Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 180

180

The Arya Kingdom’s attempted kidnapping and assassination of Fran spread rapidly through global media.

『The Arya Kingdom Targets Fran Minerva’s Airship Returning from Horizon』

『Red Tower Master Condemns the Arya Kingdom’s Outrage That Nearly Took Her Life, Which Could Advance Civilization』

『An Imen Empire Diplomat Raises His Voice, Saying the Arya Kingdom’s Actions Violate International Law』

The criticisms poured out at the time.

Otto, the king of Arya, merely scoffed.

It was ridiculous.

A leap in civilization? It has no value unless Arya Kingdom’s talent achieves it.

These were reactions he had already anticipated.

He wasn’t afraid of their voices, which couldn’t impose practical sanctions and only talked.

What made his head throb was a completely different problem.

『Fran Minerva Escapes Crisis Thanks to the Quick Response of the Lionel Kingdom』

『What Happened in the Midra Triangle That Day?』

He was prepared for the world’s criticism and attempted to kidnap and assassinate Fran, but he failed.

And it wasn’t just a simple failure.

『[Breaking] Advent of Etrim?』

『Etrim Barely Survives and Flees? What is the Truth?』

Etrim had fallen.

The whereabouts of Etrim, who fled the battlefield, were unknown. Otto thought Etrim might be dead.

‘I heard he fled with only one head left?’

It was that fatal of an injury.

『Who Defeated Etrim?』

『Was it the King of the Lionel Kingdom Who Faced Etrim?』

『A Human Faced Etrim and Won? Most Transcendents Dismiss It』

『Anonymous Theologian, It Was Probably an Apostle of Danar Who Faced Etrim』

Otto didn’t know who had faced Etrim. What was certain was that Evan, the king of Lionel, had done something.

He didn’t know it then, but he knows now.

Evan must have paid a great price to stop Etrim to the point where he couldn’t move.

He was always personally on the battlefield.

It’s been over ten days since Arya’s cannons roared at Goldmoon Island, and he hasn’t appeared on the battlefield, so it’s certain.

‘I was completely fooled.’

Looking back now, he deeply regretted the decision of Prime Minister Lichid Pross, who was frightened and retreated the airship fleet.

If they hadn’t retreated then and continued to pursue the Lionel Kingdom forces, the Arya Kingdom forces might have already landed in the eastern part of the Lionel Kingdom and advanced to the capital, Barona.

‘At least Stone Coffin Island would have been occupied.’

He couldn’t blame Lichid.

Otto, even he was extremely wary of the unknown being who had defeated Etrim at the beginning of the war.

‘But that’s over now.’

The Arya Navy succeeded in occupying all major strongholds except Stone Coffin Island in just one week after launching a full-scale offensive.

Now only Stone Coffin Island remains.

Once that place is occupied, it was immediately a landing on the mainland.

A total attack on Stone Coffin Island is scheduled for this evening.

‘The airship power is a pity.’

Most of the airships that entered the Midra Triangle had not yet completed repairs due to minor breakdowns of unknown causes.

‘I can’t help it. The Lionel Kingdom will be the same since they can’t use airships either.’

The navy alone was enough.

The number, size, and quality of ironclad ships all greatly overwhelm the Lionel Kingdom. Otto raised the corners of his mouth, imagining Stone Coffin Island burning brightly.

***

Stone Coffin Island, war room.

The atmosphere was heavy.

The Arya’s ships were gathering near Stone Coffin Island. It would have been a bigger problem if laughter had come out.

Rayna opened her mouth.

“Does no one have a suitable plan?”

The war room was still shrouded in silence.

No one could easily open their mouth.

That’s because Arya’s ships overwhelmed the Lionel Kingdom in both quality and quantity. Frankly, it was a miracle that they had lasted this long.

Rayna sighed softly and looked at the corner of the conference room.

There was Roire.

Lieutenant Commander.

Originally, it was a rank that was difficult to be in the star-studded war room, but he attended with the recommendation of the Admiral.

There was a reason why Rayna looked at Roire.

The Lionel Kingdom was significantly inferior to the Arya Kingdom, but there were victories. Strangely, he was with them in every victory.

More than anything.

His expression now seemed to want to say something.

“Lieutenant Commander Roire, if you have something to say, try saying it.”

At her words, the eyes of the people in the conference room turned to Roire.

After hesitating for a moment, he slowly opened his mouth.

“There is no chance of winning with an all-out war.”

The words that no one could directly utter came out of Roire’s mouth.

Everyone didn’t react much until then.

But everyone’s eyes widened at his next words.

“We must abandon Stone Coffin Island. We must abandon Stone Coffin Island and fight the enemy where there is a chance of winning.”

A moment of silence.

Everyone thought they had just misheard.

“Did Lieutenant Commander Roire just say to empty Stone Coffin Island?”

“Did you hear that too?”

Soon, the generals, realizing that it wasn’t a misunderstanding, raised their voices.

“That’s ridiculous! Stone Coffin Island is a symbol of the Lionel Navy! Are you saying to hand over this place to the islanders for free!”

“Do you even know how much military supplies are stored on Stone Coffin Island!”

“There is no place easier to defend than around Stone Coffin Island!”

“You’ve only been on battlefields where you accidentally win, and now you really think you’re a wizard of victory!”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to say we have to go to Dragon Tooth again? The Arya guys aren’t stupid, they won’t follow us there!”

The conference room quickly turned into chaos.

“Silence!!”

Kwaang!!!! Crack-

The sound of Rayna slamming the table instantly silenced everyone again.

Those who had risen from their seats and raised their voices quietly sat down and looked at her.

That’s because they realized that they had made the discourtesy of arbitrarily blocking Roire’s words, who was speaking with Rayna’s permission.

Still, most people thought it made no sense to empty Stone Coffin Island.

“Keep talking, Lieutenant Commander Roire. Where else should we face Arya’s ships besides Stone Coffin Island?”

“We must lure them to Woltol Strait.”

“Woltol Strait?”

Rayna tilted her head at the unfamiliar place name.

A magician [mage] belonging to Stone Coffin Island quickly displayed a map on the conference room screen. Woltol Strait was a narrow sea route like the neck of a gourd flowing between the island and the land, south of Stone Coffin Island.

“After the ebb and flow of the tide, the currents in Woltol Strait become the fastest in the kingdom. Even ships equipped with magic engines cannot easily cut through the currents. Moreover, today is the day of the full moon. The currents in Woltol Strait, which are already fast, will become even stronger.”

When Evan sank the Joe Bailey pirate ship, Roire was indescribably impressed by Evan’s use of the irregular dragons [turbulent currents] of Dragon Tooth.

As a result, he was thoroughly aware of the currents of the entire Lionel Kingdom’s waters, not just around Stone Coffin Island.

He can’t perform the magic of calculating irregular dragons like Evan, but he knows even information that even natives among the navy don’t know.

No, perhaps he was aware of all the changes in the regular currents that even the natives didn’t know.

“We must lure the Arya guys to Woltol Strait. Woltol Strait is the only place where we can fight an equal battle against the Arya guys. That’s all.”

After Roire finished speaking, everyone in the conference room stared intently at Woltol Strait on the screen.

Admiral Derek slowly opened his mouth.

“Lieutenant Commander Roire, I have heard your opinion well. Personally, I think it was a good opinion. But, if we empty Stone Coffin Island and set up camp in Woltol Strait, it’s all in vain if the Arya guys don’t come.”

Then the Stone Coffin Island generals began to share their opinions.

“That’s right! If they occupy only Stone Coffin Island, the path to landing on the eastern mainland will be opened immediately. There is no reason for them to chase us to Woltol Strait and stick their necks out.”

“If the guys remember the Joe Bailey pirates who were lured by His Majesty’s wit and sank in the past, it will not be easy to lure them to Woltol Strait.”

“In my opinion, Lieutenant Commander Roire’s opinion doesn’t seem so bad. If we refine it well…”

That’s how the generals began to share their opinions.

In the meantime, there was someone who was still staring at the screen and lost in thought.

It was Julian.

As a member of the Intelligence Department of the Defense Security Command, he chewed and chewed Roire’s opinion. After removing all the miscellaneous things, the important issue was one.

How to lure the Arya guys to Woltol Strait.

‘It doesn’t make sense to set up camp and wait in advance.’

It was a narrow sea route at first glance.

If he were the captain of a warship with a head [with any sense], he would not stick his neck out in such a narrow sea route where the currents are strong and he doesn’t know what traps are waiting.

But if they could be lured, the numerical superiority that the Arya guys had would completely disappear due to the narrow sea route.

‘How can we lure those guys?’

Traps must have delicious bait. Bait that the Arya Kingdom guys will drool over…

Julian’s gaze naturally turned to Rayna and Fran, who were whispering to each other.

The Arya Kingdom, which was willing to endure the world’s criticism and launch an airship to erase those two.

If those two retreating from Stone Coffin Island enter Woltol Strait, will the Arya Navy follow, or will they not follow?

“Nonsense! It doesn’t make sense to abandon Stone Coffin Island…”

“But there is no chance of winning here…”

Julian looked at the Stone Coffin Island naval generals who were having a heated debate.

Clearly, most of them had the expression ‘Was there such a place?’ when Roire was talking about Woltol Strait.

The Arya Kingdom’s navy probably doesn’t know. No, they definitely won’t know.

-After the ebb and flow of the tide, the currents in Woltol Strait become the fastest place in the kingdom.

The words Roire said a little while ago were replayed in Julian’s head, and a part of a book he read a long time ago came to mind.

The time when the ebb and flow of the tide intersect is called the still water period, and at that moment, the currents become as calm as a lake.

If Lionel’s ships enter Woltol Strait in such a state, will the islanders [Arya’s navy] be able to not chase after them?

The Arya Kingdom has already made the painful mistake of missing Fran and Rayna in the sky once. If they miss them again, they will have to face them again on land?

Julian looked at Roire, who was expressing his opinion and then closing his mouth tightly.

“Lieutenant Commander Roire.”

His voice was not loud. Nevertheless, the noise in the war room stopped abruptly.

Although the title was only Baron, there was no one in the conference room who did not know that Evan favored Julian.

Moreover, he recently played a decisive role in deceiving Lichid Pross and returning the Lionel airship fleet without much damage.

He was certain to be granted the title of Count, a symbol of high-ranking nobles, when the war with the Arya Kingdom ended.

“Yes. Please speak, Baron Julian.”

“Do you know approximately when the moment when the calm sea becomes angry when the ebb and flow meet?”

Honestly, he didn’t expect to ask.

The time of high and low tide changes every day. He didn’t think he would have grasped even that, not even near Stone Coffin Island.

But Roire smiled.

“Of course. I have grasped everything, including exactly what time and minute a whirlpool will occur in which area.”