The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 237

177. Civil War in the Duchy (2)

Cove Final Defense Line.

More than half of the harbor had already been reduced to ruins by the battle. Continuous shelling persisted, but the Silver Wing Fleet skillfully avoided the range of the artillery, engaging in a war of nerves.

“We must lure them into the range of our naval guns!”

“But… if we make a mistake, our own fleet could be caught in the crossfire and be in danger.”

“Damn it, does this mean we can’t use our weapons even though we have them? Where is Duke Frantz?”

“He is currently engaged in combat. However, he has eliminated about half of the Golems and magic artillery from the ships… It seems he intends to induce a close-quarters battle.”

“A close-quarters battle?”

The harbor defense commander frowned at his subordinate’s report.

‘What on earth is His Excellency thinking…’

Despite the fierce battle raging in front, they were still stuck in Cove.

Moreover, breaking through the enemy ships’ shelling would require the Iron Fleet to endure significant damage.

The Duchy’s commander, once called a genius of combat, was now making baffling decisions.

But the remaining leaders could not understand Frantz Louverin’s actions.

* * *

“Intercept!”

Bang-!! Kwaaaang—!!!

The commander of the Silver Wing Fleet watched the Iron Fleet rushing towards them like moths to a flame, a satisfied smile on his face.

Kwaddeudeuk……!!

The shelling pouring from the ships was deflected by shields in front of the Iron Fleet’s ships.

But only for a moment.

The cannonballs that followed in the second and third waves overwhelmed the shields, and the barrage poured like rain on the front of the Iron Fleet, piercing through the fleet.

“Coordinate input complete. Preparing magic artillery.”

The helmsmen in the captain’s cabin simultaneously activated large panels at his command.

Three-dimensional images filled with incomprehensible ancient words appeared before them.

They looked at the images, put on black goggles, and moved their fingers in the air.

Toong- Toong- Toong-!

As they pressed buttons with their fingers, faint waves formed in the air, and ripples occurred as if the air was bursting.

Woooowoong-!!

Kiiiiiiing–!!

The massive cannons mounted on the ship’s deck moved according to the input coordinates.

The product of the Duchy’s proud magic engineering.

The magic artillery gleamed.

“Fire!”

The commander shouted in a powerful voice, looking at the image displayed in the captain’s cabin.

[Fire!]

Following his command, the shouts of the crew echoed from the artillery room through the communication lines.

Peong-!! Peong!! Peong!!! Peoeoong—!!!

With pure white smoke, cannonballs once again poured out of the artillery from the Silver Wing Fleet.

The magic engineering that had been cut off since the Magic Era was able to come out into the world thanks to the Duchy’s genius engineer, Wingel Hart.

Although he was under the command of the First Duke, Tulli, Wingel Hart would have hoped that these cannons would point at the enemy, not at each other, when he revived this powerful force that even the Empire did not possess.

“Hahahaha! Look at those foolish bastards clinging on like moths to a flame! Charging in with ships that don’t even have artillery!”

The captain shouted, seemingly excited as he watched the Iron Fleet being destroyed by the fierce shelling.

[Krrrreureureure……!!]

It was then.

“……!?”

From below the Silver Wing Fleet, which was flanking to annihilate the remaining forces of the Iron Fleet, the waves surged and violently shook the ship.

Kwaaaang……!!

Kwaang……!!

The ship at the head of the formation exploded from the stern as if it had been hit by artillery, and then staggered.

“W-what is it?!”

The captain, who was directing the fleet, hurriedly looked around. But there were no visible enemies in sight.

Others were equally bewildered.

If it was the lead ship, they might have thought it was the shelling from Cove, but suddenly the rear of the ship that had been speeding ahead was destroyed, so they couldn’t help but be puzzled.

“Damage to the stern of the 1st and 3rd ships! Request permission to initiate rapid repairs.”

“Permission granted.”

But the commander, who had been momentarily bewildered by the explosion, grabbed the communication device and informed the captains of each ship.

“Find out the situation immediately.”

He said, seemingly regaining his composure with a low sigh.

[Repair started.]

[Repair started.]

Along with the reports from the crew of the 1st and 3rd ships,

Jjeok…… Jjeojeok……!!!

The destroyed areas at the stern of the two ships at the head of the formation began to be restored as if the trunks of trees were growing.

Once the seeping water was blocked, the staggering ships regained their balance.

“Attack as much as you want. It is the only ship in the Duchy’s fleet made with the World Tree as a material. Even if it is attacked, it can be restored.”

The commander said proudly as he watched the scene.

“The only thing lacking was firepower, but even this has been resolved, so now the symbol of the Duchy will no longer be the Iron Fleet, but the Silver Wing Fleet.”

For this expedition, Frantz had allowed the spare magic artillery that had been left in Cove to be mounted on the Silver Wing Fleet.

But as soon as the war broke out, Lockiel betrayed them.

The plan to quickly move the ships from Cove to provide supporting fire from the outskirts was shattered, and ironically, this forced them to remove even the magic artillery that would have been used in the ground battle from the Iron Fleet.

“R-reporting!!”

At that moment,

A crew member from below the captain’s cabin shouted in a hurried voice. He took off the black goggles he was wearing and looked at him with trembling eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“An unidentified object has been detected 100m [328 feet] below the surface! Approaching at high speed!”

“Underwater?”

The commander asked with a bewildered expression that he hadn’t shown even when the ship was destroyed earlier, at his subordinate’s report.

“That’s impossible! Are there torpedoes in the harbor!”

Only then did he instinctively feel that something was wrong.

He knew that the attack earlier was not simply the work of a special forces unit from the Iron Fleet.

“Check it immediately!”

“There is magical interference from the Iron Fleet, so it’s impossible!”

But the crew members all shook their heads as if they didn’t know.

“Convert all magic power to shields. Block the next attack no matter what!”

The commander shouted hastily.

“It’s too late. It’s not like a torpedo. If it were, they would have used it already.”

“……!!!”

It was then.

The commander hurriedly turned his head at the voice he heard from behind him.

“W-who are you?!”

He couldn’t speak as he looked at a boy leaning against the wall of the captain’s cabin with his arms crossed, waving at him.

[Sea… Sea……!!]

At that moment, a communication rang out from the 2nd ship in the rear of the formation. A hurried voice from the communication device.

But even that was too surprising, and the 2nd ship’s cry did not continue to the end as if they couldn’t speak properly.

Kwaaaaaaaang—!!!

Kwaaang—!

A shower of water falling on the deck.

The window of the captain’s cabin momentarily turned cloudy, and when the view cleared again, the people on the commander’s ship could not help but be shocked.

“……!!”

It was meaningless to listen to the 2nd ship’s communication any longer.

“Sea… Sea…….”

As he watched the captain start to utter the same words, the boy lightly put his arm on his shoulder and said.

“Are these guys all tongue-tied? Why can’t they speak properly? It’s not even a long name.”

Kwaaaaaaaang—!!!

The window of the captain’s cabin shattered, and a huge tentacle grabbed the captain’s head and charged straight into the wall.

Peoeok……!!

With a dull sound, red blood splattered from the wall where the tentacle touched. The captain’s legs trembled, then slumped down the wall and fell to the floor.

Cahill looked at the captain’s corpse, his head completely smashed, and said as if slightly smacking his lips.

“Yes, it’s the Sea King.”

Then, raising the corners of his mouth, he once again spoke so that the crew members remaining in the captain’s cabin could hear.

“You know what to do without me having to tell you, right? Move quickly on your own. If you don’t want to die.”

* * *

“…….”

The soldiers stationed in Cove stared blankly at the Silver Wing Fleet, which suddenly spewed flames and sank below the surface.

That was because the ally that was swallowing them was an existence they had never even imagined.

“Am I… am I dreaming right now?”

“That can’t be. There were rumors before that the Demon Kings drove out the Empire even in Twin Armor… Could that not have been a false rumor?”

The soldiers muttered with dazed faces.

[Kreaaaaaaa……!!]

The huge legs of the Sea King, which had soared above the surface, grabbed the fleet and began to smash it to pieces.

The fleet fired continuously, but only emitted black smoke and did not inflict significant damage on the Sea King.

The creature’s legs, covered in smooth mucus, were like shields, dropping cannonballs and ravaging the enemy that had been causing them headaches.

Waaaaaaah—!!!!

Waaa—!!

At first, they were dumbfounded, but as they watched the Silver Wing Fleet’s ships gradually decrease, the soldiers in Cove cheered.

How long has it been since they had a victory?

They didn’t know how it happened, but what was clear was that the master of the sea was helping them.

Chwaaaaaak……!! Chwaaak……!!

The surface of the water below the harbor rippled as if a shower of water was falling, and then huge eyes appeared.

“……!!!”

When the Sea King’s huge head appeared in front of the defense forces, the soldiers froze in place without even daring to run away.

“Hey.”

Cahill said, looking at the defense commander standing there with a blank expression.

Only then did people realize that there was a person on the Sea King’s head.

‘W-who is it?!’

‘Could it be…….’

‘Is he even controlling the Sea King?’

‘I can’t believe it.’

All sorts of thoughts swirled in the minds of the people there.

The Sea King was so powerful that even Sword Masters couldn’t help but struggle. Taming such a monster, not hunting it, was something that even the Cove defense forces, who had lived by the sea for a long time, had never heard of.

“……Yes?”

Normally, he would never have forgiven the rudeness towards him, but the defense commander couldn’t even dare to get angry at the Sea King’s overwhelming presence.

“Bring Frantz Louverin here right now. I need to hear from his own mouth what kind of crazy thing he’s doing.”

Cahill said to him, gesturing towards the strait.

“Yes, yes!!!”

At his words, the defense commander nodded his head without even realizing it.

No one could refute Cahill’s words.

Everyone agreed with the words that it was a crazy act. You could tell by looking at the defense commander’s expression.

The eyes looking at Cahill were not those of a sudden intruder, but those of a savior who would save them.

[Krrrreureu…….]

Watching the soldiers scattering, Cahill tapped the Sea King’s head and said quietly.

“Wait a little. I’ll feed you as much as you want from now on.”

The Sea King rolled its huge eyes a few times as if it felt good at his words, and then slowly put its head under the surface of the water.

Cahill stepped on the creature, lightly jumped up, landed inside the harbor, and stretched his back.

‘This wasn’t a battle to win. Rather, it was a spectacle of rushing into the enemy to lose unilaterally.’

There were many parts of the Iron Fleet’s battle that didn’t make sense from a common sense perspective.

‘First, I need to hear what he’s thinking.’

It was clear from the soldiers’ expressions that it was not a planned strategy.

“I don’t know what your ulterior motives are, Frantz Louverin. What you’ve done will be enough of a stepping stone to make me stand out.”

He smirked as he looked at the Iron Fleet retreating in the distance.

It was the first step of the Duchy’s hero.