Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Oceanis (4)
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Time rewound a little.
Fleeing Quinis as if escaping, Cled and Erwin returned to Solta and summoned Rius and his siblings.
"……."
They had called them, but now they couldn't find the words.
Before departing, they had threatened to give them a thorough scolding once everything was over—and they had meant it.
But thinking about whether these kids would even be alive by then made any scolding feel utterly pointless, leaving them hollow inside.
Unaware of the two elders' inner turmoil, the nephews couldn't endure the prolonged silence.
Rius spoke up first.
"Did everything go well?"
"……Yeah, it went fine."
Cled replied with a sigh. Right, he supposed he had to say something.
"First off… we confirmed the group numbers five: Elisa, her maid, the priest, the mercenary warrior, and Galen."
"The mercenary's Gold-rank, and the priest's a bishop, they say… Is that true?"
"How would I know? You expect me to have fought them to test their skills?"
"Ah, no, sir. I was just wondering if you'd heard anything else."
"The priest was so young he seemed like a kid—younger than Elisa even. If he's impersonating, the Church wouldn't stand for it, so bishop it is."
"Under twenty?"
"Must be some ridiculous genius. Same with Galen."
At Galen's name, Rius and his siblings perked up their ears.
Truth be told, this was the main point. A Gold-rank mercenary was rare but not shocking in itself, and the young bishop was Church-affiliated, so somewhat removed from their concerns.
"To cut to the chase: Galen's reached a higher realm than me."
"……Pardon?"
The siblings' reactions lagged by a beat.
They'd sent him to verify if a mere servant had truly become Gold, only to get an unimaginable answer.
Rius let out a hollow laugh.
"That's quite the joke, Uncle."
"Do I look like I'm joking to you?"
"It doesn't make sense."
As people aged, their bodies weakened, and combat prowess inevitably declined.
Even mages, who didn't rely on physicality, weren't immune—their minds stiffened, stamina flagged quickly, and focus waned easily.
But realm of magic—pure understanding—was something that deepened with time invested, making it hard for the young to catch up.
Thus, Cled had been the Oceanis Family's finest mage.
And now Galen surpassed him not just in combat, but in realm?
"What, is the guy a Gem or something?"
"…And if he is?"
Cled asked on a whim, curious about the response.
"Then we fight, obviously."
Rius scoffed.
"Uncle, this isn't the sort of thing where response changes based on who the opponent is. Fighting's inevitable."
"Inevitable…."
"Unless Elisa's suddenly decided to let bygones be bygones or got cold feet and fled?"
"…No."
"Then we'd have to kneel, beg forgiveness, or abandon the family and run to avoid it."
Of course, the siblings would never do that, so combat was unavoidable—that was Rius's logic.
Not a tough deduction, but even this played into Galen's expectations. Cled sighed.
"You won't be talked out of it."
"Talk her out of it, then."
"Do you really not get why I'm telling you this?"
"Uncle, you and Great-Uncle truly believe a servant's a Gem-rank mage?"
"Yes."
"You've said it's no joke a dozen times."
"I don't know how accurate your judgment is, but…."
Even Erwin chimed in, but Rius, Tarina, and Raven showed no sign of concern.
"Aren't you two overreacting? You used to boast about the family's might."
"Wh-what?"
"He stole our family's magic. We know our weaknesses best."
"You don't grasp how monstrous Gems are. You can't judge them by common sense!"
"Fine, say he's a real Gem. Do Gems have wings on their backs? Can they breathe underwater? Whatever he does, naval battle fundamentals don't change."
Not entirely wrong, so the elders were momentarily speechless.
The Oceanis were called invincible on water not just for powerful magic, but flawless tactics synergizing with it.
Unlike land, where one guarded only oneself, sea battles involved massive ships, drastically altering dynamics.
And honestly…
The elders had witnessed a Reformed Realm before, but that Gem mage wasn't water-aligned, and Reformed Realms varied wildly by mage anyway.
They couldn't predict how Galen would wield his or its power—just assume enhanced water magic.
Rius drove the point home.
"As I said, whatever his strength, we have to fight. Should we concede before it even starts?"
"…Yeah, I hope you're right."
Cled finally nodded.
No matter how exasperating, nephews were nephews—if they ignored repeated advice, that was fate.
He held faint hope too; Rius's confidence wasn't baseless.
Though likely from never seeing a Gem and doubting Galen was one.
If that hope shattered… it wouldn't be catastrophic.
Galen, wanting Elisa as heir, wouldn't trash the family entirely. He'd show some mercy.
The situation was out of his hands now.
They even had ample time, having received word of their arrogant two-week departure notice.
Separate from downplaying Galen, Rius spared no effort in preparations.
He couldn't believe the rumored Galen matched his servant, but he didn't deny the mage who annihilated the New Moon either.
Three Golds revealed, plus unclear wind mage and possible hidden allies.
No reason for one-on-one duels—this wasn't a tournament. Overwhelming force minimized losses.
Thus, all Oceanis Golds mobilized, save bedridden family head Droi.
Two thousand troops—a near-wartime scale—stirred Solta.
With preparations complete and scouts tracking the foe meticulously, Rius…
"Advance!"
…led the fleet north toward the enemy a day's sail from Solta.
They met around noon.
Twenty capital ships to their lone medium vessel—pathetically outmatched on sight.
"Target confirmed."
The adjutant noted the fluttering flag from the lead ship.
Signal for spotting Galen or Elisa on the medium ship's deck.
"Really just the one ship."
Cled clicked his tongue. Rius sneered.
"What trick do they have to muster naval battle numbers?"
"True, but…."
"We knew this before sailing. Stick to the plan."
Rius issued a low command.
"Battle stations."
"Battle stations!"
The adjutant echoed, voice booming across the ship.
A large flag swung vigorously, relaying signals to others per preset codes.
Aside from leadership and briefed captains, mild confusion reigned.
No foe details given before mobilization, they expected grand naval clash—not one ship.
Still, formation assembled smoothly.
Five vanguard capitals surged ahead.
Furling sails, they encircled the combat-ready medium ship like budding flowers.
Not for ramming into boarding—this was no standard tactic.
"Firing prep!"
Captain's order dropped; deck soldiers lined up with heavy crossbows.
Oceanis heavy crossbows: harder to load than bows, but vastly superior range and power.
One hundred per capital ship.
Five hundred total aimed at the medium ship's deck from all sides.
Excessive for four targets.
"Fire!"
Order fell regardless.
Shoooosh!
Hundreds of bolts rained like a storm.
But none pierced the deck.
Shwaaaa!
Just before launch, seawater erupted around the medium ship.
A watery rampart enveloped it whole; bolts hammered belatedly.
Pfbtpfbtpfbt!
Shooting water doesn't catch fish.
No heavy crossbow bolt could penetrate thick water fully.
"Those crazy bastards!"
Raven gaped from the distant flagship.
Enveloping the whole ship in water against arrows? Not a rowboat—a medium ship?
Golds could barrier, but sustaining one was another level.
"Doesn't he care about mana drain?"
"If he's dumb enough to expose himself, we're grateful."
Rius grinned wickedly.
"Keep firing. See how long he lasts."
"Wish they'd stop shooting soon."
Galen yawned.
"Isn't it time to admit it's useless?"
Contrary to Oceanis expectations, Galen wasn't "holding out."
The watery rampart was a spirit from the start.
Spirit Creation mana spent only on reshaping or moving spirits—once formed and static, eternal.
"They probably think a bit more and it'll work."
Elisa gave a wry smile.
"That's the tactic, after all. Galen's the weird one for it not working."
Rius had solid naval tactics befitting his confidence, but Elisa was at Galen's side.
Same education—she knew family tactics inside out. Smarter than Rius, even.
She'd predicted his moves perfectly.
Deploy only capitals to counter deck sweeps or capsizing water magic.
Silvers and below useless against Golds, so strip auxiliaries, load archers to target frail mages and crew.
Minimize losses by killing before melee—use ballistae on the hull itself.
(Ballistae: fixed giant crossbows launching spears; Oceanis fired steel lances to breach bottoms.)
Thung! Thung! Thung!
Futile.
Rampart thickness blocked most; lances pierced but lost momentum, harmless.
"Found them!"
Lilia, patrolling the deck and peering through the translucent wall, shouted.
"It's those old guys from before!"
"Where?"
"Over there."
Her finger pointed to a distant ship.
Honestly, Galen's eyesight barely made out the ship—let alone deck figures.
But Lilia wouldn't err.
Time to move.
"They can't complain about chances after we took this much fire."
Galen casually invoked Water Flow Manipulation mana.
Ziiing—
Not the localized burst he'd teased Cled and Erwin with before.
Full-power Reformed Realm debut in real battle, blanketing the world.
Vaster than Sky Mirror's first use—lake to boundless ocean sensation.
His soul digested the influx effortlessly, resonating with the twisted world.
From this moment…
All battlefield water was his.
"Shall we go?"
The sea began to move.