Episode 207 Crusade of the Abyss – Strait Breakthrough (2)
Brest, the western French military port.
As soon as we received the news, we quickly departed from Lumière and arrived at the military port of Brest, where we were greatly surprised.
The port of Brest was so crowded with the fleet of the Eastern Empire that there was no space left.
There are at least 5 ships of a size that are comparable to our largest warship, the Libre. In addition, there are about 30 ships that appear to be ships of the line, and there are countless frigates.
The first thing was that I was shocked by its enormous size…
Christine scanned the ships in port with her eyes and said one thing.
“…The damage doesn’t seem to be small, but we managed to meet the deadline and made it this far.”
Many of the ships still have traces showing that they were broken and damaged in some way and were repaired using first aid.
The second thing that surprised us was that it somehow arrived on time even in that condition.
“I heard there are frequent storms in the waters off the Southern Continent, but you managed to arrive safely in those conditions.”
I’ll have to get a report from the person in charge to know exactly how to avoid it, but it will take some time to repair the ships.
By the way, does the fact that the figurehead looks like a colorful turtle head symbolize their Hyeonmu or something?
As I was thinking that, I heard a very grumpy voice next to me.
“Hmm, this is it. It looks amazing. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Governor Talleyrand….”
“Isn’t this a bit too much for the heads of two counties to almost kidnap the governor in the wee hours of the morning and bring him back? Hmm…”
“I’m sorry about that. However, since there are few people in the country who can properly interpret their language…”
They may have brought an interpreter because their destination was us, but considering the precedents of Grand Duke Elcyon and Konstantinov, it is difficult to fully trust the interpreter. It is difficult.
Even if it is a diplomatic investigation, it may be possible, but if there is a difference between what they said and what we received during military cooperation, it is clear that the result will be catastrophic.
Talleyrand yawned lazily and said with a grin.
“So you owe me this?”
“…If it is a light compensation for me personally and not at the level of the Central Party….”
“It doesn’t make much sense…”
Talleyrand stretched and then added with a chuckle.
“Well, let’s leave it at that for now. “Do you know that this is all for the sake of the friendly relationship between the Marquis and the Revolutionary Party?”
“Oh yes…”
Anyway, speak well.
* * *
The admiral I faced was a middle-aged man of similar height to me, with a long black beard and a dignified appearance.
He wears a red uniform that is completely different from ours, a bow on his back, and a long sword on his waist… It’s
surprising that he’s a human and not an elf, but he certainly looks extraordinary.
They say they come from the Far East, and they look quite different from the humans in the central continent.
When I faced the man who seemed to have been sculpted with a combination of strictness and solemn seriousness, he rolled his eyes and grinned.
uh. It’s a little different than I thought. It’s a surprisingly friendly attitude.
“Nice to meet you. “My name is Lee, and he is in command of the Xuanwu Fleet.”
…He even spoke in the common language of the Central Continent, which was understandable even though the pronunciation was a bit strange.
How do you know this? I heard you were serving as an admiral in the Far East?
“It is an honor to meet you. I have heard of Admiral Lee’s reputation. This is Pierre de Lafayette, commander-in-chief of the French Revolutionary Army. By the way, I’m surprised you know the official language. ”
Admiral Lee shook my hand and answered simply.
“We had to carry out a joint operation, but if there was a communication problem, there would be problems, so I studied while taking the long sea route. “It is still somewhat lacking, so please understand.”
…Damn, maybe I should have studied their language too.
It’s embarrassing…
Still, Admiral Lee, who treats us with the utmost respect, completely broke the prejudice I had about the Eastern Empire thanks to Grand Duke Elcyon.
This person must be trustworthy, seeing as he was able to properly build a fleet on that long sea route, meet an unexpected schedule, and pay attention to cooperation, even learning our language.
Could it be that he is the one who saved the fleet against the Abyss Corporation?
“That’s amazing. “I am in charge of the Army, but please take care of me.”
As I stepped aside and Christine, dressed as an admiral, stepped forward, Admiral Lee caught my eye.
“This is Admiral Christine Daquitaine-Lafayette of the French Navy. It’s a pleasure to work with Admiral Lee. Please take care of me.”
Admiral Lee looked at Christine’s outstretched hand for a moment, but then responded by shaking her hand firmly.
“Nice to meet you. This is Admiral Lee of the Hyeonmu Fleet. “The fate of the naval forces of both countries depends on us, so we will spare no effort in providing all possible cooperation.”
“yes. We will have to discuss the details separately. In particular, many of the ships in the Hyeonmu Fleet appear to be in need of repairs, so we will provide active support for that first.”
“I was worried about that even if you didn’t, but I feel relieved that you came forward and told me about it.”
Admiral Lee, who exchanged words with Christine with a smile, turned his gaze to Talleyrand.
Talleyrand spoke in their language, and Admiral Lee looked a little surprised, but soon exchanged warm greetings.
I don’t know what they say, but seeing as the atmosphere is good, it’s not bad. At least, I am confident that this person will be easier to deal with than Grand Duke Elsion.
Admiral Lee then stepped aside.
Only then were we able to see the person we had been unable to see due to Admiral Lee’s presence and appearance.
A man dressed in blue robes who looked more like a wizard than a sailor, completely different from Admiral Lee’s red uniform.
Looking at the silhouette, she looks like a woman, but is she a lieutenant?
As she was thinking that, she took off the hood she was wearing and her long blonde hair fell down like a waterfall, revealing her long ears.
“Oh…”
It’s such a beautiful sight that it catches Talleyrand’s attention to the point where he lets out an exclamation without realizing it.
No, wait, you’re a married man.
I need to come to my senses too. It’s scary what kind of expression Christine next to me is making.
More like an elf?
When she opened her mouth, an unintelligible but relaxed and soft tone of language flowed out, which Admiral Lee interpreted.
“This is Admiral Lindsay of the Blue Dragon Fleet.”
Oh, Blue Dragon Fleet?
It was said that the Las Company’s main fleet was defeated in a close battle and the remaining fleet joined the Hyeonmu fleet. Was the admiral still alive?
First of all, the size of the fleet was large, and since Lindsay was an elf, she would be Admiral Lee’s superior, but naturally, Admiral Lee was put in front, so I didn’t even think about it.
The two’s expressions don’t look bad, considering that they lost command because the fleet suffered damage equivalent to virtually annihilation.
When Lindsay said more, Admiral Lee spoke again.
“After the Blue Dragon Fleet suffered heavy damage, Admiral Lindsay transferred command and remaining ships to the Hyeonmu Fleet and is supporting me. As a powerful celestial wizard, he can control the climate, which helped him overcome the storm and reach this place. “They say they are happy to be a part of this operation.”
…Celestial Wizard?
Control what?
As I was feeling a little dazed, Lindsay smiled and leisurely walked over to me and shook my hand.
For some reason, the mysterious green eyes do not seem to be looking down on me like Grand Duke Elsion.
…Was Grand Duke Elsion strange or was this one unique?
As I shook her hand, Lindsay opened her mouth again and Admiral Lee translated.
“He is a high-ranking noble of the empire, but he is willing to cooperate in every way to win the war, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“It is an honor, Admiral Lindsay. This is Pierre de Lafayette, commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army. “We will actively cooperate for the victory of the Allied Forces and the Eastern Empire.”
After hearing my words from Admiral Lee, Lindsay smiled softly and nodded, then shook hands with Christine and exchanged greetings.
I glanced away and whispered to Talleyrand.
“So what is it actually?”
“The leader said that he was an elf and that he was disloyal to the tsar because he didn’t cooperate with his pride, so he said that he could do everything he wanted, confident that he would do everything he could.”
…oh.
Rather, Admiral Lee took Admiral Lindsay’s prestige into consideration and eased it?
Is this really amazing?
I never thought there would be such a normal person among the arrogant elves of the Eastern Empire.
Even though they were defeated by the Abyss Corporation, it was a defeat against the main fleet of Ras Corporation, and even after that, they saved the remaining fleet to join the Hyeonmu Fleet and showed that level of deployment…
Although I am skeptical about the heavenly magic that controls the climate. I have already seen the Storm Witch with my own eyes.
In fact, it would be something to look forward to if the fleet was able to survive that long journey.
To be honest, I had no expectations at all from the Eastern Empire, but the admirals who came were very pleasant.
While I was thinking that, Lindsay finished greeting Christine and then Talleyrand.
And then, out of nowhere, the beautiful blond-haired, green-eyed elf took out a bottle from her bosom, opened the lid, and started drinking straight from it.
…Wasn’t that the vodka or something that the Eastern Empire delegation enjoyed drinking?
An insanely strong drink…
Lindsay gulped it down from the bottle and said something with a cheerful face, and Admiral Lee relayed it to her.
“Then, since we met like this, he wants to hold a drinking party to promote friendship.”
….
Withdrawal of message.
After all, there are no normal elves in the Eastern Empire.
* * *
The first encounter between the two admirals of the Eastern Empire ended in an unprecedented situation in which the governor of Francia, the commander-in-chief of the army, and the admiral of the navy were defeated by Lindsay’s offer of infinite vodka.
Admiral Lee was also from the Eastern Empire, and although he spoke with Lindsay, he continued to work fine the next day, but Christine and I honestly thought he was going to die.
Thanks to this, we were able to have full-scale practical discussions only in the afternoon of the next day, and all dry docks and shipyards in Franzia put on hold all their work and focused on repairing the Eastern Empire’s fleet.
Fortunately, Christine anticipated this situation in advance and made some preparations in advance, but contrary to my concerns, it is said that repairs to the Eastern Empire’s fleet will be completed within a month.
Rather, our craftsmen who came to inspect the Eastern Empire’s fleet were surprised.
Their flagship and main ships were ironclad ships whose defenses were further strengthened by adding iron plates to the hulls of ships of the line, and among the frigates were rocket ships that fired the rockets seen at Iberica, making them a fleet of technologically advanced ships that were clearly more advanced than those of the Franzia.
Moreover, the craftsmen say that if it had traveled such a long distance and passed through stormy waters, it should have been in much worse condition than it was.
Maybe the heavenly wizard who controls the climate is more powerful than I thought.
Well, it is no wonder that the high-ranking nobles of the Eastern Empire who live for a long time are powerful magicians.
…That’s the problem because the elf is drinking vodka in broad daylight with a fine face next to me and Christine, who are suffering from a headache from a hangover.
No, I brought a lot of vodka with me on that long journey.
I was so dumbfounded that when I asked the question, not only Lindsay but even Admiral Lee responded with a straight face and an expression of incomprehension.
“It is necessary to soothe the pain of the wounded, boost the morale of subordinates, motivate or give rewards, but how do you sail without alcohol?”
Even the reason they did not suffer from food shortages during that long voyage was a masterpiece.
They have installed magical refrigeration facilities on each major ship just to enjoy vodka, and of course this is a great help in long-term food preservation.
As if that wasn’t enough, every time we docked at a port, Lindsay would give us some rain and give us a few bottles of vodka, and the locals, who had become so friendly as if we had known each other for 10 years, would generously sell us food.
“…I feel like a fool for managing supplies with my head wrapped around me every time I sail…”
I responded with a laugh to Christine’s lament.
“…Let’s learn about their magic refrigeration facility and introduce it to ourselves.”
…I didn’t know alcohol could be so versatile.
Anyway, the last card arrived.
The only problem now is to break through that narrow but infinitely distant strait.
