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The ship was large, requiring substantial power, yet it was no challenge for just twenty people to maneuver it. This was mostly because Jenis’s staff was managing most of the tasks alone. Jeongjae actively assisted the staff in the central cabin as long as it didn’t strain him.

The HMS Victory glided forward gracefully like a holy sword cutting through the sea, shining brilliantly. This ship was particularly large, exceptionally bright, and especially powerful compared to other sailing ships. It could probably smash through a whale without a hitch.

Even if it collided with the glacier that sank the Titanic, the glacier wouldn’t hold. The sharp, pointed shape of the bow prevented the ship from being just a metaphor as the “blade upon the ocean.”

“By the way, I feel like I’ve seen a ship like this in a movie.”

Jeongjae, lost in thought from the deck, remarked. Back when he lived on Earth, he wasn’t exactly immune to seasickness, but now he felt strangely unbothered by any nausea.

This might have been because the ship moved magically, significantly less affected by waves, or it could be that seasickness arises from a disruption of one’s balance.

Jeongjae’s mana was stronger than anyone else’s in the world. This mana not only enhanced human strength but also had a significant impact on balance and mental fortitude.

“You mean a movie, Professor?”

“Did I explain it to you before?”

“I grasped the concept conceptually. So, it’s a technique where the director manipulates the images projected by a video projection spell to show only what they want to show, right?”

“Well, to say it that way isn’t entirely wrong.”

After all, that’s pretty much the essence of all video media. According to Jenis, among the oddballs in the Magic Tower, there were mages who had learned video projection magic, only to manipulate it for their amusement, making others appear to do bizarre things before snickering.

Although it hadn’t yet been developed into a serious form of creation or art. Mages weren’t the artistic type. Recently, a mage who had created a video of kicking people in the rear had gotten his pay docked as punishment after being booted by the Great Sage.

“Well, that’s fine. Let’s move on. What I mean is, ships of this kind have never appeared even in our world, which has ridiculously advanced maritime technology.”

“Every world has its own way of developing.”

Jenis shrugged. She was right. Just looking at the deck of this ship, it was quite different from a standard sailing ship’s deck.

Jenis devised a method to mount the large crossbows she had retrieved from Eramenia’s armory in case of deck combat. This was an addition not found in the original design but, since they were weapons capable of capturing dragons, it significantly enhanced the HMS Victory’s capabilities for air and deck combat.

Eramenia provided a significant amount of arrows along with the crossbows and even lent out a unique weapon that Jeongjae hadn’t seen before.

Pointing to the bizarre large anti-air weapon at the back of the ship, Jeongjae asked, “What did they call that again? I barely saw it during the defense of Eramenia.”

“They call it the Spear of the Sky. It was used briefly during the civil war but hasn’t been utilized since. They probably didn’t bring it out during the dragon invasion due to the hassle of installation.”

The so-called “Spear of the Sky” was a weapon developed to effectively drop glider troops that appeared in the sky sporadically during the Eramenian civil war. It had a simple design, resembling an inverted conical tube with only the spearhead poking out. But according to Eramenia, nothing could rival it when it came to targeting airborne enemies.

Inside the tube, a cross-shaped rubber band was always primed to launch the spear skyward. The spearhead was secured to the ground via a button on the platform, and it could be fired using a pedal right next to the “Spear of the Sky.”

While the crossbows positioned on the left and right sides could only aim up to a maximum angle of 75 degrees, this weapon could target enemies below that angle. Jeongjae proposed adding a gunpowder propulsion mechanism to the massive anti-air weapon to enhance its power.

Jenis gladly accepted Jeongjae’s suggestion, as the Eramenians had a disdain for fire and hadn’t thought of it, but since she already had ample gunpowder due to the ship’s cannons, she had no reason to hesitate about installing anti-air rockets on board.

“Will we even have to fight flying enemies in this battle?”

“Let’s hope not. If dragons intervene directly, we’re done for. There’s information saying they won’t intervene, but…”

The flagship of the Great Sage was stunning but lonely. Jenis hoped that the following sailing ships wouldn’t get embroiled in any battles against the Kraken. To her, a mere wooden sailing ship wouldn’t stand a chance against a sea dragon. Staying out of the fight would be the best way to help later on.

Days had passed since the ship took off, yet the sea remained calm. They had long since passed the waters of Eramenia, and they had already reached the territory of the Demon King’s Army.

Jenis maintained a state of extreme tension. It was dangerous to let her guard down. The Great Sage repeatedly glanced between the sea and her staff’s pearl, attempting to gather as much reconnaissance information as possible.

In the eyes of the two, something they had been waiting for, yet wanted to avoid, began to come into view. It wasn’t from the sea, but from the sky.

“Look at that dot over there, Jenis.”

Jeongjae pointed towards a creature flapping its wings and approaching from several hundred meters away.

“Please tell me that’s not a dragon?”

“Just wait a moment. I’ll take a look myself.”

Jenis, beads of cold sweat running down her face, spread her wings. Jeongjae hurriedly ran toward the hull and swung open the hatch.

“Combatants, to your stations! Unidentified enemy detected!”

At Jeongjae’s shout, elite soldiers responsible for the crossbows and the “Spear of the Sky” hopped onto the deck, each taking their designated positions. Since these were soldiers personally selected by Jenis, their actions were swift and showed no sign of panic.

The soldiers who weren’t called probably moved toward the cannons. Jenis flew up into the air and then landed back on the deck, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Meanwhile, the ship continued to surge forward. Jeongjae asked Jenis.

“What’s going on?”

“Wyverns. Three of them. They appear to be part of a squadron moving independently for the Dragon Lord and the Kraken.”

“Damn, I had forgotten about the possibility of wyverns.”

“The presence of wyverns indicates a sea dragon is nearby. We must be cautious while keeping that in mind. Load all crossbows and prepare the Spear of the Sky. Professor, please prepare as well.”

It was then that the currents of the waves shifted. Even the flow of the wind turned upside down. No one needed to explain or scout the area.

Even the elite soldiers, who had maintained their calm until just a moment ago, started to stiffen and look around, sensing something in the air. Nothing was visible, but everyone was aware of something ominous. Jenis gritted her teeth and muttered.

“The king of the sea has arrived.”

“From which direction?”

“I can’t tell yet. We need to see the tentacles.”

“Wyverns are coming!”

The soldier responsible for the Spear of the Sky shouted. One of the wyverns leading the charge toward the ship was quickening its approach, flames gathered in its mouth.

Jeongjae quickly erected a defensive magic circle aimed at the sky. He gave orders to the soldiers.

“Fire the spears!”

The soldier, following Jenis’s command, took out a match from his pocket, ignited the fuse attached to the powder barrel on the spear, and then forcefully stomped down on the pedal below his feet.

The spear headed straight toward the wyvern, propelled by the explosion of gunpowder, soaring rapidly through the air. The surprised wyvern couldn’t evade in time and was pierced through the wing.

“This weapon is pretty good!”

Jeongjae shouted as he watched the wyvern scream in pain and rise high into the sky again. The soldier loaded another Spear of the Sky into the tube, waiting for the next firing order.

If it were just one wyvern, the battle would have been easily finished. However, Jenis couldn’t recklessly leap into the sky to confront the dragon, nor could Jeongjae focus all his strength on defeating the enemy in the air, all for one reason.

A sea dragon was approaching. And that sea dragon was currently governing the ocean currents. Jenis was holding no staff. Instead, she raised one hand toward the sky and unleashed a colossal fireball.

It was a signal for the fleet behind them not to come any closer. Seeing Jenis’s fireball, Douglas Koesernis, who was commanding a war fleet of over 200 ships from the rear, nodded and gave a command to stop all fleets.

“Is this it? The Beginning, my lord Baron?”

One of the commanders of the Southern Alliance approached Koesernis and asked. Koesernis nodded.

“There aren’t too many fights we can meddle in presumptively. But a battle between sea dragons and the Grand Mage isn’t something we can interfere with recklessly. Let’s watch.”

Meanwhile, the situation ahead was rapidly changing. A tentacle rose from the rear of the HMS Victory. Jeongjae hurriedly cast a shield spell to deflect the Kraken’s massive tentacle, ensuring the soldier in charge of the Spear of the Sky wouldn’t make any mistakes.

This time, multiple tentacles emerged from the side. Jenis was sweating profusely as she readied to give the order for cannon fire, but at that exact moment, a thick pillar similar to an octopus leg rose from the front of the ship.

“This ship is 50 meters long in combat length.”

Jeongjae stared in disbelief at the flailing octopus legs, resembling wooden logs. The soldiers operating the large crossbow trembled in fear upon seeing the bizarre limbs for the first time.

Seeing that the Kraken’s tentacles were wrapping around the entire ship, Jenis muttered softly.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a year.”

She clenched her fists and thrust them forward.

“I am not the person I was a year ago. Not even the person I was yesterday. King of the sea. I will kill you. I will kill you and prove it to the world.”

With that, Jenis forcefully brought her hands down.

“Release the barrage!”

 

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