The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 606: Thunderclap

Time rewinds slightly.

'Port side magic cannon, fire at will! Don't let the enemy ships get close!'

The force that had come to halt us, the Allied Fleet, near the fortress was the Southern Fleet of the Kingdom.

They were thirty ships strong, even accompanied by flying monsters whose identity was unclear.

Luckily, we had our own air force, which allowed us to repel the monsters in an aerial battle. If we didn't, we would have been at a significant disadvantage.

'Your Excellency! The flagship of the Albatro Duchy is approaching!'

'They must have something they want to discuss.'

The thirty ships of the Southern Fleet were considerably more formidable than the fleet that had launched a surprise attack on us.

That's why the battle had been dragging on.

That being said, if things continued as they were, we would likely win without a problem.

'Prince Julio has arrived!'

Hearing the voice, I turned around.

Julio, who had transferred over in a small boat, was approaching.

'Your Excellency, please leave this to the Duchy's fleets and allow the Imperial Fleet to proceed!'

'We've managed to clear a considerable number of the flying monsters, but if we were to withdraw, that would mean our air force would withdraw as well, right?'

'Reconnaissance ships report that the fortress is under attack by monsters. Numerous Imperial flags have also been confirmed at the fortress. Presumably, Prince Leonard's forces are being attacked by the monsters.'

'You're saying that Leo is in the Kingdom's fortress?'

'It's just a hunch.'

I took a moment to ponder.

It was a claim without concrete evidence, but it wasn't impossible.

It's doubtful whether we could cooperate with the enemy we were just at war with...

But if the opponent were monsters, it wouldn't be impossible to unite under the umbrella of humanity.

Moreover...

'No matter how you look at it, those monsters are clearly collaborating with the Kingdom's army...'

I don't know how that came to be.

However, it's a fact that the Kingdom's army is working in conjunction with the monsters.

The fortress being attacked was originally the Kingdom's.

A split within the Kingdom seems likely.

And there were signs of this.

'It seems that Leo and Ansem have joined forces... the Crown Prince has crossed a line that should never be crossed... things are finally falling into chaos.'

Murmuring this, I laughed.

The situation was heading towards the worst-case scenario. Sadly, it was mostly as expected.

The goal of this war was to drag out the demons believed to be lurking in the Kingdom.

You could say that this has been successful.

The soldiers on the front lines probably wouldn't appreciate it though.

'I understand. We'll leave this place to the Duchy's fleets. The Imperial Fleet will withdraw from the frontline. We'll head straight for the fortress. Recall the Sky Falcon Unit and depart immediately! Hurry!'

Under normal circumstances, I'd want to gather more information, but when dealing with monsters, time spent deliberating is wasted.

We also need to make our decisions quicker.

For that reason, I decided to leave this situation to the fleets of the Duchies.

■■■

'The fortress is in sight!'

'Confirm the positioning of enemy monsters!'

'Multiple quadrupedal monsters are confirmed inside the fortress! The Dragon Knight Corps and winged monsters are engaged in battle in the skies above the fortress! In addition, approximately ten thousand winged monsters are on standby in the rear!'

Hearing the information, I shift my gaze to the captain.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

"You're right. We'll target that standby ten thousand with the Thunderbolt. Get us on a firing line."

Our Imperial fleet was to the east of the fortress.

There were no obstructing buildings, so we could get a firing line if we wanted.

But the opportunity is only once.

Moreover, if we get too close to the fortress, we can't aim because of the fortress.

It's a challenge that can only be done here.

"You're asking for too much..."

The order to set up a firing line is simple, but the Thunderbolt can't be fired by one ship.

The accompanying ships also need to move simultaneously, and once connected, they can't move significantly.

It requires positioning while giving instructions around.

"Get the ship as close to the land side as possible! Move to a position that captures the waiting monsters!"

It's not a simple task.

Even so, I believe it can be done and gave the order.

"Prepare to fire the Thunderbolt! Make it ready to fire immediately after connection!"

"Your Excellency! There are also kingdom fleets attacking the fortress, are you aiming for the monsters!?"

"The target remains the monsters. The fleet can be handled, but the winged monsters need to be hit when they can be."

The most dangerous ones are eliminated using the most powerful attack weapon.

It's a simple story.

There are twenty-five ships in the Imperial fleet here. Four of them are escort ships.

Against this, they have thirty ships.

If we shoot the Thunderbolt, our position will be revealed.

The argument that it should be used against the fleet is understandable. That's what it was originally made for.

But in this situation, the priority is to eliminate the monsters.

"Your Excellency! We should prepare soon! We can't stay in the same place forever!"

"I know!"

With the captain's excellent positioning, the group of monsters appeared on the Thunderbolt's firing line.

I immediately gave the order.

"Caspar, Jordan, Christof, Oscar, begin the connection."

"Caspar, Jordan, Christof, Oscar! Start the connection!"

The four accompanying ships.

They all connect to the flagship Alfonso at once.

This readies us to fire the Thunderbolt.

However,

"Captain, turn the helm slightly to port."

"Roger that!"

There must be doubt.

Even so, the captain follows the instructions.

He must trust my judgment.

However, it's not a judgment.

I'm calculating the position of the enemy, the wind, and the waves with scouting magic.

This fine adjustment significantly increases the hit rate of the Thunderbolt.

"Enough magical power supply to the Thunderbolt!"

"Thunderbolt is ready to fire! All hands, brace for firing!"

The anchor is lowered, and the five ships brace for recoil.

In the meantime, I'm just looking straight ahead.

A small deviation will become a large deviation at the time of arrival.

Moreover, it's on the sea. The waves can change a lot.

So after the wave passes.

I timed the moment when the ship was stationary for just a moment.

"Fire."

"Fire the Thunderbolt!!"

A tremendous flash was fired from the bow gun with a loud explosion.

It accelerated more and more, reaching the target monster group in an instant.

A huge explosion occurred.

"The Thunderbolt has hit! The Thunderbolt has hit!"

"Disconnect. Caspar, Jordan, Christof, Oscar, fall back and deploy the Skyhawk squad. We're moving forward. Prepare to engage the enemy fleet."

While saying that, I put my hand on the commander's magical tool.

The combined fleet, which will be quite a number.

In order to deliver my voice to everyone, an adjusted magical tool for amplification.

I hold it and deliver my voice to all the soldiers on the battlefield.

"This is the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, Field Marshal Arnold Lakes Adler. Our fleet will now assist all forces opposing the monsters. Those who get in our way will be eliminated with all our might as enemies of the continent. If you have any doubts about your actions, don't interfere. We are always ready to annihilate the enemy. That's all."

TL's Notes:

Again, do you guys rather I call the "Thunderbolt" as "Raikiri" or keep it the same here according to the English version?

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