The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 596: Naval Invasion

"That's the course of events leading to the ambush fleet's defeat. That's all for the report. Please convey it as is."

With these words, I ended the communication.

I was in the command room on the flagship Alphonse, where a crystal ball sat enthroned.

It was the same kind as the one in the adventurer guild's long-distance communication room.

It was the "long-distance communication" technology treasured by the adventurer's guild. The reason it's treasured is that they feared it would be used for war.

Every nation has long desired this technology, but turning the adventurer's guild into an enemy is too much even for the Empire, and the technology is too advanced and unique to be replicated. Even the guild staff who use it don't fully understand it.

The reason such a crystal is on the flagship Alphonse is due to the demons.

The adventurer's guild still suspects that there are demons hiding within the Kingdom, and they believed that if chaos ensued, demons would appear.

For that reason, the Empire took on the role of causing this chaos, because if the report of a demon appearance is delayed, the entire continent is in danger.

This crystal is the most efficient way to disseminate information in such a situation.

That's why the crystal, lent by the adventurer's guild, is enthroned on the flagship Alphonse.

Those fighting on land, like Leo, were allowed to use the branches within the kingdom.

Originally, it should only be used when a demon appears, but there's no reward for risking your life on the front lines. Therefore, it was allowed to send information from the front line to the Imperial Capital in this way.

The adventurer's guild also cannot afford to lose to the Empire, and probably judged that there is no problem if it only sends information from the front lines.

"I'm sure the Imperial Capital is in chaos."

With that, I left the command room.

The Kingdom's army, anticipating that we would break through the Lion's Jaw, had dispatched a fleet of twenty ships.

They intended to ambush us, but we were prepared for them, so there was no surprise.

We couldn't let them escape, so we surrounded and sunk all of them.

The report that they lost a considerable number of ships and the report that we annihilated the enemy fleet.

If they came in such a short period of time, one would want to doubt whether one of them was a false report.

However, thanks to this crystal, that is not the case.

If they could have spoken to us, they would have demanded an explanation, and my father would have scolded me.

In that sense, I have to thank the adventurer's guild.

"Ah, Your Excellency. Have you finished your business?"

On my way back to the deck.

Fin called out to me.

Fin and his beloved dragon, Nova, were on board the flagship Alphonse.

Because Nova is small, she can be carried on the flagship Alphonse.

"Yes, I'm done. How is the situation on the deck?"

"It seems like the excitement hasn't settled yet. The captain was surprised that he had never seen such a one-sided naval battle."

"We had more than twice the number of ships. Besides, they were expecting us to be in tatters. Plus, they were even exposed to their surprise attack. It would naturally be one-sided."

"Even so, the Albatro Duchy's fleet was tied up with the Imperial ships and could barely participate. That's a great achievement, isn't it? It's thanks to your command, no matter how you think about it."

"You won't get anything by flattering me."

Saying so, I stepped onto the deck.

When the crew recognized me, they all saluted.

"Good job. Go back to work."

"Your Excellency! We have a message from the Albatro Duchy's fleet. Of the fifteen Imperial ships they towed, they say that five will have difficulty continuing to sail."

"What's the damage to the five ships?"

"One is heavily damaged. Four have minor damage. They say that the four can sail, but they don't know if they can go fast."

We need to head to the fortress in one go from now on.

There's no choice but to leave the slow ships behind.

"Move as anticipated. Abandon the one that's heavily damaged. The crew will move to the four ships and head for a port town in the southern part of the kingdom. If everything goes as planned, the team Leo released should have secured it, but in case of an emergency, assign one ship to escort them. Strictly order them to avoid combat as much as possible. In enemy territory, reckless fighting can endanger their lives."

Given that we're invading from the southern sea route, we can't sail safely if we don't have a place to dock in case of an emergency.

Especially since it had been anticipated that we would plunge into the Lion's Jaw before the war started.

For that reason, I had told Leo to secure a nearby port town. Of course, it was via the Imperial Capital.

The enemy's attention is concentrated on Leo's main force of 150,000. They won't be able to afford to care about a single port town.

There should be no problem if everything goes according to plan, and even if the port town resists, we can secure it if we have an escort.

"Understood! I'll send a dispatch ship with your instructions! So, what are we going to do next?"

"We'll head for the fortress. It's unlikely that the Kingdom's navy is just this much, so we'll move ahead cautiously."

The Kingdom has been reinforcing its navy since the invasion from the United Kingdom. The Northern Fleet is indeed powerful, and the Southern Fleet also has considerable strength. Ansem, who is likely to have read our strategy, wouldn't just rely on the Lion's Jaw. There must still be forces in reserve.

Whether they come out to intercept us or defend the fortress will determine our course of action. Nevertheless, we need to approach them.

"Do you think Prince Leonardo has successfully pushed the enemy into the fortress?"

"I don't know. That remains to be seen."

"If he hasn't, wouldn't we be left isolated?"

For the United Fleet, this area is enemy territory. To return to the Empire by the shortest route, we would need to pass through the Lion's Jaw again. In other words, if we can't take the fortress, we're in deep trouble. However...

"If Leo is at a disadvantage, we'll apply pressure from the sea. Even if Leo has the upper hand, we'll still apply pressure from the sea. That's the role of this fleet. If we defeat the Kingdom's navy and approach the fortress, Ansem won't be able to ignore us. Drawing their attention will be sufficient support for Leo, even if he's at a disadvantage. So don't worry."

"Well, if you say so, Your Excellency, I believe you."

"Do so. Notify the entire fleet. Prepare to set sail."

Upon receiving my instructions, a large flag was raised on the flagship Alphonse.

There were three flags, colored red, blue, and yellow.

The combination of these flags allows us to swiftly execute pre-determined operational actions.

Given the size of the United Fleet and the fact that we're at sea, command is challenging.

Using flag signals takes too much time for transmission.

So, we decided on the most basic operational actions in advance.

We can only give simple orders, but we can give them quickly.

That's how we were able to swiftly surround the Kingdom's surprise fleet.

"I don't feel like we would be losing this simple navel battle... but it's not going to be that simple, is it?"

Muttering quietly to myself, I let out a sigh.

The enemy is the Kingdom. However, at the same time, there's the shadow of the demons behind us.

The more we corner them, the more new shadows come to light.

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