**Side: Sayuri**
I never expected Solemne, of all people, to lead a massive fleet into battle, especially when the sea of Torencia should already be frozen and impassable by ship.
From what I can see looking down from the Beast Carriage Eos is holding, there are over fifty warships. If all of those warships are equipped with cannons, even the Saber’s Guild would have a hard time driving them back.
But how do they plan to cross the frozen sea?
“Yamato, what do you think?”
“I believe creating an icebreaker ship would be easy with the Helios Orb, but Solemne can’t use Innate Magic, so making magical tools would be difficult. That leaves us with only brute force, like using fire-attribute magic to forcibly melt the ice,” Yamato replied.
Yamato agrees. I think the same way.
Certainly, an icebreaker ship utilizing magic would not be difficult for the Helios Orb to create. However, that assumes the use of Innate Magic. Solemne, who has abolished guilds, cannot use it at all, so they shouldn’t be able to create magical tools. Of course, it would be a different story if they had developed technologies that didn’t rely on magic, but for the Helios Orb, which relies on magic, such technology is unlikely to develop, and few people would think of it.
“Besides, aren’t Helios Orb ships usually pulled by monsters?”
“That’s true, but what about it… I see, so they’ve completely developed a new technology.”
“Ah, so that’s it.”
At first, I didn’t understand what Yamato was saying, but indeed, there were no monsters pulling Solemne’s warships. It’s safe to assume they succeeded in developing ships that can navigate without monsters.
There are a few possibilities, but judging by the smoke coming from them, they seem to be steam-powered ships. There was a prophecy given to Aria that a new technology brought by Abaricia was put into practical use somewhere on the Philia Continent, and it seems that “somewhere” was Solemne. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a prophecy, but it was similar enough that it could be considered one.
“The smoke is unpleasant. But since they’re constantly burning fires, they’re probably using the residual heat to melt the ice. I don’t know how effective it will be.”
“I agree, but it’s not like it’s completely ineffective. If they combine it with fire-attribute magic, the efficiency might improve slightly. It’s unclear whether melting the ice is a secondary effect or moving the ship is, but this has become a very troublesome situation.”
“W-what…?”
Because the sea freezes over, Torencia was able to spend the winter months without expecting an invasion from Solemne. Of course, they weren’t completely unguarded, but their vigilance was significantly lowered. Now that a means to overcome the ice has been developed, Torencia will be threatened by invasion even in the winter. Of course, developing that many powered ships must have been difficult, and there are fuel issues, so I don’t think the number will increase rapidly. However, each of those ships likely carries nearly 200 soldiers, so if they land, it will be troublesome.
“Shall we sink them all?”
Yamato says something like that, and indeed, he probably could.
“That would be for the best. There are things I’m curious about, so I want to investigate that ship myself.”
“Huh? What’s so interesting about it?”
“That ship, I suspect, is an iron ship.”
“What!?”
“S-so, could it be the same technology used in the experimental hull?”
“Yes. However, it’s not impossible for similar technology to be developed in different places at the same time, so it’s probably a coincidence. After all, Solemne has many deserts, making it difficult to obtain lumber. On the other hand, they have abundant iron mines, so it’s not so strange to consider using iron instead.”
On Earth, it was common for substitutes to become mainstream as a result of their use. If you ask me what, I’ve forgotten a lot of Earth’s history, so I can’t answer.
“Then, one for Torencia and one for Amister?”
“Let’s do that. Amister will be involved, and if they were developing steam-powered ships using iron and fire, we can’t just ignore it.”
Moreover, they are equipped with cannons. Not only Torencia but also Libertà could fall quickly. If Torencia and Libertà fall, the next targets would be Retisencia and Valentia. However, Valentia is on the verge of civil war and has many forests, so Solemne would likely avoid it. That leaves Retisencia as the only option. However, against a country that can conquer Torencia and Libertà, Retisencia would be no match. They have Demon Crystals, but even so, it would be difficult to deal with them if attacked unilaterally from a distance. Moreover, Retisencia’s imperial capital, Kobaldia, is a city on the sea, so they would simply be attacked unilaterally from the sea and be finished. I don’t know how they will deal with Amister and Alegria, who have Ancient Classes, and Valentia, who has contracted with Dragonians, but considering they developed such powerful weapons, we cannot deny the possibility of them acting aggressively.
“Grandmother, are you sure this is alright?”
“If you ask me whether it’s alright or not, it’s definitely not alright. However, Mana and the others may not understand the value and combat power of those ships, but to me and Yamato, those ships are important weapons that can achieve the conquest of the Philia Continent. Isn’t that right, Yamato?”
“Indeed. It feels like an era has advanced all at once, but I think those ships are equipped with about 50 cannons, the ones we talked about the other day. If they all fire simultaneously from a distance of several kilometers, most cities will be blown away like splinters. Such warships are called ships of the line, and they were used for hundreds of years even on Earth.”
“W-what is that…?”
When it comes to military matters, Yamato is more knowledgeable. But didn’t ships of the line have ships with over 100 cannons?
“Yes, they did. Wasn’t the 120-gun class the largest? The ship becomes larger accordingly, and ammunition needs to be prepared, but the immediate suppressive power would increase dramatically.”
I suppose so. Whether it’s a saving grace or not, I don’t know, but since Solemne cannot use Innate Magic, the ammunition and fuel must be loaded directly onto the ships. It’s possible they are using Mirror Bags or Storage Bags for one or two ships, but that doesn’t change the fact that it can’t cover everything.
“But ships of the line also have weaknesses.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. Well, calling them weaknesses might be a bit off? Ships of the line are equipped with the number of cannons indicated by the number 50, but how do you think they fire them all at once?”
“How, you mean? Wouldn’t they not fit unless they were on the sides of the ship?”
“That’s right. Even so, I don’t think they’d all fit, so they must have made holes everywhere to somehow utilize them.”
The weakness of ships of the line that Yamato mentioned is something I also know. There was an anime about Japan being transferred to a different world, so people from that time might know about it. However, to the people of Helios Orb, ships of the line are unknown weapons, so it’s not easy to come up with countermeasures. In fact, Mana and Hilde are both uncertain. I don’t mean to be arrogant, but the fact that myself and Yamato are here is a terrible situation for Solemne.
“That’s correct. In other words, for a ship of the line to exert its maximum attack power, it needs to show its side.”
“I see. There are no cannons on the front or rear, so if we attack from there, we won’t be concentrated with cannon fire.”
“Correct. Of course, I don’t think there are zero cannons on the front or rear, but there are considerably fewer compared to the sides. Of course, I think they can change the angle slightly, but only slightly.”
That’s true. Cannons on the deck are one thing, but cannons mounted on the sides would surely fall into the sea if they tried to forcibly change their angle.
“So, I’m going. Prim, you watch from above.”
“I’m going too. Even for Yamato, sinking that many ships will be difficult, right?”
That’s also true. I intend to capture a few ships, but that will undoubtedly take time. However, I can have Prim prioritize sinking them, and more importantly, Prim’s Extreme Flame Wing can easily melt iron, so she should be a terrible match for them.
“Please do. You can sink them without hesitation, Prim, but Yamato, try to capture as many as possible. As for the bodies, leave the disposal to me. At that size, it’s a hassle just to check them.”
“Understood.”
“Roger. Then I’ll be going.”
Yamato changed into his Arc Order’s Coat and jumped off the Beast Carriage with Prim. I never expected to deploy an Ancient Class so suddenly, but with those two acting at the same time, this situation should be handled. I’ll have to report this to Rai afterward, but given the circumstances, he’ll have to forgive me. If I give him a powered ship as a souvenir, he’ll understand the gravity of the situation.
**Side: Yamato**
In a world without cannons and with wooden ships, I never expected to encounter ships of the line that were entirely made of iron and steam-powered. They said there were many unknowns about Solemne’s internal affairs, but I never imagined they had developed something like this. It’s questionable how something like a ship of the line could suddenly appear out of nowhere, but given the prophecy involving Abaricia this time, the possibility of an unknown guest involved in this, whom neither Sayuri nor I know, is almost nonexistent.
“W-what are you, scoundrels!?”
“T-they’re flying…!”
Whether it was the flagship or not, Prim and I decided to land on the ship of a pompous little-mustached military man. They didn’t expect us to come from above, but I can’t fly for an extended period either, so I need to end this quickly. I heard that using continuous interference magic-based spells like Fly Wind can cause irreversible damage to the human body, and in the worst-case scenario, even be life-threatening. Therefore, I used Telekinetic Magic to throw a License at the mustached old man.
“I-impossible! An Ancient Human from Amister!?”
“Since you’re here, your objective is to invade Torencia, right? But Torencia is Amister’s most friendly nation. If you advance any further, I will be your opponent first.”
After retrieving the License with Telekinetic Magic, Prim and I landed on the mast. This is to show that we hold the power of life and death, but it’s highly questionable whether they would believe us if we said we would withdraw here.
“F-for His Imperial Majesty’s noble purpose, we do not fear death! To all ships! Kill the Ancient Human from Amister by any means necessary! Once he is gone, not only Torencia but also Amister will be nothing to fear!”
That’s a bold order. In that case, I’ll have no qualms about sinking them all.
“Prim, we’re salvaging this ship. I’ll use Alfheim and Venus’s layered barrier to remove the air, so you sink whichever ship you want.”
“Removing the air… you’re doing something pretty nasty again.”
“It’s troublesome to clean up, but it’s the quickest way.”
Suffocation is a pretty miserable way to die. However, there are over 50 ships of the line, and by removing the air, their power source will likely be neutralized. This is truly the quickest way. So, I immediately activated Alfheim and Venus’s layered barrier on the ship beneath my feet. Both are wind-attribute Rank A wide-area spells. Alfheim is targeted, and Venus is interference. By using both simultaneously, we can increase the spell strength and easily make Prim an exclusion target. Prim, clad in her Extreme Flame Wing, was charging towards the adjacent ship of the line with her Flare Penetrator. The iron ship is stronger than a wooden one, but it’s not reinforced with magic power, so its armor is like paper in front of Prim’s Flare Penetrator.
“They do have quite a few cannons, ‘they’ say, but they’re not as good as the mithril colossus’s magic silver rounds, and if I move quickly, they won’t be able to aim, will they!”
That’s also a weakness of ships of the line. No, normally they aren’t designed to deal with fast-moving human-sized creatures, so it can’t really be called a weakness. Furthermore, ships of the line, unable to aim their cannons upwards, are sunk without being able to do anything by Prim’s Flare Needle. Five ships were destroyed in an instant, but I need to hurry, or I’ll run out of my share.
