Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 181

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Arya’s ships, cutting through the waves with dignity, advanced towards Seokham Island.

Its flagship was the state-of-the-art ironclad, the Kraken.

A massive battleship nearing 30,000 tons of standard displacement, one of the largest in the world.

The commander-in-chief was Rihid Pros, the 8-star mage and Prime Minister of the Arya Kingdom.

“Lionel’s fleet is within visual range. Displaying on screen.”

Lionel’s ships were visible on the screen displayed by the observer. They were lined up, ready to fire at any moment.

From old wooden warships that seemed questionable whether they could even float, to newly built ironclads.

Rihid’s expression soured as he scanned Lionel’s ironclads.

Their appearance resembled Arya’s ironclads.

If the Lionel Kingdom’s crest were removed and repainted with the Arya Kingdom’s crest, there would be no sense of incongruity.

It was inevitable.

Lionel Kingdom’s new ironclads were based on the knowledge that shipbuilders from the Lionel Kingdom, who had been abducted and forced into labor in the Arya Kingdom, had been secretly learning, combined with the ironclads of the Joe Bayley pirates.

“Observer, zoom in on their flagship.”

“Understood!”

The observer’s hands moved busily at Rihid’s command.

Soon, Lionel’s flagship, Mjollnir, was captured on the screen. Although significantly smaller than Arya’s flagship Kraken, it was clearly a battleship-class warship surpassing the cruiser class.

The Lionel Kingdom, which had struggled to even build destroyer-class ironclads just a few years ago, had already built battleship-class ships, the highest tier of warships.

Their rate of development was unparalleled.

‘I must seize the Lionel Kingdom this opportunity,’ Rihid thought.

The screen zoomed in further, and the 8-star mage Fran was visible on the deck. Rihid’s right arm twitched slightly as he saw her.

He hurriedly stopped the trembling of his right arm with his left hand.

Just three days ago, the electric current generated from Fran’s lightning magic had traveled through the ice magic he used and reached his right arm.

If he had reacted even a little later, he might have had to cut off his arm. Even now, after cleanly healing the burn, he vividly remembered the pain.

‘I will kill that bitch too.’

Rihid steeled himself once again.

The captain approached him.

“Duke Rihid, we will offer them a recommendation to surrender.”

“Does the captain think those bastards will surrender?”

“······.”

“Even if they were to surrender and be brought to our country, they are not the kind of guys we can use as slaves. Can’t you see those ironclads that shipbuilders stole our Arya Kingdom’s technology to create? As soon as they are within range, open fire. We don’t need a single prisoner, sink them all.”

“Understood!”

And a moment later.

Bang! Kwang! Kwagwagwang!

The magic cannons of the Lionel fleet spewed fire towards the patrol ship leading the Arya fleet. The crucial battle upon which the fate of the war depended had begun.

***

The Lionel ships, which had been waiting for Arya’s ships while entrenched on Seokham Island.

Although the Lionel Kingdom fired the first shot, the Arya Kingdom was the one firing louder shots as time went on.

The Lionel Kingdom’s forces, who had confidently formed a line and waited for Arya’s ships, were barely maintaining the front lines thanks to the support of the magic cannons firing from the land of Seokham Island.

Royer, the captain of a destroyer.

“The Iser has been sunk!”

He stared at the half-destroyed ship displayed on the screen at the observer’s urgent voice.

As the Iser sank into the sea, a soldier was seen gripping the controls of the magic cannon until the very end, firing it at Arya’s patrol ship.

Kwaaaang!

The magic cannon fired by the soldier accurately struck the situation room of the Arya patrol ship. The soldier smiled contentedly as he watched it before jumping into the sea.

In addition, soldiers from the Iser, wearing life jackets, were jumping into the sea one by one.

Most of them believed that the kingdom’s fate depended on the battle taking place near Seokham Island.

Royer knew.

Only a very few of them would survive. At the right time, the ships of the Lionel Kingdom would abandon them and retreat to Woldolmok.

A secret known only to the generals and some field officers who participated in the strategy meeting. It must never leak out.

Knowing that fact made him uncomfortable as he watched the soldiers on the sunken ship.

Most of them would not even have their bodies recovered.

‘If we can just get through this crisis…’

The Lionel Kingdom was developing at a dazzling speed, even to Royer.

Battleship-class ironclads, which he could not have imagined when he was assigned to Seokham Island, were pouring magic cannons at Arya’s ships.

If only they were given a little more time, they would surely surpass Arya’s naval power. Knowing that, those bastards must have started this war.

Royer checked the time.

It was almost time for a signal from the flagship, Mjollnir.

On the deck of the Mjollnir, Fran was randomly firing lightning magic at the Arya fleet. Rihid, who had been completely defeated in his duel with her a few days ago, was only focusing on defense.

The change happened suddenly.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang─!!!

The main gun fired from Arya’s flagship, the Kraken, struck the deck of the Mjollnir. At the same time, black smoke billowed up.

“Ah!”

“No!”

The crew of the destroyer commanded by Royer screamed and jumped up from their seats.

To an outsider, it would have looked as if Fran, who had been using magic, had accidentally failed to defend against the cannonball.

For a moment, even Royer’s heart sank.

A moment later.

“Communication from Mjollnir! Duke Fran Minerva’s life is in critical condition. The 1st Queen orders all fleets to protect the Mjollnir and retreat!”

The communicator shouted urgently.

“Ah······.”

“Fran······.”

The crew in the situation room lamented.

Only a sharp light flashed in Royer’s eyes.

***

Rihid, who had been confronting Fran.

The moment the Kraken’s main gun hit the deck of the Mjollnir, he doubted reality for a moment.

So absurdly?

Just how great of a magic was she trying to manifest that she couldn’t even defend against the main gun? Could it be a deception?

He didn’t let his guard down. He stared at the deck of the Mjollnir, where black smoke was billowing, prepared to defend against Fran’s magic at any moment.

The smoke thinned slightly.

Fran, being carried on a stretcher, was visible in his vision, which had been enhanced to the eyesight of an eagle due to magic.

‘Is she dead?’

Rihid shook his head.

No matter what, there was no way she could have died so absurdly. He himself had several protective artifacts in preparation for any eventuality.

Still, it seemed certain that she had suffered an injury that prevented her from continuing the magic battle.

Rihid headed to the situation room.

As if he had been waiting for him, the captain saluted and raised his voice.

“Thanks to the Duke’s engagement with Lionel’s witch, we were able to hit the deck of the enemy flagship with the Kraken’s main gun…”

Kwang! Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!

A huge explosion cut off the captain’s words.

It was such a tremendous roar that it drowned out all the artillery fire that had been heard on the battlefield until now.

Everyone’s gaze reflexively turned in the direction of the sound. Even though they knew they wouldn’t be able to see anything because it was covered by iron plates.

“The, the Lionel bastards have blown up the bridge connecting Seokham Island and the mainland!!”

The observer urgently displayed the screen.

The middle of the bridge, which had taken over 5 years to complete, was hollow.

The thought that it was a waste was the first thing that came to everyone’s mind as they looked at it. It was a moment when the value of Seokham Island dropped by about 20%.

“Enemy flagship Mjollnir! Retreating! All of Lionel’s ships have begun to retreat simultaneously!”

Rihid snapped out of it.

The situation was changing rapidly, not giving him time to think deeply. It was time for a quick decision.

‘Those bastards would destroy the bridge of Seokham Island!’

It was clearly their last struggle. He judged so.

“All ships! Pursue those retreating bastards to the end!”

“Understood! Communicator!”

“I will issue the order immediately!”

The expressions of the Kraken’s crew, including the captain, were bright.

Everyone was convinced of victory.

As Rihid chased the retreating Lionel ships, a faint sense of unease smoldered in a corner of his heart.

Because of his experience of being badly defeated while chasing the Gold Dragon when Evan destroyed Joe Bayley’s pirate fleet. The shock of seeing Etrim, with only one head left, screaming and running away, had not yet faded.

‘It’s an unnecessary anxiety.’

Rihid touched his mouth with his hand and smoothed his expression.

If he, the supreme commander of Arya, showed signs of anxiety, he would be followed by the epithet ‘coward’ forever.

In fact, he knew that there were those who secretly called him that after he preemptively retreated the airship fleet.

Just thinking about it made his blood boil even now. He couldn’t repeat the same mistake this time.

He would sink all of Lionel’s ships and throw their 1st Queen and Fran to the soldiers as playthings.

The instinct that was trying to ring the alarm for Rihid was torn to shreds by the emotion of revenge and disappeared without a trace.

***

Kaikkanic.

The old destroyer that Evan was with when he sank Joe Bayley’s pirates.

“Arya’s ships are catching up more and more!”

“At this rate, it’s impossible!”

The captain of the Kaikkanic repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hands as he stared at the screen displayed by the observer.

‘They’ve approached right in front of us.’

If they continued like this, it was obvious that the Kaikkanic would be rammed by those bastards’ ironclads and split in two in less than 5 minutes.

In a way, it was a natural result.

As with most old battleships, the magic engine mounted on the Kaikkanic was so weak in output that it was embarrassing to compare it to the latest ones.

It was impossible from the start to escape while avoiding the latest ironclads running at full speed.

The time had come to carry out the secretly issued mission.

“Everyone, calm down!”

The crew in the chaotic situation room closed their mouths at the captain’s shout and looked at him.

“The Kaikkanic will give up escaping here.”

“C, Captain!”

“That······.”

The Kaikkanic crew were momentarily speechless.

Because they understood the captain’s words.

He was saying that they should fight and die here.

They looked at the retreating flagship, Mjollnir. The kingdom’s 1st Queen and Fran were on board.

They had to protect them.

Although they were defeated by the Arya Kingdom and were running away now, if they were alive, the opportunity for a reversal would surely come.

Their expressions became determined.

The captain, who watched the scene, was struck by a strange thought. Just 5 years ago, if the situation had turned out like this, they would have run away without looking back.

Because they didn’t have faith.

It was a time when sacrificing one’s life for the Lionel Kingdom was no different from a dog’s death. But now, strangely, there was no hesitation at all.

The captain recalled the face of Evan, whom he had met during the pirate suppression.

Ah, he had changed it like this.

He gave them the belief that if they sacrificed their lives for the country, even if they couldn’t receive the rewards, their descendants would receive those rewards in abundance.

The captain looked at the crew with expressions ready to risk their lives and opened his mouth.

“We will definitely survive. Do you understand!”

“Understood!!”

With a thunderous shout, the Kaikkanic, which had been retreating, turned 90 degrees.

At the same time, as if they had promised, the old ships, which had been slowing down, began to turn one after another.

‘For the glory of the Lionel Kingdom, and His Majesty the King.’

As if they had promised each other, the captains of the old ships repeated the same words in their heads as they faced the approaching Arya ships.

Bang! Kwaaaang-! Kwaaaaaaaaaang─!!!

Thanks to the old ships, including the Kaikkanic, buying time, Lionel’s flagship, Mjollnir, was able to safely reach its destination, Woldolmok.