A naval battle broke out off the coast of La Spezia.
On one side was the Kingdom of Sardinia's navy — battered and spent from fighting Monsters. On the other was the La Spezia–Imperial combined fleet, fresh to the battle and as lively as herring just pulled from the sea.
La Spezia had relayed their intentions to defect the very day after Marquis Rodi died. His vassals had betrayed him, every last one save a single man. The only one who had remained loyal to the royal house was the commander of the La Spezia knights, but unfortunately, he was killed by his own comrades.
The marquis must have been a fine lord. His death had stoked outrage across the board — his vassals, the citizens' council, the farmers alike. All it took was a gentle push, and they had cooperated without hesitation.
"Uwaaagh, bleargh!"
And as for me, I was currently suffering from a spectacular case of sea sickness.
"The Court Count's dignity is spilling all over the deck. Is it really that bad?"
"Guhhh. Come to think of it, this is actually my first time on the open sea… buuugh!"
"The waves aren't even rough, and this is a quintareme. It takes someone quite theatrical to react like you."
Laura clicked her tongue with the exasperated look one gives a hopeless case.
I had come to the same realization belatedly today, but since arriving in this world, this was in fact my first time setting foot on a ship. In other words, this body of mine had never experienced the ocean before. My stomach and intestines felt like they had been flipped inside out and turned into a stew.
"If it helps, I could ask a mage to cast a spell to settle your stomach…"
"Absolutely not. You must not waste mana on something so pointless!"
Right now, our entire fighting strength amounted to little more than our mages.
The Helvetica mercenaries were veterans of aerial combat on land, but they had almost no experience with naval warfare. Even setting my own miserable condition aside, I could spot soldiers here and there retching over the railings.
Our numbers were also inferior to the enemy's. They had already been through one engagement and still had roughly sixty ships remaining. We, on the other hand, had started with only thirty-five. This was because Genoa was a far more massive naval base than La Spezia to begin with.
Worse still, most of our ships were biremes or triremes… whereas the enemy's main force consisted of quintaremes. The mismatch was deeply unsettling. Had this been an ordinary situation, clashing with such a disparity in force would have amounted to a gamble.
There were two variables that could tip the scales.
First, the enemy was exhausted. The Kingdom's forces had been locked in fierce combat at sea for over three hours. They likely had barely enough strength left to swing a sword properly.
Second, the enemy's magical forces had been completely depleted. That was why they had moved large monsters like krakens and leviathans — to draw out every last drop of the Kingdom's magic.
I confirmed that the Kingdom had no capacity left to wield magic. The remnants of Valefor had done an excellent job. For that, those who had been the turncoat's subordinates would now be acquitted under my guarantee.
"If you have enough leisure to cast such pathetic spells, at least direct some attacks toward the Kingdom's forces— bllghk!"
"My lord's obsession with victory is truly enough to make one sick just watching."
Laura shook her head back and forth.
While we exchanged our little not-so-small talk, the distance between the two armies steadily shrank. The Kingdom's navy was presenting its flank to us. Most of their ships had lost their oars. They had forfeited every means of controlling their direction and speed except the sails.
"Issue the order to the mage corps."
Laura lightly raised her right hand.
"Sink them."
Thirty-six mages chanted their incantations in unison.
Masses of flame surged forward, cutting through the sea breeze. It was a strangely slow, languid sight.
In the middle, a series of azure barriers unfurled and deflected the fireballs away. But there were at most ten of those barriers. The remaining twenty-odd fireballs sailed through completely unimpeded, slamming into the enemy ships' broadsides.
The result was obvious.
Captains screaming themselves hoarse—abandon ship! Abandon ship! Crews forced to evacuate whether they wanted to or not, their vessels cleanly sliced in two. Soldiers unlucky enough to be struck by the magic, their bodies charred by the flames. Before the waters of La Spezia, a vision of hellfire unfolded.
"One-sided."
Laura muttered flatly. Just as she said, the battle was proceeding in one direction.
The first volley still produced roughly ten barriers, but from the third volley onward the numbers dropped sharply, leaving only two barriers standing. Even those disappeared entirely starting from the sixth volley. The Kingdom of Sardinia's forces could do nothing but absorb our magic.
"We surrender! We surrender!"
Unable to endure the bombardment, white cloth began waving from ship after ship.
Laura shifted her gaze slightly and looked at me.
"What can be done, my lord."
"The Monsters were of tremendous help this time. Surely it's only proper etiquette to at least cover their meal expenses—they must be starving."
If the kingdom found out that Monsters had been deployed in battle, it would become troublesome. We might not be able to stop the information itself from leaking, but I wanted to eliminate every last witness without exception.
Laura gave a nod.
"There will be no mercy."
At Laura's command, the mages resumed their bombardment. Whether they surrendered or not, magic flew indiscriminately. Horrified screams echoed across the sea.
"Hey—we surrendered! Why are you still attacking?!"
"Aaargh! You bastards! We surrender! We're surrendering!"
Our side's reaction was utterly indifferent. Our mercenaries—cruel by anyone's standards—were already well accustomed to the ruthlessness of Commander-in-Chief, His Grace the Duke. As for the La Spezia citizens manning the oars, they were laughing their heads off as though the sight couldn't be more satisfying.
The Kingdom of Sardinia's royal family had made a critical error. They had killed the marquis far too cruelly.
They had flayed every last strip of skin from his body, minced his veins and muscles into tiny pieces, then ground his bones to powder and tossed them to the dogs as feed. Far too brutal a treatment for a territorial lord and plenipotentiary ambassador. It was only natural that the citizens of La Spezia had been driven into a fury.
When even their surrender went unheeded, the royal navy attempted a charge in utter desperation. But they had only sails to work with, while our side could call upon the oarsmen. There was simply no comparison when it came to ramming tactics.
Whether they launched a suicidal charge, sat paralyzed in despair, or tried to flee, the fate of the Kingdom of Sardinia's sixty galleys was determined all the same. They would sink to the bottom of the sea.
"Hmm. Hearing all those screams really settles the stomach."
"What on earth kind of stomach does the Court Count have?"
Laura turned her cold face toward me and stared. Well, it's the truth—what am I supposed to do about it?
One hour later, only a single ship remained afloat in the waters of the royal navy. It was the flagship, under the command of the Grand Duke of Florence. An especially lavish five-tiered galley, with the black eagle banner of the Medici family fluttering in the wind.
"Court Count. How would you suggest we deal with that one?"
"I'd love to say we should capture them alive, but that would only be a bother—so we might as well sink them equally, I was going to tell you."
I stroked my chin.
"The military standard of the Medici family, you say? What an enticing treasure. It holds historical value that surpasses any monetary worth. It would be a shame to simply offer it to Poseidon as-is."
"Mm. I agree, but engaging in a melee wouldn't be a wise move. That flagship certainly has warriors aboard who can each match a hundred."
I tilted my head to the side.
"But that is worth more than a thousand lives. Duke Farnese, you are aware that the current Empress of Frank hails from the Medici family, correct?"
"Of course. I heard she was from a collateral branch."
"Well, you see, once the direct line dies out, the collateral branch becomes the direct line."
Laura's pupils widened.
Then, she faintly smiled.
"I see. So your scheme is to turn the Duchy of Florence into Frank's puppet state."
"If our Empire swallows up the Duchy of Florence as well, it will ruffle the feathers of the surrounding nations in various ways. On the other hand, it would be a waste to pass up a dish that has fallen right into our laps. It would make for excellent bargaining material, I imagine."
"So the Court Count really is a devil."
Laura giggled.
"I must seize that standard, then."
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want it. That is my honest desire."
"It is this office's duty to faithfully fulfill the Court Count's desires. However, there is no need to resort to a melee. All units, advance to within arrow range!"
Well, now. She called me a devil, but the real devil was right here.
The fleet of thirty-five allied ships surged forward slightly. As soon as the distance had closed enough, they loosed arrows at the enemy flagship. A thousand arrows rained down like a sudden downpour.
"Aaaargh! Uwaaah!"
"S-Someone help! Please, just spare my lives!"
The enemy couldn't even resist, toppling one after another. This wasn't a battle — it was a massacre.
Among them, there were a few wise ones who realized early on that victory was out of reach and threw themselves into the sea. Perhaps ten or so might have been incredibly lucky enough to swim all the way to shore.
—If only there hadn't been monsters lurking underwater, still holding their breath.
As I mentioned before, if even a single enemy survived this battle, it would become quite troublesome. It was important to eliminate every last one of them. The kingdom's army of roughly fifteen thousand, Grand Duke of Florence himself included, would all meet their end here today.
A short while later, not a single living creature stirred aboard the enemy flagship.
We leisurely sailed our ship alongside the flagship and moored against it. The two of us crossed over to the flagship under the escort of royal guards. I pointed at the war banner and issued my order.
"That is the most important spoil. Handle it with care."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The soldiers quickly approached and took down the war banner. I ordered them to search the rest of the ship in case there were any valuable items. It was a flagship after all—there should at least be a chest of gold coins. I wanted to have enough money to pay the soldiers back for the cost of their arrows.
"Your Excellency. We've found the body of Grand Duke de' Medici."
My adjutant brought the good news.
"Excellent. Shall we go take a look at his expression!"
"...Was the Court Count truly seasick after all?"
What nonsense. The thing I enjoy most in this world is observing the expressions of humans on the verge of death, and the second most is examining the expressions of humans moments after death. There's so much contained in those faces.
"..."
The Grand Duke had collapsed with his back against the mast.
Arrows had pierced his neck, chest, waist, and thighs. His eyes remained wide open until the very end. His right hand still gripped the baton of command, refusing to let go. His facial expression... was it regret? There was an air of someone who had realized something, yet simultaneously felt remorse about it.
"Not exactly the most entertaining face."
I gave a shrug.
"Have the head removed and preserved carefully. It will come in handy someday."
"Yes."
The aide drew an axe and approached the Grand Duke's corpse. With a sharp grunt, the aide swung the axe. After just two chops, the Grand Duke's head was severed.
"Your Grace, fall back!"
"Damn them… they won't even accept surrender!"
It was a scene of utter chaos.
The royal guards threw themselves in front of the arrows to protect the Grand Duke at all costs. But the human body had its limits. There was no one anywhere who could withstand thousands of arrows raining down per minute. One by one, they collapsed onto the deck.
*How about this. You and I make a wager.*
At that moment, the Grand Duke was recalling words a certain woman had once spoken to him.
*Station yourself in Genoa as you see fit. However, I will advance south to Florence as a contingency. If the Empire attacks Genoa, I will immediately change course. And I will never again object to your strategy.*
An arrow pierced through the gaps in the royal guards' formation and embedded itself in the Grand Duke's shoulder. He merely furrowed his brow, refusing to let out a scream of pain.
*What if the Empire advances south, as you predicted?*
*Then I win.*
*Is there nothing else you require?*
*That is all.*
Ah.
The Grand Duke sighed deeply in his heart.
Why hadn't he realized it sooner?
*It's fine. Regardless of who wins this wager, the kingdom benefits.*
*If I win, the Consul's forces advance north from the south, allowing us to pincer the Imperial army from both directions. If I lose, it's the same. The Empire will be attacked from both north and south simultaneously. Isn't that right, Consul?*
The Grand Duke now understood why the Consul, Elizabeth, had given no reply to his words.
The reason she had demanded nothing else was simple — there was only one.
Because she had known that the Grand Duke was going to die.
—Once the Grand Duke was dead, all command of the Kingdom of Sardinia's forces would revert to the Consul herself.
*This was never a war between the Kingdom and the Empire. It was a battle between the Empire and Consul Elizabeth.*
Another arrow lanced into the Grand Duke's thigh.
The world before his eyes grew whiter by the second. He could no longer even hear the voices of his subordinates. Everything was hollow, everything was fading at breathtaking speed.
*Forgive me, Marquis. Please, let my death be forgiveness...*
With a sickening thud, the final arrow punched through the Grand Duke's throat.
The sound of something immense collapsing reverberated through the air. The flame that had all along brightly illuminated the Grand Duke's chest blazed more fiercely than it ever had before. It laid bare in an instant everything he had questioned, everything he had hated, everything he had loved — and things he himself had never even been conscious of.
But it lasted only a moment. The flame swelled in an instant and vanished just as quickly, and within it the Grand Duke was once again left alone. As the flame died, darkness rushed in. He felt the gloom creeping ever further over his skin — and before he knew it, shadow had consumed his entire body.
And then everything was silent.