Chapter 50: Battle at the Port The coachmen in the square saw a group of Elven Guards riding War Horses out of the manor and assumed Princess Ophelia was leaving Seaside Manor early, which meant the ball inside would soon be over.
After all, many young Elven Nobles had attended the ball because of Princess Ophelia.
The young Elven Nobles were about to leave, which meant it was time to put them to use.
The coachmen hurried toward their respective carriages.
But the silver carriage bearing the royal crest did not follow behind the Elven Guards.
Only when a group of young Elven Nobles followed behind the Elven Guards did the coachmen realize the situation might be different from what they had imagined.
Seeing everyone rushing toward the harbor pier, the coachmen also stood up from their carriages.
They jumped down from their carriages, pulled out weapons from beneath their seats, and chased after the young Elven Nobles.
These coachmen, who worked specifically for the Elven Nobles of the Upper District, were responsible not only for driving but also for ensuring the nobles' safety whenever they went out.
They possessed not only extensive driving experience but also some combat experience.
For a moment, a huge crowd of elves poured out of Seaside Manor and rushed toward the nearby harbor pier.
At the deep-water pier, two teams of Elf Rangers lay hidden separately at the bow and stern of the Sea Wolf Sea Ship...
The Elf Rangers waited patiently for the troops stationed at Walnut Forest to arrive with reinforcements.
Otherwise, with only a little over twenty Elf Rangers, capturing every Sailor aboard a sixty-meter sea ship was not a very realistic prospect.
Two Elf Rangers swaggered along the stone-paved pier toward the gangplank of the Sea Wolf.
At that moment, some of the Sea Wolf's sailors were still carrying supplies aboard.
Using the arrest of a thief as a pretext, the two Elf Rangers told the sailors guarding the gangplank that they wished to board and conduct a search.
They were directly refused by the two sailors.
The two Elf Rangers could only take the opportunity to leave.
After seeing the two Elf Rangers depart, one of the sailors hoisted a wooden barrel onto his shoulder and walked up the gangplank.
Second mate Nerev stood on the deck with both hands on the railing, staring at the two Elf Rangers on the pier. Frowning, he asked the Sailor, "Why are there Rangers out at this hour? What did they say just now?"
The Sailor carrying the barrel aboard replied:
"They said they were looking for a thief...
I told them that without the Captain's permission, no one could board.
Then they asked whether the Captain was aboard.
I told them the Captain had gone to the tavern...
So they didn't stay any longer and said they were going to inspect the ship beside us."
Second mate Nerev stroked his stubbled chin and narrowed his eyes at the two indistinct figures in the darkness, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"Go check the Bottom Cabin..." he ordered one of the sailors.
"I'll go right away!"
The Sailor immediately set down the rope in his hands and strode toward the stairway on the deck.
Second mate Nerev gripped the iron railing and turned to look toward Seaside Manor.
The elves' ball was truly enviable. Even gazing at the manor's dazzling lights from afar and listening to the intermittent music made everything seem so beautiful.
These elves really knew how to enjoy life!
Second mate Nerev quietly sighed to himself.
Then he saw a group of Elven Guards riding white horses out of the manor and assumed they were probably the honor guard of some Elven Noble...
But when he saw those Elven Guards reach the small square outside the manor without stopping to adjust their formation, instead heading straight for the harbor pier, he felt something was wrong.
Second mate Nerev turned and asked the Sailor responsible for observing the tide:
"How much longer until the tide comes in?"
"About three or four hours."
The Sailor standing at the bow reported to the second mate.
"Nerev, those Elven Guards are heading for the pier..."
A Sailor standing on the Lookout Platform shouted down to the second mate on deck.
Second mate Nerev's ominous feeling intensified. He frowned at the Elven Guards on white horses, felt cold sweat bead on his forehead, then wiped it away with a careless swipe of his hand.
Normally, Elf Rangers were hardly ever seen at the harbor pier at night, yet tonight they had appeared to catch thieves...
And this unit of Elven Guards did not seem right either...
Second mate Nerev watched the Elven Guards until they stopped in front of the Sea Wolf, dismounted, and surrounded the sea ship.
Another team of Elf Rangers also emerged from the darkness...
The elf at their head was the Ranger captain.
Standing on the pier, he blocked Captain Simpson at the front of the group, raised his chin, and called out, "Gentlemen, what brings you to the pier so late at night?"
"Danser.Simpson, squad leader of the First Company, Second Brigade, Seventh Knights Order, acting under orders to rescue our elven compatriots trapped aboard this black sea ship." Captain Simpson swiftly dismounted and spoke loudly.
The Ranger captain had not expected a group of helpers to arrive at such a time...
He immediately saluted Captain Simpson.
In truth, the Ranger captain had not been certain that the garrison north of Walnut Forest could reach the harbor pier before high tide.
If they could not arrive in time, relying on just over twenty Elf Rangers to stop this sea ship from leaving port would have been an impossible task.
Now that so many people had arrived at once, he could at least conduct a tentative investigation of the Sea Wolf...
"The Guard Squad of Castleton Harbour is currently investigating this matter. However, the Sea Wolf's sailors have refused to let our people board and search the ship. I hope Captain Simpson can cooperate with us to complete this rescue mission..."
The Ranger captain said to Captain Simpson.
Captain Simpson looked at the sixty-meter Great Sea Ship before him.
In the silent night, even moored at the harbor pier, its massive hull resembled an enormous fortress.
A Great Sea Ship like this probably had at least a hundred sailors aboard...
Captain Simpson shook hands with the Ranger captain and said:
"Good! I will give you my full cooperation..."
The two sides quickly reached an agreement to work together.
According to the Ranger captain's plan, their next step was to pressure the Sea Wolf Sea Ship...
Fifty Elven Guards and twenty-three Elf Rangers formed ranks around the front of the Sea Wolf. The Ranger captain walked straight to the gangplank and shouted at the sailors guarding it and those on deck:
"We are Elf Rangers of the Castleton Port Guard Squad. Your ship is currently suspected of unlawfully detaining elves. Now, in the name of the Castleton Harbour Guard Squad, I order all of you to lay down your weapons and disembark for inspection."
"I repeat, we are..."
A group of Elven Nobles chased after them. When they saw the enormous black sea ship, they were all shocked as well...
Such large sea ships built specifically for long voyages were rare even in the Elven Kingdom.
Especially a ship painted black like this one.
At night, it was like a Giant Beast lurking in the darkness.
Young Elven Nobles were always prone to impulsiveness. Just moments ago, they had planned to charge aboard in one burst...
But now...
Once they got a clear look at the Great Sea Ship over sixty meters long before them, they immediately sobered up.
Many Elven Nobles began slowing their pace and looking around. Only after their attendants and coachmen caught up did they begin discussing matters in low voices...
Some sailors still carrying supplies at the pier saw the elves surround the Sea Wolf. They abandoned the supplies and ran back aboard.
The sailors had never expected the elven troops to arrive so quickly, especially without any prior warning.
A group of Elven Guards stood on the pier and completely surrounded the sea ship.
They did not immediately launch an attack on the Sea Wolf...
The sailors aboard neighboring ships saw a large number of Elf Warriors appear on the pier and ran to the railings to watch the excitement.
For a time, more and more elves gathered from all around the pier...
There were merchants at the Fish Market waiting for Fishing Boats to return at night, shopkeepers from the pier's stores, and even elven residents living on Brown Street.
Everyone crowded onto the pier without getting too close to the Sea Wolf.
Someone hidden among the crowd shouted, "Go take the Fish Spears off the Fishing Boats! We can shoot them down with the Fish Spears..."
Captain Simpson, standing at the very front of the Elven Guard formation, drew the longsword at his waist and led fifty Elven Guards along the gangplank, preparing to board the Sea Wolf.
The Ranger captain also hurriedly waved at the other Elf Rangers, signaling them to gather closer.
The pier before the Sea Wolf immediately became tense with drawn swords...
But before the Elven Guards could reach the gangplank, the sailors aboard pulled it back. Then a row of sailors in Light Leather Armor stood along the ship's railing.
Each held a short bow, and at their captain's command, they quickly nocked arrows and drew their bows.
Wave after wave of arrows rained down on the pier, forcing the Elven Guards who had intended to board and fight to retreat.
Some Elf Warriors were even struck and wounded by arrows...
These Elven Guards were escorts and were not equipped with longbows or quivers, leaving them unable to return fire for the moment.
They could only raise their Round Shields and retreat beyond the range of the shortbows.
At the same time, the anchor at the stern of the Sea Wolf was gradually raised.
A row of long poles also extended from the oar ports on the side nearest the pier.
The poles pressed neatly against the stone platform along the shore, and with the sailors pushing together, the Great Sea Ship actually began to move.
The thick ropes connecting the bow and stern to the Stone Piles on the pier were cut by the sailors and fell into the sea one after another.
Although the tide had not yet risen, under second mate Nerev's command, the sea ship still intended to force its way out of port.
Holding a massive two-handed axe, second mate Nerev stood at the bow and looked down. Seeing the Elven Guards unable to board from the pier, he laughed smugly and ordered a sailor beside him, "Go wake the captain and first mate. At a time like this, even if they were in coffins, I doubt they could sleep peacefully..."
To his surprise, the Sailor climbed nimbly onto the roof of the Ship Building like a monkey, held the helm with one hand, and turned back to say, "Nerev, you should go! If we wake them, they might kill us. Only you can withstand their fury when they're roused from sleep..."
Nerev held the axe in one hand and shouted, "Fine, I'll wake the Captain. Hold this place for me and don't let these elves board the ship."
The other sailors also called out:
"Nerev, don't worry."
"That's right, we'll hold this spot."
Second mate Nerev headed toward the Ship Building. Just as he touched its handrail, he stopped, turned around, and said to the sailors:
"Send two men to bring up those two elves in the Bottom Cabin. If the people down at the port don't behave themselves, kill one and force them to stop."
By then, pushed by more than twenty long poles, the Great Sea Ship had already moved over three meters from the shore, and its bow continued to creep forward.
A row of oars extended from the hull again, churning the seawater continuously to the sailors' chants.
The canvas on the main mast was also slowly rising...