Vol 6 Chapter 3 (1/2)

As the sailors prepared to leave the village, the ho them temporarily became empty

By right, the lodging should be returned to the villagers, but the expedition that brought the soldiers of Fort Sierck from one end of the Eth

Those ere not doing too well stayed behind in Fort Le Troyeti

The villagers expressed their understanding and loaned their houses to the soldiers to stay for the night

The battle will begin tomorrow, Jerome will lead most of the troops towards Fort Le Troyeti

Regis tossed and turn on the bed of the house he was staying in

The time was 9PM

After asking about the navy and finalizing the upcoht

The illumination caht was quite dim

But he could still see the item in his hands clearly

“Well then…”

Regis took out a book froe

During the e city once This new book was brought right then

Regis opened the book as he laid on his bed

The story was about a group of protagonists trapped in a gairl who had been targeted by ruffians

Thea swordsman was a typical development Just like Duke Eddie who stayed behind at Fort Sierck

However, theic to help his comrades…

As he read the interesting story, the world around hiht and sound diht now

“Hlad that I am alive”

“We are setting off tomorrow before dawn…”

“Well, it is troublesoet up from bed if it is too dark outside”

In the time before dawn, the inside of the room was darker than the outdoors which was illuht It was so dark that you couldn’t see your fingers

It would be great if he could lit a candle within the reach of his aris wasn’t familiar with the layout of the room

And so, in order to leave in a is re the door when he slept, didn’t change out of his clothes, and tuck his packed belongings right besides the bed

“The preparations are already done… Eh, Ms Clarisse!?”

He wasn’t sure when, but a lady wearing a green apron dress ca

Clarisse sighed and said:

“Sir Regis, you are the same as usual”

“W-What is it? Did so for me?”

“As she needs to wake up early tois, aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Of course I will sleep It is easy to get seasick due to lack of sleep I just wanted to read a little before I retire…”

“I see I see”

Clarisse sis entle

If this goes on, the candle would be taken away by her again

“Erm… If I don’t finish the book, I would be bothered by the story and be unable to sleep”

“You know your eyes have turned red?”

“Well, my eyes do hurt, but that is probably because I am not used to the sea breeze At least let eon raid…”

“I understand Well then, I will read it to you You should rest your eyes and body”

“Ehh!?”

Clarisse reached for the candle

“If you are unwilling, then just rest well”

“Waahh! W-Well… Please do so”

“Alright”

Clarisse seeis’ pillow and sat on the bed,it creak

“Fufufu, if her highness sees this, she will definitely misunderstand”

“Eh? What ?”

“ Nothing at all Well then, please close your eyes, Sir Regis… It’s useless even if you look at me”

In the flickering candlelight, her profile and shadoas shaking Under the shi+ne of the faint light, the slight swell of her chest was char

It felt strange for Regis to look at her frois had lied down, Clarisse sat very close to him

There was a faint fragrance of tea

Brown pupils were looking his way

Regis felt his chest tightened and heart race He was lying down but his breathing becaed

Clarisse averted her eyes with her cheeks blushi+ng

“If you stare at me from such a close distance, I will feel shy”

“Ah… S-Sorry, because you are too beautiful…”

“Eh?”

She widened her eyes

Regis covered his mouth as if he had misspoken

“W-What did I say!?”

“ Erht?”

“That’s true I wanted to coe the appearance of a woman is really…”

“No, that’s not the probleht not be able to hold back, okay?”

“Hah…?”

“Toht, close your eyes”

She reached out and closed Regis’ eyes gently

He could feel her cool soft fingers and gentle fragrance

Regis closed his eyes obediently

Clarisse started reading

It was in a volu down could hear, but she spoke very clearly and was pleasing to the ears

Leaving aside such technical stuff as the word's reading and the intonation, which were perfect, what pleased hi else was the fact that Clarisse was reading just for Regis

Hoonderful

Ignoring the reigning Emperor, in the past, there was a position of bard in the courts And a the nobles, there were also servants hispered to theiron a pillow

It see the life of a noble, which filled Regis momentarily with joy

The next —

The sky was still dark and the stars were sparkling

“By the way, according to Marshall Latreille’s orders, all the units here would be assigned to the Imperial 4th Army… Both the navy and the army units This part is a bit difficult to understand”

When she heard what Regis said, Altina tilted her head

“Since Vice Ad it Fleet Bertraht?”

Putting it that way is wrong! Bertram shook his head

“Since your highness is the coshi+p in person, the fleet should be naaria’,”

Regis agreed with him

“ The Fleet Admiral would still command the sea battle, but it would be hard to say ‘Fleet Bertram, move out’ in the presence of the princess”

“Don’t worry about ht?”

“Please spare et mocked by my subordinates”

“But is’ then!?”

“No!”

That name was too weird

However, Bertram was all for it

“I have no problem with this If this is for the sake of the battle, I won’tas the name is appropriate”

“ Have mercy on me Well, let’s name it ‘Western Liberation Fleet’ The objective of the battle is to sink the High Britania supply shi+ps and retake Chainboule Harbour anyway”

Bertram nodded

“The naoal”

“Well, it’s fine since Regis said so”

And it was decided

In order for large shi+ps to dock, a harbour with deep waters was needed

And of course, the fishi+ng village didn’t have such facilities

It would take some time, but it was necessary to walk out to the trestle and take se shi+ps in deeper waters

Regis was escorted onto the shuttle boats

The one ith hile soldier from Fort Sierck

It was only the two of them this time

Clarisse didn’t tag along either She stayed behind and did her chores She couldn’t go to a battlefield

Abidal Evra did insist on following as an escort

However, warshi+ps were not leisure cruise, and couldn’t let too ht escort would be useless against the cannons used in sea battles

If the navy had any scheht more escorts They could only trust the navy, and Altina wouldn’t be boarding the flagshi+p if she didn’t

Altina will be boarding a shi+p that was lighter than she iined for the first time

She carefully helped Regis board

The boat rocked with the waves

The sailors slowly rowed the boat away from the trestle amidst their spirited shout

They slowly drifted away from land

When Regis went out to sea the day before to prepare for sea battle, he felt weird when he sailed away from land

In the sky, there was the white moon as well as there were many stars

The weather seeood

A sea breeze that could only be felt after going out to sea

The shuttle boat headed into the deep sea

Regis looked nonchalantly at the breakwater

The hill ridges were turning white

“ Ah”

On the breakwater, a s white

It nized her

With hair that had the colour of blazing fire, the girl— Narissa looked his way

Although she wouldn’t be able to see him from that place

Regis was thankful from the bottom of his heart

Thank you very much for your assistance We will definitely protect this country, please take care…

Imperial year 851 June 1st—

The ‘Western Liberation Fleet’ set off froe

There were a total of forty four warshi+ps in the fleet

The capital shi+ps consisted of nine Athena third rate battleshi+p (80 guns) Slightly smaller than the priuns), and twenty Ouranos corvette (18 guns)

The Athena class uns battleshi+p in tere

Total length of 120Co (53ht of 140Co (62m)

As they had the advantage in nunore the losses

But of course, ith other nations will continue after repelling the High Britannia invasion, so they couldn’t lose shi+ps too casually…

Selene class was commissioned to maintain security in domestic waters, so it wasn’t really adequate as a battleshi+p

It was less than 80Co (36uns were small to lers Its are fire with the High Britannia navy

The Ouranos was 45Co (20, less than half the size of a capital shi+p

If powered fully by sail, its speed would probably be faster than a Princess class However, it couldn’t be counted on to be of much use in a cannon battle

Other than these, there was also a battleshi+p larger than all the other warshi+ps, Poseidon First rate battleshi+p (120 guns) Total length 160Co (71m), 45 Co (20m) wide, there were only two such colossal vessels in the Empire

However, only one of the Poseidon class would be taking part in this sea operation— shi+p nuy with their warshi+ps, it’s just that shi+p number 1 was still under maintenance

Repair andtime That’s o or more of the same type of battleshi+p would be built at the same time, so a similar class warshi+p could be committed to the frontlines at any time It would be more ideal if there were three shi+ps

If the model of the shi+ps were different, the controls would be different too But there wasn’t time to teach the sailors how to man a shi+p in the frontlines If the fresh sailors couldn’t even get the basics down, the shi+p would fall into chaos during a battle

Even if you teach the similar shi+p models, there would be a limit to that too

Right now, the third Poseidon class shi+p was still under construction…

If the plan worked, the construction of the third vessel would be terht

Aside from the shi+ps, there were other sis, reconnaissance crafts and many more The responsibility they shouldered was equally important, but they couldn’t be relied on to take part in direct battle

Regis boarded the Athena third rate shi+p Frantaation seat of all sailboats was located on the deck— right in front of the poop deck The syht there

The hel to the instructions of the captain It was the same for the other sailors too, all hands aboard the shi+p must obey the captain’s order

It was not just the shi+p the Fleet Admiral was on, all the crews in the entire fleet must follow his command

His orders were conveyed through the flags on the flagshi+p

Bertram confirmed the situation of the fleet

“Well then, ill set sail… Is that fine?”

Altina nodded

“The success of this operation will decide the fate of the Belgaria E on all of you”

“I will keep these words close to my heart”

Bertraht hand forward

“—Western Liberation Fleet, move out!!”

Signals sent froas lae on to the other vessels

After hearing the orders of the Fleet Adshi+p immediately ordered the crew to advance slowly

Unlike a naval battle, when sailing at night, the flagshi+p would lead the way and signal others through a gas lamp

There was one on the crow’s nest, one at the shi+p’s bow, and one on either side of the stern This allowed the shi+ps behind to kno large the flagshi+p was, and how far away it was But if there were any probleo out, it would be troublesoas lamps

Fortunately, everything went se, and headed towards

Chainboule Harbour

The sky in the east gradually brightened

“This shi+p looks er up close!”

“ Well, both types of shi+ps were built by the Belgarian Eer than a Second rate vessel”

Looking fro all the way to the bow seee, this was just like a castle

The wooden masts pierced the sky and thick canvases draped down from them The massive sails seemed to encompass the entire field of vision

This castle that was sailing towards the deep ocean carried about 500 sailors It was on the scale of a se Bertram would be responsible for the shi+ps out in the sea, and he was consolidating the reports frohly

It see the naval battle of Trouin

Soes that couldn’t be repaired out at sea

“Ad very slowly!”

It seemed that one of the Ouranos class vessels couldn’t keep up with the speed of the fleet

“ Don’t overdo it, let her change course to the third rendezvous point”

“Yes Sir!”

The Fleet Admiral seemed busy

In order to not bother hi

“Anything bothering you?”

“The shi+p will change directions if we turn that wheel?”

“Ahh, that steering wheel huh It is connected to the rudder below the shi+p By changing the orientation of the sails according to the wind, you can change the course of the shi+p by turning the wheel”

“You can change the direction of such a large shi+p just with that wheel?!”

“Well, to prevent the shi+p fro all over the place, it requires quite a bit of ar it”

The Athena class had three masts

Regis and the others were further to the rear than the third mast

That’s where the steering wheel was located, the railings would be right behind them That’s where the Fleet Admiral was

In order to let the Fleet Adis and Altina kept some distance away

The shi+p was huge

To the rear of the shi+p was the quarter deck with a raised platform This place housed the conference room, and the personal quarters of the Captain and Fleet Admiral

As expected of the flagshi+p Franta inside this time

By the way, it wasn’t ned to a luggage cabin below deck like the rest of the sailors

Sailors were not assigned beds, they would just spread a piece of cloth between the luggage or next to a cannon to sleep Theyto sleep too

At the very least, I should find my personal piece of cloth…

But that would be a is survived the battle

The sky brightened gradually

The flagshi+p used flags to signal its orders to the entire fleet

In order to catch up with the Poseidon class vessel, the flagshi+p Frantam moved off first, followed by five Athena class Of the forty four warshi+ps, only six vessels made up the main force In fact, they possessedprowess

The re warshi+ps didn’t simply wait in place, they had to fulfill their mission too

At this moment, the reconnaissance craft reported back

The adjutant who received it reported to the Fleet Admiral

“Reporting the number of enehteen! Princess class six! More than forty small crafts!”

“That many!?”

Bertram said with a frown

The sailors working on the deck turned rowdy

The captain looked worried too

Regis fell into deep thought

— Seeined

Bertrais

He was just seeking the opinion of the strategist who proposed the battle plan

The adjutant of the Fleet Admiral, Captain of the Frantam, as well as the sailors around them looked his ith a worried expression

Regis shrugged

“ The supply shi+ps were not here yesterday, so it probably caht be so… But I already considered the possibility of ene of a problem”

“Oh? You knew about this information before we even received it?”

“Not really I merely estimated the forces which the enemy should have had from the battle of Trouin”

I see, Bertram nodded

Altina was calm all this while

“I trust Regis deeply!”

Regis felt happy and uneasy at the same time He said in a soft voice only Altina could hear:

“ It erous to put too much faith in me?”

“Ahaha, I am not that stupid I can tell if the situation is within your expectation or not just by looking at Regis’ face”

“ I see, seems like I am not suited to play poker”

“Fufufu, how about a match next time?”

“Are you good in poker?”

“I have beginner’s luck, let’s give it a try”

Altina sis smiled too

Bertram was a bit surprised to see them like this

In this critical situation where the eneist and co away

The adjutant said with an incredulous expression

“ Er their confidence in the battle plan?”

“Well, yes”

Bertrahtly

If that is the case, all we can do is pray Or do they actually not knohat a naval battle is like?

He found it hard to clear the doubts in his mind

However, they were in the middle of a battle, and he had to consider his position as the Fleet Admiral He must not utter complains that would lower morale

Bertrahts

“Even though the ene to attack as planned, is that fine?”

“Yes, of course! Let us take back Chainboule Harbour!”

Altina pointed to the cape

It was a piece of land protruding out into the sea like a spear Their vieas blocked by the forest on the cape, but behind was indeed Chainboule Harbour

Froaps of the forest, a tower that had the dual function of lighthouse and watchtower could be seen It seeh Britannian army first attacked

Chainboule Harbour was built in a V shaped bay

According to the Eave his sword as an offering to pray for victory, that’s why it’s called Épée Prière Bay

There was h space inside the Épée Prière Bay to conduct a cannon battle

According to the recon craft reports, there were soe supply shi+ps Six Princess class warshi+ps were docked there too

The I inside the bay As the terrain was surrounded by land on three sides, the as much weaker there

The sail shi+ps won’t be able to speed up

On the other hand, the adversary could move really fast even on the calm ocean surface

If the ih they were in quicksand, the battle would be decided in no time

That ht be so, but the enemy warshi+ps were deep inside the harbour, they won’t be able to take back Chainboule Harbour if they don’t enter the bay

With the flagshi+p Frantale file formation

“Enehted!”

The report came from the crow’s nest of the front most mast

Regis and the others stood in front of the quarter deck focusing their attention ahead as well

It was just as the report said, twenty odd large vessels were stationed around the harbour

There were countless small boats

The High Britannians were not idiots, and had reconnaissance crafts patrolling the entrance of the bay They should have discovered our fleet— the ene black smoke

This was the first tiis saw a steaeneration of shi+p from books so far

The basic structure didn’t differ enerations of war shi+ps, it was still a shi+p that was un ports

It was a stea the function of a sails

Altina tilted her head

“Regis? Isn’t that a steamshi+p? Why does it still have sails?”

“To be more accurate, the Princess class is actually a hybrid between steaine and sails”

At this tiine didn’t exist And as a inein the open sea, using sails would actually be faster

“Hmmp— how sly of them to use both”

“Well, if there wasn’t anything exceptionally good about it, they wouldn’t besuch a heavy and expensive machine that consumes lots of coal”

Between the 1st and 2nd mast of the Princess class, there was a s out black smoke

A steaine needed to burn coal before it could be used, increasing the pressure of the stea level It seems that the shi+p had finished its preparations

The ene

Trying to keep us away from their supply shi+ps— That’s obvious

“Get ready for cannon battle!”

Bertram issued a solemn command

The adjutant relayed the order loudly to the seamen below deck

When the captain and sailors heard that order, they prepared to fire their guns

The signaller relayed the order to the warshi+ps behind, and they began opening the gun ports

Normally, one cannon would be operated by twothe gunpowder

The main cannons used by the Athena class were the super sized iunpowder sack was rammed in, followed by the cannon ball

A thin needle was inserted through the breech and pierced the bag of gunpowder

The needle was pulled out, gun powder poured into the hole itthe cannon was co aim at the enemy shi+p, all that was left was to wait for the orders to fire

The cannon wasn’t fixed to the deck, but loaded on a four wheeled gun carriage The gun carriage was tied to the hull with chains

It gave the cannons a certain level of freedoht, and to ease the recoil after firing the cannon

However, the shi+ps would shake violently during a cannon battle, and ai would be difficult

The cannons were ignited using the flintlock, this way of ignition was the same as the cannons on land