Chapter 222 - Numbers

After three days of waiting, the smugglers' ships finally arrived, and they seemed pretty impressive and ready for battle… It was no wonder since whenever they were caught in the open sea, the smugglers had to fight their way out.

"How is your condition?" Erean asked Zaos as they watched the old soldiers entering the ship that they were going to use.

"I am at seventy percent," Zaos replied. "I think in five more days, I will be back in shape," Zaos replied.

It was already impressive enough that he could stand with no problem after just one week after he woke up, but in the end, Erean was thankful for that because he will need all the help he can get to defeat the enemies and to protect the passengers. Orleand and Noemi were going with him because without them. They couldn't show to others that Ferdinand was an asshole that tried to assassinate almost all the members of forty families during a birthday party.

This time, the preparations for the battle were almost perfect since the merchant families paid for everything. Since they had to see and participate in a battle where more than one thousand people died, they knew that soldiers deserved better payment and gear. Just to make sure that they will never have to see a battle take place in front of their eyes, they had to invest a lot of money and make sure that Ferdinand will be defeated.

"So, we are going to attack Ferdinand while he tries to keep the troops of our kingdom at bay," Zaos said. "Since he will be attacked from two sides, I assume we won't need more than what? Fifty ships?"

"Do you know how many ships our naval fleet has? Only one hundred," Erean said. "That is, considering the ten or so that we lost last week. The difference in our naval strength is too big. Not to mention… It seems Ferdinand hired several pirates as well."

Erean whispered the last part because he didn't want to make people worry. Before a battle, the last thing that any commander needed was to make his soldiers have second thoughts about the fight. Once the ships began to sail, Zaos felt strangely reinvigorated. It was probably due to the winds. On the other hand… Drannor and Ameria started to feel seasick again.

"Oh, crap…" Drannor said.

"I had forgotten about this…" Ameria said.

The effects weren't as strong as before, but they sure will make those two have a difficult life in the ships. Zaos always wondered why Erean didn't leave Ameria behind, but in the end, it wasn't a good idea to leave her where they couldn't see. Right now, the group doesn't have enough power to face Ferdinand, so if he hears that they left her behind, he might return to the island and look for her. The same thing could be said about Orleand and Noemi. They were too valuable hostages, and they would be safe behind ten ships. They would be even safer once they gained some allies.

After sailing for just six hours, they arrived at the next island were Orleand had some horses being raised there, so he was pretty well known. The island was called Citri, and the people there couldn't help but open their eyes widely when they saw Orleand and confirmed that he was the real deal.

"You look like someone who saw a ghost, Luther," Orleand said.

Luther was the man who raised the horses on that island for Orleand. Apparently, they received the raven that Zaos's group sent weeks ago, but Ferdinand convinced them that he had been the work of the criminals that killed Orleand and his entire family.

As if things weren't troublesome enough, Ferdinand obtained control over the business and even the people who worked for Orleand; he also took half of the workers and made them fight against the enemy invaders.

"As you can see, I am alive and well," Orleand said. "The people who we invited over to my daughter's birthday were the ones who protected us from Ferdinand. We have to stop him before he sends more innocent people to the grave because of lies. Help us fight against that… piece of shit before he starts a war that will last for years."

The island people naturally hesitated, they needed to live their own lives, and if they join Orleand, they will have to fight their own family and friends who were fooled by Ferdinand. Even if they discover the truth fast enough, some of them will lose their lives anyway.

"I am not asking you to kill your family and friends, but I would be thankful if you could lend me your ships," Orleand said. "I also know that you sent all the ones you could afford with Ferdinand, but I give you my word that I will repay you."

After saying that, Orleand lowered his head. That was pretty usual. After all, despite the fact that he wasn't exactly an asshole, Orleand was someone pretty proud of himself. Zaos didn't forget how he paid so little mind to him and Drannor on the same day they met.

In the end, the people of the island lent Orleand two ships and thirty men. It was the best they could do given the circumstances. Unlike the wealthiest merchant families, most people couldn't stop doing their business even for a single day. Otherwise, they would suffer imaginable losses.

"How many ships do we need now, Captain?" Zaos asked.

"... Why are you asking?" Erean asked after a long sigh. "You should recover your strength while we have the chance."

"I am just asking for curiosity's sake," Zaos said.

"Let's see, if we intend to win this fight with even numbers, we will need two hundred battleships," Erean replied. "That is the number that Ferdinand has at his disposal, for now. He naturally also is transporting able fighters in each one of them. So he has at least six thousand men under his command. Also, there are also a number of people who know how to fight but don't do it for a living, just like the third person who joined our side today. Ferdinand has three thousand of them and one hundred ordinary ships transporting them."