Volume 4 Chapter 29 Reunion
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The ship groans, its hull scraping against the seabed as it forces itself forward.
I receive word: the fishing boat that had been closing in from the rear has suddenly turned away, battered by the spray from our stern. Five small boats ahead have scattered left and right. As they pass, I count about twenty men on each.
Five boats, a hundred men. Excluding the slaves, our crew is only forty-nine. I don’t know the size of the fishing boats or the small freighter, but the enemy surely outnumbers us two-to-one.
If this ship stops dead, and all seven boats swarm us with double our numbers, we are in checkmate.
”I need your permission to use the dynamite in the locker,” I say, turning to the Captain. “I could have sent Katarina to get the explosives and the [fixed-wing drone]1. What is that woman doing?” Roland, the bridge supervisor, arrives at that moment.
For now, the main target: the small sailing freighter.
Small or not, it is the largest ship around us. Worse, a strong wind is blowing from the north—the same side as the freighter. If it uses that wind to ram us, I doubt a steel hull will escape with minor damage.
It probably won’t sink, but the frame will warp. That might cause water to come in. And above all—even if I can’t see them from here—it is likely carrying many people.
”Ah! Crap.”
It is not just the numbers.
Cold sweat starts to prickle my skin.
”Captain, please warn the crew to watch for arrows from the small sailing freighter. And could you have the Torpedo Department operate the Artificial Shishiodoshi2?”
I make the request while putting together the [fixed-wing drone].
If the ship is large, the footing will be stable.
A Turku composite bow is very powerful. If they have those…
When the Fee Grand Principality was founded, the bows we received from the Empire of Rus—if drawn by a strong archer—could fly over five hundred meters, with a good range up to two hundred meters.
If they aim at the crew running around the deck like this…
We are less than a hundred meters from the freighter. Well within their comfortable range.
”Arrows coming!”
The shout comes from the crow’s nest. Too late?
Someone on deck must have seen them; the sound of the Artificial Shishiodoshi echoes out.
It should slow the arrows down a little.
But.
”Supervisor Katarina is hurt!”
”No way,” I mutter. My hands start to tremble as I struggle to set the dynamite. “You’ve gotta be okay.”
”Anyone else hurt?” Fredys asks, her voice strained.
A strange, cold sweat breaks out on my back.
I put the dynamite in, syncing it with the [fixed-wing drone] and the Mana. I put on the remote-control helmet and launch the [fixed-wing drone] from the bridge window.
”Damn it all.”
In the moonlight, the propeller plane—a bit over fifty centimeters long—catches the wind and climbs with a sharp hum.
I take it to two hundred meters to see the scene.
The Izumo is heading toward the waterway in the east.
Seventy meters north of the Izumo is the freighter, with two small boats nearby.
Due west, right behind the Izumo, is a ten-meter rowing fishing boat.
Within fifty meters to the south, three small boats. Two of them have started moving.
”Starboard side, two small craft approachin’!” comes the report from the crow’s nest.
I have to take down that freighter as soon as possible.
The wind is up, but not enough to stop the flight.
By the moonlight, I lock onto the waterline of the hull.
I start a steep dive from two hundred meters, heading straight for the target.
Speed jumps up instantly, and the frame starts to shake.
At a hundred meters, I see men with bows on the freighter’s deck.
Less than five seconds to impact.
Just as I think that.
CRUNCH-GA-GA-GA-GA!
With a huge sound, the Izumo hits the seabed and stops dead with a violent jolt.
The recoil throws me forward; my body slams hard into the guard under the front window, and the remote-control helmet flies off.
What about the [fixed-wing drone]?
Just as that thought crosses my mind, a massive BOOM echoes out. I fight through the pain to stand, looking toward the port side. The freighter’s hull is shattered. I can even see orange flames in one section.
I must have stopped controlling it mid-flight, so it seems to have hit well above the waterline. Luckily, it looks like the dynamite went off from the impact. At this rate, that freighter won’t last long.
”Full speed, reverse!” the Captain commands.
”One of the small boats is driftin’ away from the current!”
It seems the current from the Izumo’s Craft Engine nozzles has swept away one of the small craft that was coming closer. The Craft Engine is a propulsion system that uses Mana movement like an electrical discharge; it has no moving parts. If you boost the Mana pressure, it packs a punch.
But the ship itself won’t move.
”It’s no good! One boat is ridin’ the suction current and is about to come alongside!”
The boat at the front was swept away, but the one at the rear is riding the intake flow toward the Craft Engine, trying to board.
”Starboard side, Craft Engine forward thrust, maximum!”
There are five Craft Engines in total—one at the bow, one at the stern, and one at the center on both the port and starboard sides. The water intake is from the large central nozzle. The forward port and starboard engines can shoot a jet of water from the ship’s side, and it seems the Captain thinks he can blast the boat away by using forward thrust.
But there is a time lag.
Amid battle cries, the sound of the small boat hitting the starboard rear rings out.
”Enemies! They’re boardin’!” the lookout shouts in despair.
Pew! Pew! The sound of Coilguns follows, then screams.
But the shouting doesn’t stop.
I rush to the starboard window, stick my head out, and check the rear. Sure enough, our deck crew and pirates with short, crude scimitars are already in a close-quarters fight. I see Chief Bebel leaning out from just ahead of them, firing her Coilguns at the small boat.
”Just like a real soldier. She’s dependable,” I think.
The moment I think that, her movements stop. It feels like watching slow motion as she falls into the sea.
I see the tip of an arrow sticking out of her left shoulder.
”Chief Bebel has fallen overboard! She’s got an arrow in her left shoulder! She’s not dead yet—stop the engines!” I scream at the Captain.
If I leave her, she’ll be sucked into the Craft Engine, caught in the filter, and drown in the intake flow. Maybe he understands; he stops the engines immediately, but the flow doesn’t stop at once. Her body, floating face down, drifts toward the intake. The allies nearby are all too busy fighting to notice her.
”I’ll go rescue her!” I shout, but the Captain orders Chief Roland to handle the retrieval instead.
He tells me to go get the dynamite and the [fixed-wing drone] kit.
He’s right; that makes more tactical sense.
”Two small boats approachin’ from the port side! Distance thirty!”
The report from the crow’s nest.
Of the five small boats that arrived last, two must have split to the left and were near the small freighter.
So they’ve started moving too?
The Captain will surely use the Craft Engine’s water flow to stop those two from boarding.
Once he does, if I can blow them up with the [fixed-wing drone], we might survive the low tide and break free from this grounding.
I’m worried about Katarina and Chief Bebel, but I’m the only one who can prepare and fly the [fixed-wing drone] right now. I rush down the stairs to the warehouse.
Two cases of dynamite, six cases with [fixed-wing drone] kits. I can’t carry them all by hand, so I tie them together with rope, heave them onto my back, and rush back to the bridge.
While climbing the stairs, I look out through an open window and see a strange sight.
The small freighter hadn’t sunk.
By any logic, the dynamite should have destroyed the keel if it exploded at that spot.
Why? Why hasn’t it sunk?
Could it have run aground?
No… did they let it run aground? You’ve got to be kidding.
Then, something even more unexpected happens.
A hand reaches onto the window frame from the outside.
”What?”
The moment I think that, a bearded stranger’s face appears outside the window.
Have we been boarded?
The man tries to force his way in.
I drop the rope holding the supplies and hit the man with a max-Mana Fireball.
Before he can even be surprised, I’m pretty sure I roasted his brain in an instant. Leaving behind the smell of burning hair, the man slowly falls away.
The dynamite and the [fixed-wing drone] cases tied to the rope fall to the warehouse floor, level with the deck, but that doesn’t matter. I sprint down the stairs and step onto the deck through the door. One man lies dead with his face burned off, and two pirates standing near the body keep glancing from the corpse to me.
”▽×▽▲〇!”
One of them yells something I can’t understand and swings a scimitar.
If he keeps swingin’ that thing while approachin’, I can’t get enough distance to use my Fireball right. If I had my Coilguns, I could kill both of them in one shot, but no such luck—I left them on the bridge.
”Can’t be helped,” I mutter, grabbin’ a long-handled deck brush hangin’ by the door and holdin’ it like a spear.
”□, ▲△. 〇, hahahaha!”
He laughs as if he’s already won.
Then, one flash of his scimitar. The head of the deck brush is sliced right off and falls into the sea.
Are scimitars really that sharp?
The two men come closer, grinning and showing their filthy teeth, clearly confident of victory.
Maybe I could handle one, but two?
I back away slowly, calculatin’ the distance.
Then. KA-BOOM!
With a terrifying sound, the ship rocks violently.
The small boat that tried to approach the port side. A huge pillar of water bursts up there.
Then, with another thunderous roar, a second small boat vanishes into a water column.
Following that, I hear several more explosions from spots I can’t see.
Finally, the freighter, which hadn’t sunk despite being half-destroyed, explodes, sending debris flying toward us and kicking up a spray of water.
It has to be the dynamite. But I hadn’t opened the cases when I went to the warehouse earlier; there were no signs they had been touched.
Besides, there isn’t enough people to fly the [fixed-wing drone] in such rapid succession.
”Get down!”
Tatyana’s voice comes from behind me, and both I and the pirates in front of me snap back to reality.
I dive into the open door. Right after, the sound of a Coilgun fires, followed by a groan.
I’m pretty sure those two pirates are done.
”It’s alright now.”
At Chief Tatyana’s voice, I poke my head out the door. The man I killed and the two from earlier are lying in a heap.
”What happened?”
”Never mind that. Supervisor Katarina is…”
A sick feeling, like I’m gonna be sick, rises in my gut.
”Where?”
”This way.”
Following Chief Tatyana, I found Katarina collapsed face-down. An arrow was stuck in her back.
I went closer, ready for the worst.
”When I came from the front, I found her like this.”
”Did you come from the front? What about Sergeant Bebel?”
”Squad Leader Roland got her. The arrow caught her in the shoulder, so it didn’t pierce her lungs—her life isn’t in danger.”
One relief. But Katarina…
As I leaned in, her shoulder seemed to be shaking a little. I dropped to one knee and gathered her into my arms, careful to avoid the arrow, holding her like a princess.
’You.’
She opened her eyes halfway and spoke to me through telepathy. The arrow had gone through the upper part of her left lung. To stop blood from the left side from going into the right lung, I carried her with her left side tilted down.
’Yeah. The fighting is mostly over. I’m taking you to the infirmary now.’
At that moment, a ship’s whistle sounded. Looking toward the sound, I saw the shape of the “Tsukushi” in the moonlight, the glow of its Luminous Magic Iron leaking from the bridge.
’It’s the “Tsukushi”. Katarina, the “Tsukushi” is here. You’re safe.’
As I sent this through telepathy, her consciousness seemed to fade, maybe from relief.
When we left Kure, the “Tsukushi” had been in drydock for deep-sea changes. It must have finished the refit, chased us down, and arrived just in time to save us from a total disaster.
Well, since Nikaure Saba—the Amazoness we’re holding as a hostage trade—wasn’t on our “Izumo” but on the “Tsukushi”, they had to show up; otherwise, we couldn’t even start the talks at Suez. So, their coming was inevitable.
Still. I really thought we were dead.
The Barbadia Pirates suffered over a hundred casualties, though the exact number is unknown because some swam away. On our side, one deck crewman was killed. He was from the same hometown as Pole—a young man from the Celt Royal Army. When the pirates boarded, he fought back, took down two of the enemy, and was then dragged onto a small boat and stabbed many times.
We had fifteen wounded, with Katarina being the worst. Her lung had been badly damaged; I was told if the arrow had shifted just a little lower, it would have pierced her heart. She would have been gone. Our two medics—well, Pamela and Senior Nikole3—couldn’t handle such serious injuries, so we had to call over a Medical Mage from the “Tsukushi” to do most of the treatment.
Sergeant Bebel had also been pulled out by Squad Leader Roland and was expected to live. I heard she’d torn a muscle from the arrow in her shoulder and screamed her head off during treatment. Still, I was told she didn’t lose control of her bladder or bowels. How disappointing.
As the tide rose while we were doing our after-action report, the ships moved through the waterway without trouble. For reference, the “Izumo”‘s draft is four and a half meters, while the “Tsukushi”‘s is five.
We couldn’t stay in the bay long. We picked up one Medical Mage and immediately headed out into the channel to form our column.
The problem now was what to do with the Barbadia Pirates.
And there was another thing.
For some reason, I don’t much like the “Tsukushi”‘s Captain, Robert von Sigmund. He’s the son of Lieutenant Colonel Helbert of the Intelligence Bureau. We’d traveled together to Pannonia when I was in Rus.
He was friendly at first, but there was always something about him that bothered me. He was a Captain then, but he’s been promoted to Major now. After I came back from Larland, I ran into him at the palace, and it felt like his personality had only gotten more unpleasant.
”Let’s talk about this once we arrive at the brackish lake near Suez. Until then, please question the prisoners.”
We have three prisoners, but one of them is Francis—who has a dangerous amount of Mana Quantity.
I don’t want to complain after being saved, but since we’re dealing with our own wounded, couldn’t they have at least done the questioning on the “Tsukushi”?
Before I could say that thought, our Captain had already agreed.
I heard later that the “Tsukushi” hadn’t stopped at any ports and had kept any ships from getting close. They hadn’t even hired a harbor pilot for the Suez Canal, instead flying a [fixed-wing drone] to check safety and moving even through the night to reach us. They planned to push straight for the port of Suez, and our ship was to follow.
Because of this, I was told I could get some rest.
I headed to the infirmary.
When I arrived, an unfamiliar Medical Mage told me Katarina had been sedated. Pamela said she was already asleep, and Senior Nikole looked exhausted while working, so I just looked at Katarina’s sleeping face, went to the Dining Hall, had a glass of ale, and headed to my quarters.
As I walked down the stairs to the deck where the Captain’s quarters, the officer’s cabins, and the squad leaders’ two-person rooms were, I found someone standing in front of my door.
”Still wearing that same weak look, huh.”
As she stepped forward into the dim light, her shape was revealed. A small, tight body. Dark skin. Her Schweilitz language was a little awkward.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
—
Summary:
The Izumo struggles to navigate shallow waters while being besieged by pirate vessels. The protagonist successfully deploys a drone to damage a key enemy freighter, but the ship strikes the seabed, causing chaos and a boarding action. Amidst the defense, the protagonist receives dire news regarding Katarina’s status.
The protagonist assesses the aftermath of a brutal pirate attack, documenting casualties and the arrival of the reinforcement ship, the Tsukushi. Tensions linger regarding the arrival of the abrasive Major Robert von Sigmund and the ongoing interrogation of key captives. The narrative concludes on a sudden, jarring note as a familiar, dangerous ally appears at the protagonist’s cabin door.
—
Trivia:
The protagonist’s drone navigation was interrupted by the ship running aground, resulting in a suboptimal strike location on the freighter.
The Craft Engine utilizes Mana-based discharge rather than mechanical moving parts to create propulsion.
The Artificial Shishiodoshi was specifically designed to dampen the momentum of incoming projectiles like arrows.
The protagonist’s hesitation to kill is challenged by the immediate necessity of survival in a high-stakes combat environment.
The Celt Royal Army is identified as the origin of the fallen crewman, highlighting the international nature of the ship’s crew.
The “Tsukushi” underwent specific drydock modifications in Kure to permit deep-sea and night-time operation without harbor pilots.
The protagonist’s dislike for Robert von Sigmund dates back to a previous mission in Rus and Pannonia.
The newcomer’s “dynamite body” and “awkward Schweilitz language” serve as immediate, distinct visual and auditory markers for the reader.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Katarina – Larry’s 30-year-old subordinate, a tall, voluptuous mana-user in a sailor uniform, is a Flight Section leader and Chief Researcher. This volatile, lecherous comrade wields telepathy, a coilgun, and drones. The protagonist’s protective mistress, she shares a strained bond and punched them near death. Recovering from combat lung and bolt wounds, Kenze labels her a professor’s sex toy.
• Roland – Heir to the Canaria throne and Queen Cecile’s younger brother, this quiet dwarf is an Izumo bridge supervisor and former Tsukushi captain. Wearing boy’s formal wear, his golden-blonde hair and beautiful face are easily mistaken for a girl. He carries a dagger, shares quarters with Fredys, and directs helm operations and combat rescues, retrieving injured comrades like Bebel and Katarina.
• Principal – The mother of Line and the administrative head of the institution. She exercises authoritative control over research assignments and seeks to trade Larry for Ilse Klein due to interpersonal conflicts in her laboratories. The mother of Sabrina and Rhein who intervenes during Rhein’s violent corridor assault to break up the confrontation.
• Fee – Larry Fee Getys is a 15-year-old reincarnated youth and titular Duke. Pragmatic and telepathic, this sharp-eyed young man leads the Getys household and rules Strock Village alongside Hans, Iffens, Teressa, and their maid Nico. While building a new nation, he enjoys prime whale meat and maintains crucial connections to Adolf and various underground networks.
• Rus – A neighboring power deeply involved in regional politics and mediation, best known for annexing the Kingdom of Larland.
• Fredys – Izumo’s female Engine chief and deck crew chief manages logistics, leads female forces, interprets Turku. A protective supervisor with Inland Sea expertise, she is forceful yet pragmatic, defends subordinates, provides strategic briefings, and runs betting pools. A professional anchor, she adopts refined manners around Francis; rumored a shotacon.
• Mana – A non-commissioned officer and liaison who previously had their mana drained by Larry.
• Izumo – The iron-hulled ship serving as the primary vessel for the protagonist and his crew.
• Bebel – Sergeant Major Hagen is a rigid, strict non-commissioned officer in the protagonist’s Magic Armored Division and chief aboard the Izumo. A Larland War veteran, this difficult-to-manage yet highly capable combatant uses coilguns and aggressive tactics. He leads five subordinates, previously cared for a sedated Larry, and was rescued by Roland after being injured in battle.
• Tatyana – A sailor-suit-wearing, 31-year-old divorced mother of two from Viscount Bizan, this Magic Academy Assistant Professor serves as a Golems Battalion supervisor and Artillery squad leader aboard the Izumo. Loyal to her Captain and intimately involved with Katarina, she commands respect while training crew, coordinating defense operations, and finding the current lack of combat boring.
• Nikaure – A beautiful Amazoness leader and tribe ambassador with a compact, muscular physique, dark skin, and sharp, restless eyes. She wears a royal blue gemstone on her forehead as a mark of her noble rank. Though she previously sought to purchase a Black Ship on behalf of her people, she now speaks with halting speech and is currently being held captive for a hostage exchange.
• Nika – A fourteen-year-old personal maid to Teressa. Freckled, has wavy bronze hair, flat chest, and prone to mocking Larry. Lady’s maid and cousin to Terese. Educated free person with a prickly personality. Terese’s lady’s maid and cousin. Known for being sharp-tongued toward Larry.
• Saba – A surname belonging to Nikaure.
• Celt – In his twenties, this former tenant farmer and 303rd Unit militia leader is now a pragmatic, calculating Deputy Commander of the Town Guards—equivalent to a sergeant or officer—overseeing Strock Village’s fortifications. Dressed in simple work clothes, he quietly admires Teressa-san’s skill and serves as the village’s trusted gossip source, having earned his land with reward money. Once a sandal-maker and translator of Bours’s jargon, he maintains a careful working relationship with Larry while balancing political interests, embodying calm kindness beneath his disciplined exterior.
• Pole – An orphaned Celt Royal Army soldier and tough-acting mast house scout, this deck crewman knows the island’s language and terrain. Earnest’s associate, he enjoys gossip and betting on his superiors’ romances. Initially hostile after a hometown friend’s murder, he grew to respect the protagonist. He now serves as a rescue guide and seeks freedom for his first love.
• Nikole – A Level-3 Nikole medical mage, repeat Bizan graduate, and senior ship crew member, this Izumo health officer assists Chulpan with treatments and joins in flirtatious banter. Larry’s senior colleague whom she once hoped to marry, she sports silver-streaked shoulder-length hair, a rune-etched coat, and a sailor uniform with a vermilion Rhein insignia while battling a haunted past and alcoholism.
• Pamela – A flirtatious medic and healer associated with the protagonist during the voyage. She manages the medical bay, treats their wounds, spends time with them before sleep, offers congratulatory remarks, and aids outside the clinic by organizing rescue teams and assisting in interrogation and rescue efforts.
• Mage – Elf mage and shut-in engineer who stands watch and manages the ship’s boilers.
• Niko – An elderly, dignified former slave, he is a loyal bondservant to the protagonist and the Getys household, helping raise her child alone. As the family’s oldest male servant, he drives carriages and manages groundskeeping, preferring the stable loft. His deep knowledge of the local landscape and the sugar beet business allows him to aid their estate transition with quiet wisdom and steadfast service.
• Pam – An escort to the protagonist who is observant and loyal.
• Ho – Ho is the family name of Oliver, a 17-year-old deck crew member and comrade of the protagonist. As a member of the military unit that defended Garao Village, the young man was ultimately murdered during a night watch, slaughtered alongside Marx-san.
• Helbert – Lt. Col. Helbert Ougen‑Sigmund is a short, stout, middle-aged Schweinitz strategist, Chief of Staff, and Royal Army politician in the Intelligence Bureau. A stern father to Robert and protective advisor to the protagonist, he delivers critical briefings, manipulates Larland’s politics, reports shipyard issues, coordinates with Marshal Yan, and seeks reinforcements from Sergei.
• Sigmund – A Major in the Royal Army General Staff with full authority over Vod Fortress. He is short, plump, balding, and has a baby face.
• Robert – Son of Lt. Col. Helbert, this Rus Intelligence Bureau Major and Captain of the Tsukushi is a pragmatic, manipulative enforcer of protocol. Dressed in a short winter dress and wool tights, he acts as valet, liaison, and royal messenger. Despite an unlikable, skeptical nature, he manages complex ties and leads a faction, believing the target remains in port. He frequently clashes with staff.
• Sig – A student and friend of Marie characterized by a casual and uninhibited personality, often seen yawning during academic discussions. Has short brown hair from the Holstein territory. She is blunt, realistic about the nature of war, and failed the entrance exam at the Sabaski Magic School.
• von – The noble particle ‘von’ indicates high social standing and ancestral roots connected to territorial estates within the Sabaski lineage. It marks the noble bloodline and full names of Annerose von Bülow, Walter von Riedel, and Marc von Harritz, establishing their shared aristocratic identity and familial relationship within the Kingdom.
• Larland – A fallen kingdom, marked by its royal lineage of eight distinct princesses, has reemerged as a ruthless invading force. Driven by the loss of their homeland, these royal heirs now lead an aggressive campaign that threatens the entire region, turning former neighbors into desperate targets as they fight to reclaim power.
• Major – A commanding military officer with a sadistic inclination toward interrogation. She orchestrates the sessions and utilizes Telepathy to coordinate with her subordinates.
• Francis – A dangerous prisoner with immense mana, this heavily tanned, red-bearded Suez Canal harbor pilot from the Barbadia Pirates wears filthy attire and speaks many dialects. He appears calculating and familiar, secretly plotting to hijack the Izumo. He served as pilot for a vessel carrying a girl believed to be Rosa and provided info about a girl appearing older than the protagonist.
• Schweilitz – The kingdom to which the protagonist is forced to return boasts towering academy spires and a full military arsenal—Royal Army troops and elite officers. Its ruler holds a captive the protagonist fears will be executed.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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