Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
When the setting sun almost touched the western horizon, the ceremony to mark the end of the long service of the 「Tyrannosaur」 was held. The 「Tyrannosaur」 was towed by the 「Spearfish」 westward, far away from the fleet, and all that was left was for the waves to claim it.
「Rounding it up, it has been 24 years, this ship has sailed for many long years─ let go of the tow rope when you are ready.」
The Captain of the 「Spearfish」, Naval Commander Higorum stood at the bow of the ship with a smoking pipe in his mouth as he said that. After hearing the considerate words of his old friend, Naval Commander Kutsuchi who was standing at the fore of the funeral procession made up of his subordinates nodded quietly:
「─ Our ship, our home. Thank you for not faltering to the cannon bombardment, and sheltering us until the very end…」
These emotional words was like a eulogy for the ship that had completed its mission. Compared to the old sailor, Naval Lieutenant Polminue who was holding back her tears spent a shorter amount of time with this ship. Naval Commander Kutsuchi spent most of his life on the 「Tyrannosaur」, and to him, it was truly his 「home」.
「You are also the cradle that nurtured many sailors. Not just the people under me, even I myself learned how to get along with the sea under your tutelage. Through rain and calm, we rest and sleep under your rocking embrace. We fought together through countless storms to achieve victories.」
Sobbing could be heard behind the two of them. This was only natural, as the end of a ship they shared good times and hard times with, was like losing a family.
「Thank you for being with us all this time. It is finally time for us to part─ I pray that you will shelter the 17 souls who parted with us earlier to the Lord.」
With that, Naval Commander Kutsuchi took a step back from the anchoring point. With that as a signal, Pommy and two other crew jogged to the stern of the ship and untied the towline connecting the two vessels.
The battered 「Tyrannosaur」 lost the last chain keeping it afloat, and drifted to the west. Water gushed in from the hole under the ship, and half of it was already submerged. It didn’t matter if it would sink first or disappear beyond the horizon, the crew wished to witness its last moments─ However, the setting sun ignored the hopes of the sailors, and plunged the sea into darkness before either of that happened.
In the middle of the dark ocean, Naval Commander Kutsuchi issued his last orders as a Captain to his crew that had lost their ship:
「… That’s the end of the ceremony. After this ship returns to the fleet, all personnels are to report to your next post immediately.」
His subordinates standing in formation didn’t move even when he said that. Seeing how they were lost in grieve, the old sailor couldn’t take it anymore and roared:
「Stop moping around! The sea won’t wait for you to get yourself back on your feet!」
Urged by his yell, the former crew of the 「Tyrannosaur」 finally started moving. In the funeral procession that was slowly dispersing, Pommy cast one last gaze towards the 「Tyrannosaur」 that had been engulfed by the darkness.
「… Ugh…」
She already decided not to cry, but a tear still slid down her cheek. She wiped it away crudely with the back of her palm, and didn’t turn back again.
After sending off her sister ship, the 「Spearfish」 returned to the fleet. The crew that lost their ships moved to the other vessels as per their given orders. The familiar faces left one after another, until only Naval Commander Kutsuchi and the three subordinates he picked were left on the 「Spearfish」.
「Anyways, let me introduce you to the naval officers under my charge.」
Naval Commander Higorum said with an unlit pipe in his mouth. Naval Commander Kutsuchi, Pommy, and the Chief Navigator and Boatswain of the 「Tyrannosaur」 followed him down the stairs in a single file… The design of the mid sized ships were all about the same, but the passageway still felt unfamiliar to the four of them.
「Here’s the place… there is actually no need for introductions, but let’s talk inside.」
Naval Commander Higorum opened the door at the end of the corridor, and the naval officers of the 「Spearfish」 waiting in the room stood up and saluted. Everyone from 1st to 5th Lieutenant were gathered, three were men and two were women.
<TL: Will use 1st Lieutenant for the navy appointment, and First Lieutenant for the Army rank.>
When their eyes rest on her, Pommy fought back the urge to back away. There were familiar faces amongst the five of them, and given the current situation, she had an ominous feeling.
「Naval Commander Kutsuchi and his subordinates are from the Tyrannosaur. I don’t need to explain more, correct?」
「Aye Sir! We understand!」
The burly youth who seemed to be the 1st Lieutenant answered in a strong tone. Naval Commander Higorum nodded, and looked at his old friend.
「I’m Ragieshī Kutsuchi. It’s a shame that my ship was lost in a fight, I will be in your care.」
After hearing the veteran’s short introduction, the naval officers answered with a salute. With the precedence set, Pommy and the others also introduced themselves.
「─ That’s about it, correct? Take care of the rest.」
It wasn’t clear if he was motivating his crew or giving them instructions, the Captain of the 「Spearfish」 left the room after saying that nonchalantly, together with Naval Commander Kutsuchi. Only the five naval officers and the three new transfer personnels were left. Before they even get the chance to feel awkward, the first attack landed:
「─ Oh, I can’t imagine how thick skinned one must be to come here.」
The 1st Lieutenant youth said. It was obvious who he was referring to, and Pommy looked at him with trembling shoulders.
「How impressive. To live on so nonchalantly after losing a ship because of your mistake.」
「That’s right. Hey, why don’t you jump overboard now?」
The shorter of the two female officers with drooping eyes concurred with the youth, and Pommy squeezed out an answer.
「… I will… make up for my mistake… definitely…」
「Huh? Hey, are you retarded? ─there won’t be a chance like that! At least not in this coming battle!」
The youth roared intimidatingly and slammed his fist into the table. Pommy shirked away.
「Let me make this clear, you lot will only perform mindless chores! Scrub the deck and sharpen the blades, your will be given the night watch at best! You won’t get to handle the sails, much less take the helm─ simply put, you will be treated like the lowest ranking sailor! Do you understand, Sixth Lieutenant Polminue Jurgus!?」
The young officer announced sarcastically. He wasn’t wrong, in the Katjvarna navy, the hierarchy between the Naval Lieutenants were decided by each ship. Pommy who was the 1st Lieutenant of the 「Tyrannosaur」 had lost all her standings after her transfer to the 「Spearfish」. Naval Lieutenants were ranked from first to fifth, and since there were already five officers before her, instead of Sixth Lieutenant, Pommy’s position was equivalent to a midshipman apprentice.
「You better keep your head down and don’t make a bigger fool of yourself! If we are in a good mood, we will let you help a little.」
「I agree! By the way, can you start working now? The toilet is really filthy!」
The female officer from earlier happily pushed her chores to Pommy, and Pommy looked at her with a troubled face:
「… You are still the same, Yorin. You are this guy’s lackey now…?」
Pommy retorted, and Yorin’s smile vanished immediately. She got up from her seat, grabbed Pommy’s head with one hand and banged it to the wall.
「Don’t get cocky now, you loser! You sow who’s only good point is your lineage!」
Yorin cursed violently like a completely different person, her nails sinking into Pommy’s neck. Pommy couldn’t shout as her windpipe was being tightened, and could only groan. The other three officers turned a blind eye, while the two other newcomers were at a loss as they were in hostile territory.
After gaining the upper hand, Yorin reverted to her original tone and continued:
「Hey Pommy, do you get it now? The time when you can rely on the halo of your house’s reputation is over… I think it will be the best for all parties if you understand it quickly…?」
「… I know… I had been relying too much on the authority of the Jurgus house in the past… and… I sullied that name…」
「Ara, so you do know! In that case, you should have the right attitude, you know? How about licking my shoes clean? Just like the failure of a dog you are!」
Yorin took her hand away, and lift a feet before the face of Pommy who was squatting down and coughing. She had a malicious smile, adamant on breaking her opponent’s last bastion of pride.
Polminue glared at her, and knocked the feet away hard.
「… Who will do such a thing! Even if I’m not worthy to be a Jurgus, I will not yield to you!」
「… Tch! You sow, how dare you act so cocky─」
When the enraged Yorin was about to grab Pommy again, knocking came from the door. She retracted the hand reaching for Pommy’s collar frantically. After the unnatural sound of footsteps subsided, the door opened slowly, revealing a new comer.
「P-Pardon my intrusion, erm, well… I’m reinforcement from the army, Matthew Tetzirich, and has been assigned to the 『Spearfish』. So… I will be in your care.」
The slightly plump youth saluted after his self-introduction. The naval officers of the 「Spearfish」 looked at each other in surprise. Realizing that he had barged into a troublesome scene, Matthew immediately presented the 「ammunition」 he was hiding behind his back:
「To commemorate our first meeting, this is a little token from me. I already send some of the supplies to the Captain… Does everyone like sugarcane wine?」
The First Lieutenant grabbed one of the bottles by random, inspected the label, and opened his eyes wide:
「─『Divine Wine of the Far Southern Sea』! From the brewery in the Motago province that only produce tens of bottles a year!?」
「Huh!」「Really!?」「Wait, let me see!」
Seeing the officers make such a big fuss over a bottle of wine surprised Matthew. But that was only natural. The 「Divine Wine of the Far Southern Sea」 brought in by him was a high grade sugarcane wine from the Motago province, located in the southern territories of the Empire. Not only was it high in quality, very little was produced annually, and it was made with a type of sugarcane brought back by Captain Garciev after his journey to the south─ known as 「Southern Nectar」. In other words, it was a legendary spoils of war.
For members of the Katjvarna navy who thought of Captain Garciev as their forebears, this wine bottle was a symbol of great fortune. Everyone knew about this, but because of its high price and rarity, it was extremely difficult for subaltern officers to even catch a glimpse of it. They only managed to procure this because of Princess Chamille’s status and financial support.
And now, not only was this luxurious item right before them, they could even hold it. It would be harder for them not to be excited.
「… Hey, are you okay?」
While the officers’ attention was diverted by the wine, Matthew casually walked to Pommy who was leaning against the wall. She held the right hand offered to her in a daze.
「Sorry, I heard a bit of the conversation from the corridor.」
Matthew pulled Pommy up and leaned his face close at the same time, then said in a volume not audible to the others:
「Well, there will always be people like that anywhere… I also encountered the same thing when I was commissioned as an officer, how troubling. Ah, it also happened to me on the last ship I was on.」
Pommy’s chest pricked a little. But after taking this mild revenge, the pudgy youth let go of all his grudges, and shrugged with a refreshing voice:
「But compared to a real battlefield, this isn’t that bad. Don’t mind it too much, and just bear with it with an open mind.」
Matthew had an energetic smile as he said that, and Pommy was lost in his eyes. She never had someone she could rely on so much─ but it was a long time before she was aware of her feelings with a blushing face.
As the members of the Knight Corps felt the effect of the 「ammunition」 on the ships they were on, Haro who was staying on the 「Yellow Dragon」 with the Princess set up a field hospital in a room on the third deck.
「Hmm～ there’s not enough space on the floor… how troubling～ we can’t suspend the wounded on hammocks either.」
「I don’t advise that, their blood circulation will suffer.」
Her partner Water Sprite Miru came out of her pouch to give suggestions. The room Haro was in didn’t have any windows to avoid water seeping in, and had to depend on a luminous sprite to illuminate the humid room. She crossed her arms and started to think.
After experiencing the unrest in the northern territories, setting up field hospitals was a cinch for her. But with the limited space on a warship, she had to adjust the set up accordingly.
「The only way is to let the wounded lie on the corridor… If I can get an empty warehouse─」
「That’s fine, I will report it to the top.」
The sudden voice from behind startled Haro. She turned and found Naval Commander Danmier Kanron standing in the room bustling with medics. He had a smile on his thin face.
「Ah… hmm? Erm, thank you, it will be a big help if you can do so.」
「Don’t mention it, maybe I will be the one using your medical service.」
Haro could only answer with an awkward smile to that half joking statement: 「Please take care not to let that happen.」 Naval Commander Kanron nodded lightly, then swept his gaze around the room:
「By the way─ Second Lieutenant Bekker, your subordinates moves swiftly, are familiar with their jobs, but won’t handle things haphazardly. They maintain a sense of tension at all times… It is clear that they had plenty of practical experience.」
「Yes～ so far, our unit had never been idle… Being of help is a good thing, but I wish I can occasionally say things like 『No one got hurt this time, how boring』.」
「I feel the same… If this ship has massive casualties, that means we are probably going to lose the battle. There might not be time to put the second room to use then.」
This was another reason why the ship’s field hospital was not inside a spacious room. If another room was needed to house the casualties, they would be depleted of so many crew members that they couldn’t even function as a flag ship anymore. Haro knew this very well, but she still shook her head:
「Even if this ship falls, the wounded will still be here. We can still attended to the injured after surrendering, correct? So we will still need another room.」
When he heard that, Naval Commander Kanron stopped smiling vaguely and stared at the medic before him:
「─ You are saying that you will stay here and continue to work even after the battle is lost?」
「My work remains the same no matter if it is victory or defeat, that is to save as many wounded as I can.」
Haro said with a steady smile. In the face of such brilliant determination, the sharp tongued Naval Commander also gave up.
「It’s my loss, the wounded under your care are lucky… However, Second Lieutenant Bekker...」
The next moment, the man looked at Haro with eyes of pity:
「That sounded sincere without a single bit of falsehood. I have to say, it’s great that you can feel this way.」
「Huh…?」
Haro didn’t understand what he meant and tilted her head confusedly. Naval Commander Kanron suddenly leaned to her ears and said quietly in a voice audible to Haro:
「… I will be counting on you when the time comes─ comrade Haroma.」
The instant she heard that ending phrase, Haro turned stiff as if she was drenched in ice water. Naval Commander Kanron walked passed the dumbstruck Haro and left with silent strides.
Even after he was completely gone, Haro still couldn’t move. Some time later, a subordinate who passed by her said worriedly.
「… What’s wrong, Second Lieutenant? You don’t look so good…」
「Nothing, I’m fine. I was just dazed for a little.」
Haro who finally snapped back at her subordinate’s voice squeezed out a smile and pretended to be fine. This allayed her subordinate’s worries and he went back to work.
「… Ughh…」
Haro watched his back grow distant as she clenched her fingers that just wouldn’t stop trembling.
Chapter 2: Battle of the Fleets
A shadow swooped towards the waves of the sea at a sharp angle. When it was about to hit the water surface, it flapped its wings hard, and returned to the sky again.
「Woah.」
A man on the beach cheered at the sight of a fish in the claws of the shadow. In the meantime, this highly skilled hunter went around the sea, and returned to its mistress waiting by the shore.
「─ Well done, Misai.」
The hunter glided quickly to the ground, and after tossing the fish to the beach, it flew to the girl standing beside the man, and landed on her right shoulder that was covered in leather. It was a ferocious bird of prey with a white body and black wings─ a osprey. It seemed to be young, and was just one size bigger than a seagull.
The girl picked up the fish, sliced off some meat off the back of the fish with her knife, and tossed it to her partner cawing proudly on her shoulder. Misai nimbly caught the meat with its beak, then swallowed it in one gulp, and looked pleased with the taste.
「Amazing, what a splendid showing.」
The man clapped, but the girl didn’t even look his way as she tossed the fish into the basket on her waist and walked away. The man wasn’t deterred by her cold attitude, and followed behind her matter of factly:
「So this is the technique of the Lao 『falconers』? I heard the rumours, but I didn’t expect to see this. It’s amazing how the king of the sky follows the instruction of a human so docilely.」
The girl continued walking on the beach, and didn’t react to his words. The man blew warm air into his cold hands, and refused to give up:
「It’s a shame that such a wonderful technique will be lost after your generation.」
Her strides slowed at this moment, and the man matched her pace naturally:
「I heard from the elderly in the village that you are the last of the 『Falconer Tribe』. The others didn’t return after going off to war.」
「……」
「The war against the neighboring Bayushie is at a complete standstill, no matter which side wins, neither nation would be capable to survive the aftermath. It won’t be too long before that happens, what do you plan to do then?」
The man went straight to the point, and the girl beside her stopped and fell silent. She couldn’t answer even if she wanted to. It took all that she had to live day to day, she had never thought about the future.
「If you have nowhere to go, why not come with me? There might be a place where your skills can be put to use.」
「… Skills… You mean the fishing skills?」
You can just find the fishermen then. The girl glared at the man with that in mind, and he shrugged in an exaggerated manner:
「That’s not all you can do, correct? I heard that the 『Falconer Tribe』 can tell the wind directions.」
「What good will that be aside from fishing?」
「I can think of a few other uses. Allow me to brag a little, I’m much more imaginative than others.」
「… Who exactly are you?」
The girl was tired of this conversation that wasn’t leading anywhere, and got to the crux of the matter. When he heard this question, the man showed a fearless smile and spread his arms open. His trenchcoat fluttered in the wind, and a navy blue jacket and pants could be seen underneath/
「─Me? Well, I’m just a patriot you can find anywhere. Making a country that is doing well even better is my raison d'etre. That’s the kind of person I am.」
Unlike the way he avoided the question, his eyes looked straight at the girl. The girl felt drawn to the light in his eyes for some reason. The girl probably sensed that the man’s objective was somewhere that didn’t exist yet, a world that was completely different from here.
The two stared at each other without a word. Misai that was on the girl’s shoulder suddenly cawed loudly. The girl recalled something important, and started walking again.
「… I can talk with you, but we need to return to the village right now.」
「? I’m fine with that, do you have urgent matters to attend to?」
「Not really… Hurry, it’s going to rain.」
The girl answered curtly. The moment she pulled her straw hat over her head, dark clouds appeared above them. The man didn’t even have time to be surprised when heavy rain suddenly fell from the sky that was clear just moments ago. Even the thunder started booming all of a sudden.
「─Amazing.」
Even though his body was drenched by the thunderstorm, his smile deepened. A flash of lightning blazed through the cloudy skies, turning everything blindingly white.
Before the eyes of the girl, the navy blue jacket and pants were tinted from the moisture, and turned darker than black.
「─Ugh…」
Anxious knocking entered her ears, and Elulufay who dreamt of the distant past was pulled back to the present. She looked out the window that could only be found in the Captain’s stateroom aboard a large ship, and the bright sunlight shining in. She then looked at the two naked men on either side of her, and sighed.
「─Rear Admiral! It’s already past reveille! And three of my guys are missing!? Do you know their whereabouts!?」
The hoarse roar of the Marine Commander and his insistent knocking could be heard inside the room. The two male marines who were sound asleep woke up because of the noise.
「… Commander! O-Oh no…!」「Uwah! I was planning to get up before dawn…!」
「Sorry, I also overslept.」
Elulufay smiled apologetically as she watched their faces turned green. She then got up, and opened the door without any hesitation.
「Sorry Greg, I slept for too long.」
「That will happen every now and then… and you are butt naked again…」
Greg’s mouth that was split right up to his ears scrowled a little as he sighed. He scanned the room with sharp eyes, and found the two sailors who haven’t even put on their underwear quivering like newborn fawns.
「I found two at the same time, how lucky… Cory, Solbert, get your ass dressed and go to the deck. You will have hell to pay later.」
With their fates sealed, the two of them dressed up in lightning speed and charged out of the captain’s stateroom with tears in their eyes. The fearsome looking Marine Commander sighed again, and his superior returned to the side of her bed as she remembered something.
「Sorry, it’s not just two.」 「…G-Great Mother!」
Under the sheets was another trembling naked man. Veins popped up at Greg’s temples as he dragged his witless subordinate off the bed and booted him out of the cabin, without giving him any chance to dress. In the end, he still tossed the sailor’s clothes after him out of a sense of pity.
「Enough already, Rear Admiral! If you spoil them like this, I will have to train up their relaxed mentality again!」
「If you treat them so strictly, I will have to spoil them even more. What a wonderful division of duties.」
「I’m not joking around! Marines lives and dies by the blade, it will be all over for me if my men look down on me! I don’t show any mercy in their training to avoid that! Do you know what they call me behind my back? To complement you, the 『Great Mother』, they are calling me 『Dad』! I almost blacked out when I first heard that nickname!」
When he heard that scream of despair, Elulufay let go of the clothes in her hand started laughing with her hands on her tummy. Greg held his head with both hands.
「Haha… D-Dad…! ─No, sorry, I shouldn’t joke about this. But Greg, that doesn’t sound too bad, right? If you think of the Fourth Fleet as a family, then 『Dad』 is the symbol of deepest respect and reverence.」
「That’s a given, I won’t stand being looked down on… But Rear Admiral, leaving my men aside, isn’t it too bold to oversleep in such a situation? It has been three days since the scouting ships brought back news of the enemy fleet. It won’t be strange for the enemy to attack right now.」
「That won’t happen. The earliest they will attack is in four days.」
Elulufay answered as she wore her shirt, and Greg frowned puzzledly:
「Why is that? Are the Empire’s ships that slow?」
「The performance of our ships isn’t that different, the issue lies with the sea wind in this region. The wind is blowing to the west now, right? Assuming the enemy attack from the west, then we will engage them from the east. What do you think is the effect of this west wind?」
Marine Commander thought about it, and nodded in agreement:
「I see, the enemy will have to attack from downwind. Which means, you don’t think the Imperial Navy will attack under such unfavorable conditions, Rear Admiral?」
「Any sailor with common sense won’t want to fight against the wind, because they know how much restriction they will face. Besides, we had a skirmish with them a few days ago, which left a deep impression of our Blast cannons on their mind. Since they know their equipment is inferior to ours, they will try their best to gain the advantage of the wind. To do so, they will probably make a detour and attack from the east.」
After Elulufay finished putting on her shirt slowly, she finally reached for her underwear. Greg grunted:
「So before the enemy make their detour and attack, we can only wait in the harbour… But Rear Admiral, is it fine to give the enemy the upwind? Wouldn’t we be at the disadvantage when that happens?」
「It’s fine. Including this ship, we have several Blast cannon vessels. If we formed up properly to engage them, we can negate the disadvantage of being downwind. What I’m more worried about is the enemy slipping away if we fight for the upwind position. You must understand the reason why I want to avoid that, correct?」
「Because the harbor will be attacked. The defenders will engage them, and when we attack them, they will be surrounded from both sides and put up a desperate fight. If they manage to take the harbor, the Fourth Fleet will lose our base and be stranded at sea.」
「It is as you say. This is the most logical way for us to lose the war. So we have to destroy that possibility early, which is one of the reason we are waiting in this harbour─ so this fleet can be deployed to intercept the Imperial navy if they attack.」
The west wind blowing outside the window started to howl, and the ship they were on started shaking, as if in agreement with her clear theory. Elulufay listened to that sound as she put on her pants, with the face of a theologist that encountered a difficult religious question.
「According to Misai’s prediction, the wind will peak today, and there might be a storm in the afternoon. The thought of how troublesome it is to sail in such weather made me glad that we are berthed idly in this harbor.」
「… Yes yes, I understand why the Rear Admiral is so relaxed. But even if the enemy doesn’t attack, the duties of a fleet admiral should keep you really busy.」
「You are right. Don’t worry, I’m not dreaming so much to think that I can sleep the entire day just because of the strong breeze.」
After wearing her trademark feather coat, Elulufay Tenerexilla had finally regained her dignity of a naval admiral. After confirming that Greg turned around:
「─ You seem to be awake now, so I should return to my ship too. I was still stationed on the 『White Wings』 just a few days ago, which made me forget that I have been posted to another ship.」
「Yes, thank you for your hard work. Remember to wake me up tomorrow too.」
The fearsome looking Marine Commander decided to ignore that last part, and left his superior’s room. Elulufay felt him walking away from behind the closed door, and stretched her back:
「Alright, I should visit my cute sailors today too─」
She said as she reached for her pet bird perched above the bed. When her pale fingers was about to caress its feathers, a loud alarm bell drowned out the ever present sound of the sea breeze.
「Enemy fleet sighted! I say again, enemy fleet sighted in the west!」
One of the six ships that left the harbour for patrol sighted a fleet on the western horizon─ including the flagship 「White Wing」, all the vessels in the harbour heard the alarm bell from the sea gulf nearby. The sailors’ fighting spirit were also ignited.
The Nimong harbor that served as the base of the Kioka Fourth Naval Fleet was the only port in the former eastern territories that faces the south. The deep gulf of the terrain allowed many ships to be berthed there safely.
As there wasn’t any other ports in the region that could be put to use immediately, this was a strategic location during the battles for the former east territories in the past. This wasn’t the Empire’s first attack on this place. The past naval battles were all incredibly bloody, with terrible casualties on both sides regardless of victory or defeat.
「Had they not learned from history─ they are attacking downwind from the west on a day with such strong winds.」
The woman in command of the entire fleet stood on in the crow’s nest situated on the main mast of the warship 「White Wing」, and muttered as she looked through her telescope. After confirming that the reports were correct, she handed the telescope to the sailor on watch duty, and quickly climbed down the rope ladder back onto the deck.
「… I thought it might be a feint unit attempting to lure us out, but their numbers are too great for that. I looks like a real attack─ but I’m not sure if they are in the right state of mind.」
Elulufay said calmly to her crew who were waiting for her with bated breath, and started wondering─ did the opposing admiral hit his head in an accident? From the perspective of a sailor, attacking from downwind was just too stupid.
First of all, no sail ships in the world could sail against the wind, what they could do was to advance at an angle. Since this applies to both ships in the upwind and downwind position, the difference in advantage would be clear. In other words─ the ships upwind could sail freely towards the enemy, while those downwind couldn’t.
A simple example would be playing catch. One side could throw the ball directly to the other player, while the other had to bounce the ball of the ground. The ships upwind would be the former, and those downwind would be the latter. It was clear how much of an advantage this was.
Back to the topic of sail ships, the constraints on sailing directions wasn’t the only issue ships in the downwind will face. Compared to their enemy upwind, their speed would be drastically reduced, and compounded by the fact that they couldn’t 「sail directly towards the enemy」. Putting it in the perspective of the ships upwind, the enemy would be moving slower than time, and approached in a zig-zag manner. While they were doing so, they would continuously expose the vulnerable flanks of their vessel.
So how would they attack the pitiful enemy? They could use the age old method of ramming it with their ship’s bow, which would deal great damage if executed correctly. But in this battle, there would be another adverse factor. Because the ships upwind were equipped with Blast cannons, and what would happen then?
「It would be a stretch to even call that a naval battle─」
Even though the battle was right about to start, Elulufay felt it was a pity. The thought of commanding a one-sided massacre felt depressing for her. Even though that meant an overwhelming victory for her fleet, it didn’t improve her mood.
「Great Mother, all the ships are ready to set sail!」「We are ready to go!」「Please give the orders, Great Mother!」
Her beloved subordinates cheered her on. Elulufay cut off her melancholic feelings and shouted:
「─ Set sail! Our relative position might be the reverse of what we expected, but our mission remains the same! The enemy is the nefarious Pirate Navy! Let’s show the heirs of Captain Garciev our mettle!」
「「「「「「「The will of the Great Mother is our command!」」」」」」」
The response was loud and harmonious. Misai that was circling in the air cawed, as if it was joining in the choir. United under the 「Great Mother of White Wings」, the crew sailed bravely towards the enemy fleet─
「─ They are here!」
In the quarterdeck of the Imperial First Fleet’s flagship, the 「Yellow Dragon」, Admiral Erynphin Jurgus and his crew at their battle stations looked at the enemy fleet formation blocking the route they were taking.
At their fore was a line of 16 three masts mid sized ships, sailing line abreast. The Kioka vessels turned towards starboard about 1 nautical mile away in unison. Their goal wasn’t to set a different course, but to change the direction the ships were facing.
The Kioka ships maintained the relative distance between each other, and completed the 90 degree turn. As if they were showing their determination to not let the Imperial ships pass, the 16 ships formed a line ahead formation on the eastern waters.
「Line ahead formation…! Just like that Tetzirich kid said!」
Admiral Jurgus’ eyes sharpened. Given the conventional naval tactics set primarily around boarding enemy vessels, it was hard to imagine a formation that would expose the flanks of the ship like this. It wasn’t possible to close in on the enemy in such a formation, and looked like an invitation to the enemy to attack them.
However, convention had been overturned with the introduction of the Blast cannons. The Blast cannons were installed on the sides of the ships, so pointing its flank to the enemy will unleash its full power. The reason why the enemy formed a single line was to avoid hitting their allies when deploying their guns.
Behind the line of 16 ships was a fleet of ships in double line abreast formation. This fleet had 20 vessels, which made it the main force of the Kioka navy. But since it was in double line abreast formation and behind the line ahead fleet, these are the regular ship models not equipped with Blast cannons─ so the Imperial sailors still focused their attention on the 16 ships before them.
<TL: 二列橫陣 http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Combat>
「… A-Admiral! If all these are Blast cannon ships─」
When they heard what the helmsman said, the crew around him all gulped. The wreckage of the 「Tyrannosaur」 bombarded by the blast cannons flashed across their minds. But their Admiral wasn’t fazed. He was observing the other side of the ocean carefully to study the situation.
「─ It’s Impossible for there to be 16 of them.」
On the other hand, aboard the Imperial vessel 「New Moon」 positioned at the northern end of the double line abreast formation, the dark haired youth standing in the crow’s nest of the front mast got the answer ahead of everyone else.
「Consider the annual iron ore mining rate of Kioka, and the labour needed to refine and process the steel. And accounting for the the priority of the Blast cannons’ allocation between the military branches, as well as the cost of building the new ships to mount the Blast cannons, even with a huge margin of error, it’s impossible for the Kioka Fourth Fleet to have 16 Blast cannon ships. The First and Second Fleet which are crucial to their national defences will have priority in getting these equipment, but the newly formed Fourth Fleet won’t have such a privilege.」
As Kioka was a country that was a part of the Empire before gaining independence, the Empire has a good grasp of Kioka’s natural resources. So with Ikuta’s knowledge and Princess Chamille’s encyclopedic memory of the Empire’s data, they could cross check each other and rule out this possibility.
「Torway, what do you think!?」
The youth instructed his partner Kusu to send a light message to his comrade on a neighboring ship.
「─ Yes, I can tell, Ik-kun. That formation is a combination of two different types of vessels.」
To the right of Ikuta’s 「New Moon」, its sister ship 「Sun Wheel」 was cruising right beside it. On the port side of the deck near to the bow, Torway was sitting in a strange posture, his legs sticking close to his butt.
In his arms was a mid sized barrel supported by a tripod, and his jade green right eye was looking through the telescope─ correction, the optical sight mounted on his new weapon.
「I can’t find any glaring differences, but there is one thing that is obvious. All of them are mid sized ships, but the height from the water to the ship’s deck are different. The ones that has sunk lower are probably the Blast cannons, while the others are the regular ships. The height difference is probably due to the weight of the Blast cannons.」
After carefully observing the enemy vessels, he instructed one of his men to send a light message to a neighbouring ship, relaying his findings to Ikuta, and also alert the crew on his ship of this crucial 「difference」.
「Now that he mention it, the draft is really different…」「Is it fine to differentiate them this way? Isn’t it because the ship’s model aren’t the same?」「No, if it’s the ship’s model, it will be more─」
The doubtful crew exchanged their opinions. At this moment, a man who just happen to be looking up opened his eyes wide and yelled:
「Hey! Look, everyone! It’s a balloon! It’s the air force!」
「… Hmm, since they aren’t reacting with fear, that means they have seen through our disguise?」
With the strong wind blowing in their favor, the balloon team quickly flew over Elulufay’s head. She stood aboard the Kioka flag ship 「White Wing」 that was slanted from the strong wind blowing on its starboard, and watch the balloons fearlessly:
「Nevermind, that’s fine too. This might seem unfair, but no one said that the battlefield is confined to the sea. Please accept the unstoppable harassment from the sky.」
The aerial attack that gave the renowned general, the late Hazaaf Rikan so much trouble in the past─ An 「air raid」 by the air force, where they dropped fire bombs from the sky.
For all sailors, nothing was more terrifying than the ship catching on fire. They had to scoop up sea water bucket by bucket to put it out, and had to put in enough water to douse the flame, or it would be pointless. The sails would be ruined by fire, and the masts would become a giant firewood. The ship would quickly turn into sorching hell, and the crew would be left with no choice but to jump overboard.
「To be honest, I’m not expecting much. The air force here is lacking in numbers, and the accuracy of the 『fire bombs』 is also an issue. We need to be wary of friendly fire too, and can only use this tactic when our fleet are still far apart. Making them panic will be a passing grade, and burning a sail of one of their ships will be full marks.」
Elulufay said without any worries, and watched the air force perform their tasks. The leading balloon had started dropping its altitude, and will probably start the 「air raid」 after reaching the effective range of Air Rifles. The balloons behind did the same.
At this moment, the Great Mother saw exploding flame along with the sound of explosion in the sky.
「─ Huh─」
Her mind was blank for two seconds. Another explosion happened, and the two lowest balloons disappeared from Elulufay’s sight.
「─ Hurry…」
A second later, Elulufay felt a surge of lightning pass through her body. She stood with the other sailors standing on the deck and watching blankly, and shouted loudly even though she knew her words wouldn’t reach them.
「Hurry and regain altitude! Escape to the sky! Quick─!」
「…Phew…」
In imperial warship 「Sun Wheel」, on the front deck close to the port side, the youth who strike fear into the invulnerable air force for the first time in history stared at the sky.
「They… got shot down…」
The sailors who were preparing buckets to deal with the threat of fire hazard stopped their hands, and stood idly because of what happened in the sky above. The panic a few seconds earlier was like a dream, and silence engulfed the 「Sun Wheel」.
「Two targets down, continue firing. Adjust the angle─ right four, up three.」
The sniper gave the instruction, and his assistant quickly adjusted the angle of the barrel… although the barrel was too thick for an Air Shooter. Similar to an air cannon, there were three tubes at its base that links to three wind Sprites─ but the barrel was too thin to call it a cannon.
「─ The other aircrafts are increasing altitude, are they running away?」
Seeing that the enemy had lost their will to fight, the eyes of the youth eased a little as he looked through the optical sight. It took a while before the crew asked him what he used to do what.
「Anti Material Air Rifle, that’s the new weapon we have brought with us.」
On the front deck of the Imperial warship 「Spearfish」, a plump youth said to the seamen asking for an explanation. The weapon itself and the sniper was right in front of them.
「As you can see, the principle of its mechanism is the same as an Air Cannon, just that the size of its ammunition is different. Instead of explosives, it uses a solid projectile. It has a much larger range as it uses the compressed air of three wind Sprites. For air targets, the effective range is a little more than 400 m. Hence, balloons filled with combustible gas is the best target.」
The explanation complemented with a demonstration of the results made the crew sighed in awe. Even Pommy was surprised by the power of the trump card brought by the army men… Matthew actually did the same explanation a few days ago, but the weapon just looked like a slimmer Air Cannon, and didn’t get much attention.
─Anti Material Air Rifle. Matthew called it a new weapon, but more accurately speaking, this was just a modification of an old weapon that didn’t prove effective on the field.
Firing shots with multiple wind Sprites already existed a long time ago. However, it was dismissed since 「there was no point if it can’t be aimed accurately」. But after the invention of rifling which could stabilize the bullet flight path, this idea made a come back.
─Despite its range, it didn’t pack enough of a punch, so it couldn’t replace Blast cannons. However, it still provided the utility of ending the invincible era of the air force─
Ikuta looked gloomy when he said that. Matthew realized that he might be mourning Lieutenant General Hazaaf Rikan, who was tormented by the air force until the very end. Because Matthew was also thinking about the solemn face of the renowned general he only met once in the eastern territories.
At this moment, the Captain of the 「Spearfish」, Naval Commander Higorum ordered the sailors who were watching idly to return to their posts. He walked to Matthew with a bold smile as he bit on his pipe.
「Kid, that’s some nice fireworks you shot there. Thanks to you, our ships are spared from the fate getting burned.」
「Y-You are welcomed. But the one who shot down the enemy should be the allies on the 『Sun Wheel』, we are not in range yet…」
「What a hassle, I will just thank all of you then. It feels great to get back at those guys wallowing in the safety of the skies!」
The Captain of the 「Spearfish」 laughed heartily, and then turned towards the bow of the ship:
「Alright, since the battle in the sky is over, it’s our turn now— All hands, to your battle stations!」
「「「「「「Aye aye, Captain!」」」」」」
On the front deck of the Kioka Fourth Fleet flag ship 「White Wing」, after seeing her subordinates lost their lives in the sky, Great Mother Elulufay Tenerexilla collapsed onto her knees.
「P=Please pull yourself together, Great Mother! The 『air raid』 has been repelled, but we only lost two balloons! The air force only suffered minor casualties!」
「That’s right! It’s thanks to the Great Mother’s instruction:『If you are attacked by anti-air fire, cease the attack and regain altitude』!」
The seamen around her encouraged her, but Elulufay mumbled with trembling lips:
「… The head of the formation is the third and seventh craft. Mallow, Hobkin, Hindi, Loco, Vidajaya, Ektel, Saida, Moldov, Heki, Masukka─ Are they… all dead? They didn’t even get to show the results of their training, and died so quickly!」
The young admiral slammed her fist onto the deck with tears in her eyes. The names, faces and memories of the lost soldiers kept spinning in her head.
「It must be so scary and painful…! How pitiful, how pitiful…! I should have embraced you even more! No, if I knew this will happen, I would have held you in my arms forever! Those children are gone now! I won’t see their smiles ever again!」
The seamen knew that her tears were sincere, and kept their peace… The 「Great Mother of White Wings」 loves everyone under her command equally, and she just lost ten of her precious children. No one could understand how much pain she was going through.
Pii… the cawing of a bird echoed in the sky. After hearing her pet bird admonishing her to 「pull yourself together」 she stood up slowly. She didn’t wipe away the tears on her cheeks and glared at the enemy:
「… I will make you pay for killing my children… with your lifes!」
Seething hate spew from the mouth of the Great Mother. Her boundless love had changed to extreme hostility towards the enemy that harmed her loved ones.
「Open all the gun port on the portside, and prepare to fire! All ships, follow! Pull out all the stops, and rain death on them for taking our precious family!」
On the Great Mother’s orders, the crew had no choice but to get to work. This would be a one-sided massacre, but they were looking forward to it now.
「We have our orders! Prepare to fire!」
Two floors below the deck, the Kioka gunners in the gun deck who received their orders started bustling in the confined space. They were so closely packed that their shoulders were touching.
The Blast cannons were lined up against the side of the ship, with eight on each side. Adjusting the firing angle, cleaning the barrel and loading the munition─ to perform all these task and maintain firing speed, six gunners were assigned to one cannon. Hence, the gun deck was very crowded.
「… That hurts! Hey, watch it!」「S-Sorry! The ship is slanting too much…」
With every sway of the ship, the gunners collide with each other. That was to be expected, aside from the confined space, the ship was tilting towards the starboard a lot. Not just the 「White Wing」, all 16 ships in the line faced the same issue.
「Stop messing around! The enemy is within range!」
The roar from the supervisor snapped all of them back. It was difficult to get a good footing because of the slant, but the gunners still started working around the Blast cannons. At the same time, the gun ports at the side of the ships were opened. The sailors couldn’t help gasping when they saw how near the waters were to their feet.
「Okay, the preparations are done! ─Load!」
The gunners eagerly got to work. They stuck a brush into the barrel to clean it, then shoved an American football shaped munition in.
「Inject Dynamic Air!」
The 「fire hole」 created Dynamic Air, which was funneled through tubes to the wind Sprite at the base of the cannon, where it was compressed. The faces of the gunners grew tense, as just one misstep and they would be blown to bits by the stored energy.
「Aim!」
The gunners looked at the aiming sights to target the enemy ships─ but at this moment, they froze.
「… Huh?」「Wait, that’s…」「We need to raise it up…? B-But…」
Their work process had grind to a halt, and only made confused noise without reporting that 「Target locked」. The supervisor grew anxious and lectured them: 「What the hell are you dong!」
Before the situation was resolve, the order to fire was sent from the top. With no time for delays, the supervising sailor rushed his troops to act.
「… Adjust the lateral aiming during the second volley! Have you set the elevation yet? We can’t dally anymore, we need to fire!」
His subordinates couldn’t refute his orders. Without even checking why the gunner in charge of aiming was so confused, the supervisor was influenced by his anxiety and yelled:
「Open fire!」
… Of the 16 Kioka ships in the line ahead formation, eight of them were fake Blast cannons vessels.
At this moment, there was a thunder-like boom as 8 x 8 = 64 Blast cannons shot out flames at the same time. Each shot was strong enough to destroy a mast by itself sounded like the roar of a dragon, echoing in the sea. The image of a one-sided massacre appeared in everyone’s mind.
However, the shots splashed into the sea after flying less than 200 metres.
「─What?」
Elulufay who was standing on the front deck of the 「White Wing」 was baffled by the first volley that didn’t damage the enemy at all.
Did the anxiety of facing the enemy caused the crew to neglect their aim─ she turned with that suspicion in mind, and cast her gaze at the stairs leading below deck. Almost at the same time, the gunners’ supervisor dashed out, and Elulufay immediately said to him sternly:
「What’s going on? The enemy is more than half a mile away! Go and adjust the aim of the guns right now!」
「… R-Regarding that…! We have an unexpected problem…!」
「What’s the issue? You just need to raise the elevation of the cannons, correct!? You have done that during training for countless times!」
Elulufay lost her patience with the supervisor that didn’t get to the point, and rushed down the stairs to see the situation for herself. When she reached the gun deck, the chaotic scene of gunners struggling with the cannons.
「─This is─」
Elulufay understood the situation with just one look, and how far off the mark her orders were. And that’s because─ her orders were already carried out. The eight Blast cannons before her were already at maximum elevation.
「…G-Great Mother! The ship is tilting too much, and the elevation of the Blast cannons are already at their limits, and can’t increase further!」
「I’m very sorry, if we raise it any further, it will hit the gun port…!」
The gunners on the ground explained the situation more concisely than their supervisor’s report. At this moment, Elulufay felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and all the clues linked together:
「… Could it be… The enemy already expected this…?」
Elulufay quivered from a shock she had never experienced before, and glared at the enemy fleet on the other side of the ocean through the gun port.
「… The enemy should realize the reason why we are attacking from downwind by now.」
On the crow’s nest at the front mast of the Imperial warship 「New Moon」, a dark haired youth held onto the railing with one hand to brace against the strong sea breeze as he observed the chaos of the enemy troops. Beside him was his deputy Suya, who was worried and followed him.
「The enemy’s bombardment didn’t reach here… First Lieutenant Ikuta, why is that…?」
「The reason isn’t complicated. When the ships are blown with a strong wind from the side, it will naturally tilt downwind, and it is even worse on days with strong winds like today. The ship tilting meant the Blast cannons at their gun deck will point downwards too.」
From the scene before him, Ikuta confirmed that the first phase of the plan was a success. He watched with his telescope as he continued explaining:
「If the tilt wasn’t too serious, they could compensate by raising the angle of the cannons… which is why our side chose to strike today, when the wind is much stronger than usual. We gave up the advantage of being upwind from the very start, and attack from downwind in order to shorten the range of the Blast cannons. And just as planned, their range had fallen to less than a third of their maximum.」
He seemed to be insinuating that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and his deputy tried to keep up with him… Suya had been working hard all the time to not appear out of place beside her superior officer.
「… I understand the logic of sealing their bombardment, but there’s some parts that I don’t get. The strength of the wind needed to tilt the enemy ships enough to shorten their Blast cannon range─ you have never rode on a Blast cannon ship before, so how do you know that so well, First Lieutenant Ikuta?」
A faint smile appeared on the youth’s face. Suya knew that was his expression when he heard a good question:
「… When I saw the Blast cannons on the 『Tyrannosaur』, my first impression was that 『this thing isn’t optimised』. The structure of the ships equipped with the Blast cannons have flaws in its designs. The most prominent thing was that the gun ports are too small. So I suspect that when they utilize the Blast cannons, the size of the gun ports might obstruct its firing angle.」
Suya gasped. In a battle where his ship almost sunk, and he was injured and at risk of dying, this youth still managed to observed such minute details on the enemy ship.
「And of course, this wasn’t much of a weak point. So I consulted the experienced sailors for their opinions. As we have recorded the exact details of the Blast cannon ship’s size, shape and speed, asking them to estimate how strong a breeze was needed to tilt the ship was a simple task for them.」
「B-But the enemy’s Blast cannon ships might not share the same designs, right? The issue with the gun port being too small might be improved in the ships that are built later…」
「That’s impossible, even if Kioka are genius in shipbuilding, they still seriously lack the experience and time to design a high quality warship armed with Blast cannons. Think about it, including their encounter with the 『Tyrannosaur』, that would just be the second time their Blast cannon ships are deployed in live battle. They don’t have much chance to test the viability of their ships. In other words, these vessels are just prototypes.」
The youth continued explaining. The other imperial soldiers didn’t realize that these flaws only exist because the Blast cannon ships was a new weapon.
「Assuming Kioka has a genius ship architect, and he propose that 『the gun ports should be larger』. Before his idea is reflected on the designs, he will face fierce opposition. After all, gun ports are holes cut out from the side of the hull, and enlarging it would increase the risk of the ship taking in water. If they want to prioritize the performance of the ship, it will be better to have smaller gun ports. Since the Blast cannons were very new weapons, most of the people on the ground in the Kioka shipyard would prioritize the performance of the ship instead. Evidence that shows 『how serious the small size of the gun port affects the combat potential』 will be needed to convince them. And to do so, they will need─」
「… the Blast cannon ships to be deployed in live battle─ correct? And Kioka lacks data on such battles.」
Suya found the answer, and continued thinking about it. Ikuta peeked at the side of her serious face, certain that his deputy will continue to improve. The stimulation from staying by his side was a big influence to Suya Mittokarifu’s way of thinking.
「In any case, we have stopped the one sided bombardment by their Blast cannons for now─ what will the opposing admiral do now?」
「… Shift the cannons on both ends of the gun deck, and two thirds of the munitions here to the starboard side! Hurry!」
After thinking for a brief moment, Elulufay quickly issued her orders to the hapless gunners.
「Ahh… Yes!」「Get a move on! You hold on to that side!」「Cannon coming through! Clear some space!」
There was still a few who didn’t understand her intention, but no one idled around. This was the instructions from the Great Mother, no one would question it.
「Send all free hands on deck over too! We need to temporarily shift the ship’s center of gravity towards the starboard! That way, we can pull back the slanting ship’s body!」
Everyone understood now. She was trying to shift the center of gravity to counteract the ship that was tilting because of the strong wind. As the cannons and cannonballs were metal, they could act as counterweight just by moving their position. It was a tedious task for the sailors shifting them, but there were ample hands on the ship to perform this task.
「Relay the orders to the other ships with light signals! Tell them to shift two thirds of the ammunition and two cannons to starboard, and engage the enemy this way until they are within 200 m! Do not be alarmed even if they appear to be very close! The enemy is downwind of us! They can’t approach us directly!」
The crew had complete confidence in the Great Mother’s words, and continued moving. Elulufay watched their backs with a reliable gaze, but her mind was reeling from shock:
「… How troubling… I wanted to turn all the ships downwind, which will correct the tilting of the ships, and the range of the cannons. It will be easy to bombard the enemy from the side, but─」
In any case, she had to discard this temptation, as choosing to head downwind would result in them sailing pass the enemy in the opposite direction─ in other words, an head-on engagement.
<TL: 反航戦 (Hankousen) http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Kancolle_Wiki https://truth.bahamut.com.tw/s01/201703/471145143cdc83cd11f043aa8ff2106d.PNG>
Since being upwind was causing them issues, this would seem like a good idea. Sailing parallel to the enemy fleet, and exchange fire when they pass by each other. After that, they just need to flank behind the enemy and continue firing. They could then form a pincer attack with the 20 ships at the back of the formation against the enemy, and checkmate─ if Elulufay didn’t think about it further, she might have carried out this plan.
「… There are two traps. First, during the head-on engagement, there will only be one chance to fire on the enemy, which is the moment we cross by each other. The Blast cannons might be powerful, but it probably won’t cause serious damage to most of the enemy fleet.」
Elulufay grit her teeth to warn herself and continue mumbling:
「The other trap is the pincer attack with our 20 ally ships. This plan has a serious flaw. If we attempt to do that, the enemy will immediately break formation and engage us chaotically. When that happens, the Blast cannon vessels won’t be able to fire from afar.」
The accuracy of the Blast cannons weren’t good enough to target just the enemy vessel in a chaotic fight. Unless they were willing to risk shooting their allies, the Blast cannon ships will be forced to watch from the sidelines. If they engage forcefully, they had to close in to increase the accuracy… that meant giving up the biggest advantage of the Blast cannons, which was range.
Elulufay no longer had any doubt that the Imperial navy took all this into account before launching their offensive… Just from a single engagement, they manage to identify the weak points of the new Blast cannon ships, so there was someone capable of doing so in the enemy fleet.
Elulufay felt a chill down her spine. She only knew one other person who could do something like this. The enemy has someone who could rival that white haired officer─ this assumption stirred the whirlpool-like fighting spirit in the chest of the 「Great Mother of White Wings」.
「… A momentary lapse can prove fatal, everyone, remember this well─ our enemy this time is formidable.」
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