Chapter 143

The Black Knights are subjected to Senel’s command.

However, among them, a few individuals were included in a sort of rental arrangement with the Holy Empire Army.

The number was about twenty, and their role was to guard key figures, including Wallenstein.

This arrangement was a result of a hierarchical acknowledgment, as Wallenstein remained the undeniably designated commander of this war, regardless of Senel’s immense power and authority.

It was like a symbol of Senel acknowledging the authority of Commander Wallenstein.

Of course, this was merely a nominal acknowledgment, as the real aim was to secure some authority from these powerful beings, serving as a sort of insurance against unforeseen circumstances.

And at this very moment.

An entity was literally grinding through our forces with a terrifying momentum.

Given the situation, it was undoubtedly the famous Pirate King, the Grade 12 Grand Warrior Ezra Drake, showcasing his astonishing offensive, prompting Commander Wallenstein to make a decision.

He resolved to deploy all available military forces… and send in the Black Knights, who were presumed capable of stopping him.

Under normal circumstances, considering the opponent, he intended to deploy all twenty of them.

However, it seemed Senel’s claim of poor health was no lie, as only about ten were immediately able to follow orders properly.

Even so, that was already a sufficiently strong force, but…

Still, Wallenstein couldn’t shake the uneasiness lurking in a corner of his mind.

“Can those guys really defeat the Pirate King?…”

“Don’t worry, Commander! Each of them is a monster wielding the power of a Grade 10 Grand Warrior. Can’t one of them match that single enemy?”

“Y-yeah… I guess?”

Despite his subordinate’s words, Wallenstein felt the unease persist.

However, keeping in mind how remarkable the strengths of those Black Knights were, he held both anxiety and expectations for victory.

As if in response to his expectations, the Black Knights immediately began their assault.

With swift speed, the leading individual among them swiftly turned and attempted to stab his sword into the back of the Pirate King, who was engulfed in golden magical power.

No…

To be precise, he intended to stab him.

-Thud!!!!

“!!”

“Ha!”

Just as he tried to pierce, the Pirate King swiftly turned around and cleanly cleaved the skull of the Black Knight.

And…

-Smash!

With a squeeze of his hand, the Black Knight’s head shattered like an egg.

Then, the golden magical power began to grow even more intensely.

In a brief moment of violent thrashing, it wrapped around the entire body of the Black Knight like flames.

-Ziiiiiiiiiiing…

To the point of melting away, the body of the Black Knight simply vanished.

Even attacks that wouldn’t have bothered a typical Black Knight, who could even regenerate, were met with utter destruction in such a ridiculous manner.

Then, the magical power pouring from the Pirate King surged forth.

In an instant, the overwhelming force consumed a wide area, striking down the other Black Knights that were attacking him.

The Black Knights swept up in that force met their end.

Their entire bodies were torn apart, and they would never revive again.

“How… how could this happen…”

“Grade 10 Black Knights just fell that easily…”

It was as if he knew perfectly well how to deal with them.

Witnessing such a scene where even their secret weapon fell prey so futilely, a heavy fear settled in the hearts of Wallenstein and his party.

A fear that perhaps their forces would be annihilated by that one man.

At that moment…

“C-Com Commander!”

“Wait, aren’t you General Varten? Why are you here? You’re supposed to be in the rear…”

“C-Catastrophe! The enemies… the Frantz Kingdom Army is approaching! They’ve appeared behind us and are slaughtering our troops!”

“What?!”

This was truly a predicament beyond belief.

Even though they had sustained considerable damage from the Pirate King, their total military strength still favored them over the Frantz Kingdom Army.

However, due to the Pirate King’s draw, morale was literally at rock bottom.

Given the chaos, he might have to prepare for the worst-case scenario of total annihilation for his forces.

In this situation, Commander Wallenstein had to make a decisive choice.

Should he cling to the threadbare hope and continue the desperate battle?

Or should he retreat to avoid losses?

Of course, to minimize damage would mean opting for the latter.

Even with that slim chance, it spoke to an overwhelmingly high probability of defeat.

It meant a future almost guaranteed to end in utter disaster.

However, choosing to retreat was no easy task either.

Returning now would equate to an admission of failure in this war.

With supply limits reached and troop morale at their lowest, having barely dragged them this far, failing to secure a victory meant losing their final remaining drive.

For Wallenstein, who had longed for the glory of a victor, it was a choice that bore the mark of disgrace.

And Wallenstein could never accept that…

“! G-General!!!”

“Wha—!!”

-Poof!!!

At that moment, a golden flash zipped past his head dangerously.

That strike, which seemed to have been a random shot during the fight with the Black Knight, narrowly missed him by mere inches.

Had the heavens not favored him, he would have surely met his end, and Wallenstein suddenly gained a profound realization.

If you mess around with things you can’t handle, then it’s no joke when you find yourself in a predicament!

“R-Retreat!”

“Huh?”

“C-Commander?”

“Retreat! We’re falling back! Send the retreat signal to all troops immediately!”

“Y-yes!”

“Understood!”

Prompted by a crucial realization in that defining moment, Wallenstein decisively ordered a swift retreat.

Thus, the Holy Empire Army had no choice but to abandon their grand dream of conquering the Kingdom of Frantz, and Wallenstein was recorded in history as a defeated leader.

However,

His judgment was later somewhat reevaluated as it managed to minimize the damage that could have led to complete annihilation for the Holy Empire Army, but that was a tale for much later.

*

“Hooray! Hooray!”

“It’s our victory!”

“Long live the Frantz Kingdom!”

“Long live General Napoleona!”

The Frantz Kingdom Army erupted in cheers of joy at the battlefield after the fight concluded.

Although the Holy Empire Army retreated far quicker than they had anticipated, causing them to incur far less damage than expected.

However, knowing fully well that they had neither the stamina to continue the war any longer, this battle effectively closed the chapter on the war.

With their long-standing war ending in their victory, the Frantz Kingdom Army was engulfed in deep joy.

Voices filled with elation resonated from every direction.

As I passed through them, I smiled with joy, but beyond that, there lingered a slight disappointment in my heart.

“What a shame… I should have captured that guy this time…”

Due to the Holy Empire Army’s swift escape, I barely managed to capture any prisoners in this battle.

Thus, I lost out on the person I had hoped to secure in this fight…

The player character belonging to the Holy Empire slipped right through my fingers.

In fact, I had previously drafted a treaty with Team Napoleona to stake a claim on prisoners, but ultimately, it had turned into a useless endeavor.

I understood that not everything goes perfectly, but even so, I couldn’t help but feel this loss keenly.

At that moment…

“Pirate King!!”

A voice filled with joy rushed towards me.

It was Napoleona.

With the brightest smile among everyone here, she embraced one of my arms and exclaimed.

“We’ve won! We… we really did win!”

With tears of joy, she rubbed her face against my arm.

Taken aback by her unusual display, I accepted it as it’s not every day you win a war.

But then…

-Bam!

“Huh?”

In the next moment, I felt a soft sensation wrapping around my other arm.

Upon realizing what it was encircling my arm, I felt a sense of bewilderment for an entirely different reason than with Napoleona.

“C-Congratulations, Captain. This is all thanks to you…”

As she delivered her congratulatory message, Franklin revealed a strangely shy expression.

She was tightly wrapping my arm in her ample bosom, holding onto it with all her strength.

Considering her usual personality, this was a remarkably bold action.

Seeing it as her own way of affectionately admitting her feelings, I thought it was rather cute, and I smiled as I spoke to both of them.

“Well done. You both…”

At that moment.

“Wow, wow… what a delightful scene this is. They say, ‘two flowers in both hands.’ Isn’t this just the perfect definition?”

“Huh?”

“Wha?”

Suddenly, an unexpected voice cut through.

At the same time, a figure made their appearance before me.

With a mix of joy and surprise, I exclaimed.

“What… what?! Lemain, why are you here?”