Volume 5 - CH 21

Chapter 21 – Pre-War Talks and Jerks

~Alessia’s POV~

Exhausted from fighting the imperial fleet, I took a nap. When I woke up and headed for the living room, I found Dorothea, Marina, and Carla drinking tea.

“All three of you are back, huh? Welcome back.”

“””I’m back.”””

“Did you encounter any problems?”

“Yes, we had a little intruder, but everything else went without a hitch. But you had some trouble yourselves, right, Alessia?”

“Dorothea, I’m curious about the intruder, too, so you’ll have to tell me later. The imperial fleet is attacking us. We went to attack them to buy time, and we were able to sink most of the small magic ships, but we didn’t have enough power to deal with the large and medium-sized ones.”

“I see. How close are they coming?”

“It will be at night, I think. Have you finished bringing in the food?”

“No, it hasn’t arrived yet. It will probably arrive at night, too. Mage-sama told us that the Galette was on the move, so he sent us ahead. I’m glad it’s not all over.”

“Oh, Mage-sama knows the position of his ship, doesn’t he? We didn’t have enough men to take on large and medium-sized mage ships. Nevertheless, it was a great help. Thank you for coming.”

“If you want to thank someone, you should thank Mage-sama. He asked us if we would like to go ahead. We just nodded when he asked that.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to thank him later.”

“Yes, please. So, Alessia, how are we going to deal with the Imperial Navy?”

“With Dorothea and the others back, we should be able to take care of the large and medium-sized magic ships. If we go now, I wonder if we can sink all of them?”

“We can’t do that, Alessia. If we repel them all by ourselves, we will destroy the face of the marquis who is getting ready. As Mage-sama said, it’s not good to be too conspicuous.”

“Oh, Ilma, I see you’re awake. Good morning.”

“Yes, good morning. And welcome back, everyone.”

“””I’m back.”””

“So, Ilma, if that fleet reaches Lucca, there will be damage, you know? If we fight, there will be no damage, and I’m sure the marquis will understand that…”

“Even if the marquis understands, what do you think the other vassals will think? Of course, the situation is tough right now, so they won’t complain. But when we get through the war safely, a mere adventurer, albeit of A rank, will take the credit for a too-big handiwork. Don’t you think it’s dangerous?”

“…You know, Mage-sama said we’d be dragged down after. All right, let’s fight in cooperation with the marquis and the others. …But what if Mage-sama and the Imperial fleet run into each other? They arrive the same night, right?”

“That’s true, too… Dorothea, have you heard anything?”

“No, we’re just going in advance; nothing is set in stone. If the imperial fleet is not coming soon, I will go and inform him. Can you tell me more about the situation?”

“Yes.”

“…..Laser beam? So they have someone with a unique skill, huh? I’ll be sure to let him know.”

“Yes, please.”

～Wataru’s POV～

I wake up from my nap and zone out.

“Hmm? Is it Dorothea-san and the others? Galette No. 2 is coming this way.”

“Had the fight ended? But it’s odd for them to come all the way back when they’re only a few hours away, isn’t it?”

“I wonder. If there are large and medium-sized magic ships, like Ness said, I don’t think it’s over yet. Well, they’ll be arriving soon, so we’ll know when we hear them. Let’s go meet them on the ramp.”

“”Yes.””

Dorothea-san, Marina-san, and Carla-san returned, so we headed to the cafeteria to talk over a cup of tea.

“Two large magic ships, five medium-sized magic ships, and many others. I think it was good that they were able to sink the smaller ships in the first attack. So, Dorothea-san, it looks like the fleet and I will run into each other in Lucca, right?”

“Yes. It seems that the Stronghold will arrive later. What will you do?”

“Even if I force myself to hurry, I won’t be able to fight. Have there been any requests to move the Fortress?”

“No, there was no such request.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just wait here for a while. Would they be angry if I came into port after the naval battle was over?”

“I don’t think there will be any problem. It is natural to carry food safely.”

“Ah, there is such an excuse. With two ships, the Fortress, and the Galette, you won’t be defeated in a naval battle, right?”

“Yes, I don’t think that will be a problem. But, I heard that there is someone in the Imperial Navy who uses a unique skill called laser beam.”

“La-laser beam…?”

It smells like a joke by Creator God-sama. I think he’s going to say that he made it a unique skill because it’s kind of cool. A laser beam, huh? Can I prevent it with boarding rejection? …I was told that the only one who can do something about boarding rejection is God, so I guess it’s okay.

“Since Creator God-sama said that only God can prevent the boarding rejection, I think it will be okay even if it is against unique skills.”

“Is that so? It’s bad for my heart when I hear about Creator God-sama all of a sudden. Is it safe to casually talk about it with us?”

“Haha, it’s a little late for that. Even Dorothea-san knows a lot of things that I shouldn’t talk about, don’t you? I have already told you most of my secrets. So, don’t worry, and go ahead and fight.”

Really, most things are known, aren’t they? Ilma-san, for example, even seems to understand my sexual preferences, doesn’t she?

“””Yes.”””

I saw the three of them off back to Lucca, returned to my room, and took off my hood.

“Master, was it okay for you to tell them to go and fight without worry?”

“Yeah, it’s a defensive fight. Well, if it’s true, I hope that Lucca’s people can handle it without fighting too much. If they just hide, they will never get it done, so that’s why I asked Girasole to do their best. I’m getting tired of wearing the hood and acting like a fool, after all.”

“Ufufufu, it’s been less than ten days, and you’re bored already?”

“It’s only been that long. I’ve been acting as a mage, hoping to get used to it, but it’s so empty that I’m acting when there’s no one else around.”

“I understand how you feel, Master, but if someone accidentally calls you Wataru-san, it’s quite fatal, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. I almost call you Ines and Felicia by accident, too. I know it’s for when I meet people. So I’ll keep up the mage act, but I need to be freed as soon as possible.”

“Fufu, okay, let’s do our best.”

“I’ll do my best to help.”

“Thank you, both of you.”

“Rimu, help.”

“Rimu is going to help me, too? Thank you.”

“Yeah.”

I patted Rimu and thanked him. The fact that I am so struck by what Rimu says to me on occasion makes me wonder if I’m just like an idiot parent.

“Well, now that I’ve taken a nap, I’m going to stay here for a while, so after dinner, you’ll be free to do whatever you want. Let’s take it easy.”

“”Yes.””

~Wataru’s POV ends~

“Welcome back, all three of you.”

“””I’m back.”””

“Dorothea, did Mage-sama say what he’s going to do?”

“Yes, he said that he won’t be of any use to us if he goes and that he will wait until the naval battle is over. He also said that laser beams would not be a problem on the ship.”

“I see. So we can go out to the sea battle on the Galette without any problem?”

“Yes, no problem. Have you had a chance to talk to Lucca’s army?”

“Yes, I did. Lucca’s navy will be deployed behind the Fortress, and we will go on the offensive. When the war starts, we will target the large magic ships and then sink them in order of strength. Dorothea, is there anything wrong with that?”

But Mage-sama is the same as ever, isn’t he? With all the power he has… is it a joke that he is useless in battle? …No, not at all. He doesn’t seem to be good at fighting himself, or is that what all otherworlders are like?

But those who are rumored to be heroes, sages, champions, and otherworlders have done great things in battle, haven’t they? Shall we assume that Mage-sama is of that caliber?

“Hmm, I wonder how Lucca’s navy will react. Is it okay if we sink only magic ships? Won’t we take all the credit, like I said during the day?”

“Yes, I’ve been talking to the navy bigwigs about that. We’ll get the lion’s share of the credit, but if the Lucca navy has a chance, it seems to be all right. They said that if we sank a magic ship, they’d be happy to support us. They seem to understand that large and medium-sized magic ships are too much for them to handle.”

“Alessia, I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask them directly.”

“I understand what Dorothea is saying, but it’s better to ask them so we don’t have to worry about it later. After the war, we won’t have to deal with it.”

“Hmm, is that what you think? Well, we can’t worry about what’s done, can we? When do we go to sea?”

“After the navy is finished positioning itself, there’s still time. Let’s have a cup of tea and relax.”

“Alright.”

The laser beam was my only concern, but if it’s not a problem, I guess I can handle it. Now if we can move to reduce friendly losses as much as possible, the port side of Lucca will be safe.

Even if it is the Imperial Navy, if they lose three large magic ships, seven medium-sized magic ships, and over 30 small magic ships in all, their naval power will be greatly reduced. If they can no longer attack carelessly from the sea, at the very least, we can secure at least a retreat route. We must do our best.

Just as we were about to depart with high spirits, a soldier came to us with a message. The imperial fleet was going to anchor and spend the night. It would probably arrive in the morning. If an emergency situation arises, they will come back to send a message. I was a little shocked because I had been so enthusiastic.

“Everyone, the imperial fleet is supposed to arrive in the morning. Let’s get some rest and prepare for tomorrow morning.”

“””””Yes.”””””

After a good night’s rest and breakfast, I received a report that the imperial fleet had departed for Lucca and set sail, this time brimming with enthusiasm.

In the shadow of the Fortress, three small magic ships, 20 magic ships of small boats, six Lucca galleys, two surrendered imperial galleys, and six sailboats were anchored.

We approached the small magic ship and called out to the captain.

“Captain, how long before the imperial fleet arrives?”

“According to reports, we should be able to see the enemy in less than an hour.”

“Then, as per our strategy, we will wait and see at first, and if the enemy approaches, we will target the large magic ship. If the enemy does not approach, we will wait until night.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The two ships anchor side by side in the shadow of the Fortress and wait for the imperial fleet. Dorothea came over to us.

“What’s wrong?”

“Alessia, putting aside the small magic ships and the small magic boats, do you think we’ll be safe with the sailboats and galleys?”

“Dorothea, do you think I know?”

“You’ve been on the war council. Haven’t you heard anything?”

“Well, I heard that sailing ships aren’t suited to fighting in tight spaces.”

“…Is that all you’ve heard?”

“I’ve heard all sorts of things, but I wasn’t sure. I heard that the direction of the wind is important and that the Imperials would attack with the wind in their favor, so this side would be at a disadvantage.”

“Then why are they sending out sailing ships? They’re just going to be sunk, aren’t they?”

“That’s why they’re only coming with the sailing ships they took from the empire. They said something about using them in a reckless way. They’re borrowing small magic boats from the merchant guild for that purpose.”

“What do you mean by reckless? Why didn’t they just rent a small magic ship? I’m sure Lucca has a trading company that owns one.”

“I heard that they pull a sailing ship with a couple of small magic boats and crash it into an incoming ship. The small magic boats are supposed to be in charge of pulling and retrieving the soldiers who jumped out of the ship just before the collision.”

“…That’s crazy. Is it possible?”

“Who knows? The head of the navy who was planning the operation was very confident, but the rest were not.”

“I don’t feel good about that.”

“Yes, he tried to mess with Mage-sama’s ship, too. The marquis stopped him, but he gave me a nasty look.”

I wonder what he will do if he messes with Mage-sama and Mage-sama abandons them. I’m worried that he thinks Mage-sama is weak against women because he’s working with us, but… I’m not sure that is far off the mark.

“There will definitely be trouble… Should we ask Mage-sama to evacuate our family?”

“I don’t think he’d go that far. Lucca will be in great danger if Mage-sama abandons them.”

“If we win this naval battle against the imperial fleet, the Imperial Army won’t be able to attack Lucca with their ships. Just by listening to you, it sounds like that guy is likely to do something extra when he can afford it. I wonder if he’ll try to use Mage-sama to save the Kingdom of Brescia?”

“…That’s for sure. He seemed arrogant and greedy. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“Even if we don’t want to get involved, he will come to us. We are the only ones who have any contact with Mage-sama. At first, he’ll probably just invite us over, but if we refuse his invitation, it’s dangerous; he could do some terrible things to us.”

“…Should we seriously consider evacuating our family?”

“Yes, that would be a good idea. Oh, by the way, what’s his name?”

“I think he’s called Viscount Jacopo. The leader of the Lucca Navy?”

“Why is he the leader of the Lucca Navy but not its captain?”

“The Lucca Navy is small. There is a naval headquarters nearby, and the walls are impressive, so as long as they could defend themselves to a certain extent, they were fine.”

“If he’s so power-hungry, he must have a lot of grievances in that area, too. Alessia, when you meet with Mage-sama, make sure you ask him to look after our family.”

“Yes, I will.”

I’m so occupied with Lucca and my family that I can’t imagine getting involved in a dispute with a nobleman.