Chapter 40

The woman with black terminal hair blocked the attack using her aura.

At that moment, Achroiel’s face hardened even further.

‘No… Could it be that woman…?’

A pirate king’s crew member who could wield an aura strong enough to deflect a blow filled with genuine intent.

In Achroiel’s knowledge, there was only one person who fit that description.

The right-hand woman of the pirate king,

Vice-Captain of the Golden Cross pirate crew.

Lemain with Black Wings.

The instant she saw her, Achroiel sensed the situation escalating rapidly and shouted in a desperate voice.

“Damn it! Everyone, open fire! We have to stop that woman at all costs!”

The navy men simultaneously fired their bullets in accordance with her command.

At the same time, Achroiel hurriedly loaded his gun, aiming it at Lemain.

But—

“Cough!”

In an instant, an aura erupted from Lemain’s body.

The radiant green power engulfed not only the pirates present but also Elkana and Ambasha, who were on their backs.

“Ah… no…!”

—Boom!!!

The explosive green light flooded out.

The intense light, as though lightning were striking right before them, temporarily blinded everyone present.

As that blinding light faded, and their vision returned just in time,

Achroiel felt the strength drain from his body as he collapsed to the ground.

“Ah… ahh…”

Before her eyes was nothing left.

Neither Lemain nor the person wearing the Black Crow Mask (presumably the pirate king),

Along with their subordinates and the kidnapped Elkana and Ambasha, all vanished.

Despite giving their all, Achroiel found himself losing everything right before his eyes.

In despair over that realization,

Frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t save his friends…

Achroiel could only bow his head and shed tears.

All hostages and auctioned goods were lost,

And not a single mastermind related to the matter was captured.

On the other hand, the damage to their side was colossal, with five sunken warships and the deaths of numerous naval soldiers due to burnt military supplies.

Thus, the queen was violated by the pirates.

The event that would later be called the “Sacco di Benessa” (The Plunder of Benessa).

This grand incident would become one of the pivotal turning points in history…

And it ended with a complete defeat for Benessa.

*

The moment the flickering aura’s light vanished, familiar sights began to appear before our eyes.

The place we could truly call home.

On the deck of the Golden Cross.

“Th… this is…?”

“I’m… alive…?”

Magellan and Elkana blinked in surprise, trying to process it.

Given that it was their first experience with teleportation, such reactions were only natural.

“Pl… please help quickly! O… my sister is really hurt!”

Ambasha, supporting the completely exhausted Franklin, spoke in a frantic voice.

Upon hearing this, Auriel, who happened to be on the deck, rushed over.

“Just a moment, let me take a look.”

Surprisingly calm, as if accustomed to such situations, Auriel examined the wounds.

Then, she unleashed her aura from her hands and immediately began healing.

Watching the severely injured arm, it seemed on the verge of falling apart.

As torn muscles began to mend and new flesh sprouted, a deep sense of relief washed over Ambasha’s face.

“Th… thank you. Really, thank you. Sister Nun.”

“…”

Auriel smiled slightly, wearing a somewhat bittersweet expression as she watched Ambasha bow her head repeatedly.

As I observed the scene of the situation being resolved, I felt a momentary relaxation and quietly sighed.

Just then…

“Phew…”

“… You’ve worked hard. Lemain.”

In contrast to me, Lemain let out a loud sigh.

Teleportation magic requiring the use of aura.

To be accurate, it was a kind of miracle that used divine power rather than traditional magic,

and to achieve that, an immense amount of aura had to be consumed.

Particularly with six individuals and their cargo being transported, it was a significant burden.

Thank goodness they were as close to the ship as possible; otherwise, they could have ended up stranded in the middle of the sea.

In various ways, it made it a complicated ability to use.

“Don’t just talk; increase the dividends instead.”

“Haha… understood. I’ll do just that.”

Still, feeling relief that everyone returned safely,

I scanned the faces of my subordinates before me.

Franklin, Ambasha, and Magellan with Elkana.

We had ‘at least’ succeeded on our first mission with this combination.

However… even so, I began to contemplate the points I needed to address.

Though I was reluctant…

No, in fact, I truly didn’t want to, but this was also something necessary as their leader.

After making that decision, I instructed my gathered subordinates to take care of them and headed straight for the captain’s cabin.

At least for today,

I concluded that it was best to let them and myself rest properly.

*

“Over there! Help pull that person up too!”

“There are many injured. We need to call in more priests from the church.”

After enduring a storm-like situation, Benessa quickly began recovery efforts and survivor retrieval.

Fortunately, the city itself suffered little damage, and the casualty count was surprisingly low.

Though such facts felt like too great a blow to find solace in…

Amidst the chaos of the aftermath, Achroiel and the naval high command gathered with their subordinates for a meeting.

“Let’s gather the warships immediately! For the great Benessa to be humiliated by mere pirates! This is something we cannot let pass!”

With rage-filled voices, Vice-Admiral Cabour shouted.

Having lost all five warships in the battle against the pirate king, he was consumed with deep vengeance.

Despite the significant loss of the five warships, Benessa, the ruler of the Adriatic Sea and one of the continent’s largest maritime powers, still had greater military might remaining.

If they were determined to seek revenge, it was a situation they could indeed handle.

However…

“It’s a meaningless task. Gathering the scattered warships will take time, and the opponent is a Grade 12 Grand Warrior pirate king. I can’t see us winning in a direct confrontation.”

“Moreover, while we may lag in scale, their total strength is likely equal to or even greater than ours. Just the fact that two of their officers toyed with our warehouse area tells us everything we need to know.”

Opposing him were General Litore and his subordinate Grecale.

Having been on the front lines defending the warehouse, they were providing a cold and calculated assessment of the enemy.

If all the warships were gathered, they could achieve a superiority in fleet strength.

However, if it turned into a melee rather than a bombardment, they would be at a severe disadvantage.

“Furthermore, the opponent has conquered the Five Seas. Just looking at their operational radius shows that they likely roam much wider than us, making it unpredictable when, where, and with how much power they might appear.”

While their primary operating area was the familiar Mediterranean Sea, news of the pirate king also flowed in from the northern seas, the Black Sea, and even the Indian Sea.

Moreover, even if a location could be pinpointed, controlling all the pirates in that region meant their total power was once again unknown.

They could easily be leading a single flagship, but depending on the situation, they could be commanding dozens of warships.

A being with many complicated factors making them difficult to provoke.

Above all, simply gathering the fleet was not an easy decision to make.

Consolidating their scattered strength to maintain maritime dominance meant weakening Benessa’s influence, already spread like a web over the Mediterranean Sea.

Additionally, if that amassed fleet were to suffer significant damage, it wouldn’t end with just the loss they had faced this time.

“No matter what, we can’t just give up like this!”

“Exactly. The Great Auction of Benessa was plundered! Considering the compensation we have to pay because of this, my head is already spinning; how can we just let it slide?”

“Even if not to the point of annihilation, we still need to show them a taste of our wrath.”

“Didn’t I just say it’s impossible!?”

“We can’t throw away our precious strength at the whim of an ill-considered scheme! Don’t you all know the fear the pirate king instills?”

As they raised their voices, the split opinions continued.

The radicals pushing for a crackdown and the moderates advocating for caution faced off against one another compellingly.

Just then.

“… As much as I hate to admit it… I must.”

“!”

“C… Commodore?”

Achroiel spoke with a cold voice.

Then, with a composed expression, she addressed the generals present.

“For now, I oppose gathering the entire army to strike the enemy. Our goal is to protect Benessa’s trade routes and maritime supremacy. Weakening those efforts is something we absolutely cannot tolerate.”

“Hmm…”

“Bu… but…”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I plan to give up on seeking revenge. Rather, I simply don’t intend to resolve this issue by ourselves.”

“What do you mean?”

The generals expressed curiosity and hope in response to Achroiel’s words that hinted at something.

To that, Achroiel replied seriously.

“Brittania Empire and Kingdom of Frantz. They would surely lend their strength. Just like us, they also harbor a debt to the pirate king.”