The news that the Lemurian Empire had landed on the island of Rosa quickly spread throughout the world.
　However, many people decided to remain calm.

　For example, the Kingdom of Tretum.
　The Kingdom of Tretum, for example, was far away from the island of Rosa, and there was no need for them to interfere in the affairs of the island, as they were considering changing the state religion from Western to Orthodox.

　The Kingdom of Edelna is also a Western Messianic nation, but it is allied with the Lemurian Empire, so it likewise does not intervene.

　The medium is ......
　Needless to say. There is no way that the head temple of the orthodox sect would protect the pirates of the western sect.

　The Kingdom of Foulds has a different religion, so it is not important.

　Therefore, there were no countries that would give a helping hand to the Knights of St. Rosa, also known as the Rosa pirates, .......

　Where there is a god who abandons, there is a god who picks up.
　King Cerda had immediately begun to make preparations for rescue.

　"I didn't know it would take so long to prepare .......

　King Chelda - Raus I - sighed.

　Originally, Raus I had been preparing for revenge against the Lemurian Emperor.

　His policies were opposed by many people, including his son. ......
　He could not move his army so easily.

　Therefore, in order for Raus I to invade the Lemurian Empire, in addition to strengthening and reinforcing the army, he needed to make various arrangements to stabilize the country and take care of political problems in advance.

　In particular, he had to strengthen the fleet.
　The first king of the Kingdom of Chelda had taken a large number of ships from the Lemurian Empire and briefly controlled the Album Sea, but ...... that was a thing of the past.

　Of course, none of the ships from that time remain.

　While the Lemurian Empire had more than 200 galleys, the Kingdom of Cerda had only around 100 galleys.

　Even if we assume that the Lemurian Empire will leave a certain amount of ships in the Aether Sea to secure sea control in the northern Aether Sea, ......
　I would still like to have 50 more ships.

　That is why Raus I was requisitioning merchant ships and building new ones.

　In the meantime, the news that Hercule had landed on the island of Rosa reached the ears of King Raus.
　For Raus I, this was both fortunate and unfortunate.

　The fortunate part was that he had a good cause.
　The good thing was that he had a good cause, because the cause of rescuing the Order of St. Rosa was sufficient domestically, and externally, it would be difficult to be perceived as revenge against Hercule.

　The unfortunate point is that we still need more time to prepare.
　With the current navy, it is obvious that we will be defeated by the Lemurian Empire.
　Considering the time it would take to increase their numbers and train them,......, how tenaciously the Knights of St. Rosa would be able to defend themselves became a major issue.
　Fortunately, the island of Rosa is still intact.

　Fortunately, the island of Rosa has not fallen yet. ...... We must hurry. Raise the anchor!　Let's sail!

　And so Raus I led one hundred and seventy galleys out of the port of Cerda.





　"It's almost ...... four months, isn't it? The emperor predicted .......

　Karolina muttered to herself.
　Hercule replied in an indifferent voice.

　I'm sure. It's about time the Rosa pirates ran out of food.

　Four months into the war.
　Four months into the war, Hercule still hadn't been able to defeat Rosa Island.

　But that's to be expected.

　Hercule surrounded the island with his army and ......
　He just kept on watching.

　Of course, they threw feces, urine and corpses with stone throwers and ......
　I'm sure you've heard of it.

　But they were only minor attacks that did not cause any damage to us.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that." "By the way, the ...... nearer guy seems to have figured out my intentions in three days. "Feeding the troops, huh? He asked me three days after the siege began.
　And what did he say?
　I said, "That depends. I said, "That depends. In fact, the sooner they surrender, the better off we'll be.
　Well, I suppose that's true. ...... By the way, what made Nia realize that?
　He heard that the condition for surrender was mass conversion.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the coming weeks.

　The idea of a military campaign is not so common as it seems.
　This is because it is common knowledge that the former is more likely to run out of food than the latter.

　As a result, there are many cases in which a siege ends up as an attack on food, but it is not common to aim for an attack on food from the beginning.

　However, Hercule's aim was to attack the army from the beginning.
　Well, it's not impossible to force the attack down. ......

　"The island of Lhosa is fishing bait.
　The prey is King Chelda, is it not?
　"Sort of.

　After that, Hercule whispered, "Not only that, though.

　"Well, King Chellda will be caught soon enough. If I'm reading this right, it's .......

　Hercule did not start the war recklessly.

　Let's say that he invaded ...... in February.
　In that case, King Cerda would probably consider the progress of the war preparations he had begun last year, as well as the strength and rations of Rosa's pirates, and decide that he could not make it in time.
　In that case, Hercule would have to be wary of King Cerda's attack, which could come at any time.

　On the other hand, if they attacked after July, ......
　If they attacked after July, there was a possibility that King Cerda would decide that Rosa's pirates would be able to hold out a little longer, make further preparations, and attack in perfect condition.
　That would be a tough fight.

　Therefore, Hercule calculated backward from the progress of King Cerda's war preparations and the estimated minimum number of months that Rosa's pirates would generally be able to endure, when he should attack Rosa Island to fight King Cerda's army in the best condition.

　He came to the conclusion that he should attack in March and fight King Chelda in July, four months later.



　"Come to think of it, didn't Your Majesty originally predict that the battle against King Chelda would be 'after the summer'?　Since that time?
　"Well, King Chelda is not an incompetent king. He will prepare for war. If that's the case, then the level of preparations that King Cerda would be satisfied with would be completed after ...... Well, considering the Cerda Kingdom's national power and military strength, would it be after the summer?　And that's what I predicted at the time.

　But ......
　So far, this is just a prediction and a guess.

　You can see what will happen in reality at ......

　"Your Majesty! Your Highness, the Empress!　Excuse me for interrupting. We have received an urgent report from the secret agent who has been hiding in Cerda!
　No need to kneel. Give it to me now.　
　Yes, sir!

　The messenger then handed Hercule the urgent report under his breath.
　Hercule opened it and smiled .......

　It looks like my calculations were correct.




　Three days later, Hercule received word of the departure of the Cheluda Navy.
　Hercule had left Oskar in charge of the siege and was out at sea with Christos and Carolina.

　Hercule and the others were in the largest galleys in the center of the fleet.
　It was the safest place.


　"Your Majesty, Your Empress, Grand Admiral!　We've captured the Cerda Navy in the southwestern waters!　Approximately 170 ships!

　The young officer reported to Hercule and Christos, using the flag to relay the message.

　"Yes, yes. It's not fortuitous that we were able to find the enemy first.
　No, it's not a coincidence. No, it's not a coincidence. ...... The difference in skill level is clearly visible.
　Well, it's true that ...... Rouse I would have liked to spend a little more time training.

　The lack of skill in the Chelsea Navy is the result of Hercule rushing Rouse I into battle. 　
　The Chelda Navy, which had to set sail as soon as possible to save the Rosa pirates, had a high percentage of ...... recruits.

　On the other hand, the Lemurian Navy, though inferior in number by about 20 ships compared to the Chelda Navy, ......
　The Lemurian Navy, on the other hand, is made up entirely of veterans, although they are about twenty ships less in number than the Chelda Navy, and they do not neglect their training.

　This was strongly reflected in the search capabilities of both sides.

　There are many different types of ...... galleys, aren't there?

　I'm not sure what to make of that.
　For Carolina, who has a background in the army, naval battles are quite interesting.

　You'll be able to find out more about the particulars of the particulars of the particulars.

　Yes, that's right. Generally speaking, the bigger the galley, the faster it is. And the smaller the size, the more maneuverable it is. However, this depends greatly on the shape of the ship, the number of men on board, and the number of rowers.

　Hercule and Karolina listened intently to Christos' explanation.
　Hercule had heard Christos's lecture and had read the book, but it was important to review .......

　For example, ...... it was the fast ship that had just captured the enemy ship. This is a large galley ship, long and narrow in shape. It is characterized by the fact that it has almost no ...... combatants, and most of them are rowers. On the contrary, ...... the same large galleys, but the battlecruisers are more horizontal and have more fighters. In the case of defeating pirates, the combatants are only marines, but in large battles like this one, they borrow longbowmen from the army. Their shooting power is very powerful, and above all, since they are elves, they are strong in close combat.

　Longbowmen are active on land, but they also have their place at sea.
　It's a good idea to use a longbow as a weapon in a battle.

　There is another type of large galleys, called "dragonsault ships. This is armed with a large number of stone throwers and large crossbows. It is similar to the ...... fast ship because most of the crew are rowers except for those who operate the weapons. The main role is to attack enemy ships from afar. However, they are not very useful in ...... melee battles, so there are not many of them. Incidentally, both fast ships and combat ships are equipped with one or two stone throwers and large crossbows. Therefore, the tactical value of the dragonsault ship is low.

　Dragonsault ships are not easy to use, so when the two armies clash, they will be brought back.
　The role of the dragonsaulters is to sink as many enemy ships as possible before the clash.

　Many of the medium-sized galleys are assault ships. This is a ship that destroys or rolls over enemy ships in an impulse assault. This requires a certain amount of speed, but also a certain amount of maneuverability. So, it is a bit smaller. However, there is not that much difference in size between them and large ships.

　The impulse assault is the flower of battle in galleys.
　It is a tactic similar to the cavalry assault in land battles.

　Naturally, its destructive power is immense.
　However, ...... a certain level of skill is required, so it cannot be performed by less skilled navies.

　"All other small and medium-sized galleys are support ships. Their main mission is to support combat ships. Their armament varies. They are equipped with soldiers to board enemy ships, archers to shoot, small stone throwers, small crossbows, etc.

　Karolina listened to Christos' explanation and groaned.

　In the event you have any questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at .......
　Carolina and Christos do not get along well, but they are not bad.

　Hercule is Christos's nephew, and if his nephew is married to her, he is almost like a relative. ......
　I guess that's the feeling.



　I've heard that galleys generally use slaves as rowers, but ...... this ship doesn't seem to use slaves, does it?
　You can't use slaves as rowers on a ship that the emperor and empress are on, as they could cause mutiny. But ...... other ships use slaves and criminals. Yes, ...... forty percent are slaves, twenty percent are criminals, and the remaining forty percent are low-ranking marines as rowers.

　In many countries, slaves and criminals serve as rowers in galleys due to labor costs and manpower shortages.
　If the galleys are chained, there is no risk of mutiny (although not 100%).

　Slaves and criminals do not need to be paid, so it is cheaper.

　But when the enemy comes aboard the ship, ...... if the rowers are marines, you can count on them as a fighting force. Well, I mean, it's always better to have marines as rowers.
　"I see. ...... By the way, the Chelsea Navy is ......
　"I don't know the exact figures because it's a different country. But I'm sure ...... their slave rate is higher than ours.
　That's comforting.

　In other words, the Lemurian Navy has a huge advantage when it comes to ship-to-ship combat.

　"Well, I guess I'll just be a spectator this time. Christos, I'm counting on your command.
　"At your service, Your Majesty. I'll make sure you win.

　To Hercule, Christos bowed deeply.