N-A-A Chapter 218 Getting Involved
Chapter 218 Getting Involved
Chapter 218 Getting Involved
Dick, the first mate, was directing the ships to approach the fleet. He himself was surprised that the fleet had arrived in this area at this time.
The loyal dog hadn't told Dick a single word before setting sail.
But that's normal; he's just the count's servant, and he doesn't need to report to a servant how he wants to act.
Moreover, Dick understood that war is always unpredictable and never gives people time to prepare.
As a proper servant, Dick wouldn't ask any questions.
So, with everything being temporary, he followed the adults out to sea.
However, Dick always felt that the sudden appearance of his fleet at this moment was definitely not a coincidence.
Now that Earl Hubert is dead and Dick has been promoted to knight, he naturally became the temporary commander of the ship.
The first mate bowed to Dick and withdrew, closing the door to the captain's cabin behind him.
However, at this moment, Dick had no mind to think about the fleet.
Whenever he looked at the body of his loyal dog that he had pieced together on the bed, grief and anger would rush straight to his head.
A true rider should always maintain inner peace.
Dick was already a knight, but he couldn't calm down.
Since he became the loyal dog's servant, he has spent almost every day with the loyal dog.
Although the loyal dog rarely spoke to him alone, and would never specifically offer to give him pointers.
But without a doubt, a loyal dog is a good teacher.
Lord Hubert may have rarely spoken, but he taught by example at all times.
Dick did indeed learn many valuable things from the loyal dog: insight, knowledge, eloquence, strategy, political maneuvering, and skills. But most importantly, he learned the quality of loyalty.
Lord Hubert has always been dissolute, yet he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to his lord.
And he, Dick, thought... "Now I am your lord."
Dick's current growth is undoubtedly due to the influence of being around loyal dogs.
Therefore, it is only natural that Dick would become emotionally agitated because of his mentor's death.
But Dick also knew he couldn't go on like this forever.
He also needs to sail the ship back to the port.
The adult's body was handed over to Peña Peyton.
He hung the two-handed greatsword and the dark green armor back on the wall.
A true knight-errant always accomplishes his mission.
Dick, Dick Buchanan, will absolutely not fail in his mission!
Before he died, the loyal dog told Dick that he had left behind a lot of documents.
Dick spotted the bedside table immediately, walked over, and opened it.
Sure enough, there were several pieces of parchment inside.
It bears the handwritten inscription by Earl Hubert, his signature, and the Peyton family seal.
As the adults said, those were the decree of nobility, the decree of land grant, and a marriage contract.
In addition, there is a short letter:
Sir Dick Buchanan:
"Stay strong."
"Stay kind."
"Hubert Payton".
Upon seeing this, Dick gritted his teeth.
True riders never shed tears easily.
But this damned sorrow and longing, all at once, welled up in his eyes and he could no longer hold back. The salty tears streamed down his cheeks, leaving streaks.
Dick could only cover his eyes with his hands to make himself look less bad.
Although, besides him, only the loyal dog's remains remained in this room—
Dick wept silently; this was his last act of defiance as a knight.
When he finally caught his breath and calmed down, his emotions began to stabilize.
He wiped the various liquids off his face and let out a long breath.
Dick looked at the loyal dog's body again, a smile appearing on his face.
Then, carefully, he put the few thin but heavy sheets of paper back into the cabinet.
He walked to the table, put his hand guards back on, and donned his helmet.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door.
Dick strode confidently to open the door.
The first mate outside the door said, "Sir, we're approaching the fleet."
Dick tried to remain calm and gave orders: "Have the lookouts use flag signals to identify themselves to the fleet first, so they won't be mistaken for the enemy and get shot."
"I have already done so," the first mate said, "although I believe that no one in the fleet is unfamiliar with this ship."
"Very good," Dick nodded.
The first mate added, "And the fleet has responded."
It must contain the question: "What is it?"
"The Viper, please come over."
The Viper was John Justinian's ship.
He is the current Holy City Lord of Lieyang City and also the staff officer of this fleet.
Without a doubt, this is Lord John of St. City, requesting a meeting with Lord Hubert.
However, this staff officer was probably unaware that the Commander Hubert Peyton he was looking forward to had already been killed in action.
But Dick, as a witness to that fierce battle, having seen the loyal dog's final moments of heroism, had to go and report the matter in person.
"Let's go," Dick ordered briefly.
"Yes, sir," the first mate bowed, "I will immediately direct the ships to approach and report to the squadron."
Dick nodded and turned to walk into the room.
He then found the commander's sword on the chart table and inserted it into his belt.
The Weeping Gorge mourned for the loyal dog, and the ships finally joined the oncoming fleet.
The first mate had already learned the direction of John's Viper and was heading straight ahead.
Other warships along the way also gave way.
Not long after, Dick saw the three-masted sailing ship painted purple, with its red and gold flag fluttering atop the main comb.
The first mate did not go directly over, but instead made a wide turn on the sea and caught up with the Viper from behind, so that the two ships could sail side by side.
As the two ships approached each other, the sailors climbed onto the gangplank.
Dick stepped over the swaying slope and onto the deck of the Viper.
John Justinian was already standing in the middle of the deck, seemingly having been waiting for some time.
He looked to be in his late twenties, with golden curly hair as bright as the summer sun, fair skin, and a clean-shaven beard.
He was a handsome man, just like his ancestor, the Scarlet Prince, in the ballad; he was an exceptionally handsome man.
He not only possesses a handsome appearance, but also has a distinguished family background and a wealthy family fortune from the moment he was born.
What's even more astonishing is that if the world's praise of him wasn't exaggerated, and John was indeed a brilliant naval commander, it wouldn't be surprising for Dick to become a staff officer in the Allied forces.
John noticed Dick, raised his golden eyebrows slightly, and after a moment, asked:
"Just you?"
Dick found it difficult to speak, but he had to:
"Commander Hubert, he—"
"..-I see,"
Before Dick could finish speaking, John interrupted him and called out a name loudly.
"Johnny!"
"Yes, sir."
A bald, middle-aged man stepped forward and offered sacraments to John.
"Notify the entire ship to observe a moment of silence for the soldiers of Lieyang City."
"My lord, for whom shall we mourn?"
“Our commander, the loyal dog, Earl Hubert Peyton,” John said, “but don’t let this get out of the Viper.”
"Yes, sir."
Johnny nodded and immediately went to carry it out.
John then turned to Dick: "Lord Dick, please forgive me, but with a great battle imminent, I cannot allow the entire army to mourn for Earl Hubert. The death of our commander will inevitably affect morale."
"I understand, sir, but—how do you know that Earl Hubert is dead, and—"
John could deduce all this just because Dick boarded the ship alone?
"You call me 'Sir'? My lord, you should only know me as a servant. Why do you address me like that?"
Dick was just on the navigator's ship when Lord Hubert granted him the title of knight. The staff officer in front of him shouldn't know that right now.
John simply put on a melancholy expression and said to Dick:
"Sir, come to my room to talk."
Dick nodded and followed John into the captain's cabin of the Viper.
John walked straight to the drafting table and sat down in the chair.
Dick followed, took the commander's sword, and placed it in front of John:
"Sir, this is something you must handle—"
"Hmm—" John pondered for a moment, "Given the current situation, it would be difficult to find someone who could perfectly take over Sir Hubert's command position. You know, there are few people in the world who possess his powerful and comprehensive abilities."
Dick agreed with John, but that wasn't his place to comment.
"My lord, I am only responsible for handing this short sword over to the right person."
"As expected of a loyal servant, you are just as meticulous as him," John smiled. "In that case, I'll accept this sword for now. You have no objections, do you?"
"You are a staff officer, the number two figure in the Allied forces."
“An army cannot be without a commander-in-chief. I can only temporarily assume the position of commander-in-chief, but—” John paused, “similarly, it cannot be without staff officers. Acting arbitrarily often leads to going astray, so I need someone I can consult with.”
"I have no recommendations, sir."
John smiled and said, "I think you're pretty good."
"I?"
"That's right, you are a disciple of Loyal Dog. Although I haven't spoken many words to you, I see his shadow in you. More importantly, I can't find any other suitable candidate for the time being."
Dick shook his head: "Any captain of any ship is more qualified than me, both in terms of status and seniority."
"But they don't know that the commander is dead," John said. "I also said that this matter should not be publicized before the naval battle ends tonight, so as not to affect morale."
Dick didn't know how to answer; things had developed far beyond his expectations.
Before he could figure it out, John put away the commander's sword on the table and took out his staff sword, placing it in front of Dick.
"Sir Dick, the military situation is urgent. There is no time for hesitation. Take this and then sit down."
Upon hearing this, Dick didn't think much of it, picked up his staff sword, tucked it into his waistband, and then sat down opposite John.
A nautical chart of the area was spread out on the table, and in different locations, countless small wooden boats were placed.
"Lord Justinian, what exactly is going on? You seem completely unsurprised by Lord Hubert's death, and you are also aware of my being granted the rank of Knight. My lord, what brings you here with your fleet, and what is your purpose?"
"Isn't the answer obvious, Sir Dick, Mr. Temporary Advisor?"
John raised his right index finger and tapped the back of the largest wooden carving in the center of the chart.
"Of course, it's for—annihilating the Navigator!"
Dick understood this, of course, since there were probably no other prey in this area of the sea.
"But how did you know the Navigator was here?"
"Since Earl Hubert was able to find the navigator, what's so strange about me, as his advisor, also knowing the navigator's location? The commander couldn't possibly not have consulted with his advisors."
Dick looked puzzled: "But if that's the case, why didn't Earl Hubert bring his fleet to encircle and annihilate the Navigator from the start?"
"All of this was part of the Commander's plan."
"plan?"
"That's right, to ensure the plan to wipe out the Navigator,"
John shrugged as he spoke.
"Even now, I still don't understand why Earl Hubert is so obsessed with the Navigator. Although he has given his reasons, and many people agree with him, I find them quite far-fetched."
John might not understand, but Dick did.
This time, the loyal dog used the entire coalition for his own selfish reasons.
However, Dick will never talk about it.
Dick straightened his expression and looked at John with a serious expression:
"My lord, please tell me your plan in detail."
"Oh! Then it's probably too late," John shook his head. "You have no idea how detailed Earl Hubert's plan is. He designed three encirclements alone."
"Three paths?!" Dick exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right, we're the first line, the main attackers," John replied, "but to prevent the navigator from breaking through, there are two more lines of defense waiting behind us."
"Not only that, the loyal dog also planned which way the navigators should escape if they actually managed to break through. And he set up ambushes in those sea areas."
"When I learned of his plan, I thought he was making a mountain out of a molehill. The Navigator may have a bad reputation, but he's just a mortal."
"If the navigator only had one ship, would it really be worth all this fanfare? But now it seems I underestimated the navigator; Count Hubert actually died at his hands."
Dick was taken aback: "You know that the Earl was killed by the Navigator?"
“Of course,” John nodded, “in a one-on-one match.”
Dick said seriously, "Sir, this is the only thing I must tell you the details of!"
"Well," John sighed, "when Loyal Dog proposed this encirclement plan to me, I quickly discovered its flaws. The Navigator isn't stupid; it's not going to stay put and wait for us to surround it."
"But the loyal dog said that even before they could surround the ship, if the ship was even slightly visible in the navigator's field of vision, the navigator would immediately choose to flee."
He said the navigator is more alert than a rabbit and faster than an antelope. Once the navigator reacts, no matter how many ships there are, they probably won't be able to intercept it.
"I know the loyal dog wasn't exaggerating; after all, I've heard about that naval battle of the sheep hunt. And since the loyal dog knows this..."
I knew then that he must have come up with a solution.
"That's right," the loyal dog said. He said he would find a way to keep the navigator in place. I asked him how exactly he was going to do it, and he told me everything. That's how I found out that he had a one-on-one fight with the navigator.
"And since it's you sitting here now, not him, it means that Hubert Peyton, the loyal dog, lost to the navigator in the duel."
Upon hearing this, Dick was speechless, his jaw dropped.
So that's how it is.
The adults dismissed only one ship to make the navigator lower his guard.
His challenge to the navigator to a one-on-one duel was not solely due to his confidence in his own abilities or his desire to test his skills against the navigator.
Everything was designed to keep the navigator's ship stationary so that the fleet could approach and surround it!
"Shocked? Honestly, I was more surprised than you when I first heard about this plan. Hey, Loyal Dog is a real man!"
"To this day, I can't forget the tone of his voice when he spoke to me. He had no expression, and he was so calm that he seemed inhuman, as if he had overcome all the fears in the world. He said..."
John's Adam's apple bobbed, and his expression became unusually solemn.
"Your Excellency John Justinian, I intend to—"
"Get involved yourself!"