The blazing nation beyond the sea of sand, the land of kings where blood was honored above all, passionate and hospitable, clear-cut in gratitude and grudges—this was how the people of Terra saw the Blazing Flame Lands.
The nations of the Blazing Flame Lands were among Terra's oldest countries and human settlements. When the Farflame Forebears built underground settlements around water sources beneath the sandy, hardened earth and founded their first kingdom, Sertal City-State, the Empire's predecessor, had not yet begun its wars of conquest against the other human city-states of the Quinoel Plains.
By now, the Blazing Flame Lands' people were no longer merely residents living underground in the wilderness to escape the searing heat. They had even developed an immensely powerful navy, though their cities still retained many sturdy underground structures.
Furthermore, their principal peoples were the Iron Folk and the Red Folk. Thus, although the custom of fighting at close quarters to seize water and farmland by force had long vanished, its spirit endured to this day, nurturing their tradition of revering close-quarters combat.
That tradition even showed itself at sea.
Not long after the bombardment, two high-speed warships emerged dimly through the curtain of rain. The moment the lookout spotted them, he panicked, for they flew privateer flags nearly indistinguishable from pirate banners—ferocious blades and skulls snapping loudly in the wind.
Clearly, the Blazing Flame Lands had completely abandoned all pretense. But the conflict between the two nations had never had much pretense to begin with, so this could be called decisiveness.
"They're planning to capture us!"
Someone said it, and it was indeed the correct judgment. The two fast warships had rushed over, plainly having abandoned any plan of sinking them. Instead, they intended to use their advantages in speed and tonnage to force them