Chapter 110 - The Battle at Sea and the Cannonade
A few minutes later, the second shot came. The first had landed on our port side; this time, it struck starboard. The ship pitched violently again.
"Prepare to flee!" the captain's voice roared across the deck.
"Master, could that be the 46cm Triple-Barreled Cannon from the special skill list?" Fam asked.
"No, the trajectory was singular, so it's probably a single-barrel cannon. Fam, do you know what a cannon is?"
"It is a weapon that fires a metal sphere from a long tube using the force of an explosion to strike an enemy. An image of it came to my mind when I considered choosing the 46cm Triple-Barreled Cannon when I acquired my special skill."
When I was choosing my special skill, nothing had come to mind, but I could vaguely picture it from the name. Special skills were likely designed for people from other worlds. It seemed that when the inhabitants of this world gained a special skill, a god provided a revelation, teaching them how to use the ability. That must be why the people of this world called them Divine Blessings.
"If that was a 46cm triple-barreled cannon, just the shockwave from a near miss would blow this ship to pieces, and their ship would probably blow up the moment they fired it. Fam, do you still have the list of special skills?"
"No, it disappeared after I acquired my special skill."
Damn you, Racshell. So meticulous about the unnecessary things.
"Why aren't they firing directly at our ship?"
Fam tilted her head in confusion.
"There's still some distance, and we're both moving targets. It's probably difficult to get a precise shot."
They were likely also firing as a form of intimidation, to make us flinch while they closed the distance.
"In that case, if we maintain this distance, can we escape?"
"I wonder. They might be using the two galleys running parallel to us to observe their shots and correct their aim. If so, their accuracy will improve. And their ships are faster than ours to begin with. The closer they get, the more accurate their shots will become."
"I will block it with my special skill."
"No. The activation intervals are different. We need to save your special skill."
"Understood."
Fam nodded with a solemn expression.
"…Fam has a Divine Blessing? And you had a list of them?" Marmie asked, her voice filled with surprise. She had appeared at my side at some point, opposite Fam.
"Keep it a secret. Fam's special skill was a gift from Racshell."
"…If I stay with you, Mash, can I get one too?"
"Who knows? I hear you need to have the blood of a transferred person in you."
"…Right. It might be impossible for me."
Her disappointment seemed to return her to her usual quiet, monotone way of speaking. On deck, preparations for battle were steadily underway. The sailors who had boarded the enemy galley had returned, and the fixed shields, some of which had been removed, were being put back in place. If the cannon fire wasn't just a threat, the enemy's objective must have shifted from capture to sinking us. This fight would be far fiercer than the first.
Sharing my concerns, Avea approached with a grim look on her face.
"We have to weather a cannon bombardment, survive a rain of arrows, evade the charge of a more maneuverable galley, and then win a melee. Is that even possible?" she asked me.
"Who knows. We would have been better off running when we had the chance instead of getting greedy. But no, we had someone sleeping soundly and another picking a fight with a girl."
"…"
I decided to ignore the last two comments. Surprisingly, she had agreed with my idea of fleeing. Her mission was to get me and Claire to Migul. And come to think of it, Marmie and the others probably weren't interested in extra income either.
"Wake, what do you think?"
Just then, the sound of the third cannon shot echoed. The shell ripped through our sail and landed in the water ahead of the ship. A violent tremor shook us, and I grabbed a fixed shield to keep from falling. Marmie clung to me tightly and stayed on her feet, but Cecily fell on her rear. Fam, Mizuki, Maira, and Aira supported each other, while Avea and Wake kept their balance through sheer core strength. I offered Cecily a hand and helped her up.
"If one of those shells hits us directly, this ship won't stand a chance. Our odds alone are slim. We'll use the galley as a shield against the cannonballs. It might not do much, but it's better than nothing. We'll keep it attached and steer the ship toward the bank. We'll abandon the cargo and prisoners and escape ashore."
I glanced towards the riverbank. It was a sea of trees, with dense foliage growing right up to the cliff's edge.
"Escape into the forest and fight a guerilla war… We have no knowledge of the terrain. The undergrowth might make it difficult to move deeper in. Couldn't we get cornered?"
"It's better than taking a cannonball on the water. It also helps negate their numerical advantage, and it's easier to dodge crossbow fire. There are settlements both upstream and downstream. Well, before we take that gamble, we should probably see if any of the crew knows the state of that forest."
We had a lot of adventurers with us. They were used to fighting on land, which could give us an advantage.
"Do you think they'll pursue us onto land?"
"That depends on how valuable Marmie is to them, and how much value there is in killing a transferred person. We just don't know."
Wake was right. Capturing Marmie would surely earn them a bounty from the Demon Kingdom. Their decision would depend on how much the pirates trusted the Demon Kingdom. And if there was a transferred person on their side, they must see this as the perfect opportunity, now that I couldn't use my special skill. It all came down to how much value they placed on defeating me. But we knew far too little about our enemy.
"I see. I'll propose that escape plan to the captain."
Wake looked at me with surprise.
"Are you sure? You'd lose not only the prisoners you just acquired, but the merchant ship and all its cargo as well."
"There's no comparison between that and the lives of my friends."
The ship was heading downstream while hugging the bank. The two pursuing galleys were closing the distance, not letting up. Our only hope was to beach the ship, abandon it, and escape into the woods, praying we didn't take a direct hit before then.
"I wonder if we could block that cannonball with defensive magic?" Cecily mused.
"I don't know how the shell's destructive power compares to the strength of a defensive spell, but we might be able to deflect it rather than stop it outright."
"What about shooting it down with our own magic?"
"…The target is too fast. It would impact before we could finish preparing a counter-spell," Marmie joined the conversation.
"What about a scattershot… for example, firing countless projectiles at the same time as their cannon to create a barrage and shoot it down?"
"…Mash, do you know what that projectile is?"
"I can guess. It's a cylindrical chunk of iron. The tip is conical to reduce air resistance and stabilize its flight. It's possible there's gunpowder inside the shell, designed to explode on impact."
I used earth magic to form the shape of a shell. Cecily and Marmie peered at it. There was a chance the special skill had limitations, but based on the firing interval, I was guessing it was an old type of cannon. The only famous ones I could think of were the Armstrong gun or the 28cm howitzer. Both might have been land-based fixed artillery, but my knowledge ended there. Was it even possible to fire something like that from the deck of a wooden ship? Anything older would likely lack the accuracy they were demonstrating.
The fourth cannon shot roared. This time, it landed farther from the ship than the last. They must have anticipated we'd correct our course, thinking we might run aground as we neared the bank. It seemed the gunner hadn't yet realized we were trying to escape ashore.
"If they can't hit us, why don't they wait until they're closer to fire? It would be more of a surprise and more certain to hit," Cecily said, brushing away the water droplets scattered by the impact with an annoyed gesture.
"They're trying to take down a ship that just defeated three of their galleys with only two of their own. And if they have a transferred person, they have to consider the possibility that we have two special skill users on board. One has already used their skill, but the other hasn't. They're playing it safe, trying to sink us with cannonballs from outside my special skill's range."
"I see."
"…If I had a catalyst, I could construct a large-scale spell."
"A catalyst?"
"…Something like a magic seed or a crystal core, which holds a high amount of mana and can amplify the effects of magic."
"Marmie, can you control a crystal core?"
Could she manipulate one without a special skill like Mii's?
"…No. But I can draw out its mana to enhance my magic's effects."
I pulled a crystal core and a magic seed from my storage. Marmie's eyes widened as she stared at them.
"…Are you sure?"
"Use as much as you need."
I nodded, and she accepted the crystal core, clutching it to her chest. I decided not to mention that I'd only been holding onto them as items to sell for cash.
"…I'll create a defensive barrier. Cecily, help me."
Cecily nodded to Marmie.
Just as Cecily and Marmie put their heads together to talk, another cannon shot rang out. The shell struck the galley we were towing behind us. A violent explosion erupted, and the ship burst into flames.
"Cut it loose!" the captain yelled. Several sailors rushed to the stern to begin detaching the galley.
"Is anyone still trapped inside that galley?"
"We hadn't managed to free the chained slaves yet."
A sailor who was working to unhook the ropes answered my question. The enemy's slaves—which meant they were originally citizens of the Empire.
"Cecily. Douse the fire with water magic."
"N-no way. The fire is too intense!"
"Marmie, can you do it?"
"…If I can use the crystal core, I'll try."
When I nodded, Marmie began to form a sphere of water above her head. In the meantime, I used my own water magic to douse my body.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Avea demanded, grabbing my shoulder.
"I'm going to help them."
"Don't be a fool. We'll be at the shore soon. Get ready to run."
"Master, I'm going too," Fam said, and the other members of Levante nodded in agreement.
"Mizuki, you stay here."
"Why?!" Mizuki shouted angrily.
"That swimsuit isn't very heat-resistant. You'll be stark naked before you know it. Which I'd be happy about, but…"
"W-what about you, Mash?"
"I get stronger the more I take off."
"You're only wearing one thing to begin with!"
"You of all people should know how strong I am when I'm naked."
Mizuki didn't respond to my words. Instead, she pulled some clothes from her storage and put them on over her swimsuit. It was strangely erotic. I wanted to record it and watch it in reverse.
"…What are you staring at? Mash, you get dressed too, quickly."
After I got dressed, Cecily doused us with water magic.
"I'm staying with Marmie!" she declared. She probably intended to help Marmie create the barrier to block the cannonballs.
"Yeah, I'm counting on you."
Cecily nodded.
"…Well then, good luck," Marmie said. A massive sphere of water now hovered above her head. She sent it crashing down onto the burning galley. The water, pouring down like a waterfall, suppressed the fiercely burning flames.
The fire, which seemed to have been extinguished in a cloud of white smoke, began to roar back to life as soon as the water flow stopped.
"…What's happening?"
Marmie murmured. Was the fire so intense that the water couldn't lower the temperature below the ignition point?
"No, that's more than enough. I'm going. I'm counting on you to handle the cannonballs."
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