Chapter 305

Valenciaunos’s left hand cracked like broken pottery, and from between the cracks, a small red crystal sprouted.

Wooow!

Red heat gathered in his palm, glowing as if it would explode at any moment.

Tennye raised both fists as if to bury Valenciaunos underground.

“Let’s go together!”

It seemed that even a light strike could turn the young duke’s body into pieces of meat.

Huuuu!

In the moment the burning green mana blade fell toward the duke’s crown.

Ziiiiiing—!

Heat rays burst forth from the palm of Valenciaunos’s left hand.

He pressed closely to Tennye, as if to embrace her, raised his right hand to strike her chin, and at the same time brought his left hand in front of her heart.

Whaak—!

A vast amount of heat swirled between the two mutated bodies, transformed by ancient power.

Flames like the sun ignited between Valenciaunos’s palm and Tennye’s body.

Though Tennye’s body was robust enough that it wouldn’t be scorched by ordinary flames, it couldn’t withstand the flames that were Valenciaunos himself for long.

Crack, crackle!

Valenciaunos’s palm was heating up endlessly, and thick cracks raced across Tennye’s body.

Under the sky darkened like night by gathering storm clouds, a beam of heat shot up into the sky.

Ziiiiiing—!

“Cough!”

The giant from the prairie looked down at his chest as he coughed up blood.

“Ah.”

Valenciaunos also drooped his right arm and exhaled heavily.

The fragments of Az echoed madly within his left arm.

“Huu.”

As a result, a fist-sized hole was pierced into Tennye’s chest.

Thud, thud!

The green, pulsing heart was clearly visible.

The mana blade that had been coursing through the warrior’s body rapidly scattered, and the bulk that had rivalled a giant shrank like a dried orange.

Chiiiii!

The steam-like heat emitted by the mechanical knight rose thickly behind him.

However, the warrior’s inner light did not dim.

“Ugh.”

Tennye pressed down with her left hand, while Valenciaunos raised his right hand to block.

Before the dragon scales could wrap around, a cracking sound was heard, and the young duke’s hand was completely crushed.

“What the hell!”

Valenciaunos swore as he ignited flames in Tennye’s heart.

It was a purifying flame that burned the alien power and absorbed that strength.

A bright red flame licked over the green heart.

“No, don’t!”

Tennye swung her left hand again, coughing up blood.

Bang!

Valenciaunos was sent flying like a kicked stone, crashing into the city wall.

The stones from the city wall fell, pounding against his head and chest, blood spilling out to dye his white hair, while the warrior charged with earth-shaking force.

However, Valenciaunos glared with yellow eyes and stoked the flames even higher.

‘I’ll catch him here.’

He focused solely on the flames, not intending to rise or evade.

Flarr—!

Flames erupted from Tennye’s heart.

The heat scorched his whole body, and the warrior’s grasp moved steadily closer to the head of the Bandit Duke, and the green heart began to warm gradually to red.

Finally, Tennye’s vicious hand reached right in front of Valenciaunos.

Under the stormy sky, the white-haired royalty buried in rubble and the noble barbarian created a stunning contrast.

In that moment.

“I’ve won. You monster.”

Valenciaunos smiled gently.

Tennye’s green heart was entirely glowing bright red.

It meant that the ancient power dwelling within the warrior’s body had completely burned out and had been dyed with his color.

Before he knew it, Tennye’s bulk had shrunk down to a size not much greater than an ordinary person.

The Bandit Duke reached out with his left hand and grasped Tennye’s heart.

The ancient energy that the warrior held within was absorbed into his body.

Blue veins pulsed with the vitality of life, filled with a sense of vividness as if blessed by a saint, coursing through his bloodstream, and he smiled faintly.

‘Just as I thought.’

He felt the fragments of Az within him settling down.

It was like pouring a glass of cold water into boiling water.

The more human-friendly ancient power neutralized the strange and alienation power from dragons, spirits, and entities from other stars.

In that moment, a bizarre illusion flickered before his eyes.

* * *

I was suddenly standing on the prairie.

A hawk was soaring in the blue sky, and men and women in exotic clothing stood around, while I was riding a horse and laughing.

As if dreaming, the scenery shifted.

Two tribes were waging war, and our tribe’s tents were set ablaze.

We took revenge, but the officials of the Eastern Kingdom pinned the blame of pillaging on my tribe.

We have been exiled, and I came to a pirate island.

There, the warrior committed acts of piracy he should not have, loved someone he should not have, and faced a monster he should not have blocked.

For a moment, the surroundings darkened, and I returned as Duke Valencius once more.

A low and dignified voice spoke from within the darkness.

“I did my best for the tribe.”

“But the best efforts do not always bring the best results.”

“Was it wrong to compromise with fate?”

“Or was it wrong not to compromise sooner?”

Saaaaa—.

“Ah.”

A green wind blew, and I was standing beneath the city wall once again.

Lady Trentia had just succeeded in climbing over the ramparts.

“Long live Lady Trentia!”

“Sound the trumpets! We have captured the triple city walls.”

“Raise the flag of the Asenorta family!”

“We must inform the knights to support the duke, no, his Majesty the King! Send a messenger!”

The Eastern soldiers cheered as they cut down the remaining pirate remnants.

I shook my head as if shedding a dream and looked at Tennye.

“Ah.”

He had turned completely gray, as if he had died decades ago.

I hesitated for a moment and muttered.

“I’ll ask Duke Seberik of the North if he can take in a group of Eastern continent immigrants.”

Even if just a couple of those warriors served, we could easily obtain a few fiefs.

“You could have fought for the empire. What a waste of talent. If you had crossed the sea one more time… you could have served Cariosa.”

I would need to eliminate this band of pirates completely, to ensure such an event never happens again.

I stepped over the rubble of the collapsed city wall.

Lady Trentia fell behind me among the Eastern soldiers.

“I apologize, your Highness.”

She bowed her head with a slightly dejected voice.

I shook my head firmly.

“I know what you are going to say. But thanks to you, the soldiers were able to scale the walls. It would have been really troublesome facing that warrior and the pirates firing ballista bolts from the ramparts at the same time. You helped me a lot.”

The Eastern soldiers were engrossed in putting flags on the top of the city wall, so it was only Lady Trentia and I who could inspect the rear.

Behind the harbor, there was a wharf and triple walls, and beyond that was a rather bustling city.

It seemed they were in the middle of paving the road with cobblestones.

To the right, there was a road leading towards another town, with clear traces of cartwheel tracks.

To the left of the city, a massive mountain rose, and an incomprehensible stone fortress stood tall.

At first, I thought it was built with piled stones, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to have been carved out of the mountain.

“My.”

It seemed almost impossible to conquer unless one attacked with magic to completely demolish it.

Would it crack if I heated it up and Cariosa cooled it down with water? I was thinking like that when I sensed a presence among the alleyways of the city.

Lady Trentia raised her Hwanhan, and I nodded.

“Who goes there!”

She dashed into the alley, and within three seconds, a man was dragged out.

Lady Trentia made him kneel before me, and he rubbed his hands together in front of me.

“Pl-please spare me!”

He was one-eyed, an inhabitant from the Eastern continent, wearing a red conical hat that vaguely reminded me of Tarti, and he had a sabre strapped to his side.

From the pressure I felt, he seemed to be quite a skilled swordsman.

Feeling a hunch, I asked.

“Do you know Tarti?”

In that moment, a myriad of emotions flickered across the man’s eyes.

He seemed to be weighing between ‘I don’t know that bastard’ and ‘Yes! He’s my lord!’ trying to figure out how to respond to survive.

“Yes! He’s my lord!”

He shouted with his eyes tightly shut.

Correct answer, kid.

I smirked.

I never expected to meet someone from that group face to face.

“You have a village where only your kids live, right?”

“Yes, my lady! There is.”

“Go tell them. Don’t think of running away; just wait. Duke Valencius will spare you. He’ll give you land too.”

“Y-yes?”

He replied as if in a dream.

“There are warships arrayed at sea now. No matter where you run, you’ll die. Don’t pull any tricks, just open the door and wait. Got it?”

He blinked his remaining eye a couple of times, then nodded and bowed deeply before me.

“Thank you, my lady.”

Then he bolted down the right path like a madman.

Lady Trentia turned her head towards me.

I spoke as if to justify myself without realizing.

“Just sparing Tarti doesn’t mean the fleet will roll over.”

“Your Highness, I didn’t say anything.”

“…….”

* * *

Shwaaaaa!

The rain began to fall in earnest.

Blood flowed down the triple wall’s slope like a stream.

And Cariosa finally pushed through all the enemies, grinding them down.

Every pirate inside the triple layers of walls was dead.

“Duke Valencius!”

Her water-colored hair was soaked red, and she smiled brightly to prove that it wasn’t her blood.

Sharp white teeth shone brightly between her beautifully pursed lips.

With each step she took, the pieces of her armor clinked together, sounding a cheerful rattle, and raindrops glided off her stingray leather coat.

“Duke Cariosa, I’m sorry. I should have destroyed more of the walls.”

I laid the foundation to avoid any remarks like ‘Injuries arose because of Duke Valencius’s poor performance.’

“No, it’s fine. I heard from Laurelai that the condition isn’t great; I can’t push them. Originally, I intended to blast it with cannon fire from the ship or use magic myself, but thanks to you, it’s all wrapped up neatly.”

Cariosa accepted it gladly, appearing somewhat pleased.

“Have all the people who should be here gathered?”

Cariosa looked around and nodded.

Eastern knights had gathered, cutting down scattered pirates in Nayt Archipelago, while battle mages were protecting the shield soldiers.

She licked her lips as she gazed at the fortress.

“Alright. Now, the real meal begins. Until now, it was just an appetizer.”

She looked like a gourmet eagerly anticipating the thought of cracking open lobster shells to devour the flesh inside.

After glancing toward the city, she murmured.

“Perhaps one or two might escape through my siege.”

“That’s true. A perfect siege isn’t possible.”

“Then shouldn’t we first set fire to the villages and towns scattered around the island instead of just laying siege to the fortress?”

I was astonished by her brilliant strategic assessment.

“That is an excellent judgment. But…”

“But?”

“Can we wait? What if those bastards all commit suicide? Or if they give up without fighting, exhausted by the siege? We should break through the fortress while there is still hope and spirit, drag them out like dogs, and throw them into the sea chained up. We should mock the self-proclaimed Pirate King who begs for his life!”

And with all my strength, I tried to save even one more person for an extra day.

Even if I had returned, Cariosa would understand the Eastern situation better.

The people here, at least those fleeing from this city, are mostly pirates and their families.

It would seem hypocritical to pretend we’ve never killed a person while providing a reason for the pirates to commit piracy.

I also resent those who create trouble for the sake of good rather than evil.

But if there are people who have come here to genuinely start a new life, and it happens that the farmland of this island is broad enough to accommodate Eastern serfs that have relocated, then we should be able to spare them.

Fortunately, Cariosa nodded.

“Yes. What the duke says is right. You’ve learned well as royalty indeed. Waiting is not an option. Crab dishes need to be eaten warm to not be fishy.”

… What did I learn well?

However, I didn’t say any unnecessary words as if drawing a snake.

Instead, I stepped forward toward the fortress.

“How do we break through this?”

The fortress I saw closely was even sturdier.

The staircase tunnel was narrow, and even that was completely blocked, with places reinforced with bricks looking very solid.

Cariosa began to summon the battle mages to prepare to cast spells in four shifts a day.

At that moment, I remembered my prisoner.

“That bastard from earlier. They haven’t killed him yet, right?”

Lady Trentia looked back.

An Eastern soldier was helping the veiled Arins.

Arins seemed to have regained consciousness, squirming slightly.

I gave him a few gold coins as a reward for his efforts, then brought Arins to Cariosa.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Valenciaunos, I told you I have no prisoners—”

“He’s likely of admiral rank. He might know about secret passages.”

I intentionally avoided mentioning the elves.

There wasn’t enough time to explain that too.

Fortunately, Cariosa seemed to understand well enough, and it appeared Arins’s desire to live was stronger than his loyalty to the old king.

I punched Arins in the jaw, and he instantly replied as if he had been waiting.

“Yes! I definitely know about the secret passage!”

* * *

“You want me to go in there?”

“Valenciaunos, I think he should be killed painfully no matter how I think about it.”