Chapter 116: Crushing Victory!

The sea to the east of Idar Territory was named Merlin Bay by Bruno. This bay formed a rough "U" shape, with the coasts of the Norman Empire and the Kingdom of Basel on either side, while Idar Territory sat at the bottom of the "U."

As for why it was called Merlin Bay, only Bruno himself knew. Most likely, it was to honor the legendary figure Merlin, the great wizard who appeared in numerous novels and the tales of King Arthur from his previous life.

After setting sail from Idar's naval port, the Pioneer began its voyage southeastward.

If one were to travel from Idar's naval port to Coral Island using an ordinary sailing ship, the journey would take at least a week, with additional delays caused by monsoons and ocean currents.

However, for Idar's three-masted ships, the trip would take only three to five days, regardless of wind direction.

During this time, Idar's navy could continue practicing and familiarizing themselves with the structure and operation of the three-masted ships.

Captain Jack provided the Idar navy with detailed maps of the waters near the Kingdom of Basel, along with intelligence on the division of power among various pirate groups.

The Coral Island Pirates, led by Kelvin Plato, occupied the nearest island to Idar. With its considerable size and deep water harbor suitable for docking ships, Kelvin had made it his base of operations.

There were four major pirate factions operating in the waters of Basel, with Kelvin Plato's Coral Island Pirates ranking second in size and overall strength.

Kelvin controlled the seas stretching from south of Idar all the way to Coral Island.

In this era, maritime trade was not yet highly developed, meaning that merchant ships were relatively scarce. As a result, even the pirates themselves were struggling to make a living. They primarily relied on raiding and pillaging Basel's coastal areas to survive.

However, no matter how wealthy a place might be, endless looting would inevitably lead to its decline. Over time, even the pirates began to experience hardship.

Thus, while the pirate factions could generally coexist peacefully within their designated territories, they would sometimes clash over borders and uneven distribution of spoils due to the instability of their income.

The previous raids on Idar's Cape Salt works and the expedition to the Franz Archipelago had, in fact, been orchestrated by Kelvin Plato. These actions were part of an attempt to find new sources of profit for the Coral Island Pirates.

It was during this search for opportunities that the pirates accidentally discovered the Franz Archipelago, located to the east of Idar.

In the captain's quarters of the three-masted warship Pioneer, Captain Jack was explaining the movements of the Coral Island Pirates to Admiral Mal Cullen of the Idar Navy.

"Following Kelvin Plato's orders, the Coral Island Pirates set sail mid-month to raid the coastal areas of the Kingdom of Basel, seizing wealth and captives," Captain Jack said.

"According to tradition, this month, the responsibility falls on Foster Pearson, Kelvin's right-hand man. Each pirate captain has their own familiar routes and preferred landing spots for raiding. Based on my estimates…" Captain Jack paused and pointed at a specific location on the map of Basel's coastline.

"I suggest we ambush them along their expected route. After all, our three-masted warships are larger, faster, and stronger than any pirate vessel we can crush them head on! This will also serve as practical combat experience for our navy. Directly attacking Coral Island might be too aggressive at this stage, so a battle of moderate intensity will help train the soldiers."

Hearing Captain Jack's proposal, Admiral Mal Cullen nodded in agreement.

Indeed, with the three-masted warships, Idar's navy held a decisive advantage at sea. More importantly, each warship was armed with Idar's secret weapon the magical crystal bombs!

And not just a few a whole arsenal of them!

Bruno, having come from a previous life as a citizen of a powerful military nation, shared the common fear of insufficient firepower.

As a result, he had stuffed both warships' powder magazines full of magical crystal bombs!

At this moment, the two three-masted warships sailing on the sea were, in reality, floating behemoths of destruction.

Fortunately, in this world, at least for now, Idar was the only faction possessing magical crystal bombs. Otherwise, even with the protective measures installed in the powder magazines, Mal Cullen would have been terrified of sailing with so much explosive power on board.

The existence of magical crystal bombs had been a highly classified secret known only to Bruno, the researching mages, and a select few personnel.

Among those in the inner circle were Mal Cullen and the sailors in charge of operating the catapults. They had personally witnessed the devastating power of magical crystal bombs during testing in the Armis Mountains.

With such a powerful weapon, Mal Cullen believed that wiping out the pirates would be effortless.

"Besides…" Captain Jack added, "Foster Pearson was one of the pirate captains involved in the attack on Cape Saltworks!"

At these words, Mal Cullen's expression darkened.

Six brave men from Idar had died in that raid!

Now that Captain Jack had defected to Idar, all debts must be settled with Pearson!

Mal Cullen took a deep breath before finally speaking in a cold, firm voice:

"Then we'll go with Captain Jack's plan. We'll ambush them here and let our navy taste the thrill of a crushing victory!"

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, Foster Pearson was not having a good time.

After suffering a major defeat during the raid on Cape Saltworks, he had lost multiple skirmishes with rival pirate factions. Kelvin Prato was growing increasingly dissatisfied with his performance, and his position as second in command was now in jeopardy.

To redeem himself, Pearson needed a major victory.

This time, he had mobilized all his forces three full pirate ships, carrying nearly a hundred men.

And the sea seemed to be favoring him there were no sudden storms, no howling winds. The calm ocean gently rocked the ships as they sailed forward.

Just as Pearson was plotting his next target, a panicked pirate rushed in.

"Boss! Something's wrong! There's a pirate ship ahead!"

Pearson blinked, then kicked the pirate to the floor.

"Idiot! We are pirates! What do you mean there's a pirate ship ahead?!"

The pirate, still on the ground, stammered, "B-But Captain Pearson… t-that ship… it's huge…"

Pearson's eyes narrowed.

"Could it be… another pirate crew invading my turf?"

He stormed onto the deck, flanked by his lackeys.

There was no telescope in this era, so he could only squint into the distance.

A black flag with a skull and crossbones fluttered atop the ship's mast.

"A pirate ship…?" Pearson muttered.

But then, he noticed something strange.

"Wait… why is that ship so big?!"

Pearson suddenly realized something was off.

That ship was far larger than any pirate vessel he had ever seen in the Basel Kingdom's waters!

"That's him! Foster Pearson's pirate fleet!" Captain Jack confirmed.

"I just didn't expect him to bring his entire crew this time!"

"His entire crew?" Mal Cullen smirked.

"Good then we can wipe them all out in one go!"

"Lower the pirate flag! Raise the Idar banner!"

"Yes, sir!"

At this very moment, on the deck of the pirate ship, Pearson watched as the flag representing the Idar Territory of the Norman Empire was slowly hoisted. Rage filled his heart.

To Pearson, the humiliating defeat he suffered during his raid on Cape Saltworks was the very reason his position had become unstable!

After all, among the Coral Island pirate group, no pirate had ever been beaten so badly during a raid that they were forced to flee in utter disgrace.

What a disgrace!

Because of this, he harbored an immense hatred for the Idar people!

Damn it... I already left, and you're still chasing me all the way into Basel Kingdom's waters to make trouble for me?!

To Pearson, this was an absolute humiliation, a trampling of his dignity!

"Bastards! What are you afraid of? So what if their ship is a little bigger? We have three pirate ships! Three against one I refuse to believe we can't take them down!" Pearson roared furiously.

"Signal the other pirate ships speed up! Surround them! I refuse to believe it those Idar people might be formidable on land, but on the sea, can they really beat us? This is our territory! A few months ago, they didn't even have a single warship, and now they think they can strut around with some big ship they got from who-knows-where? Even if the Idar people are powerful on land, I refuse to believe that a bunch of landlubbers can defeat us at sea!" Pearson cursed.

"Forget the catapults! Charge straight in and engage in a boarding battle!"

Although Pearson looked down on Idar's naval capabilities, he was extremely tempted by that massive warship. If he could seize that ship for himself…

He'd be set for life!

And so, under Pearson's command, the three pirate ships charged aggressively toward the Idar warship!

The pirates, haggard but eager, sharpened their weapons as they eyed the massive three-masted warship ahead.

That ship… was huge!

But pirates weren't ones to be intimidated.

Most of the pirates on board had been fighting at sea for years, living by the blade and the tide. Now, rather than fear, excitement surged within them.

The bigger the ship, the tougher the prey and the greater the spoils after the battle!

Let those Idar people taste the might of Basel's pirates!

Many pirates had already drawn their swords, eagerly waiting for the ships to close in so they could fight a glorious boarding battle.

Even though Idar had introduced magistone bombs, ushering in an era of firearms, only the Idar Territory itself had access to such technology.

Naval combat in this era was still primitive and brutal.

Ramming ships with reinforced bows, launching attacks with catapults, and engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat after boarding were still the main strategies of maritime warfare.

But then… something strange happened.

Instead of evading or positioning defensively, the Idar warship deliberately exposed its broadside to the approaching pirates.

Pearson was stunned.

What... kind of maneuver is this? Are these Idar people truly clueless about naval warfare?

But before he could dwell on it further…

The Idar catapults were suddenly unleashed!

Without warning, dozens of projectiles rained down from the warship!

Pearson wasn't afraid of catapults after all, their accuracy was notoriously bad. If an attack hit even once or twice out of ten, that would be considered impressive.

But… something felt off.

As the projectiles hurtled closer, an uneasy feeling crept over Pearson.

Those… didn't look like stones.

And then

A magistone bomb landed directly on Pearson's pirate ship.

The pirates stared at the crystal-clear object, etched with strange markings, utterly confused.

Then

In an instant, the battlefield changed.

As the magistone pulsed with a blinding glow, an earth-shattering explosion erupted!

BOOM!

Dozens of magistone bombs detonated across the pirate fleet!

With a deafening roar like thunder, the explosions rocked the sea

The deck of Pearson's ship was blown apart!

The mast shattered completely!

Their pirate flag, once a symbol of terror, fell into the sea, carried away by the salty wind.

All across the ship, pirates lay wounded and groaning, writhing in agony from burns and shrapnel wounds.

Pearson himself, head bleeding, looked around in shock.

Splintered wood filled the air. The ship was in utter ruins.

What… the hell… was that?!