Chapter 71
"Hard to starboard! All the way!"
Captain Maurice spun the wheel with all his might. The ship turned sharply to starboard, pulling away from Mary-san's ship on our port side.
The turn was so sharp that I nearly fell over. But instead of falling, the thirty sailors aboard the Lazybones all sprang into action. They rushed into the cabins and returned moments later with swords and bows in hand.
As I endured the rocking and looked toward the Silverwing carrying Mary-san and her crew, I saw that it had also changed course and was pursuing us. By the time it caught up, however, the sailors aboard the Lazybones had already readied their bows. They were taking aim at the approaching Silverwing.
"Loose!"
At Captain Maurice's command, the arrows flew all at once. At the same time, arrows were launched from Mary-san's ship as well. The swarms of arrows formed a black cloud in the sky, then fell like rain upon both ships.
Most of the arrows fell into the sea or embedded themselves in the decks. But several found their marks among the sailors, and men on both ships fell.
Arrows rained down on me at the stern as well. But before they could hit me, Al and the others swung their swords and knocked them out of the air.
"Ray! What happened to that fancy wind magic of yours?"
Al shouted as he cut down arrows. If Ray used his wind magic, he could send our arrows farther with a tailwind and deflect incoming arrows with a crosswind.
"Not now! If I use wind magic here, I'll get in Captain Maurice's way!"
Ray gritted his teeth as he batted away arrows.
I looked toward Captain Maurice, who was gripping the wheel at the stern. While steering, he kept his eyes on Mary-san's ship, issued instructions to the sailors, and even used a magic tool to create wind.
Captain Maurice was handling several roles at once, but his maneuvering was particularly impressive. When he sensed Mary-san and her crew preparing to fire, he steered the Lazybones away from the Silverwing to evade the arrows. On the other hand, whenever he saw that we were ready to attack, he brought the ship closer so our arrows would be more likely to hit. His sailors knew exactly what to do as well, firing in perfect rhythm with Captain Maurice.
"Captain Maurice and his sailors are something else!"
"It's only to be expected."
Al was amazed, but I wasn't.
"Captain Maurice and the people of Merka Island fought the Demon King's Army for control of the Mebyum Inland Sea—and won. Their experience is on an entirely different level from that of ordinary soldiers."
"I see. If they beat those guys, then they're elite. I mean, out on the sea, they might be stronger than us, right?"
Al grimaced.
The Demon King's Army was made up of elite soldiers. An average soldier in the Demon King's Army was equivalent to two human soldiers. Captain Maurice and his men had fought that army and driven it out of the Mebyum Inland Sea. There was no way Captain Maurice and his battle-hardened subordinates could be weak.
Mary-san, meanwhile, was also maneuvering the ship to evade the arrows. She tried to keep up with Captain Maurice's handling, but her crew could not keep up.
To begin with, all the masked sailors aboard Mary-san's ship were small in stature. Their training was also lacking, and they had no coordination. They had nowhere near the battle experience of Captain Maurice's men.
"Dad, you're pretty good! Then how about this!"
Mary-san's body glowed green. The next moment, a headwind began to rage, tossing my hair about. As I held my hair down and looked up, I saw that the sails, which had been billowing grandly, had collapsed and turned inside out.
Naturally, the ship lost a great deal of speed, and we nearly fell onto the deck.
Paula-san and I supported each other, while Al and the others managed to keep from falling by bracing their feet. The sailors aboard the Lazybones did not fall, either. But the slowdown disrupted the timing of our attack. Arrows rained down from the Silverwing.
"She can use wind magic too?!"
Ray looked at Mary-san, who was gripping the wheel. The faint green glow around her was unmistakable proof that she was using magic. Like Ray, she could use magic without relying on a magic tool.
"Damn it!"
Captain Maurice cursed, spittle flying as he gripped the wheel and manipulated the wind. But no matter how much he used the orb-powered magic tool, the headwind kept blowing, and the ship would not move forward.
"She's skilled."
Ray swallowed as he glared at Mary-san. Apparently, Mary-san had the advantage when it came to controlling wind.
A magic tool could be used by anyone with magical power, like Captain Maurice, but its effect and power remained the same regardless of who used it. Mages like Ray and Mary-san, on the other hand, could freely alter the effect and power of their magic without relying on a magic tool. That difference created a significant gap.
"Romelia-sama! Over there!"
Borel pointed ahead of the Silverwing with his sword. I shifted my gaze from the stern to the bow and saw the masked sailors carrying something out at the front of the ship.
It was something like cloth tied to thin wooden poles.
"Is that... a kite?"
I narrowed my eyes. What the masked sailors were taking out resembled a kite, the sort of toy children fly in the sky. But it was enormous—taller than an adult.
"Romelia-sama, what are they trying to do?"
Borel asked, but I couldn't understand why they would bring a kite onto a battlefield either.
The masked sailors spread the enormous kite across the bow. The rectangular kite caught the wind and billowed out. Its shape resembled a ship's sail.
"No way!"
I gasped in surprise. The masked sailors released the enormous kite. It caught the wind and soared into the open sky.
Long ropes were attached to both ends of the kite. They were firmly tied to the Silverwing's bow, pulling on the hull. The force of the kite's pull must have been tremendous, because the hull creaked loudly.
Pulled by the kite, the Silverwing began to pick up speed. No, that wasn't all. The enormous ship began to rise into the air.