Chapter 285

“Set the sails!”

“We will completely surround the Nayt Archipelago!”

“Fill the storage. We won’t be stepping on land for a while.”

The eastern sea was deep and the waves were fierce, but before the unsinkable battleship, which measured 150 meters in length, even those waves looked like small ripples.

Twelve battleships lined up in three rows on the deep midnight blue sea, exuding an overwhelming presence as if they had taken complete control of the space.

At the forefront of the procession was the thirteenth ship, flying a flag adorned with a white shark against a blue background and a swirling storm banner.

It was the flagship ‘Tempesta’, commanding twelve battleships along with hundreds of transport ships, landing ships, fast boats, and escort vessels.

Tempesta remained silent, choosing the moment to give the charge command, while the twelve battleships focused their eyes and ears on their king, serving their seeds.

“Biscuits, salted meat, holy water, ointment….”

The battleships were the knights, while the ships corresponding to their seeds were the transport vessels.

The storm fleet’s transport ships were enormous tall ships that swelled to 60 meters in length, but before the battleships that reached 150 meters, they looked like remoras following a shark.

However, the supplies poured out from those hundreds of transport ships were truly immense, filling the enormous storage of the flagship to the brim, and the lower section sank slightly below the waterline.

“Your Excellency! The supplies are complete.”

The sea men following Cariosa always placed an accent on “Your Excellency!”

It had only been last year that Cariosa, who had lived for many years as Duke, became a prince.

The glory of sharing in a moment that elevated their family’s status, which had continued for centuries, was evident in their voices.

Cariosa responded with a hearty yet delicate laugh.

“Then let’s head to the sea where the sun rises.”

The transport ships and some escort ships next to the flagship returned to the port, and the twelve enormous battleships began to move, creating waves.

Whoosh!

As they adjusted from three rows to two and expanded into a large formation, dozens of landing ships entered the wide space in between.

The fast boats and escort ships attached themselves to the side of the battleships, maintaining a certain distance like the subordinates of knights, forming a giant wedge shape.

Each battleship was so enormous that the distance from the flagship Tempesta to the last battleship exceeded 5 kilometers.

It was so far that it seemed to vanish below the horizon out of sight.

However, the crew of the most powerful fleet in the east relayed the situation instantly through flags, water eagles, and the dragon knights.

Cariosa nodded toward the captain with a satisfied smile, and the captain instructed the helmsman, who in turn directed the battle mages to summon the wind once more.

Flap!

Whoosh!

The massive triangular sails inflated, and the moving island began to stir.

* * *

I stood next to Cariosa, watching all of this unfold.

“It’s magnificent.”

My stage of activity before my return had mostly been on land, so I had never had the chance to ride on such a battleship properly.

The sea breeze brushed against my face.

Cariosa smiled broadly and said, “Even though our family commands seven of these fleets, we were never granted a duke title. Can you believe that?”

I looked around.

The overwhelmingly large ship was filled with enormous numbers of pirates and experts at slaughtering the Undersea People.

That meant she commanded six more such fleets.

I felt a light tug on my nape as I replied, “That might have been the reason.”

“What do you mean by that, like lulling a fish to sleep… Ah.”

She frowned for a moment, then nodded as if understanding.

“Since we’re already a duke-level family, they wouldn’t want to acknowledge that. Otherwise, our Asenorta would completely take over the east.”

“Until the reign of Her Majesty Jeilliris, the imperial court’s policy was to strengthen centralization in any way possible. Besides, there were significant issues of equity. Granting duke or archduke titles would inevitably lead to comparisons with Seberik’s Septentrion.”

Cariosa clenched her teeth.

“No matter how I think about it, that’s unbelievable. The imperial court gives all the northern lands to a family that wants to avoid bloodshed, while expecting them to hold the same power?”

I shrugged.

“That’s a foolish question, Duke. Do you think this logic holds in worlds beyond this one?”

“Ha. That is the case. When I think about it, it is a good world. So I can act like this.”

She held her index finger up to my lips and lightly bit my earlobe.

Lady Trentia, who stood beside us, shook her head disapprovingly, and the military priest on board shouted.

“The crew members are watching.”

“Let them watch. I want them to see how impressive and beautiful a man I carry.”

“That’s something a court noble in their fifties would say while bringing their lover along.”

Cariosa shook her head lightly, her silvery hair flowing forward and her gray eyes shimmering with intensity.

“If a court noble in their fifties can do that, what reason do I have to refrain?”

“Goodness. I was using the same word with a different meaning.”

“Many words are like that, aren’t they? Faithful, compassion, loyalty…”

I grinned and nodded.

In history, faithfulness meant the amount of donations rather than the number of prayers, compassion meant not forgiveness but a state worthy of forgiveness, and loyalty signified submission to the powerful rather than true devotion.

“And that’s why those who truly use the words correctly are praised. Like you, Lady Trentia, and me.”

Cariosa narrowed her eyes.

“Except for you, right? You charred the supplies of the eastern lords. You still have a conscience—ah. That can’t be true.”

I nodded once more, and we laughed together.

Valenciaunos and conscience—it was, even to me, a nonsensical thought.

Lady Trentia and the military priest grabbed my nape.

“Are the infiltrators being taken down well?”

“My direct territory was originally clean, and my vassals were quite tidy too. The newly annexed areas are problematic, so I sent troops to maintain public order while advancing colonial efforts and supported the seminary with additional funds.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah. They say we’re taking down about 1,300 a day.”

* * *

The pirate admiral Tarti gritted his teeth and prepared to set sail.

His finely tailored eastern red armor shimmered brilliantly, and his stag-horned helmet loomed majestically like a mansion’s front door.

“I’ll definitely catch and kill that damned blue robe priest. After being dunked in ocean water a few times, he’ll learn some manners.”

His fleet of thirty ships and the several hundred ships of other admirals raided the port.

“Move, move quickly!”

“I see legs! You idiots!”

The pirates wielded whips and urged the former prisoners who had immigrated to hurry.

They dragged their barnacle-ridden bodies to load supplies onto the ship.

One prisoner wobbled as he walked over the plank.

“Uh?”

The prisoner fell straight into the water.

Splash!

Normally, he might have been able to swim out, but he was currently exhausted and shackled with heavy chains on his legs.

“……! ……!”

The sounds of struggling and bubbles erupted loudly, and Tarti roughly pushed past his pirates toward the water’s edge.

“Let me see. Is it a pretty boy?”

“Hahaha.”

“Surely not?”

The eastern continent’s pirates were famously known for taking pretty boys on their ships rather than women.

“Help me!”

Tarti confirmed that the drowning prisoner was a bearded man in his forties and clicked his tongue while closing his eyes.

“Just saw that. Eyes are gone.”

The woman standing by him like a shadow scoffed.

“You could save him, why don’t you? You can walk on water, right?”

Her voice was very low and androgynous, and she had a long scar across her face, dressed in black clothes and wearing a black hood.

She was the infamous assassin and Tarti’s long-time friend, Sayah Yan.

Tarti raised both hands dramatically.

“Someone as precious as I cannot do such labor thoughtlessly. Neither can my subordinates. Besides, that guy is a notorious murderer. Isn’t sinking here a form of atonement?”

Sayah Yan scoffed again.

“You know you’re a notorious pirate, right?”

“Am I the only villain here? You’re the same, you know. Let’s hurry. We need to plunder the eastern coastal cities.”

“Are we going up north?”

Tarti answered as if disgusted.

“No. We’re heading south. I heard the northern archduke has gotten hold of a sheltered harbor up north, causing quite the stir. I don’t want to clash with a Sword Master at all.”

Hearing the words Sword Master made Sayah Yan tremble.

“I don’t understand why such monstrous beings even exist. Alright. Let’s head south then.”

One by one, Tarti’s men, dressed in red armor with red hoods, boarded the ship.

They were loyal followers who had stuck with Tarti even after his family fell.

Tarti alternated his gaze between his subordinates holding the family emblem flag and the other pirate admirals who wished to follow him.

With a cruel glint in his eyes, he momentarily felt emotions of sorrow, spreading out a bamboo chart to figure out the sea course.

He drew dotted lines with some chess pieces, and Sayah Yan furrowed her brow watching from the side.

“Are you seriously considering fighting the fleet led by that white shark? You’ll really die. You know the ship sizes are entirely different. If you mistakenly lead them over there, they won’t leave you alone.”

Tarti grinned mischievously, an expression unusual for him.

“You know it. No matter how big the ships are, if you lure one out alone first, you can take it down from all sides.”

Sayah Yan put her hand inside her robe.

“If you want to die, just let me know.”

Tarti shook his head.

“Of course, I’m not saying I would do it alone. That’s why I’m bringing so many with me. Even making it a promotion.”

“!”

Sayah Yan looked around.

“Raise the anchor!”

“Let’s head to the warm south!”

“The house-breaking operation begins!”

With news that the renowned pirate admiral Tarti was coming, pirate leaders and civilian privateers flocked together.

No matter how strong the unsinkable battleship was, there was a chance they could deal with a single one.

Tarti smiled like an ambitious boy.

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to fight the white shark on the sea either. If they can buy us some time, that’s when we’ll board their ship and go for close combat. My men can all walk on water. With just one unsinkable ship, we can go anywhere.”

Sayah Yan still wore a doubtful expression until the end.

“What if they turn their swords against you afterward? Saying we used them as shields?”

Tarti grinned slyly.

“By then, I would have the unsinkable battleship. And… with you around, what’s there to worry about?”

Sayah Yan sharpened her five fingers into a spear-like point.

Tarti giggled and dashed away on top of the ship’s parapet.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

‘Let’s take out a few competitors, prepare a big ship, and give that damned blue robe priest a huge surprise.’

* * *

The sun was gradually setting in the evening.

The sight of the sun dipping below the sea always evoked a poignant feeling.

“If we are to die, let it be together here.”

“If we are to burn, let us all burn together here.”

“Your Excellency will not burn, right?”

“Indeed.”

As I enjoyed reciting the epic of the fall with Lady Trentia, a sea eagle descended from the eastern sky.

“A reconnaissance.”

The eagle returned and perched on the leather gauntlet of the battle mage.

Both the eyes of the eagle and the mage glowed orange, and that light faded shortly after.

The mage fed the eagle a chunk of meat, and the eagle chirped happily as it entered the cage.

“Your Excellency, their fleet is approaching. A total of over 170 vessels. It seems that a famous pirate admiral, no, their boss has personally set out.”

The battle mage reported to their lord.

In that moment, a cruel smile danced on Cariosa’s lips.

Her pupils constricted, and her face flushed a bright red.

Her lips curled back, revealing shark-like teeth.

Like a starving beast catching the scent of warm blood.

Soon, she commanded with a voice filled with excitement.

“Storm fleet. Prepare to hunt.”