The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 594: The Lion's Jaw (Back to Arnold’s POV)

"Tsk! What's the situation on each ship!? Where is the Albatro and Rondine fleet!?"

Inside the rocking ship.

I called out loudly for a report.

Even so, the surrounding noise was too loud, and my voice could only reach those nearby.

"We can confirm the escort ships, but the rest of the ships are unconfirmed! The fleets of both duchies are also missing!"

"Tsk! Did we underestimate the storm in this region...? Connect with the escort ships! At all costs, make sure we don't capsize! If we can't get through this storm, we have no future!"

Hearing my instructions, the captain nodded heavily.

■■■

The Kingdom's army took a strategy of taking refuge in a fortress, and the Empire was unable to break through it.

A major factor was that the Albatro Duchy's navy was supplying the fortress.

Of course, the Empire was aware of this.

So they tried to stop it, but they couldn't.

The reason was the difference in naval power and the fact that the Kingdom's waters were very rough.

Not all waters are rough. The waters between the Empire and the Kingdom are extremely rough.

Because the weather changes rapidly in that area, only skilled sailors can break through it.

The name given to it was the "Lion's Jaw".

It is called so because it tears apart ships that approach the Kingdom.

Normally, one should avoid these waters, but to get close to the Kingdom side by avoiding these waters, a significant detour is necessary. This is the route that regular sailors use.

However, that route is quite a long journey, and it is unrealistic to undertake such a long journey with a fleet of a hundred ships. The prepared food would not last at all, and there wouldn't be enough time.

Therefore, the allied fleet inevitably chose to break through the Lion's Jaw. It was the only option they had.

They were prepared for the damage.

However, because it was too dangerous, they allowed twenty imperial ships, which they deemed less skilled, to take the detour route. These were turned into supply ships, loaded with a large amount of supplies.

The ones who plunged in were forty Imperial ships, and twenty each from both duchies, totaling eighty ships.

The Albatro Duchy's fleet warned that they should be prepared for more than ten casualties.

However, there was a good chance of breaking through.

The captains of the Albatro Duchy's ships had chosen to plunge in when the situation was relatively calm, and the "Lion's Jaw" itself was not as dangerous as it once was.

This is probably because the strong magic that drifts in this sea area is gradually decreasing.

Still, it's dangerous nonetheless, but not as dangerous as it was more than ten years ago, when it was said that only the elite of the Albatro Duchy could break through.

However, it seems we underestimated it after all.

At first, the Lion's Jaw was calm, but the weather changed drastically within minutes.

Before we knew it, we were swallowed by a storm.

The possibility of this happening had been pointed out, and if it did happen, it would be almost impossible to move as a fleet, so it had been announced to try to break through at each captain's discretion.

But, I really didn't think it would be this bad.

"The escort ships, Caspar, Jordan, Christoph, Oscar, the connection is complete!!"

"Maintain the connection as it is! Aim to break through the sea area!"

"Your Excellency! Even if we break through in this storm, we don't know if we can maintain the fleet!?"

"We'll think about that after we break through! As long as these five ships remain, there's a way to do it! Don't lose them, captain!"

"Don't be ridiculous!! It's like a storm created by a sea dragon! We'd sink if we were at the center!"

"Luckily, it seems we're not at the center! We're lucky!"

"We're unlucky just by being swallowed by the storm!"

Even while making a light-hearted remark, the captain skillfully operated the connected ships and proceeded through the storm.

He's fit to be the captain of the flagship.

Even such a captain judged the storm to be dangerous.

There's no way to tell what happened to the other ships.

At worst, all ships other than these five may have been completely destroyed.

In that case, we'll need to drastically change our strategy...

"I want to believe the Duchy fleets are safe..."

■■■

After braving the storm for a while, we finally succeeded in escaping the Lion's Jaw. The sea area we emerged into was so calm it was hard to believe we had just been through a storm.

"Are there any ships around!?"

"We can confirm... excluding the five we're connected to, there are ten, no, eleven ships! All are Imperial ships!"

"Sixteen in total... out of the original forty Imperial navy vessels..."

The crew aboard the flagship hung their heads.

Our fleet was meant to be unbeatable.

Now, the once mighty Imperial fleet was no more.

We expected some losses while navigating the Lion's Jaw, but this was far more than anticipated.

"What about the two Duchy fleets?"

"We can't see them!"

"Your Excellency, with just sixteen ships, we cannot break through the Kingdom's navy defenses."

"I understand. I'm thinking of a plan now."

"Do you still intend to assault the fortress in this situation?"

"No matter the situation, I intend to conquer it. Besides, the Duchy fleets should be fine. We should have more ships joining us."

"I fear... if they haven't appeared by now, they may still be in the storm. If they've been in the storm longer than us... they may already..."

The captain, with a faintly downcast expression, spoke.

As the captain said, if the Duchy fleets were wiped out, that would mean our force of a hundred ships had been reduced to just sixteen.

It would be a catastrophic failure.

But could the esteemed Albatro fleet really be completely destroyed?

Just as I was thinking that, the lookout raised his voice.

"Multiple ship sightings from the direction of the storm...!! It's both Duchy fleets!"

Hearing the report, the captain and I moved our gaze towards the storm.

There, seemingly unaffected, were both Duchy fleets heading our way.

Furthermore,

"The Albatro Duchy fleet! Approximately twenty! The Rondine Duchy fleet! About fifteen! Plus, another fifteen Imperial ships!"

"From what I can see... The Albatro Duchy fleet... seems to have weathered the storm by tethering their ships with ropes."

"So that's why it took so long. But to manage to break through even while burdened with the weight... it seems like a bad idea to engage in naval warfare with the Albatro Duchy for the next decade."

"I'd rather not for a lifetime. I don't want to battle such a fleet."

While letting out a bitter laugh at the captain's words, I nodded.

The Imperial fleet lost nine ships. The Rondine Duchy fleet lost five. The Albatro fleet had no losses.

Rondine must have confidence in their naval power too, but Albatro is a nation specialized in it.

There's likely a difference in the ships, but there's a clear difference in crew training.

It's better to avoid fighting if we can.

"The damage to the Imperial ships being towed seems severe... but at least they're safe."

"If the ships are ruined, we'll just transfer the crew. Even if we lose a few more ships, as long as the Duchy fleets remain healthy, there are plenty of ways to manage."

With that, I turned my gaze westward.

With this, we've crossed the greatest obstacle on the way to the fortress.

Now, the Kingdom's navy awaits us.

"I wonder how Leo is doing?"

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