Chapter 65
“Th… Thank you for your hard work, Auriel.”
“No, not at all. The infiltration team worked much harder than I did.”
As planned, Franklin Cook Shadiko and her party were escorting Auriel Stardust toward the port.
Magellan, Elkana, and Ambasha included—
The five of them, plus α, were wearing masks as they moved stealthily through the alleyways.
They had moved a step ahead before the Pirate King made his full appearance.
Thanks to that, they were able to carry out their mission quietly and without interruption all the way here.
“By now, my father has probably begun fighting too, right?”
“Most likely. Let’s hurry, senior. They’ll be rushing in this direction soon.”
With the forces in shambles from fighting amongst themselves,
It was extremely unlikely they’d risk everything to stand against the Pirate King.
They would undoubtedly use all their strength to flee for survival.
If they got caught up in that mess, it would only complicate things,
So Franklin’s group immediately entered the port to get out as soon as possible.
The port appeared ahead of them, with pirate ships faintly visible beyond.
Once they reached that spot, the mission would be complete—
And they started to feel just a bit more at ease.
At that moment—
“…Wait.”
“?”
Franklin suddenly gave a signal to stop.
They immediately halted and crouched down low.
Then—
Fwooooosh!
“!”
“What… what is that?”
A flare suddenly shot up into the sky.
But instead of the usual gold color used by pirates,
It was red.
Seeing that crimson light, an ominous feeling washed over them.
And then—
BOOM!!!
“!!”
A loud explosion rang out.
It came from beyond the port—not nearby.
And Franklin’s group was momentarily struck with confusion.
“What… what’s going on?”
“Why now…?”
Just as they were surrounding the port,
Pirate ships had suddenly started to engage in battle.
With most of the ships docked,
They wondered who the enemy could be—
But that question didn’t remain unanswered for long.
“Those guys… Bennessa’s navy?”
“N-No way… Why are they there?”
They had expected Bennessa’s Navy to be docked to the west or east.
So their sudden appearance and sudden attack caught them completely off guard.
Then—
“Finally… I’ve found you.”
“!”
A chilling voice echoed from somewhere.
At the same time, Franklin infused her sword with Magic Energy.
And then—
Flash!
CRACK!!!
A sharp gust of wind slashed like a blade.
She blocked it with a barrier, but the sound of the blow made Franklin scowl instinctively.
That voice just now—
And that style of attack—
There was only one person she knew who could do both.
“…Arcroyal…”
***
Right after learning that Blue Queen had been attacked,
Arcroyal Warspite immediately mobilized her forces and left the Charden Region.
It was the first step in executing her Plan B.
‘Those pawns have lost their use as a fighting force. Now the only option left is to use them entirely as bait…’
Having reached that conclusion, Arcroyal prepared to proceed to the next stage.
But then—
She realized something.
There was no need to deliberately lure out the Pirate King anymore.
Because just after Bennessa’s fleet had pulled out of the port,
Arcroyal saw them with her own eyes.
Pirate ships approaching Charden Castle through the dark.
The forces of the Pirate King, whom she had been planning to lure.
‘I’ve never been this lucky in my life…’
The timing was so precise, it felt like fate.
Though surprised at first,
Arcroyal quickly set her plan in motion.
Still—
Engaging in battle right away would’ve been reckless.
Her current fleet was only half the size of the enemy’s.
And given the pirate forces’ strength—
Especially that of the officers and the overwhelming power of the Pirate King—
The disparity would only worsen.
However—
She had never intended to fight them head-on to begin with.
That was the entire point of Plan B…
“Whew…”
Arcroyal spread her Magic Energy wide across her body.
The Circle of Magic.
All the movements of enemies in the area began to clearly register.
Because it required deep concentration, she couldn’t move or fight while using it— But in this current situation, that wasn’t much of a problem.
They still hadn’t located her… nor the positions of Bennessa’s navy or Arcroyal.
Through the Circle of Magic, Arcroyal cautiously searched for them.
And through that process, she felt it.
The uniquely powerful presence of the Pirate King.
And… The true target of this mission, A presence that was faint but undeniably clear—
That of Ambasha.
“Elkana’s aura isn’t distinct enough to tell… but it can’t be helped. I have to rescue who I can for now…”
“Wh-Why is she here again…?!”
Arcroyal approached with dozens of soldiers.
With an expectant look on her face, she firmly gripped her sword, filled with killing intent.
And then—
“Hiding won’t work. I already know. You there—the little one. You’re Ambasha, aren’t you?”
“!”
“Mmm…”
Even with a mask on, Arcroyal recognized her immediately.
Ambasha instinctively flinched and hid behind Franklin.
“No need to be afraid. Even if you became a pirate, you’re just a child. You must have been tricked or threatened by them.”
Snap!
With that, Arcroyal flicked her fingers lightly.
In response, the waiting soldiers drew their weapons all at once.
“Just wait a moment. I’ll save you now.”
“…Ugh…”
“Ugh, why is she always like this? Seriously.”
“Looks like she’s completely deluded… and explaining things would only make this worse.”
It was a situation where talking wouldn’t help anyway.
So, the only conclusion was to fight.
“Attack!”
“Haaah!!!”
At Arcroyal’s command, Bennessa’s elite soldiers charged.
Each one a hand-picked warrior averaging 4th Rank, they were no pushovers.
But—
“Gahhh!!”
Franklin’s group was equally formidable.
They were upper 7th Rank warriors on average.
At the front, Franklin, a warrior at the end of the 9th Rank, clashed directly with Arcroyal.
Crackle!!!
“You bastard!… Wait—Franklin, is that you?!”
“…Tch.”
“That reaction… it is you. Where is Elkana? If you hand over my friend and Ambasha, I might let you go.”
“I refuse. Those two now belong to me.”
“You… even for pirates, how can you be this shameless? You kidnapped them and dare spout such nonsense?!”
“…Haa…”
There was no point explaining anything to the enemy.
Franklin stopped talking and focused entirely on the fight.
Crackling!!!
Arcroyal had the upper hand overall, but Franklin was no pushover.
She had not yet reached the level of a Great Warrior, but—
Since confessing her feelings to that man recently, She had begun to grasp something new within herself.
She couldn’t defeat Arcroyal, but Arcroyal couldn’t easily beat her either.
Clang!
“Tch!”
“Kuh…”
They glared fiercely at each other, weapons clashing again.
The surging Magic Energy made it nearly impossible for anyone else to intervene.
Meanwhile—
“Hahahah!”
“Grgh!”
Magellan, an 8th Rank, and Elkana, now 7th Rank, fought.
Despite being outnumbered by Bennessa’s navy, They held their ground, perhaps even gaining the upper hand through sheer skill.
“Ha! This is why people rave about upper-rank warriors. These daggers just click with my hands, and crushing enemies feels sooo good.”
“Shut up. You’ll blow our cover. If they find out we’re here too, things will get complicated.”
“Heh… though that might be fun too…”
Even so, the two kept focus and continued fighting the navy.
And then—
“Ugh…”
Ambasha, who had just reached 3rd Rank, Was still closer to someone being protected than a true fighter.
The talk about saving her wasn’t a bluff—they were clearly targeting her.
Though Elkana and Magellan were shielding her, Ambasha’s current power level wasn’t enough to help without becoming a burden.
So, amidst the chaos of battle, She unknowingly backed away toward the bushes behind her.
At that moment—
“Huh?”
“…Hehehe… So it’s you, huh? The one the Duke Oaklean wanted so badly…”
“!”
—
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