Chapter Twenty-Nine: Follow Me Up (Down)

However, when Pompey and his men returned, they quickly regretted it. They would never again have the chance to seize the port fortress. For two hours later, the Royal First Fleet—the Conqueror Fleet—of the Plantagenet Dynasty arrived, leading a vast armada. Their arrival was, of course, no accident; in fact, even André’s presence was no coincidence.

A church envoy had persuaded the Plantagenet Emperor, and for the first time, the royal fleets would jointly embark to attack the southern nation of Landia, aiming to force their greatest maritime rival into submission and gain many advantages, such as monopolizing the trade routes to the Far East. For this plan, the Plantagenets mobilized over eighty percent of their fleet, even dispatching the Conqueror Fleet, which had always guarded the waters near the capital.

Originally, the two fleets were meant to depart three days earlier, but unfortunately, supply issues arose. Humans, unlike the Fishi, cannot replenish food and water at sea at will. In the end, even André himself came to Victoria to oversee the arrangements.

Just as the problems were finally resolved, they were confronted with the sudden Fishi raid on the port.

Pompey, of course, was unwilling to concede. From the moment the Fishi launched their renewed assault, the two Plantagenet fleets, bolstered by the port’s artillery support, turned defense into counterattack, driving the Fishi away from the port and out to sea. There, the two human fleets clashed with the Fishi contingent for four hours, a sea battle of unprecedented ferocity.

This time, however, it was the Fishi who suffered greater losses. Determined to conquer Landia, the Plantagenets had spared no effort. Although confident in their superiority at sea, they had no absolute certainty. Thus, they had a new idea: mounting cannons on their ships. The new carrack-type sailing vessels were far larger than their predecessors, with much greater displacement, able to carry a certain number of bronze cannons. With advances in ironworking and artillery casting, the cannons’ size and weight could be reduced without sacrificing power. An unexpected innovation—a cannon trunnion—allowed for adjustment of the firing angle, granting greater firepower and reducing blind spots.

As a result, the Conqueror Fleet underwent significant refitting. Of more than twenty carrack warships, half were experimentally equipped with naval guns. The Plantagenet sailors retained a complement of ballistae on the upper decks but placed a twelve-pounder cannon at the bow and stern, and eight six-pounders along each side, set into gun ports.

The outcome of this battle was far-reaching. Both the Plantagenet-led eastern coastal nations and the southern realms entered a new shipbuilding frenzy after the battle, striving to build larger warships that could carry more and bigger guns.

With the aid of artillery, humanity for the first time did not lose a major sea battle against the Fishi. The fight raged until nightfall; over thirty Fishi sea bats were severely battered, a third destroyed, two killed outright—most by cannon fire. The two that perished were sent to the embrace of the sea god by concentrated broadsides from several ships’ twelve-pounder main guns.

Humanity even briefly gained the upper hand, until Fishi reinforcements arrived: a substantial number of the Jeniphis clan, dispatched by the Sirens to join Pompey’s force. But the Jeniphis, notorious for their laziness and disregard for orders except those of the Sirens, arrived late.

Clusters of Jeniphis grouped together, releasing bursts of electricity. Fortunately, the human ships were wooden, but when the Jeniphis concentrated their discharge in certain areas, the electrical storms were not limited to the surrounding sea; they thundered down over the Royal Fleet, like bolts from the heavens. Though shipboard mages cast defensive spells, there were still casualties, and many sails were damaged, hindering the fleet’s attack.

The worst part was that, despite their considerable size, the Jeniphis concealed most of their bodies underwater, leaving only a small portion exposed, unlike the prominent targets Pompey presented. To destroy them, the humans could only fire blindly with their cannons, and though the mages’ attacks were precise and effective, their numbers and magical energy were insufficient to eliminate so many electric jellyfish.

Luckily, such large-scale, intense discharge could not be sustained by the Jeniphis. With both sides wary, the human fleet retreated first, withdrawing to Victoria Port. Pompey, though deeply unwilling, was forced to abandon his assault on Victoria.

What enraged the Plantagenets most was that they had to abandon their plan to strike Landia in the south, for no one knew if the dreadful Fishi would attack again. The two fleets were compelled to remain at Victoria Port in defense.

The conspicuous role of artillery in the battle prompted immediate refitting of the remaining carracks in the Conqueror Fleet at Victoria Port, replacing their weaponry with various calibers of cannons. Even the Ark Fleet began its own modifications. For the first time, artillery took its place on the stage of human naval warfare, achieving remarkable results and shaking the Fishi’s dominance.

Within two days, news of the battle had spread across the continent, sparking shipbuilding and cannon upgrades in both the east and south. The southern nations, wary of the Plantagenets, also vigorously developed cannon-armed warships and intensified research into artillery, bringing the name of Hegel to wider renown.

——

The communication crystal glowed, and a somewhat weary voice emerged: “Taurus, what’s so urgent that you must contact me? Has the Plantagenet fleet already set sail?”

“No, quite the opposite. I bring you good news,” said the man, known as Taurus to Warrenheit, smiling within a soundproof magical barrier.

“What good news?” Warrenheit asked eagerly.

“I promised to help you delay the Plantagenet fleet’s departure by three to five days. I truly did my best, though I am neither emperor nor prime minister. The two fleets were to have set out together today, but something neither of us could have anticipated happened. Do you know? The Fishi attacked Victoria Port. Humans and Fishi fought an inexplicable battle, and now both fleets are on high alert—there’s no chance they’ll go to the southern seas.”

“That’s wonderful. Truly unexpected. Ever since you secretly informed me, I’ve been worried. If the Plantagenet fleet attacked at sea and the church struck from the land, I might well have been finished,” Warrenheit replied, half-laughing, half-bitter.

“But I, too, have news for you.”

“What news?” This time it was Taurus who was surprised.

“The Fishi attacked us as well—and have occupied half of Herdasyn,” Warrenheit’s voice from the crystal was as unpleasant as could be.

Taurus’s mouth hung open as if he could swallow an egg, and he took a moment to speak: “Are these Fishi insane? Launching major attacks on humans everywhere—what are they after? Are they just bored? Oh, right, their lower clans can now come ashore like the high-ranking Veil and Shark clans. Do they want to conquer land now?”

“No. Even though their lower clans can come ashore, they are merely curious about terrestrial civilization—like a child seeing another’s marble and wanting to play with it, only to toss it aside once bored. They are accustomed to the sea; even if they occupy land, it’s only temporary. On land, our numbers far exceed theirs. And I know they have another reason for attacking humans,” Warrenheit said.

“What reason?”

“The Fishi princess is missing—reportedly abducted by humans. So now they occupy half of Herdasyn and have made numerous demands. They’re interested in many things about humanity, but their chief demand is for me to hand over their princess. Otherwise, they refuse to leave Herdasyn.”