24 August 2019

Nihonkoku Shoukan. Volume 1. Chapter 3 Part 3


Translator Corner
Minasan Oidemasu! This is Yukkuri demasu!

As always,
DISCLAIMER: There is no guarantee that my translation is 100% correct. Please correct me if I was wrong.

Plus, if you want to thank someone goes to the guys at Ainushi Translation who give me the RAW for this LN. They’re the real MVPs.

No big black button for today since Yukkuri is very lazy…

Author:
みのろう (Minorou)
Translator:
Yukkuri Oniisan!
Editor:
Discord Hivemind!

Chapter 3
The Counterattack
Part 3


Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 8, Day 31.
The Capital City of the Kingdom of Louria. Jin-Haag.
Northside Port.

Vice-Admiral Hoyle took a gaze at the port.
Even though as the commander of these fleet, his eyes had often seen the sight of 3,000 warships organized orderly, it was still so spectacular that his breath could still be stolen away. Just by one glance of a fleet this large, anyone will be filled with a surge of confidence that this fleet won’t lose to any enemies.

 (However……)

He remembered the Battle of the Rodenius Sea.

(That was not a battle. It was just a slaughter ...)

The humiliation from being crushed one-sidedly from a distance where their own attacks couldn’t reach the enemy at all. It was an utterly tragic defeat, just like when a well-trained adult fight against a newborn baby.

(Perhaps, if we withdraw like what Japanese had instructed at that time, will the situation be different?)

His superior, the former Admiral Sharkun, had also disappeared into the sea due to the battle with Japan. Actually, Sharkun was still alive, but since Hoyle was withdrawing at that time, he didn’t know about this.
Despite having a powerful fleet of the remaining 3,000 ships and 100,000 soldiers, Hoyle, who became the new Naval Commander after the authority handover, didn’t think that he could win against Japan in any way.

Just how can we beat those monsters……?

He thought over it deeply.
While he was in the middle of his thoughts, Hoyle suddenly became clear-headed and raised his gaze from the surface of the seas below him to look up. Somehow, he tasted the foreboding taste in the air.

What’s this feeling?

Just the moment he muttered these words, several warships that were lined up in the port suddenly pulverized into scattering wood splinters and fragments, as a thunderous noise and blinding flash of an explosion sent its flame blazing.
The nearby people, who saw the fragments of the pulverized warships and the pieces of the unfortunate sailors flew around the port, immediately gripped by fear and panic.
It was just one explosion, but it was powerful enough to render several warships into useless junks. And now, that explosion rocked the port one after another.

What the hell is happening!

Hoyle yelled loudly.
A large number of bombs dropped from the F-2 fighters had accurately impacted the warships and exploded in succession.
A sailor had his shoulder pierced by a large wood splinter and moaned from intense pain.

Guaghhhhhhh…… My shoulder! My shoulder!

Another sailor was in a panic over the occurring disaster.

The Ja-Ja-Ja... Japanese attacked!!

The next moment, something passed through the sky at an extreme speed, and the port was swept over by a raging wind.
It was passing at a much greater speed than a wyvern, it turned around and then poured a rain of explosions over the anchored warship. It wasn’t possible to evacuate the ships, and so the damage was so extensive, it would be unbearable.
── CLANG-CLANG
The bells signaling an attack rang and the sailors began moving hurriedly to protect the ships and equipment.

From the Navy Headquarters to the Capital Defense Headquarters! From the Navy Headquarters to the Capital Defense Headquarters! We are currently under attack! We can’t cope with the aerial attack, we request aerial support from the Dragoon Knights! We repeat ──』

After receiving the support request from the Naval Headquarters through the mana communicator, the Capital Defense Headquarters issued an emergency sortie to the Dragoon Knights. The loud chime of bells resounded all over the Kingdom of Louria, and the tension was rising.

From the Capital Defense Headquarters to the 1st Dragoon Knights, the Naval Headquarters are currently under aerial attack. Every standing-by Dragoons are to perform emergency sortie and support the Naval Headquarters. Next, for the 2nd and 3rd Dragoon Knights, there is a possibility that the enemy will attack the Capital. Every standing-by Dragoons are to perform emergency sortie and be on aerial guard over the Capital. I repeat ──』

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Dragoon Knights, who had received their commands, quickly changed their clothes and begin to run towards the Dragon Roost.
The newcomer of the 2nd Dragoon Knights, Dragoon Thanakane, also ended his rest after receiving the emergency order and prepared for the sortie. He checked his lifeline rope[1],  sheathed a sword, and then put a leather helmet on his head.
He ran through an unpaved road towards the Dragon Roost.
A large number of wyverns were stationed in the Dragon Roost, and when Thanakane approached his partner’s chamber, the opened the door.

──  kun, kunkun.

His partner wyvern made a coddling sound. Though it had a scary face, his partner was actually a pampered boy. Thanakane opened his hand and rubbed the wyvern’s nose.

I’ll be counting on you, partner.

He put the reins and fastened it on the wyvern’s head. He placed the saddle, that will prevent him from falling even when diving from high altitude, and checked the fastener condition.
The wyverns of his seniors were in the holding position over the runway and starting to take off.

Whoops…… We were late.

He placed his feet on the wyvern's thighs and then mount it on its back. He is a Dragoon. Guardians of the Kingdom, and its Sword ──  His heart is filled with strong emotions since he will protect this country.

Thanakane remembered his childhood.
When he went to the woods with his family, he was separated from them. He got lost and even after walking for a few days, not to mention getting out from the woods, he couldn’t even return back to his previous location. He almost collapsed from hunger, even so, he didn’t give up and keep walking, but then he encountered a dangerous beast, Ruacure. With a lion-like body, three giraffe-like long heads, and three tails, it had a frightening appearance. It was said that a single soldier won’t able to defeat it and to exterminate it one would need an entire company of Knights.
The young Thanakane recognized that he was about to be killed and frozen in place like a frog in front of a serpent.

── I am going to be eaten by this beast, my life is over.

But the moment that beast attacking him, a huge monster mounted by a man came down from the sky.
That monster interposed itself between Thanakane and the beast before shooting out a flame from its mouth, which engulfed the Ruacure in fires as it writhed in pain and eventually died.
The rider, who came down from the monster, smiled at Thanakane and gently stroked his head.

It’s alright, lad. Your family is looking for you. So, this big bro will take you in a special air trip to the Capital.

He was cool. In the eyes of young Thanakane, he looked like a hero.
When he mounted the wyvern and soared into the sky, in an instant he passed over the woods where he was lost for several days, leaped over the mountain and in a blink of an eye, he was transported to the Capital. The trip actually took quite some time, but as a young boy, the flying experience was so exciting that he didn’t notice the passage of time.
He was made to wait on the Dragoon Knights Station for some time until his father and mother burst into the room while crying.
At that time, Thanakane decided to become a Dragoon.
However, once he grew up to an age where he somewhat understood the workings of the world, he once again despaired at the overly steep road awaiting him.
For a common infantry, anyone can be one if they volunteer.
For the cavalry, one also needs to meet the conditions, but it is not that difficult.
However, at that time, the Dragoon Knight was a super-elite force with only 200 Dragoons in the entire Kingdom.
Their duty was to make an instant judgment of the situation of a battle from the sky and give support at the disadvantaged positions. This required analytical skills on par with a regimental commander, furthermore, in order to tame the powerful wyverns, an unwavering will and a strong body were needed. Most will retire at the age of 40 from faltering physical strength and when a Dragoon retired, many were appointed as a cavalry captain of a regiment of 5,000 men.
To become a Dragoon, they would have to take numerous harsh exams. Every year, thousands of applicants rushed for the few recruitment positions. For Thanakane to become a Dragoon, he frantically studied and trained his body, ignoring the path of his peers who indulged themselves in women. Only after taking the exam for the third time, he finally became a Dragoon.
Thanakane who had become a Dragoon was liked by the wyverns. He was excellent on maneuvering in unison with the wyvern, and even as a newcomer, he was exceptionally promoted into the 2nd Dragoon Knights, the symbol of the Capital’s defense.

He couldn’t suppress the joyous thrill before his first actual battle.
Since a common soldier on the end of the command won’t know about the progress of the battle, his seniors, including Thanakane, thought that the current attack on the port was just enemies arriving from the sky and did a surprise attack. Thanakane was full of confidence that he and his trusted partner could easily defeat the enemy.

Go‼

The Dragoon Thanakane began to take off.
The wyvern made a powerful kick off on the dirt runway.
While starting to run with its wings spread out, the wyverns reached the speed it could take off, as its giant body rose from the surface. Then they flew towards the clear blue sky.

☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽


To the next one!


[1] A rope so he wouldn’t fell down to the ground if he somehow slipped from his wyvern.

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