Chapter 102

Having rescued Queen Louis, I immediately headed towards the temporary hideout where my subordinates were staying.

Honestly, from my perspective, she was just a trivial existence, but… the fact that it was none other than Napoleona who pledged her loyalty made me accept it.

Moreover, during this process, I completely crushed the biggest threat—the position of Duke Ocleang—so that was just a bonus.

After all, crowds tend to shift their attention easily if something more tantalizing to nibble on comes along.

The charge of being a perverted lolicon serial killer, regardless of the truths behind it, successfully turned him into the root of all evil in one fell swoop, and this fact would leave a huge scar on not just his reputation but also that of the Kingdom of Frantz and beyond, even affecting those who fled to other nations.

Given the current situation where tracking him down was impossible, this was the best attack I could manage.

Of course, one could argue it was his own doing for living such a sneaky, sordid life.

‘Anyway… what should I do with this guy now?’

After sorting my thoughts about Duke Ocleang, I briefly turned my gaze to Queen Louis, who was still in my embrace.

She didn’t possess any notable combat ability, nor was she someone to be treated lightly.

Even if she had completely squandered her power, she was still the Queen of this country.

From my standpoint, she was a cumbersome burden that would be awkward to carry around, so I thought it best to call Napoleona and hand her over.

At that moment…

“Um… um…”

“What is it?”

The Queen asked with a slightly trembling voice.

I replied curtly without showing much interest.

And then…

“Excuse me… but what is your name?”

“…”

I suddenly realized I hadn’t explicitly told her who I was, and I responded nonchalantly.

“Ezra Drake.”

“Ezra… Drake…”

The Queen quietly repeated my name.

Since we wouldn’t be spending much time together anyway, I didn’t think much of her behavior as I landed in front of the hideout.

*

“Ah… ah…”

“…”

In the blink of an eye, those people who had disappeared into the sky…

The Queen Louis, who could have lost her head in just one second longer, and the Pirate King who saved her.

Witnessing this, Robes Fiora was literally overwhelmed with shock and fear, letting out a bewildered moan.

She had mobilized practically every means at her disposal for this endeavor.

Starting with roasting the members of the Assembly, securing a justification through Minister Nekker, and even drugging the Queen to ensure she would peacefully meet her end.

In the end, she had even positioned agitators throughout the streets in anticipation of possible accidents.

However…

The efforts she had put in tirelessly over the past few nights were smashed to pieces by none other than the Pirate King within a mere ten minutes.

A perfect defeat.

At this point, no matter how strong her pride, she couldn’t help but acknowledge it.

With her skills, there was no way she could handle that person…

The Pirate King.

Meanwhile, leaving behind the dazed Robes Fiora, Napoleona hurried down from the rooftop and began to move.

“Let’s go, Janglan, Myura.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

Robes Fiora had been leading the situation up until now, and Napoleona knew this was the perfect opportunity to tidy things up now that her mental state was in shambles due to the Pirate King.

At the same time, as she walked, Napoleona couldn’t help but admire him once more.

Once again, he had not disappointed her expectations…

‘Truly… truly the Pirate King… Honestly, in a situation like this, I was half-ready to give up, but you really managed to save the Queen…’

The more she witnessed, the more awe-inspiring the Pirate King’s abilities seemed.

Although it was a choice made for the sake of the nation’s interests, this fact made Napoleona feel once again that her decision…

To serve the Pirate King was indeed the right one.

And simultaneously…

Another goal began to take root in her heart.

One enormous ambition related to the desires she had long held…

At that moment…

“Admiral!”

“What?”

A sudden urgent voice echoed.

Napoleona paused for a moment and turned to where the voice came from.

“Aren’t you the soldier who was guarding the General? What’s going on here?”

“Rejoice! General Rafael has awakened!”

“What! What did you say?!”

The unexpected news arrived at the most inopportune timing.

Napoleona felt a mix of confusion, slight relief… and irritation as she had no choice but to turn on her heel.

‘Tch… if you were going to wake up, you should have done it earlier… Why did it have to be right at this time…’

Napoleona had fully intended to dispose of the now half-crazed Robes Fiora during this opportunity.

However, with the General awake, the ball was no longer in her court.

Furthermore, knowing General Rafael’s character, Napoleona could somewhat predict how he might handle this situation.

Feeling a sense of regret, she began moving toward the location where the awakened General was.

*

General Rafael, the leader of the Revolutionary Army and General of the Kingdom of Frantz.

He awakened from a lengthy state of unconsciousness and still felt a throbbing headache…

However, what ached his head the most at this moment was not the simple aftermath of an accident.

“R… Rafael… General…”

“…Hah…”

There she was, Robes Fiora, trembling and curled up on the floor.

Toward her, one of his most trusted subordinates, General Rafael spoke with a cold voice.

“Robes Fiora. I’m disappointed in you.”

“!… G… General…”

“What in the world were you thinking when you did that! I clearly said the Queen’s life is not to be touched! Are you unaware that your unilateral actions almost turned the entire nation into a sea of flames?”

The General expressed his deep anger with a fierce glare.

To this, Robes Fiora repeatedly bowed her head, seemingly on the brink of tears.

“I… I’m sorry… I… I made a mistake, General! I must have truly lost my mind at that moment! Thinking that you might not return, I… I…”

“No matter what, how could you orchestrate such a thing! Threatening the Assembly and inserting agitators among the citizens! Do you think my orders were so trivial?”

“W… what can I say… just kill me, General! For the crime of being swayed by emotion and nearly ruining everything, I will pay with my life!”

“…Hah…”

Robes Fiora, honestly admitting her wrongs without excuses.

Seeing her like this, General Rafael let out a deep sigh before speaking in a cold tone.

“Thank Napoleona and the Pirate King. If they hadn’t intervened, your head would have definitely fallen.”

“G… General…”

At least, he wasn’t going to take her life.

However, even so, as he addressed Robes Fiora, Rafael’s voice still held a tone of anger.

“Nevertheless, you must pay the price for your reckless actions. You ignored the pre-established plan and acted without care, defying my command. For this offense, you will be stripped of your rank as the Lieutenant General. From now on, your subordinate troop will be managed by Napoleona.”

“Yes, General.”

“… Thank you… General.”

Napoleona replied solemnly, while Robes Fiora answered in a strained voice.

Yet, as Napoleona listened to this decision, she realized, as expected, the situation wouldn’t just end cleanly.

‘The only thing she lost was her military position… She hasn’t been stripped of her role as a subordinate in the Revolutionary Army… This is essentially giving her another chance later on.’

While the punishment was quite lenient considering the enormous blunder she nearly caused, Napoleona didn’t express any discontent.

In the first place, Robes Fiora was Rafael’s closest aide and was practically regarded as a daughter.

She also looked up to Rafael as a father figure.

Given that this was an incident that almost happened due to the aftermath of Rafael being unconscious, it must have been difficult for him to administer a harsh punishment.

Moreover, it was entirely possible that he was somewhat touched by the fact that she had acted out of a desire for revenge against him.

In conclusion, nothing major had come from this, which also contributed to the reason for the leniency.

In that sense, it left Napoleona feeling a sense of regret about how she had planned to get rid of Robes Fiora under the pretense of the emergency had General Rafael awakened just a little later.

“Then… where is Her Majesty now?”

“For now, I believe she is under the protection of the Pirate King. There was a call to accompany her as well, but should I bring her here now?”

Despite having temporarily lost real power thanks to Nekker’s prior actions, Queen Louis still retained significance as the monarch of a nation.

Napoleona thought it would be best to secure her as quickly as possible…

“…No, let’s leave her be for now.”

“Yes?”

In response, General Rafael made a different decision.

“Anyway, she’s just a woman with no power anymore. We have piles of issues to deal with aside from her, so let’s focus on those for now.”

“B…but… entrusting the monarch of a nation to pirates…”

“Needlessly protecting her, if any problem arises, she would just become a burden. It’s better to pass her off to them; that way, the responsibility lies with them. For now, let’s make some excuse and keep her under the pirates for a while longer.”

“Understood…”

In other words, it meant he planned to hand over this troublesome burden, which could create unnecessary troubles, to the pirates.

Thus, Napoleona showed her willingness to follow his orders.

‘Tch… how foolish… to throw away the justification like this.’

Internally…

She clicked her tongue at General Rafael’s choice.