Chapter 89

The man collapsed before her eyes.

General Rafael.

Seeing him unable to awaken despite being unhurt thanks to healing magic…

She, Robes Fiora, felt a deep rage burning inside her heart.

He was the one who gave meaning to her life, the person to whom she swore absolute loyalty with all her heart.

And, he was the only family she held in her heart…

An existence she regarded akin to a father.

At this moment, as General Rafael was about to reap the fruits of their efforts, that Duke Ocleang was once again plotting a vile scheme that threatened the general’s life.

In fact, to be precise, this incident was more the result of his subordinate, Captain Gilbert’s desperate last stand rather than Duke Ocleang’s doing, yet for Robes Fiora, all this was merely perceived as the Duke’s heinous wrongdoing.

“I won’t forgive… absolutely not… that filthy noble… not even that puppet, Queen Louis… never…!”

As the hatred she had always held against nobles and royals boiled over once more, Robes Fiora gritted her teeth and vowed revenge in her heart.

At that moment…

“Ma’am… Captain! F-Fiora Captain!”

“… What is it?”

Surra rushed into the room in a flurry.

Robes Fiora turned around, casting a cold glance.

And moments later, the words that came from her subordinate’s mouth made her already stiff face grow even colder.

*

“What… what did you say?”

“W-We’ve been defeated. The prison managed by Captain Gilbert… Bastion Prison… has fallen to the enemies!”

“How… how could this be…?”

It was truly news she never even thought possible.

Duke Ocleang felt his legs give way as he slumped down onto a chair.

Although a foolish and incompetent duke, he was not ignorant of what the fall of Bastion Prison signified.

A place that served as a weapons depot, starting with thousands of firearms and filled with countless spears and swords, as well as a great amount of military supplies.

The news that it had been occupied by the Revolutionary Army, which had been moving with thousands of citizens, meant that those thousands would soon be transformed into an armed force holding weapons.

On the other hand, at this moment, Duke Ocleang’s available troops were nowhere near adequate to repel such a large enemy force.

‘They’re arming the citizens and preparing to come here! And right now… there are no troops nearby capable of stopping them…’

If only General Rafael had been dismissed a week… no, even a day earlier, things would not have escalated to this point.

But now it was too late, and soon enough this assembly hall… no, the Palace of Versha behind here would certainly be visited by General Rafael and his close-knit troops… as well as the thousands of armed citizens swayed by their incitement.

And then…

At that very moment, as such thoughts crossed his mind, Duke Ocleang made a firm ‘decision.’

“Prepare the cart… immediately.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I said prepare the cart! This is an emergency! We must leave this place with the King at once!”

Duke Ocleang issued his urgent command.

His subordinate quickly sprang into action, complying with his master’s orders…

And as his figure vanished from sight, Duke Ocleang hurriedly dashed towards where the King was.

And…

“Your Majesty! It’s… it’s a disaster, Your Majesty!”

“Hmm… what is it?”

Queen Louis, rubbing her eyes as if just awakened, began to rise.

Pushing aside thoughts about how well she had been napping amid such chaos, Duke Ocleang hurriedly began his explanation.

“It’s a rebellion, Your Majesty! The rebel forces led by General Rafael are heading this way!”

“A… rebellion?”

Upon hearing those words, Queen Louis’s face began to snap into full awareness.

To her, Duke Ocleang shouted, his face filled with the emotion of fear.

“Yes! That’s correct! General Rafael is currently bringing thousands of troops toward us! They’re expected to arrive in a few hours!”

“B-But… how… how could this happen? Isn’t there something wrong? How could General Rafael…”

“What did I tell you? You shouldn’t trust that filthy scoundrel! Your Majesty, we must escape right now! If we’re caught by the rebels, both you and I will be in grave danger!”

“Hmm… a-alright… yes.”

Though still struggling to grasp the situation, Queen Louis began to act according to her beloved subordinate’s words.

And just as it seemed preparations were rapidly completing after exerting pressure on the young monarch, who had hesitated several times,

Duke Ocleang finally boarded the cart with the Queen to leave this place.

“Where should we go?”

“For now, we’ll head east toward that place. We’ll cross the border without delay.”

“Yes. A-Understood, Duke.”

Thus, Duke Ocleang commenced his escape, like a lizard shedding its tail, abandoning most of his troops and noble followers.

However, at that moment, he had no thought about the shame of it all.

‘If I stay here, I’m a dead man. Putting aside everything else, I need to get away from here!’

The dismissal of General Rafael had yet to be properly finalized.

Due to the surprise battle, many had begun to quietly retreat, and above all, as time passed, more and more enemy reinforcements would only mean greater odds against them.

Ultimately, Duke Ocleang risked being discovered, decapitated by General Rafael in the plaza…

To prevent this, he had but one option: escape before the enemy could finish organizing themselves.

After all, with the overwhelming disadvantage in military strength, victory was utterly impossible.

Therefore, it was imperative to leave this place as soon as possible and get to a location where they could find safety…

Heading to ‘that place,’ Duke Ocleang concluded was his best course of action.

“Right… we’ll go there. Although we’ve been rivals with them for a long time, the Queen is undeniably of their bloodline. If I explain the situation, they will surely help us!”

Thus, driven by instinctual survival instincts, Duke Ocleang set his plan into motion.

His first stop was a small town called Baren where they briefly halted for rest as the sun began to set.

*

“Is that… really true?”

“Yes! It’s absolutely certain. Admiral Napoleona has sent the news.”

In this rapidly shifting situation, upon hearing this, Robes Fiora issued orders without delay.

“Summon all officers at once! We are in a state of emergency, so hurry!”

“Y-Yes, Captain! But… what shall we do about that person?”

“That person?”

“The Pirate King. Shouldn’t we invite him too, given the circumstances?”

“…”

Her subordinate asked the question, cautiously sensing the mood.

Seeing this, Robes Fiora’s expression twisted in displeasure.

She didn’t like it.

The appearance of her subordinate seemed to be seeking the opinion of someone like the Pirate King, who was an outright outsider in such a situation.

Of course, she recognized the Pirate King’s strength and capabilities, and acknowledged that he had achieved great merit in the battle.

However, no matter how much he had helped, he was absolutely just a mercenary from another country.

Even though he showed promise in the first operation, all of that stemmed from the long-prepared strategies of General Rafael and her fellow revolutionaries.

And yet, now that General Rafael had collapsed, these reactions indicating a greater reliance on the Pirate King than on their own was something Robes Fiora found impossible to accept.

And…

As a result of these feelings,

She spoke in a resolute tone to her subordinate.

“Stop with the nonsense and proceed to summon the executives. This matter is directly tied to the fate of the Kingdom of Frantz. There’s no way we can share this with a pirate… essentially a criminal.”

“A-Ah… yes. Understood…”

Her subordinate left with a visibly unenthusiastic response, which Robes Fiora observed while biting her lips and rising from her seat.

“I won’t lose to anyone… not Duke Ocleang… not the King… and definitely not that Pirate King… I will absolutely protect General Rafael’s position.”

Thus, the urgent meeting commenced without the inclusion of the Pirate King’s crew.

With the pivotal figure, General Rafael, missing, there was an unmistakable emptiness in the air,

Robes Fiora directed Napoleona standing by her to explain the current situation to those present.

“We received news just a few hours ago. It seems the King and Duke Ocleang, along with their subordinates, have departed from this place, Pare.”

“!”

“Wh-What did you say?”