Chapter 115

The screams of my subordinates pierced my ears.

Upon hearing this, General Rafael’s face turned rigid.

“Damn it! Could they really have come this far already?”

It was unfathomable.

No matter how brutal the enemy’s assault was, our army was not one that couldn’t respond to such a situation.

Yet, the fact that the enemy had reached this point meant our defenses had already been breached, and our formation was being ravaged.

With a troubled mind regarding this unbelievable fact, General Rafael drew his sword and stepped outside.

And then…

“Uuaaargh!!!”

“Damn it! Block them! Stop the enemies… kuhack!!!”

Before my eyes unfolded a scene of utter chaos.

Flames were rising from all directions.

The Holy Empire Army’s cavalry had invaded our main base, while our soldiers were hastily trying to escape.

Observing this emergency situation that had erupted within mere minutes, General Rafael urgently issued orders to his subordinates.

“Gather the soldiers right now! We must block their attack no matter what!”

“Y-Yes, General!”

Following his orders, his subordinates scattered swiftly.

Immediately after, General Rafael began to release his magical power throughout his body.

“Huh?”

“T-This is…”

A sudden, chilling sensation enveloped him.

As if a beast was stalking him, the frantic Holy Empire Army simultaneously turned their gazes.

“Look! Look over there!”


“Rafael… General Rafael has deployed!”

General Rafael, radiating an icy aura, began to move.

As an 11th Grade Grand Warrior, he unleashed tremendous magical power.

Without a shred of hesitation, he swung his sword.

-Swish!

-Crackle!!!

The blade sliced with ease.

Simultaneously, the chilling air poured out toward the Empire.

“Uuugh!!……”

“Hah….”

The Empire soldiers, unable to even scream, turned into blocks of ice in an instant.

Their skin, flesh, and even the blood flowing within their bodies were completely frozen.

-Crack!

-Smash!!!

The shards of their physiques shattered like glass in an instant.

Their bodies, unable to withstand the rapid cooling from the extreme cold, fell apart.

Thus, a haunting silence settled in, accompanied by the slaughter of the Empire soldiers.

As General Rafael strode through the scene, he continued to release his magical power, heading toward the fierce battle unfolding ahead.

‘I can’t let it collapse like this… Holy Empire scum… I will annihilate you all with my own hands!’

*

“Ugh!!!”

“Damn it! Die, you filthy Emperor’s dogs! Ugh!!”

The Frantz Kingdom Army was engaged in battle all over the chaotic battlefield.

They tried desperately to fend off the overwhelming assaults of the Holy Empire Army from all sides; however, it was insufficient to reverse the tide of battle.

At that moment…

-Swish!!!

“!!”

A chilling sound accompanied by a rush of icy air.

The Empire soldiers who were caught directly in the blast froze in place, remaining in the stance they had just taken to attack.

Dozens of enemies turned into icicles in an instant.

And right after that…

“General!!!”


“General Rafael!!!”

General Rafael emerged before them, radiating a cold aura.

The Frantz Kingdom soldiers, who had been facing the enemies, felt a deep sense of relief mixed with a tinge of fear as they gathered beside their general.

“Thank you for your help, General.”


“What the hell happened? How could the enemies breach our lines in such a short time?”

Instead of receiving their gratitude, General Rafael asked coldly.

No matter how careless they had been, the developments were utterly incomprehensible.

In this expansive plain, there was no way they couldn’t have noticed the movements of thousands of the enemy.

And if they had spotted the enemies moving, they should have deployed defenses against a cavalry charge or engaged with the infantry in battle.

The fact that none of this had occurred sparked questions and rage within General Rafael.

To that, a Frantz soldier spoke with a frightened expression.

“W-Well…”


“W-We tried to respond. As the enemies charged recklessly with cavalry, we immediately set up defenses to counter them. B-But…”

The soldier’s voice trembled as he tried to explain.

At that moment…

“If you’re that curious, I’ll let you know.”

“!”

“Surprise!”

A sudden voice rang out.

General Rafael and the Frantz Kingdom soldiers turned their gazes toward the source of the sound.

What they saw was a woman in military attire slowly walking towards them.

“! Y-You…”

“It’s been a while, you cute little kid.”

The beautiful woman, with a waning smile, looked at him.

She had red hair and piercing red eyes, clothed in a military uniform.

At that moment, despite not exuding any magical power…

The moment he laid eyes on her, General Rafael began to sweat coldly for the first time since the war broke out, feeling an icy dread.

“How about it? I believe that explains sufficiently why the bug-like Frantz Kingdom Army has reached such dire straits.”

“You… Why are you here? You should be holed up in the Kingdom of Roycen…”

“What do you mean why am I here…? Obviously…”

“!!”

With that statement, a surge of red magical power began to flow from her body.

It was not merely typical smoke, but an intensely vivid red like blood.

An overwhelming force.

As she released it…

She spoke in a voice as cold as ice.

“I came to turn the Frantz language into a language only suitable for hell.”

“W-What…?”

Her words did not merely convey a simple threat, but a stark intent to kill.

To her, appearing as if facing a mortal enemy, General Rafael and the Frantz Kingdom soldiers felt as if their breath was being choked.

“Wh-What… What does that even mean? No matter the Emperor’s orders, this is too much… You, who always maintained neutrality, why would you target our Frantz Kingdom…?”

General Rafael, bewildered, questioned her.

In response…

She nonchalantly raised her sword, imbued with a terrifying amount of magical power.

“The answer to that will be… revealed in the afterlife.”

*

Twenty thousand Frantz Kingdom soldiers moved toward Pare.

Having crushed the Holy Empire Army in Arden, we were on our way back with orders—rather, a request—to safeguard the queen and the capital in case of emergencies.

From my perspective, I was quite satisfied with this result, unbothered by having to return to the troublesome matters of the Loren region.

However, regardless of my sentiments, Napoleona had repeatedly apologized, looking rather remorseful.

“I’m sorry. I tried to persuade them somehow, but it ended up like this.”

“…It’s fine.”

“General Rafael can also be quite frustrating. At such a critical moment for the country, how could he neglect the Pirate King like this just because he didn’t want to transfer a military achievement…”

“…”

At present, it seemed Napoleona had many grievances about the situation.

Contrary to my genuine feelings, she seemed to think that to prevent me from gaining undue merit, General Rafael had created this troublesome scenario.

‘But why is she so fixated on me making achievements? Even if I leave the Frantz Kingdom, they won’t be of any use…’

It was a bit too blatant for me to dismiss it all as a mere strategic plan.

As I pondered lightly on that fact, I heard a voice.

“Um… Captain, can I ask one question?”

“Speak up, Franklin.”

I turned my head toward her, slightly surprised that the usually quiet Franklin had suddenly joined the conversation.

“If General Rafael wins and the Holy Empire Army retreats, what will happen to us? Do we return to the sea?”

“Hmm… That’s highly likely. But why do you ask? Do you want to go back?”

“Yes… To be honest, I’ve gotten a bit seasick from being on land for too long…”

“Hmm…”

Though I hadn’t thought about it, I grasped what Franklin was talking about.

Both she and I were originally pirates living at sea.

This was an extraordinarily long time spent on land, and being honest, I was starting to miss the sea as well.

“Indeed… It’s a big deal, but it has been quite a while. Just hang in there a little longer, and as soon as this matter wraps up, I’ll get us back to the sea as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, understood, Captain.”

Franklin seemed quite cheerful as she spoke.

Seeing this, I also couldn’t help but smile lightly.

‘Back when we first met, she suffered a lot from seasickness… It seems she has certainly grown since then.’

Though we were in a secret romance, I still felt an affectionate big-brotherly vibe toward her.

With that feeling of pride, I gently patted Franklin’s head.

Suddenly…

“Um… Even so, things won’t be that easy. No matter how much we tread cautiously, we are up against one of the strongest powers on the continent, the Holy Empire. Even General Rafael will find it difficult to chase them away easily. The Pirate King’s assistance will likely be crucial.”

“Do you really think so? After all, he’s an 11th Grade Grand Warrior. I believe he won’t need the Captain’s support.”

“That’s not necessarily true!….. Hmm…”

“…”

I felt a sudden tension in the air with Napoleona almost raising her voice and Franklin also shutting her mouth.

As their atmosphere strangely intensified, I began to feel puzzled. However, with both of them remaining silent, I decided not to pry too deeply.

In that moment…

“General! General Napoleona!”

“?”