Chapter 296

Tentia felt something was wrong the moment she struck Sayah Yan.

With a tremendous recoil accompanied by a loud bang, her wrist felt the shock.

‘I got hit.’

She could vividly foresee everything that was about to happen in her mind.

The assassin was enveloped in thick darkness, making it impossible to discern the outlines of their hands and feet.

So Tentia’s resistance would be easily foiled, and it was certain that a dagger would be plunged into her left armpit.

It was too late to withdraw her left hand, and her right hand, holding the sword, was too far to target the assassin.

In that moment, she recalled the thrust of Knight Jules from the eastern region.

On the swaying ship, it was a long thrust meant to accurately strike one person at a time.

Thwack.

The next moment, Tentia let go of the holy sword Mana.

Sayah Yan’s sharp eyes widened for an instant.

‘Not just the shoulder, but the upper body as well.’

‘Charging forward completely.’

Even without a sword, it was as if she held one, as a red mana blade ignited at her fingertips.

Sayah Yan’s dagger stabbed into Tentia’s left armpit.

Thud!

Tentia’s capital struck deep into Sayah Yan’s left shoulder.

Thunk!

Sayah Yan gritted her teeth.

‘Tarti. I’ll go.’

Tssttt!

Her black hair stood on end like a thousand needles.

Facing that bizarre sight head-on, Tentia laughed fervently and shouted.

“I’ve won, assassin!”

The dagger came in from the side, but she thrust straight ahead.

From the front, she could deliver a rapid barrage even while stationary.

Whooooooosh!

Mana resonated and amplified from her shoulder, elbow, and wrist, releasing forth as she stepped forward.

Launch.

Boom!

The red mana blade caused ripples in the air, and blood gushed from behind Sayah Yan’s shoulder like a spray of water.

Slash!

“Ugh!”

The assassin let out a rough groan, and the darkness that had enveloped her body finally dissolved.

Clang! With the sound of shattering glass, the outline of the tall figure became clear.

“Cough!”

Sayah Yan fell unconscious, blood spilling from her eyes, nose, and ears due to the backlash that forcefully interrupted the flow of mana.

Tentia sighed softly and dragged the assassin towards Valenciaunos.

“Your Highness Valen! I, Tentia, have brought back the wicked assassin.”

Valenciaunos looked momentarily bewildered, as if he had much to say.

“Lady.”

If they had attacked together, they could have won much more quickly.

That technique, which blurred outlines, could have been dispelled with just one burst of incantation.

He bore a large responsibility for Sayah Yan’s entry in the first place.

However, Tentia aimed to fulfill her duties as a knight, and Valenciaunos decided to respect her wishes.

‘Not doing what I can is respect, I suppose. With such a good knight, I am indulging in these luxuries.’

He composed his emotions and smiled brightly as he praised Tentia.

“Well done, Lady. I’m very proud to have a knight like you. Make sure to receive treatment. Once we return to land, I will reward you handsomely.”

That was the kind of thing a lord should say to a knight.

Tentia smiled widely as she removed her helmet, tightly binding Sayah Yan.

Valenciaunos shot a spear of fire into the sky, signaling that the situation was over.

The soldiers, knights, and crew of the storm fleet returned to the ship.

However, the master of the fleet wanted to see the assassin who had killed his knight as soon as possible, and he flew in from afar, riding the wind, landing on the upper deck.

“Valenciaunos.”

“Well done.”

“Right. You are the assassin who killed my knight.”

Duke Cariosa glared at Sayah Yan as if she were about to chew her up.

The gray pupils, having seen blood, glistened, and her jaw dropped, revealing sharp teeth.

She looked as if she would bite down on her neck any moment.

For a brief moment, she let Sayah Yan drop to the floor as if throwing her down.

“I have much to figure out.”

* * *

“Gaaah!”

A horrifying scream resonated from the interrogation room.

Undersea People and torturers who could make them speak swarmed over Sayah Yan, along with priestesses who could revive half-dead individuals.

To that degree of severity, throwing prisoners into Wyvernfit was merely a demonstration of affection.

The fury of Cariosa, having lost her knight, ran that deep.

She stood in the hallway, staring blankly at the ceiling.

It was bewildering, as she had never had such a dejected expression even before her return.

“They were the ones I fed, clothed, and sheltered since they started their life at the age of seven.”

“Right.”

“I saw them at fifteen, begging for slaps to become trainees.”

“Right.”

“And then, he became a Sword Expert at twenty-one, and I gave him a sword.”

Duke Cariosa guzzled down a glass of water.

If it weren’t for the operation, she would surely have been drinking alcohol.

“He was not someone who should have died by the hands of a lowly family.”

She spoke for about ten minutes about the dead knight, and I listened silently to all her words.

She drank the last gulp of water heartily and slammed the glass down on the railing.

Clang.

“Alright. That’s enough mourning. Tell me what my diligent subordinates have discovered.”

In that moment, the sense of sorrow vanished from Cariosa’s voice like melting snow.

A smile of confidence, akin to a strong person, returned to her lips.

I looked at her with a mix of confusion and surprise, and she shrugged her shoulders.

“Don’t look at me like that. Valenciaunos. The debts of a lord can only be repaid with victories, not tears. I will give the knight’s pension to his family and burn every last pirate on the Nayt Archipelago. That is what I must do.”

It was the same kind of words I had said to Jeilliris.

I nodded and timidly added a remark.

“Still, isn’t ten minutes a bit too short?”

“Three minutes of silence for reflection, five minutes of mourning, and two for my emotional recollection. That should be enough. Now listen quickly. I’ve found out very interesting facts.”

Arguing with someone who has no intention of listening is foolish, and not being able to see a high noble looking gloomy is unbearable, so I nodded in resignation.

“Alright. I want to hear it.”

“Good. First of all, they—”

As Duke Cariosa was about to begin her tale with gleaming gray eyes, Knight Jules rushed down the hallway.

“Your Highness!”

His expression was quite unsettled, and his voice reflected that too.

Cariosa asked with slight irritation.

“What’s the matter?”

“The pirate chief Aquila has sent an envoy.”

Now it was my turn to be startled.

“An envoy? What kind of envoy from a pirate?”

“A ship is approaching with the white flag raised.”

Cariosa clicked her tongue.

“Make sure we’re ready to sink it at any moment.”

* * *

On the upper deck of Tempesta, knights and battle magicians gathered.

I was joined by Lady Tentia, while Cariosa brought Knight Jules onto the deck.

“Indeed.”

Two escort ships were closing in, flanking a single pirate ship that raised a white flag.

Whooooooosh!

I could see the battle magicians on the escort ships bestowing destructive spells to the massive ballistae.

Seeing the purple glow, it seemed a few shots could shatter that pirate vessel.

Creeeak!

I also saw four Wyvern knights flying up from the rear warship, where the Wyvern landing zone was located.

If there was even the slightest hint of suspicious ships in the vicinity, they were ready to launch magic tools immediately.

The pirate ship and the escort ship halted about 300 meters away from Tempesta.

A small boat descended from the pirate ship, on which were two rowers and one ostentatiously dressed pirate.

The small boat stopped beneath Tempesta, with the rowers positioned about ten meters away from Tempesta, while the well-dressed pirate climbed up the rope ladder alone.

Lady Tentia whispered.

“It’s not worthy of evaluation from mere pirates, but I can’t find a single fault.”

I nodded subtly.

“It’s worth acknowledging that they even backed away to the small boat, just as you said.”

Clack, clack, thwack.

The ostentatiously dressed pirate reached the upper deck of Tempesta.

With his left hand clasped behind his back and his right palm open over his heart, he bowed respectfully towards Duke Cariosa.

“Greetings, Your Grace Duke Cariosa. I am Nelle, here under the command of His Highness Aquila, the king of the Nayt Archipelago and Governor of the United Port. I hold the post of foreign affairs officer at His Highness Aquila’s court.”

The pirate who introduced himself as Nelle had neatly cropped hair, wore a uniform with a black background and a green checkered pattern, and sported a thin one-handed sword.

Once again, it was an outfit without any points to criticize.

However, the way he introduced himself was full of details that needed to be picked apart.

In the Empire’s official documents, Aquila was not a king but a pirate chief, and that place was not a united port but a den of bandit gangs, and the court was a lair.

Duke Cariosa muttered, “Ha!”

Just from that, it was clear that she wanted to rip Nelle apart at any moment.

The knights shot glowering looks at Nelle as well.

“What did you just say?”

“What does Aquila that bastard mean, Your Highness?”

“Does that thing want to die right now—”

Ordinary people would have fainted from the pressure, but Nelle calmly continued speaking.

“First of all, I wish to formally apologize for Admiral Tarti’s indiscriminate attack a while back.”

The moment I heard his first words, I couldn’t help but murmur.

“The island council did not authorize the admiral to sortie, yet Admiral Tarti led troops to attack. I deeply apologize for not being able to restrain him. Since it seems you have not suffered significant damage, I ask you to kindly understand in the interest of friendship between our two nations.”

He was a formidable sophistry artist, just as I was, a diplomat with the tongue of a devil.

“To get to the point, His Highness Aquila deeply regrets the large-scale piracy activities you have undertaken and is prepared to compensate, both directly and indirectly.”

It was regrettable that he was born in the Empire and did not become a subject of Jeilliris.

“With the agreement of the kingdoms of the Eastern Continent, the neutralization of the Nayt Archipelago has been decided, and as the reclamation has begun, we have no reason to conduct piracy anymore. While I have no intention of begging for forgiveness for everything that has transpired, I swear that no further ships bearing Jolly Roger shall appear in the eastern sea.”

Moreover, seen from a higher perspective as his superior.

That was completely absurd.

He was attempting to repay a chest full of gold coins with just one word.

Duke Cariosa laughed in disbelief, and knights of the eastern region grabbed their napes.

I leaned closer to Cariosa and whispered about a few details I gleaned from his words.

“Duchess. It seems Aquila has colluded with the kings of the Eastern Continent. Once we subdue the Nayt Archipelago, can we bind them together?”

Cariosa nodded.

“That was the intention to begin with. Do not worry. The ones who hired those pirates to supplement their navy are them. They will never lose at sea.”

Then there was no problem.

I took a step forward towards Nelle.

“Did you say your name is the foreign affairs officer Nelle?”

He merely lowered his eyes slightly when he saw me, showing no further reaction.

“Indeed. May I ask how I should address you?”

“I am the Grand Duke of the Solletarass Empire, Crown Prince Valenciaunos. Call me Your Highness.”

I wore a subtle smile on my lips.

This was the moment for which Cariosa had called me.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I spoke loudly enough for everyone on this ship to hear.

“I convey the words of His Holiness, the Sacred Emperor of the Solletarass Empire, Her Majesty Jeilliris. She has declared that the Nayt Archipelago, the Serpent Islands, and the Graveyard of Ships are all the territory of the Empire, and she has appointed Duke Cariosa as the Governor of the Graveyard of Ships and the Serpent Islands, recognizing her as the Queen of the Nayt Archipelago!”

The knights of the eastern region smiled brightly.

In the midst of the excitement, cheers of “Long live Her Majesty Jeilliris!” and “Long live Queen Cariosa!” burst forth.

Nelle’s face began to crack.

From now on, this was not Duke Cariosa acting on her own but the official actions of the Solletarass Empire.

He clung desperately to the last remaining thread.

“His Highness Aquila is the one effectively governing the Nayt Archipelago.”

I nodded.

“I know. That’s why I’m leading the fleet there.”

Nelle smiled wryly.

“I knew the second prince understood the virtues of negotiation and compromise.”

I stretched my middle finger towards his face.

“Right. I also enjoy negotiation.”

“……”

“In this place, as the Grand Duke of the Empire, I formally propose: immediately withdraw from the Nayt Archipelago and preserve your life, or be burned alive within it. Choose.”

* * *

Duke Cariosa received the arm of one pirate as boarding fees before Nelle returned.

“There was no need for that since they raised the white flag, was there?”

“I’ll kill them all. If you keep your mouth shut, no one will know, Valenciaunos.”

“Hmm. Sounds good.”

“Your expression doesn’t seem cheerful. Is there something on your mind?”

I nodded.

“I don’t think Aquila truly meant what he said to us. He must have known we wouldn’t accept it.”

Cariosa confirmed.

“Right. He’s a bastard, but he’s not foolish.”

“Then why did he send such a man? There’s a risk of losing his subordinate and ship without cause. I don’t understand what he’s after. That’s what bothers me.”

Cariosa chuckled.

“That’s exactly what Sayah Yan told us.”