Volume 5 - CH 22

Chapter 22 – The Beginning of the Naval Battles and the End of the Naval Battles

“Dorothea, what were you talking about?”

“About Viscount Jacopo… and how he didn’t come to borrow a small magic ship. Was that it?”

“Yes, you were right… shall we continue talking about Viscount Jacopo?”

“I don’t want to have any more worries before the war. Let’s think about Viscount Jacopo later. Does Alessia want to continue?”

“No, I don’t want to continue. I heard that merchant ships were evacuated when they heard that the imperial navy was going to attack, so the small magic ships haven’t come back, have they? The first imperial fleet that attacked also had large and medium-sized magic ships, and I heard that the Marquis-sama pulled the ships out because they didn’t stand a chance in a naval battle. I guess a few more small magic ships from the merchant fleet wouldn’t have stood a chance against them.”

“I see. If we can get through this war, the marquis will be appreciated by the merchant guild.”

“Yes, it seems that the naval headquarters of the kingdom is occupied, and defending Lucca is quite an achievement. On top of that, the merchants owe him a debt of gratitude for letting them go. It’s definitely going to bring him a lot of prestige.”

“Well, it won’t matter if the Kingdom of Brescia is destroyed.”

“Dorothea, don’t say such ominous things.”

“I’m sorry. But, Alessia, you should think about it. With the help of Mage-sama, Lucca will be fine. But the whole Kingdom of Brescia is in danger. If the Kingdom of Brescia falls, Lucca alone will eventually reach its limits.”

“I agree. But Dorothea said you don’t want to worry before the war. What are you going to do about it?”

“I know; I’m sorry.”

We waited for the imperial fleet while having a casual conversation for a change. A little later than expected, the Imperial fleet came into view.

“They’re here.”

“Yes, I’m going back to Galette No. 2.”

Now, will the imperial fleet attack us soon? The presence of the Fortress must be known, and they must be prepared for it. We have to be careful.

“…They’re not going to attack us yet. Alessia, the food hasn’t been brought in yet. Could they want to starve us out?”

“It doesn’t seem likely. It would be a waste to have two large magic ships and five medium-sized magic ships nailed to Lucca. And there is also a unique skill user. They will want to drop Lucca as soon as possible and head for another battlefield.”

“Well, then, we can’t afford to get distracted… It’s exhausting to wait around for so long, so let’s take turns keeping watch.”

“Ilma was right; let’s take turns taking a break so all three of us don’t tire ourselves out.”

While we were resting and watching the situation, a message came from a small magic boat. The winds were going to be in the imperial navy’s favor in the afternoon, and if they were going to come, it would most likely be at that time.

As the afternoon came, the wind began to blow in favor of the imperial fleet, and the imperial fleet began to close the distance.

“It’s about to begin. The target will be the large magic ships. Is that clear?”

“””””Yes.”””””

The imperial fleet is gradually closing the distance with the large magic ship in the lead. In a short time, the first move came from the imperial fleet, which hit the Fortress with the unique skill laser beam.

A cheer goes up on the imperial side. Mage-sama says it shouldn’t work, so there should be no problem.

“Our target is the large magic ship that fired the laser beam. Let’s go.”

Without even checking the results, the two Galette ships rapidly approached the large magic ship, and with the right timing, we all concentrated our all-out attacks on the ship. Attacks flew in on us as well, but we ignored them and continued to attack at the right time.

Perhaps the opponent’s barrier magician was skilled, or perhaps the absence of Shea weakened our power, but it was only on our fifth all-out attack that the hull of the ship was damaged.

With a bit of impatience, the sixth all-out attack made a large hole in the large magic ship, and the seventh attack was the final blow. The seawater poured in through the large hole that had widened even further. It would not last much longer.

“Finally, let’s go to the next large magic ship.”

“Yes.”

The next large mage ship is laid up next to the large magic ship that we destroyed, and we strike again with all our might. The imperial fleet also sends in a barrage of attacks, but all of them are repelled by the boarding rejection. It’s beyond amazing and feels unfair that we don’t even feel the impact after being hit by such a large number of attacks.

As for the attack, rather than a direct hit, the aftermath of the ship shaking in the sea is more troublesome. After drilling a large hole in the second large magic ship, I calmly looked around and saw that the war zone was very close to the Fortress.

The medium-sized magic ship is concentrating its attacks on the Fortress, but it hasn’t even a scratch on it; it’s really unfair. Conversely, from the Fortress, they are concentrating their ballistas, bows, and magic on one medium-sized magic ship and sinking it.

However, the imperial sailing ships and galleys have turned alongside the Fortress and are in a battle with the Lucca Navy. If we don’t hurry, there’s going to be extra casualties.

“Let’s move on.”

“””””Yes.”””””

The Fortress sinks two medium-sized magic ships, and we sink three medium-sized magic ships and then turn to support the Lucca Navy.

“Hey Alessia, do you think sailing ships’ ramming attacks are effective?”

“…Ilma, you don’t have to ask; you know it when you see it, don’t you?”

“I thought my eyesight had gone bad.”

“Unfortunately, your eyes are fine. They’re either sunk hard or avoided. I’d like to think it’s not entirely in vain since we’ve been able to scrape and change course. But it would have been many times more useful to rope them in and set them on fire, as we did in the last battle. But then again, maybe it’s a good thing the sailboats are reusable?”

“Alessia, Ilma, stop being sarcastic, and let us follow up on this.”

“Claretta is right. Let’s go help the victims of the navy captain’s stupid plan.”

“”Yes.””

We will work with the Lucca navy to encourage them to surrender, and if they refuse, we will sink them. The Imperial soldiers who escaped from the ship and were swimming were also captured, ending with an overwhelming victory for the Lucca side.

Dorothea and the others went to report to Mage-sama that the naval battle was over, and we went to report to the marquis.

“Everyone, thank you very much for your hard work. In this naval battle, the Empire lost many magic ships. They cannot afford to send any more ships to Lucca. It is safe to say that the safety of our seaside has been secured. The rest is up to the Imperial Army on land. The situation will continue to be tough, but I’m counting on you.”

“”””””””””Yes, sir.””””””””””

“The reports are coming in. Girasole has done a great job. Commander Dumun did a good job leading his men and did a great job sinking two medium-sized magic ships.”

“”Thank you very much.””

“Girasole, I hear you do not want a title or land as a reward.”

“Yes, we are adventurers, and as such, we have limited control over titles and lands.”

Above all, most of our achievements are due to Mage-sama. If I push there, Mage-sama won’t like it, so I won’t push it.

“Well, I’ll think of a reward.”

“Thank you very much.”

Viscount Jacopo is giving me a terrible look. …When I meet Mage-sama, I’m going to have to seriously ask him to take care of our family. But the fact that Viscount Jacopo is not the topic of conversation here is his own fault. At least don’t direct your resentment toward me here, but…

“Now, Commander Jacopo, you are under house arrest. Punishment will be announced at a later date.”

“Oh, wait a minute, sir. The failure of this operation is due to the fact that my men did not act according to my plan.”

“Well, it was you who pushed through with this reckless plan, even though everyone around you tried to stop you. What did you say at that time? You said that your men would be able to damage the Imperial Navy without difficulty?”

“T-that is…”

Eh? Why am I being stared at here? I don’t care anymore.

“Ma-Marquis-sama, please wait. I have a plan to reverse this blunder. I would like you to hear it.”

“…Hmm, speak.”

“Yes, Girasole’s success is mostly due to the power of the mage’s ship. The reason why he refuses to come out on the stage but lends Girasole his power is because he is a womanizer. We should order Girasole to take the mage under our wing. Hey, Girasole, you are at least prepared to give yourself up to protect Lucca, your hometown. You must seduce him, make him reveal his identity, and bring him here. If he is short of women, tell him I will provide them for him.”

“Enough. Seize him and put him in prison.”

“Wha? Wait, Marquis-sama. If we have the mage in our hands, Lucca will…”

The soldiers took him away as he shouted… Is this one problem solved?

“I’m sorry, but he will be well punished. Tell the mage I apologize for his behavior”.

“Yes, sir.”

I’m glad he’s in jail for the time being, even though he said some unpleasant things.

～Alessia’s POV ends～

“Hmm? Has a war started? It’s been a long time since they went to the side of the Fortress, but it’s starting to move violently.”

“Is it started? Are they all right?”

“I think they’ll be fine. Is there something you’re worried about, Shea?”

“No, I’m just worried.”

“Oh, well, of course. Nobody knows what will happen. But unless something really bad happens, I’m sure everyone will be fine, so I think we just need to be supportive.”

“Yes.”

I’m a little nervous, too, even though I’m pretending to be comfortable about it. Especially the laser beam… I will trust in Creator God -sama. Hahaha, sorry, I’m not completely comfortable with that one because of the possibility of being called an exception or something like that.

“Both Master and Shea have dark expressions on their faces. Master’s ship has great performance, so you should have confidence in it.”

“Yes, I know. Worrying won’t do us any good, so let’s have lunch.”

“”Yes.””

We ate lunch and had a leisurely cup of tea. The Galette stopped, and Galette No. 2 started to run toward us.

“It looks like it’s over. Galette No. 2 is heading this way.”

“It took longer than I thought. Was it about two hours?”

“That’s about right. I guess we had to help them after the war. Shall we send the Stronghold toward Lucca as well?”

“”Yes.””

We will sail to Lucca and meet up with Dorothea-san and the others on the way.

“I see that the ship bounced back the laser beam with no problems and won the naval battle. Were there any injuries among the Girasole?”

“Yes. No one was injured.”

“That’s good. So, Dorothea-san, are you going to Lucca with us?”

“Well… I think I’ll go to Lucca first and get ready to receive you. There are plenty of supplies, after all.”

“Right. I will issue the tickets, and you can take them with you. After that, we’ll anchor as close to Lucca as we can.”

“I understand.”

Let’s see; tickets would be troublesome if an intruder came in like the last time. Can I do something like a limit only in the parking lot? …Oh, I can do that; that’s a unique skill for you. Limited to parking lots only, and the expiration date, four days, including today, should be enough. Are 50 tickets enough?

“Here’s the ticket. The expiration date is limited to four days only. Please let them know that they can only enter the parking lot.”

“I understand. I’m off.”

I saw Dorothea-san off and returned to the cafeteria.

“Marina-san, Carla-san, you must be tired. Would you like to take a bath?”

“…No, we’ll all come together. Can we ask you at that time?”

“Okay.”

We arrived in Lucca after a leisurely cup of coffee while watching Rimu and Fuu-chan play with each other. I brought the Stronghold to the harbor just before running aground.

After lowering the boarding ramp and the ramp, we waited for a while, and then the two Galette ships and the boats anchored in the harbor came together one after another. We asked all the remaining members of the Girasole to come up to the cafeteria for a chat.

“Sorry, Girasole, but could you please arrange the unloading of the cargo by yourselves?　If I go down there, they might talk to me about something else.”

“Okay, we’ll take care of everything.”

“Thank you very much.”

After this naval battle, the possibility of being targeted from the seaside seems to have decreased considerably, so we can take it easy for the time being. In fact, I feel like I was relaxing on the ship, but let’s pretend that I did my best.