Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

It was the fifteenth day.

“Yesterday… we weren’t attacked.”

“Yeah…”

Today, Ryo and Abel were on the upper deck.

Neither of them was reading; they were sitting and drinking coffee.

They knew that Marine Commander Rajaton would be coming to explain things later, so a large ice table had been set up, and coffee had been made in a larger-than-usual coffee press.

Just as they took their second sip, Marine Commander Rajaton and Guard Captain Bansox arrived and sat down.

Rajaton let out a big sigh.

A mix of fatigue from not understanding the situation and relief from passing through a critical point without incident.

“Here, please have some coffee, Rajaton-san, Bansox-san.”

Ryo offered them the special blend coffee from the Blue Jade Inn.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, it looks delicious.”

Rajaton and Bansox accepted the coffee happily and took their first sip.

“Ahh…”

A satisfied sigh escaped their lips simultaneously.

Ryo felt content watching that scene.

“I feel like the ship’s speed has slowed down a bit today.”

Abel commented.

Indeed, compared to yesterday, the ship seemed slower.

“Oh, yeah. In this part of the route towards the capital, we face a headwind. Of course, we can move forward using wind magic, but it is slower compared to having a tailwind.”

“I see, so that’s how it is.”

Rajaton explained, and Abel nodded.

“When we have a tailwind, we proceed using only the wind caught by the sails without using wind magic… it’s faster that way. The power of nature is great.”

Rajaton added with a smile.

At that moment.

The sound of bells echoed through the fleet.

“What is that?”

Abel asked, and Ryo looked around.

The bells were coming from the escort ship ahead of the fleet.

“An attack? Here?”

Rajaton muttered as he stood up and shouted.

“Prepare for an enemy attack! Marines to the upper deck!”

“Damn! Okay, guards to the upper deck too!”

Bansox also shouted.

He then turned towards Captain Dao and shouted.

“Dao, as planned!”

“Understood! ”

Captain Dao shouted back.

They could hear Dao shouting orders to her subordinates.

“Protect the princess in the captain’s cabin. The guards will handle it.”

They had pre-arranged procedures for such scenarios.

Finally, Bansox turned to Ryo and Abel and said,

“If the Suje Kingdom soldiers board, we need your help. Fight with us.”

“Of course.”

“Leave it to us.”

Both Abel and Ryo nodded without hesitation.

By then, the table and chairs were already gone.

This place would soon become a battlefield.

Ryo looked around.

But the enemy appeared only from the front.

Naturally.

There were no suitable islands around to hide ambushes.

They had thought they wouldn’t be attacked because of this…

However, being between large islands meant the sea was not very wide.

It wasn’t narrow enough to be called a strait, but…

In other words, unless there was a magic bombardment from land, they didn’t have to worry about an attack from the side.

Only from the front or back.

It would have been difficult for the enemy to come around from behind too.

So, for now.

They only needed to pay attention to the front…

Ryo leaned forward from the bow of the Bashteek, looking ahead.

Abel, Guard Captain Bansox, and Captain Dao, who had finished giving orders, also came running up behind him.

“What is that…?”

It was a mutter from someone.

Finally, they could clearly see the enemy fleet approaching from the front. The ships were very different from the escort ships of the Manyamya stationed fleet.

And, of course, different from the Bashteek.

“Are those… oars sticking out from the ship? A galley ship?”

To Ryo, it looked like a galley ship.

But there were supposed to be no galleys in the Central Countries or even in this archipelago region…

Captain Dao was surprised by Ryo’s mutter.

“Galley…could it be a galley ship? A ship that became obsolete over four hundred years ago.”

“Eh? Captain Dao, do you know what that is?”

“Ryo-san, you mentioned galley ship, didn’t you?”

“Yes… they supposedly existed in my homeland a long time ago…I’ve never actually seen one though.”

On Earth, the Battle of Lepanto was almost the last naval battle involving galleys.

Galleys were unsuitable for high seas with rough waves.

They were limited to enclosed seas like the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea, where Vikings roamed.

Well, this archipelago region did have many islands, so the waves were quite calm.

“In the past, when wind magic wasn’t as common as it is now, and when slavery existed, these ships were used as warships.”

“Oh…I’ve heard of them. They were ships that relied on slaves to function, right? Why would anyone revive such ships now?”

Captain Dao explained, and Bansox nodded, recalling what he had heard.

“Isn’t it incredibly fast?”

Abel murmured.

“Indeed, they have a tailwind, but… they’re unbelievably fast. Are they using galleys to increase speed? Their masts and sails are as large as modern ships.”

Bansox replied, nodding.

“It’s more like a galleass than a galley? Compared to a Venetian galleass…it’s incredibly sleek. It defies the conventional wisdom that galleasses are slow.”

Ryo murmured, but no one responded to his comment.

As they didn’t understand it.

Naturally. After all, Venetian galleasses aren’t common knowledge… they’re ships filled with romance!

“We’re going to collide!”

Just as Ryo said this, five galleass ships from the Suje Kingdom collided with the lead escort ship of the transport fleet.

Before the collision, arrows, and magic were launched at the galleass ships from the transport fleet, but they seemed to have no effect.

“They’ve stopped moving?”

Bansox muttered.

“There are two tactics for galley ships. Boarding and ramming. Given their speed, it’s the latter. Ramming…a ram attack. The purpose of a ram attack is simple…”

The galleass ships began to back away.

Not as fast as they charged, but still at considerable speed.

“They’re rowing backward with wind magic.”

“They move pretty quickly both forward and backward.”

Ryo observed, and Abel agreed.

As the galleass ships retreated, the transport fleet’s vanguard experienced a sudden change.

“Oh no…they’re starting to sink.”

“The goal of a ram attack is to create a hole in the ship.”

Ryo said bitterly in response to Bansox’s observation.

Galleys and galleass ships have a ram at their bow.

A sharp, underwater protrusion.

They charge at high speed, driving the ram into the enemy ship to create a hole and sink it.

That’s a ram attack.

Uh? How to prevent it?

Basically, there’s no way.

The only solution is to strike before being struck.

Of the five galleass ships that launched the ram attack, one couldn’t retract its ram and was engaging in a boarding battle, throwing ropes to the enemy ship.

Four galleass ships from the Suje Kingdom were retreating.

But behind them, more ships from the Suje Kingdom were approaching.

These weren’t galleass ships but looked similar to the escort ships of the Manyamya stationed fleet.

No oars.

However, they were likely using wind-attribute magic in addition to the tailwind.

Moving quickly past the retreating galleass ships.

Without slowing down, they moved to the outer edges of the transport fleet.

“Defensive formation!”

“Prepare for boarding!”

Voices shouted from the ships on the wings of the transport fleet, including the Bashteek.

However…

“They’re not boarding, just passing through?”

Bansox said suspiciously.

Captain Dao seemed to share his confusion. Tilting her head slightly.

“They intend to circle behind us.”

“A flanking maneuver…”

Abel said, and Ryo murmured.

The Suje Kingdom’s navy moved quickly.

Some ships in the transport fleet noticed their intent but were flanked before they could react.

“We’re surrounded.”

Abel muttered. Bansox, Captain Dao, and Ryo all nodded.

But the fleet behind didn’t attack.

They just lined up in an orderly fashion.

“If we try to escape, they’ll chase us?”

“Probably. The main force is in front.”

Bansox replied to Captain Dao’s open question.

“They’re peeling us like an onion…”

“Huh?”

Abel looked puzzled at Ryo’s murmur.

Though he could see from Ryo’s expression that he wasn’t making a frivolous remark…

“They peel us layer by layer from the outside. When surrounded, everyone except the outermost layer becomes a reserve force. Unable to join the fight. The first step in tactics is to avoid creating reserves, but we failed right from the start.”

“I get what you mean.”

“The Suje Kingdom’s navy will place its main force in front, and sink the transport fleet one by one. They will simply repeat this process, sinking any ships that come out to meet them head-on. Like peeling an onion layer by layer. Until they reach the core.”

“So, the Bashteek is the core of the onion, huh?”

Abel nodded at Ryo’s explanation.

The Suje Kingdom’s navy goal was simple.

And their strategy was simple too.

Simple strategies are hard to counter.

Because there’s little room for confusion.

“We’ve been on the defensive from the start… if we don’t do something, the situation will remain dire.”

“Indeed.”

Four ships of the transport fleet that took the initial ram attack were sinking, taking on water through the holes below the waterline.

The crew and marines were jumping into the sea, swimming to other ships.

These seamen were resilient.

In fact, human casualties might be minimal.

However, there was one galleass ship, unable to retract its deeply embedded ram.

And it had engaged in a boarding battle with the escort ship from the transport fleet…

A brutal fight was unfolding on the deck.

“It can’t be helped, but…the morale of the marines and the escort ship crew…”

“Yeah, they’re trying to muster their courage, but it’s tough.”

Ryo and Abel exchanged their opinions in low voices.

Up until yesterday, they had been under immense tension, relieved that there was no attack. And now, today…they were attacked.

To make matters worse, they were caught off guard.

Sunk by unfamiliar ships, and boarded by elite enemies…

It would be difficult for anyone not to waver under such circumstances.

At that moment, Ryo and Abel noticed a commotion spreading from the stern of the Bashteek.

Bansox and Captain Dao turned around as well…

“Princess?”

They muttered in unison.

Princess Iliaja walked slowly towards the bow of the ship.

The bow was high and curved upwards.

Both the bow and stern were higher than the center part of the ship.

Though the ratio was smaller compared to the previous generation of ships like carracks, standing at the bow of a galleon made her visible to the other ships.

“I cannot remain in a safe place while you all fight for me.”

“But, Princess…”

The one trying to stop her was Rajaton, the marine commander who had followed her.

“That position is clearly visible from other ships. You’ll be targeted.”

“I understand that. But still…”

The crew of the other ships began to notice Princess Iliaja standing at the bow of the Bashteek.

“Princess!” Princess Iliaja! Voices echoed to the Bashteek.

On some ships, people were even kneeling…

Naturally, the exiles from the Suje Kingdom, who had followed her, were already on their knees.

“If exposing myself raises morale, then I wish to stay here.”

Princess Iliaja’s voice wasn’t loud.

And this was a battlefield.

Her voice couldn’t reach the distant ships.

However…

“Long live the Princess!”

“Princess Iliaja!”

“If we flee here, the people of Komakyuta will laugh at us!”

“In the name of the Manyamya Stationed Fleet!”

Such words spread.

The voices were…

“Long live Princess Iliaja!”

The sentiment unified into that single phrase.

It didn’t matter if she was the princess of a former enemy nation.

Her willingness to expose herself to danger to raise morale touched the hearts of the seamen and seawomen.

“Ryo-san, can you protect me with your ice?”

With a smile, Princess Iliaja asked Ryo as she stood at the very tip of the bow.

“Of course. ”

Ryo chanted, and a transparent ice wall surrounded the bow.

“I’ve covered the bow with an ice wall. Please watch over everyone’s efforts.”

The Suje Kingdom’s navy might try to snipe Princess Iliaja.

But the ice wall would repel arrows and magic attacks.

“People don’t follow a king’s words; they follow his actions.”

“Abel-san?”

Princess Iliaja called out in response to Abel’s murmur.

“If you want people to follow you, you must constantly show them a figure they can support. It’s reckless, but I believe your actions are right, Princess.”

“Thank you.”

Princess Iliaja bowed her head in gratitude to Abel.

Abel was a king.

He had served for over three years.

Before that, he had led half the country, defeated the enemy, and liberated the kingdom…

His words carried weight, backed by his experience.

Meanwhile, the Suje Kingdom’s galleass ships launched a second attack…

Four more escort ships of the transport fleet were holed and sank.

Bringing the total to eight sunk and one engaged in boarding combat.

Excluding the Bashteek, the number of escort ships was reduced to eleven.

But the morale of the surviving ships was high.

This was due to Princess Iliaja’s presence.

Crew and marines who escaped the sunken ships were being pulled up onto the Bashteek.

The escort ships guarding the sides of the Bashteek moved to the front to protect the Bashteek, and thus Princess Iliaja…

“The enemy has four ramming ships in front, eight other ships. And six deployed to the rear.”

Abel murmured, counting the enemy ships.

“They backed far away for the ramming.”

“They need a long run-up to build speed for the ram.”

Bansox and Captain Dao conversed.

The four galleass ships that executed the second ram attack were retreating backward without turning around.

They were rowing backward and using wind-attribute magic in the opposite direction to make such movements possible.

Meanwhile, Ryo was looking at the Suje Kingdom’s navy, as if searching for something.

The galleass ships of the Suje Kingdom moved through the gaps between the eight friendly ships and retreated further back.

They were gaining distance for a third ram attack.

At that moment, Ryo saw something.

He turned to Abel and spoke.

“Abel, the key to fleet battles is the same in any world or era. Destroy the flagship. If that’s not possible, force the commander to retreat from the front lines.”

“I see. So you were searching for the enemy’s flagship all along, Ryo.”

“Yeah. I found it. It’s at the right end of the eight aligned ships. There’s a golden figurehead on the bow, right? They’re giving orders with semaphore from that ship.”

“It’s not in the center, huh…”

“Yeah. It’s a bit sneaky, isn’t it? That’s why it took a while to identify it.”

Ryo frowned slightly.

Ordinarily, the flagship where the commander is located would be in the center.

That’s the best position to issue orders to other ships.

Unless you have a magician extremely skilled in wind-atribute magic like Ilarion, it’s challenging to give commands to every corner of a battlefield.

Therefore, those who issue orders are often in the center…

However, the commander of this raiding fleet seemed different.

“So I just need to get to the flagship and take out the commander. How do I get there? It’s about two hundred meters away.”

“Abel, you’re a swordsman, so you could fly, but…”

“No, swordsmen can’t fly. Amon was thrown, not flying, remember?”

“Well, it’s fine. There’s a suitable water-attribute magic spell for this. I’ll create an ice bridge from here to that ship. I’ll add some color to the path so you can see it…I’ll also add a cover. It wouldn’t be good if you got attacked while crossing.”

Ryo said and turned around.

Facing Bansox, the guard captain.

He seemed to have been listening to the conversation.

“So, you want us to charge with Abel-san and take out the fleet commander, right?”

“Yes, can I count on you?”

“Of course!”

Bansox nodded vigorously.

Then he shouted to the back.

“Blue Jade Escort Squad, we’re charging! Get ready! ”

“Yeah! ”

The Blue Jade Trading Company Escort Squad responded with a roar.

Despite being at a disadvantage, they were excited that it was finally their turn.

They might be more of an ‘assault’ squad than an ‘escort’ squad…

“I can see the ship, but I can’t distinguish the commander from here.”

“Sure. We’ll just take out everyone on the ship.”

“Aah. Abel-san, your guts are impressive.”

“Being around Ryo, you need this much courage to survive.”

“Why am I getting dragged into this…”

Bansox was impressed, Abel explained his reasoning, and Ryo shed tears over being unfairly involved.

They were about to board the enemy ship.

They needed this kind of banter to survive.

“Ready whenever you are.”

Abel said.

“Here we go! ”

Ryo chanted, and an ice tunnel extended in a straight line from the bow of the Bashteek.

Toward the Suje Kingdom’s navy flagship ahead.

“Charge!”

Abel shouted, running first through the ice tunnel.

Bansox and the escort squad followed.

The was designed to create a path for people to run across.

Unlike , so the floor was made as non-slippery as possible.

Specifically, it had small bumps for the shoe soles to grip onto…

The enemy ship was two hundred meters away.

Abel’s feet would reach it in about twenty-five seconds.

“There’s no use panicking now.”

Ryo murmured.

The enemy flagship, connected by the ice tunnel, started to panic.

They must have realized that their flagship had been identified…

“There’s nothing they can do in twenty-five seconds.”

Even a modern Earth’s warship wouldn’t have enough time to start moving in twenty-five seconds.

Still, Ryo watched closely.

He might need to make slight adjustments to the tunnel according to the flagship’s movements.

If the galleass ships, which had retreated for a run-up, charged, they would collide with the tunnel.

It probably wouldn’t break…but it was better to be cautious.

“Wait, maybe I should have stopped their charge with this?”

Ryo muttered.

Perhaps doing so would have prevented unnecessary casualties…

“I-it can’t be helped. I’m not perfect…”

Ryo said, making excuses to no one in particular.

Princess Iliaja, who was standing nearby, might have heard him…

Even though she was protected by an ice wall, she was standing in the middle of a battlefield. That was nerve-wracking enough.

She didn’t have the luxury to react to Ryo’s banter.

And the situation ignored Ryo too and began accelerating.

“Someone’s flying over here!”

“Get ready to fight!”

“From behind! They’re coming from the ship behind!”

Such voices could be heard.

When Ryo looked back, six men had boarded the deck of the Bashteek.

“From where?”

Words unintentionally slipped from Ryo’s mouth.

However, the answer was in the previous information.

“The ship behind? From the six ships deployed in the rear? But they said people were flying…when they’re not Amon…”

At that moment…more people flew through the air. In a neat arc.

As they landed on the deck, something resembling a cloth spread from their backs.

It looked like an airbag that expanded to protect their bodies at the moment of impact.

The people who had flown… or rather, been launched, must have trained for this in advance.

As they landed, they correctly positioned their backs and buttocks downward.

“The world is vast…”

Ryo muttered to himself, shaking his head slightly at the sight he was witnessing for the first time.

“Maybe they do this in naval battles everywhere… Even in the Knightley Kingdom’s navy…?”

However, there was no one beside Ryo to answer his questions.

“I need to protect them for now…”

Ryo looked towards the stern.

In the event of an enemy boarding, the crew of the Bashteek was supposed to gather near the entrance of the captain’s quarters at the stern.

Naturally, this meant they couldn’t operate the ship…

But it seemed that the head of the trading company, Bandelsh, had strictly ordered them to do so.

Moreover, if the enemy boarded, it meant the ship was being approached by enemy ships, rendering it immobile.

So, the crew was allowed to leave their stations…perhaps situations like this one, where the enemy boards without ships touching, weren’t anticipated.

“But there are people who run two hundred meters to board, like Abel.”

Ryo said, without mentioning that he had built the two-hundred-meter tunnel, leading the boarders.

Ryo was that kind of man.

“Found them! ”

When Ryo found the crew gathered together, he enclosed them in a generously large ice wall with a margin of safety.

The crew was surprised.

“I’ve enclosed you in an ice wall!”

Ryo shouted, which was unusual for him.

Otherwise, his voice wouldn’t reach from the bow to the stern of the large Bashteek.

Maybe under normal circumstances, but not in its current state of being boarded by enemies…

“Thank you!”

The one who shouted back was Captain Dao.

However, Captain Dao wasn’t inside the and was engaged in combat with the boarding enemies.

“Yeah… I thought as much.”

Ryo said softly.

He had suspected from the first meeting.

This woman would be at the forefront, fighting with her two knives.

On the Bashteek’s deck, the Manyamya stationed fleet’s marines were fighting against the enemies who had boarded from the sky.

Between that battlefield and the bow were the former retainers of the Suje Kingdom, who had come with Princess Iliaja.

Ryo had suggested protecting them with an , but they refused.

They wanted to fight for the princess, saying, “Let us fight for the princess”, and “We don’t want the princess to feel constrained in her new home by always being protected”.

And the like…

Ryo could understand their sentiments, so he sought confirmation with his eyes from Princess Iliaja.

“As they wish.”

Princess Iliaja said as she bowed her head.

Her expression was very forlorn because she understood that there would be sacrifices.

She wanted to save as many lives as possible…but some chose to fight.

This divergence exists in every world and every era.

Ryo hesitated about whether to intervene in the battle on the Bashteek’s deck.

The airborne enemy assault had ceased.

In the end, it seemed that twenty-four people had flown over.

In terms of numbers, the marines had the upper hand, but the boarders were skilled enough to push back the marines.

The ones holding their own were Marine Captain Rajaton and Captain Dao.

The enemy’s target was likely Princess Iliaja.

However, the princess was at the bow, protected by Ryo’s twenty-layered ice wall.

That position was very secure.

Ryo decided that he should focus more on the movements at the enemy flagship, two hundred meters away.

After all, only Ryo could maintain the ice tunnel connecting the flagship to the Bashteek.

And if any signals came from the other side, only Ryo could respond.

Since it was impossible to respond to everything alone, prioritizing what only he could do was the best choice.

Intense combat was also unfolding on the enemy flagship.

Led by Abel, Bansox, and thirty members of the Blue Jade Escort squad charged.

Some were confused by the sudden appearance of the ice tunnel on the flagship, but others responded quickly.

This was the Central Navy Command’s 1st Assault Corps.

Simply put, they were the strongest in the Suje Kingdom’s navy when it came to deck combat.

More skilled than those fighting alongside…

Or those who had flown to land on the Bashteek…

They were unquestionably the elite.

As the name ‘Assault Corps’ suggests, they were a unit meant to charge at the forefront and spearhead attacks.

However, in this battle, they were stationed on the flagship.

This was solely due to the orders of Admiral Rockday, the commander of the raiding fleet.

Assault Corps Commander Monrashou petitioned repeatedly.

For his unit to be at the front line.

If not, at least allow them to be part of the unit charging the ship carrying Princess Iliajah.

But Admiral Rockday dismissed this suggestion.

Admiral Rockday wasn’t well-regarded by other naval units and departments, despite the loyalty of his direct subordinates.

Was it because his appearance seemed weak by the standards of sea-faring men?

Or because, though he had a high success rate, his strategies often appeared cunning and stingy?

Or perhaps it was because he consistently kept his flagship at the rear during fleet battles?

While there were tactical reasons for his actions, his approach starkly contrasted with the daring spirit preferred by sailors…

Maybe that’s why.

The decision to station the First Assault Corps on the flagship drew various whispers and criticism.

The most common whispers included…

“He’s always at the rear, yet he places the elite Assault Corps there…what’s that cowardly admiral thinking?”

“Does he expect the flagship to become a battleground? Just like a coward!”

However, the flagship did indeed become a battleground.

“Prepare for interception!”

The voice of Assault Corps Commander Monrashou rang out.

In response, fifty members of the Assault Corps braced themselves.

Usually, they were the ones who boarded enemy ships.

For this reason, they carried no shields for defense.

They would charge with just a knife or a sword.

Though this time they were defending…their task remained unchanged.

Defeat the enemy.

In any case, they were confident that even the strongest foes would fall before the mightiest Assault Corps!

However, among the opponents this time…was someone they had never encountered before.

The first to emerge from the tunnel was a man wielding a glowing red magic sword.

The sword was evidently too large to wield on a ship.

However…

With a single swing, blood splattered.

Without even crossing swords once, he rendered each Assault Corps member incapable of combat.

“So strong…”

Whose voice uttered those words?

His swordsmanship was unfamiliar, his movements unseen before, and he wore…a smile.

Abel was likely not a battle maniac.

He wasn’t…but neither would he despair when caught in trouble.

Rather, he was the type to rejoice.

In this respect, he was undoubtedly more suited to being an adventurer than a king.

And if he could make use of the sword skills he had honed since childhood, his joy would only increase.

He never laughed maniacally like the djinn.

He wasn’t like a certain water-attribute magician who smiled during sword fights.

Yet…a smile would naturally appear…

He was a born swordsman.

Anyone watching could understand that his sword was no ordinary weapon.

“I’ll take on that magic swordsman. Handle the ones who came afterward!”

Commander Monrashou of the Assault Corps said as he positioned himself in front of Abel with his sword drawn.

“Oohh…”

Abel inadvertently voiced his impression of Monrashou’s presence.

Just by standing before him, Monrashou conveyed an aura entirely different from other foes.

“Bansox! This one looks strong. I’m counting on you for the rest!”

“Understood!”

Abel shouted without taking his eyes off his opponent.

Bansox, the Guard Captain, glanced at the man facing Abel and shouted back.

Chaos spread across the flagship’s deck, which wasn’t as spacious as the Bashteek’s.

“I’ve never heard of marines like you in the Manyamya stationed fleet. You’re not among the princess’s guards either. Who are you?”

“You know? If you’re asking someone’s name, they say it’s polite to introduce yourself first.”

Abel replied with a laugh to Commander Monrashou’s question.

“Hmph, interesting. I am Monrashou, Commander of the Suje Kingdom’s Central Navy First Assault Corps. Now. Who are you?”

“My name is Abel.”

“…Is that all?”

“Yeah… That’s right. If you want to know more, ask with your sword.”

“Very well. I’ll ask with my sword!”

With his words, Monrashou charged.

He crouched low…and his sword attacked Abel from below.

Clang, clang, clang.

Monrashou wielded a straight sword that was too long to be a knife but too short to be a sword.

While shorter than a typical sword, it was difficult to leverage against a swordsman.

However, it surpassed in one aspect.

That was attack speed.

Especially the speed of consecutive strikes.

The rapid consecutive attacks astonished even Abel.

(Color me surprised. I thought he was strong just by standing before me… I’ll be done for if I let my guard down.)

The sword fight began with Monrashou’s attacks and Abel’s defense.

Monrashou, with his fast short weapon, took the initiative.

However…

(What’s with this guy? Is he a monster? )

Commander Monrashou, unleashing his consecutive attacks, felt despair before Abel’s perfect defense.

Even an amateur could recognize exceptional offense.

However, it took an expert to recognize remarkable defense.

Abel could perfectly receive all of Monrashou’s attacks.

And he did so with ease.

Though Monrashou attacked and Abel defended, it was the attacking Monrashou who felt an overwhelming pressure.

“Once you engage in fulfilling training after a long time, and are thrown into a battlefield that sharpens you whether you like it or not, you can return to being a swordsman. Ryo was right; skills don’t deteriorate.”

Abel said with an upturned mouth.

“A man of such skill…what were you before returning to being a swordsman?”

“A king.”

Abel replied clearly and confidently to Monrashou’s question.

However…it seemed the message didn’t fully get across.

“A king…are you claiming to be the Sword King? Don’t be ridiculous!”

Monrashou inexplicably erupted in anger.

Abel didn’t know why Monrashou was angry, but he figured it was good enough that he had disrupted Monrashou’s composure.

Disrupting an opponent’s composure is the basic of basics in one-on-one combat.

Abel recalled a certain water-attribute magician saying that with delight.

Naturally, the angered party launched an attack.

Abel carefully received the attack.

It wasn’t that he had no choice but to defend.

He intentionally allowed Monrashou to attack to grasp Monrashou’s sword paths.

This was a technique commonly employed by experts after robbing an opponent of their composure.

The reason for grasping it.

Of course, it was for…

Clang.

Abel’s counterattack struck, and Monrashou’s sword was knocked away.

“Ah!

A voice slipped from Monrashou’s lips.

Abel prepared to deliver a finishing blow…

But!

Sensing something, Abel turned to his right rear.

What he saw was a stone spear.

The spear deeply pierced Abel.

He was blown backward.

Crushing a wooden crate, and more crates fell onto him.

“Rockday, don’t interfere!”

Commander Monrashou shouted.

Instantly understanding who was responsible.

“Even so… if you were to die, Lord Kabui would scold me severely.”

Stepping out from the shadows was a middle-aged man who was neither very tall nor muscular, and didn’t appear at all capable in individual combat.

His face was unremarkable, one that might be considered average at best, unlikely to attract any fanatical female admirers…

However, his attire was of fine quality.

That alone indicated a high status.

Indeed, he held a very high position.

The highest in this fleet. The admiral commanding the fleet.

He was Admiral Rockday, the fleet commander.

Commander Monrashou retrieved his fallen sword.

Then he asked.

“Is he dead?”

“It pierced his throat, chest, abdomen, and both legs.”

“In an instant, five stone spears… Magicians are indeed terrifying.”

Commander Monrashou muttered, frowning at Admiral Rockday’s response.

“I believe there are far more terrifying magicians on the enemy side than me.”

Admiral Rockday said, gazing at the 200-meter ice bridge extending to his ship.

“Indeed, you’re right…”

Commander Monrashou nodded in agreement.

“Rather than alchemy. It’s likely magic, but…for such a grand spell, how many water-attribute magicians are required… The magician who orchestrated such a massive spell must be one of the leading magicians of the Archipelago region.”

“But…I’ve never heard of such a water-attribute magician?”

“Yeah. Neither have I. That’s why it’s terrifying. The fact that the Komakyuta Principality harbors such talent unknown to us.”

“True enough.”

Commander Monrashou nodded deeply at Admiral Rockday’s words.

It meant that they were severely lagging in information warfare.

“Those three months indeed took a toll…”

At the moment Admiral Rockday said that.

Rustle.

The two, whose eyes were on the ice bridge, were slow to understand what had happened.

By the time they realized it was the sound of a crate being moved…

Monrashou’s right arm had been severed.

And with a returning stroke, his left arm as well.

“Ughaa!”

Monrashou groaned involuntarily.

The red shadow didn’t stop there…

“Ugh…”

The sword deeply pierced Admiral Rockday’s abdomen.

Abel, who had thrust the sword, was also bleeding significantly from his right side and right thigh.

“The armor that I just had repaired has more holes again…”

His words were light, but his expression was stern.

One could even say he was angry.

Indeed, Abel was angry.

If asked whether he had let his guard down when attacked by magic…he had to admit he might have.

Therefore…

He was angry with himself.

The gaping holes in his abdomen and leg were his penance.

“You made me pay a steep price.”

Glaring down at the man who had cast the spell, his sword still embedded.

He spoke.

“Hey, magician. You’re wearing fine clothes, so you must be of high status, right? Where’s the fleet commander?”

“Haha… Do you think I’d answer that?”

“Yeah, probably not.”

With those words, Abel slightly twisted the sword embedded in the man.

“Ughhaah”

A groan escaped Rockday’s mouth.

“Sorry. I dislike torture, but I need to end this battle quickly. Even at this moment, both enemies and allies are dying. So, I’ll ask again, where is the fleet commander?”

“I don’t know.”

Rockday replied to Abel’s words with a faint smile.

“I see. Then you’re unnecessary. Die.”

With that, Abel withdrew his sword.

He prepared to sever the man’s head.

“Wait!”

The shout came from Commander Monrashou, lying on the deck with severed arms.

“Stop it, Monrashou!”

Rockday shouted.

He realized that Monrashou was about to reveal his identity.

“Rockday, you can’t die now! The future of our country depends on Lord Kabui. You are his right hand.”

Abel listened silently to Monrashou’s words.

He roughly understood from the content…

“That magician is the commander of this fleet, Admiral Rockday.”

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