Three days after dispatching the Alliance to Bacion, Solemn’s steam battleships appeared off Esperanza, a bit later than expected.
“Forty ships. That’s more than I thought,” Yamato muttered.
“Indeed. Considering their country’s size, I expected around twenty, like Ovest,” Meena replied.
“Perhaps they joined forces after attacking Trial?”
Yamato thought Mana’s suggestion was possible, but that would mean they didn’t land on Trial. He found it unsettling that they would just destroy and not occupy.
“I agree, but perhaps their goal was to defeat Gilfa, and occupying Trial was secondary? Or maybe they learned from Baron Reine that High Orders and High Hunters were dispatched from Amister, so they’ve raised their alert level,” Mako offered.
Yamato thought Mako might be right.
Recently, Emperor Reinhardt had informed Baron Reine of Estait, the eastern baron of Valentia, that as a condition for entering Amister’s protection, the Estait Baronial territory would be annexed and the baronial title abolished. Furthermore, he wasn’t granting a new noble title, so Baron Reine wouldn’t accept if he aimed for the throne. While a reply hadn’t come yet, they had simultaneously informed him of the dispatch of High Orders and High Hunters. If Baron Reine was colluding with Solemn, the information would likely have been passed on.
“That was anticipated, so the Order’s Guild has moved towards the border with the Estait Baronial territory,” Meena stated.
“We have four Ancient Classes here, so even if Solemn deploys dozens of steam battleships, they won’t be a match for us. We’ve also finished our familiarity training with new Supplication Magic, Flying and Scaffolding, so we won’t let them touch Esperanza,” Frau added.
As Frau and Lark said, the Order’s Guild had proceeded towards Solemn’s border with the Estait Baronial territory immediately after the steam battleships were confirmed. It only took a few hours to travel from Estait to Esperanza, so it was entirely possible for them to move while the steam battleships were bombarding Esperanza. Though it was uncertain if they would actually come, it was still necessary to remain vigilant. If beast knights were to invade from Estait, their numbers could reach 500, or even exceed 1,000. The Order had only about 100 members, including the Royal Order and the Third Squad. Even with the Holinars, their forces were overwhelmingly insufficient. That’s why Prim and Mana were accompanying them, and Yamato and Mako were scheduled to head there once all the steam battleships were sunk.
“More importantly, is it really okay that I’m the commander-in-chief?” Yamato asked.
Partly because Prim and Mana were accompanying the Order’s Guild, it was decided that they, the Hunters, would fight the steam battleships head-on. However, since this was a war with Solemn, Amister also needed a commander-in-chief. The Holinars’ Guild had a Grand Holinars Master, but in Amister, it was Yamato. The reason was, despite being an outsider, he was an O-Rank Order. He had actually wanted to push the role onto the dispatched Royal Order or the First Order, Solo, but they weren’t directly confronting Solemn. Therefore, it fell to him. He would be the commander-in-chief of the Amister army, including those Orders and Hunters, meaning he would be the General Order, and would be challenging Solemn this time. He had changed into his Arc Order’s Coat for this, feeling a little sad that his newly tailored Crest Defender Coat was getting so little use.
“No, of course not. Who else would do it?” the other Hunters responded readily.
“Is it some kind of O-Rank Order obligation?” Yamato asked internally. “I really don’t want to do this.” He felt like he’d been forced into being the General Order. Duke Arjan could have been an option, but since he wasn’t a fighter as a Trader, he was serving as a strategist or advisor. Incidentally, Duke Arjan was at the main branch of the Priests’ Guild in Esperanza, well-guarded by Holinars.
“It’s your duty, so please accept it,” Meena said.
“Alright, alright.” Yamato knew. Meena, too, had been appointed Secondary Order to assist him this time. Being an S-rank Order outside, a level 60 P-rank Hunter, and the reason for her strength being second only to Yamato and Mako, and officially married to him, had allowed her to push her way through. Lydia and Ludia were higher in level, but they were with Prim and Mana at the border. Also, since they were from Valentia, they couldn’t exactly be generals of Amister.
“Then, shall we go? High Classes, commence your advance. However, refrain from attacking until I give the signal.”
“Understood.”
Almost simultaneously as Yamato, having resigned himself to the situation, gave the order, the steam battleships entered artillery range and began firing.
“I don’t know if it’s a preemptive strike, but Solemn is as ill-mannered as ever,” Mako said, her face grim as she created an Air Spirit and used Alfheim to drop the cannonballs into the sea.
“That saves us the trouble of a surrender demand. Still, we need to convey Amister’s intentions, so it’s a pain, but I have to go,” Yamato sighed.
“Do your best, General Order,” Mako said, adding a heart symbol to her words. Yamato felt a slight irritation. But even if he was appointed General Order against his will, he had to do it. It was bothersome, but he had to go.
“To the Solemn Army: This is the territorial waters of the Bacion Kingdom. You have suddenly invaded and, without even a declaration of war, have opened fire. Can this be considered an invasion?” Bacion had not been declared war upon by Solemn. Therefore, unprovoked artillery fire could be definitively classified as an act of aggression.
“W-Who are you!?” a soldier shouted.
“I am this,” Yamato replied, throwing his License at the man who spoke.
“An Ancient Human!?”
“And this is not for show, but I am also the General Order of the Bacion Relief Force dispatched from Amister. This means my confronting Solemn here is also Amister’s will.”
“Amister!? Impossible! How can you move so quickly!?” Yamato thought it must have been an unexpected development for Solemn. After all, behind Amister’s ability to send reinforcements to Bacion so quickly were the existence of aerial islands like Alka, Gate Crystals, and Transfer Stone Tablets. The long-distance teleportation magic Traveling was not created as a magic item. The simple reason was that the mana quality of magic stones could not be used for Traveling. Therefore, it was said that teleportation-type magic items were impossible to create, but the existence of Transfer Stone Tablets and Gate Crystals overturned that common knowledge. At most, both Transfer Stone Tablets and Gate Crystals originated from those who created Alka, and the creators of Alka were very likely gods, so perhaps it should be said that humans cannot create them. Of course, he had no intention of explaining all that.
“Why would I tell you? Besides, I’m not issuing a surrender demand. I’m just conveying Amister’s intentions. I don’t expect a barbaric nation that invades other countries without even declaring war, simply because it has gained a little power, to listen to reason.”
“Y-You! To call our glorious Solemn Empire barbaric!?”
“You’ve gotten carried away just because you obtained a steam battleship, and you’re launching an invasion war without even declaring war. It seems you’ve already taken some city, but before us, you’re nothing but scrap metal. If you’re a collection of savages who can’t even understand that, you’re a barbaric nation, aren’t you?” Normally, steam battleships would be a considerable threat, but in the world of magic and evolution phenomena like the Helios Orb, they weren’t that threatening. While the cannonballs fired from the numerous cannons were troublesome, their speed was easily observable by the eye, and for High Classes, it wasn’t difficult to dodge or even intercept them. The advantage of being able to attack unilaterally from the sea was negated by Prim and Mako’s Supplication Magic, Flying and Scaffolding. Unreinforced iron, as Yamato called it, could easily be broken by even a dull sword wielded by a High Class, or even with bare hands if they wanted to.
“The Solemn Empire, which bears the noble mission of ruling the Philia Continent, no, the Helios Orb! To call us barbaric!? Enough of this insolence! All ships, prepare to attack! Even if the opponent is an Ancient Human, they are no match for these steam battleships! No, if we defeat an Ancient Human, position and honor will be ours!” Yamato thought, reflecting on his experiences in the Elect Sea and Ovest, that Solemn had truly become arrogant after succeeding in developing steam battleships and had begun moving to unify the Philia Continent. And yet, on the Helios Orb, where gods actually existed, a nation that had abolished gods claimed to bear the mission of ruling the Helios Orb. It was pure delusion.
“Fireeeeeee!!!” Yamato exclaimed.
“Ha, as I thought, you are indeed a barbaric nation. You don’t even care about the Hunters behind me, let alone myself.” Yamato and the High Hunters gathered slightly behind him were all standing on the sea, using Scaffolding. However, Solemn fired without any regard for that. Although within cannon range, the distance was only a few hundred meters, so a High Class could reach it in just over ten seconds at full speed. Mako was prioritizing the cannonballs that were about to reach Esperanza with Alfheim, but the rest of the cannonballs were largely to be ignored. This was the first time High Classes would confront steam battleships while using Flying and Scaffolding, so Yamato wanted to practice that aspect. He also wanted the High Hunters to try fighting steam battleships themselves, so they had readily agreed to his plan, or rather, his proposal.
“Solemn, you seem to have absolute confidence in your steam battleships, but to us, they are just unreinforced lumps of iron. I will show you proof of that right now!” Yamato swung a greatsword made of ice magic at the steam battleship that appeared to be carrying the commander, cutting it in half. With its hull severed in the middle, the battleship tilted, and the impact of colliding with another ship caused the front and rear sections to separate, sinking under their own weight. This served as a signal, and all fourteen High Classes charged towards the battleships, weapons drawn.
Perhaps due to the unbelievable sight of their steam battleship being split in half with a single blow, the cannon fire ceased. However, the High Hunters, who were waiting for Yamato’s signal, continued their attack using Flying and Scaffolding, heading for the nearest battleships and destroying their hulls. Once within sword’s reach, the fixed cannons could neither aim nor fire without the risk of self-destruction. Moreover, since his allies were all unparalleled experts, the battleships sank one after another.
“Yamato-san!”
“Yeah. Let’s finish this quickly!”
“Yes!” Meena, standing beside Yamato as Secondary Order, created Mace Quake and slammed it into a battleship. As if to support her, Flam unleashed Tidal Blaster. Athena, hovering over the battleship, created a scorched-earth inferno by raising the deck temperature with Magma Light Breath. Mako’s gigantic Wing Line, which she had activated, tore battleships in two.
The Solemn army, unprepared for such an outcome, descended into panic, firing cannons indiscriminately, even hitting their own ships. However, not a single cannonball reached Yamato or the city of Esperanza. The steam battleships also seemed to have High Classes on board, but they were no match for the Alliance’s High Hunters and were easily defeated, along with their ships sinking. Some soldiers survived by grabbing onto fragments of bags and wooden shelves brought onto the ships, but most were caught in the crossfire and sank into the sea. All forty Solemn steam battleships sank to the bottom of the sea within half an hour.
“Yamato-kun, what shall we do with this one?” Shazara asked, carrying a man after sinking all the steam battleships. Yamato wondered who it was.
“Who is that?” Yamato asked.
“I sank the battleship that the man Yamato-kun was talking to was on. As expected, it seems to have been the flagship. He challenged me to a duel at that time, but as you can see, I defeated him. He seemed to have considerable status, so I checked the Library, and it turns out this man is the fleet commander and the commander-in-chief of the Bacion invasion force,” Shazara explained.
“I see. So, let’s hand him over to the Holinars’ Guild. He seems to be a High Class, and we’ll need him to use the subjugation magic for High Classes,” Yamato decided.
“Understood. Then we will return ahead,” Shazara said.
“Yes. Meena, you return with us and explain to the Holinars’ Guild.”
“Understood.”
This area was outside Esperanza’s barrier, so monsters would normally appear. The Sacred Birds consisted of one P-rank and three G-ranks, so it was better to have Meena escort them just in case. Also, the Holinars’ Guild knew Meena was a Secondary Order, so it would be easier to explain things there.
“Still, zero casualties on our side. We didn’t intend to cause any deaths, but I thought there would be at least a few injuries,” Frau remarked.
“The fact that they panicked when we were flying likely contributed to minimizing our damage. While the cannon fire was troublesome, it wasn’t as powerful as we thought,” Lark added.
“Indeed. If hit directly, it might have caused a fractured bone, but the projectile speed was slow, and unreinforced magic iron cannonballs could be easily deflected. I was surprised by the iron ships, but as Yamato said, once sunk, it’s easier for us to sink them as survival is less likely,” Plum concluded.
Frau, Lark, and Plum shared their impressions after the battle against the steam battleships. Yamato had also expected at least a few injuries, but to his surprise, everyone was unharmed by the end. Of course, Solemn’s panic was a factor, and they had fought with High Classes or above, albeit in small numbers. However, if Solemn obtained information on Flying and Scaffolding or if Normal Classes joined in, the casualty situation would have been vastly different. Still, it was a more than satisfactory result for a battle where High Classes faced battleships for the first time.
“Well, I shouldn’t just stand here talking. I need to head to the border with the Estait Baronial territory next,” Yamato thought.
