Before the Battle
The day before the deployment, Jeanne wandered along the coast, lost in thought.>
“What I can do to help.”>
She had come this far to lend her strength to Mathias, yet he was an extraordinarily thorough man. Even without her, he could lead the battle to victory against the enemy.>
She breathed in the cool sea breeze and pondered how she might assist him even a little.>
The stars scattered across the sky, countless and brilliant, faded into insignificance as she sank deeper into contemplation.>
Plop.>
The waves played their symphony over the sea. Behind her, Fabian, who had followed silently, finally spoke.>
“Tomorrow is the day of departure. For the sake of your health, you should retire for the night.”>
“It feels like I’m losing my strength by doing nothing.”>
“We didn’t bring nearly as many troops as I initially planned. Let Mathias handle the direct confrontation between the armies, and focus on the tasks we can perform—capturing enemy commanders, for example. We will surely find a path to victory.”>
“Capturing enemy commanders…”>
Fabian’s words seemed to hold a clue. Jeanne paused, then remembered something and ran toward the castle.>
Fabian chased after her, calling out.>
“Where are you going?”>
“To see Duke Mathias!”>
Even at this late hour, Mathias stood before the chart table, meticulously reviewing his final plan. Beside him, instead of his usual aide Kallen, sat an old man who could barely walk, his face etched with wrinkles that spoke of a lifetime lived. The attendant leaned heavily on the table, his hands trembling.>
Knock, knock.>
The door to the war room swung open without warning. Mathias looked up. The old man’s wrinkled hand remained on the table, as if he had not even heard the noise.>
“Who dares enter without permission?”>
Mathias began to scold the intruder, but when he realized it was Jeanne, his tone softened.>
Jeanne approached him.>
“I have something I wish to ask of you. But who is this person?”>
She glanced at the old man.>
The old man lifted his head slightly, sensing her presence, and studied her. His eyes were watery and reddened from age.>
The old man muttered something. Mathias leaned in close to listen, then spoke gently.>
“You may stay here.”>
He patted the old man’s back lightly. Jeanne looked at Mathias once more, wondering if the old man was indeed someone of importance.>
“He is a fisherman who has worked the waters near Tranquil.”>
“A fisherman?”>
“That is correct.”>
“You would seek advice from such a man on the eve of major operations?”>
“An ancient sage once said that even from a child, one can learn much. This fisherman has spent decades catching fish off the coast of La Rochelle. He knows the sea routes better than anyone in the camp.”>
“Indeed.”>
A fisherman who had lived in this region for decades knew the sea’s secrets far better than others. Mathias was a man who sought counsel from the lowest ranks if it might give him even a slight advantage in the campaign.>
Satisfied with the explanation, Jeanne studied the map. It detailed the islands and sea routes near La Rochelle’s coast.>
“I have a question for you as well.”>
After poring over the chart for some time, Jeanne spoke to them both.>
Mathias listened attentively.>
The three of them traced the map with their fingers, discussing the details of the plan. At last Jeanne nodded, then spoke again.>
“Very well. We will do it this way.”>
***
Dawn broke.>
Year 418 of Bluisol, August 15th.>
The day of the decisive battle.>
Mathias had chosen this date after careful consideration of many factors: weather, current flow, and the readiness of both Rotinzel and his own forces. Every condition aligned perfectly for victory.>
The troops he had brought from Plamont were solely soldiers. Aaron had separately requested supplies and provisions.>
The land route had already been laid waste by them and was filled with obstacles, so they would support by sea. Yet the path was blocked by Mathias’s navy.>
Mathias had intercepted one of Aaron’s letters. From it he had predicted that Rotinzel would soon sortie from Plamont with a large fleet.>
He had also heard eyewitness accounts that a massive fleet was anchored behind the islands of Tranquil, having fled from Plamont to La Rochelle.>
These details became the basis for his order to deploy.>
Jeanne, learning of them, could not help but admire Mathias once more.>
‘He is the kind of commander who fights on the battlefield of his own choosing.’>
Mathias had prepared everything perfectly and lured the enemy into the ground he had prepared. In this way he could claim victory only on his terms.>
The most basic yet most reliable strategy. And that ability to create such conditions was the mark of a true commander.>
‘It has already been two months.’>
Now it was August. Two months had passed since Jeanne’s return—the day of her birthday in her previous life. Too many events had occurred for her to truly notice, yet time continued to flow regardless of human affairs.>
The ship Jeanne rode aboard set sail.>
The white sails billowed taut in the wind. The day was clear and the breeze favorable. It was perfect weather for sailing.>
As the ships moved slowly, the reality of impending battle settled over everyone.>
A fleet of dozens of vessels approached Tranquil. Following the tactics they had devised earlier, Mathias directed his ships with practiced precision. The vessels naturally found their positions in flawless coordination.>
“Send the bait vessels.”>
Thereafter Mathias dispatched six swift, small ships from La Rochelle around the islands of Coves as bait.>
The role of the bait ships was critical.>
The blue surface parted as the bait vessels began to move.>
***
Rotinzel’s fleet was not stationed at Plamont. They had raced to sea with the intention of quick deployment and had anchored at Coves Island in the Tranquil Strait.>
Six enemy vessels appeared before the waiting Rotinzel forces. Smaller than typical Bluisol ships, they were unmistakably from the kingdom.>
The moment the Bluisol vessels spotted them, they fired cannons and loosed arrows.>
“Bait.”>
Upon hearing Leonard’s remark, Walter nodded.>
“There are many small islands around here. Good places for ambush.”>
Walter, who had suffered defeat at the hands of Jade against Mathias, remained cautious. Leonard, however, was brimming with confidence.>
“Even so, we must break through to support Aaron’s forces.”>
There was a sea route, but passing through there meant a long detour. Time would be lost.>
Moreover, because our galleys were fast but weak in firepower, a fleet engagement at sea was not entirely desirable.>
“Our strength is superior. Even if they ambush, encirclement is impossible. Let us sortie.”>
“Hmm.”>
“Have you eaten fear after a single defeat?”>
Walter stared at Leonard with deep eyes. Leonard shrugged casually.>
“I do not consider my words to be wrong.”>
“You know this is the enemy’s lure, yet you allow it? Is that the command of a general?”>
“Not if I can only cower like a turtle.”>
Leonard’s confidence stemmed from his experience. Four years earlier, before the Rotinzel-Bluisol war, he had fought Bluisol forces while still a pirate. Bluisol, a regular army, could not even suppress a single pirate band and was utterly helpless. From that day on, Leonard held the belief that Bluisol’s navy was weak.>
Walter still hesitated, but while they spoke, Bluisol’s vessels continued their bombardment. The difference in ship height and cannon range allowed them to inflict one-sided damage.>
“Even if we do not sortie today, they will return tomorrow and the day after. It would be better to face them head-on while fully prepared and crush them.”>
Leonard exhaled a long plume of smoke from his pipe, then spoke calmly.>
“Agreed. You are right—we cannot remain here indefinitely.”>
The attack must come from our side. We are the ones who landed on enemy soil.>
Trapped in Plamont, they were not skilled commanders. If the enemy only defended from La Rochelle, the blockade would be harder. But now that the sea had opened, this might be their chance.>
“The vanguard will be led by Jason.”>
“Yes, understood!”>
Jason was a member of a renowned naval family and possessed the bold temperament suited for leading the vanguard.>
“We are departing.”>
The fleet of dozens of vessels began to move.>
***
The salty wind whipped her hair. Jeanne tied it up, perhaps because it felt unmanageable.>
Despite the countless battles she had fought in her previous life, this was her first experience of combat at sea. Excitement and worry mingled within her.>
Yet her expectations, grounded in knowledge she already possessed, were far greater.>
Even without her intervention, they would achieve a great victory. So what could she do?>
Jeanne had spent days immersed in that thought. It was because of that very thought that she had visited Mathias the night before.>
Jeanne placed her knights beside her aboard the flagship and another vessel, three to each ship.>
On the flagship rode herself, Fabian, and Nael. On the opposing ship: Ethan, Dane, and Ines.>
In the latter stages of battle, the flagship would collide with incoming enemy ships. The enemy’s disembarkation would cause casualties among the flagship’s troops. The opposing ship would also suffer damage as the enemy concentrated fire to break through the blockade line.>
The navy had relatively few knights. Because individual prowess mattered less here than in land combat, this arrangement had been necessary.>
When ships engaged, they held the advantage. But when the enemy landed and fought on land, they were at a disadvantage. Thus the knights had been positioned to fight the enemy while protecting their own ships.>
Jeanne glanced briefly at Mathias.>
‘He had the habit of recording every battle in detail after it ended. It was incredibly helpful.’>
After every battle, Mathias always submitted a detailed report. How they had departed, how they had fought, how many enemy ships they had sunk, and the casualties among their own forces.>
Jeanne had read many of his reports and, from them, could follow the flow of the battle as if she had been present. This ability to devise such plans came from Mathias’s meticulous record-keeping.>
The six bait vessels sent to lure the enemy appeared.>
Soon after, the enemy’s fleet followed in pursuit.>
Mathias also moved the flagship forward to meet the enemy. The two sides nearly faced each other head-on.>
As the distance closed, faces aboard the ships became clearly visible. Jeanne studied the enemy vessels and suddenly trembled.>
She had seen Leonard.>
Leonard was the man who had tormented her most while she was imprisoned in Rotinzel.>
Even in a high command position, upon learning that she had been taken captive, he had gone so far as to volunteer as her jailer out of lingering hatred.>
Jeanne gripped the ship’s railing, staggering slightly.