Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
「Left full rudder!」
Naval Commander Higorum’s command was no different from a roar, and echoed on the deck. The Imperial Ship 「Spearfish」 started slanting to the left greatly. The ships to the left, right and behind changed directions at the same time to sail into the wind from a different angle.
Before they entered the effective range of the Blast cannons, all the ships followed the lead of the flag ship 「Yellow Dragon」 and slowed down. Maneuvering the ships in such strong wind requires high level of skills, but none of the vessels fell behind. As expected of the Imperial navy, Matthew renewed his awe of their capabilities.
「… Ughh!」
In front of him, splashes were erupting in the sea. Compared to the first volley that fell into the sea less than 200m from their origins, the range increased by 50% this time. However, the number of splashes had decreased by about one quarter.
After thinking about it briefly, the pudgey youth accurately determined the meaning behind what he was seeing.
「Hmm, I remember this… right, they shift some of their cannons to starboard to counter the tilting of the ship. Ikuta called this the 『most difficult situation』.」
Matthew recalled the voice of the dark haired youth─ if the opposing admiral is incompetent, a lot of time would be wasted because of the shock from this unexpected development. If the admiral is mediocre, he will go for a head-on engagement, followed by a pincer attack. But if the admiral is exemplary, he will insist on keeping the upwind position even at the expense of lowering the number of serviceable cannons. If that happens, then your wind gunners will need to work hard─
「… Wind gunners platoon four, gather at the starboard of the front deck! Take care not to disrupt the work on the ship, then spread out adequately and prepare to engage the enemy!」
On his orders, the wind gunners charged out of the stairs. Seeing his subordinates take positions on the front right side of the ship, Matthew gave his orders in a volume that wouldn’t get drowned out by the wind.
「We will begin suppressing fire! Two sections will shoot in unison at one time, aim for the enemy’s gun port! Ignore the sailors on their deck for now, and focus on stopping their Blast cannons, got that!?」
「「「「「「「Yes Sir!」」」」」」」
「The Anti Material Air Rifle snipers will continue observing the enemy for now, don’t engage yet! Look out for the cannons aiming for this ship, and alert us! I will update the targets according to this information! Keep your eyes open and remember that well!」
「「「「「「「Yes, sir!」」」」」」」
After hearing Matthew gave the order that positively relaxed their tense emotions, his subordinates wasn’t uneasy at all, and followed without question… Ikuta and Yatori weren’t the only ones whose reputation grew after surviving the desperate situation in the northern territories. This slightly plump youth was also acknowledged by the troops as an officer they could entrust their lives to.
On the other hand, another person was observing Matthew from up high. Polminue Jurgus who was ostracized on this ship did her best in her post as a look out, and looked at the lively Matthew commanding his soldiers.
「… The hero of the northern unrest, huh…」
She muttered to herself. Pommy already learned on the 「Tyrannosaur」 that he befitted that title, and knew he had the right mentally of someone on the battlefield, unlike her.
「… But, I can… I will…!」
Her knuckles turned white from gripping the railings too hard… Pommy kept thinking about the names and faces of her dead subordinates, and continued looking for a way to apologize to them.
「Okay, begin volley fire!」
On his orders, the sharp sound of compressed air exploding echoed out. With no regards for her inner struggles, the battlefield was getting harsher with each passing moment─
「… Uwah!」「Huh!」「Wah… Wahh!」
On the and Kioka flag ship 「White Wing」 which was one of the eight Blast cannons in the line ahead formation, the screams of the gunners on the portside gun deck erupted. This was the same on all ships in the formation. Those who got shot on their limbs or torso fell onto the floor, and their comrades pulled them away from the gun ports while clicking their tongues:
「Damn it! Those imperial bastards…! They are targeting the gun ports with their wind guns!」
「Can’t we do something about this!? It will be difficult to even load like this!」
Watching their comrades getting shot made the gunners hesitate on working. The attack by Matthew and the others had the intended effect, their goal wasn’t to kill the enemy gunners, but to reduce the firing frequencies of the Blast cannons.
「There’s no other way! Close the gun port while we are loading! There will be additional steps, but we won’t need to worry about being shot at!」
The gunners had no choice but to follow the orders of their supervisor. As the gun ports closes, they listened to the shots landing on the side of the ship as they quickly load the munition through the muzzle of the cannon─
「… The ships on the front ranks will be entering Blast cannons range, Admiral Jurgus.」
On the quarterdeck of the Imperial flag ship 「Yellow Dragon」, Naval Commander Kanron who had temporary left his post of supervising the sails crew warned his admiral.
「Yes, we can’t avoid going through this completely unscathed now.」
Admiral Jurgus had a tense face as he answered. The other vessels that had slowed down to match the 「Yellow Dragon」 were gradually speeding up, and would leave the flag ship behind during the next tacking turn.
「Sigh, how vexing…! If they had to match the speed of this huge ship, who knows how much damage they will take before we close in on the enemy. I know this very─ but I still wish to board the ships on the front ranks that requires the most skills.」
「I can’t agree with that. Be it Blast cannons or Air Rifles, both are weapons best suited for taking out arrogant commanders leading at the forefront. No one can be certain whether a stray round will have a fated encounter with the admiral’s head right before a charge.」
「It sounds infuriating, but you have a point! Aren’t you the one who said that trying to protect myself is a retarded move!?」
「Even if the admiral is relieved of duty for avoiding a battle, the First Fleet will still be fine; but if the admiral dies in battle, the fleet will be in danger. So I think both scenarios are equally retarded.」
「I will crush his nuts for real next time and make him an eunuch…」
Admiral Jurgus glared at his deputy who looked nonchalant even after speaking his mind, and cast his sights ahead. The ships in the rear ranks that were beside the flag ship had surpassed them by two ship’s length. The ones in the front ranks were already within 300m of the enemy fleet.
「─ Alright, it is finally starting. The 300m that test that mettle and skills of the Pirate Navy.」
「Listen up! Tack to the wind!」
The crew shift the sails as ordered by Naval Commander Higorum, moving the imperial warship 「Spearfish」 upwind at an angle. Their allies in the same rank of the formation changed course at the same time as they closed in on the 16 Kioka vessels.
「Everyone switch firing positions! Head to the starboard side!」
At the front deck, Matthew’s men moved as they were ordered. As the ship will change direction while tacking, they need to deploy on the other side of the front deck. When they took aim at their new position, the soldiers shouted excitedly:
「Hah, the enemy is timid, which make things easy!」「That’s right, we just need to attack the gun ports that are open.」
When they were loading, the enemy closed the gun port to avoid being fired upon. From the perspective of the attackers, this made things more convenient. After all, they just need to shoot at the gun ports that were open. Instead of being unsure which cannons would fire, it was easier to focus their attack this way.
「Don’t let your guard down! This is the critical point! The enemy’s cannon can hit us now!」
But Matthew cautioned his men from being too optimistic with a stern voice. Things were developing just as planned, but he couldn’t be careless. The punches of the enemy just hadn’t reached them yet.
The slightly plump youth knows very well that the cannon was powerful enough to tear the sides of the warship like paper, and just one hit could sap the crew’s will to fight. He experienced all that on the 「Tyrannosaur」, that was why…
「─ Incoming! Everyone, grab on to something─ Ughh!」
Matthew saw the firing of the cannons targeting them, and shouted at the top of his voice. Not just for his men, but to mentally brace everyone else on board.
The next instant, the water on either side of the ship exploded, and the pressure from the sea rocked the 「Spearfish」 violently from side to side. A few soldiers fell onto the deck, and splashes from the sea rained down on them. Screams rang through the entire deck like a choir.
「… Ugh…!」
Matthew grabbed on to the rope ladder to withstand the impact, and his throat felt nauseous─ just two shots hitting the waters nearby brought such an impact, and they would be closing in on the enemy who would be shooting more of these at them…!
「Man overboard! Someone fell into the sea─!」
The cry behind him shocked the pudgey youth, and he turned around quickly. He looked closely, and found a few soldiers near the railings pointing anxiously at the ocean. Matthew leaned out instinctively at the sea too.
「… Over there! Throw out a life buoy…!」
In the sea tens of metres below, he could see the sailor who had fallen overboard waving at them. He kept sinking and resurfacing with the tides, but he couldn’t keep that up for too long. A marine threw out a lifebuoy with ropes attached… But that last bit of hope fell a long way from the man overboard.
「Hey! That way! Swim that way!」「Not there! To the right!」「No! Don’t get swept away!」
The crew yelled, trying to lead the man overboard to the life buoy… However, that was all in vain, he was already at his limits. A wave that was taller than normal covered the head of that sailor, and dragged him maliciously into the sea.
「S-Subas...!」「Damn it!」
Realizing that their comrade was gone, the sailors yelled as they stomped on the deck… Because of the strong waves and the moving ship, they were getting further from the man overboard with every second. The chance of rescue was abyssal from the start, and Matthew realized with a chill that falling overboard under such conditions was as good as dying.
「Ughh…!」
Matthew burned the image of his comrade’s cruel death into his mind, and turned his gaze back to the front deck. He looked at his men who had not recovered from the shock of the bombardment, and yelled:
「… What are you afraid of!? The longer we are afraid, the more shots the enemy will fire! There is nowhere to run in the ocean! If you don’t want to die, keep firing!」
He hid his urge to scream in terror, and issued his orders. Matthew barely managed to perform his duty as a commander, and the shell shocked soldiers started moving again after being admonished by their superior officer.
「Screw it! I won’t let that thing hit us…!」「We will take them out before they hit us!」
The soldiers roared as they returned to their post, and the suppressing fire restarted after stopping for less than ten seconds. Taking into account his warning ahead of time, the pudgey youth succeeded in minimizing the shock suffered by the entire ship.
「Pommy, are you alright? Did you fell off from the impact just now?」
After confirming that his men had returned to the fight, Matthew looked upwards and yelled at the crow’s nest. A few seconds later, Pommy grabbed the railings and waved her hands to signal that she was fine. The pudgey youth shift his gaze away in relief.
「The entire fleet is within cannon range…! Are our ally ships fine!?」
「─ I… I thought that I was dead.」
On the imperial warship 「New Moon」 that was sailing at the northern end of the formation, Ikuta and Suya fell on top of each other in the crow’s nest of the front mast.
「Just the cannon fire landing in the waters nearby caused such an impact, huh… We are lucky that we have a lifeline. Suya, are you alright?」
「I-I’m fine! But…!」
Realizing that she was being held from behind, Suya got up in a hurry. Ikuta stood up alongside her, and put a hand on his waist to check for injuries.
「… Hmm, that didn’t worsen the condition of my waist. Luckily, you are as light as a feather.」
「W-What are you saying!? Let’s go down, it’s too dangerous here!」
「Go down then, I will stay here. I have to observe the enemy’s reaction.」
After saying that, Ikuta raised the telescope he didn’t let go off even when he fell down. Seeing that his deputy was still looking at him worriedly, the youth answered with a wry smile:
「Don’t worry and go down. I can’t leave in the middle of a chess match, you know?」
「─ No hits at all?」
Elulufay observed the first volley after the enemy entered cannon range from the 「White Wing」. The shots exploded on the sea without damaging any of the opposing ships.
「It can’t be helped, we have less cannons as we had to correct the tilting of the ship, and there’s suppressing fire harassing them too…」
「Should we push the troops to fire the next volley quickly...?」
Her adjutant beside her asked, but the Great Mother shook her head without any hesitation:
「Do the opposite. Keep loading as they always had, but take more care in aiming. Landing zero shots is evidence that the gunners are flustered. Also… the troops seemed to be wary of the suppressing fire, so send shields to the gunners, the numbers should match the number of gun ports.」
In front of her were soldiers with tower shields protecting the admiral. The tower shield that could protect an entire person was meant to deflect shrapnels and stray rounds from hitting the commander. Elulufay ordered them to protect the gunners without any doubts.
「There’s no need to hesitate, this battle will be dependent on the usage of Blast cannons.」
「Yes Mdm, it is as you say!」
Her adjutant rushed to the stairs on her orders. Elulufay looked at the gradually approaching enemy with sharp eyes, and calmly considered her next move.
「… A short while later, we should shift the cannon at the starboard back to the port side. Since the munitions had been expended, the port side should be light enough to maintain its range. We can then engage the enemy with our maximum firepower then. But─」
She evaluated the wavering scales of danger in her heart and pursed her lips with a serious face:
「─ We don’t have many chances. How many enemy ships can we disable before both fleet clashes?」
As both fleets closed in on each other, their capability were both adversely affected. The Imperial fleet was sailing at maximum speed and using suppressing fire to aim for a decisive victory, while the Kioka navy was engaging with as best as they could with their Blast cannons. The judgement of the commanders, the training of the soldiers and the element of luck were all shown clearly to everyone.
「Uwah…!」「The T-Thundercloud got hit!」「it made a hole on its starboard!」
After entering firing range, the second volley finally scored a hit, piercing the starboard and reaching the cargo hold below deck. The crew of the 「Thundercloud」 leaning out from the deck immediately start working to stop the hull from taking in water. Fortunately, the hole was made relatively high above the waterline, and didn’t affect seafaring too badly.
「U-Uwah…!」「T-That hurts… Assholes…!」「Carry the wounded! Medic!」
The third volley struck the 「Mantis Shrimp」 and 「White Shark」, killing and wounding many of the crew working on the deck. As many of the casualties on the 「White Shark」 were the veterans manning the sails, control over the ship was reduced significantly.
The fourth volley hit five vessels, including the 「Spearfish」 that was in the middle of the formation.
Something flew over Matthew’s head at a speed that wasn’t visible to the eye. That just registered in Matthew’s mind when an explosion came from the back of the ship.
「Whoaa…!」
The pudgey youth steadied himself from the shaking that threatened to throw him overboard, then cast his gaze to the back. A cloud of dust was rising behind the three masts on the ship, and the crew were rushing over there in a panic.
「Oh no, did that hit the quarterdeck…?」
He felt a chill in his limbs, but Matthew still ordered his men to keep firing before running to the quarterdeck. Pommy who literally jumped down from the crow’s nest joined him. Before long, the terrible state of the quarterdeck appeared before them.
The damage was obvious. The rear of the quarterdeck had caved in, exposing the Ship’s wheel as if a hole had been dug out. Four people were collapsed on the ground, two seemingly dead and two others groaning in pain. Matthew and Pommy could tell at a glance who one of the survivors was.
「N-Naval Commander Higorum……!」
Understanding how serious the situation was, Matthew rushed to the wounded burly Captain of the 「Spearfish」, whose exposed right shoulder and back were bleeding as he laid on the deck. His injuries wasn’t from a direct hit, but the shockwave of the impact. It wasn’t clear how bad he was hurt.
「C-Curses… Luck just had to leave me at such a moment…」
Naval Commander Higorum grumbled in pain as he groped around the deck with his uninjured left hand for his pipe. Five medic soon rushed over with a stretcher, but before he submitted to their treatment, he yelled in a raspy voice like a wounded beast:
「The treatment can wait, I know I can’t continue with command! Get Kutsuchi… Get Gramps Kutsuchi here…!」
「I’m here, Gramps Higorum.」
A voice that came from an unexpected direction startled Matthew and Pommy. He probably rushed here after realizing the seriousness of the situation. The Captain of the scuttled 「Tyrannosaur」, Naval Commander Ragieshī Kutsuchi was standing with his hand on the Ship’s wheel with his beard fluttering in the wind.
「Shut up! I’m not a gramps! The important thing is the job! Command this ship in my stead!」
These words made the faces of some of the crew turn green; the Naval Lieutenants working under Naval Commander Higorum on the 「Spearfish」. The young officer and the female officer who picked on Pommy last time walked forth, as if this was their chance to give their opinion.
「Captain, please leave command to me! I will perform the duty perfectly!」
「I agree with 1st Lieutenant Paume! We shouldn’t impose on our guest, Naval Commander Kutsuchi!」
Second Lieutenant Yorin concurred with the young officer. As an officer of the ship, it was natural for them to question this, but Naval Commander Higorum shook his head with a stern expression:
「Don’t make me explain it all! I’m saying that you all can’t take on this responsibility! If you can sail this ship ‘perfectly’ in such violent storms, I would have given you the position of Captain a long time ago!」
「Don’t get agitated, Higorum, even if it’s you, that will aggravated your wounds… Anyway, I will take the command of the 『Spearfish』, will that be fine?」
The white bearded old man asked quietly, and no one could interject the communications between the two old men.
「… Yes, I will leave it to you. If you fail, I will beat you up after.」
「You want to talk with your fist even after going to that world? You never change, do you?」
In response to his old friend’s smirk, Naval Commander Higorum averted his face with a grunt. The medics took this as a signal to load him up onto the stretcher and moved him away. The injured helmsman and the two other bodies were sent into the ship too.
「─ Alright, as you can see, I will be taking command. There must be some who isn’t happy about this, but just swallow your grievances for now. We don’t have time to discuss this now.」
The old man looked at the officers with sharp eyes as he said that. The calm intimidation that ran contrary to his advanced age silenced everyone’s protest.
「… We have no objections with the esteemed 『White Beard Kutsuchi』 captaining the ship…」
1st Lieutenant Paume said as a courtesy on behalf of everyone else. Naval Commander Kutsuchi returned his gaze to the ship’s wheel with a nod.
「Well then, 1st Lieutenant Paume, take the post of the helmsman. Can you let your deputy take your original post?」
「Aye aye Sir!」
「Very good, all hands return to your posts immediately─ Get on with it! If you keep standing there, this ship will be done for with another hit!」
The veteran sailor’s shout snapped the crew back to their senses, and they ran back to their posts. Matthew who was affected turned around too─ and found a woman standing motionlessly beside her, and stopped in his tracks.
「What are you doing, Naval Lieutenant Polminue. Return to your station.」
Naval Commander Kutsuchi state his orders calmly. In that instant, Pommy felt so ashamed for holding expectation after the old sailor assumed command, that she wanted to kill herself. She immediately turned and ran.
「… Ugh…」
Matthew wanted to say something, but realized that he didn’t have anything to say. He shook his head to clear his mind, and rushed to the front deck where his subordinates were standing by.
The First Imperial Fleet worked desperately to reorganized their battered formation as they slought towards the enemy upwind. They were only 30m away, close enough to see the faces on the opposing ships. At this moment─ the cannons fired simultaneously, announcing the end of this situation.
「Wargghh! Hold the line!」「T-Two shots landed on starboard!」「Damn it! The main mast got hit!」
This was a precise volley from point blank range. Eight ships got hit, with two of them losing their main and rear masts, stopping them in the waters. The flanks of three vessels were hit below the waterline, and were condemned to the inevitable fate of sinking. Despite that...
「Admiral! There are 38 ships left!」「Well done! Charge them!」
On the quarterdeck of the Yellow Dragon that caught up one step later, Admiral Jurgus was hyped up. He knew that his fleet has passed the first checkpoint, which was to close in with the enemy while maintaining numerical advantage.
After the repeated bombardment, two imperial ships were dead in the water and four suffered critical damage. Seven were moving slowly after their sails and ropes suffered serious damage. That was the result of the 300m charge.
「… Impressive, they only suffered that much damage.」
With the results laid out before her, Elulufay could only admit that this was less than half the damage she expected. Aside from her being too naive, she realized that her opponent was more tenacious than she imagined. However, she didn’t have any buffer time for her next orders:
「Half firing! Execute plan four, when the enemy has the advantage in combat potential! Get the fleet moving!」
The gong used to relay the message was rang, telling the allied ships what to do as the enemy fleet close in on them. Rain started falling amidst the wind that had gotten stronger, announcing the start of round two of their battle.
On the imperial warship 「New Moon」, Ikuta who insisted on monitoring the situation from the crow’s nest saw the 16 Kioka ship in line ahead formation performed two types of maneuver. The eight Blast cannon ships started retreating against the wind, and the eight regular vessels moved forward to cover their retreat.
「… They refuse to give up the upwind position! There should be a limit to their patience! Really now!」
The youth who was hoping for a head-on battle cursed the opposing admiral’s determined attitude, which went against his expectations. He could also tell the goal of the enemy. The regular ships will engage in battle in order to buy time for the valuable Blast cannon ships to retreat upwind.
「The 20 ships standing by behind had started moving too. They will probably join the 8 regular vessels for close quarters combat… This is the development we wanted too, but we can’t let the Blast cannon ships get away so easily.」
The youth kept his telescope as if to express that he would stop watching from the sideline and join the fray. He climbed down the rope ladder with a speed that could rival a cockroach and returned to the deck. His men who were preparing for boarding action under Suya’s instruction looked his way, but he left that part to his reliable deputy and ran to the quarterdeck.
「Captain Aguhi! The Blast cannon ships are getting away, can we dodge the enemy ships before us and pursue them?」
「Hey, you are asking for the moon here, kid! You know the ships upwind can move more freely than those downwind, right? In this situation, the enemy will stop us even if they had to ram our ship!」
The buffed Captain of the 「New Moon」 replied cheerfully. Up until today, Ikuta had built a good rapport with the ship captain with his glib tongue and the power of the 「Divine Wine of the Far Southern Sea」.
Understanding how aggressive his personality was, the dark haired youth provoked him:
「Yes, I know! This is difficult, but for Captain Aguhi, the number one sailor in the First Imperial Fleet, this might be possible! Or was I expecting too much!?」
「…! What did you say, you little shit? I never said it can’t be done! Don’t make stupid assumptions!」
Captain Aguhi’s mind shifted from cautiousness to being adventurous. With how easy he was to influence, the Captain would probably do the same thing unprovoked. Ikuta smiled wryly without any surprise. After all, the Katjvarna Pirate Navy were made up of fools like him.
「Stand aside and watch with your eyes wide open! I will show you my special technique! Don’t blink now!」
The Captain declared, and then summoned more crew to reinforce the men at the front and rear masts, with a sharp gaze towards the approaching enemy─ The 「New Moon」 was at the limits of their upwind manuever, and the only thing they could do was to turn downwind. However, their enemy saw through that and rammed at them from a difficult to dodge angle.
「Hmmp! Good─ hard to starboard!」
However, in this situation where the rudder could only be turned to port, Captain Aguhi gave the order that betrayed that expectations. Even so, the helmsman wasn’t fazed at all as he turned the ship’s wheel all the way to the right.
「Deploy all the sails on the front masts, and take in the wind from its back! Do the opposite for the rear mast, let the wind through!」
The crew executed their instructions without delay, putting on a show. The sails on the front masts took in all the wind coming from the port side, while the sails on the rear mast turned parallel to the wind direction, letting all the air through. As a result─ with the rudder turned hard to the right, the front of the ship turned all the way downwind because of the force exerted on its sails.
「W-Whoaa…?」
The violent movement of the ship made Ikuta lose his balance, and he grabbed onto the rope ladder to keep his footing. A gasp came from the Kioka ship that was right before them─ The New Moon turned its bow downwind in one fell sweep, and the stern of the ship was thrust upwind, doing a 180 degree turn right in from of the enemy. In the eyes of the enemy, it was like the flank of the imperial ship they were about to ram had suddenly disappeared.
「We are going to pass by them, begin suppressing fire!」
Soldiers with wind guns and crossbows aimed at the starboard of the enemy ship and shot a volley from point blank. The enemy retaliated immediately, but the New Moon’s target was the Blast cannon ships. It right its course to head upwind, minimizing the time they engaged the enemy, and started sailing again. The enemy ship tried to right its course in a panic too, but failed and got rammed by the imperial ship behind instead.
「As you wished, we are on the tail of the Blast cannon ships! Any complaints, landlubber brat!?」
Captain Aguhi said smugly as he flexed his biceps. Ikuta saluted him without any hesitation. The Blast cannon ships upwind seemed to have trouble maneuvering because of the bad weather, and its distance from the New Moon had been shortened significantly.
「Hurry! The enemy is catching up!」
As the ships were stationary during their bombardment, many of the Blast cannon ships had a lot of trouble turning upwind, including the ship being pursued by Ikuta’s 「New Moon」. As the rudder wasn’t responsive unless the ship reached a certain speed, they couldn’t perform tacking upwind immediately.
「Huff… Huff…!」「We can’t let them catch us!」「Move! Hurry…!」
The pressure was on, and the Kioka crew members focused on their work. The retracted sails were deployed, and the ship gradually sped up. The sensation of the ship accelerating made them relieved.
「W-We made it in time...!」「We can get away at this distance!」「Turn to starboard! Quickly!」
The helmsman tightened his grip on the ship’s wheel… No matter how much his comrades urged him, the helmsman wouldn’t turn the rudder at his own digression, and would wait for the Captain to confirm the speed and sails first.
「─ Alright, turn to starboard two notch!」「Yes Sir!」
It was the instruction all the crew had been waiting for, and the helmsman executed the order readily. However, the wheel felt unnaturally light.
「…? Hey, what’s going on!? We are not changing course!」
The Captain shouted a little anxiously. During this time, the helmsman continued turning the wheel frantically, but failed to steer the ship at all. It was turning freely─ the helmsman noticed that, and went to the back of the wheel to check the base connected to the ship.
「… C-Captain…!」「What is it!?」
When he heard his superior snapping back at him, the helmsman raised both hands with a tense face. The Captain saw the rope connected to the wheel had been snapped.
「I-It snapped…? How can this be!? When did that happen!?」
It was only natural for him to wail. The ship’s wheel and the parts connected to the rudder would affect the navigation of the ship, and was carefully maintained. It was impossible that the rope snapped, and at the crucial moment when they were about to evade the enemy’s pursuit.
This unexpected turn of events made their minds stall. At this moment, apart of the ship’s wheel shattered suddenly. The shrapnel hit the Captain who screamed, and the helmsman beside by him finally realized what happened:
「… S-Sniped by the enemy? Did the rope snap because…!」
「The enemy had stopped turning upwind! It is very likely that we have succeeded in destroying the rudder controls!」
On the front starboard deck of the imperial warship 「Rising Sun」, the lookout at the top of the front mast reported his observations. The young sniper who had taken a position up high nodded a little.
「Okay, I will aim at the next ship…!」
The Anti Material Air Rifle was mounted onto the railing of the crow’s nest. Torway Remeon aimed through the sights with one eye, searching for his next prey. Including his partner Safi, there were three wind sprites funneling compressed air into the mid sized barrel.
Like the name 「Anti Material」 suggest, this weapon was better suited to destroying objects than it was at taking down enemy personnel. It was highly dependent on the skill of the user, but given how much the distance between the ships had shortened, it could even be used to snipe the ropes of a rudder as demonstrated earlier. While a deputy could take the place of a commander that had fallen in battle, the damaged rudder would be out of commission unless it was repaired.
「They couldn’t use the rudder, so they can’t flee upwind. We have to disable as many Blast cannon ships here as possible…!」
Moments after finding his next target, Torway squeezed the trigger with his index finger. Every shot by snipers like him were like chains around the feet of the enemy attempting to escape.
「─ T-Three Blast cannon ships had been stalled by the enemy! Another two are being hotly pursued…!」
On the quarterdeck of the Kioka flag ship 「White Wing」 that was the first to escape upwind, the crew watching the situation through telescope cried in anguish. Elulufay grit her teeth as she listened to the reports.
「As expected, not all the ships escaped in time…!」
This was within her expectations. As the enemy were closing in on time, the time frame for them to stop shooting and escape upwind was very tight. And in terms of ship models, the Imperial’s three mast ships were better suited for upwind sailing when compared to Kioka’s three mast ships. Elulufay was mentally prepared for a ship or two to fail in escaping. However, the harassment of the Anti Material Air Rifle and the skills of the imperial sailors increased the numbers beyond her estimates.
「We lost three, it will be bad if we lose more. We have to save at least half…!」
Elulufay’s plan was for the Blast cannon ships to make a strategic retreat to the back of the twenty vessels, then regroup into line ahead formation upwind.
Given the circumstances, the imperial fleet aiming to seize the harbor had to break through the twenty ships of the Kioka fleet first. And they would have to face the Blast cannon ships after charging through. It was unlikely for a large number of ships to slip by, so Elulufay’s task force just needed to take out the few vessels that made it through with their Blast cannons.
However, they would need a minimum number of Blast cannon ships for this plan to be feasible. Unless four or more ships escaped, the plan would fall through. Three of the Blast cannon ships had already been caught by the enemy, so whether the remaining two vessels could escape would decide the battle.
「Please, Greg…! You must keep them safe!」
The entire situation was clear to her, and Elulufay called out the name of her most trusted Marine Commander.
「Alright! We are right on their tail! Don’t let them get away!」
On the imperial warship 「Conch shell」, the sailors yelled in high spirits. The Blast cannon ships they were pursuing was right before them. The enemy ship slowed after the Anti Material Air Rifle broke the rope controlling the rudder, and the 「Conch shell」 didn’t let this chance get away.
「Listen up boys, we are going in! Prepare for boarding action!」
The shooters continued suppressing fire from the front deck, while the marines with cutlass gathered behind them. After facing the threat of long range bombardment numerous times, their fighting spirits started to swell at the prospect of melee combat with the enemy.
「Hmmp! Finally!」「They blew a hole on the ship…!」「I will make them taste my blade!」
As they were at the stern of the fleeing enemy ships, they didn’t have to worry about the Blast cannons fixed on the flanks of the enemy ship. If they could maintain this position, this would be the best angle for a boarding angle attack. One of the marines was too anxious and leaned out of the ship’s bow…
「Don’t get cocky, you bastards!」
But he fell overboard because of a strong impact from the side of the ship.
「Uwah─!」「It’s the enemy ship! It rammed us!」「The enemy is boarding─!」
The air erupted on the ship. While their attention was on the Blast cannon ships before them, another Kioka ship crashed into them from the side. The ram on the enemy ship pierced deeply into the flank of the 「Conch shell」, and armed sailors ran onboard across the decks that were now connected.
「How dare you ignore us in your chase! You are too naive, imperial scum! Do you think the Kioka navy only has Blast cannon ships!?」
With a grin that literally goes to his ear, Marine Commander Greg roared intimidatingly. The boarding Kioka marines started engaging the crew of the 「Conch shell」.
The Blast cannon ships slipped over during this chaotic engagement─
「… Urgh! The 『Conch shell』 and 『Flying Fish』 had been rammed by the enemy ships! The Blast cannon ships are getting away!」
Matthew who was observing the battle from the bow of the 「Spearfish」 shouted, and Naval Commander Kutsuchi who saw the same thing from the other end of the ship issued his orders:
「Tacking into the wind! This is the only ship in position to catch that Blast cannon ship!」
On the orders of the old sailor, the officer taking the helm steered to the right. Up until now, the 「Spearfish」 had avoided the ramming of two enemy ships with impressive ship maneuver. As a result, it became one of the handful of ships that could catch the Blast cannon ships before it reaches the protective shield of the 20 ship formation.
「We have to pursue in this ship, huh...! We need to get ready too!」
Matthew realized that the Captain was now in pursuit issued new orders to his men on the front deck. Numerous muzzles and the sights of the Anti Material Air Rifle were pointed onto the back of the fleeing enemy ship.
「─ How troubling, I thought they got away, to think another enemy ship is still pursuing.」
On the quarterdeck of the Kioka flagship 「White Wing」, Elulufay muttered as she observed the situation. Before her was a Blast cannon ship fleeing upwind, and the imperial warship 「Spearfish」 in hot pursuit.
「To sail so freely in such terrible weather… In contrast, our ships have to do everything they can just to control the ship, and couldn’t focus on firing their cannons.」
Elulufay grit her teeth. As the Blast cannons were designed to be deployed on the side of the ship, they couldn’t fire on the enemy ship pursuing them from behind. If they wish to engage, they need to change their relative position with the enemy, but that would slow down their escape upwind.
If the sea was calmer, the Kioka crew would have better control over the Blast cannon ship and might be able to fire as they navigate deftly─ also known as 「run and gun」… However, it had not been long since the Blast cannon ships were deployed for practical use, so it was unreasonable to demand them to master that completely. Just not making any serious navigational mistakes was exemplary enough.
「─ Alright, let’s save them. Set course downwind.」
She decided as if this was an obvious decision, and her adjutant rushed to her side:
「M-Mdm, are you sending this ship to save them? That’s too dangerous! Even if we help our allied ship escape, if we get bogged down by the enemy…!」
「We have to take this risk. Three Blast cannon ships had been stopped by the enemy, whether that ship escapes or not will be the key to deciding this battle.」
「I understand that, but the 『White Wings』 is our flag ship! If anything happens to her or you, our Great Mother, all will be lost! If we have to send reinforcements, it should be the other Blast cannon ships… Uwah!」
At this moment, the waves hitting the side of the 「White Wing」 made it shook violently. Elulufay gently supported her adjutant who almost fell down, and whispered into his ears:
「… Sailing downwind, fending off the enemy so our allies can escape, then returning upwind. Other than the 『White Wings』, which other ships can pull this off in such volatile waters? Who else is capable of such seamanship?」
The deputy failed to answer and remained silent. The Great Mother gently kissed his forehead, then told him gently as if she was soothing a child:
「… Alright, don’t need to worry. With me commandeering the ship, there’s no need to fear no matter how treacherous the sea is. As you know, this ship has the blessings of the wind.」
Elulufay said with firm determination, then looked up at her pet bird circling above her:
「Let us begin, Misai! Tell us where to go!」
Pepe… a cawing came from the sky. After hearing that cry, Elulufay had readied herself, ordering the rudder to be steered downwind.
「Fire volley! Stop the enemy ship!」
On Matthew’s orders, the sound of compressed air exploding reverberated in the air. The wind gunners gathered at the front deck were firing at the enemy ship 50m in front of them.
「The area around the ship’s helm is well protected...! Okay, aim for the ropes controlling the rear mast! If we stall them, we can catch up!」
As per his instructions, the Anti Material Air Rifle sniper who took up more space than his comrades switch targets. His skills wasn’t at the level of Torway, but he was still a top class sniper that had gone to tedious training. It didn’t take long for him to succeed.
「… It’s a hit! The ropes of the rear mast is severed!」
Matthew could see that one of the ropes tied to the rear mast had lost tension and was swaying in the wind. With the sail taking in less wind, the enemy ship was losing speed. The pudgy youth clenched his fist.
「Well done! We can catch─」
「Blast cannon ship approaching from the port side! Watch out for cannon fire─!」
While Matthew was preparing for a boarding battle, Pommy who was on look out duty inside the crow’s nest shouted a warning. He looked to the port side stiffly, and saw a Kioka ship heading this way from upwind. The slightly plump youth opened his eyes wide in surprise:
「That ship…! It already got away, but returned to help its allies? Oh no, we are in their range…!」
The shocked Matthew urged his men to raise their guard. At the same time, Naval Commander Kutsuchi who noticed the approaching enemy had an ominous feeling:
「Enemy reinforcements…! Be careful, lads! That ship is already turning! It won’t be long before they shoot at us!」
The air on the 「Spearfish」 grew tense. Moments later, booming noise came from the ship that finished turning. 「Grab onto something!」─ after the old sailor yelled that, an impact from the side shook the ship violently.
「Uwahhhh…! D-Damage report!」
After the impact, Matthew gave an order through gritted teeth. From his experience thus far, he could tell the difference from the shaking of a near miss and a direct hit. That shot just now was a direct hit, and the question was how serious the damage was.
「T-The ship is hit once on the port side, near the stern! It bored a hole into the ship!」
「Is it above the waterline! Are we taking in water?」
「Slightly above! Water… as of now, no!」
His subordinate reported with a grim face. We avoided a fatal blow, huh─ Matthew evaluated the damage as such, but he still felt uneasy. There was no telling if they could survive the next hit.
「Damn it! What should we do…!」
The pudgy youth scratched his head violently. This wasn’t covered in Ikuta’s plan of pursuing the enemy one on one. After considering it for a few seconds, he decided to consult the commanding officer and rushed to the quarterdeck─ when he reached there, his last bit of optimism was gone.
「…! Hey, what happened…?」
When he saw the crew surrounding the ship’s wheel, Matthew felt a chill down his back. This was just like earlier, when Naval Commander Higorum got injured. The youth pushed through the wall of sailors, and found the old commander panting in the middle of the circle.
「N-Naval Commander Kutsuchi! Are you hurt from that impact earlier…?」
Matthew didn’t see any wounds, but the old man didn’t respond as he curled up in a ball with his hand on his chest. Matthew felt baffled, and Pommy rushed over from the crow’s nest the next moment.
「What’s wrong, Grampa Kutsuchi!?」
The old man finally reacted to her frantic shout. He tried desperately to control his breathing, and slowly squeezed out every word.
「… I’m not… wounded… but… that impact aggravated my illness…」
Just saying that was agonizing for Naval Commander Kutsuchi who was clutching his chest with both hands. His words and his current situation made Matthew and Pommy gasped:
「… You have a sickness in the chest…? How… When did you contract that…!」
Unlike the agitated Pommy, Matthew finally understood something─ he always felt something was off. This aging Captain had handed over the ship’s command to his young subordinate and became a sort of hermit. However, his clear headed command during the engagement with the Blast cannon ship, his energetic shout that motivated the stunned sailors, and his seamanship that guided the vessel out of that desperate situation all proved that he was very much ready for active duty.
「Due to Naval Commander Kutsuchi’s health issues, 1st Lieutenant Paume will take over command! Everyone, return to your stations, we will charge towards the enemy ship before us─!」
The young officer shouted when he saw the old sailor was down. This was the right decision, since they couldn’t continue the fight without anyone taking the role of the captain. However— at this moment, Pommy realized something and pounced towards the ship’s wheel, grabbing onto it from the side.
「What─! What are you doing!」
「Turn the rudder right! Hurry, there’s no time!」
Pommy didn’t even wait for an answer, and pulled the wheel with all her strength. The sudden interruption infuriated the young officer, and he raised his right hand in a rage.
「What the hell! Stop that, you failure of a woman!」
His fist hit the cheek of the girl. A chipped off tooth flew in the air, and the legs of the dazed Pommy wavered. But she still held onto the wheel with both hands. Her momentum overpowered the young officer who had raised a hand to strike her, and the wheel turned right.
At this instant, a sudden gust of wind howled from portside to starboard. The masts and beams creaked as the ship slanted to the right from the pressure of the wind. The sailors who almost fell overboard screamed.
After the sudden burst of wind died down a few seconds later, Pommy let go of the wheel and collapsed onto the deck. The pudgy youth rushed to her side. Naval Commander Kutsuchi looked at the couple and the slack mouthed young officer, and said stutteringly:
「… The wind direction changed, huh… That was dangerous… If the rudder wasn’t turned to the right, a sail would have torn, or a rope would have snapped…」
When he heard that, both the young officer and Matthew felt a chill down their spine… Normally, the correct procedure was to retract the sails and anchor the ship to tide over the treacherous winds, but the 「Spearfish」 was still sailing with its sails fully deployed. This was necessary to maintain speed, but such reckless actions wasn’t without risk. Wind that was too strong wouldn’t show mercy to sail ships, and the sail would tear if it was pushed over its limits.
「Belay that order, Naval Lieutenant Paume… I didn’t say that I will hand command over to you.」
「… Ughh! B-But Naval Commander Kutsuchi……」
「I know. With how I am, it is only natural for you, the 1st Lieutenant to take over. Usually, I won’t hesitate about handing command to you… But I can see from the wind that this situation isn’t the usual.」
The old sailor cast his eyes upwards, and the dark clouds made it clear that the weather wouldn’t be clearing up anytime soon.
The reality of the situation seeped in, and the crew started to waver. It was thanks to the efforts of the two great sailors, Horatio Higorum and Ragieshī Kutsuchi, that the 「Spearfish」 had managed to last this long. But they had lost both of their guardian wings now─
「There isn’t time to hesitate… I know that, but I can’t make a decision on who should be captain in such a crucial moment…」
Naval Commander Kutsuchi turned his eyes to another direction, where Pommy was getting up with Matthew’s assistance and wiping away the blood from her mouth. The young officer leaned close to his superior officer with a pale face:
「A-Are you going to ignore me and hand this ship to her…? I can’t accept this! How can you leave the ship in this failure that sunk her own ship…!」
「I object too!」
A female officer with a fierce face butt in, it was 2nd Lieutenant Yorin.
「In the military, we should follow the chain of command! And putting the lives of our entire crew in the hands of that woman… Impossible! Just the thought of that gives me goosebumps!」
Yorin said with a disgusted look, with her murderous eyes directed towards Pommy. With the strong objections of the two Naval Lieutenant, Naval Commander Kutsuchi showed a complicated expression with a hand on his chest:
「Both of you have a point… However, the situation is beyond your capabilities, just like that wind just now…」
「No, that was just a fluke… No, if that woman didn’t interfere, I will have noticed on my own! I won’t fail, and will do better…!」
The young officer wouldn’t back down, and Naval Commander Kutsuchi didn’t shut him down by pulling his rank. Because he was the one who was being indecisive.
After thinking about it for a while, he didn’t look to any of the crew member, but cast his gaze on the youth from the army instead:
「─I will let you decide, Matthew Tetzirich. Who should I entrust the ship to?」
「… Huh?」
「I really can’t decided. My sentimental emotions are getting in the way of my unbiased judgement. So I will leave it to an outsider like you. You, who have suffered under the harsh treatment of Naval Lieutenant Polminue because of her immaturity on the 『Tyrannosaur』…」
Being given the authority to decide out of the blue made Matthew stop thinking. At the same time, the two Naval Lieutenant from the 「Spearfish」 noticed that Matthew would be choosing, and got closed to him as if they had spotted an opportunity:
「Hey! Please pick me! You don’t want to die here, right?」
「If you leave it to Pommy, the ship will sink in no time! You must know since you were on the 『Tyrannosaur』! Please, hero-sama, entrust the ship to Paume! You have nothing to lose…!」
Their agitated attitude made Matthew awkward, but he continued his inner dialogue.
─Who should I hand the ship to? He and his men’s lives will be in the hands of the person he select.
「……」
He thought back of her first meeting with Naval Lieutenant Polminue. When they were first introduced, he thought she was a gentle girl that ran contrary to the reputation of the Pirate Navy, and felt relieved. However, his impression turned 180 when he boarded her ship, and he and Torway were abused every day. Her unreasonable attitude even spurred Matthew’s killing intent, and her unsightly appearance during a real battle disappointed him… But that was exactly why Matthew didn’t give up on Pommy back then. After all, her immature behaviour reminded Matthew of his past self.
His eyes returned to the present, and the two officers of the 「Spearfish」 was pleading at him strongly. 1st Lieutenant Paume and 2nd Lieutenant Yorin. He didn’t know them well enough to judge their characters, but he could sense how much they hated Pommy. Thinking back on his days on the 「Tyrannosaur」, Matthew felt that was only natural. Hence, he couldn’t use this as the reason to dismiss them. In any case, this wasn’t a situation where he should base his judgement on personal preferences.
Matthew thought about it one step further─ What’s the difference between the two of them and Pommy? Their skills in seamanship wasn’t the deciding factor. If that was the case, Naval Commander Kutsuchi wouldn’t have given Matthew the authority to choose. It should be something that even he could understand… No, he needed to base on something that 「only he could understand」 to decide between them.
He observed the three of them again. Pommy appeared to be younger, but they were around the same age. In other words, none of them had any track records of live battle that made them stand out. This should be the first war that they were participating in. What was the difference between the three of them?
He didn’t need to think too much, the answer was whether they had failed before. Whether they had lost a ship because of their failings and immaturity. This was a black mark against Pommy that Naval Lieutenant Paume and Yorin didn’t have. She had failed before, but they didn’t─ The two officers before him was using this as their argument to assume command of the ship.
I have never failed before, so leave it to me. Matthew considered this argument, but couldn’t accept it. A sense of wrongness he couldn’t express in words was stuck in his chest. As he search for an answer, his gaze wandered in the air─ at this moment, he noticed Pommy who was standing a slightly further away in the distance.
Pommy was just standing there without giving any opinion or explanation. She was prepared to accept any outcome, and was steeling herself quietly for Matthew to make his call.
「…… Phew……」
When he saw that serious face, the youth found his answer. He state it without any hesitation:
「Naval Lieutenant Polminue, you will take over command.」
Matthew put all of his resolve into this nomination. Pommy’s shoulder quivered when she was named, while the other two stood stiff for a moment before trying to protest fiercely. But Matthew explained pre-emptively:
「… You won’t fail, and will do better. Naval Lieutenant Paume and Yorin, that’s what you said, right?」
The pudgy youth looked into their eyes and started his explanation with that. He then said with determination and energy:
「Up until now, I have failed countless times, from slight errors to serious mistakes. The people around got into danger because of my failings, and some of my men even lost their lives. I lost count of the number of times I felt regret and reflected on my actions… However, I learned one truth from all this experience.」
The desperate battle in the northern territories flashed across his mind, and the lessons branded into his soul from those days bore fruit here.
「─Failure will always be a painful experience. Those who avoid failure will also obstruct their possibility for growth… So instead of those who have never failed, I have more faith in those who have failed before. If I have to choose in this crucial moment─ I will leave my fate in the person who faced the experience of a serious failure head on without flinching.」
After saying that, Matthew looked to the girl. Pommy was desperately trying to still her trembling shoulders as she saluted him. She accepted the will entrusted to her by the youth with a heart filled with gratitude.
「…… Sigh…」
The old sailor had nothing to add to this. He already left everything to them, so he just nodded with a faint smile on his lips.
Just as the wind was changing─ The 「Spearfish」 was hit for the third time.
「Hmmp! How boring…!」
Greg muttered arrogantly as he waved his bloody axe around. After the Kioka’s「Ravisher」 rammed the imperial warship 「Conch shell」, the marines boarded and attacked while their enemy was still in disarray, and seized the advantage.
「We got their front deck! The enemy has been pushed back to the quarterdeck and the cabins below, shall we start sweeping them?」
「Just make a show of doing so. If we go in too hard, they will get desperate and put up a determined fight. We need to pick an opportune moment to get them to surrender.」
Greg picked his ears with his finger as he admonished his hot blooded men. Contrary to his fearsome appearance, his principle was to keep needless fighting to the minimum on the battlefield.
「It’s fine even if the enemy don’t surrender. We can leave after destroying the sails and masts, making sure that they won’t be able to sail─ Hurry it up! Our work isn’t done after taking down just one ship!」
Spurred by his stern voice, the Kioka marines moved quicker. At this moment, someone shouted at the back of the Marine Commander supervising at the front deck:
「Commander! Another imperial ship is approaching from the starboard!」
「What…?」
Greg turned his gaze to the starboard after hearing the report, and saw the bow of a warship charging straight for them. He clicked his tongue at the sight of the incoming enemy:
「We already tore through the belly of this ship, if they are here to help their comrades, they are a tad too late… Hey, you lot! We can stop fighting now! Cut all the ropes that you can see, then go back to our ship! I will leave anyone who is too slow behind!」
He didn’t hesitate at all when he assessed the situation. The marines that boarded the imperial warship moved more hectically. They destroyed what they could in a short amount of time and then left the enemy vessel. When everyone returned to their ship, the approaching imperial vessel was right before them.
「Good, hard to port!」
The Captain shouted his orders, and the ship started moving shortly after. The ram that was struck into the side of the imperial warship had been pulled out during the boarding action, and wouldn’t affect navigation.
The 「Ravisher」 pushed the 「Conch shell」 a little to the side and turned its rudder to the left. For the enemy approaching from the front right, this was just like using the imperial warship as a shield.
「The enemy can’t head towards us directly, as their ally ships will be in their way. If they want to pursue, they will need to make a detour. But since they are sailing upwind, their angle of attack is already pushed to the limits, so they had to detour by going downwind… In other words, no matter how much they struggle, we will have the advantage.」
Greg made the best logical move and smile smugly. After sailing past the disabled 「Conch shell」, the imperial warship went around her allies to pursue them. However, they seemed to be sailing against the wind at an even tighter angle than before, so the distance between them was closer than expected.
「Tch! They just won’t give up…!」
The crew was more skilled, and the imperial warship had better performance than Greg expected, as they sailed deftly against the wind. He had no choice but to accept this fact and quickly amended his plan─ at this distance, it will be difficult to turn their course downwind to ram them. They would probably sail parallel to the enemy ship, and fight a boarding battle.
「… Never mind, if they want to play it this way, we can indulge them! You lot, fight and win the battle for the Rear Admiral!」
The marines’ morale rose at the sight of their commander pumping his fist up high. Their firm devotion to the 「Great Mother of White Wings」 and the leadership of the Marine Commander kept their spirits up, allowing them to fight one more battle with energy to spare.
「Wind gunners and crossbows, are you in position!? Aim and fire!」
On Greg’s orders, the arrows and bullets were shot towards the enemy vessel downwind. The retaliation came at almost the same time. There were some casualties during this exchange, but this much wouldn’t make them falter.
「Ship approaching! Prepare for boarding action─!」
The marines picked up their cutlass for the inevitable melee battle, and they could see the imperial soldiers preparing for the same thing on the enemy vessel. The distance between the two ships grew narrower by the seconds. The marines fighting spirits rose during this stifling moment.
They were less than 3m apart. Judging that it was almost time, the soldiers rushed forth with the planks to board the enemy ship. The bullets flying overhead worried them as they lowered the broad planks onto the enemy ship─ but during this unexpected time, a red figure landed amongst them silently.
「Huh─」
Before he could even exclaim in surprise, the throat of the soldier holding the plank was slit. The marines who saw the spluttering blood were also stabbed in the heart through the ribs.
「Uwah─」「─Ehh?」「Ughh…!」
As they were attacked, death continued to spread, in the order of the ones who noticed the threat. Hence, the group was still unaware of what was happening on their ship.
「I-It’s the enemy! They are here─ uwah!」
The eighth marine who was cut down finally alerted his comrades of the situation. After he said his last words, the dangerous red figure quickly took form in the eyes of the marines. Her fiery colored hair fluttered in the wind as she held a bloodied saber in her right hand, and a short sword in her left.
「What…」「D-Dual swords─」「That’s…!」
Before the Kioka whose eyes grew wide from fear, the red cyclone─ Yatori Shino Igsem pointed her blades at the enemy with her guard up.
「The time for talk is over, now we speak with our swords!」
The sword flashes blew away her enemy’s careless attitudes. In response to her aura, the Kioka marines braced themselves for battle. However, while their attention was on Yatori who broke onboard by herself, the imperial soldiers continued flooding in from the 「Fierce Tiger」.
「What’s wrong with you lot!? Why are you just dallying around!?」
Greg who was behind the vanguards couldn’t see the situation in front, and felt anxious at the passiveness of his men. His doubts were cleared up the moment he got onto a tall platform. From his high vantage point, he saw the brave marines he nurtured being cut down one by one by the dual blades of a vermillion haired girl.
「Wha─?」
The snarly-looking Marine Commander couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But the scene remained unchanged no matter how many times he blinked. The aesthetic of the despair inflicted by the saber and short sword, as it reaps away souls reminded him of a name.
「… The strongest sword, Igsem? Are you kidding me, why is that monster on the sea!」
Greg yelled as if he was caught in a nightmare. The marines before him formed a wall, and the red swordsman breached it, and the imperial soldiers charge in from the gap she made and widened it. With someone directing the weak points they should target, the imperials had no hesitation in their movements. With their opponents pushing their initiative right from the start, the Kioka soldiers were put on the back foot and on the verge of being overwhelmed.
「This is bad…」
While Greg was muttering to himself, he noticed muzzles from the enemy ship being pointed at him and leaped off the platform. He wasn’t fazed by the bullets flying over his head and yelled at the crow’s nest above him:
「Wind gunner! Do something about that monster! Stop her from harassing our vanguards!」
「But… it’s tough! I can barely keep up with her movements, and to avoid shooting our own guys by accident─ uwah!」
The body of the wind gunner suddenly slumped to the side, then fell over the railings head first. The Marine Commander rushed to where he fell, and saw the head of the dead man being turned in an impossible angle.
「Tefug… Damn it!」
Rage welled up in his heart, and he knocked the deck with the stem of his axe… Since the enemy also has wind gunners, they had to keep the enemy down with suppressing fire to avoid this tragedy from happening. In other words, he had to deal with the melee battle himself.
「… I have to do work aside from yelling at my men, huh… Just great, what a bummer!」
Greg came up with a countermeasure despite his surging emotions, and yelled at his deputy:
「Get the negotiation flag right now!」
After boarding the ship and defeating the twelfth soldier, Yatori noticed the flag with red and white vertical stripes at the back of the enemy being raised.
「Proposing a negotiation…? That was quick, the battle just started.」
She was surprised by this turn of events, and orders to ceasefire came from the 「Fierce Tiger」 that caught sight of the flag. Yatori ordered her subordinates to keep their distance from the enemy. The two forces retreated to the starboard and port side of the ship respectively, splitting the deck of the 「Ravisher」 from bow to stern.
「─ Hey, it’s a surprise to see that she is a woman.」
Shortly after, a large man appeared from the wall formed by the Kioka marines. The sight of Greg’s mouth that was split up to his ears caused a stir within the imperial ranks.
「On closer look, you are really young. How old are you, little Igsem girl?」
「About half your age I guess. But I don’t think age is important in this situation.」
Behind her, the commander of the melee unit of the 「Fierce Tiger」 walked forth. He wasn’t as buff as Greg, but he still had a big built. He stood in front of Yatori without fearing the terrifying appearance of the Kioka soldier and said:
「I’m Petty Officer Grashina Bisuri of the imperial warship 『Fierce Tiger』. I don’t have the authority to perform negotiations, but you can think of me as the communication window. State your terms.」
「Thanks a lot. I’m Greg Ayuzadori of the Kioka warship 『Ravisher』. I have the rank of a Naval Commander, but strictly speaking, I’m not part of the sailing crew. Just think of me as the boss of those marines behind me.」
「Understood, Naval Commander Ayuzadori. If I’m not wrong, you are not authorized to negotiate directly either?」
「Not on the matters of navigation, but when we are attacked, I have full authority to make the call. You can just skip all the hassle and negotiate with me right on the spot.」
Greg said as he pointed at himself with his thumb. Petty Officer Bisuri accepted that and nod:
「Well then, let’s hear your terms. If you wish to surrender, I can guarantee the safety of all your crew.」
「Stop kidding around, the battle has just begun─ never mind, we are the ones who halt the fighting, so let me make this simple.」
Greg swung the axe in his right arm, pointing its tip at the vermillion haired girl:
「I want to beat that monster, let me have a duel with that Igsem.」
When he state his demand, the deck of the ship turned rowdy. Petty Officer Bisuri yelled at his subordinates to 「keep it down」, then turned to Greg with a frown:
「… I can relay that if that is your request. However, my superiors will obviously turn you down. We have nothing to gain from your proposal.」
「Don’t worry, I will throw in an enticing bargain. If I lose, the 『Ravisher』 will officially surrender to you. Keeping your men from harm is a good thing for you, right?」
「… And what if you win? You expect us to surrender too?」
「That will be great, but there’s no way you will accept that. When that happens, we can just start fighting again. We will battle seriously until one side gives in. That’s what both sides are planning to do in the first place, correct?」
「……」
「You have nothing to lose. If you weigh it on a scale, you will find that there is no reason to refuse─ but it’s a different matter if you can’t trust the Igsem girl who will be key in all this.」
He wasn’t just taunting Petty Officer Bisuri, but Yatori too. Greg glanced her way, and continued adding fuel to the fire:
「Little girl, if you turn down my challenge, then the title of 『strongest』 will just be bullshit. Even if you win the battle, the name of Igsem will be soiled forever. No, for this case, I should say it will sink into the bottom of the sea.」
He intentionally laughed crudely after saying that. And of course, Yatori wasn’t fazed at all. However, it made Petty Officer Bisuri uncomfortable.
「… I will relay your proposal then. First Lieutenant Yatori Shino, is this fine by you?」
「No matter what the decision is, I will follow the given orders.」
Petty Officer Bisuri’s doubts were cleared after hearing that reply, and backed away to send out a messenger. Yatori and Greg continued facing each other, and the fearsome Marine Commander continued talking smack:
「─ Little girl, do you know that there are sharks in these waters?」
「……」
「They don’t especially like eating people, since there are easier prey for them to hunt. But why do they attack humans─ this is just my opinion─ but they are probably doing so out of curiosity? They had never seen creatures struggling in the waters, which pique their interest and draw them in. Humans will touch with their hands to satisfy their curiosity, but those guys don’t have hands. So they will take a nibble. For them, this is the safest way.」
Greg said as he looked at the raging waves. The imperial soldiers influenced by him also looked to the waters, imagined there to be countless sharks in them, and gulped tensely.
「They are just curious, but the results are horrifying. The suffering will continue until their curiosity is satisfied. Arms, legs, stomach─ not just once or twice, they will keep chewing those parts happily. Unlike blades that aren’t maintained well, their teeth are sharp and gets replaced frequently, making them just like you. They can tear through skin and flesh easily, and will even break through bones and sinew. When that happens, the waters will be dyed red.」
The faces of the imperial soldiers imagining that cruel scene all twisted in fear. The tale affected them greatly, but his crucial opponent remained unmoved. Greg kept harassing her:
「Little girl… did you have fun running around the deck? You better watch your steps and don’t fall overboard. Now think about the possible consequences of what you just did.」
Greg smirked as he observed his opponent’s reaction. Her facial expression remained unchanged─ he should have left an impression after talking for so long. If it dulls her footing just by a little, then it would be worth it.
「Is that so? Thank you for your valuable information─ Can I say something too, Naval Commander Ayuzadori?」
The vermillion haired girl spoke a while later. Greg who thought she would remain quiet til the end was surprised, but he didn’t let it show on his face and nodded:
「Yes, that’s fine. If there’s something more terrifying than sharks, I will want to know.」
His grin that reached up to his ear scowled in a taunt. Yatori dropped her gaze slightly below his abnormal face and said without any reservation:
「Your shoulder is trembling.」
Those words were enough to freeze the air. Greg who made countless subordinates tremble in fear turned pale with his snarling grin frozen in place.
─What are you doing!? Laugh it off right away!
His rational side screamed, but that was impossible for him to pull off. Because his instinct knew the truth.
─She saw through me.
The moment he realized that, Greg gave in. There was no point in all that talk, he was the one digging his own grave.
The one who was terrified in the face of something more fearsome than a shark was himself!
「The Captain permits it! We accept your proposal, and agree to a duel right here!」
Petty Officer Bisuri shouted as he rushed back to Yatori’s side. When he heard that, Greg threw the axe in his right hand onto the deck:
「… Bring me my full set of gear!」
His subordinates rushed down the stairs on his orders, and into the ship. Shortly after, the three of them carried something out together. It was a tower shield and spear that was taller than them, just like the axe. The spear was larger than the standard size, while the tower shield was the standard shield used to protect officers, with steel plates nailed onto it.
It was obviously too heavy for normal marines, but for the tall and burly Greg, it was just right. With the spear in his right hand and shield in his left hand, he returned to the center of the human wall. The red haired swordsman also walked forth in response to him.
「Aren’t you using that incredible looking axe? Is this the weapons you use when you are serious?」
「If you are a foe that will be intimidated by appearance, I will gladly use that… But it’s a damn shame that it won’t work this time.」
Greg adopted a posture that covered most of his body behind the huge rectangular shield, and eyed his opponent cautiously. The square hole at the top of the shield ensured his field of vision while he gripped the spear in his right hand tightly:
「I hate to admit it, but I’m a fool for trying make a monster fear me─ I won’t waste my efforts on futile endeavours, and defeat you with the appropriate means.」
「Is that so, I look forward to that.」
Yatori answered curtly and drew her swords and took a stance. To prevent anyone from interfering with the duel, the forces of both sides kept each other in check. At this moment, a voice came from behind Yatori:
「First Lieutenant Yatori Shino, this might not be the best time to say that, but I’m your fan.」
Petty Officer Bisuri who was standing in front of the marines confessed with a serious face. Yatori who was facing the enemy didn’t turn back, but he continued speaking anyway:
「I hope to continue doing so… That’s all I want to say.」
His words were clumsy and plain, and too reserved for a pep talk. But the red headed swordsman acknowledged the feelings in these words, and nodded without hesitation:
「Don’t worry.」
With this short answer, Greg thrust his spear at her in place of a greeting. Yatori parried this blow with her saber, and the clash of metal signalled the start of the duel.
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