kscans

Chapter 108 - The Battle on Deck and the Opening Salvo

The sun was high in the sky. I took out my phone to check the time; it was nine o'clock. The heat had dispersed the mist. The sky was a deep, clear blue, with clouds beginning to form in the west.

The sail billowed with the west wind, steering us towards the left fork of the Y-shaped river that branched around the sandbank. A human figure was now clearly visible on the mountain peak. The pirates had spotted our ship's movement, and they too must have been preparing for battle.

On deck, myself, Famu, Myra, Avea, Wake, Marmi, Claire, Mercedes, and the ship's captain had gathered.

"I want to begin preparations for battle. We'll line the gunwales with shields,"

the captain said. He was a man with sun-scorched bronze skin, a barrel-chested build, and a receding M-shaped hairline.

"There's a good wind today. Can't we just proceed at full speed and break through this area before the pirates are ready?"

The captain shook his head at my words.

"Impossible. This stretch of water is full of reefs. We have to slow down. They have galley ships, which can move faster than this one. We'll definitely be caught."

"I see."

I nodded. It seemed combat was unavoidable.

"The pirates are using the sandbank as a fortress. They have a clear view of our deck from there. If you want to lull them into a false sense of security, we can hold off on battle preparations, but..."

"No, please proceed with the preparations. I want to minimize casualties as much as possible."

The captain nodded, then looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

"Are you... really sure this is going to be okay?"

"I can vouch for him on that. I was present when Master Mash wiped out the swarm of Big Hoppers that were plaguing the town,"

Mercedes answered in my stead. This ship was carrying cargo for the Mateo Trading Company, and their influence was strong.

"Well, no point getting cold feet now."

The captain nodded and turned to his crew.

"Alright, you dogs, prepare for battle!"

The captain's roar was met with a resounding chorus from the crew.

The strategy meeting was over, and the captain had returned to command the battle, but we remained where we were, watching the sandbank. The members of Levante and Altail had joined us. I wanted to help with the preparations, but we were inexperienced and would likely just get in the crew's way.

It was a massive sandbank. I had imagined it as a flat accumulation of sand and dirt, but it was more like an island. It was covered in trees, making it difficult to see, but there appeared to be an inlet. From it, three galley ships emerged. The galley ships closed the distance, their oars moving like the legs of a centipede. We were picking up speed too, but their maneuverability was clearly superior. Just as the captain had said, it would be difficult to escape.

"I thought there were five of them..."

"The rest are likely waiting in reserve. A merchant ship wouldn't normally travel down the river alone like this. The enemy is being cautious,"

Wake replied. This was a bad development. Even if we dealt with these three ships, the remaining two would pursue us. We would have to hold out until our own reinforcements arrived. Would Joe and his crew even come? There was a chance they would use our ship as a decoy and sail down the right side of the sandbank to get through this area.

"We should just burn their ships,"

Cecily said. After four days on the ship, she seemed to have gotten used to the rocking. Her seasickness symptoms were gone. Marmi, standing next to her, nodded in satisfaction at her opinion. The two of them had become fast friends. Cecily had initially disliked Famu for being from a different race, but she seemed to be fine with Marmi. Famu and Aira shot a sharp glance at the two of them.

"Looks like the mages have become friends. Aira, why don't you get along with Myra, since you're both clerics?"

I said to Aira.

"Myra's not a cleric. She's a priestess. And she's always so noisy,"

Aira pouted.

"Hey, don't speak ill of my big sister. Aira is just shy,"

Myra said, puffing out her cheeks. Seeing their reactions, I regretted my comment. It had been like poking a hornet's nest. I was constantly fighting with my own sister. I guess that's how siblings are. But even though they bickered, they wore the same clothes and carried the same weapons. And when Aira got emotional, she called Myra "onee-chan."

She did have her cute side. In any case, Myra's profession, priestess, was a high-level class, but I didn't really understand the difference between it and a cleric. Just as I was about to ask Myra, the crew started drawing water from the river and dousing the ship. It was likely a countermeasure against fire attacks. The enemy ships were probably doing the same.

"..."

Cecily and Marmi watched the scene with indescribable expressions.

"See? The age of Earth Magic is now,"

I said to the two of them triumphantly.

"I've never seen a cool person who uses Earth Magic."

"...Right, Earth Magic is so uncool,"

the two of them replied. What was wrong with Earth Magic? It was a mystery how they were so in sync.

"You could create a giant stone ball and hit their ship with it to sink it, right?"

"Spoken like a true Earth Magic supporter. Sailors aren't stupid. Their ships are reinforced with anti-magic enchantments. They've already thought of countermeasures for anything you can come up with, Mash."

Marmi nodded again, looking satisfied with Cecily's answer. If that was the case, then they must have countermeasures for all kinds of magic. A fire attack would be the first thing to come to mind.

"Hey, Mo. Don't forget you were shamefully defeated by my Earth Magic."

"...Hmph."

At my words, Marmi puffed out her cheeks and fell silent.

"I'll teach you the greatness of Earth Magic too, Cecily."

I activated my Earth Magic and created an object in the shape of my member. I made it a little bigger for the sake of my ego.

"Wha— What kind of stupid thing are you making at a time like this!"

Cecily recoiled, taking a step back. Marmi's eyes widened as she stared at it.

"You should try fighting with this inserted. You'll understand the goodness of Earth Magic."

Patricia strode up to me. And then, she punched me. Hard. Ow.

"What are you doing in front of Lady Mo? Throw that in the river."

"But..."

"Throw it away."

Patricia smiled sweetly.

"...Yes, ma'am."

Reluctantly, I tossed it into the river.

The sailing ship slowed down to take evasive action, avoiding a reef. In that time, the enemy galley ships closed the distance. We would soon be within arrow range. The crewmen were nocking arrows to their crossbows, the kind that used a crank to draw the string. We were given them too. Avea had taught us how to use them during training the day before.

"Claire and Mercedes, that's enough. Please take shelter in the cabin."

Claire shook her head.

"No, I will remain here."

Avea and I exchanged a look, and Avea shrugged.

"No. The rest of the Altail members are your escorts. Take them to the cabin."

At Avea's words, Claire reluctantly nodded.

"I'm staying,"

Fang said to Avea, watching as Beers led Claire and Mercedes down to the cabin. Just then, a sharp sound cut through the air, and an arrow flew towards me. Avea drew her sword and casually deflected it. The enemy ships had closed to within a hundred meters. They were splitting up to surround us.

That was the only arrow fired; both sides had yet to begin their volleys. The sound of the rowers' chants, the slap of oars against the water, the creaking of the ship—the approaching enemy vessels heightened the tension.

"Mo, you should take shelter in the cabin too."

"...I'm not going. I'm aware that I created this situation. I will fulfill my duty as a noble."

This time, I looked to Wake.

"I will protect Lady Mo no matter what. Patricia, you go to the cabin."

Wake glanced at Patricia. I had thought she might have some combat ability to protect Marmi, but it seemed that wasn't the case. But then, what was with the painfulness of her fist?

"Yes, I will only be in the way, so I will take shelter."

"In that case, you should stay with Claire's group."

She nodded at my words and followed after them.

I observed the enemy galley ships. The number of soldiers standing on the deck didn't seem that large. They were probably putting most of their manpower into propulsion. A line of figures with horns stood there. They must be demons. Interspersed among them were humans. "There are humans, too."

"Humans are the most populous race, so they're everywhere. And the Demon Kingdom is relatively tolerant of other races. That's why many different races live within the Demon Kingdom's sphere of influence. In fact, it's said that half the population of the Demon Kingdom's capital is human. Though they do have to pay more taxes than demons,"

Myra explained. She and Aira weren't equipped with crossbows. They would focus on magical defense and healing.

"Hearing that, the Demon Kingdom sounds better than the Empire."

The clash of nations is a clash of ideologies. Neither is necessarily right. A man who appeared to be a commander raised his hand. The enemy soldiers all raised their crossbows in unison. We took cover behind the fixed shields. Our own captain had also raised his hand. I readied my crossbow.

"Fire!"

The shouts echoed. Arrows were loosed all at once, and the sound of them cutting through the air filled our ears, followed by the thud of countless bolts striking the fixed shields and deck. The battle had begun. An exchange of crossbow fire had started. Several of our crew members fell.

Did my arrow hit its mark? I wondered as I cranked the crossbow behind the cover of the fixed shield. Once the next arrow was set, I peeked out from a gap to fire. I was surprised at how much the distance between our ships had shrunk. I could clearly see the pirates' faces. I took aim at one of them and let fly. But the arrow hit the fixed shield in front of him without finding its mark.

"Hey! Pull your head back as soon as you fire!"

Avea grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down.

"S-sorry!"

I began to crank the crossbow again for the next shot.

I glanced around and saw that the gunner for the ballista at the bow had been hit. He must have been the first target. Mizuki and Famu were also participating in the battle, using crossbows. Mizuki's movements, from setting the arrow to releasing it, were fluid and without hesitation. Famu, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling with the crank. Cecily and Marmi had erected magical barriers around themselves and were observing the situation. It was a powerful barrier that deflected arrows. Cecily had never deployed such a strong barrier before; had she learned it from Marmi? I had expected them to counterattack with offensive magic, given their competitive natures, but they made no attempt. It would be difficult to cast a spell amidst such a hail of arrows. They'd be targeted the moment they tried.

"We're surrounded on three sides. The enemy ships are closing in,"

Cecily reported.

"What's the distance?"

"I don't know, maybe thirty meters?"

Cecily answered my question. I peeked out from behind the shield and fired an arrow. It struck a demon. The man's face contorted in pain, and he disappeared behind a shield. As I stared, dumbfounded, at the scene, an enemy arrow grazed my cheek. Avea forcefully pulled me down again.

"Don't make me say it again. Do you want to die?!"

Avea roared.

"I shot an enemy. It hit."

"You idiot! Then don't make that pathetic face. Look happy about it, dammit!"

I was thrown to the floor. Looking around, I saw several crew members lying on the deck, blood pooling beneath them. I had done that. Avea shook my body, then leaned in to look at my face and clicked her tongue.

"Famu! Your job is to rally this man. Take care of him!"

Avea yelled to Famu, who was struggling with the crank. She obediently followed Avea's command and sat down next to me.

"Master..."

"Famu, what have I..."

The rocking of the ship, which I hadn't noticed before, now felt nauseating. I wanted to throw everything away and run from this place. I felt sick.

"Master, we are two parts of a whole."

She squeezed my hand. I noticed her hand was trembling slightly. Just a little over a month ago, she had been crying after being hit by a goblin. I had brought such a young girl to a battlefield like this. I looked at Famu, and she smiled. It was all she could do. Another hand was placed over our joined hands.

"Mash, I'm here too. Don't forget."

It was Mizuki. She must have been just as scared as I was, but she was suppressing it, fighting by my side. I started to calm down. The atmosphere of the battlefield had gotten to me, and I had lost sight of my role. No matter what happened, I would protect them.

"Mash, let's take a deep breath."

Following Mizuki's words, the three of us took a deep breath. My lungs filled with fresh air. Then, we slowly exhaled the stale air.

"Alright, let's get through this, no matter what it takes!"

The two of them nodded at my words.