Chapter 40
The woman with jet-black hair who had blocked the attack using her aura.
The moment Arcroyal saw her, her expression hardened even further.
‘N-no way… Could that woman be…?’
A pirate from the Golden Beard Pirate Group capable of wielding enough aura to stop her powerful strike.
Among the people Arcroyal knew, only one fit that description.
The Pirate King’s right hand and the first mate of the Golden Beard Pirate Group.
Black Wing, Remine.
The sight of her made Arcroyal realize the situation had become dire. She raised her voice urgently.
“Damn it! Everyone, open fire! Stop that woman at all costs!”
Following her command, the navy soldiers fired their rifles in unison. At the same time, Arcroyal hurriedly loaded her weapon and aimed it at Remine.
But then.
“Ugh!”
A surge of aura burst forth from Remine’s body.
The radiant green energy enveloped everyone present—the pirates, the captives Elkana and Ambasha, and even the navy soldiers.
“A-a… no…”
-BLAM!
The green light exploded outward, so dazzling that it blinded everyone momentarily as though lightning had struck before their eyes.
Once the blinding light dissipated and their vision returned, Arcroyal felt her strength drain completely, and she collapsed onto the ground.
“A…ah…”
In front of her, nothing remained.
Neither Remine nor the man wearing the Black Crow mask (likely the Pirate King),
nor their crew, nor the captives Elkana and Ambasha.
Despite her utmost efforts, Arcroyal had lost everything right before her eyes.
Overwhelmed by despair, and crushed by her failure to save her comrades…
All she could do was bow her head and let her tears flow.
The captives, the auction goods—everything had been stolen and not a single culprit was captured.
On the other hand, the navy’s losses were devastating—five warships sunk, their munitions burned and countless soldiers killed.
Thus, the Queen had been utterly humiliated by the pirates.
This event, later known as the Sacco di Bennessa (Sack of Bennessa)* became one of the great turning points in history.
It ended with Bennessa’s complete and utter defeat.
***
The moment the blinding aura dissipated, a familiar scene unfolded before us.
It was a place we could truly call home.
The deck of the Golden Cross.
“Wh-where is this…?”
“A-are we… alive?”
Magellan and Elkana blinked rapidly, their faces showing disbelief. It was only natural given their first experience with spatial transference.
“H-hey! Somebody help! Franklin, sister… she’s badly hurt!”
Ambasha, holding the exhausted and collapsed Franklin, cried out in desperation.
Hearing this, Auriel hurriedly ran toward them from the deck.
“Hold on, let me take a look.”
Auriel, unexpectedly calm in this situation, examined Franklin’s injuries with a steady expression.
She then raised both hands, emitting a golden aura, and began treatment.
Franklin’s arm, which had been torn and nearly severed, began to heal as the muscles regenerated and new flesh grew.
Watching this miraculous sight, Ambasha’s face filled with deep relief.
“Th-thank you. Thank you so much, Sister.”
“…”
Auriel smiled faintly, albeit with a trace of sadness, at Ambasha’s repeated bows of gratitude.
As I observed this scene, I finally felt a wave of tension release and let out a small sigh of relief.
At that moment…
“Whew…”
“…Good job, Remine.”
Unlike me, Remine let out an audible sigh.
The spatial transference, which relied on aura, was less magic and more akin to a divine miracle.
Performing it required an enormous expenditure of aura.
Especially considering that she had just transported six people along with cargo,
even someone like her would feel the burden.
Fortunately, the destination was relatively close to the port where the ship was anchored.
Otherwise, the worst-case scenario would have been landing in the middle of the ocean, completely stranded.
The ability, while miraculous, came with significant limitations.
“Stop with the words and just increase my share of the dividends.”
“Haha… alright, I’ll do that.”
Regardless, I felt relieved knowing that everyone returned safely, and I looked over my subordinates standing before me.
Franklin, Ambasha, Magellan, and Elkana.
This was the first mission carried out with this group, and for now, it was a success.
However… even so, there were parts that I needed to address and confirm as a leader.
It wasn’t something I was eager to do…
In fact, I really didn’t want to.
But this, too, was an essential part of being in command.
After making my decision, I instructed the gathering subordinates to take care of the remaining issues.
I then headed to the captain’s quarters, concluding that today, at least, we all deserved some proper rest.
***
“Over there! Pull that person up too!”
“There are many injured. Send for more priests from the church!”
After the storm-like chaos had passed, Bennessa immediately began recovery operations and aiding survivors.
Fortunately, the damage to the city itself wasn’t severe, and the number of casualties was surprisingly low.
However, even with this solace, the overall losses were too heavy to bear.
As they continued the frantic cleanup, Arcroyal and the navy’s high-ranking officers gathered for an urgent meeting.
“Gather all the warships immediately! For Bennessa, one of the greatest naval powers, to be humiliated by mere pirates like this is utterly unacceptable!”
The voice of Vice Admiral Cavour thundered with anger.
He had lost five warships in the battle against the Pirate King and was now consumed by a fierce desire for revenge.
While the loss of five warships was indeed significant, Bennessa, as the ruler of the Adriatic Sea and one of the continent’s largest naval powers, still had more than enough forces.
If they truly committed to retaliation, they had a fair chance of succeeding.
However…
“It’s meaningless. Gathering warships from various locations will take time, and the opponent is the 12th-ranked warrior, the Pirate King. Do you really think we can defeat him in a head-on battle?”
“Moreover, while our numbers might surpass theirs, their total strength is in no way inferior to ours. Even just two of their officers made a mockery of our storage district.”
Commander Ritorrio and his subordinate Grecale, who had defended the storage area and faced the Pirate King’s officers firsthand,
offered a calm and realistic assessment of their foes.
If Bennessa gathered all their warships, they could likely secure superiority in naval power.
However, if the battle turned into melee combat rather than an artillery duel, their chances of defeat were exceedingly high.
“On top of that, the Pirate King has conquered the Five Seas. His range of activity is far broader than ours. How are we supposed to capture someone who could appear anywhere, at any time, with any amount of force?”
Though the Mediterranean was the Pirate King’s primary domain, there were reports of his activities in the northern seas, the Black Sea, and even the Indian Ocean.
Even if they could pinpoint his location, as the Pirate King controlled every pirate in the area,
his total strength remained an unknown variable.
Sometimes, he traveled with just one flagship, as he had today.
Other times, he commanded a fleet of dozens of warships.
He was a difficult adversary to confront on multiple levels.
Moreover, merely gathering the fleet was easier said than done.
The process of consolidating forces would weaken Bennessa’s widespread influence over the Mediterranean.
And if the gathered fleet were to suffer significant damage, the situation would not end as mildly as today’s humiliation.
_
“Still, we can’t just let this go!”
“Exactly! The Grand Auction of Bennessa has been pillaged! Just the compensation we need to pay for this loss is already a headache—how can we simply overlook this?”
“Even if we don’t annihilate them, we must show them what Bennessa is capable of!”
“I told you, we don’t have a way to do that!”
“Recklessly launching an attack will only waste valuable forces! You’re all aware of how terrifying the Pirate King is!”
The meeting room grew tense as voices rose, with the hardliners demanding retaliation and the moderates insisting on restraint.
At that moment.
“…We must acknowledge the truth.”
“!”
“Admiral… what do you mean?”
Arcroyal’s cold voice silenced the room.
With a composed yet stern expression, she addressed the gathered commanders.
“Gathering all our forces to attack is something I oppose as well. Our mission is to protect Bennessa’s trade routes and maritime dominance. Weakening that for revenge is unacceptable.”
“Hmm…”
“B-but…”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean I intend to give up on revenge. I simply mean that we won’t try to handle this alone.”
“What are you suggesting?”
The commanders’ curiosity and expectations piqued as they tried to deduce Arcroyal’s intent.
In response, she answered firmly.
“The Britannian Empire and the Franz Kingdom. If we join forces with them… they’ll undoubtedly lend their strength. They, too, have debts to settle with the Pirate King.”
*(“Sack of ‘a country or place’” means the act of an invading army or mob plundering and destroying a captured city or town, essentially stealing valuables and causing significant damage during a military conquest; it implies a violent takeover with looting and destruction involved.)
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