Surviving a Harsh Fantasy with Cheat Items (WN)

Soaring through the sky, I arrived at the flagship of the Silesie fleet—the Black Cedar warship.

On the bow of the deck, Admiral Drake stood, his figure resolute and windswept.

The man who had once appeared aged on land had transformed into an impressive admiral. Wearing the admiral’s cap and clad in a jet-black uniform adorned with golden buttons, Drake exuded the commanding presence of the legendary pirate king with his black beard restored.

「Ah, you’re back King General!」

「Admiral Drake, provide artillery support for the Britannian forces.」

Ignoring my attempt to issue further attack orders, Drake interjected,

「Not so fast. Look beyond the harbor. The invincible armada has graced us with its presence.」

「Eh….. how can this be? The timing’s almost too perfect!」

Drake pointed ahead, revealing countless warships.

Through my telescope, I saw the crimson and gold flags of Castilia fluttering—a symbol of blood and wealth. Five galleons lined up in front, truly the invincible armada. Of all times to appear, they chose the worst.

We risked being caught in a crossfire, trapped between the harbor and the open sea.

「Heh… When pirates see the Castilia flag, they tremble.」

I handed Drake the telescope. His wooden prosthetic leg rattled as he gestured toward the enemy fleet.

Drake is forcing himself to smile but his cheeks are obviously tense.

For Drake, it was no easy feat. His fleet had been decimated once, leaving him scarred and broken. But now, victory was all that mattered. Triumph would banish the nightmares of defeat.

「Yet, our foes are too well-prepared. Perhaps they anticipated this? 」

Had the invincible armada not arrived, we could have crushed the harbor’s ships and captured vessels to bolster our own fleet. Alas, we’d lost the chance to support the Britannian forces with naval artillery.

A missed opportunity, indeed.

「I don’t want to believe that our movements were anticipated. Did they turn toward us by chance, or had they cleverly predicted our actions and set a trap? Either way, this is the critical moment. If we continue like this, we’ll be caught in the middle. 」

As for the commander of the enemy fleet, we can’t be sure of their level of expertise.

Reconnaissance at sea doesn’t work quite like it does on land. If they indeed sensed our Grace Bay raid and strategically planned this ambush, they’re formidable tacticians.

「What about the harbor blockade?」

「I’d say we have eight minutes. Either way, given how much we damage their ships in the harbor, they won’t be able to use it until they’ve finished their maintenance.」

Our full-scale bombardment sank nearly thirty Castilian transport ships that had been anchored in the harbor.

Even the military vessels—small galleys and cogs—succumbed to a single cannonball. Not a single ship, whether a carrack or a galleon, escaped unscathed.

The remaining warships at the harbor’s edge attempted to sortie toward us, but inside their hulls, iron balls had wreaked havoc. The chaos was evident; they were in no condition to set sail.

Now is the time to retreat while the enemy fleet is disoriented from their assault.

「Very well, let’s break through before we’re caught in a pincer!」

「As expected of the King General. The order was not to escape but to break through.」

Drake grinned ferociously. Despite his trembling leg, this wounded man summoned every ounce of courage.

Impressive resolve. It’s the only way forward.

「Admiral Drake, break through their encirclement!」

「Aye aye!」

The invincible armada, led by five galleons, numbered nearly two hundred ships. Our side, including smaller galleys, totaled sixteen vessels.

Moreover, the tide was rising, slightly favoring the enemy. The winds that propelled our sailships were neither friend nor foe, blowing northward along the coast of Britannia Isle. At least the tide wasn’t turning against us; that’s something.

The two fleets faced each other, their sails billowing in the south wind.

The enemy, boasting superior numbers, attempted to encircle us by spreading their fleet wide and forming a crane-wing formation at sea. However, this was a suboptimal strategy. We possessed powerful cannons capable of breaking through.

「Magic Armstrong Cannon! Target the enemy’s flank!」

Drake’s voice trembled, and almost instantly, the super cannons fired toward the enemy’s center.

With a resounding boom, massive iron balls sliced through the air, striking the front galleon and creating a towering water column that engulfed nearby smaller boats.

Those ships caught in the water column were reduced to mere debris. Even the smaller boats around them capsized under the force of the waves. The invincible armada, taken aback by the unimaginable power, seemed to waver.

「Overwhelming, Admiral.」

「You bet! If we lose now, I’ll gladly hang myself.」

Next, the Silesien fleet, maintaining a sharp formation, unleashed a barrage of standard cannons. It was a decidedly one-sided engagement.

While the enemy’s large vessels didn’t sink from a single hit, they suffered significant damage. Desperate, they returned fire with arrows, but their shots fell short.

Just as we underestimated our overwhelming advantage, the lead enemy galleon deployed massive ballistae at its bow.

Using stationary siege weapons on naval vessels—quite the surprise.

With a sharp sound, enormous arrows, as thick as spear shafts, flew one after another.

「Can they really hit us from this distance?」

The large ballistae I knew had a maximum range of about five hundred meters. However, Castilia’s version could reach nearly a kilometer. These massive arrows, tipped with steel points, carried substantial force even at long range.

With a thud, they hit the side of the Black Cedar warship but even their fast, big arrows could only be repelled in front of the black cedar armor, which is harder than steel.

Despite knowing we were safe, the relentless onslaught of these colossal arrows kept us on edge.

「That scared me. 」

「Well, we’re up against an invincible armada. I’m prepared for attacks like this. 」

This is the technological prowess of the advanced nation of Castilia.

Even though it’s an improved version of the large ballista, its range doesn’t even reach half that of a cannon. However, if we get close, it can pack a punch. If we leave them unattended, we’ll suffer damage as well.

「It won’t bode well if the following ships are targeted. Let’s take out the large ballistae, even if that’s all we do!」

「King General, what’s your plan?」

I approached the ship’s edge, aimed my magic rifle, and fired at the large ballista protruding from the front galleon. Three shots in quick succession.

Improved or not, a ballista is still a ballista. Cut the string, and it’s rendered ineffective. I saw snipers stagger and scramble away as the bullets grazed past their noses.

Let’s keep dismantling those large ballistae like this.

As I continued firing until my bullets ran out, Drake whistled.

「Whoah～, impressive, King General! 」

「It’s nothing. Large ballistae are obvious targets. By putting them in front, they’re practically inviting us to aim at them.」

Taking out the large ballistae is fine, but we can’t simply slaughter all the longbow troops swarming the enemy ship. Even with our gunners returning fire against the enemy archers, they keep coming. The Castilian navy has an overwhelming number of soldiers.

The arrows slicing through the air are mostly deflected by the thick wooden shields lining our ship. However, some arrows follow a parabolic trajectory and manage to land inside the ship.

Admiral Drake, his voice strained, deftly blocked the arrows with a black shield in one hand.

I swung the ice-and-snow sword I’d taken from the enemy earlier, deflecting the incoming arrows.

This is child’s play, but there’s a problem: some of the arrows are lit. They seem to be wrapped in cloth soaked in oil and set on fire. Before the flames could spread across the deck, I stomped out the rolling fire arrows with my boots.

「Being set on fire is troublesome, isn’t it, Drake? 」

「Fire attacks are fundamental in naval warfare, King General. Don’t worry about these. 」

The crew followed Drake’s instructions calmly, extinguishing the flaming arrows by covering them with wet cloth.

Seems like we’ll be fine. If they get close enough for their arrows to reach us, our ship will become bait for our cannons. We just need to endure a little longer.

As expected, the power of cannons is immense. The enemy, who had initially aimed for a forceful boarding battle, changed their tactics. Just when it seemed the tide of battle was turning in our favor…

The enemy fleet swiftly opened up, revealing ships ablaze from within. It appeared they deliberately set straw-filled ships on fire and sent them charging toward us.

「Drake, what’s with those burning ships?」

「King General, those are fire ships. They intentionally ignite the ships and ram them into ours, hoping to take us down with them.」

「What kind of suicidal attack is that?」

Even in the age of sail, suicide weapons existed. They’d load flammable materials, release them from upstream, and crash them into enemy fleets. Not only did they account for wind but also the tidal currents. The enemy admiral was undoubtedly a seasoned tactician.

Certainly, if wooden ships like ours were hit by those, we’d be engulfed in flames together.

「Hey, King General-san, these Black Cedar warships won’t catch fire, right?」

Drake, leading from the front, turned around.

His face, grinning amidst this chaos, was that of a scoundrel. No wonder he was the pirate boss. I returned his smile with a wicked one.

「Hahaha, of course, Drake. Black Cedar warships’ armor is fireproof. Let’s keep going!」

「Yo-ho-ho! Charge ahead and blast all those fire ships!」

The fire ships coming at our Black Cedar warships numbered around twenty, including even small boats. They weren’t just burning small galleys but also medium-sized cogs. While fire ships would typically overwhelm even galleons, they didn’t stand a chance against the Black Cedar warships.

As the Black Cedar warships, harder than iron, collided with a resounding crash, the fire ships’ hulls crumpled one after another, their attacks proving futile.

These fire ships, now mere debris on the sea, burned fiercely. Even from my vantage point at the bow, scorching heat and acrid smoke reached my face.

「The intensity of these flames and the foul smell—they’ve doused them in oil, haven’t they? Make sure to shoot them down. While the Black Cedar warships can withstand it, if they get close to our following ships, we’re in trouble.」

「Don’t worry. At this range, we won’t miss.」

For the invincible armada, unable to engage in close combat due to the concentrated bombardment, these fire ship suicide attacks were their trump card.

Once the fire ship squadron was wiped out by our cannon fire, the invincible armada split left and right, creating a path.

「Alright, let’s keep firing our cannons and charge through.」

「Yo-ho-ho! Hahaha, this is the first time I’ve felt this good!」

As we cut through the invincible armada’s formation, we continued raining cannon fire left and right, expanding the damage. The Silesien fleet smoothly broke through the center.

Despite taking significant hits from large ballistae and arrows, none of our ships were severely damaged enough to hinder navigation.

The fact that the enemy fleet stubbornly focused on attacking the lead Black Cedar warship turned out to be our stroke of luck.

「Well, are they going to pursue us?」

「Nah, seems like they got cold feet. Hah, serves those Castilian fools right!」

Drake swung his crutch in jubilation. Laughing uproariously, he even toppled over and continued laughing.

Of course, for him, this was a chance to settle years of grudges.

「Kaara, give them one final shot.」

「Yes!」

Kaara, channeling her magical power to the fullest, raised both hands and unleashed her signature Meteor Strike.

The sky darkened, and a meteor shower, wielding overwhelming force from the cosmos, was supposed to rain down upon the enemy fleet… except that the falling meteorites were scarce.

And the meteorites that were shot down were mostly deflected by magical barriers.

Only a few small boats were swept away by the waves and sank.

「Well, it seems the enemy had two advance mages on board.」

「I apologize, nation’s father.」

「No need for apologies, Kaara. It’s not your fault. Since they didn’t deploy advance mage in battle, it means they anticipated the Meteor Strike in advance and focused all our efforts on Dispel Magic… That’s the situation.」

「Indeed. I sensed strong magic resistance across the entire invincible armada. It’s on par with the nullification abilities used by Prime Minister Nicola.」

Most likely, Revenant is aboard one of the invincible armada’s galleons and along with Celestina, had dedicated themselves to Dispel Magic this time.

Having witnessed the tactical value of the magic-nullifying zone demonstrated by Prime Minister Nicola during the battle in the capital, they replicated that understated yet effective technique in actual combat. They’ve become formidable opponents.

「Well, even this alone is a significant achievement.」

While we can’t claim complete victory over the invincible armada, we’ve likely taken down at least forty ships, including the enemy galleons. If we consider the damage inflicted on the enemy transport and warships earlier in the Grace Bay, our total gains exceed seventy ships.

After successfully assaulting the defenseless fleet at anchor, we boldly split the invincible armada in half and broke through the center. With just one Black Cedar warship and fifteen other vessels, we achieved this remarkable feat.

It was an astounding triumph.

As we sailed forward with high spirits, we docked at our home port, Pervert, to resupply.

※※※

「Drake…」

「They’re still burning.」

Returning to Pervert’s harbor, I noticed smoke rising from parts of the port facilities.

Although the fires were under control, the scars from the recent attack were still visible.

「I see. So Drake’s prediction was accurate.」

「The invincible armada that passed us earlier must have attacked here.」

As we docked at Pervert’s harbor, I received a report from Commodore Phillip, the Marine Corps commander responsible for port defense.

As Drake predicted, the Castilian invincible armada had indeed assaulted Pervert’s harbor.

Our Silesien fleet’s course had intersected with theirs.

This is the danger of naval warfare. No matter how vigilant or well-equipped our ships are, we can still be caught off guard and attacked from behind in the vast sea.

Although they managed to land once, the city’s defenders, along with the townspeople, fought valiantly, resisting fiercely and firing cannons at the enemy. Eventually, the invaders gave up their assault and withdrew from the harbor.

While some harbor facilities suffered damage from soldiers’ arson and fire arrows, most structures and shipyards remained intact—a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

「If we defeat Castilia, we’ll demand ample reparations.」

Unfortunately, we inadvertently embroiled the Transylvania Duchy in this war. We’ll need to compensate for the damage inflicted on Pervert’s harbor.

In any case, our top priority is to achieve victory over the invincible armada. Otherwise, our harbor and maritime transport will remain vulnerable.

「Drake’s advice saved us.」

「Yeah, it feels good to finally settle the score with detestable Castilia. Now, what’s your plan? The strategy of allying with pirates?」

「Well, you see…」

「I’ve also used old connections to establish ties with the pirates. After all, I’m a bit outdated myself. Apparently, someone else has taken charge as the ruler of the North Sea since my days as its dominator six years ago.」

「Admiral Drake, where exactly is this pirate stronghold?」

「Hmm, are you referring to Buccaneer’s Fort, the pirate fortress?」

「Yes, that’s the one. If we directly infiltrate that fort, we might resolve matters swiftly.」

「Going there without any connections would be risky. It’s a place where no number of lives would suffice. But in your case, perhaps it’s worth a try.」

Drake’s demeanor shifted, and he emitted a dry chuckle.

「Swiftly, we must reduce Castilia’s invincible armada to mere flotsam upon the sea. Then, we shall board Castilia’s vessels and—」

「Stay composed, King General. I shall do all within my power. Look, Admiral Jean insists on repairing the ships.」

While the outer hull of the Black Cedar warship remained unscathed, other vessels bore the weight of intense battle, their cannons damaged. The Magic Armstrong cannons, still technically unstable weapons, required meticulous cleaning and repair after each use. Otherwise, the lead within their barrels would melt, rendering them useless.

Supplies and emergency repairs would take at least a few days. Despite our urgency, Castilia’s invincible armada likely faced similar setbacks, stranded amidst a harbor filled with sunken ships.

Our situation favored us.

With that in mind, I must remain composed.

「Hey, hero. I’m hungry.」

Said Are, munching on the ship’s hardtack rations. But that doesn’t seem to be enough to fill her stomach.

Are’s combat exertions demanded significant caloric expenditure, and labeling her a glutton seemed unfair.

Oddly, my hunger surfaced when I let my guard down. After all, I hadn’t eaten either.

「Very well, I shall feed you better food.」

Like the ship, the wounded and exhausted sailors needed rest.

Are’s reminder was appreciated.