Chapter 399: The Great Voyage (1)

Naval battles of this era were based on ramming, supplemented by boarding combat. The soldiers who rowed the ships weren’t unfamiliar with close combat. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The sailors assembled before Eugene displayed a discipline rarely seen even in elite mercenary companies.

“Bow down. To the hero who conquered the merfolk great settlement and slew the Kraken. The peace of the sea has returned through this person’s hands.”

The sailors knelt on one knee in the manner of subjects. This was an extremely unusual honor.

Though Eugene was king, he belonged to a different organization from the Antigone navy. Moreover, kneeling was a land-based etiquette, and sailors preferred their own custom of removing their hats and bowing at the waist.

These proud seamen had knelt because the deed of killing the Kraken was that monumental.

“All of them have spirited eyes.”

“Unlike land mercenaries who first think of running if things look bad, for us, fleeing is drowning.”

Captain Basco, with his magnificent mustache, spoke. He would command the flagship Royalty that Eugene would board. Even among Antigone, a nation renowned for its naval power, this was considered the finest vessel.

“A fine spirit, but this time things are different. If we need to board the ghost ship and fight, you might have to jump into the sea at a moment’s notice.”

“When we’re at a disadvantage?”

“Even when we’re at an advantage. Since the point is they’re sailing ships, the ghost ship differs from ordinary undead. They’re capable of intelligent thought.”

Undead had no concept of retreat, except when using relics or similar divine powers to banish them. Once combat began, they fought to the end even if the tide turned and it became a meaningless suicide charge.

But that mindset wouldn’t work for sailing a ship. You couldn’t fight the harbor or reefs. This meant they knew when to advance flexibly and when to turn the ship around.

“So they can retreat if the fight goes badly. I suppose since they’re beings who continuously perform the complex task of sailing…”

“Then what would a ghost ship’s retreat look like? Would they just move to a different sea area? Or would they withdraw to an unknown place unreachable by us living beings? If it’s the latter, what would happen if someone stayed on the ghost ship and got caught up in the retreat?”

Basco, who had been listening, furrowed his brow. Even the experienced captain found Eugene’s hypothesis chilling.

“But Your Majesty, if we announce such engagement rules, some might withdraw early when they should be fighting fiercely.”

Cold weapon combat was a contest of morale. When engaged in close combat, vision narrowed and you couldn’t tell who was winning or losing. Even in winning situations, there were countless units that retreated thinking they were at a disadvantage.

Receiving an order like “pull back if something feels wrong” while fighting. The non-commissioned officers behind Basco also wore bewildered expressions.

“That’s why you need to listen carefully to orders during battle. You also need to constantly assess changes in the surroundings. The council didn’t gather elite sailors from every sea area for nothing. Being able to sail well or wield a sword isn’t enough. This mission is only possible because you’re the finest.”

“We’ve fought boarding actions in storms before, so I think we’ll manage somehow.”

“Isn’t a storm scarier than a ghost ship?”

“Haha! Perhaps. But this was a smuggling ship we couldn’t afford to miss.”

The Royalty belonged to the Antigone City Tax Authority. When force was needed regarding taxes, they were the ones who carried it out, making them skilled in both combat and street smarts.

Even so, the opponent being a ghost ship meant enormous pressure. Seeing the sailors’ tense faces, Eugene drew Last Autumn. The silver-white ether blade gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

“The main battle will be fought by the knights and me. Even if there’s a Death Knight aboard the ghost ship, we’ll tear it apart immediately, so don’t worry.”

“Your Majesty’s words alone are reassuring.”

“I’m not just boasting to make you feel good.”

Shaaang!

A holy strike suffused with Vanas’s divine power. It was as if a new sun had condensed into the form of a sword.

Even sailors who didn’t know much about mystique could instinctively understand. Before this explosive radiance, any evil being would melt like a moth to a flame.

Yet despite being such a fierce power, it was infinitely warm to the living.

A mother’s embrace. A mother’s hand soothing a stomachache, saying “a mother’s touch is medicine.” The fireplace in a snowy mountain cabin. Sunlight pouring onto a ship that had weathered a storm.

It felt as if the most pleasant warmth in the world had been gathered together.

“This is divine grace…”

“The God’s Great Warrior wasn’t just a metaphor.”

The sailors spoke in trembling voices.

Being particularly vulnerable to superstition, by a different interpretation, also meant drawing power from superstition.

Antigone, too, had long worshipped a guardian deity, but unfortunately, they had no proxy like Eugene. Seeing a divine miracle so vividly, right before their eyes, was a first.

The fact that a goddess’s knight who had shattered all manner of monsters and abominations was with them. The incomparable reassurance made Basco thump his chest with his fist.

“If it were only Your Majesty, that would be one thing, but the knights will have difficulty showing their full ability on a swaying ship. Though our help may be meager, all of us will do our utmost.”

“That’s reassuring.”

“Moreover, I suspect we’re not the only ones targeting the ghost ship.”

“Hmm?”

“There’s intelligence that the Caliph has also ordered a ghost ship extermination. It’s not one hundred percent confirmed, though.”

The sea was a lifeline for the Eastern Empire as well. Between the Three Sisters Peninsula and the Empire lay the Network Archipelago, where they exercised ownership over several islands.

“Source of the information?”

“The Caliph’s harem. We obtained it by bribing the chief eunuch, so the reliability is quite high.”

“He wants to resolve the trade damage and earn military merit. A fitting quarry for the newly ascended monarch’s taste.”

The current Caliph was moderate and valued expanding alliances, but that didn’t mean he disliked fighting. His father’s blood hadn’t gone anywhere.

Rather than poking around everywhere and raising defensive costs, concentrating forces at a single point to secure certain gains was simply his preference.

“The current Caliph is perceived as relatively weak compared to his predecessor, who was such a warmonger. He himself is looking for an opportunity to shed that image. Between the nomad incursions and the many battles to come, he needs authority.”

“I understand that feeling well.”

Eugene had conquered Midgard before and after becoming king to establish his authority, and had also carried out civil engineering projects to push through reform policies.

“Well, running into the Imperial navy at sea would be awkward, but we won’t interfere with each other.”

During the previous Caliph’s reign, Antigone had fought several major naval battles against the Empire.

Even the Caliph, who had feared nothing in the world, became greatly flustered when his naval supply lines were raided and his advance army began starving. Unusually, he was the first to request a peace treaty. Since then, Antigone and the Empire had divided the sea between them.

“Also, among the ships participating in this operation, not all belong to the city council.”

“You mean the private armies operated individually by the great families.”

“Yes. Only council-owned ships like ours have been placed under Your Majesty’s command. Those families will likely respect Your Majesty as supreme commander, but it’s difficult to prevent them from acting independently.”

This was also a characteristic of free cities. If it were a city ruled by a lord, they would have stood by to avoid wasting their family’s resources. But in Antigone, citizens’ votes increased power and wealth.

Being a mere merchant trading commercially versus being a council member trading commercially were entirely different matters.

Spending personal funds to add ships and warriors to the ghost ship extermination effort, which disrupted trade routes, would certainly help secure votes in future elections.

But they couldn’t hand over their family’s ships and sailors to another’s control. Following custom, they tried to exercise individual command rights, which neither Eugene nor the council could prevent.

* * *

For all their prowess on land, fighting on the swaying sea was an entirely different matter.

Eugene assembled the ghost ship extermination force with royal knights, Eastern knights, some summoners, and carefully selected elite archers. The rest of the forces would be handled by Antigone City’s navy.

Once all warships had gathered and they waited two days, favorable winds arrived.

“Set sail!”

Amid the citizens’ cheers, the warships, led by the Royalty, cast off their lines.

“Unfurl the sails!”

The captains’ booming voices carried as the great sails billowed.

“So plump.”

Homi pressed her palms together at the sight of the sails bulging forward with the fair wind, as if invisible giants were whooshing, huffing, blowing air to push the sails.

This sensation of powerfully gliding across the water’s surface was a fresh stimulus for Homi, who had lived only on land.

“Come to think of it, this is really the first time I’ve done an actual voyage.”

“You’ve traveled the whole world, and you say that?”

“Whether a desert crossed our path, a mountain range rose up, or the sea flowed, the road we traveled was always the same.”

Eugene pointed at the sky with his index finger in front of the puzzled Basco.

“Ah! You had the Moving Castle.”

Even though he already knew, he kept forgetting. Each element surrounding this young king was special and rare.

Cloaked in divine grace visible even to the ordinary eye, beloved by the fairy folk, riding a war horse that belonged in myth, wielding the monstrous strength to throw bulls.

Walking through so many layers of wonder meant that attention to any single one diminished.

“I’m not entirely unfamiliar with ships, but crossing narrow rivers was the extent of it.”

The blue sea sparkled like tens of millions of pieces of glass in the sunlight. They reflected fully in Homi’s large eyes.

When the sun briefly vanished behind clouds, the multicolored coral colonies showed off their beauty. Fish large and small, startled by the ships’ advance, gathered and scattered—a sight not to be missed.

“Do fish in the sea have leaders? Look at their perfectly coordinated group movements. They’re more organized than most mercenary companies.”

“It’s different from rivers in many ways, right?”

“Yes!”

Eugene leaned on the railing beside Homi, letting the sea breeze wash over them.

‘If I’d known it would be this fun, I should have put her on a boat sooner.’

Homi spent a lot of time airborne. Delighted, she bounced up and down in place, spending more time in the air than on the deck. Her tied-back hair and thick tail swished in the waves.

Passing sailors watched the scene with warm smiles. In a grueling, monotonous voyage, such a refreshing sight was hard to come by.

Her inability to stay still froze a moment later.

Splash!

“Wow!”

When a seabird dove and bombed the sea, Homi shrieked. Her feet planted on the deck and her stiff tail shot straight in a diagonal line.

A moment later, the seabird re-emerged, and in its long beak wriggled a live fish.

“Oh! Y-Your Majesty! Did you see that? Did you see just now— Eek!”

Shortly after the seabird appeared, about five dolphins approached. Homi’s cheers turned into screams of joy.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The dolphins’ characteristic way of skimming the water like skipping stones exploded the maiden’s sensibilities. Moreover, the creatures were heading straight for the ship.

“Look! Look over there! Those fish!”

“Those are called dolphins.”

“Dolphins!”

Pop! Pop! Pop!

So excited that she malfunctioned.

Her brain ordered her palm to slap Eugene’s arm, but in reality, her tail was hitting Eugene’s rear.

“The dolphins seem to be getting too close! Won’t they collide?”

When Homi spoke worriedly, Basco smiled gently.

“It’s fine, miss. In my twenty-five years at sea, I’ve learned that those dolphins are smarter than any beast in the world. Sometimes they even seem better than rum-drunk sailors.”

“Miss, you say…”

“???”

Homi was extremely awkward.

Basco and the other sailors mistook her status for the daughter of a great family or a distant relative of the royal household. She touched the king’s body casually while the royal knights and dark elves treated her deferentially, so it was only natural.

Meanwhile, the dolphins that had approached as if to collide changed direction. They all turned toward the stern of the Royalty.

“You see? When you venture out to sea, you often encounter dolphins following the ship like this.”

“Why do they follow? Are there natural predators roaming about, so they’re hiding behind the ship?”

“A fine imagination, but no. They follow behind to swim more easily.”

“Huh?”

“When strong winds blow, walking is difficult. But if someone large is walking right in front of you, it becomes much easier.”

“I know that well.”

Homi clapped her hands and nodded.

During her childhood spent with Eugene in the Kingdomend, when the cold winds blew, Eugene would put Homi behind him. Then not only did the cold subside, but walking also became much easier.

There was even a brief period when the combination of being a beast-person and female reversed their heights, but even then, Eugene put Homi behind him.

Each time, she was delighted by her brother’s consideration and supported him from behind with her tail-scarf.

“Swimming in the sea is the same. When a large ship cuts through the current in front, following behind takes much less effort. Those clever friends know that.”

“How cool…”

At that moment, a quick-witted sailor brought a barrel. Inside were fish bought at port. They were dead but had been gutted, and since they were caught that morning, they were fresh.

“If you feed them, they’ll eat. Would you like to try?”

Homi nodded vigorously.

“…”

Honestly, Eugene also desperately, truly wanted to, but the king’s dignity held him back.

The fish, released from Homi’s hand, vanished into the mouth of a leaping dolphin as if waiting for it.

“Did you bring fish specifically to feed the dolphins?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s an old tradition of our Antigone City. When dolphins follow at the start of a voyage, it’s a sign of a smooth journey.”

“If you feed them, they’ll remember and follow on future voyages as well?”

“Exactly that.”

‘Isn’t artificially attracting dolphins against the rules?’

He wondered if such luck would follow, but let it go. Whether real or not, if it boosted crew morale, it was a good thing.

* * *

Being a sailor didn’t mean eating camp food all the time. For the first few days of a voyage, you could enjoy fresh food in abundance.

Moreover, unlike the vast ocean, the Mediterranean was dotted with countless places to serve as waypoints. The Network Archipelago, which they were heading to now, had a resupply point within a day’s distance at every step.

“It may be insufficient as a banquet for a king, but it is prepared with sincerity.”

“Gentlemen, don’t forget that I was a wandering knight. If this were seven years ago, my eyes would have rolled back and I’d have leaped at this feast. I haven’t forgotten the hungry spirit of those days.”

At Eugene’s words, Captain Basco, the navigator, and the officers burst out laughing. Eugene had meant it sincerely, but they seemed to take it as a joke. It wasn’t what a conqueror known as a hegemon would say.

A large butter shrimp roast, a suckling pig, and fruits from over ten countries filled the table.

“Is the apple really that good?”

“Our captain’s love for apples is something not even the mayor can talk him out of. No matter what banquet he attends, he only looks for apples.”

While everyone enthusiastically tore into the meat, only a single apple sat before Basco. He draped a handkerchief around his neck and tried to cut it with a knife and fork.

“Is that so? Captain, let me borrow that for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Eugene took Basco’s apple plate and wielded the Bloodletting Dagger.

“Oh?”

“What’s this?”

The sailors watched this king, full of both skills and peculiarities, perform a feat. Under the nimbly moving blade, a sculpture took shape, and everyone gasped.

“There!”

Two cute rabbits sat curled up on the plate. Eugene stuck on seeds for eyes and placed herbs at the rabbits’ mouths as garnish.

Gulp.

Captain Basco, whose trademark was the prominent sword scar on his face, became uncharacteristically flushed. This seaman, called the “Death Chaser” by pirates, wore a surprisingly sheepish expression.

After the pleasant meal ended, a conference on the route was held.

“The Mediterranean map is always impressive no matter how many times you see it.”

Eugene had seen many maps in this world, and most of them were terrible. No contour lines, arbitrary scales, and unnecessary drawings of animals and gods made them cluttered and messy.

But Antigone’s maps of the Mediterranean were incredibly advanced. They marked not only the complex island coastlines but also water depth, currents, and even seasonal wind changes.

Though biological illustrations were still included on this map.

“Is this a harpy nesting area? What’s this red line?”

A delicately drawn harpy stood out among the islands. Red lines connecting to the harpy pierced through several islands.

“Just as migratory birds fly, there are monsters that move in groups according to the season.”

“Ah, so the numbers on the pierced islands represent the season?”

“Exactly. The merfolk settlement Your Majesty conquered was also one such type.”

“Then these must be mermaid breeding grounds?”

Another area Eugene indicated had mermaids drawn on it.

“It’s a bit different. Mermaids breed and lay eggs separately on the other side of the sea. However, to bear and birth young, they need nutrients.”

In other words, it was a hunting ground.

“To dominate the Mediterranean, it’s not enough to sail well and read the weather. You also need to understand the habits of sea monsters that move in groups by season like this.”

“No wonder it felt like we were taking a longer route than necessary.”

“This is our current position.”

Basco indicated a spot that was still coastal. The sea stretching before them was a battleground where countless currents, winds, allied city bases, hostile city bases, pirates, and monsters all competed.

Like the land, which seethed with war, bandits, and land monsters, the sea was no peaceful world either.