First Battle: Assault on the Halzy Archipelago
Vic's first deployment was the battle to conquer the pirate stronghold.
The decisive clash to determine supremacy over the Aarl Sea was about to begin.
The Aarl Sea, which separated the northern and southern Aarl continents, had long been dominated by two major pirate factions.
One was my family, the Togo clan in the central Aarl Sea.
The other was the Halzy Party, based in the Halzy Archipelago at the eastern strait of the Aarl Sea.
My family, the Togo clan, had expanded into the northern continent amid the wars between the north and south Aarl continents, thanks in part to geographical advantages, and risen to become earls.
Meanwhile, the Halzy Party had thrived as an independent force, unaffiliated with any noble faction, bolstered by the archipelago's geography and the political machinations of influential continental nobles.
However, starting with the previous generation, the Halzy Party began eyeing noble titles.
Until then, their leaders had been selected internally as fitting candidates, but the previous leader's successor—the current one—was the first hereditary appointment.
Behind this, the Halzy Party, tempted by the allure of nobility, had been approached by none other than the Norden Marquess House, a key player in the western noble alliance and a sworn enemy of the Togo Earldom. They had whispered, "We'll grant you a title, so stab the Togo Earls in the back."
As a result, the two great pirate powers—which had, for better or worse, coexisted through mutual non-interference to protect their interests without open conflict—were now on a collision course.
The Togo and Norden houses had skirmished repeatedly in the past, but now my father, Alfred von Togo, the current head of the Togo Earldom, declared full-scale war on the Nordens.
He appointed his predecessor—my grandfather, Bilbert von Togo, a legendary general who had fought through the era of chaos and was renowned as one of the fiercest warriors on both continents—as Grand Marshal.
Thus began our two-front war, east and west.
"That's weird. The coastal defenses are pulled way back."
I muttered as I eyed the beach where our amphibious assault was set to land, from the deck of the warship.
Linda Rosen, the knight, replied, "I was thinking the same thing, Young Master."
Despite preparations for the landing craft underway, there was no long-range magical bombardment from the shore.
The war with the Halzy Party had progressed in our favor from the start.
Last year, it reached its climax with a massive naval battle in the western Halzy Archipelago waters, where our main fleets clashed—and the Togo forces claimed a resounding victory, bringing us to the final phase: the conquest of the Halzy Archipelago itself.
Though victorious, our losses were significant, and preparing for the enemy stronghold assault took about a year for recovery.
I'd missed that big battle, but in the meantime, I'd equipped every ship in the fleet with my secret weapon. This operation was foolproof.
Gazing at the coastal defenses, I racked my brain with memories and knowledge from my past life.
"No way... this looks just like Pe..."
I bit my tongue before finishing.
The rest would've been, "...like Peleliu or Iwo Jima." Not a huge deal if I'd said it aloud, probably.
Gripping the railing at the bow, I analyzed the terrain around the enemy intercept positions, assuming their intent mirrored those infamous battles. Time was short before the landing craft launched.
"Young Master?"
Linda noticed my tension.
No surprise there. I had zero intention of turning our allied forces into the early U.S. Marines hitting those beaches—trapped in an Imperial Japanese trap, suffering insane casualties.
And I sure as hell wasn't planning to let them end up like those isolated garrisons that got crushed without resupply.
"Got it!"
I'd figured out their game. Now I just needed confirmation.
"Young Master!?"
Linda gasped the next instant.
I'd launched my detection spell.
A few magic-users nearby picked up odd mana fluctuations, but nothing major—except from Linda.
Because my detection spell wasn't the standard kind in this world.
Normal detection magic worked like radar from my past life: firing mana horizontally to scan for collisions.
But it also revealed your position to any enemy magic-users doing the same. And obstacles messed it up.
So I'd developed my own upgraded version: like launching a recon satellite, scanning the ground from high altitude.
A little before this debut battle—right after my "night of firsts" in this world—I'd secretly added Linda to my bang later list and taught her this new spell on the sly, separate from her knight house founding, just to look cool for her.
That's how she spotted my mana activation.
She couldn't cast it herself, though. As a mid-tier magic-user with solid skills, the issue was the insane mana cost—due to how it worked.
When she tried and failed, apologizing cutely that her mana couldn't handle it... well, it got me rock hard. Secret's safe.
By the way, I don't force myself on women I like.
If a girl I fancy was crying and hating it, my dick would probably go limp.
But violating a defiant one by force? That'd probably get me even harder. Got a hunch.
We're talking similar acts, so why the difference? Who knows.
Anyway, not the time for that.
The new detection spell confirmed my hunch.
"The ridges flanking the beach—mana signatures suppressed, but faint ones from multiple users. Bet they have magic bows."
"Magic bows!?"
Magic bows amplified power and accuracy with mana—like sniper rifles from my past life.
One hit, and even a noble loses a limb or worse. Scary as hell.
Oh, and this world still lacks gunpowder weapons.
They rely on mana firepower, but mainly because gunpowder hasn't been invented yet. Tech's lagging there.
So I'm secretly developing it.
"Yeah, probably. Pin the landing force at the water's edge with a mass arrow barrage from the front, force them to burn mana on defenses, then snipe the mana flares from those ridges with magic bows. That's what I'd do."
"So the enemy plans to hunt our landing force commanders!?"
Linda was sharp—she got it from my rundown.
"Exactly. They're cornered, so they wanna drag us into a war of attrition. Not on my watch."
Seems the enemy wasn't just title-chasing idiots. Annoying.
Losing my debut would stain my record as the heir. Can't have that.
I need that cushy noble heir spot to plow and breed beauties like Linda.
"Knight Rosen, we're going to talk to Grandfather and Uncle."
"Yes, sir!"
Does Vic have a secret plan to ensure the allied landing succeeds?
What fate awaits the Togo landing force?
The continent's history turns another page lol