Chapter 97

“His Majesty has returned to the palace.”

“…Is that so? What’s the situation with the people?”

Robes Fiora asked calmly.

In response to her question, the subordinates answered cautiously.

“There were no particular issues. At first, it seemed like there was some ominous sign, but…”

“Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the Pirate King’s side, and that atmosphere shattered in an instant.”

“…The Pirate King, huh?”

Hearing that name again, which was inherently displeasing to her, made Robes Fiora frown unconsciously.

Though it was thanks to him that they had managed to catch the king, the fact that the plan initiated right after hearing the news had been disrupted by him was rather unpleasant, and she felt her concerns growing.

‘A power that even General Rafael surpasses… Influence and forces controlling the seas of the world, charisma that sways simpletons at first sight… And a strategy that collapses my plans in an instant…’

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed that there were no flaws in that existence.

When he was an ally, he was truly reliable, but if he turned into an enemy, he was someone she couldn’t even dare to oppose…

‘Pirate King Ezra Drake… Truly a perilous figure to be seen as just a simple collaborator.’

Thus, reflecting on how the decision to involve him by General Rafael felt too hasty, Robes Fiora’s wariness toward the Pirate King escalated further.

At that moment…

“Robes Fiora!”

“…”

A rough voice burst into the room.

Napoleona.

With her entrance, Robes Fiora let out a small sigh and said, “It’s noisy. Lower your voice, your ears aren’t deaf.”

—Bang!

Instead of responding to her words, Napoleona struck the table with her staff.

Though there was no magical power infused within it, the palpable rage felt by Robes Fiora made her sigh again.

“…What are you doing?”

“That’s what I want to ask you… What on earth are you doing, Fiora?”

Napoleona questioned in a cold voice. In response, Robes Fiora answered calmly.

“What do you mean, what am I doing? Do I need to explain that? I swear… even Napoleona of all people has become quite dull. Not able to grasp a situation properly…”

“This isn’t the time for jokes. Answer clearly! What were you thinking causing that kind of commotion? Have you already forgotten General Rafael’s words?”

Within the blueprint for revolution conceived by General Rafael, it had been decided that the king would remain a symbolic figure without real power.

Though there had been suggestions to kill him, it was concluded based on General Rafael’s persuasion that he wasn’t inherently evil but just a weak and incompetent man, along with realistic reasons that killing the lord would benefit them more in hindrance regarding the revolution.

However…

“You surely agreed to that, didn’t you? Why are you acting on your own now?”

“Yeah… I certainly agreed back then. At that time, I decided to follow the will of the general I pledged loyalty to. But…”

With those words, Robes Fiora gazed at Napoleona.

Her face contained a clear emotion of hatred, enough for anyone to notice.

“The general is now in critical condition. We don’t even know if she’ll wake up again. All because of that woman… that damned Queen… my General has ended up like this!”

“!…Fiora… you…”

In an instant, tears started to well up in Robes Fiora’s eyes.

Seeing her act so dramatically, which was uncharacteristic of her usual self, Napoleona began to realize something.

It wasn’t something she was particularly eager to learn, but…

“…Huh… No matter what, we cannot let the Queen die in this situation. There’s the will of the army chief, and with Duke Ocleang having fled, killing her would be too risky. It could trigger a war with the Holy Empire.”

For now, the best option was to persuade the Queen to prevent the situation from escalating in an unexpected direction… to prevent giving them any pretext for war as much as possible.

No matter how Duke Ocleang had defected to the Holy Empire, if Queen Louis responded with, “We have nothing going on over here,” they wouldn’t dare to recklessly invade.

But…

“It’s already… too late.”

“…What?”

Robes Fiora spoke in a cold voice.

At that, Napoleona’s face stiffened…

Towards her, Robes Fiora held out a single document.

A document calling for the execution of the king…

Containing the signatures of the nobles and high clergy of the assembly…

“…You… you bastard…”

“That woman is a criminal… an evil sinner who has plunged this country into calamity… She killed our parents… and now, she’s done this to my General… a sinner I can never forgive..”

“…”

Robes Fiora spoke with icy vengeance.

Seeing this side of her, Napoleona immediately left the room.

She no longer had time to waste bickering with Robes Fiora.

What she had to do now was to thwart this situation somehow…

To prevent the worst-case scenario of a war with the Holy Empire, a continental superpower…

Napoleona moved as quickly as she could.

‘There’s no time… If it’s him… if it’s the Pirate King… he’ll surely know some way out.’

*

“It turned out like this.”

“So that’s what happened… that level 99… Zebby, huh.”

Ambasha recounted the events that had transpired.

How she had nearly wiped out the navy of the Kingdom of Frantz and ultimately managed to return to the Island of Sicilia, forcing the remaining crew members to sail the ship.

Hearing this, I breathed a deep sigh of relief, and looked at the person who had effectively rescued Ambasha.

She was currently enjoying the lamb jerky handed to her by Franklin, sitting right in front of me.

Although she was now nearing the late level 8… almost close to level 9 in strength, her actual combat ability was nearly equivalent to level 10, yet she was behaving like a typical pet, nuzzling against her ‘owner’ after so long.

‘Indeed, Bopal Weezley is different. It was worth the effort to bring her back.’

If it hadn’t been for her, we might have had to crawl into the Holy Empire and engage in an endless fight.

Feeling relief at the fact that such a worst-case scenario had been avoided, I gently patted Ambasha’s head, who had returned safely.

“Anyway… you really had a tough time. I’m really grateful you came back in one piece.”

“Father…”

She smiled sweetly while snuggling into my arms.

Seeing this little, cute child’s relieved expression reminded me once again why fathers become so fond of their daughters.

And…

“And you had a tough time too. If it weren’t for you…”

“…”

As I reached out to praise her, Zebby nimbly dodged and jumped onto Franklin’s shoulder.

“Hmm…”

Recalling a cat that a friend of mine used to own in my previous life… the one that would act all cute towards its owner while ignoring me, I began to feel a bit bitter.

‘Ugh… I guess it doesn’t matter whether it’s past life or present; I just don’t get along with animals.’

Feeling a hint of regret, I thought that my business here was mostly done.

I had successfully retrieved Ambasha, my first goal.

It’s a pity that I didn’t manage to completely cut off Duke Ocleang’s windpipe… but just dismantling his base could be considered a substantial achievement.

The subordinates following him had been wiped out by me and Napoleona.

His stronghold had also been dealt with by Franklin and the others.

Of course, there would be risks left due to past adversities, but now that he had lost his forces and been heavily weakened, it shouldn’t be too difficult to widen that gap.

‘So… should I think about heading back now? There are still a good number of protagonists and bosses around the continent that I need to get my hands on…’

As a particular name popped into my mind, I decided to focus on that first when I returned.

However…

“Captain!”

Magellan rushed in urgently.

I questioned him with curiosity.

“What’s the matter?”

“Admiral Napoleona has arrived. She says she needs to see you urgently.”

“That lass…?”

Considering I was about to leave, she wasn’t someone I particularly looked forward to seeing.

Nonetheless, there were still matters regarding the rewards for this incident that needed to be wrapped up, so I decided to meet with her after all.

“Let her in.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Moments later, Napoleona entered.

Her expression was more tense than usual, and I asked in a calm voice.

“What’s the matter? Why at this hour…”

“W-well…”

She seemed to be struggling to convey something difficult to say.

I could sense that another troublesome matter had arisen.