The War is Over!
In the original story, it was said.
If we can fully secure the Great River waterway for Nicator, then Nicator is invincible.
As long as Hargen Pass doesn't fall, Nicator is invincible.
And if the Great River is ours, Hargen Pass will never fall.
It was a battle that important.
Our fleet kept rotating our hulls, relentlessly bombarding the enemy fleet.
This was possible because our merchant ships and Nicator warships were flat-bottomed vessels specialized for river navigation.
Didn't Admiral Yi Sun-sin use panokseon, which were also flat-bottomed?
This had to be a blessing from Admiral Yi Sun-sin himself.
"Your Majesty, sometimes I just can't fathom what you're thinking."
"Shut up."
Theresia tried to nitpick, but I brushed her off appropriately.
Unfortunately, we couldn't just stop the ships and have the mages run back and forth along the sides, endlessly firing.
The reason was that to properly cast magic, they needed to stay in a fixed position.
But that didn't matter.
You're not mages right now—you're cannons.
Act like cannons and just fire your shells well.
The enemy vanguard ships panicked at first, then ramped up speed, slicing through sinking hulls as they closed in on us.
"Enemy approaching! Range 700 meters!"
"Prepare for close-quarters combat!"
"No."
I cut off the soldier's order to prepare for boarding.
"We're retreating."
I didn't think our troops would lose even in close combat.
The problem was the enemy's numbers.
If they surrounded us from all sides and boarded, we'd be doomed.
So.
"Pardon? Your Majesty, what did you just—"
"Retreat to the Hajeungdo sector. All ships, fall back!"
The retreat flag went up, and our ships began pulling away from the enemy fleet.
Boom—
Our cannons kept unleashing nonstop magic barrages.
Here's a question.
Is it easy or hard to accurately hit an enemy ship with magic from a rocking deck?
The answer is insanely hard.
That's why mages had been tricky to use effectively in naval battles so far.
But I knew the answer.
The way to operate gunners—no, mages—on a ship is simple.
Magic doesn't even need to hit.
Just form a curtain of fire.
Especially with 10 guns per ship—150 across 15 ships. How devastating is that firepower?
You could see it in the state of the enemy ships right now.
Soldiers screaming unintelligible Pharos curses one by one abandoned their sinking hulls and jumped ship.
...Wonder if they'll survive?
This Great River has man-eating dolphins, after all.
Eh, not my problem.
They're all the kind who want Nicator destroyed anyway.
No need for me to care.
Toot—
Enemy horns blared from everywhere, urging their advance.
A fair wind kicked up just in time.
It helped our retreat, but it let their ships chase us too.
And their ships were sharp-keeled vessels.
Much faster than ours.
Kaboom—!
Whoosh—!!
Thanks to our cannons firing magic nonstop, ships that had nearly closed in retreated safely, but it felt like we'd be encircled soon.
But it was fine.
Our fleet had entered Hajeungdo waters.
Time to make the call.
"Halt the retreat and form up!"
"Form up!"
Signal flags rose again, and our fleet shifted into a U-shape.
The enemy ships pressed in without missing a beat.
"Enemy warships at 700 meters!"
"Stay calm."
The enemy drew closer.
I squeezed my eyes shut and gave the order.
"Fire the signal arrow."
"Fire the signal arrow!"
Soldiers on the enemy ships stared blankly as the arrow streaked by.
Whiiiiiine—
Magic-amplified sound echoed across all of Hajeungdo waters.
And at that moment, our hidden fleet between Hajeungdo and its islets emerged.
12 ships on the left wing, 13 on the right.
A total of 40 ships in crane-wing formation.
I crossed my arms and said to Theresia,
"All ships, open fire."
"Open fire!"
Mages unleashed magic in unison.
Deafening roars filled the air as the lead enemy ships sank under the barrage.
A massive fleet of nearly 300 ships toyed with in my hands without landing a blow.
Ahh— is this how King God General Emperor Majesty Admiral Yi Sun-sin felt?
Maribel just gawked at the one-sided slaughter.
"What in the world is—"
"This is my power, Maribel."
Well, technically Admiral Yi Sun-sin's, but whatever.
400 ship guns—no, mages—pummeled the Pharos fleet.
I didn't know who their commander was, but their gut must be churning.
They thought this was their chance to crush Nicator, and now it was gone.
Anyway, I had to protect Nicator.
I wasn't just some general anymore—I was the king.
The enemy commander made a quick call.
"The enemy is retreating!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Long live His Majesty the King!"
Our soldiers cheered, but the battle wasn't over.
"Pursue them."
"Pursue!"
Dong— dong— dong— dong—
Drums beat, and our forces chased the enemy.
Mages, exhausted but relentless, kept firing.
In the end.
The Pharos fleet, battered to hell, had no choice but to flee east of Hargen Pass.
Word of the Pharos fleet's defeat reached the Allied Forces.
Claire slammed the table hard.
Bang—!!
Her hands trembled.
Lucas eyed her cautiously.
"Saintess, then this Allied Force is..."
"Done for. Look, Lucas. See the state of our Allied Forces right now."
They stepped out of the tent and gazed at Hargen Pass.
"Hargen stands firm. The only way to breach it was to win the naval battle, seize the Great River, and land troops in their rear."
"Yes, Saintess..."
"We've lost."
The Saintess roared like a lion.
"Arrrghhh!"
Soldiers stared at her in fear.
Lucas blankly looked toward Hargen Pass.
"Saintess."
"Don't call me."
"The gate... it's opening."
"...!!"
Sure enough, Hargen Pass's gates were creaking open.
The Saintess looked over.
What emerged was a flag bearing the Nicator royal crest.
And beneath it.
Was the current King of Nicator, Leon Eisen.
The Saintess immediately grabbed a warhorse and charged toward him.
Lucas mounted up to support her and galloped hard.
The Allied Forces' war was drawing to a close.
The reason I came out beyond Hargen Pass was simple.
For negotiations.
Hargen Pass was an invincible fortress, but the Nicator Kingdom couldn't hold out in a prolonged war.
And the Allied Forces couldn't either.
Even if they had the resources for a long war, I planned to make sure they didn't.
The faces at the negotiation table were as follows.
Allied Forces' supreme commander, known as the Saintess, Claire de Lumiere.
And her deputy, Lucas Vernet.
They appeared in the original too.
These two hailed from the Eperian Empire, bitter enemies split east and west in a great war.
I didn't know why they were allies now, but I stated my position anyway.
"Nicator has abolished the imperial system and returned to a kingdom."
The Saintess glared at me.
"So?"
"Nicator wants no war with the eastern nations."
"Ha, hahaha! Hahahaha!"
The Saintess burst into mad laughter.
Then she glared at me with pure hatred.
"You're just stockpiling strength to march east again. You think we don't know?"
"Wrong."
I shook my head.
"Why else would we downgrade our status to a kingdom, risking all that? And who do you think crushed the Pharos fleet?"
"...Who?"
"Me. Leon Eisen."
The Saintess stared silently at the table.
Her hands shook.
"From the Allied Forces' perspective, it's a war with no chance of victory anyway. You've already judged that, which is why you're negotiating, right?"
"...Heh heh heh, heh heh heh heh!"
The Saintess laughed like a maniac.
Lucas looked up and smiled at me.
"Looks like this war is over."
"Indeed. Nicator wants no more war."
The negotiations didn't drag on.
Judging they couldn't take Hargen Pass, the Allied Forces reconfirmed Nicator's desire for peace and withdrew.
And Nicator vowed not to expand east of Hargen Pass.
Thus, the Allied Forces departed.
"Kuhuhu, kuahahahaha!"
"Why are you laughing so obnoxiously?"
Theresia made a snide remark as I watched the Allies retreat, laughing.
But I was in a good mood, so I gladly answered her.
"One question, Theresia."
"Yes."
"With our common enemy Nicator gone, what's the odds those five nations won't turn on each other?"
"Ah."
Exactly.
The east remained divided.
And those who couldn't topple mighty Nicator but deemed it no threat to them—
Would they hesitate to war among themselves?
I knew the answer.
They'd absolutely go to war.
And in the chaos, Nicator could reform, grow strong as a kingdom.
That was all.