Chapter 134

– Crack!

Quickly drawing her sword, Napoleona ascended into the air defensively.

But—

“Ugh!…”

“…”

The condensed magical flames began to push Napoleona back.

Her hand gripping the sword trembled, and the condensation was being scattered and shattered unilaterally.

No matter how much magical power she injected, the condensation of Napoleona rapidly crumbled under the flames like wood before fire.

If it continued like this, the condensation would completely peel away, and the sword she held would shatter into pieces.

Although I was somewhat prepared for this, the situation was a clear reminder that close combat was overwhelmingly unfavorable.

However…

“!…”

A magic circle began to form around Napoleona’s sword.

Realizing this a moment too late, Franklin frowned slightly.

But—

“It’s too late!”

-Bam!!!

*

In an instant, Napoleona’s magic circle shone brightly.

And with an overwhelming pressure, Franklin’s body was forced back.

For a moment, she felt a fleeting chaos, but soon regained her composure and twisted her body to land on the ground.

At that moment…

“!”

A sudden chill washed over her.

Something seemed to be falling from above, sending a shiver down her spine.

Unlike before, it was already too late to evade.

All she could do was hurriedly unfold the magical barrier.

And then—

-Bam!!!!

“!! Ugh!”

The immense force crashing down from above.

Being crushed under the massive boulder automatically wrinkled her forehead in pressure.

-Crunch!!!!

Finally, in the nick of time before the magical barrier shattered, she barely blocked the spell.

However, Napoleona’s offensive did not end there.

“!”

-Crashed!!!

Just after a brief moment of respite, another magic came crashing down.

This time, Franklin unleashed flames and quickly dodged, but the recoil from using her magical powers recklessly put a significant burden on her body.

“Ugh!…”

Blood surged from her throat.

Amidst the pain surging from the backflow of magical powers, Franklin grimaced.

‘As expected… she’s strong…’

Having fought together over the past few months, she was already aware of Napoleona’s strength.

An existence as a Grade 7 Intermediate Warrior with the power of a Grade 10 Grand Magician.

Moreover, given that Napoleona had reached that Grade 10 mastery much longer than Franklin, she was clearly superior in handling strength.

While she had somewhat anticipated this, the battle was indeed unfolding unfavorably.

Although Franklin had the upper hand at mid-range, it was proving difficult to maintain that advantage due to Napoleona’s magic creating distance.

But even so, Franklin refused to give up and exerted every effort to close the distance.

No matter how unfavorable the battle was, it was a matter of her pride as a woman.

This fight was one she could not back down from, so even amidst the pain from the magical backflow, she forced herself to rush toward Napoleona.

However…

“Cough!”

Ultimately reaching her limit, Franklin suddenly stumbled forward.

Simultaneously, a thick smile began to spread across Napoleona’s face.

“It’s over!”

Of course, it wasn’t truly over.

While it was a matter of pride, she was in a situation where it wasn’t really a fight for her life.

Thus, she had minimized her power adjustment, but feeling the victory so close was unavoidable.

As Napoleona’s magic fell directly towards Franklin…

At that moment…

-Crashed!!!!

“!!!”

“Ugh!”

The next moment, the magic was torn apart in the air.

In this unexpected turn of events, Napoleona’s face was blank with astonishment.

It wasn’t simply because her magic had been dispelled…

“P-Pirate King…”

“…”

The figure who had torn apart her magic barehanded.

At the same time, the person who could be said to be the real instigator of this incident.

Pirate King Ezra Drake.

With the arrival of the one person she most did not want to see in this situation, Napoleona felt as though her breath was caught in her throat.

At that moment…

“C-Captain…”

“Franklin, what in the world is going on? I have no memory of allowing you to engage in combat with a guest.”

The chilling voice of the Pirate King.

The calm anger contained within it made Franklin, as well as Napoleona, feel a sting in their hearts.

Franklin was the one who had instigated the conflict, but having responded to it, Napoleona had no words to say.

In that moment, the first to speak was Franklin.

“…I’m sorry. I made a mistake in front of the guest…”

“What kind of mistake could lead to this? I’ve heard you drew your sword first; why on earth did you do such a thing?”

“…Well…”

With those words, Napoleona subtly glanced at Franklin.

However…

“…It was just a small quarrel. It’s entirely my fault, so please punish me.”

“…Sigh…”

Just as she was about to say something, Franklin fell silent.

The Pirate King, intending to probe for more details, halted and let out a small sigh.

And then…

“Why don’t you tell me? Why were you fighting?”

“…Well…”

As Napoleona attempted to respond to the Pirate King’s inquiry, she quickly realized she too had lost her words.

While she had many things she wanted to say, whatever way she put it would ultimately relate to her feelings for the Pirate King.

For both Franklin and her, it was difficult to express such feelings carelessly, and even more so to admit they had fought viciously over it.

Ultimately, all she could do was follow the path Franklin had paved earlier and carefully backpedal.

“As you said… it was merely a small disagreement regarding future plans.”

“…Is that so?”

Although a hint of skepticism crossed his face, the Pirate King eventually let it slide.

He then addressed Napoleona with a tone of courtesy.

“My apologies, Napoleona. It seems my person has been rude. I will apologize on her behalf.”

“N-No?”

The Pirate King naturally bowed his head.

There was nothing to criticize about his calm and sincere demeanor.

However…

Watching him, Napoleona suddenly felt a quite unpleasant feeling as an enemy.

Not because of the apologies or whatnot.

For a different reason.

“Ah… no… As I’ve said before, I’m already devoted to the Pirate King. To apologize to one such as I is out of the question.”

“Then I’m grateful for that. Let’s consider this matter settled.”

With those words, the Pirate King turned to leave with Franklin.

His face was set in stern lines, and Franklin was bowing her head deeply.

The person who received the apology and the one who was reprimanded.

However,

In that moment, the expressions on both of their faces were—

Completely opposite.

The dark expression of Napoleona.

In contrast, a trace of a smile adorned the lips of the bowing Franklin.

A smile that signified victory…

*

“Hah…”

Led by the hand of the Pirate King, Franklin arrived at their temporary location.

Right after arriving there, looking at the deeply sighing Pirate King, Franklin bowed her head once again in apology.

“I truly… apologize. I have nothing to say regarding this incident…”

“What kind of action is it to know something is wrong and still do such a thing? The opponent is a Grade 10 Grand Magician, after all. Even if you’ve sworn loyalty to me, do you not realize she is a general of the Kingdom of Frantz and cannot be treated carelessly?”

“…I’m sorry… Because of my misstep, I caused trouble for you, Captain…”

“That’s not what’s important.”

“…Huh?”

Franklin looked slightly surprised at the Pirate King’s words.

To her, the Pirate King spoke in a serious tone.

“You almost got hurt. Fortunately, I noticed the situation and intervened, but what would you do if a serious incident had occurred?”

“!…”

For a moment, Franklin’s face went blank.

The Pirate King’s hand rested on her shoulder, his expression revealing a mixture of relief and concern.

“Causing trouble is easy to fix. But putting yourself in danger is something I cannot condone. No matter what, you… ”

“…What about me?”

Seeing the hesitant Pirate King, Franklin asked with a light glint in her eyes.

The Pirate King hesitated for a moment, then shyly replied.

“…You are… my… lover… aren’t you?”

“…”

“Although I cannot reveal it to the world just yet, always remember that fact. Your body… is no longer solely yours.”

“…Drake…”

With a flushed face, the Pirate King spoke.

Watching him, Franklin’s lips were graced with a deep smile.

“…Hmm…”

“…”

She gently lifted her foot to embrace the nape of the Pirate King.

And then—

With a hint of bashfulness unbecoming of the strong King of the Sea, she carefully drew his face closer.

The soft sensation that followed.

Amidst the warm, enveloping feeling around her lips, the single emotion contained in Franklin’s heart…

The feeling of anxiety,

Melted away like snow beneath the sun.