Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 60

060

“Waaaaah!”

“Kill them all!”

“Oil! Get the oil!”

A scene of utter chaos.

I was running with a pot of boiling oil when a strange thought occurred to me.

What am I doing right now?

“What are you doing, you bastard! Pour it!”

At the command of a senior soldier glaring at me, I poured the oil from the pot I was holding down onto the fortress wall.

Sizzle.

“Kkeuaaaa! My eyes, my eyes──!”

Watching the Imperial soldiers, who were climbing the fortress wall, fall while covering their eyes, I realized what was happening.

I was dreaming the dream of Soldier 1, fighting against the Hamel Empire’s army that had invaded the kingdom of Arya.

‘Where… where am I?’

Swish- Swish- Swiiiiish─

Ducking to avoid the incoming arrows, I peeked slightly over the fortress wall. Hordes of Hamel Empire soldiers, like an army of ants, were endlessly advancing.

‘Before the Titans were deployed.’

Then, is this right after they barely pushed out of the Arya Kingdom?

“What are you doing, you bastard! If you don’t have arrows, throw stones… Keok!”

The senior soldier who was shouting at me was hit by an arrow in the forehead and fell off the fortress wall.

And then.

Swiiiiish── Thwack!

I, Soldier 1, was also hit in the forehead by an arrow, and my body tilted.

Is it because it’s a dream?

Even though it should have been instant death, I could still see the surrounding scenery and hear the sounds.

“Support! When is support coming!”

The lord, or someone who appeared to be, was yelling at the top of his lungs. Soon, a signalman was seen running towards him.

“His Majesty is still in the Locke-daron territory! A telegram saying to hold on just a little longer!”

“Ssibal! What do you mean, hold on! Are you telling us all to die!”

Swiiiiish── Thwack!

The lord, like Soldier 1, collapsed with an arrow stuck in his forehead. Only after seeing the emblem engraved on his fallen armor did I know where this was.

‘Aswell.’

A typical barony in the northwest with nothing particularly famous.

The Imperial army had spread a wide front in the northwest and invaded simultaneously. Inevitably, places to abandon and places to defend were divided.

Aswell was…

A place to abandon.

I opened my eyes.

My whole body was soaked with sweat.

The room temperature was abnormally high. Alfonso had said it was still cold in the early morning and that I should sleep warmly. He must have made a mistake.

I got out of bed and went to the window. When I opened the window wide, the cool breeze cooled my face.

‘What time is it?’

I checked the time.

4 a.m.

It was an ambiguous time to go back to sleep.

I lightly practiced mana cultivation. Perhaps because fresh mana circulated throughout my body, the stuffy feeling improved a little.

I sat in a chair in front of the window and pondered.

‘Did I have a nightmare because I was thinking about meeting Loir…?’

Technology, food, resources… In the ‘future,’ there was nothing in abundance. But among them, there was something I felt an extreme thirst for.

People.

The front lines were full of holes, but there was always a shortage of talented people to trust and entrust. Even those who were there fell one by one.

‘I must save Loir.’

The First Lia (Lionel-Arya) War, which occurred in the ‘future’ when the Second Prince, dissatisfied with the First Prince’s succession to the throne, drew in the Arya Kingdom.

At the time, Loir was assigned as a lower-ranking officer to Seungjeon Island, his hometown. He sank 13 Arya warships with one ship that he took over when his superiors fled. Thanks to this, he bought time for the residents of Seungjeon Island to evacuate.

The problem was that he perished with the enemy.

If there had been no survivors who narrowly escaped death, the name Loir Shin might not have been known.

If he had been alive when the Second Lia War broke out…

‘Well, can’t know?’

Loir Shin, who left behind only one amazing feat and disappeared into the annals of history.

But.

I think he is someone worth keeping by my side and watching, even with just that one miracle he performed in the ‘future.’

***

Originally, it is the navy stationed on Seokham Island that guards the eastern coastline.

There is an excuse that they cannot move rashly because of the appearance of the pirate group led by the 6-star pirate Joe Bailey, but it is also true that they have not properly carried out their mission.

They should be treating me politely for subduing the pirates that the navy could not handle…

“You want me to ride that?”

“It’s the one that sank countless pirates.”

“I’m sure it did. Around the time I was born.”

“……”

The captain bit his lip slightly at my words. He seemed to feel that his ship had been insulted. He quickly corrected his expression and opened his mouth.

“It’s still in active service. It can accommodate up to 300 people, is equipped with 28 magic cannons, and uses a magic engine, so it can reach high speeds even when there is no wind. It’s too much to use to beat up the pirate bastards crawling out of the land.”

“Do you think I’m saying that because I don’t know?”

“……”

This was a matter of sincerity.

In the era of the Great Transformation, when railroads were laid and airships that flew in the sky were developed.

The same goes for warships.

Ironclad ships began to appear.

Okay, let’s say they can’t rashly deploy such new battleships. Still, giving me a ship that has been modified with iron armor would have been the minimum expression of sincerity.

Forget it, it’s not the captain’s fault.

Cliang is not the kind of person who does things so stingily. Maybe some high-ranking naval officer who doesn’t like me is playing tricks.

…Maybe it’s the Second Prince?

Should I be grateful they didn’t send a sailing ship?

“What’s the ship’s name?”

“Kaikarnic.”

I didn’t like the name either.

Still, it’s enough to beat up the sneaky pirate bastards who are trying to escape to the sea while avoiding us.

“Let’s go.”

I unfolded my frowning expression and boarded the Kaikarnic. The captain and sailors were the ones I would be spending time with for a while.

There was no point in making their faces redder.

And so, on the way to Seungjeon Island.

“Uwaaaeeaaack!”

“Oop- Oop─!”

“Ooop─!”

The three escort knights were hanging on the deck, all seasick and feeding the fish.

I turned my gaze to those who were fine.

Alfonso and the Flame Witch Lydia.

Berok was absent from this trip to Seungjeon Island, and Lydia, an executive of the Lionel Guardian Army, joined. It was judged that the 5-star magician could be more active at sea than on land.

“……You seem to be fine, Your Highness.”

The captain, who was looking at the knights feeding the fish with a satisfied expression, asked me. Was it my imagination that he looked a little disappointed?

I shrugged my shoulders and pointed to the island visible in front of me with my finger.

“Is that island Seungjeon Island?”

“That’s right.”

“The currents are very fast around here.”

“Haha, this is still slow. There are places where ships without engines cannot move unless they time it right.”

Booooooo──

The ship’s horn sounded.

A signal that the Kaikarnic was about to enter the harbor.

I stopped talking to the captain and looked at Seungjeon Island, which was getting closer.

***

Loir Shin.

Influenced by his grandfather and father, who were naval officers on Seokham Island, he decided to become a soldier from a young age.

This year, at the age of 15, he was planning to take the entrance exam for the Naval Academy of the Royal Military Academy after his coming-of-age ceremony in two years.

The problem was money.

His father had died early in a battle with pirates. His single mother, who had suffered all kinds of hardships, was not in good health. And two younger siblings.

He had to get a full scholarship.

The entrance exam to the Royal Military Academy, which he might not pass even if he devoted himself to studying. But today, Loir was sailing a small fishing boat with his mother.

“Mother, I think I’ll be home 30 minutes earlier today.”

“Is that so? It’s always amazing. How can you read the currents so well?”

“You said my father was like that too.”

“Was it just your father? Your grandfather was like that too. If he were alive, he would be a general by now, right?”

A commoner-born general. It was an unimaginable story. Loir just smiled.

He focused on sailing the fishing boat again.

The sparkling sea path showed him the fastest way back.

And the house he arrived at.

“Hyung [older brother]! Hyung! Did you hear the story?”

“You idiot! How would he hear it? Oppa [older brother] just came back from fishing with Mom.”

Loir’s two younger siblings ran to him.

“What’s the commotion about?”

“The Fifth Prince, who is punishing the pirates this time, has come to Seungjeon Island!”

“He’s sponsoring talented people, so anyone interested should apply!”

“Until when?”

“……Until when was it?

“You idiot! How can you not find that out!”

“You don’t know either, Nuna [older sister]!”

A benefactor appeared to Loir.

***

Two weeks had passed since I started patrolling the sea, using Seungjeon Island as a base.

The pirate subjugation was almost over.

Although it was an old warship, the Kaikarnic was invincible compared to the sailboats and galleys of small pirate groups.

The net I had spread in the eastern region.

The personnel on land who had spread the net were all gathered in one place.

The guys who felt the pressure of the tightening net and crawled out to sea became the prey of the Kaikarnic.

Like now.

((Surrender! We surrender!))

((S, save me!))

Those guys are the last.

The pirates waving white flags. Along with that, the ear necklaces hanging around their necks also shook.

When I gestured to the captain, he understood perfectly and shouted.

“Fire!”

“Fiiiiire!”

The magic cannons spewed fire.

Kwaaaaaang─!

((Kkeuaaaaack!))

In the sea where magic cannons cannot be removed by the rush of ‘knights,’ there is no better weapon than that.

“How is it? You didn’t need an ironclad ship at all, did you? Frankly, the Kaikarnic is too good for the pirate bastards you’ve met so far.”

The captain, who had turned the pirates into fish food, turned to me and smiled. He seemed to have kept in his heart the fact that I had criticized it as an old warship at first.

How petty.

Well, still, good is good, and the pirate subjugation was neatly finished, so I nodded.

“We will return to Seungjeon Island before the sun goes down. You can stay there today, pack your bags tomorrow, and go to the mainland.”

“I will.”

Exactly 22 days.

I completely took care of the pirate bastards who were rampant in the eastern region. Thanks to this, my name became known to some extent among the residents of the eastern region.

It was convenient because I could immediately know with [Support Level].

The support level in the east exceeded 20%.

‘Now, all I have to do is take the healer with me on the way back to the palace.’

Recruiting Loir was easy.

It was quite easy to bring in the poor man who was taking care of his single mother and dreaming of entering the Naval Academy of the Royal Military Academy.

A week ago, I attached him to Reina as a squire.

A squire performs both the roles of a servant and a disciple. The culture of employing squires was gradually disappearing recently, but there was no big problem because many knights still employed squires.

Reina, who seemed to reluctantly accept it at first, seemed to like it very much after giving him a few days of swordsmanship training.

Adol and Vernon looked a little envious.

Recruiting the healer would also be as easy as Loir. According to what I found out through the [Library], he was not living a very comfortable life either.

Above all, there was a sick person in his family.

There was no way he would refuse my sponsorship with a guaranteed identity and funds.

I was thinking such thoughts on the way back to Seungjeon Island.

“Uwaaeeaaack,”

“Master, are you okay?”

“Lo, Loir. So, some water.”

“Here it is.”

Adol and Vernon had adapted to the ship, but Reina was still like that. I brought Loir to raise him as a naval general-level figure. If that person, his master, is so weak to seasickness.

I was shaking my head when.

Whaaaaaaeeeaeaeaeng───

A loud alarm went off.

“Unidentified fleet appearing at 270 degrees!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the direction the lookout shouted. Something was faintly visible.

“6 ships! It’s 6 ships!”

“They are approaching us!”

The captain and crew’s rough shouts went back and forth.

“Get away!”

“They’re fast! We can’t shake them off!”

Soon the identity was revealed.

“I, it’s an ironclad ship!”