How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 96.1
Using the Fire of Hezekia while long gusts of wind were raging from all directions would only result in our entire fleet being engulfed in flames before we could even launch an attack. No matter how I looked at it, the situation was unfavorable.
In the end, the only thing we could do was clash head on and endure it by force.
“Everyone, hold out as long as you can! Ruellin, get to a safe place immediately!”
“Yes, Your Grace…….”
As expected, there was nothing I could do in battle. My shoulders slumped on their own.
But before my weak reply had even finished, another cannonball came flying in.
Kwaaak kwak kwak kwakk!
A choking cloud of smoke enveloped the deck, so thick that I could not open my eyes. When I finally managed to cough and secure my vision, both Tristan and I had gone completely pale.
The cannonball that had come from the opposite direction struck the central mast of the Hezekia flagship head on. The mast, built as heavy as possible from the finest timber, somehow held, but several spars shattered into pieces and scattered fragments into the sea.
“No, no…….”
If our mobility was seriously damaged, the battle would become twice as difficult, no, several times more difficult. As someone who had even been entertaining the thought of escaping if an opening appeared, it felt as though the sky itself was collapsing.
At least, amid all that misfortune, it seemed several of the enemy’s cannons had broken. Screams rang out from their side, and the bombardment paused briefly. At that moment, the flagship staggered and barely managed to regain its balance.
Tristan swiftly turned his gaze, assessed the situation, and issued a short command.
“Situation report.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Two horizontal spars damaged, currently irreparable. Square sails unusable. Stern railing and part of the hull damaged, and…….”
Sir Johannes continued his report with a pale face, then swallowed hard.
“…Water is flooding the deck near the stern.”
Tristan bit down hard on his lower lip and lifted his head. His eyes were rimmed red.
“Enemy fleet formation?”
“ Three enemy ships are positioned on the port side of our flagship and three on the starboard side, alternating their bombardment. Of the remaining vessels, two are engaged with Ship Number Two, and one is exchanging fire with Ship Number Three.”
Tristan’s brow furrowed sharply. A mutter of disbelief slipped from him.
“Six ships focused on the flagship?”
At that, I hurriedly looked around, and even to my eyes the situation felt strange. All of the mid sized galleasses were engaging the Hezekia flagship, while the single enemy ship approaching Ship Number Three and the two opposing Ship Number Two were all small to mid sized galleys.
Naturally, those ships struggled to contend with Hezekia’s large Number Two and Number Three vessels, and the enemy was clearly having a hard time there.
Leaving the remaining two ships merely tying them down, the enemy fleet was concentrating its full assault on the Hezekia flagship. Their target was unmistakably the flagship.
The moment I realized it, the status window I had skimmed past earlier, too startled by the scale of the enemy fleet to read properly, came back to mind. I grabbed Tristan’s arm and shouted urgently.
“It is the Dearsby fleet. They were sent by Everett!”
“ ……That seems likely.”
The moment Tristan answered in a low voice, the six enemy ships surrounding the flagship unleashed fire all at once.
Towering columns of water shot up from the nearby sea and shattered into white spray. Under the relentless barrage, one mast that had been barely holding on finally collapsed in a shower of fragments. The sailors ducked frantically, narrowly avoiding the cannonballs that fell onto the deck.
Hezekia’s artillery unit finally managed to return fire, but they failed to land any decisive hits. Even so, the enemy ships continued to steadily close in on the flagship. I hoped the other ships might come to our aid, but perhaps because they were smaller vessels, their movements were swift. They clung stubbornly to the other two Hezekia ships, preventing our allies from approaching.
A shadow crossed Tristan’s face. Then, as if he had steeled his resolve, he issued a firm order.
“ Mildred, protect the Grand Consort.”
“ Yes, Your Grace!”
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