The Desperate Hunt and the First Clash of Fleets
The twenty-third day of the eleventh month in the year 423 of the Bluisol calendar. Inside the deep underground prison beneath the royal fortress of Glantz, the capital of Rotinzel.
The nauseating scent of blood and the stale mildew that clung to the walls stabbed at the nose like needles.
Within the paralyzed senses, the only thing left intact was smell, and it dragged Nael back into the cruel reality of the prison.
The prison had no windows or even a clock, so tracking the passage of time was impossible.
“Uuuuugh!”
The scream that tore from Jeanne’s throat bounced off the stone walls of the cell. The more she screamed, the thicker the smile on the guard’s lips became.
The guard raised the spiked whip even higher.
“Uuuuugh…”
Jeanne bit down on the bit in her mouth with all her strength, refusing to give in to the agony.
But before long, she could no longer hold back. Another scream ripped from her lips.
“Hahahahaha!”
The guard’s laughter slipped between Jeanne’s screams.
He lifted his sharp iron rod and drove it deep into her thigh. Fresh blood flowed in a clean line down her pale skin.
After that, he branded every inch of her body with a red-hot branding iron. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
The guard enjoyed every second of it with pure delight.
‘She has one hell of a will to live.’
After enduring countless tortures, her life still clung to her with stubborn strength.
Even with her body torn to shreds, Jeanne fought on. Her unyielding spirit refused to let her pass out.
The bit made even death feel impossible.
At that moment, the guard grabbed Jeanne by her hair and shoved his face inches from hers.
The place where her left eye should have been was now a long, jagged scar.
“Do you know why this happened? It’s all because of you.”
The guard growled, his face twisting in fury as he slammed his boot into her stomach.
“Ugh…”
With her already weakened body, the kick sent her sprawling forward.
But the iron chains binding her wrists held her up, preventing her from falling.
The guard lifted her chin from the slumped position. Her dry lips were split open, blood bubbling at the edges.
He wiped the bead of blood forming on his thumb and tasted it.
The princess’s blood was no different from a commoner’s, yet it gave him more than enough satisfaction.
“Are you thirsty? Here, have a drink.”
The guard loosened the bit and shook a small flask.
I swore I would never surrender to the enemy, but instinct is a hard thing to fight.
Jeanne’s eyes were desperate. She couldn’t help but flick her tongue out toward the water. The guard chuckled at the sight.
“Drink as much as you want.”
Sssshhh.
Water poured from the flask and spilled uselessly onto the floor.
For a split second, rage flashed across Jeanne’s eyes. The guard laughed again.
Tormenting someone who hated you was surprisingly entertaining.
“Why are you looking at me that way? I gave you water. Since it’s precious, I want you to lick it up with all your might.”
Jeanne’s fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.
“When am I going to die?”
“You don’t have to hurry. I’m preparing right now.”
Jeanne kept glaring at the guard.
He had been saving this news for later, and if he filled those living eyes with despair, it would be even more fun.
“Before that, I have one more thing to tell you.”
The guard spoke slowly.
“Laurent Peale. Mathias La Rochelle. Do you know those names?”
The names hung in the air. Jeanne’s gaze faltered.
“The war is over. It’s time for the spoils of victory. Even if they’re dead… Second-class war criminal Laurent. First-class war criminal Mathias.”
“Stop insulting them!”
Jeanne’s voice tore through the silence as she tried to rise.
Clink.
The chains on her wrists clattered wildly.
If not for the restraints, she would have lunged at him and beaten him to a pulp.
Since she had defected to Rotinzel, Jeanne had been waiting for the death that would come for her.
She had endured every torture without complaint, so this sudden surge of emotion was the first time she had ever shown it so openly.
“You’re not worthy to speak their names. Laurent and Mathias…”
“So what? I don’t know who he is, but someone on our side said it.”
“What does that mean? Answer me!”
“They fought with their lives for their country and came back only to be branded as war criminals.”
“Only… If that’s the case…”
Jeanne’s eyes trembled.
If that were true, then the king had sentenced Mathias for crimes against his own homeland.
Since Rotinzel had won, the heroes who had once tormented Rotinzel were now labeled war criminals. It was the natural order of things.
“Ah, you’re the same, aren’t you?”
The guard’s voice was barely audible now.
‘I will be recorded in history as the witch who lured my people into the abyss of war.’
If the kingdom treated its own generals that way, then what fate awaited her?
“Stand up.”
At that moment, the prison door creaked open and a knight stepped inside.
It was someone Jeanne knew all too well. The man she had faced on the battlefield countless times, the one hiding terrifying strategy behind a friendly face.
The guard turned and asked the newcomer.
“Has it been that long already?”
“You really made a mess of her. Leonard.”
“You have to be able to endure this. My wrist still aches, Sir Aaron.”
The guard rubbed his scarred left cheek and laughed slyly.
***
The guard who had inflicted such torture on Jeanne was none other than Leonard.
Jeanne, still seeing two intact eyes in her memory, took a deep breath and calmed her racing heart.
It was no longer the same. I will make it different. I don’t have to be afraid, and I don’t have to suffer.
She repeated the words to herself several times and stared straight ahead at Leonard, who could be seen in the distance. She would not let past memories make her scared.
No. On the contrary, she had vowed to kill Leonard no matter what, even if it meant using those memories as fuel.
Meanwhile, from one corner of the ship, Heini drew her bowstring even tighter.
She had switched to the supply bow from La Rochelle instead of her usual one, worried that sea moisture might affect its performance. Since it was inferior to her personal weapon, she was tuning it to her own liking.
Jeanne looked for Heini.
“Heini.”
“What? What is it?”
Heini grabbed her bow and ran toward Jeanne. She was the first among the knights to adapt to life on the ship.
Jeanne pointed at the most ornate enemy vessel with her finger.
“Is that the enemy commander with the mustache?”
“Yeah. The one on the big ship?”
“Right. Kill him while he’s distracted.”
Jeanne’s words lit a fire in Heini’s eyes.
“The guy next to him looks like he’s higher up. His clothes alone are flashy.”
“If he’s the enemy admiral, it’s Walter Martinez. Arrows won’t work on him.”
Walter was a veteran knight. Knights who had reached a certain level could sense and react to distant objects. Even Nael could dodge bullets, so arrows would mean nothing to Walter.
“Hmph. Still, my arrows will be different.”
“There’s not much time. If we go after Walter, it won’t work. If we aim at Leonard next to him, it’ll be perfect.”
Leonard was a former pirate, so his sea tactics were good, but his personal skill level was barely that of an ordinary knight. If he was distracted at the right moment, he could be killed easily.
Heini nodded after being persuaded and shifted her gaze back to Leonard. Whether she sensed Jeanne’s eyes on her or just happened to meet them while watching the flagship, the two of them were now aware of each other.
“Whoa, this feels awful.”
Heini made a sour face and glared at Leonard.
His gaze was particularly unpleasant.
“Fine. I’ll hunt that guy for you.”
A wedge-shaped formation of Rotinzel ships.
Bluisol’s ships lined up in a straight line to face them.
Rotinzel had chosen this shape with the intention of breaking through at one point.
“Keep rowing! Faster!”
On the deck below, slaves sweated profusely as they rowed. The galley ship sliced through the waves at nearly its maximum speed.
While watching the approaching enemy, Bluisol’s navy felt tense.
“How long do we have to wait?”
A Bluisol ship sent a flag with a signal full of meaning to the flagship.
“Not yet. Just a little longer.”
Mathias had ordered them to wait.
The distance between the ships kept shrinking. It felt like a collision was about to happen at any moment.
“Right now.”
The flag rose from the flagship.
The current changed direction.
If Bluisol’s fleet had been holding its position against the opposing current until now, the situation was now reversed.
Ships hidden among the islands emerged, and the straight-line vessels curved at both ends, surrounding the Rotinzel fleet like a net. It was possible only because the changed current allowed them to accelerate.
It looked as though the Rotinzel fleet had become fish with their heads poking through a net.
“What’s going on?”
When the enemy’s movements changed, Jason at the front panicked and ordered everyone to stop. The moment the slaves stopped rowing, the ship’s speed dropped dramatically.
The Rotinzel fleet following behind also came to a halt one after another. It was a mistake. If they had kept advancing, they could have inflicted damage even if they broke Bluisol’s formation. In an instant, Bluisol’s fleet had surrounded the Rotinzel army.
Leonard, having analyzed the situation, let out a groan.
“Hmm. I never thought you’d use something like this on the sea.”
Spreading into a straight line and then moving to form a pincer was not high-level tactics. It was rather common, especially on land.
But on the sea, it was different. Forming such a formation quickly with ships that couldn’t move freely was extremely difficult.
It required the helmsman’s skill, everyone on the ship being well-trained, the exact moment the current changed, and precise calculations of the Rotinzel ships’ speed.
Walter dropped the cigar he was smoking. As the word defeat floated in his mind, he shook it off and gave a stronger order.
“It doesn’t matter! Keep charging!”
However, the pressure of encirclement was immense. Even if the commanders responded rationally, the soldiers who had never experienced being surrounded from all sides by enemies were panicked.
The Rotinzel fleet, blocked front and back, was at a loss.
“Open fire.”
Mathias’s order was quickly passed to Vice Admiral Kallen. Signals were given to the entire fleet.
“Fire!”
As if one person were operating it, the Rotinzel ships unleashed a volley of cannonballs toward Bluisol.
If they could aim properly, they targeted the hull instead of the deck. Since it was a weapon that relied on the destructive power of iron balls rather than explosive force, they aimed to create holes at the bottom to let in water and sink the ships.
Between the flying cannonballs, military personnel shot flaming arrows.
Blazing arrows rained down onto the decks of the enemy ships. Few died from being hit, but the problem was that most of the ships were made of wood.
As fire spread across the wooden vessels, the Rotinzel forces fell into deeper chaos. Ships collided with each other, and the fire spread even further, causing even greater damage.
“Put out the fire!”
“Stop the ships!”
“What are you doing?! Keep pushing forward!”
The Rotinzel forces were pushed into the abyss of defeat by the crossfire raining down from all sides.
Command systems broke down. Each ship’s commander made his own judgments and issued orders, making the situation even more chaotic.
Some Rotinzel soldiers tried to return fire with their guns, but it was insignificant compared to the enemy’s firepower. On a swaying ship, proper aiming was impossible, so not hitting allies was a blessing.
Finally regaining his composure, Leonard issued an order.
“Break through one side!”
The flagship in the front, Jason’s ship, charged again and rammed Bluisol’s flagship.
Even though the Bluisol ship had already been damaged by cannon fire, it still rushed forward. Mathias understood what they were thinking.
“Prepare for collision.”
Mathias issued the order calmly.
Boom!
The two ships collided.