Chapter 498 - Chapter 19: The Fishermen's Battle
Ignoring Edward-sama's talk of planting seeds... I mean, marriage with Beowulf, the enemy is steadily maintaining their advantage.
Our allies' ship is desperately fleeing, but the White Island is still far away, and the harbor where they can dock is even further. The enemy ships are proceeding behind them, undeterred by the headwind or counter-tide, and are gradually closing the distance. We are doing our best to head north, but because our speed is slow and the wind and tide are coming from directly beside us, it's clear that at this rate, we won't be able to get ahead of the enemy.
Fortunately, Eleanor-sama made several icebergs and flowed them, so they should be able to stall the enemy's main force, but the point is that it's meaningless unless we rescue our allies.
Although the tide will turn once Eleanor-sama and the others reach the White Island, the situation has become unpredictable.
"Shall we bring them into a parallel battle? We'll draw the enemy's attention to this side and buy time for Eleanor-sama to come to our aid."
"Yeah, there's no other way."
It's clear they aren't talking about anything very cheerful.
They intend to use this ship as a decoy, but will it be okay?
While I was fretting, the enemy and ally became almost parallel. We can't get close to the White Island. Since Eleanor-sama's wind magic is gone, we can't fire bundles of fire-arrows very far. In the first place, since we aren't upwind, our range is the same as the opponent's. In this situation, the one with more numbers wins.
The opponent has formed a fleet of two rows with three ships each lined up vertically. When they come toward us, it will likely be two rows of three ships side-by-side.
For a little while, both sides proceeded west as they were, but one row of three ships gradually drew closer to us. The three ships on the far side are proceeding straight ahead, so they must be pursuing our allies' ship.
In this situation, an arrow battle is unavoidable.
"They've come."
"Yeah, their speed is superior. However, since the wind and tide are against them, they won't likely charge into our flank as they are."
"Fire-arrows, then."
"Likely. They probably intend to suppress our head while not allowing us to approach the White Island."
The situation is becoming more and more unfavorable.
"We'll draw the three ships coming toward us, and leave the three in the back to Eleanor-sama."
"It can't be helped."
Edward-sama's great voice echoed, and the rudder was turned to the east-southeast. In other words, we would be proceeding toward the continental side.
The opponent, making use of their advantage in speed, moves to suppress our head. Because they are slightly ahead of us, we can no longer make use of the upwind advantage.
Being pressured, we gradually draw closer to the continent.
We turn the rudder slightly to the left, then proceed. And after proceeding, we turn the rudder slightly to the left again.
While we were being cornered like that, our allies' hospital ship disappeared from sight, and at the same time, the small island we originally departed from came into view. It seems we've ended up making a large turn.
Just like that, we proceeded further east and drew closer and closer to the small island. Now, the fortress on the small island could be clearly identified. At this point, even Mary wouldn't be able to make icebergs.
I thought we might as well flee to the harbor of Harmonia, when it happened. Suddenly, many ships appeared from behind the small island.
"Front! Many small ships! The flag is that of the Duchy of Harmonia!"
The lookout's voice was bouncy.
The ship's interior boiled over at the appearance of allies.
Moreover, they came from upwind.
As Duke Harmonia had said, they were all small ships, but they must be fast. Nearly ten ships approached all at once.
"We've managed to succeed in the lure, then."
"Yeah, it's the first time in actual combat, but it went well."
If you knew from the start, you should have told me. That's why our allies' hospital ship also proceeded near the coast and opposed Eleanor-sama's plan to approach the White Island.
"I'm sorry, Bishop Jeanne. They say to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies. However, since our allies proceeding along the continental coast was the original plan, there was nothing to deceive in the first place."
According to the treatment center director, they had discussed with Sertogne before the war how to support the hospital ship if it were attacked or pursued by West Liber warships. Harmonia, in particular, is directly across from Primordia, so they had reportedly gone back and forth many times to finalize the details of where and what to do.
Come to think of it, Sianya had said something like that.
When I looked at Sianya, she had a relieved expression. Since she said she didn't know the details, she must have been anxious.
"Between the harbor where the Sertogne Royal Capital is and the harbor of Harmonia, there's a large peninsula-like terrain. There are no satisfactory harbors. It was said that the time crossing that area would be the most dangerous."
Even if he calls it a peninsula, the whole of Sertogne is apparently a trapezoidal peninsula-like terrain, with the Sertogne Royal Capital at the eastern base of the trapezoid and Harmonia at the western end of the upper side. The West Liber warships can attack ships moving along the trapezoid without being noticed by the harbor of the Sertogne Royal Capital, which is at the base... in other words, at the end of a large indentation into the continent.
What to do then? In the end, it's fastest for Harmonia, which is on the windward side, to go to the rescue.
So, the hospital ship sailed near the coast to be seen by the lookouts of Harmonia and was waiting for that rescue. Of course, the difference in wind and tide between offshore and the coast must also be related.
Harmonia has no large ships. Therefore, a surprise attack from upwind or a surprise attack from a place not visible from the east using the coastal terrain is the basic strategy. This time, we were able to successfully lure them into the swarm of warships of the Duchy of Harmonia waiting behind the small island.
While I was listening to the treatment center director's explanation, the warships of the Duchy of Harmonia drew closer and closer.
Harmonia's small ships are even smaller than West Liber's small ships. Moreover, they have very low gunwales, perhaps because they are flat-bottomed.
"They use those to go up rivers. So, the waiting places aren't just harbors. They'll come out from anywhere there's a river. Look, Jeanne. Look at that speed."
As Edward-sama said, they were indeed fast. Even though they were riding the wind and tide, they came rapidly. They must intend to use numbers to their advantage. They are proceeding as if to surround the enemy's three ships.
"Many small ships approaching from the eastern coast! The flag is that of the Duchy of Harmonia!"
The lookout's voice, which sounded like he was about to dance for joy, echoed.
The ship's interior boiled over even more.
They must have been waiting in a river along the way. Nearly ten more ships appeared. With this, the enemy was completely separated from their main force and their retreat was cut off.
"Proceed as you are! Once you pass our allies' ship, get behind them!"
Edward-sama's instruction flew.
The situation had shifted for the third time.
Like hounds attacking a large beast—that must be the scene unfolding before my eyes. I never thought that speed would be such a priority in a naval battle.
The ships of the Duchy of Harmonia, taking advantage of the upwind position, approached the enemy ships one after another and fired fire-arrows. They hit the oars, not the hull, to rob the enemy of their propulsion. The hit-and-run tactic worked perfectly, and all three enemy ships began to catch fire, with the number of oars visibly decreasing.
Occasionally, there were 'dokun-dokun' sounds, which must be gunpowder. I don't know how they're setting them off, but every time there's a sound, flames and smoke rise from the West Liber ships, and things are flying everywhere.
"What on earth is that? It looks like gunpowder?"
I inadvertently asked the treatment center director. After all, some even had their masts falling.
"Those are round ceramic vessels filled with gunpowder and oil. They're attached to the end of a rope and thrown by hand. Since the fuse is lit, if they can be thrown into the enemy's hull, they explode or burst into flames like that. A practiced person can throw them quite far."
It's apparently an attack possible only for small ships whose forte is swift movement. They can do it because the opponent is clearly slower than them.
The battle of three ships against twenty-some ships was a matter of being outnumbered.
The Duchy of Harmonia side has suffered no damage to their ships. Of course, there must have been human casualties, but the ships themselves are all moving around safely.
On the other hand, all three West Liber ships are currently on fire. One of them, perhaps because it became uncontrollable, has people jumping into the sea one after another.
Several ships from the Harmonia side began to rescue the soldiers who had jumped into the sea. I think it's quite selfish of them since they were attacking the hospital ship, but the ones who ordered it were likely the fellows on the large ships. The ones pulled up from the sea must be from the lower classes. The proof is that they are all staying quiet.
One ship approached. I wondered what it was, and saw Duke Harmonia waving his hand.
I was surprised. Even if it's a Duchy, he's the head of a country. That head himself came to the rescue on what he calls a fishing boat.
Edward-sama also waved back vigorously, and Sianya went to the edge of the command post and waved.
"How about it, Bishop Jeanne? Aren't men of the sea good?"
While I was watching that, the treatment center director spoke to me.
"Yes. I think so."
Duke Harmonia is a lean, frank, and cool person who doesn't put on airs.
"They're rough and not very refined, but many have kind hearts."
"Yes, I think so."
I think so from the bottom of my heart.
Now that I think about it, I've boarded naval ships of various countries, and the crew all had something... smart about them. For some reason, they all liked dirty jokes, but including that, they have an atmosphere like the mountain bandits... the Paratroop Jaegers of Sertoria.
"If a ship sinks, there's a high probability of dying even if uninjured. Encountering a storm or running aground, you never know when you'll die. Even in such situations, they don't want to take an unseemly attitude. Even down to those of the lower classes, their resolve is different."
I see, if they have something in common with the Paratroop Jaegers, whose return rate is extremely low compared to other units, that must be it.
"Edward-sama used to enjoy fishing often, taken along by the current Majesty, who was then only the King's brother. After His Majesty was enthroned, he went to various fishing villages himself and learned various types of fishing. Since then, he has been on good terms with the naval soldiers regardless of rank; he is, so to speak, a naval soldier."
After all, he's a former fisherman-aspirant.
"Therefore, even if Bishop Jeanne's companion marries Edward-sama, there's no need to worry."
He's smiling. It's a carefree, friendly expression.
"How about it? Why don't you, Bishop Jeanne, also marry a naval soldier once you return to secular life?"
Hey, old man. You've ruined the good story up to that point.
"Six warships of Harmonia heading north. Toward the White Island. Ten heading east, toward the enemy's large ships!"
The lookout shouted.
The warships of the Duchy of Harmonia intend to not only rescue the hospital ship we're on but also our allies, and further, head toward the enemy's large ships.
It seems the crisis has been completely averted.
The ship Duke Harmonia was on drew closer and closer.
I thought it would collide, but he boarded this ship.
I wondered if he was catching onto a rope hanging from the mast, and then he jumped with a 'eiya' and came flying in while holding onto the rope.
As I thought, he's cool.
"Duke! I sincerely thank you for your assistance. It was truly a help!"
"What, I only moved according to the previous arrangement. If Edward-dono charged with a hospital ship and I did nothing, I'd be a laughingstock for generations. I wanted to avoid that, at least."
To Edward-sama, who gave a proper thanks head-on, he said this in a light tone, as if he had helped with some simple task his parents had told him to do, with a bright expression.
"Actually, an allied hospital ship is being pursued by three small ships."
"Yeah, so it seems. I received word from a reconnaissance fishing boat. But rest assured. The enemy ships are suffering from the curse of the fire dragon that lives on the White Island and are on fire."
"The curse of the fire dragon?"
I know of fire dragons, but they should be in the depths of Finis. I haven't heard that they moved to Primordia.
"Apparently, suddenly, the head of a dragon wrapped in flames came flying and attacked the enemy's small ships. It only grazed the bow, but despite that, the bow burst into flames all at once. My, how scary. If such things appear, one can't carelessly approach the White Island. I'll make sure to tell my subordinates well."
It must be Eleanor-sama's Prominence. The enemy ships must have gotten too close to the White Island. I heard that the distance between Primordia and the continent is about one and a half station-post distances at the closest point. Assuming the range where the magic level doesn't drop is about one station-post distance, even if it's one-third from the continent... well, the coast of the White Island follows the northeast direction. However, even if there's some difference, if they go halfway, they'll undoubtedly fall prey to magic.
"The curse of the fire dragon, is it?"
Edward-sama, who realized, began to laugh.
"Yeah, we have to be careful not to carelessly approach the White Island. Ah, this is likely something that shouldn't be talked about in places where enemy scouts might be lurking. For example, one must be careful about accidentally letting it slip in the heat of drinking."
He was smirking.
In other words, talk about it in taverns, he's saying. As expected of someone from the First King's place of origin. He's completely thorough.
The hospital ship also played a role in rescuing the enemy's crew. The wounded were treated regardless of whether they were friend or foe, and unfortunately, those who passed away were given a funeral. It fulfilled its original duty.
The captured prisoners were to be transported to the camp on the small island. They were staying quiet without making any fuss, likely because they were afraid of magic.
Once the rescue activities had settled down, information from Duke Harmonia's reconnaissance ships was gathered, and the surrounding situation became clear.
It seems the situation has been resolved in various places.
One of the enemy's large ships reportedly collided with an iceberg we had flowed and was damaged. We flowed many icebergs. Fearing further damage, they apparently turned back. It was exactly as planned.
The allied hospital ship, as a result of being saved by the 'curse of the fire dragon', seems to have fulfilled its role as a hospital ship after all. After that, it reportedly safely set off on its return journey to its home port.
While Edward-sama and Sianya were talking with Duke Harmonia on the deck, I decided to withdraw to the treatment room and listen to the director explaining the course of the battle to Beowulf and Miana. His audience was a princess and a future queen candidate. The director's explanation would be worthwhile.
"This ship has few oars and there was distance from the enemy, so we kept the sails full, but usually, sails are lowered or furled before battle. So, it's effective to set them on fire in the way the Harmonia Navy did."
I only noticed after he said it. If you look closely, the only ships with their sails full were this ship, both among enemies and allies.
Come to think of it, if the sails are set, they're a perfect target for fire-arrows. The reason we were able to overwhelm them in the first stage was an attack from a distance outside the range of normal fire-arrows. After that, it was a battle with sufficient distance from the enemy.
"That's not all. The allied hospital ship also had its sails set. So, the enemy judged that they weren't using fire-arrows. In other words, they didn't intend to sink it."
"That means, in other words?"
"Yes, you must have heard the conversation with Edward-sama earlier. I believe our allies' hospital ship is carrying some important thing, or person."