Chapter 116

A great reputation can sometimes become a tool to bind a person.

The existence of a hero who overcomes crises instills excessive expectations and hopes in the people, which ultimately grants them power and responsibility that may be unrelated to their desires.

In that regard, she—

Admiral Napoleona Bonaparte secretly hoped that in this war, that person—

Pirate King Ezra Drake would once again achieve great feats.

The figure of the Pirate King shown during the course of the revolution—

Leading numerous people and filling their hearts with hope had captured the sentiments of the citizens of Pare.

In such a situation, if he were to excel even in this massive war that held the fate of the Kingdom of Frantz, the reputation of the Pirate King would reach an uncontrollable height.

If that happens… whether he wanted it or not, the people of this land would undoubtedly send absolute support to the Pirate King.

Even if he were to ascend as a king… or as a prime minister, no one would be able to oppose him.

General Rafael was also aware of this fact, so he deliberately excluded the Pirate King from this battle. However, if the situation didn’t unfold as he wished, he would have no choice but to seek the Pirate King’s help.

In that sense, Napoleona was inwardly hoping that General Rafael would not achieve an easy victory and would prolong the war…

But at this moment—

With soldiers rushing in, looking like perfect stragglers, their words—

Surpassed her expectations.

“T-That… what… what’s that noise? What… what happened?”

“Total annihilation… we’ve been completely wiped out, General…”

“The Frantz Kingdom Army that went to Loren has been annihilated!”

“What…?!”

An unexpected tale.

Certainly, Napoleona had hoped that General Rafael’s forces would struggle.

That way, in the midst of that crisis, the exceptional talents of the Pirate King would shine again, and he would be able to grasp the hearts of the citizens of the Kingdom of Frantz in one hand.

But…

That being said, she did not want them to be utterly wiped out to such an extent.

This situation was more than just discussing achievements; it was about the possible downfall… no, the nation’s very existence was at stake.

“W-What in the world happened? What about General Rafael? What became of him?”

“The General… has become a captive of the enemy.”

“I-I saw it too. At the last moment, I saw him being dragged away by the enemy.”

“T-That’s…”

It was an unbelievable story even as she listened with her ears open.

General Rafael, the strongest warrior of the Frantz Kingdom.

Not an ordinary person, but a Grand Warrior of Grade 11,

An absolute being capable of crushing even an army of 10,000 if he fought with determination.

The fact that he was captured as a prisoner rather than simply fleeing after a defeat was something unimaginable.

However,

At the same time, Napoleona knew.

About the existence that made such nonsense possible…

‘C-Could it really be him…?’

An existence she had always been wary of since the war began and a character that could be considered the greatest variable of this war.

Even with the absolute power of Grade 12 held by the Pirate King, victory was not guaranteed…

Similarly, one of the beings standing at the very peak of the continent who also possessed Grade 12 power.

Her name—

Napoleona found herself muttering it unconsciously.

“Senel… Chancellor Senel Polena… could it be that he’s participating?”

“I-I can’t say for sure, but it seems likely.”

“There’s no doubt. They were at the forefront of the enemies. Those guys charged into our camp in an instant… Ugh…!”

As the soldiers began to tremble in fear while telling the story, Napoleona bit her lip until it bled.

‘The worst situation I could imagine has come to pass… what now… what do I do?’

It’s said that the allied forces numbering around 70,000 had mostly perished or been captured in the last battle.

While they could recover to some extent if they organized the scattered troops, the time was already too pressing.

With the main force led by General Rafael defeated, the enemy was surely marching straight towards Pare.

For now, they could only block the approaching enemies with the remaining 20,000 troops.

‘But… is that really possible? How can we stop at least 70,000 enemies with merely 20,000?’

Just by simple calculations, it was an absolutely impossible situation.

Especially in a place filled with mountainous terrains like Schwitz, the land of the Kingdom of Frantz was 80% plains, and there was hardly any defensible terrain from Loren to Pare.

Moreover, unlike before, they…

Just when Napoleona was at a loss on how to overcome this situation—

“…Things have gotten rather troublesome.”

“!”

The voice of that man—

Pirate King Ezra Drake.

The moment she heard it,

Napoleona momentarily froze with a dazed expression, only to let out a slight wry smile.

In a situation where there seemed to be no sharp solutions…

Upon hearing the Pirate King’s voice, she felt a sense of relief she hadn’t realized she had.

And…

“…W-What shall we do, Pirate King?”

Following that vague trust,

Napoleona cautiously asked, harboring expectations that she herself was half-hearted about.

“Hmm…”

The Pirate King showed a moment of hesitation.

However,

Watching his demeanor, Napoleona could tell.

Even in this situation, the relaxed attitude of the Pirate King.

His contemplation was not about ‘how’ to handle it but rather…

About whether or not to proceed with it.

From what she had seen until now, the Pirate King never acted purely out of goodwill.

She now understood that his choices were always backed by meticulous calculations of profit and loss.

And in this matter, at that moment, Napoleona could only wait quietly for his decision.

She had already laid everything she could offer on the table.

Her life was the Pirate King’s.

Even though a clear patriotism remained in her heart, she had resolved to follow whatever choice the Pirate King made.

And shortly after…

After deliberating, the Pirate King spoke in a calm voice.

“For now, let’s do this.”

*

“Gahhh!!!”

A terrible scream echoed.

Watching a man before her whose bones were shattered and flesh torn apart—

She…

Chancellor Senel Polena quietly opened her mouth with a neutral expression.

“I’m getting tired of this act. Are you going to continue?”

“Ugh… ugh…”

The only response from General Rafael, who simply bowed his head and struggled to breathe.

Even in this dreadful state of torture, still unyielding, seeing him like this made Senel sigh softly.

“You’ve always been a pain in the ass, kid… Trying to break someone like this, it seems Wallenstein is just wasting his efforts.”

She showed an attitude that indicated she was no longer interested.

And then—

Snap!

With a flick of her finger, people approached General Rafael.

Holding torture devices such as whips and pincers, they began their work again, and simultaneously, General Rafael’s screams that could tear through the air were unleashed once more.

“Be careful not to kill him. Don’t forget to use healing magic in between.”

“Understood, Chancellor.”

With those words, Senel completely exited the cell where the torture was taking place.

Her gaze then rose towards—

The sky, in stark contrast to the scene she had just left.

A bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.

Gazing up at the clear sky, not so different from the ones she often looked at with that person during her childhood…

Senel felt a longing arise deep within her heart.

She, who had grown up together since birth, bound by a bond stronger than ordinary sisters.

Now a presence that she could no longer see…

The sorrow for her sister.

“Elly… how could you… how could you leave like that… how…”

Her beloved sister, the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Frantz, who had been suddenly killed.

Elly Helrat.

While she had heard that it was connected to the power struggle within the kingdom,

For Senel, the detailed circumstances didn’t matter.

Regardless of the ins and outs, her sister had worked for the Kingdom of Frantz, bringing great advancements to the nation.

But… they had forgotten that grace and driven her to death.

This ugly and despicable fact compelled even Senel, who always tried not to get involved in political matters, to personally step into this war.

With the goal of completely wiping the filthy traitors from this country off the map…

“I will kill them all… the nobles of this land… the lord… and every single one of the living beings… without leaving even a trace!”