Chapter 56
The cheerful atmosphere from just five minutes ago had completely vanished,
And now, the tavern was shrouded in a deadly tension.
Pirates and navy soldiers stood face to face, weapons drawn, glaring as if ready to kill one another at any moment.
“A mere pirate from Britannia dares to stand against the mighty navy of the Franz Kingdom?”
“Shut your mouth! You Franz lapdogs! We’ll end this right here and now!”
The basic enmity between pirates and the navy.
On top of that, the centuries-old feud between the Britannian Empire and the Franz Kingdom.
A geographical inevitability, with the island nation and the continental nation positioned just across the sea,
The two had fought bitterly for 120 years and accumulated enough resentment to last generations.
Though they had now formed an alliance through Bennessa’s mediation,
From the start, they were never meant to get along.
Thanks to the drinking session just moments ago, both sides were more or less drunk, dulling their judgment.
And now—
Add to that the combination of occupational conflict, regional hostility, and alcohol-fueled tension—
Plus a death that had just occurred moments earlier.
The two groups, locked in a standoff, were on the verge of bloody conflict.
They were aiming their guns and blades at their supposed “allies.”
The tension was so thick, just a small nudge could set everything off.
Standing at the forefront of the pirate group, the only officer-class figure among them,
Cheshire was now counting down when she’d swing her axe and split their skulls.
Then—
“Stand down!”
“!”
A woman suddenly burst into the middle of the standoff.
With deep blonde hair and green eyes,
A single star on her shoulder,
She stepped in between the two hostile groups.
And then—
“Huh?”
“T-The Brigadier?”
The navy soldiers of the Franz Kingdom, who had just been overflowing with murderous intent, immediately lost their momentum and expressed confusion.
Seizing the moment, she immediately spoke with a composed but firm voice.
“What is the meaning of this? The enemy hasn’t even appeared yet, and you’re aiming guns at your allies? Didn’t I specifically warn you not to let this sort of thing happen?”
“Th-They started it! They picked a fight with us first!”
“Y-Yes! They insulted our Franz Kingdom, saying we were like tadpole legs and calling us snail bastards!”
“That’s right! A bunch of fish-frying scum had the nerve to—”
“Enough! That’s enough! No matter what they said, how could you point your guns at fellow allies? Cut the crap and explain properly! Who was it? Who pulled the trigger first?!”
The brigadier barked out sharply.
Setting aside the small details, she was clearly operating under the premise that her side was in the wrong, since someone had died.
“T-The guns were aimed by their side first. But the one who fired…”
“…”
“…Tch…”
Rather than answering, the Franz Kingdom soldiers just started glancing nervously at each other.
Of course, none of them had any intention of saying “I shot first.”
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, the brigadier then turned her gaze toward the pirates watching the scene—
Especially the axe-wielding woman who seemed to be their representative—
And spoke calmly.
“I apologize. My subordinates have acted rudely. I sincerely apologize for causing such a disturbance.”
She offered a neatly composed bow.
Though it was just a lowering of her head, In a diplomatic context like this, it held significant meaning— Essentially admitting fault and expressing a willingness to make reparations for the harm caused.
Watching her, The pirate holding the axe responded in a cold voice.
“Understood. Then will you give us a head?”
“…Excuse me?”
“You people killed one of our crew without reason. Death must be repaid with death. Either hand over the one responsible, or offer up your own head.”
“H-How about we pay compensation instead…”
“No. Even if you gave us a mountain of gold, you cannot bring the dead back to life. Only death can serve as a proper price. Isn’t that common sense?”
“…You know that’s not possible. This kind of unreasonable demand… it’s not helping.”
“Then there will be no negotiations.”
“Why, you arrogant—!”
Though she had bowed her head initially, knowing her side was in the wrong—
When even after offering compensation, the other party responded with “then die,” The brigadier’s patience began to wear dangerously thin.
She too, after all, was a member of the navy and a loyal subject of the Franz Kingdom. This situation involving a Briton pirate was not something she liked in the first place.
“I see… Trying to reason with pirates—what a fool I’ve been. I wanted to resolve this peacefully, but it seems that’s impossible.”
With those words, the brigadier resolutely drew her sword.
At that, the axe-wielding woman began to unleash her Magic Energy.
A chilling and overwhelmingly fierce aura.
Watching the unwavering flow of Magic Energy spinning at high speed, the brigadier immediately understood.
With that level of power, she was at least a 7th Rank Warrior or higher.
Realizing there was a reason for the other woman’s confident stance, She too began imbuing her sword with Magic.
And then—
“Attack!”
A voice rang out from somewhere.
At the same time, the Franz Kingdom navy and the Britannian privateers who had been in a standoff,
Immediately launched into battle.
–Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted inside the tavern from both the Franz Kingdom soldiers and the Pirates.
Using tables and chairs as cover,
They began a full-on gunfight, instantly turning the tavern into a chaotic battlefield.
–Pak!
“Damn it! Take this!”
Wooden splinters flew everywhere, and the acrid smell of gunpowder began to fill the air.
Amidst the chaos of flying bullets and the clash of Condensation Technique-infused sword strikes—
The brigadier naturally faced off against the woman with the axe who had stood at the front of the group.
–Kiiiiiiiiiiik!!!!!
A deafening noise rang out as Condensation Techniques clashed against each other.
Despite the axe being harder to wield than a sword,
The woman handled it effortlessly and fluidly.
Because of the weapon’s nature, her fighting style differed from a swordsman’s,
Making it all the more difficult to counter.
At the same time, her movements were as precise as a machine, maintaining a flawless flow of Magic Energy.
This alone made it clear—
Her opponent was an experienced and highly skilled warrior.
As their weapons clashed,
The brigadier became more certain than ever.
It had been a while since she’d faced someone truly worth fighting.
–Pak!
They both pushed against each other with force and broke away.
But twisting her body mid-motion,
The brigadier immediately converted that momentum into another attack.
“…”
–Ka-ka-ka-kak!
Her opponent blocked the strike just in time using the axe handle.
The impact caused her to stagger slightly backward.
The brigadier pressed the advantage and prepared to unleash a flurry of attacks.
Just then—
“!”
A sudden strike from the axe flew straight at her head.
Even after her posture had collapsed slightly,
The opponent resumed the attack immediately,
Making the brigadier narrow her eyes slightly.
And then—
–Ka-ka-ka-kak!!!
She blocked the descending axe with her sword, shielding her head.
It was far more powerful than she had anticipated.
The hand holding the sword tingled slightly from the impact.
‘That just now… did she forcibly twist her power? No… for something like that, the strength is way too immense…’
To generate such force even with her posture off— It was a testament to her opponent’s terrifying raw strength.
Just as the axe came crashing down again to crush her skull, The brigadier rolled away.
–Boom!!
The axe smashed straight into the ground.
Seizing the moment, The brigadier kicked off the floor and immediately unleashed a burst of Magic Energy.
–Pak!
With the force of a bullet, She shot forward and took aim directly at the woman,
Whose axe was still embedded in the floor.
But then—
“!!”
–Flash!!
Suddenly, something green and glowing flew in from the side.
The brigadier had to quickly adjust her posture and evade it.
“This is… Aura?”
“…”
Another presence had entered the fight without warning.
The brigadier’s gaze shifted to the source of the interference.
A woman emitting a green Aura
Was glaring back at her coldly.
Because of the black robe, her face wasn’t visible,
But the subtle yet dense Aura radiating from her made it clear—
She was no ordinary fighter.
“Tch… How typical of filthy pirates. Even interfering in one-on-one duels now, how cowardly can you be?”
“I don’t recall anyone saying it was a one-on-one, did they? And I’m not a pirate. Just a traveler having dinner with a friend.”
She spoke in a cold voice.
Seeing this, the brigadier began gathering her Magic Energy once more.
A new nuisance had entered the fray.
2-on-1 would be difficult—
But not impossible.
If she could end it quickly,
Victory was still well within reach.
Making that judgment,
The brigadier looked at the two of them with cold eyes.
At that moment—
—
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