The ceiling overhead creaked and groaned, while the floor beneath their feet trembled incessantly. Everything in sight shook and cracked apart. Through the fractured walls, they could even see a huge crossbeam running the length of the ship, bent into an arc visible to the naked eye. Once that beam could no longer bear the strain, this ship would be completely destroyed.
This disguised passenger ship had held out against the siege of three pirate ships for a full two hours. Under normal circumstances, a mere few pirate ships could never have defeated a large vessel equipped with over-spec defensive firepower. However, Charlemagne Issu, who had received a comprehensive education since childhood, could tell at a glance that the three gray airships outside were merely wearing the shells of pirate ships. The magic flashes erupting from beneath their black iron armor shone a dazzling golden-red. That was the radiance produced only by the highest-purity Magic Energy Focusing Crystal. Using such crystals to manufacture cannons was a luxury even the regular army might not enjoy.
This was a trap—or rather, this journey had been accompanied by a deep conspiracy from the very beginning.
Yet at a time like this, thinking about traps and conspiracies was utterly meaningless. No matter how sensitive his political instincts were, they could not stop the Levitation Engines from shutting down or the hull from breaking apart. The most important thing was to find a way to save everyone aboard. If that proved impossible, then at the very least, he had to ensure that either he or his sister reached the empire safely and told the emperor with the Dragon Bloodline what had happened today.
"Boom!!"
A Burning Crystal Cannonball pierced the White Pearl's already battered Magic Shield and exploded outside the VIP cabin. The bulkhead could