Chapter 308
Chapter 308
Iron Emperor — Chapter 308
"But why are we packing the surplus supplies?"
"Idiot, it's obviously so we can sell them and buy other supplies. If we sold the stuff we looted, we'd be caught right away!"
"Ah!"
Amid the pirates' conversation, the atmosphere was palpably hardening. Gerard turned his back on the pirates and walked to the rear of the dais. Then he opened a large chest.
His movements were quiet, but a few pirates did not miss them, and soon every pirate began watching what he was doing.
Careful movements.
Lifting something with both hands, Gerard walked back out to the front of the dais.
"Been a long time since I saw this."
In his hands he held a length of red cloth, neatly folded. Gazing at the red cloth, Gerard let out a soft chuckle, then raised his head and fixed his eyes on the pirates.
"For various reasons, we're going to have to fight no matter what. So I called you here to take a gamble, since we're at it."
Flutter!
As he spoke, the red cloth unfurled from Gerard's grasp.
A crimson banner billowed in the wind.
Within it was a three-legged bird poised as if to take flight at any moment.
It was the Samjoko, the very symbol of Gauri. At the same instant, Gerard's direct subordinate fleet pirates—no, the Gauri sailors arrayed in formation—prostrated themselves as one and shouted.
"Praise to the Messenger of Heaven!"
The first cry shook the dais.
"Loyalty to the Commander-in-Chief of the Great Gauri Navy!"
The second cry shook the hearts of all present.
"Glory to His Majesty the Yeolje, Supreme One of All Heavens and All People!"
The third cry made everything in that place tremble.
The pirates stood frozen before shouts thick with unyielding resolve.
A fierce heat seemed to blaze up through the spaces between the prostrate men.
From the attire and bearing of Gerard's direct subordinates, they had sensed something extraordinary, but now the sight of those men moving as one, prostrating themselves toward Gerard and shouting—this struck them with the force of a blow.
Just then Gerard drew the crimson Samjoko Flag around his shoulders and quietly asked the pirates,
"Since we're fighting a war anyway, we might as well adorn a page of history ourselves."
With those words, he displayed through his sword a radiant Aura he had never shown the pirates before.
"Th-that's—!"
A brilliant Aura of lightning blazing around his sword.
"Believe in me—Gerard."
Gerard shouted to the pirates, who only stared back with stunned eyes.
"I am Phillian Gerard, who was called the Lightning and shall be called the Lightning forevermore!"
Proclaiming that he was not some Gerard who merely shared the name, but truly Phillian Gerard, the free knight called the Lightning...
Chapter 103 — Clouds Veil the Bright Sun
While a fleet of dozens of ships moved slowly along the coastline, Viscount Mark of the Federal Empire—the transport officer in charge—was twisting his stiff body this way and that, radiating boredom.
"Damn it, why do I have to be the one handling this."
In wartime, managing a supply unit is a fairly important task. But the way he saw it, even if he safely completed this supply mission, it would hardly count as a merit worth boasting about.
Because these supplies were not for the Empire Coalition's own use—they were being delivered to the Four-Nation Alliance, including Gauri. Viscount Mark watched the transport ships passing nearby and twitched his nostrils.
"Tch, what a waste. Though I suppose we'll recoup it one way or another after the war."
The Empire had said it would collect a modest fee for material aid after the war. But wasn't that "modest" amount entirely up to the Empire to decide?
"Hell, maybe I should just go fishing...."
The Maritime Empire was preparing a fleet to sail straight into the Holy Empire and had no ships to spare. The Federal Empire, too, was still in the midst of assembling its vessels.
"And for that matter, where's the fleet that was supposed to come meet us."
Viscount Mark's brow furrowed.
Even without immediate danger, an escort fleet was needed because of the large quantity of supplies being transported. The Federal Empire's escort fleet had been with them until just recently, of course, but they too had been obliged to turn back a little early in order to prepare for the war against the Holy Empire.
In principle they were supposed to hand off to the Haian Kingdom's escort fleet, but word had come that it had already set out, so the Federal fleet had left first.
"Escort fleet sighted ahead!"
"Is that so?"
"Was it Baron Galmaro who was supposed to be in charge of the escort fleet?"
Most of the Federal Empire-aligned nobles had been purged in the chaos of the imperial expulsion carried out in the Haian Kingdom, leaving only a handful of low-ranking nobles behind. Among them, Baron Galmaro was a merchant-turned-noble who had been currying favor with the Federal Empire.
Viscount Mark, who frequently moved by ship himself, had seen him a few times.
"Brought quite a lot with him. Like a bunch of cowards."
Viscount Mark let out a scoffing laugh.
It looked as if they had dragged out every ship they had—the number of vessels making up the escort fleet was considerable. The message had said they were making thorough preparations against a possible Holy Empire fleet attack. But wasn't that pure paranoia?
If the Holy Empire had ships to spare for these deep inner seas, he figured they'd be better off preparing for the coming war. Still, since such a risk was not entirely out of the question, they had readied the supplies as fast as possible and sent them all in one shipment instead of splitting them up.
Moreover, concerned that the Holy Empire's spies would take notice, they had even deliberately requisitioned mostly merchant vessels. Even if anyone did find out, the ships would already have sailed.
"Establish communication and confirm."
"Understood."
A short while later, the adjutant returned and confirmed via magic communication that it was Baron Galmaro.
The escort fleet gradually began to ring the transport convoy. Then the flagship of the escort fleet began to approach the flagship of the convoy.
"But isn't the escort fleet clinging a little too close?"
"What! Do these Haian idiots not even know the basics of escort duty?"
The moment he scowled and spat out the complaint, sailors' screams rang out, and with a thunderous crash the ship heaved.
Boom!
"Wh-what the—!"
"You goddamn morons, who comes alongside a ship like that?!"
"Are you all right, sir?"
"These blasted Haian bastards are hopeless."
Viscount Mark was grinding out curses while his adjutant supported him by the shoulder. Regaining his footing, Viscount Mark bellowed with a furious face.
"Baron Galmaro! Where are you?!"
Amid the curses flung by Federal Empire sailors everywhere, Viscount Mark's own swearing burst forth. As he strode toward the bow, a blond man descended calmly into view before his eyes.
"I said where is Baron Galmaro!"
"Hmm?"
Instead of the answer he sought, Viscount Mark was met by Haian navy men staring blankly as if they had no idea who he meant. Unable to endure it any longer, Viscount Mark drew his sword.
"I'll cut off your head and feed it to that fool Galmaro!"
"Who are you?"
At the blunt insolence, Viscount Mark's face tightened in confusion.
"What?"
"I asked who the hell you are."
Even with life and death in the balance, the man casually repeated the question. Just as the adjutant, sensing something strange, moved to step in front of Viscount Mark, a young knight shouted.
"Insolence! What nonsense are you spouting at the Commander of the Transport Fleet?!"
"Oho!"
Sure enough, the moment the words "commander of the transport fleet" came out, a smile spread across the man's face.
The very knight who had shouted, now sensing something amiss himself, was drawing his sword when the blond man raised one arm and yelled.
"Bingo! The head man's right here!"
"E-enemy!"
The moment the blond man shouted, the flag hanging from the mainmast of the Haian Kingdom warship lashed to the flagship came down, and a skull mark began to rise in its place. Then, with a tremendous roar, troops came swarming over, swinging across on ropes all at once.
"P-pirates!"
In an instant the pirates surged in, and the ranks of the sailors who had let their guard down collapsed in the blink of an eye.
"Didn't you just say you confirmed it was Baron Galmaro?!"
Under Viscount Mark's lashing rebuke, the adjutant shouted back, his face rigid with tension.
"It was definitely Baron Galmaro just a moment ago!"
"You mean this?"
Thud. Rumble-rumble.
Watching their squabble, the blond man smirked and tossed something onto the deck. What rolled to a stop at Viscount Mark's feet was none other than the head of Baron Galmaro.
"You—you damnable—!"
The blond man surged forward at the ashen-faced Viscount Mark.
"S-stop him!"
Unlike the sailors milling about in confusion, the knights who moved to block Viscount Mark's front were quick—but the blond man was quicker still.
Clang-clang-crack!
Sparks flew and iron shrilled as it was sheared.
Amid the harsh noise, the upper bodies and heads of the blocking knights soared through the air together with their swords. Even as their comrades died futilely without so much as parrying a single strike, the conduct of the knights ringing Viscount Mark remained unshaken.
"Tahat!"
Bursting out from behind a fallen comrade's corpse, a sword shot forth like lightning, aimed at the blond man's throat.
"Oho!"
Yet even that killing stroke seemed to pose little threat to the blond man; the only sound that escaped him was one of mild surprise. He had already slipped along the blade of the thrusting sword and buried his own weapon in the knight's abdomen.
"Gurgkh. H-how...."
A disbelieving gasp escaped the knight as blood rose in his throat.
"Your attack was superb, but I'm faster and stronger, you see."
Muttering that it was a shame, the blond man stepped past the collapsing guard knight. Only Viscount Mark and his adjutant remained.
"Who in the world are you?!"
"You're no ordinary pirates!"
"Heh."
When the blond man answered with a chuckle, Viscount Mark shouted toward the wizard standing behind him, face frozen in terror.
"Contact the homeland immediately! Tell them it's an unidentified force disguised as pirates!"
"M-magic jamming is in effect!"
"That's impossible!"
"It appears to be spread across this entire sea region, at the very least!"
At the wizard's despairing voice, Viscount Mark gnashed his teeth and shouted.
"You bastards are the Holy Empire!"
So far as he knew, the Holy Empire alone possessed the magic forces to blanket a sea region this vast with magic jamming. At Viscount Mark's question, the blond man roughly swept back the hair that had fallen across his face and answered playfully.
"Absolutely not the Holy Empire. Well, for today let's just leave it at pirates."
"You goddamned Holy Empire scum!"
"Hell, I told you no!"
The blond man, who had denied it to the end, swung his sword one last time at Viscount Mark and his adjutant. Then, leaving behind a murmur of what a shame it was to the wizard, he buried his weapon in the wizard's stomach. And he did not forget to kindly add a few words.
"I really am a pirate, you know. But somehow it seems like it'd be a headache if you, esteemed Wizard, lived through this."
"Haaah...."
A weak wheeze escaped the wizard’s throat. Then he collapsed atop the already-dead Viscount Mark and his adjutant.
Flick.
The blond man flicked the blood from his sword into the air and shouted in a booming voice.
"Finish it quickly! We've got no time!"
Amid the swirling blood and screams, no one who still resisted remained.
After the blond man had calmly departed, the wizard's lips—he whom everyone had taken for dead—moved with great effort.
"H-healing."
A light that no one else perceived spread faintly, concealed by the glare of the fires.
* * *
The testimony of the lone wizard who had survived and returned left the Federal Empire and the Maritime Empire utterly stunned.
A mysterious attack.
And one carried out in broad daylight, at that, with a vast quantity of supplies simply vanishing.
"Those damnable Holy Empire wretches."
The face of Emperor Bish the Khan of the Federal Empire flushed red.
The Empire Coalition had dispatched an even larger volume of supplies than originally planned in order to make thorough use of the Four-Nation Alliance. But the supplies were gone as if they had never existed, and the blame could no longer be foisted onto the Haian Kingdom either. The talk now was that if only the escort fleet had not withdrawn early, none of this would have happened.
