Volume 6 - CH 5

Chapter 5 – Strategy to Proceed with the Crown Prince

After His Highness Prince Arnolf’s splendid prostration on his knees, I asked Alessia-san to go and tell him that the blockade had been lifted. When I asked Alessia-san about it later, she told me that there was a strange atmosphere in the city, filled with unexplainable excitement.

The prince and the others received the news of the lifting of the blockade by letter and left Lucca as it was. Viscount Jacopo, who had planned to go with them, was left behind at the port and was captured by soldiers and taken to the castle.

“Alessia-san, is the man who was standing in the port at dusk at that time Viscount Jacopo?”

“Yes, that’s right. If possible, I wanted the prince to take him away, but it is safe to say that he will not be a problem if he is in jail. I heard that he had grown considerably since the prince took him out of prison, so he is going to have a sad prison life.”

No, it’s not nice to talk about such a heavy subject with such a smile. Alessia-san must really dislike him. In my opinion, he gave a good order, so I have a good impression of him.

We went to the cafeteria and had coffee while discussing what to do next.

“So, everyone, it looks like we’ve done our job, but we’re just back before the royalty arrives. What do we do now?”

“Oh, that’s right. The imperial army is here…”

Dorothea-san must have felt like it was over, too. When I thought that it was finally over too, I saw the imperial army, and I felt a little blue.

“That’s right. I feel like nothing is rewarded for all the hard work we put in. Well, I was just holed up on the Stronghold. The Girasole members did a terrific job, going to the castle many times, guarding the ship, keeping an eye on things.”

“No, it’s our own thing. Wataru-san, you are the one who has been very helpful to us. Thank you very much.”

At the same time as Alessia-san’s thanks, the remaining five members of Girasole also gave a coordinated thanks. They were perfectly aligned. Are they practicing or something?

“No, no, I was seriously thinking of running away halfway through. It’s the result of all of your hard work that drew us here.”

I feel like I just said something very good. I look around at everyone in anticipation, but everyone looks normal… Wasn’t that so? I felt like I’d said something pretty good, so I was shocked, sob.

“Well, if we can deal with the imperial forces surrounding Lucca, most of our problems are solved, but Lucca alone can’t beat the imperial forces that are surrounding it, can it?”

“Yes, the city walls can hold them off, but it’s impossible for them to attack from there.”

“They are completely surrounded except on the port side, and all they can do is defend themselves.”

If Alessia-san and Dorothea-san also feel that it is impossible, then I guess so… What would we do then… Well, in my case, the only thing I can do is bring soldiers. Think of it simply.

I’ll borrow the number of people from somewhere else… Now that I think about it, maybe I should have used the prince. I did my best to harass him, but if we had established a cooperative relationship, I might have been able to get people… no good; he would just try to force me to follow him.

“Even if we were able to withdraw the imperial army from Lucca, we would have to repel them again when the reinforcements arrive. Hmm, for example, what if we get reinforcements from the Kingdom of Thessaloniki and the Beast Kingdom and bring them to the empire?”

“To the empire? …The empire is sending an army to the Kingdom of Brescia. I see that defensive troops have been allocated to the Beast Kingdom side as well. The Imperial Navy has suffered heavy losses. If we could bring troops from the sea, the empire would be in chaos… Wataru-san, I think it will succeed.”

“Yes, the empire will not be able to devote itself to the Kingdom of Brescia. They could even withdraw from the Kingdom of Brescia.”

If Alessia-san and Ilma-san agree with me, it seems to be all right. Especially Ilma-san, she has great credibility in my mind.

I think the Stronghold can carry 10,000 people if we use the entire parking lot, deck, and space, not just the rooms. I’d say about half that, about 5,000 people.

“If it sounds good, I’ll have you pass it on to the marquis. I can carry 5,000 soldiers, and if the rest of the Imperial fleet comes out and Alessia-san and the others want to fight, I can lend you the Galette. Can you tell the marquis that?”

“Yes, of course, but is it okay with you, Wataru-san? You even did something for us that was not part of Lucca’s contract.”

“Haha, I’m going to stay in the wheelhouse and not see anyone, so I’ll be fine. If things continue as they are, I will be involved in Lucca for a long time, so I would rather carry the soldiers and have the imperial army withdraw from Lucca as soon as possible.”

“I am sorry. Thank you very much.”

“No, no, I want to get back to my comfortable life as soon as possible, so please do your best.”

“Yes, I’ll go tell the marquis immediately.”

“Thank you.”

～From Alessia’s point of view～

“I’m sorry to keep coming back to you, Marquis-sama.”

“No, that’s okay. So, do you have a message from Mage-dono?”

The marquis looks incredibly nervous. …When I think about it, it is no wonder. Since the prince’s arrival, as far as I’m concerned, I haven’t conveyed a single thing to him. Let’s make this quick.

“Yes, he says that the ship can carry 5,000 men to the empire. After that, Marquis-sama will take care of the rest.”

“…So that’s what he means. The Imperial fleet is very few. If we attack the empire from the sea side, the empire will be in turmoil. Can Mage-dono help us out?”

“No, Mage-sama says it is only to carry. If Girasole goes into battle, he will lend us a little help.”

“I see… So, when the imperial fleet comes out, will you and your colleagues fight for us?”

“Yes.”

“…I understand, I am not strong enough. I will send an envoy to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Tell him I need more time.”

The crown prince? The second prince’s older brother, right? Is everything all right?

“Marquis-sama, Mage-sama is in trouble with His Highness Prince Arnolf. Will there be a problem?”

“I can’t say that there is no problem, but the crown prince is a very wise man. I have never heard that he is on good terms with His Highness Arnolf. I am sure it will be fine. However, like His Highness Arnolf, he is working to unite the nobles and defend the royal capital, so I am sure he knows about this incident.”

“…I’m sorry, Marquis-sama, but I’ll have to ask Mage-sama about it first.”

If the crown prince is coming out, Mage-sama might not like it. I have to make sure.

“Umu, of course. Tell him that the crown prince is an intelligent man and not like His Royal Highness Prince Arnolf.”

“Yes.”

～End of Alessia’s point of view～

A month had passed since His Highness Prince Arnolf’s splendid get-down-on-his-knees. The crown prince had some concerns, but since he was said to be intelligent, I gave him permission.

Then the conversation proceeded smoothly, and it turned into a large-scale story; he is too intelligent. Originally, he had requested cooperation from the Kingdom of Thessaloniki and the Beast Kingdom, and he was planning to send half of them to this operation and organize a fleet to attack the empire.

At the same time, the Beast Kingdom is going to attack the empire, and the chaos in the empire will be great. It will be too big, and my heart is in turmoil.

The crown prince himself is going to lead the attack, and he himself came to Lucca. It seems that he intends to go all the way to the empire, which is even more grandiose. Is it possible for the crown prince to go to the battlefield? Maybe it would be effective in the current situation. He’s a smart guy and seems to be thoughtful about it.

By the way, he came in a medium-sized magic ship and five small magic ships that the second prince came in. The soldiers are coming later in a sailing ship and a galley.

The second prince is under house arrest. According to the story from the crown prince’s camp, the second prince was carried away by the vassals around him who saw the crisis in the Kingdom of Brescia as an opportunity. He wanted to be a king, didn’t he?

My role is to carry 5,000 of the reinforcements from the Beast Kingdom, which has no seas. The crown prince wanted to meet me, but I refused. When I refused, he sent me a letter of apology and ten platinum coins as an inconvenience fee. He’s a capable man, isn’t he? Is it just my imagination that he’s scary on the contrary?

I heard that the preparations would be finished in another half month, and the ship will set sail accordingly. All I have to do is carry the soldiers of the Beast Kingdom to the appointed place, they say.

I holed myself up in the wheelhouse, rented a lot of DVDs with the determination not to step out, bought food from the stores, vending machines, and cafeteria, and repatriated it back to the ship. I thought about plating up some buffet food and repatriating it, but I had a bad feeling about it, so I decided not to.

I had a feeling that Creator God-sama was preparing some strange penalty that I didn’t know about. I think it is safe to avoid unnecessary risks.

I decided to disguise the ship as a completely wooden magic ship, except for us and Girasole’s room. It would be good if it were disguised before we put the troops on board.

We spent our time on the Lutto, taking it out to the open sea every now and then for a change of scenery. I summoned the Hideaway, took a dip in the Jacuzzi, drank a few drinks, and played with Rimu. The sight of the women in hot water was perfectly etched in my mind and relaxed me.

The group of ship-handlers enthusiasts and the chaperone, Felicia, are having a blast on the Lutto and enjoying the escape game for the first time in a long time. Everyone was stressed out, the tension was high, and they drank, ate, and made a lot of noise.

A large number of ships came in and out of Lucca, and people and goods were brought into Lucca rapidly. Stimulated by this, the Imperial Army’s positions are also becoming more active. If we sailed with a fleet, wouldn’t it be obvious that we were headed for the empire? Is this okay?　

Preparations were steadily being made, and finally, it was time to set sail. Although a little more than planned, 5,600 soldiers from the Beast Kingdom boarded the Stronghold, making several trips back and forth on their sailboats.

The reason for the slight increase in numbers is that the soldiers of the Beast Kingdom were excited by the prospect of attacking the empire from the sea side, a battle they had never experienced before, and they were inundated with people who wanted to join them.

It seems that some of the hot-blooded beastmen in the Beast Kingdom had been frustrated with the basic style of fighting off the invading imperial army, and the talk of an attack on the empire had some of them at their maximum tension.

When a base is established on the imperial side, they want the soldiers to be transported back and forth again. The Kingdom of Brescia, the Kingdom of Thessaloniki, and the Beast Kingdom are forming an allied force to seriously attack the empire.

The higher-ups from the Beast Kingdom also asked to meet with us, but I declined it, and even if they saw the mage on the ship, I asked them not to make any contact.

It took some time, but we managed to get everyone on board, and the ship set sail. Incidentally, the size of the fleet was two large magic ships, six medium-sized magic ships, 36 small magic ships, and many sailing ships and galleys.

The Brescia Kingdom’s naval headquarters has been destroyed, so there are only a few magic ships, and the Brescia Kingdom’s naval headquarters, which is located on the way, will be ignored this time and will be repulsed if it comes under attack.

It took longer than expected to arrive at the Imperial Navy headquarters in the empire in 21 days in order to match the sailing ship’s pace. Since we departed with much fanfare, information naturally leaked out and was conveyed to the empire as well.

The Imperial side seemed to be fully prepared. Two large magic ships, three medium-sized magic ships, 18 small magic ships, and many sailing ships and galleys were waiting for us.

“Hmmm, Alessia-san, I didn’t realize there were so many Imperial Navy ships left. I had heard that most of the ships of the Imperial Navy had been destroyed.”

“Yeah, I believe most of the navy ships have been destroyed. According to the scouting, most of the defensive fleet is unevenly distributed, with most of the large and medium-sized magic ships decorated with glittering ornaments and the small magic ships also decorated with ornaments and family crests. They were probably scavenged from ships of the royal family and noble families.”

“Ah, I see, so they procured the ships from outside the military. If Alessia-san and the others want to fight, I will summon the Galette. How about that?”

“Yes, please.”

“Oh, by the way, I can’t summon the Galette to the ramp unless I get out of the wheelhouse… If I can see the sea, I can summon it there… What shall I do?”

“That’s a problem, there are a lot of beastmen outside, and although they’ve been issued a no-contact notice, there’s a lot of tension ahead of the war. I think Mage-sama is going to get entangled.”

“Oh, as I thought… Hmm.”

“Yes.”

No, Marina-san, you don’t have to raise your hand.

“What is it?”

“If Mage-sama can summon two Galette to the part of the deck you can see, I think the rest can be carried by force.”

“…I see. I never thought of that before.”

“Great, Marina, that’s great.”

Marina-san’s expression doesn’t change when she gets praised. When she is steering the ship and interacting with Fuu-chan and Rimu, her expression changes comparatively, though.

I summoned two Galette boats to the visible deck. I issued ten tickets to touch the Galette and gave them to Alessia-san for assistance in carrying them.

I see Girasole, who is going out to get ready, and relax.

“Master, you always seemed so worried when you sent Girasole off, but this time you aren’t too worried, are you? What’s wrong?”

“Hmm? Is that so? Oh, maybe I’m getting used to the power of ship summoning by now. Maybe they finally realized that it’s impossible to sink the Galette no matter how they try.”

“Fufu, yes, I suppose so. I can’t even think of a way to sink the Galette.”

“That’s what I thought. I don’t have any idea, either. But is it dangerous to be surrounded and not be able to escape?”

“Well, the only other thing that might be dangerous would be falling into the sea when you get too excited.”

Ines and Felicia were right. What else could be dangerous?　　

Funds on hand: 62 gold coins, 82 silver coins, 86 copper coins.

Guild account: 33 platinum coins, 70 gold coins.

Savings ship: 85 platinum coins.

Pepper ship: 485 ships.