“Cooking? Something smells good…”

Sailors moving about after unloading their cargo were making fires and cooking. Due to the smell, the citizens of Lubek began to get hungry, especially since their food shipments and the availability of it had been so constrained by the blockade.

“I think it’s about time that everyone’s patience is at its limit. Everyone, from now on, House Caan will start serving food. Please line up on the left and right sides of the sandy beach. There is plenty of food to go around. Form neat rows without pushing and give way to one another.”

“Wah~!”

“Woohoo~!”

As soon as they heard that, the children started running. All the adults smiled as they began to line up at House Caan’s soup kitchen.

“Soldiers who usually protect the security of the town, please line up at the soup kitchen as well. Lubek is now being guarded by the Knights of Caan and the Caan Merchant Fleet, so it is safe. Please do not hesitate to join in.”

Hearing that, the soldiers nodded to each other and began to line up, as well. No one has noticed. Right now in Lubek, even if it’s a neighboring Lord of the same country as you, an unrelated army has now proudly occupied their city. Yet no one suspects a thing.

There was no notification that there would be such a ceremony, and no preparations had been made. Even so, neither the residents nor the guards felt any doubt about it. In spite of the fact that if you think about it normally, it’s a crisis to have such an army from another territory coming in so boldly… no one was even paying attention to the neighboring army that had completely occupied them.

Some of the Caan Knights who had crossed over the bridging ships paraded through the town and had come to the Council Hall. Seeing that, both the chairman and the councilors turned pale and trembled.

Their level of skill is different from the mercenaries they usually hire. The fact that they were able to march in such perfect order meant that they were highly skilled. There is no need to think about which is stronger, those who are just lazing around without any formal leadership, or those who act according to perfect discipline.

“So you’ve finally shown your true colors, Floto von Caan!” Ferdinand yelled. “You’re going to take Lubek by force! I’ll let the Royal Family of Ploiss know about your deeds! Prepare yourself for the consequences!”

Still, Ferdinand yells at Floto and threatens her. The other councilors were also cheering in their hearts, hoping that the chairman would do something about it. It might just be an act of adding fuel to the fire…

“I see… Then let’s tell the Kingdom of Ploiss everything,” Floto said.

“Hmph! Don’t think you can count on them to help! In the royal capital, I am like a noble! A knighthood like yours is… hii!”

After saying that far, Chairman Ferdinand let out a short scream and couldn’t continue his words. He looked at the young lady-shaped figure with the facade of a smile and quickly lost his nerve.

“First of all…” Floto said. “the way you speak to me, the way you treat me, and the way you threaten me, these are all insults to nobles. As stipulated by the laws of Ploiss, all these acts of disrespect are crimes,” she said, taking a step forward.

“Hii!” Ferdinand cried, staggering back the same distance.

“And then…” Floto continued. “The claims for damages. That should be claimed from the Kingdom of Hollant, which dispatched the pirates. But now you threaten a completely different party and forcibly make your claims by using cryptic arguments. This is a crime of blackmail and fraud under the laws of Ploiss.”

Froto is stepping closer and closer. Ferdinand hits the fronts of the councilors lined up in front of the Council Hall and can’t retreat any farther. The councilors could not even escape inside because the doors were closed. They were not blocked, but to open them, they would have had to go around to the front of the building. The councilors were trapped and could only move back against the building.

“In addition, your words, deeds, and demands violate my rights as a Feudal Lord and Noble of a neighboring territory,” Floto said. “These are all denials of the legitimacy of the reigning government and it also constitutes treason by Ploiss’s laws. You are going to report this incident to the royal family, yes? Of course, all of you will be decapitated and all your families will be slaughtered as well, but… but you are truly wonderful people prepared to hand over your heads for the sake of the country’s order… truly, such patriots you all are.”

“”Hiiiii!!”

“You-You’ve got it wrong. Listen to me… the chairman… Yes! It’s the chairman! The chairman said it! We can’t go against the chairman and have no choice…”

“That’s right! We have nothing to do with this! The chairman decided it all!”

The councilors tried to save themselves somehow, and they started yelling all at once that the chairman was responsible for everything.

“Ba-Bastards, all of you! Are you planning to put all the blame on me!?!” Ferdinand cried.

“Shut up,” Floto said.

“”Hieeeehhh!!”

At that completely emotionless and dark voice, as if it were coming from the depths of hell itself, all the councilors lost their wills, fell to the ground where they stood, and wet themselves.

“Who told you you could speak on your own?” Floto asked. “Don’t speak talk without my permission to.”

“YEEESSS…!” they squealed.

It was a beautiful voice that sounded like rolling bells, yet the chairman and the councilors were so quiet that they felt all the intimidation within those words.

“Currently, inspectors from the Kingdom of Ploiss are conducting on-site inspections of your mansions, businesses, and related organizations,” Floto said.

“Wha…?!”

No one missed what that meant. There are no honest men in Lubek’s Council. Of course, if it went so far as to have their houses searched and the documents of the related businesses seized, evidence of fraud will come out. That is, in short…

“I will negotiate with the chairman and legislators of the next Lubek Council,” Floto said. “You all will face justice according to the Kingdom of Ploiss’s laws.”

“Wait, hold a moment! Please, wait!”

“Don’t move! Arrest them!” Floto yelled.

“”Hyaah!””

No longer caring about the voices behind her, Floto left the Council Hall and headed for the harbor.

On the stage of the port where the food was being served, there stood the neighboring Lord who was the driving force behind lifting the blockade. Among the residents of Lubek, there are many who know her appearance. This is because many of them had been dealing with this noble lady since the beginning of Caan territory’s development.

“Everyone in Lubek, please listen,” Floto said. “Due to this incident, Lubek was blockaded by the sea and everyone’s livelihood was to be stolen from them. In addition, Goslant Island was also occupied by the Kingdom of Hollant and forced to cooperate.”

“…………”

The people who were stuffing their mouths at the soup kitchen also began to look gloomy as the subject came up. It’s ingrained in everyone. No matter how much it is a free city, there is no way it can compete against one country. Territory-wise, even a small country like the Kingdom of Holland can’t be resisted. They’ll be utterly helpless against a great power like the Kingdom of Frasia, the Kingdom of Ploiss itself, or a ruler of the sea like the Kamaal Alliance.

“Therefore, the Caanza Trading Firm took the lead in forming an alliance with each city,” Floto continued. “The earliest participating cities are Caanburg, Cien, Floren, and Visvy on Goslant Island! I hereby declare that a bloc of these cities, the Caanza Alliance, is launched today!”

“………… Huh?”

“………… Why isn’t Lubek’s name on the list?”

“Lubek, too! Please add Lubek, too!”

“We beg you, please don’t abandon us!”

When the audience heard it, they were in a panic. This time, House Caan and Caanza helped Lubek. Naturally, they thought that they would help each other by joining hands in mutual cooperation. So why isn’t Lubek in the new alliance’s names? They’ve been abandoned. They were all confused.

“Originally…” Floto said, “with this pirate subjugation, Lubek approached us about a mutual cooperation system, which led to the establishment of the Caanza Alliance. Tragically, they broke their initial promise and then demanded that House Caan and Caanza Trading Firm pay reparations for the damages caused by the pirates.”

“Wha?!”

“Demanding compensation from the people who saved us?”

The audience was so surprised that they were speechless. While they wondered if anyone would do something so stupid, they wondered if their Council was that dumb.

“The Lubek Council is currently under investigation from the Kingdom of Ploiss,” Floto said. “I don’t want to cut my ties with Lubek. But no matter how much I want to hold out my hand in good faith, I can’t do anything if the other side does not wish to hold up their end of the bargain. Therefore, the Lubek Council…”

“That’s right! The current members of the Lubek Council are all corrupt, anyway!”

“Yeah, yeah! It’s an open secret that everyone knows! Why do we have to be abandoned by the Caanza Alliance so they can line their pockets?!”

“Time to reform the Lubek Council!”

From there, the actions of the residents of Lubek were swift. Immediately, in cooperation with the inspectors of the Kingdom of Ploiss, all the current councilors of Lubek were exposed for their crimes and released from their posts.