I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution

Chapter 207: Abyssal Holy War - Strait Breakthrough (2)

Episode 207. Abyssal Holy War – Channel Breakthrough (2)

The naval port of Brest, western Francia.

We had departed from Lumiere as soon as we received the news, and upon arriving at the naval port of Brest, we were greatly surprised.

The port of Brest was so packed with the Eastern Empire’s fleet that there was no space left.

I could see at least five warships that would not be outmatched even by our largest warship, the Libre. Besides those, there were over thirty ships that appeared to be ships-of-the-line, and countless other frigates.

The first surprise was our astonishment at the sheer scale of it all…….

Christine’s eyes swept over the docked warships before she made a remark.

“……The damage doesn’t seem light, but they still managed to make it here on time.”

A great number of the warships bore the clear marks of having undergone emergency repairs, showing they had been patched up somehow after being broken and battered here and there.

The fact that they had still managed to arrive on schedule in such a state was the second thing that surprised us.“I heard that storms are frequent in the seas near the southern continent. It’s a wonder they arrived safely in that condition.”

We would have to get a report from the responsible party to know the exact extent of the damage, but it seemed repairing the warships would take some time.

Putting that aside, I wondered if the ornate turtle-head-shaped figurehead on their bows was a representation of their Hyunmu or something of the sort.

As I was thinking this, a very bored voice spoke up from beside me.

“Hmm, my. It seems to be quite a sight. To be honest, I can’t really tell.”

“President Talleyrand……”

“For the leaders of two armies to practically kidnap the President at the crack of dawn and drag him here, isn’t this a bit much? Yawn……”

“I apologize for that. But we have few people in the country who can properly interpret their language……”

Since their destination was here, they probably brought an interpreter, but considering the precedents of Archduke Elcyon and Konstantinov, it would be difficult to trust that interpretation completely.

Diplomatic rhetoric could be excused, but if there was a discrepancy between what they said and what we were told during military cooperation, the result would surely be disastrous.

Talleyrand yawned languidly, then grinned and spoke.

“So you owe me one for this, right?”

“……Not on the Central Party’s level, but if you’re talking about a light personal compensation……”

“That doesn’t sound like a very good deal……”

Talleyrand stretched his arms wide, then chuckled and added.

“Well, I’ll let it slide for now. You know this is all for the sake of the amicable relationship between the Marquis and the Revolutionary Party, right?”

“Ah, yes……”

He’s a smooth talker, that one.

*

The admiral I faced was a middle-aged man of dignified stature, about my height, with a long, black beard.

He wore a red uniform completely different from ours, with a bow slung on his back and a longsword at his waist…….

It was surprising that he was a human and not an elf, but he certainly looked extraordinary.

They said he was from the Far East, and his features were quite different from those of the humans of the Central Continent.

As I faced the man, who looked as if he were sculpted from the very essence of strictness, gravity, and seriousness, he broke into a grin, his eyes crinkling.

Huh. That’s a little different from what I expected. His attitude was surprisingly friendly.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Lee, in command of the Hyunmu Fleet.”

……What’s more, he spoke the common tongue of the Central Continent, which I could understand perfectly despite a slight accent.

How did he know it? He said he was an admiral in the Far East.

“It is an honor to meet you. I have heard much of your fame, Admiral Lee. I am Pierre de Lafayette, Commander-in-Chief of the Francia Revolutionary Army. By the way, I’m surprised you know the common tongue.”

Admiral Lee shook my hand and replied simply.

“There would be problems if communication were hindered while conducting a joint operation, so I studied on the long journey over. I am still somewhat lacking, so I ask for your generous understanding.”

……Damn it, maybe I should have studied their language as well.

How embarrassing…….

Still, Admiral Lee’s extremely respectful attitude completely shattered the prejudice I had developed against the Eastern Empire thanks to Archduke Elcyon.

Seeing him manage his fleet over such a long sea journey, meet a schedule I hadn’t even expected, and even take the trouble to learn our language for the sake of cooperation, I felt this man was trustworthy.

He was truly the man who had protected his fleet against Abyss Corporation.

“That is remarkable. I am in charge of the army, but I look forward to working with you.”

As I stepped aside and Christine, in her admiral’s uniform, stepped forward, a glint appeared in Admiral Lee’s eyes.

“I am Christine Aquitaine-Lafayette, Admiral of the Navy of Francia. I am pleased to be cooperating with you, Admiral Lee. I look forward to working with you.”

Admiral Lee glanced at Christine’s outstretched hand for a moment, but then shook it firmly and replied.

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Admiral Lee of the Hyunmu Fleet. The fate of both our nations’ navies rests on us, so I will not spare any possible cooperation.”

“Yes. We’ll have to discuss the details separately. In particular, it seems a considerable number of the Hyunmu Fleet’s warships require repairs, so we will begin by actively supporting that.”

“I was worried about that very point, so I’m relieved you’ve brought it up first.”

After exchanging words with a smiling Christine, Admiral Lee turned his gaze to Talleyrand.

Talleyrand addressed him in their language, and Admiral Lee, though he looked a little surprised, soon exchanged friendly greetings.

I didn’t know what they were saying, but the atmosphere was good, so it couldn’t be bad. I was certain that this man would at least be easier to deal with than Archduke Elcyon.

After that, Admiral Lee stepped aside.

Only then could we see the person who had been obscured by Admiral Lee’s presence and stature.

A person dressed in a blue robe, completely different from Admiral Lee’s red uniform, looking more like a magician than a naval officer.

From the silhouette, it was a woman. Was she an adjutant?

As I was thinking that, she removed the hood she was wearing, and long, blonde hair cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing long, pointed ears.

“Oh……”

Her beauty was so captivating that even Talleyrand let out an involuntary sound of admiration.

Wait a minute, you’re a married man.

I needed to get a grip, too. I was afraid to see what kind of expression Christine was making beside me.

More importantly, an elf?

When she opened her mouth, a language I couldn’t understand flowed out in a relaxed and gentle tone, and Admiral Lee translated.

“This is Admiral Lindsay of the Cheongryong Fleet.”

Huh, the Cheongryong Fleet?

They had engaged Wrath Company’s main fleet, were defeated, and their remaining fleet was said to have merged with the Hyunmu Fleet. The admiral was still alive?

Given the size of the fleet and the fact that Lindsay was an elf, she should have been Admiral Lee’s superior, but he had so naturally taken the lead that I hadn’t even considered it.

To think she had lost her command authority because the fleet had been practically annihilated, their expressions didn’t seem bad.

Lindsay said something more, and Admiral Lee spoke again.

“After the Cheongryong Fleet suffered heavy damage, Admiral Lindsay transferred command authority and the remaining warships to the Hyunmu Fleet and has been supporting me. As a powerful Celestial Magician, she can control the weather and was a great help in breaking through the storms to reach this place. She says she is pleased to be joining this operation.”

……A Celestial Magician?

She controls what?

As I was feeling somewhat bewildered, Lindsay smiled faintly, walked leisurely toward me, and offered a handshake.

I felt no condescending gaze in her mysterious green eyes, unlike Archduke Elcyon.

……Was Archduke Elcyon the strange one, or is this side peculiar?

As I accepted her handshake, Lindsay spoke again, and Admiral Lee translated.

“She says that although she is a high noble of the Empire, she will willingly offer all cooperation for the sake of victory in this war, so you need not be too concerned.”

“It is an honor, Admiral Lindsay. I am Pierre de Lafayette, Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army. I will actively cooperate for the victory of the Allied Forces and the Eastern Empire.”

Lindsay, upon hearing my words from Admiral Lee, smiled gently, nodded, and then shook hands with Christine, exchanging greetings.

I discreetly turned my gaze and whispered to Talleyrand.

“So, what did she really say?”

“That as a defeated general, it would be disloyal to the Tsar if she, an elf, were to not cooperate out of pride, so she will do everything she can. She said to rest assured and feel free to work her to the bone.”

……Oh.

So Admiral Lee had actually softened the words out of consideration for Admiral Lindsay’s prestige?

Now this was truly surprising.

To think there was such a normal person among the arrogant elves of the Eastern Empire.

Although she was defeated by Abyss Corporation, that was a defeat suffered against Wrath Company’s main fleet. To have saved the remaining fleet after that, merged with the Hyunmu Fleet, and shown this much magnanimity…….

I was half in doubt about this Celestial Magic that controls the weather, but I had already seen the Storm Witch with my own eyes.

If she could actually bring the fleet all this way intact during such a long journey, she might be worth looking forward to.

Honestly, I hadn’t had much expectation for the Eastern Empire, but the admirals who came have left a very good impression.

While I was thinking this, Lindsay finished her greetings with Christine and then Talleyrand.

And then, the beautiful, blonde-haired, green-eyed elf suddenly pulled a bottle from her robes, opened the cap, and began to drink from it.

……Wasn’t that the vodka or whatever that the Eastern Empire’s emissary delegation enjoyed drinking?

That insanely strong liquor…….

Lindsay, who had gulped it down straight from the bottle, said something with a cheerful face, and Admiral Lee relayed it.

“Then, she proposes we hold a drinking party to promote friendship, now that we’ve met like this.”

…….

I take back my previous statement.

As I thought, there are no normal people among the elves of the Eastern Empire.

*

The first meeting with the two admirals from the Eastern Empire ended with the unprecedented situation of Francia’s President, Army Commander-in-Chief, and Admiral of the Navy being sunk by Lindsay’s endless offers of vodka.

Admiral Lee, being from the Eastern Empire himself, went toe-to-toe with Lindsay and was perfectly fine for duty the next day, but Christine and I genuinely thought we were going to die.

Thanks to that, we were only able to begin practical discussions the following afternoon, and all of Francia’s drydocks and shipyards put their current work on hold to focus on repairing the Eastern Empire’s fleet.

Fortunately, Christine had anticipated such a situation and made preparations in advance, but contrary to my concerns, the repairs on the Eastern Empire’s fleet would apparently be finished within a month.

In fact, our own craftsmen who came to inspect the Eastern Empire’s fleet were amazed.

Their flagship and main ships were ironclad ships, with iron plates added to the hulls of ships-of-the-line to further reinforce their defense, and among their frigates were rocket ships that fired the rockets we had seen in Iberica. It was a fleet with technology clearly more advanced than Francia’s.

Furthermore, according to the craftsmen, the fleet should have been in much worse shape after such a long-distance voyage through a sea full of storms.

It seems that Celestial Magician who controls the weather might be an even more powerful existence than I thought.

Then again, it wasn't so strange for a high noble of the long-lived Eastern Empire to be a powerful magician.

……The problem was that she was an elf who was perfectly fine, chugging vodka in broad daylight next to me and Christine, who were suffering from headaches due to a hangover.

No, in the first place, why did they load up so much vodka on such a long journey?

I was so baffled that I had to ask, and not only Lindsay but even Admiral Lee answered with a straight face, as if they couldn’t understand the question.

“It is needed to soothe the pain of the injured, to boost the morale of subordinates, and to provide motivation or rewards. How can you sail without alcohol?”

Even the reason they hadn’t suffered from a food shortage during that long voyage was a masterpiece.

They had installed magical refrigeration facilities on their main ships solely to drink their vodka cold, which, of course, was also a great help in preserving food for the long term.

As if that wasn’t enough, whenever they docked at a port, Lindsay would make it rain a little, give them a few bottles of vodka, and the locals would immediately become as friendly as ten-year friends and generously sell them food supplies.

“……I feel like a fool for having wracked my brain over supply management on every voyage……”

To Christine’s lament, I let out an empty laugh and replied.

“……Let’s learn about their magical refrigeration facilities and introduce them ourselves.”

……I never knew alcohol could be so versatile.

In any case, the final piece has arrived.

Now, the only problem left is breaking through that narrow, yet infinitely distant, channel.