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Volume 4 Chapter 3 Part 4

The ship in front of the fleet was acting as a decoy, and when the enemies were coming closer and preparing to board it, another friendly ship would swim to it from the side and ram into it, destroying its hull in the process. At first it was a crude and risky tactic which often resulted in the members of both crews engaging in melee combat, but with enough time, Artuk navy’s use of that tactic was greatly improved and expanded upon.

「Try to lure the enemies closer. We need to have them as close to the castle as possible. 」

Laura passed the message to Admiral Latua. It was a signal that the Ray Mirror operated by Colleen was finally ready to be used. The Admiral understood the intention behind Laura’s order, and so he pretended that he was making his fleet retreat, while in reality his purpose was to lure as many of the enemy ships closer to the castle as possible.

「Now! 」

Laura shouted as she nodded at Colleen.

「U-Understood! 」

With a frustrated expression on her face, Colleen started manipulating the large metal mirror that was installed on top of the tower. This contraption also came equipped with a small targeting peephole so that the person who was using it could know that they managed to catch the enemy ships in the crosshairs properly.

Four such mirrors were set on the side of the tower that was facing the sun. As for the purpose of this contraption, Ray Mirror is a magic treasure tool that was meant to absorb the sunlight, store its energy within itself and then release it all at once.

「P-Please, just burn! 」

Colleen muttered a silent prayer under her breath, and then she activated the ray Mirror properly. In the next moment, the metal mirror and one of the enemy ships were connected by a ray of dazzling light.

And then, said enemy ship erupted in an explosion of bright-red flames. The soldiers onboard of that ship were all in uproar, since they could not wrap their heads around what had happened just now. Some of them tried to put out the flames, but they were so strong that their attempts were all futile, so they had no choice but to abandon ship and jump into the sea and they waited there for another ship to approach and save them.

「It is going to be your fault for getting too close…」

Colleen murmured other words that sounded as if she was trying to make some kind of excuse. In the next moment, the bow of the ship that was trying to save the soldiers from the first ship was also engulfed by flames, and one of the soldiers who was standing too close to the point of the initial explosion got turned into a pilar of fire and fell off the deck into the water, turning into ash before his corpse could even reach the surface.

「I-I am sorry… 」

Colleen sighed and put her face down.

「Do not think of the people on the battlefield as genuine people. Think of them as the pieces on the gameboard and focus on removing as many of them as possible as fast as possible. 」

Laura scolded Colleen, but truth to be told, those were the words that she was telling to herself as well. Colleen looked like she was about to cry, but she swallowed her tears and then proceeded to set several more of the enemy ships on fire.

When she was done, the sunshine that has been stored in the Ray Mirror has been exhausted, but since the sun has already started to set, there was no way to refill it.

Speaking purely from the damage perspective, it was not all that great, but Dartania’s soldiers were definitely shaken to their cores when they saw that a friendly ship caught such a massive fire in that mysterious attack.

「The enemy has become confused. Now is your chance to surround and annihilate them. 」

Laura immediately relayed the message to Admiral Latua. He then sent a small speedboat to relay the message across all of Artuk’s ships, and in response, all of the ships of Artuk’s navy began to move as if they were living creatures, encircling the school of helpless fish in a single sweep.

Dartania’s fleet has been pushed into a narrow area of the sea, where it was more and more difficult for it to move properly.

The ships of Artuk’s fleet advanced in a few lines around them, and the soldiers on the ships’ decks began firing arrows at the enemy soldiers, not allowing even a single one of them to slip through the net in which Artuk has now caught them.

「Beautiful… 」

That word escaped Laura’s mouth without her even realizing it. At this rate, it should be possible for them to completely annihilate Dartania’s fleet… but it did not go so well for them.
Several small boats approached from offshore and rushed into Artuk’s line of battle. Dartania’s Prince Milza has returned to the battlefield.

Milza leaps onto Artuk’s ship and cuts down his soldiers in the blink of an eye. Then he jumped to the next ship and did the same.

As a result of the resumed fierce battle, Artuk’s warships were forced to change course. Their siege was broken, and Dartania’s warships left one by one.

Laura saw the situation and let out a big sigh.

「Lord Milza is truly someone who can turn the tide of battle on his own. 」

And she made a disgusted face after she admitted that.

「I knew that… 」

Villar said as he let out a wry smile.

「In other words, it should all be over if we just kill Milza. Once he is out of the picture, Dartania should go back to our side. 」

「I hope so. 」

Laura nodded, but in her heart, he wondered how exactly where they supposed to defeat a warrior like him, who is more like a demon than anything else.
「The next time he appears on the battlefield, I will be there to meet him in battle. I could not bear to see him slaying any more of my precious subordinates all by himself. 」

Vilar sneered.

「If that is what you want to do, then please allow me to accompany you when the time for you to set out will come. 」

Margaret made an offer to Vilar.

「Be it a ship or a person, I will burn it so that not even cinders shall remain. 」

「Are you sure about that? Is Dartania not the country you were born in? 」

「My tribe was destroyed by that man. The Fire Temple was also burned down to the ground. And since I do not belong to the Mages Association, I can fight as I please. 」

Margaret said in a quiet voice. Laura knew that it was at such times that intense emotions were swirling in her heart and she was doing her best to not let them overwhelm her.

Returning her gaze to the sea, she could see that Dartania’s fleet began to slowly retreat. Artuk’s fleet did not seem to follow it either. Lined up in a single line, the ships have been stopped with their bows pointed towards the enemy fleet in order to intimidate them.

It will soon be dark.
The naval battle was over. It can be said that it ended in Artuk’s victory, however, Dartania’s fleet was still alive and well, and as long as Milza is going to be there to command it, they will not lose their fighting spirit no matter what happens to them.

Above all, with Dartania becoming a member of the Factory Alliance, the sea control of the coastal waters, which had been safe until now, was at risk. In addition, trade with Dartania will cease, and it means the loss of a valuable source of income for Artuk.

Dartania’s betrayal was going to hurt Artuk both in the short term and in the long term.

「It seems that Waldrind did not make its move after all. 」

Vilar said quietly.

「We were lucky that it did not happen, but I Wonder… why did they not do anything.?」

Laura turned to Villar and asked with a puzzled expression.

「It would be great if luck was all there was to it. 」

Vilar answered with a complicated look on his face as well.

「What do you mean by that? 」

Laura did not know if she interpreted it right or not, but it seemed as if Vilar was afraid of something.
「What if Waldrind did not respond to Dartania’s actions today because it was not the time for them to do so just yet? 」

「Does that mean there may be further moves following Dartania’s joining the Alliance? 」