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Chapter 10: First Battle

The gathered forces numbered five thousand ships.

Even though we possessed a total fleet of eight thousand ships, many were unable to move due to maintenance and various other issues.

However, with this many ships, there should be no problem.

On the bridge of the space battleship, I was lounging in a specially prepared chair.

The bridge was spacious, with over a hundred people working busily.

As this was also the flagship I was aboard, there were more people than on a normal battleship.

While observing the people working,

"When is the departure?"

The military men exuded a tense atmosphere, but they were deferential towards me, a noble.

This was the normal scene in the Empire.

"We are currently preparing. My Lord, are you truly alright with this?"

To the commander who came to confirm, I cut him off by saying, "You're being bothersome."

This is just a mop-up operation.

Victory is a given.

I grinned to myself.

I couldn't wait for the treasure the pirates had hoarded.

"More importantly, I hear they've been saving it up, haven't they?"

The military men exchanged glances.

"Y-Yes, it seems so."

"What will they use it for after they get it— I'm already looking forward to it."

Those around me looked exasperated at my laughter.

The Goaz Pirates.

A particularly large pirate ship was Goaz's flagship.

It was a space battleship used by a country they had destroyed, and since Goaz liked it for its size, he was using it.

After modifications, little of its original appearance remained.

Goaz, who received a report on the bridge, placed a hand on his forehead and laughed.

"They're coming out? Well, well, a brat thinks he can fight."

The pirates around him also laughed.

The Goaz Pirates had never lost before.

They didn't think a frontier Count's family, with few forces and no knights, could be an enemy.

"I suppose I'll acknowledge their spirit. Hey, tell everyone that the reward will be doubled if they capture him alive. This time, I'll play with that brat as my toy."

The副官 (fukukan - adjutant/second-in-command) smiled.

"Captain, you really like that sort of thing."

"It's fun to deal with brats like this once in a while. After it's over, I'll toy with the defenseless civilians."

Goaz was depraved to the core.

He was a man who had taken countless lives over several decades.

All of this was because of the golden box he obtained—the [Alchemy Box].

Simply put, it was a tool that could create gold from trash, as long as it wasn't a living creature.

It was made with a technology that was already lost, and could never be recreated.

Besides gold, it could also produce mithril or adamantium.

It was truly a dream-like tool.

"Now then, let's teach this ignorant brat what a real war is."

The pirates already considered themselves victorious.

And for good reason.

The difference in strength was six to one.

They could win just by clashing head-on, without needing to devise any elaborate strategies.

It was a few days after leaving the territory that we faced the pirates.

I listened to the commander giving orders while sitting in my chair.

More importantly, I want you to listen.

The chair I'm sitting in is too high-performance and scary.

My back doesn't hurt even when I sit for a long time.

It's comfortable enough to sleep in.

When I close my eyes, I feel drowsy.

What have we been doing for the past few days? Adjusting formations, changing positions, and so on.

Leave it to the military men; I'm just watching.

However, even though I'm watching without interfering, the battle doesn't seem to be starting.

I could understand by watching that we were at a disadvantage from before the fight even began due to our smaller numbers.

I asked a nearby soldier for information.

"When will it start?"

"My Lord, it has already begun. At this scale, we cannot afford to clash recklessly. However— they have overwhelmingly superior numbers, so we are currently at a disadvantage."

"I can't see the enemy."

"In space, the distance at which you can see the enemy is quite close."

"That's right, I think I learned that."

I vaguely remembered studying it in the education capsule, but I had forgotten because I hadn't received proper military training.

Still, the soldier beside me wasn't trying to flatter me.

Even if they flattered me, I'd acknowledge their honesty.

They are working for me, so I'll acknowledge that.

It seems they are adjusting their positions, closing the distance, and timing their moves.

Fighting involves checking radars and instruments, which is normal.

Still, how many days will this standoff take?

The commander muttered.

"At that scale, it's not surprising they have staff officers."

He looked frustrated, as if the pirates were surprisingly well-organized.

I spoke to the soldier next to me.

He seemed to have been in the Imperial Army.

"Is the battlefield always like this?"

"It's not typical. The commander is also debating the timing of the attack."

We slowly closed the distance, changed formations—

We weren't within visual range, but we confirmed each other's presence.

Then, an operator shouted.

"Communication disruption! The enemy is coming from directly above the fleet! Number of ships, five hundred!"

After the communication became noisy, it seemed that about five hundred pirate ships were attacking from directly above the fleet.

The commander issued an order.

"They're attacking first. Prepare for interception! Don't take your eyes off the main enemy fleet!"

My fleet, moving swiftly, turned its bows upward to intercept the attacking pirates.

The commander wore a grim expression.

I asked the soldier next to me.

"Isn't dispersing our forces bad?"

"It's a tactic to break our formation. No matter how quickly we intercept, it creates an opening for them."

"Why don't the enemy just charge with full force from the beginning?"

As I complained, the soldier, perhaps noticing something while looking at the enemy, made a frustrated face.

"My Lord, those are not pirates. Well, they are pirates, but— they are people who surrendered to the pirates. They are soldiers from another country."

Since they weren't from the Imperial Army, they were likely ships from another interstellar nation.

Those are the ones attacking.

I somehow understood.

"They made defectors attack— and if they can cause communication disruptions, why didn't they do it from the start?"

"If they did, it would also cause problems with their own communications. You can think of it as something they do at a crucial moment."

If they can't communicate, they can't issue orders— that's very troublesome.

Still, the ones who attacked were expendable to the pirates, weren't they?

As the attacking pirates launched their assault, we fired back to intercept them.

Beams, lasers, they were firing anything and everything.

Flashes ran through the dark space, making it look a little beautiful.

Goaz was clapping his hands on the bridge.

"The brat isn't bad. Or perhaps his subordinates are excellent?"

Although five hundred of his allies were repelled, Goaz didn't care.

He had overwhelming superiority, and furthermore, they were forces he wouldn't miss if lost.

The副官 also wore a confident smile.

"Captain, the enemy must be in disarray. It's time to attack."

Goaz nodded at the副官's words, judging that the Banfield family's fleet was in disarray due to the communication disruption.

The pirates, who had closed the distance while their five hundred expendables were fighting.

Goaz shouted with a valiant voice.

"Men, charge! Teach these disorganized fools the pirate way!"

The pirates charged all at once.

Their formation was disrupted, but they didn't care.

Because they thought the enemy was in disarray.

However, what awaited the charging pirates were traps—mines.

Several dozen pirate ships at the front were caught in explosions, and more explosions followed.

"They're pulling such petty tricks."

They must have scattered them while we were facing each other.

But the damage was still minimal.

The副官 was unfazed.

"They're doing a bit better than expected."

Goaz laughed.

"It's more interesting when they put up some resistance. Minor losses are—"

Immediately after, the vanguard was hit by enemy fire and exploded.

"—Huh?"

Goaz raised an eyebrow and looked at the副官 to see what was happening, but the副官, though slightly flustered, quickly replied.

"It seems they have a highly trained fleet. The quality of their equipment is also not bad."

Goaz clicked his tongue.

He couldn't grasp the enemy's situation due to the communication disruption, but it seemed they had destroyed the fleet that charged recklessly and were waiting in formation.

"They're good. But so what?"

Still, the numbers were different.

As the pirates also began their attack, they fired at each other.

The leading group fought fiercely.

However, the attacks did not reach Goaz.

Defense—escort ships deployed energy shields to protect the battleships, guarding their surroundings.

They had nothing to fear from the enemy's attacks.

"Push forward! We have the advantage in numbers. Overwhelm them with numbers!"

The resistance was only slightly fierce.

That was Goaz's perception.

In reality, the distance to the Banfield family's fleet was shrinking.

The副官 predicted the enemy's movements.

"For a typical noble's private fleet, it wouldn't be strange to flee at this point. It would be easier if some ships engaged in front-line desertion."

If one ship fled, the others would follow, and the fleet would become unsustainable.

It was easier to chase fleeing enemies, so the副官 wished for that.

"Since they aren't fleeing, it's more engaging. Hit them thoroughly as you wish."

"Understood, Captain."

Noble fleets with low training often had ships that fled when at a disadvantage.

It was simply due to a lack of training.

The Banfield family, fighting as a cohesive unit, appeared to be holding on.

The pirates charged.

The two of them noticed something was wrong when the fierce exchange of fire continued for so long.

Goaz stood up from his chair.

"—What is it?"

The scene displayed on the monitor was the enemy fleet captured at maximum magnification.

What was visible was an enemy that maintained its formation—and was not fleeing.

However, from their appearance, they did not seem to have lost their will to fight.

The副官 was also surprised.

"They're not retreating? No, they're actually moving forward— this distance!"

Goaz shouted at the surprised副官.

"Deploy the Mobile Knights! All bodyguards too!"

The distance had shrunk to a range where they could engage in combat using humanoid mechs.

Furthermore, the enemy had already deployed their Mobile Knights and were attacking the leading group.

"This brat has some backbone. I'll capture him and make him my toy."

Goaz was irritated with Liam for the first time.

On the bridge, the captain near the commander was issuing orders one after another.

Staff officers were also confirming the battle situation and issuing orders.

In any case, it was quite hectic.

A soldier—the man who had been dealing with Liam—turned his gaze to a chair that no one was occupying.

"He's actually going out."

—He was bewildered.

He had been assigned to the flagship to deal with Liam, but Liam had declared he would ride a Mobile Knight and sortie.

He had ordered the commander to charge and was now on the battlefield.

Therefore, the commander and all the staff officers were extremely busy.

"Deploy the Mobile Knights forward! Don't let them kill our Lord!"

"They're breaking through the escort and charging!"

"What are you doing!"

Due to Liam's charge, the bridge was in a state of panic.

The soldier looked up at the giant monitor and watched Avido, who was displayed there.

"Is this what a knight is?"

A special existence called a knight, different from a soldier.

Simply put, their abilities were exceptionally high.

This was the result of physical enhancement and education from a young age, making them no match for regular soldiers.

Even when piloting the same Mobile Knight, their movements were different.

In a normal fight, there was such a difference in ability that regular soldiers could only surround and defeat them.

Avido, displayed on the monitor, held a bazooka in his left hand and a blade gripped tightly in his right.

He sliced through an approaching pirate Mobile Knight with his blade, then destroyed a pirate ship with his bazooka.

He threw away the depleted bazooka and reached into a magic circle that appeared near his left hand to retrieve a weapon.

He stored a large number of weapons using spatial magic.

He was rampaging with them.

Liam's voice, mixed with static, could be heard.

"Hahaha, try and stop me!"

Watching Liam unhesitatingly defeat enemies and sink pirate ships, the soldier wiped the sweat trickling down his cheek.

"How can such a child be raised like this?"

Liam, who had not yet reached adulthood, was still considered a child by the world's standards.

Such a child was happily fighting the pirates.

Then, the commander, having finished giving orders, approached the soldier.

"Are you scared?"

"C-Commander. No, I am not!"

To the soldier who straightened his back, the commander said, "Don't worry," and sat down in his own chair.

"—If that person hadn't been born a noble, could they have been a normal child? It's truly pitiful."

"Pitiful, you say?"

The commander nodded.

"Abandoned by their parents at a young age, they were saddled with a depleted frontier territory. They somehow managed to develop it, and now they're fighting pirates like this. Honestly, I wish I knew how such a child could be raised."

The commander's complaint was, "I wish my children would learn from our Lord."

The former Imperial Army soldiers who were assigned to Liam's territory.

They—many of them were stubborn and inflexible.

Too serious, so they were demoted.

Too excellent, so they were demoted.

Refused bribes, so they were demoted.

In any case, many of the people gathered were serious individuals.

The reason was that the guide had gathered people who were the opposite of Liam—who aimed to be a corrupt lord.

From their perspective, Liam the lord was—

"I was expelled from the army and spent time thinking about life— but look at me now. I never thought I'd find a lord to serve here."

The soldier nodded.

"Yes. I believe he is a true wise ruler."

His figure, fighting at the forefront.

He should have been in the rear, but his appearance inspired the soldiers.

It was inefficient for the top to lead the charge.

However, making people believe that they could win by following this person was very important.

Liam, without realizing it, had shown that in a clear way.

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