Read Novel Full Chapter 405 – The Beginning of the Battle
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Chapter 405 – The Beginning of the Battle
An hour and a bit after the magic airship started to sail, there was a response on the magic passive radar.
“Kosuke-san, the passive radar detected a magical energy reaction in the air at the ten o’clock direction that did not come from the dragon riders. The size of the magic is about half the size of a wyvern.”
“How many?”
“Let’s see, thirteen… or maybe fifteen. The size of the magic varies, and it’s a little hard to be exact. The distance is about 15 kilometers.”
“We need to improve the accuracy of the magic passive radar… Darko, this is Kosuke, over.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“The ship’s passive radar has detected some kind of magical reaction. There are about fifteen of them in the air, and their magic power is about half that of a wyvern. They appear to be a group of flying biters. Contact the dragon riders.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Hearing Darko’s response, I activated the magical conduit installed on the bridge to broadcast to the entire ship.
“We have detected what appear to be flying biters in the 10 o’clock direction at a distance of about 15 kilometers. The number is approximately 15. All hands, assume Type 3 Battle Positions.”
The “Type 3 combat position” means that the ship is to be ready to intercept at any time upon notification. More specifically, those not on duty should wear combat gear and be ready to grab a weapon and fight at any time. Type 2 combat positions mean that all combatants are actually at their posts with weapons in hand, and Type 1 combat positions mean that they are ready to use their weapons at any time to launch an intercept. This is the way we do it at the moment, but we will probably change it if any problems arise in the future. After all, we have no experience in operating a magic airship, so we are still exploring everything by hand.
“How do you plan to do it?”
“The decision on the battle has been left to the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom. We’ll wait for their decision.”
A few minutes after I told Isla. I received a call from Darko.
“Captain, they want to make contact and check the coordination.”
“Understood. Then, as agreed, the dragon riders will hook the swarm, and the first shot will be a lightning cannon.”
“Aye, aye, sir, I will tell them.”
“Maintain altitude and speed. Continue on a ten o’clock course. All hands, type 2 battle positions.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
The mage acting as helmsman responds to my command and turns the wheel. Now, at a distance of 15 km, we’ll soon be in close contact. In my case, all I have to do is select a loaded weapon from a shortcut, no combat preparation, and it’s over in an instant. In a sense, I’m always in a Type 1 combat position.
“What about me?”
“Isla stays here. We have different ranges to deal with any unforeseen problems with the magic airship itself.”
“Mm….. It can’t be helped.”
In fact, this magic airship is like a collection of advanced magical equipment, so if something unforeseen happens, such as damage that causes some kind of malfunction, Isla will be able to react faster than I can. I have learned a little about magic and magical equipment from Isla and Iphrita, but I am still a novice in this area. I can give Isla and the others useful advice based on my knowledge of Earth and various games, but as far as the depth of my knowledge is concerned, I’m still at the fingertip level. I’m not even ankle-deep.
“Well, I don’t go out unless there’s something serious going on. Fifteen or so fish won’t be enough.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
In the Sorel Mountains, there were times when we fought more than twenty wyverns at a time. There is no need to worry about the flying biters.
“But you can never be sure. Flying biters are a lesser monster than wyverns, but they are not wyverns.”
“That’s true. Let’s be on our guard.”
Just because they are less of a threat than wyverns does not mean that they are easier for us to deal with or for this magic airship to handle. They may be faster than wyverns, and the shots of our riflemen may not be able to hit them.
“The dragon riders ahead of us and a group of monsters that appear to be flying biters are coming into contact. They are approaching the ship.”
“All hands, take position 1. Lightning cannon crews, be careful not to hit the dragon riders. Priority should be given to avoiding misfires on allies rather than engulfing a large number of enemies.”
Instructions are sent throughout the ship via the magical transmission tube. Incidentally, when the Type 2 battle position is issued, non-combatants are to evacuate to their cabins. The military officers observing the battle are… apparently almost all fully armed and remain on deck. Well, they’re on board to watch the battle, so it’s no surprise.
“I can see them.”
“Really? You have a good eye…”
I heard Isla mutter as she looked towards the front of the ship, and I took a telescope from my inventory and held it up. It was a long and narrow single-lens mirror. For some reason, I thought this would give a more fantastical atmosphere. By the way, I had already made binoculars.
“Oh, there they are! Helmsman, take the helm. Turn port to face the approaching swarm of monsters.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
The lightning cannons are on the bow and on the port and starboard sides of the ship, so there is more firepower if the ship is turned to either side rather than straight ahead. Hmm, I knew that. When we think about attack capability, it would be better to have three or four lightning cannons on the bow to increase the firepower against the front. If the firing direction is fixed to the front, there is no need for an operator, and if the magical power for firing is provided by a magic sparkling stone furnace, there is no need for a loader. Unlike gunpowder cannons, there is no need to consider recoil. I will submit this as a proposal for renovation when we return to our country.
In fact, I thought the same thing when we fought the wyverns in the Sorel Mountains. But I didn’t have time to refit it then, so I left it as it was. This ship is a messy, hastily built piece of equipment. It can’t be helped that there are rough edges in various places. As for the placement of the cannons, I was too influenced by the idea of a sailing ship having cannons on both sides of the ship. I must reflect on that.
“Contact will be made shortly.”
“Be careful not to misfire on friendly forces. All weapons are authorized.”
At this point, there is nothing more I can do. The best I can do is to go out and join them if the battle on deck goes badly. The rest of the battle will be led by Ted and Darko on the spot.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the port side of the magic airship is filled with a bluish-white light. The two-port cannons and one cannon on the bow of the ship had demonstrated their power. A number of black, elongated shadows, which appeared to be flying biters, could be seen in free fall. They may have been hit by a direct hit from the lightning cannon, or they may have been paralyzed without a direct hit, or they may have been stunned by the sound and light… In any case, if they freefall from that height and hit the ground, they will not escape death. As far as I can see, the dragon riders were not harmed.
Then, a series of magic rifle shots rang out, slightly quieter than the sound of thunder from the lightning cannon, and the remaining flying biters that had been flying aimlessly exploded into bloody flowers in the air before crashing down. The target is smaller than a wyvern, but it is a good target for our magic riflemen as long as they fly dizzily under the influence of the lightning cannon. The lightning cannon is not only powerful but also has the effect of temporarily depriving the enemy of sight and hearing even without a direct hit, so it has a high synergy with the magic rifle.
“The magical reactions of the flying biters are gone. They have been annihilated.”
“Copy that. All personnel, abort Type 1 battle positions. Stand by in Type 2 battle positions until the threat has been eliminated.”
Anyway, the initial assessment of the situation was okay. After the dragon riders confirm the safety of the surrounding area, we’ll continue our march.