Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

CH 154

Default Dyslexic Roboto Lora

tly floating sideways slightly downstream, naturally inviting the Magrado Navy to take the opportunity to accelerate towards them.

If both sides close the distance by heading straight, it would take several changes in direction to get around to the side of the other party, but in this situation, Magrado only has to accelerate forward.
Now I’m worried about what the Federation’s admiral is planning.

「They’re getting closer to each other! 」「Naval ramming……if a ship of that size takes an attack empowered by the river current……」

Everyone gulped in anticipation for the ramming by the Magrado side and the hand-to-hand combat which would naturally follow.
But what happened next betrayed all of their expectations.

A loud roaring sound, which even echoed all the way to Port Randel located a fair distance away, sends vibrations to my stomach.

「Hyawah!」

The sound surprised Pipi, causing her to fall off my shoulders and wrap her legs around me in a hurry to save herself from hitting the ground.

「What happened!?」

「Pipi saw it! The white fleet spit out fire!」

There is some sort of smoke seeping out like mist from the sides of the Federation’s fleet.
On the other hand, the Magrado Navy is……

「Amazinnng……they look like worn-out rags.」
「What on earth happened!?」

The Magrado ships are still intent on colliding with the enemy fleet but lost speed after their masts were destroyed and their decks turned into a tattered mess.
The rowers are most likely finished too as the ships are diverted off-course weakly.
The ships are pulled along the river by the current, and eventually capsizes and sinks.

「10 ships disappeared in an instant?」「So the ships of the Federation’s fleet blow fire……?」

「Cannons, huh? ……Pipi, how many flames did you see?」

「8! There were 24 big ones!」

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A big applause to Melissa who taught her how to count.
That was only the right side, so they essentially have 16 and 48 altogether……which means that the entire fleet has close to 300 cannons in total.
Nonna……it looks like it’ll take a while to take back the Elektra name.

The soldiers looking forward to seeing both parties clash were also rendered speechless.
That showed just how impactful the scene was.

That initial attack basically determined the victors of the battle.
Another group of ships were sunk with a second volley and the separated ranks of the Federation’s fleet steered their ships around to pursue and finish off each and every escaping ship belonging to the Magrado Navy with their cannons.

「The white ships are large, yet considerably fast.」

That’s right, the Federation ships are fast.
The reason they looked sluggish was simply because the body of the ship is big, and even now, those ships are sinking the Magrado ships left and right with cannons and naval rams.
The battle has become one-sided, clearly distinguishing the hunter and the hunted.

A few Magrado ships manage to shoot their ballistae and hit the Federation ships, causing small fires, but the white fleet responds by blasting the enemy ships with cannons.

When most of the Magrado ships have disappeared to the bottom of the river, the white fleet formed into their two rows again and heads to the coast.
The place is slightly upstream from Port Randel, and it looks to be all forest until the area close to the shore from what I can see, but that seems to be where the Magrado Navy appeared from earlier.
It’s probably a hidden base or something.

The continuous roars from their cannons make me want to cover my ears as dust rises and slivers of wood gets sent flying in the air.

「What a staggering attack.
I’ve never seen anything like it.」

「Chief……my eardrums are going to burst……」

Pipi was about to cry, but when I cover her ears with my hands, she looks up and grins broadly at me.
I’ll make more of an effort to stretch Pipi’s hole today.

After a thorough cannon strike, the Federation fleet raise their anchors and head further upstream.
But then, a single ship of the Magrado Navy which appeared to be destroyed and drifting on the water started moving.
Apparently, they were just disguising themselves and took out their oars altogether to paddle together, accelerating towards the super large battleship.
Thinking they could at least get some form of retaliation, they get in extremely close so the Federation ship has no way to respond.

「Oooh! They’ll crash.」

Although they’re the enemy, I have to give some props to them for challenging the Federation ship with a single ship.
It’s fine to cheer for them a bit.

In a panic, the cannons spit out fire, but are unable to hit their target.
Then, there was a thud sound from the flank of the giant vessel as the naval ram runs into the ship’s body.

「!?」「What was that sound!?」

That wasn’t the sound of the naval ram destroying the hull.
I hear a dull sound of metal colliding with metal and the ship which did the ramming tilts over and sinks.

The giant vessel continues to progress forward slowly as if nothing happened, watching the other ship sink.

「Incredible……」

Only one person’s voice leaks out, but that was probably what everyone thought at the moment.

That ship probably installed something metal under the water’s surface.
Because the ship is so big, they probably thought as long as they protect the water surface around them, it would be a herculean task for them to be destroyed and thus sunk from the top.
But can a ship even install something metal like that……? I don’t really know.

「Such a fleet is on the eastern rivers……?」

The eastern area is a remote region to the Federation and their main enemy in the Garland Empire is to the west……in other words, it isn’t wrong to believe they have another fleet in the west several times more powerful than that one.

「I’ll have to work even harder.」

「If you work too hard, Pipi will die.
I’d like you to be satisfied with making Pipi faint already.」

I’ll pat Pipi for misunderstanding.

They must have waited until the battle was settled.
A transport ship comes towards us from the opposite shore.
Since the Magrado Navy in our area has been vanquished, there is no longer anything blocking them.

–Third Person POV–

At the same time, Rafen