Pirate Attack in Rodenius Northern Sea

**Pirate Attack in Rodenius Northern Sea** is an Altaran merchant ship attack in the northern sea of the Rodenius continent, caused by the Lourian pirates, which ravages the sea around the Louria Kingdom.

* Senior Knight Lilceide
* Tarcos Captain (unnamed)
* Lourian pirates (details unknown numbers)
* Altaran guards and soldiers (details unknown numbers)

**Japan Coast Guard**
* Patrol ship *Shikishima*
* Several pirates died
* 150 pirates captured
* 31 injured

## Background

### Japan Coast Guard

Due to the participation of Japan, Louria’s invasion of Qua-Toyne crawled to a standstill in the Rodenius War. However, the empty throne left behind by the arrest of King Haak Louria XXXIV brought the lords of the territories to break from one another. The regular troops, without pay due to the chaos within the government, left service in droves as pirates preying on the merchant ships nearby increased. Until the chaos in Louria temporarily subsided, the Japanese government, on September 28th, 1639, decided to deploy the Japan Coast Guard’s patrol ships to the oceans north, west, and south of the Rodenius continent. By October 10th, their deployment began. Utilizing the simple supply bases set up in Qua-Toyne Principality, the small patrol boats patrolled the surrounding seas. As for the patches of ocean farther away, the Japan Coast Guard’s biggest patrol ship *Shikishima*, which boasts the longest cruising range, would be the one to patrol them.

In the middle of patrolling the Kilchers region north of Louria, the boat-like signatures appeared on the patrol ship *Shikishima’s* radar. Captain Seto Mamoru, who felt that something was out of place after hearing the radar operator’s report, decided to send a helicopter to verify the situation. The AS332L1 Umitaka helicopter took off from the helipad on the rear of the patrol ship *Shikishima* and flew off into the skies. It discovered pirates attacking a merchant ship. Then, the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship *Shikishima* subsequently rushed over to the scene.

### Escape from Altaras Kingdom

On November 18th, before the Parpaldia Empire began to invade the Altaras Kingdom in the next six days, Princess Lumies escaped the capital city of Le Brias with her top-class knight Lilceide and dozens of guards, boarding the merchant ship *Tarcos* in the night. She was sent to Japan for political asylum by her father, King Taara XIV, who feared for his daughter's future, to seek help from Japan.

Twelve days later, at the water of the Rodenius Continent, the merchant ship *Tarcos* had long travel since run out of food. Suddenly, from the shadows of the islands, the captain spotted three pirate ships under captain Ruffle, heading for the merchant ship *Tarcos*. They flew black flags that had skulls drawn on them. The barbarian-looking pirates on the decks of the pirate ships were swinging their swords around as they let out crude shouts. Lilceide momentarily felt regret taking a route through the islands. Regaining her senses, she prepared for battle. The camouflaged merchant ship *Tarcos* has oil pots stationed on her deck along with arrow-deflecting boards all over. They don’t have a magic cannon, but they do have ballistae. Protecting princess Lumies, 70% of her crew were warriors and soldiers prepared to fight back against the pirates.

## Battle

### Pirate Attack

North of the Louria Kingdom were islands that didn’t even have names. Making the islands their stronghold, the Ruffle pirate gang had spotted the merchant ship *Tarcos* around them, wary of pirates in the region, hardly passing through the islands. Pirate captain Ruffle was overjoyed and yelled his henchmen to charge it with great vigor. Confident in their ships’ speed, the pirates had them go faster as they approached the merchant ship. Once they were close enough, they started hurling threats and intimidation from their decks. Misunderstanding these signs as the other side being too busy trying to run away, Ruffle gave the order to release fire arrows. Multiple fire arrows were launched from the pirate ships and rained down onto the merchant ship *Tarcos*. However, they bounced off the thin iron anti-arrow plating on the merchant ship and fell into the sea. The Altarans suffered no personnel casualties. Ruffle was aghast at the unbelievable defensive capabilities of the merchant ship.

In return, the merchant ship *Tarcos* hurled fire arrows back at them. Countless fire arrows pierced the pirate ships, wounding some of the pirate henchmen. Unfortunately for them, a dry piece of rope was set ablaze, ironically forcing the attackers to commence firefighting operations. With their numerical superiority, the pirate ships then made contact with the merchant ship *Tarcos*. Ruffle shouted of his pirate henchmen loudly reverberated within the island group.

### Japanese Helicopter Flying Overhead

Avoiding hand-to-hand combat, the merchant ship *Tarcos* launched fire arrows throughout the battle. Then, the arrows launched by the pirates finally landed on their sail, burning the *Tarcos’s* important propulsion component. The merchant ship *Tarcos* used the Tears of the Wind God against the headwind so much that it lost power, but now that they didn’t have a sail, they couldn’t even move. It would take manpower and time to get the reserve sails up. Lilceide, who was commanding the battle, couldn’t help but feel pressed.

The pirates and Altaran soldiers yelled and screamed jumbled all over each other the ships as the Altaran risked their lives to fight. When an unsettling sound was heard from the distance, the pirates and Altaran soldiers stopped their fighting as they looked in the direction of the mysterious sound. The AS332L1 Umitaka helicopter flew in the skies and passed overhead. The pirates openly launched arrows against the turning object, but it appeared to be in a position higher. The arrows cut through the air before falling into the ocean below.

While everyone looked up at the AS332L1 Umitaka helicopter, the door on the deck of the merchant ship *Tarcos* made a sound. Princess Lumies heard a high-pitched sound that she had never heard of before, mixed in with the sound of the air rapidly beaten by something. She got away from the servants' restraints and emerged out onto the deck. She looked up at the sky searching for the origin of the sounds. She saw an unfamiliar object with flat blades rotating above its hovering in the sky decorated with a crest that had a red disc on a white rectangle. At that moment, an arrow brushed against her arm. The pirates not only attacked the flying object, but they also continued their attacks on the merchant ship *Tarcos*. Seeing blood pooling on Lumies’s arm, the servants panicked before forcibly carrying her away back inside the ship.

### Arrival of the Japan Coast Guard Patrol Ship

While his pirate henchmen were talking amongst themselves, Ruffle looked up the white demon appeared out of nowhere before being overcome with worry. Among the pirates, rumors surfaced that the ship was from a country called Japan, which was the same one that routed the Lourian great fleet in the Great Naval Battle of Rodenius.

From behind the island appeared the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship *Shikishima*, a glistening large white ship called "White Devil," heading both the pirate ships and merchant ships. The other pirates suddenly began to feel unnerved. Oars emerged from the pirate ships as they rushed towards the patrol ship *Shikishima* at full speed. They heard the warning from the speaker of the patrol ship *Shikishima*. Ignoring the warning, Ruffle instructed his longbowmen, using their longbows to hurl fire arrows at the patrol ship *Shikishima* from maximum range. The arrows drew a parabolic arc across the sky before hitting the patrol ship *Shikishima* and disappointingly bouncing off from its deck. Ruffle was aghast at the hull of the ship, which was impervious to arrows.

While the pirates were taken back by what unfolded, a long rod mounted on the front deck of the *Shikishima* then turned towards one of the pirate ships. Ruffle looked at the slender magic cannon as he wondered if it were a blowgun. The 35mm rounds from the 35mm autocannon on the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship *Shikishima* flew as tracers drew lines across the sky. The rounds easily penetrated the bilge of the pirate ship, opening up massive holes under the waterline. Massive amounts of seawater rushed into the pirate ship as it slowly sank. Then it attacked two other pirate ships in order promptly. The pirate ships sank and were put to death unceremoniously, including Ruffle. The pirates lost the will to fight after seeing how unbelievably short the amount of time it took for them to attack. Lilceide and her subordinates were surprised and couldn't believe what happened. With the sounds of battle faded away, Lumies once again showed up on deck after she had received treatment.

## Aftermath

Japan Coast Guard patrol ship *Shikishima* approached the remains of the pirate ships as its crew picked up pirates floating along the ocean surface one after the other before taking them deeper inside the ship. They may have been normally tasked with capturing 150 pirates. After it finished picking up the pirates from the ocean surface, the patrol ship *Shikishima* approached the merchant ship *Tarcos*.

Finally, the patrol ship *Shikishima* reached the side of the *Tarcos*. The Altarans couldn’t help but feel fear as the upcoming talks that would decide their fate neared. The Japanese coast guard sailors learned that several were wounded on the merchant ship *Tarcos*, and they deployed to aid them. Princess Lumies and top-class knight Lilceide boarded the patrol ship *Shikishima* as the commanders of the *Tarcos* to explain their situation to Captain Seto Mamoru. All of a sudden, Lumies abruptly felt dizzy and fell, but Lilceide took her into her arms from falling. Seto couldn’t contain his surprise at what happened, and he glanced at a bandage wrapped around her right arm. He noticed Lumies was struck by an arrow laced with poison. He called the crews to get medical attention and the helicopter ready for takeoff. Lumies was transported aboard a helicopter with Lilceide to the JSDF hospital in the base at Ejei in Qua-Toyne Principality.

However, since it became clear that Princess Lumies was royalty, she was then transferred to a major hospital in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where Japanese diplomat Yanagida and his staff Nakai cared for her and Lilceide under their protection.

## Trivia

* The manga version changes several details of the battle.
	+ Only one pirate ship headed and approached the merchant ship *Tarcos*, but the pirate ship sailed away as soon as Ruffle saw the White Devil (Japanese patrol ship *Shikishima*), so it didn't get sunk.

## Gallery

Princess Lumiess escaped the royal city of Le Brias to the cave with Lilceide before boarding the merchant ship Tarcos.The merchant ship Tarcos sailed and left the capital. The guard informed King Taara XIV that his daughter Lumies escaped to Japan safety.The merchant ship Tarcos traveled in the Rodenius northern sea. Lilceide informed Lumies that they reached the Rodenius continent's shore, but Louria Kingdom's harbor was dangerous since it was aligned with the Parpaldia Empire.The captain spotted the pirate ship, heading the merchant ship Tarcos. Lilceide and dozens of guards prepared for battle.The pirate ship sailed faster as they approached the merchant ship Tarcos.The pirates and Altarans fired multiple arrows at each other over between the pirate ship and the merchant ship. Ruffle was aghast at the unbelievable defensive capabilities of the merchant ship.Lumies heard a high-pitched sound. She emerged out onto the deck and looked up at the AS332L1 Umitaka helicopter, but Lilceide implored her to go back inside.Lumies got a Louria scorpion poison arrow after scratching her left arm from the arrow. Lilceide held her from falling.The AS332L1 Umitaka helicopter flew in the skies and passed overhead. The Japan Coast Guard patrol ship Shikishima appeared from behind the island.The pirates heard the warning from the speaker of the patrol ship Shikishima, but the pirate ship sailed away as Ruffle saw the White Devil.When the patrol ship Shikishima reached the side of the merchant ship Tarcos, Japanese coast guard sailors learned that several were wounded and deployed to aid them.Lumies was transported by helicopter to the military hospital in the Qua-Toyne Principality with Lilceide.