Chapter 312

Chapter 312 - Archipelago Naval Battle (1)

Varda washed up simply in the cave's pond, then gripped the edge with both hands and hauled herself out.

Dripping from her chest was a flat, ugly gold medal. The first piece of gold Eugene had obtained from the New World.

-A ticket into the Great House is bought with force and fortune, but keeping it takes gold and silver. Ancestors, grant us a thousand years of prosperity.

Varda was overjoyed with the necklace Eugene had given her. Thanks to it, she had worn the medal around her neck throughout their lovemaking, and the effect was devastating.

Slosh.

Jingle.

Her generous chest and the gold trinket bouncing wildly sent Eugene's gaze spinning crazily about. After their passionate love, his eyes were more exhausted than his limbs, waist, or anything else.

On the short walk from the cave back to the villa, the couple strolled through nature hand in hand, exactly as they had been born. Their figure resembled the progenitor couple described in many a scripture.

Not merely because they were naked, but because they were strong yet noble, bound together by unmatched devotion. It was as if a verse from the sacred texts had been brought to life.

Only one thing differed.

"You'll trip if you rush like that!"

"You need to learn some shame!"

His face flushed crimson, the wife marched ahead, dragging her husband along. The husband, of course, was utterly unashamed and composed.

"This is the highest point in the city, surrounded by trees and grass. Don't worry, enjoy the forest bathing with your whole body. When else will you get the chance?"

"I'm a forest mage! The forest's vitality always envelops me, I don't need it!"

"Ah, so that was the reason."

He had taken Varda countless times, yet never once had she smelled unpleasant or felt unclean. If anything, the freshness of the forest seemed to purify her body.

'I thought maybe she gave off phytoncides because she's a forest mage, and it turned out to be true.'

The same went for the closed places where skin met skin, like her armpits. It felt like peeling open a flower bud or prying apart tree bark to smell the heartwood.

The princess tried to shrink away with her crimson face, but if one looked closely, a pride she couldn't quite hide showed through.

-...Do all human men do this for their wives?

-I imagine it's difficult. The undergrowth is as tough as chain mail, you couldn't fit a nose or tongue in there. The stench goes without saying. How do other fairy couples manage?

-Even Carmen, who bore eight children, never had her husband do this. Wait, hold on!

-This place is always fascinating. How on earth does it smell like freshly baked bread? Do yeasts live here instead of bacteria?

-Yeow!

Sometimes when the teasing went too far, she retaliated. His face would get kicked by a wife whose brain had overloaded with embarrassment.

But she never disliked the act itself.

-You went five years after marriage without kissing?

-Our wedding was the only time, apparently.

-Heavens! An arranged marriage is one thing, but that's too much.

She knew how noble ladies lived—those she had met at banquets. She knew full well that having a husband who cherished her every day in every way was a blessed life.

*

Before visiting the Elves, there was work to be done as the lord.

A great lord's duties were what one made of them. If one were diligent, one could work even sleeping six hours and still have piles of tasks remaining. If one were lazy, one could become a human idol who rode a palanquin even within one's own estate.

Eugene went abroad on business trips several times a year. "Do this and this," he would instruct, then check progress upon his return. That was his way of working.

Today's report came from Otto, a former smuggler from the Land of Snow. The task Eugene had entrusted him with was to bring in a pirate captain.

Whoosh.

In a cove a short distance from the mouth of the River Times, a clandestine meeting took place aboard a Meyer family warship.

"Your Grace. This is Hassan, the pirate captain I mentioned before. He knows the Vikings' sea routes better than anyone."

The man who had used an octopus-derived alias during his smuggling days was no longer that. Pardoned by Eugene, he now worked in the light of day and went by an honest name.

His original name sounded too lowly, so he had changed it to "Otto," similar yet with a noble ring to it.

"A pleasure to meet you, my lord. I'm Hassan. I wonder if my filthy backside may touch this fine sofa."

A middle-aged man weathered by sea winds greeted him. His expression was courteous, but his neck was stiff. No matter the gap in status, a seaman's pride would not bend.

At the rude fellow's attitude, Otto's veins bulged.

"I believe I told you a hundred times to say 'Your Grace,' not 'my lord.' And bow lower. This man is the true master of Britainia."

"That's enough, Sir Otto. If the information is sound, I can tolerate a certain measure of rudeness. And your own title is wrong. After Britainia, you must always add 'of the South.' The difference matters."

"I will remember."

Hassan stared, dumbfounded, as Otto's expression shifted instantly and he bowed his head.

"Wha...? Your Grace. You really gave this lowly smuggler a knight's commission?"

"Did you hear nothing of what I said on the way here? Sir Meyer himself appointed him as a knight, I clearly..."

"I thought you were spouting nonsense."

Eugene quietly listened to the crude banter exchanged between old friends of twenty years.

Ahem!

Any other great lord would have cursed, "How dare these lowly wretches!" but he remained composed. Even Hassan seemed embarrassed by that patience.

"Are you from the Eastern Empire?"

"That's right. Unlike smugglers who deal in shadow and darkness, pirates wield real weapons. East or west, the sea is my home."

Though called a pirate, Hassan commanded twenty-one ships. His influence on the water made him a warlord who could hold his own against most nobles.

"I heard you intend to sell information about the Vikings."

"It seems those bastards are aiming for the South."

The Vikings and Britainia had long been enemies. In the last civil war, they had allied with the Kruger family through blood ties, but now that the war was over, they needed fresh prey.

"Until now they've targeted the east, but with wars and peasant uprisings, there's nothing left to plunder there. The north is mountainous and hard to land ships. What's left but the south?"

"Then why are they gathering in a single force to attack?"

The Vikings comprised many tribes. Even of the same people, they were merely potential rivals.

Each plundered where they wished. There were no joint landing operations. The exception was when a powerful center of gravity like the Kruger family existed, as in the last civil war.

"Because they fear you, Your Grace."

"Hm?"

"The Viking bastards who survived the last civil war went around yapping about it. About a monster knight who cut everything to pieces with a giant axe."

"You don't suspect it's just a rumor?"

"The corpses of the chieftains were the proof."

In the clash between the Meyer and Kruger families, several chieftains had died at Eugene's hands.

The retainers, following custom, had managed to recover the chieftains' bodies to bury them back home. Thanks to that, Eugene's valor spread far among the Vikings.

-Did a man truly cut this? Not torn apart by a dragon?

As befitted their rank, all had worn the finest armor. When their upper and lower halves, sliced clean through the armor by Blackout's axe, came back, everyone could only stare in shock.

Following Viking custom, the fallen were laid with a shield placed over their chest. That shield, too, had been split in two.

Recovering both upper and lower halves intact was the luckier outcome. More often, only the upper body was retrieved, or an elbow was left behind.

"If they fear me, why target the South?"

"Even in fear, they must eat. Besides, with the chieftains who went on the expedition all wiped out, many new chieftains have risen. Newly ascended heads always crave military merit."

The Vikings were a poor people yet opposite to centralization. A monarch of an agrarian kingdom could not establish authority through public works or amnesty decrees.

To solidify a newly gained position, one had to bring back spoils through battle.

"But if multiple tribes take turns raiding the South, sooner or later someone will face Your Grace's army. So they want to gather together, strike hard, and flee."

A coastal domain offered abundance but also brought headaches.

Vikings who spent their lives on longships were difficult for even a well-armed lord to counter. The attacker could always target the defender's weak points.

"Moreover, not all of them fear Your Grace. Among the new chieftains are some hot-blooded youngsters burning for revenge."

" sons of the dead chieftains?"

Hassan nodded.

"Since olden times, it has been said never to kill a warlord who has many sons. They will try to redeem themselves by crushing the southern coast."

"If they came at me on land for revenge, I'd be grateful, but they won't."

"They know that if they charge Your Grace's cavalry on land, they'll be annihilated. With Your Grace's head as the ultimate goal, they will set smaller goals beneath it."

The smaller goals would be the pillaging and destruction of the southern domains bordering the sea. Eugene had summoned Hassan precisely to preempt the Vikings and avert that disaster.

"In one week, they will gather here and hold a council. Where in the South to attack and when, how to divide the spoils and captured slaves—that sort of thing."

Hassan pointed on the map to the sea beside Britainia. Among the islands arranged like stepping stones.

This place was called the Archipelago. The Vikings of old had been able to invade Britainia even in small boats by waylaying these islands.

Now, with advanced ships and seamanship, they could cross the open sea directly. But there was no better place for a base of trade and supply, or for holding a secret meeting.

Hassan wanted to sell the council's location and date to Eugene.

Thump!

Two naval soldiers set a chest full of silver coins before Hassan.

"Hoo."

But Hassan didn't spare a glance at the silver. He was busy observing the soldiers. They were Otto's subordinates.

The warship they were now aboard was the same. Unlike Hassan's fleet, composed mostly of small to mid-sized vessels, this was a large galley carrying several hundred men.

"The world really does turn on a single coin. That ragged smuggler as fleet commander."

The lords of Britainia owned warships large and small. Naval power was essential for those who earned their wealth through trade. Without warships, the Vikings would have concentrated on merchant vessels rather than coastal villages.

Eugene had appointed Otto as the commander of the Meyer family's fleet.

"He knows the sea better than anyone under my command. Naturally."

"He hasn't fought a single battle in decades—just ran away."

"In the dark, no less. Truly a rare skill, isn't it? Leave the fighting to those who can fight. As long as he reads the currents and leads the ships swiftly, that's enough."

In truth, Otto had been wiping out smugglers and small-time pirates left and right.

He knew the sea routes they would travel and the hideouts where they would shelter, and he could read the currents at will.

But the waters where the Vikings roamed—he knew little of those. Even during his smuggling days, he had desperately avoided them.

"As per our contract, your family's safety will be in Your Grace's hands. After the attack on the Viking assembly, you'll be released."

Otto's words made Hassan grimace.

"You really are a despicable fellow..."

"One must go that far to report to the Count. You're not a trustworthy man, after all."

They had known each other a long time. But while there was friendship between them, there was no trust. Only contracts and collateral held meaning.

"Do nobles still omit the 'Sir' when addressing you?"

Eugene, enjoying the sea breeze and tea, asked Otto.

"Er..."

"Be honest."

"Just calling me by my name is considered quite civil."

Behind his back, and to his face, there were plenty who corrected his grammar or pronunciation in conversation. With expressions dripping with contempt.

"There's no other way. A lowly station can only be filled by piling up greater deeds."

"Had you not presented the Viking intelligence, they would have beaten me up too."

Hassan shot Otto a look as he spoke.

He had decided to sell the information to Eugene not only for the money but because continuing to operate in the North Sea would be impossible as things stood.

"Going forward, if you remain... a good trading partner for us, we have no need to be enemies."

Eugene almost said "cooperative," but changed his mind. Words carry weight, and there was no need to prick the captain's pride unnecessarily.

And he was different from ordinary pirates. Rather than indiscriminate plundering, he preferred to contract with lords and serve as a privateer.

It was better for both income and safety. That was why, after twenty years of piracy, he had never been hanged or stabbed in the back.

"I regret to say it, Otto, but in my view, the nobles' contemptuous gaze toward you won't change. No matter how many pirates and smugglers you capture."

"Indeed. Even if you soaked this fellow in perfume, the fish stench wouldn't come out."

"..."

Hassan, excitedly agreeing, fell silent when Eugene fixed him with a cold stare. It was the sensation of an icy gaze piercing through flesh and bone.

"So you need a greater feat. A great achievement that even nobles dare not mock."

"Whatever you command."

Otto spoke, eyes glistening with devotion to his lord.

"As soon as the Viking purge is over, prepare an exploration vessel. Build new or acquire one—I'll leave it to you."

"Exploration? Where do you mean?"

"Where do you think?"

"...You don't mean—?"

"I need someone to go between continent and continent."

Gulp.

Both Otto and Hassan swallowed hard. The former from tension, the latter from the anticipation of selling captured ships and handling the money.

"For an ocean voyage, I happen to have just the right vessel."

"No. Something that large isn't necessary."

Otto pushed Hassan aside.

"Your Grace. Crossing the western ocean is far too dangerous. In an era just entering stability, it would cause needless loss and sacrifice."

"Don't worry. We'll move along a much safer route. What I want is a ship for sailing up along the coast."

Eugene explained his plan to load the Wandering Castle onto a ship and leap to the southern New World.

"Well-stocked with supplies and crew brimming with stamina and morale, we sail up the coast. The journey itself will be long, but we won't encounter storms, doldrums, or sea monsters. We can go ashore and enjoy the land whenever we wish. All I want is one thing—paintings of the landscapes of new lands."

The more he listened, the more Otto's reluctant expression gave way to longing.

'Why didn't I think of this?'

With Eugene's plan, even a novice captain could reach uncharted lands. It would be an intercontinental voyage in name, but the sailing would be no different from a noble's pleasure cruise.

"When this is done, you will go down in history as a pioneer of the New World. I'll give you a commemorative badge to go with it. Then even the high-nosed nobles won't dare mock you."

"I will serve you with all my heart!"

Watching Otto's eyes glisten with devotion, Hassan's face twitched as well.

Would there ever be another chance at such immense glory for so little difficulty? Before being a pirate, as a seaman to the core, he wanted in on this.

But the look in Eugene's eyes said, don't even dream of cutting in, so he dared not say a word.

"Still, are you certain? A battle across islands and sea is a different dimension from a land battle."

Hassan asked cautiously.

If they launched a sweep, they would fight primarily with the existing navy. Deploying Eugene's main army would be difficult.

Then the calculus changed. Superiority in force applied when mobilizing land armies. In a naval-only fight, the balance was even.

"Anyway, their ships are all longships, aren't they?"

"Of course. I've never heard of Vikings manning large galleys."

"Then it's fine. Longships break easily."

"???"

Hassan burst out laughing at his friend's dumbfounded face.