3 bar menu

Volume 4 Chapter 4 Part 1

CHAPTER 4: SUNSET

August 28, 2013 of the Continental Calendar.

「Thank you for waiting, Elder Sister Marine. 」

With her hand on the prow of the dragon-shaped longboat, Ulrika, the daughter of Erik, Marquis of Nord stared defiantly at the sun-drenched castle of Villar, Earl of Artuk.

In the sea before them there were small boats belonging to Artuk, as well as a large warship from Haman, a small island country, called 「The Palace of the Sea. 」

Ulrika was once given the title of Viscount and 10,000 people to command by her father, and now Marine herself has granted her the land of the Stark Peninsula as her own territory. With that territory as her base, from now on she intended to conquer all of the South Seas with her own power.

It has been three days since the request for reinforcements has been dispatched. One day was spent for the feast, and another day was spent in order for the soldiers to properly rest before they would finally head out.

Right now, Ulrika was leading a force of over 1000 longboats and 20,000 warriors. All of those 1000 longboats were built in the port of Stark. As for the workers, they were the original inhabitants of Stark who have been captured and turned into slaves, and all of the property that they owned has been confiscated by the factory Alliance, which allowed to cover the construction costs. That was the Nord way of doing things.

Dusk was already fast approaching, but night battles were what the Nord people were the best at. When Ulrika raised her right hand, her Crest shined with a bright light. She then materialized and raised her Banner, which had the power of 「Berserk」bestowed upon it. She has received this Banner from her father along with the title. The pattern woven from its dazzling light fluttered through the air.

The clan chiefs that she commanded raised their hands with the same Banners on them one after another. It is a battle flag that transforms everyone under its influence into a berserker who enjoys death and is said to continue fighting even after death. Under this Banner, the Nords have continued to reign as conquerors of the North Sea.

「Now then, you guys, let us start the feast!!!」

Ulrika lowered her right hand and let out a loud roar.

* * *

「A Nord fleet is attacking us?! 」

Laura could not believe her ears when she got a call from Colleen. Such a thing cannot and should not happen.

「It’s true! The number of their longboats is terrifying…! 」

Colleen seemed to be in a state of panic, and the nearby soldiers were trying to calm her down.

「Lord Vilar… 」

Laura was stunned and looked back at the Earl of Artuk.

「Ships cannot go over to land, but people can come there on foot, and they can build ships. 」

A relatively small longboat can be built in a month. However, it must have been a considerable effort to prepare a thousand of them.

「What are we going to do? 」

Margret, who was next to Vilar, looked at him.

「This is my loss. 」

Vilar quietly declared, as if admitting defeat in a game of cards.

「The two naval battles with Dartania have exhausted our navy. Even Lady Edochia’s 「Palace of the Sea」cannot possibly go against a fleet so large. And if we are going to be attacked from the land and the sea at the same time, we will not be able to hold the castle for long. 」

Hearing Vilar’s words, many of those present hung their heads. Some even began to weep.

Vilar has not always been victorious since his first battle. But he was definitely undefeated. And now, all of that is going to perish with a single defeat. That is just how war is.
「Then how should we lose? 」

The former Head Mage did not seem to be upset by this situation at all. Laura was once again reminded of his own immaturity.

「We cannot surrender without a fight. Waldrind and Nord are also shedding their own blood here. 」

In the Isthmus of Penelope, it is said that the Waldrind army used miasma, which is a Chaos Disaster, to kill all the Lords and soldiers guarding the mountain fortress, including Viscount Pavel Murad, who were barricading themselves in the fortress. It seems that many massacres were carried out when the Stark Peninsula was conquered. Even if they surrendered, none of the people gathered in the room could guarantee how they would be treated.

「What would you have us say to the neighboring Lords? 」

「Tell Serge and Igor to abandon the Constance family name and use the family name of their mother. As long as the Constance name disappears from the continent, the revenge of the Kraische family is going to be fulfilled. When that happens, they are free to either surrender themselves to the Factory Alliance or rely on the Fantasia Union for protection, but whatever they will end up choosing, they should always consult with one another. As for the other Lords, apologize to them on my behalf, and tell them that they also should make their own decisions. Thank them and apologize for forcing them to make so many sacrifices… 」

Laura headed towards her magic wand, contacted the contracted Mages in various countries, and passed on Vilar’s words to them.

「What about your vassals? 」

It was as if Margaret was asking Vilar to make his last will and testament.

「If I order them to surrender themselves to Waldrind, will I be scolded? 」

「I do not know if they will scold you, but I doubt they will obey that order. 」

Earl of Artuk and his people share a strong bond of patriotism. It was born from the battle against foreign enemies, including projections from other worlds, and from the Age of Extreme Chaos. The settlements of Artuk are all fortified, and even if people lost them, they would still flee to the forests and mountains to continue fighting. 「Partisan」 Banner is the result of such history.

「Ah, yes, that is right. I also need to tell Theo to give The Forest of Eternal Darkness up. His title is not enough to uphold it, and soon there will be no territory left for him to rule. Also, tell Siluca that her advice was right after all. 」

「You knew that from the beginning, right? 」

A smile leaked on Margaret’s face. Among the many subordinate Lords, when he mentioned Theo and Siluca, it became clear that he cared about both of them deeply.

「That was a marvelous display of skill on Marine’s part. 」

Vilar shrugged his shoulders slightly.

「I have no choice but to hand over my Crest to my cousin who is the victor, along with the blood of Kraische that flows through my body. I will now prepare for battle and take command at the castle gate. Laura, please stay here and keep in touch with everyone. Helga, treat the wounded. There is no need to distinguish between enemies and allies. Save as many lives as possible. It’s a contradiction since we are taking lives, but that is also a part of battle, is it not? 」

「「Understood! 」」

Laura and Helga bow deeply to Vilar.

「Both of you have served this Lustful Earl well. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 」

「Thank you for taking care of us for so long. 」

Laura tried so hard to hold back her tears that she could not even lift her head.

「May luck be with you… 」

Helga’s voice was also choking in her throat.

When he finished with his goodbyes, Vilar took Margaret and the two of them left the hall. After the footsteps of the two could no longer be heard, Laura finally lifted her head. In the end, she could not help but burst into tears.

Helga approached her and silently hugged her.

「I could not be of help to Lord Vilar, I could not help you him…!!! 」

Laura cried for a while in Helga’s arms.

「No, you did a good job.「

Helga gently patted Laura on the back.

「Thank you… 」

Laura finally calmed down, and at the same time her resolve was renewed.

「Then, I have to do my last job as a contracted Mage for the Constance family…「

She smiled at Helga while wiping her tears.

「I agree. 」

Helga nodded quietly.

「Would you like some medicine first? I have a variety of items, but what would you like? 」

After a while, Helga asks.

「I do not care if it hurts, so I would like it to work as soon as possible. 」