Chapter 87

The worst memory she held onto…

Was the sight of her parents being killed.

Her father’s head, left unattended in the center of the village.

Her mother’s corpse, discovered a few days later, naked and rummaged through in the village dump by soldiers.

At the time, she couldn’t comprehend why such tragedies had happened.

All she could do was weep sorrowfully at the sight.

However…

As time passed and she matured, she began to understand.

The reason her parents met such fates was that they couldn’t pay their taxes…

It was because they had secretly taken food to feed their young daughter during the relentless drought.

And,

The reason they had no choice but to resort to such measures lay in the hands of those…

The so-called noble bloodline of aristocrats and royals who imposed harsh taxes regardless of the suffering of the people during famines.

From that moment of realization, she vowed in her heart.

To create a world where nobility and royalty do not exist…

To achieve that goal, she did everything within her power.

She entrusted her life to the army, the only path for a commoner to rise to prominence,

Doing everything possible to climb higher.

She stood at the front lines, showing the ruthlessness to use even those who could have been called comrades if necessary.

Then one day,

While she was excessively preoccupied with her rise in status,

She encountered someone who shared her ideals…

Despite being an aristocrat, he was the first person to whom she bowed her head and pledged her genuine loyalty.

General Rafael.

The greatest warrior of the Kingdom of Frantz, a man who sought a world where everyone, regardless of rank, enjoyed equal rights, just like her.

Her meeting with him gave her vague ‘dream’ of climbing up the social ladder a much more concrete shape.

A so-called revolution.

A plan to change the world, or a goal that appeared achievable.

But…

At this moment.

With everything beginning to seem within reach,

She was faced with despair once more.

A sudden, massive explosion.

Even though she had deftly deployed a magical barrier, an overwhelming force crashed down upon her.

At that moment when the horrific heat was barely subsiding,

“Ah… Aah…”

“Ugh… ugh…”

She…

Robes Fiora began to see it.

In her final moment, instead of embracing her, the person who suffered terrible injuries…

The figure of General Rafael…

“G-G-G-G-Generaaaal!”

-Thud!

Despite her urgent calls, General Rafael slumped forward, leaning against her without answering anymore.

Flames still roared all around, and the corpses of her fallen subordinates lay strewn about, but in that moment, nothing else registered with Robes Fiora.

There was only one feeling,

The breath of the general in her arms, a breath that seemed ready to extinguish at any moment.

Thus, despite having sustained considerable injuries herself, Robes Fiora summoned all her strength to lift the general’s body.

“No… I can’t… I can’t let you go like this, General…!”

Struggling to move her shaky legs caused by burns, Robes Fiora attempted to escape the area.

At least thanks to the earlier blast, Captain Gilbert and his men were utterly obliterated.

However,

The flames raging everywhere.

Moreover, the intermittent explosions caused by the stored gunpowder continually made Robes Fiora’s heart drop.

At that moment…

“Miss Fiora!”

“! N-Napoleona…”

Familiar faces rushed toward her frantically.

Seeing her comrade rushing ahead with a serious expression, Robes Fiora felt her weakening legs giving way, and she fell to the ground.

“A-Are you okay? What about the General…?”

Napoleona quickly asked anxiously.

In response, Robes Fiora trembled all over, her voice strained.

“Get a priest… right now… please save our Rafael… quickly…”

*

Josephine was watching.

The blaze soaring high within the prison walls.

It was larger and more massive than any flame that had emerged thus far.

For someone, it brought despair,

But at that moment, most onlookers thought the same.

The enemies had fallen.

That fire was the decisive blow signaling that everything was over, the allies indeed had triumphed.

That they… were victorious.

Thus, regardless of whether the dilapidated prison had been a mere common criminal facility or a storeroom,

To citizens like Josephine, it had always been perceived as a symbol of terror.

Now, Bastion Prison had fallen into the hands of the Revolutionary Army.

‘Did we… do it? Did we really…?’

Even while witnessing it with her own eyes, it was hard to believe the reality.

That they had truly brought down the place…

A location they had thought would be impossible to breach.

As exhilaration began to spread throughout Josephine and the other citizens, a chill ran down their spines.

And then,

“We won!”

“We… we really did it!”

Starting from someone’s proclamation, cheers began to swell.

This area soon filled with the roars of excited citizens.

*

Bastion Prison, fully occupied by the Revolutionary Army.

Although about half of the area had turned to ashes due to the enemy’s last desperate act…

Was it self-destruction magic or something?

Regardless, cheers of victory emerged among the people, unclouded by the devastation.

“Hooray! Long live the Revolutionary Army!”

“We really did it! We truly won!”

For them, it was their first experience of victory in battle.

Honestly, at this point, most of the work had been done by General Rafael’s subordinates and them, with the citizens merely contributing as additional numbers.

But even if they were just adding their numbers, victory was still victory.

Moreover, while they were still mere spectators, now armed with weapons and holding guns and knives, they could undeniably be considered a military force.

Sure, most of them had never even trained in the army, and many didn’t even know how to shoot a gun, but a couple of days of practical training and basic organization could enable them to muster at least rudimentary skills in gunfire.

What initially mattered was not their actual combat ability but rather the intimidation derived from their ‘scale.’

“Well, anyway, the battle’s over, so we need to fill our stomachs. Franklin.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Prepare meals with the flour we seized. This time we can’t handle it alone, so contact the Rafael side for assistance as well.”

“Understood. Then… huh?”

At that moment.

“Captain, over there…”

“?”

A familiar figure appeared before their eyes.

The one they had been looking for… Napoleona.

Seeing her rushing toward them with a serious expression caused me to instinctively frown.

‘This… this is 100% definitely something’s gone wrong…’

Starting from the last explosion, something felt extremely fishy.

Moreover, despite their victory, the very fact that Napoleona was charging over with such a face suggested that something unacceptable must have happened.

What that was, I could quickly ascertain, and…

“G-G-G-G-General!”

“First, let’s take a breath and talk. What happened?”

“W-Well, about that…”

Regrettably, my suspicions were confirmed almost immediately.

*

“General Rafael?”

“Yes… for now, the priests used recovery magic in a hurry, but… he hasn’t awakened yet.”

Using an aura capable of healing even amputated limbs in the case of high clergy.

However, even such recovery magic had its limits.

That is… it could perfectly heal physical injuries, but there was nothing that could be done regarding mental injuries.

Various mental illnesses recognized in modern society, or brain damage couldn’t be addressed by recovery magic either.

I heard that they couldn’t do anything regarding matters related to the ‘soul’ with aura or anything like that…

Anyhow,

General Rafael, who had been caught in the explosion earlier, narrowly escaped with his life but now lay unconscious in bed.

Especially when the success of the revolution was right in front of them, the person responsible was laying there unable to express any will.

Things that had seemed to flow smoothly had suddenly twisted into headaches, causing me to automatically scowl.

“So, what do you plan to do? If General Rafael is unconscious, someone else has to take charge of the situation.”

“Yes, by that principle, Miss Fiora should take on that role. She’s the right hand of General Rafael and the person he trusts the most. But…”

“But?”

“Well…”

Napoleona hesitated for a moment.

However, she soon seemed to have made a decision, raised her head, and stared directly at me as she spoke.

“Um… Pirate King? I-I was wondering, if it’s alright… could you serve as a substitute for General Rafael…?”

“I won’t.”

“N-N-No?”

Napoleona stared blankly for a moment at my response.

Towards her, I made my expression of intent clear.

“I said I won’t. I won’t act as the leader of the Revolutionary Army.”

“…”