CH 247

Battleship Showdown 2

Reading the light signal from the [Radiant], flagship of the Calencian main force, the staff members of the Angel fleet were holding their heads. After all, as though she is not as good as the 4 Heavenly, Duchess Angel is still a skilled pilot. They had never expected her to be defeated so easily and taken hostage.

“Using hostages, what a coward! Do these bumpkins know nothing of chivalry……!”

“But we can’t do anything now. If we accidentally shoot the duchess by mistake it will be on us.”

The staff of the Angel fleet of course consisted of vassals to the Angel house. If the duchess loses her life as a result of their attack, they would be executed with no question.

“In the first place, is Her Excellency truly on board that ship? If that was simply an enemy plot then they would be playing us for fools you know.”

“However, it is true that Her Excellency was captured. If they transport her by a striker then we have no way to confirm it….should we not operate on the premise that Her Excellency is truly on board?”

“True, it’s something we can not risk after all……..”

The middle-aged chief of staff groaned with a difficult expression.

“Even so, we can not afford to let this situation continue…….”

The moment one of the staff members muttered so, a tremor rocked the ship. The staff did their best to cling to their seats to not get shaken off.

“Direct hit! Main turret No.1 is wrecked, ma’am!”

“I, I’m glad they didn’t hit the depot……..”

The captain stroked her chest in relief. The ammunition depot was located directly below the main turrets and it stores a large number of particle ammunition cartridges filled with compressed particles. If that place receives a direct hit, even a battleship would blow up in a single shot.

“At this rate, let alone Her Excellency, we will be in danger ourselves! What do we do, ma’am!”

A young staff member yelled. Their fleet is currently locked in battle. If they remain indecisive in their actions, they will eventually get sunk. They can not let their guard down since the Calencians also have the latest model battleships from the defected fleet on their side.

“But……….”

“AHhhh!”

A scream blocked out the reply of the middle-aged staff. At the same moment, the bridge crew turned their eyes to the screaming operator.

“Enemy flagship is under attack! At this rate, they might–……!”

A magnified image of the [Radiant] was put on the large monitor. As the operator reported, multiple rays of light were racing toward the chalk-white ship.

For the time being, there was no direct hit but the fact that their mistress might be on board said ship sent a chill down their spine.

“Which ship fired at them! Tell them to stop the bombardment immediately!”

“It’s Marchioness Maphtou’s ship, ma’am! I’ve sent a ceasefire order but they refused to reply……”

“What!? They are trying to use this chance to get rid of Lean-sama…….!?

The one that launched the attack was an aristocratic house that does have close ties with the Angel house. This is what happens when you show even the slightest of openings. One of the staff holds her head with a severe expression.

Even if they all have the label of the Noredian army, the reality is that what they have here is just a collection of aristocrats. Even with a chain of command, the lower ranks aristocrats will not always obey their orders. There are even some that actively look out for a chance to undermine their peers.

“If it comes to this, how about we raise the white flag on our own? Multiple ships under our command already had their FC radar damaged. Even if we continue to fight, we will be at a disadvantage anyway.”

“Fumu…….”

The chief of staff groaned. Her job is to take command of the fleet in the absence of the duchess. However, as they can see from the Marchioness’s actions, some of their subordinates do not plan to follow their command.

“In the first place, this war began with the Empress’s whim. Win or lose, it won’t have much effect on House Angel……..given our situation, we should prioritize Lean-sama’s safety first.”

“Agreed.”

One of the staff members tuned in while the others nodded along. No one wants to die in a place like this. Besides, even if they choose to withdraw here, the one who will be blamed is not them but the duchess who pathetically got herself defeated. When they can simply shift the blame, there’s no reason for them to risk their life uselessly.

“However, what do we do if our fleet continues to attack the enemy flagship? I believe this [Radiant] is a fairly old ship. A lucky hit would be all that was needed to sink it……….”

“Seriously, they should just put Her Excellency on the [Odervansen]!”

The Chief of Staff bitterly lamented. However, complaining won’t improve their situation.

“At this range, we should be able to manage a laser communication. Let’s negotiate with them to move Lean-sama to a safe place. We will tell them that all ships under House Angel are ready to surrender.”

The motivation of a noble who has no stake in this war was extremely low. And Diaroze has already taken that into account with her plan.