Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 60

4. The Fall of the Conrad Kingdom

1

Upon receiving news that Marquis Suleiman’s rebel forces were advancing towards Bless, the Pope’s party hastily returned to the Imperial City.

Just before boarding the carriage, Reina had a farewell conversation with Luke.

“Are you returning to your territory now?” she asked.

“No, I need to finish suppressing the rebel forces here. That way, it will be easier for you, won’t it?” Luke replied.

“I appreciate you doing that. Please be sure to visit Bless when things are settled here,” Reina said.

“I understand. I will definitely do so,” Luke promised.

With that promise, Luke sent Reina off.

Although he respected her wishes and let her go, he never imagined he would miss her so much, not even an hour after they parted. He felt an urge to chase after her immediately. He could easily catch up using Fly magic.

However, he couldn’t leave his subordinates behind.

‘Haa! I didn’t realize her absence would be this significant…’ he thought.

He had felt this way two years ago, but now the emptiness seemed even greater. It meant his feelings for her had grown, and this separation was truly regrettable.

“Are you alright, Lord?” a voice asked.

“Huh? Is that Sir Philip?” Luke replied, snapping back to his senses.

Seeing him like that, Philip clicked his tongue softly.

“Why didn’t you just say you’d go with her? If you had offered to lend a hand in defeating Suleiman or whoever, you wouldn’t be sighing like this…” he said.

It had been decided that some of the expeditionary force’s troops would be detached to support the Imperial City’s central army. Because of this, several units were moving busily.

However, there was a reason why Luke didn’t request to go with them.

He wanted to personally conclude the rebellion in the Conrad region and secure a series of evidence.

“Evidence?” Philip asked.

“You mentioned before that the mercenary rider named Sancho, who appeared in the Gigantic Duel [a large-scale combat tournament], was actually Count Ferrero,” Luke explained.

“Yes, I did. The voice and fighting style I heard through the communication device were exactly the same,” Philip confirmed.

“That’s right. I want to find evidence that the Baroque Empire is deeply involved in this rebellion,” Luke stated.

It was not uncommon for countries to interfere in the internal affairs or conflicts of other nations to achieve national interests or specific goals. This was something that not only the Baroque Empire but also Volga and other kingdoms did secretly, and it was a pretty effective tactic as long as they weren’t caught.

However, things were different if there was clear evidence. In that case, it was standard to send a diplomatic envoy to protest, and in cases of poor relations, it could even lead to a declaration of war.

“You’re planning to use solid evidence to blackmail the Baroque Imperial Family,” Philip said.

Luke shook his head.

“No, I’m not just trying to blackmail them. I’m planning to provoke a conflict,” he corrected.

“A conflict… Ah, you’re going to use that to ignite the fight between the noble faction and the emperor’s faction!” Philip exclaimed.

“Exactly,” Luke confirmed.

Two years ago, due to the assassination attempt that Luke intervened in, the tensions between the two factions had become so inflamed that there was no turning back. Of course, a dramatic resolution prevented a war, but they were secretly building up their forces and politically checking each other.

What would happen if a problem that could spark a war arose in this situation?

“If it’s revealed that the Baroque Imperial Family unilaterally intervened in the Holy Empire’s rebellion, Emperor Rudolf will inevitably face criticism both domestically and internationally. The noble faction, having caught a case, will naturally raise their voices, demanding that the emperor, who has tarnished the nation’s prestige, have his power reduced. More loudly than ever before,” Luke explained.

“Then the emperor’s faction will object… and if there’s even a skirmish in the process, it will immediately lead to a civil war,” Philip concluded.

Nodding, Luke stood up and continued, “I’ve already secured some evidence in Eisenberg. Some of the Gigants [large humanoid war machines] used by the rebels were made by the Baroque Imperial Magic Tower.”

Luke had confirmed this from the captured Gigants and the remains of the destroyed ones. The shells were different, but the insides were clearly from the Baroque Imperial Magic Tower. He had purchased and examined various Gigants from home and abroad to develop the Katarina Magic Tower, so he knew this fact immediately.

“The Holy Empire’s Gigant market is dominated by the Artenia Imperial Magic Tower. Of course, some local lords have been known to import some cheaper foreign Gigants,” Philip said.

According to a Holy Empire military official, most of the imported Gigants were either used or low-output warrior-class. Moreover, there were none from the Baroque Imperial Magic Tower, which had poor relations with them.

However, what Luke had found was clearly a knight-class with a maximum output of over 2000 phytes [a unit of magical power].

“Are you sure it’s from the Baroque Imperial Magic Tower?” Philip asked.

“You may not know much about magic, but there are slight differences in the magic formulas of each country or magic tower. What I saw was definitely from the Baroque Imperial Magic Tower lineage,” Luke explained.

“Still, it’s hard to call it evidence with just some parts, isn’t it? They could say the rebels bought them in a hurry to strengthen their forces?” Philip pointed out.

“That’s why we need to find more solid evidence,” Luke replied.

Luke judged that he could find that confirmation in Elbera, the rebels’ hideout. The rebels would have left records such as letters or ledgers in preparation for being used and abandoned.

“We’ll have to hurry to secure that,” Philip said.

“So, when are they attacking Elbera?” Luke asked.

At Luke’s question, Philip reported the matters he had been informed of and checked beforehand.

“First, according to Princess Reina’s, no, Her Holiness the Pope’s recommendation, they will send an envoy to Duke Perriad once more to urge him to surrender,” Philip said.

“Really? The commanders, not to mention the rank-and-file soldiers, won’t agree easily,” Luke commented.

The expeditionary force was currently in a state of extreme animosity towards the rebels. They were furious at the rebels’ actions of trying to assassinate the Pope, whom they revered, and who had deliberately traveled a long way for peace.

“But it’s an order from the Pope. Everyone is secretly hoping that Duke Perriad will refuse,” Philip said.

“They would be,” Luke agreed.

Nodding, Luke looked towards Elbera in the distance. He was very curious about what decision the rebels, that is, the Conrad Kingdom, would make.

2

Inside the Conrad Kingdom’s royal court, located within Elbera’s inner castle, a heated debate was taking place among the vassals regarding the expeditionary force’s proposal.

“Your Majesty, we have no chance of winning as things stand. We must negotiate with the condition of preserving our families and territories,” one vassal argued.

“Hey, do you think that’s even possible?” another retorted.

“Then, are you saying we should fight to the death?” the first vassal asked.

“Who said anything about fighting to the death? I’m saying we should look for other options!” the second vassal exclaimed.

Duke Perriad sighed inwardly as he watched his vassals’ debate. If they surrendered like this, their territories and titles would be lost, but if they fought to the bitter end, there was no future in sight.

So, he asked Lazuli, who was listening to the conversation with his arms crossed on one side.

“What do you think I should do?” Perriad asked.

At Perriad’s question, Lazuli said with a firm expression, “In my opinion, we must fight to the bitter end.”

“Why?” Perriad asked.

“If we surrender like this, we might save our lives for now. But will Archbishop Constantine really leave Your Majesty and your family alone?” Lazuli questioned.

“Hmm…” Perriad groaned at Lazuli’s words. Considering the case of Archbishop Michael, who had competed with Constantine for the position of Pope, being purged without a sound, there was a high probability that they would not be let off easily.

“And you may or may not know, but there was an attempt to assassinate Veronica III yesterday, which failed,” Lazuli added.

“Assassination? Could it be…?” Perriad wondered.

Yesterday, a huge explosion and flash of light had erupted from the expeditionary force’s camp. He had thought it was an explosion of gunpowder due to the artillerymen’s negligence, but was it because of an assassination attempt on the Pope?

“The problem is that Your Majesty has been mentioned as the mastermind behind it,” Lazuli stated.

“Wh-what!” Perriad, whose face had turned pale, jumped up from his seat. It was like being hit by a hammer out of nowhere, and even if they surrendered, the mastermind behind the Pope’s assassination would not be spared.

“W-what on earth is going on? Did someone do something I didn’t order?” Perriad cried out.

At Duke Perriad’s cry, the vassals gathered in the royal court only looked at each other’s faces. Although he didn’t show it, Lazuli was secretly sneering.

It was he who had sent the assassin to the Pope.

‘It just so happens that His Majesty the Emperor sent a useful pawn,’ Lazuli thought.

The Baroque Imperial Family had a secret assassination organization. This assassination organization, called Hydra, had assassins who had mastered various assassination techniques, and the mage who had sniped at Veronica III was also a member.

Anyway, Lazuli, who was pretending not to know anything, spoke to the confused Duke Perriad and his vassals.

“Anyway, whoever is behind the assassination, the surrender envoy is likely a ploy to confuse us,” Lazuli said.

“So, what you’re saying is…” Perriad began.

“The enemy will soon launch an all-out offensive. Whether we surrender or not, they will turn Elbera into ashes,” Lazuli concluded.

At Lazuli’s words, the atmosphere in the royal court turned desperate. Some of the vassals even slumped down in their seats.

‘Heh heh, they’re completely panicked. Now, shall I boost their morale a bit?’ Lazuli thought.

Thinking so, Lazuli smiled and spoke again, “But there’s also good news.”

“Good news?” Perriad asked.

“Yes, Marquis Suleiman of the Langhel region is currently leading his army towards Bless. So, Grand Duke Gregory and the Immortal Knights have hastily returned to the Imperial City,” Lazuli explained.

“Oh, is that true?” Perriad asked.

“Not only that. He has promised more support. So, if we hold out for a few more days, there will be good news,” Lazuli added.

No one in this place didn’t know who the person Lazuli was referring to was. The atmosphere in the royal court was revitalized by the good news he had delivered.

One of the vassals said with a hopeful face, “Then, if we can just hold off this expeditionary force, we can aim for not only Conrad but also external territories!”

“Of course. It might even be possible to subjugate all the prime territories in the central part of the Holy Empire,” another vassal added.

Perriad’s mouth hung open at the vassals’ optimistic expectations. In his mind, he was fantasizing about occupying the major territories in the central region, then taking advantage of the momentum to occupy Bless and ascend as the new Pope of the Holy Empire.

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Lazuli drove the point home.

“Therefore, we must strengthen our resolve to fight to the bitter end. In that sense, how about beheading the envoy?” Lazuli suggested.

“B-behead the envoy?” Perriad and his vassals’ eyes widened.

“By doing so, we can prevent the defection of our subordinate lords who may have treacherous intentions. Furthermore, we can manipulate the enemy command, who will rush in with anger, according to our intentions,” Lazuli explained.

Duke Perriad was lost in thought for a moment. Even in the midst of war, beheading an envoy was against diplomacy. However, it seemed like a good way to prevent the defection of lords who might be considering surrender. Moreover, from the perspective of the Conrad Kingdom, which had to rely on the support of the Baroque Empire, it was difficult to simply reject Lazuli’s proposal.

After being lost in thought for a while, Duke Perriad made a bold decision.

“Behead the envoy immediately!” he ordered.

“No! It will only fuel the expeditionary force’s animosity and tarnish the kingdom’s honor!” his son, Aslan, was the first to object.

If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t matter, but at his son’s actions, Duke Perriad’s brow furrowed.

“Then what do you suggest?” Perriad asked.

“Just chase them away. And let them know that the assassination has nothing to do with us…” Aslan replied.

At those words, Duke Perriad jumped up and raised his voice.

“What country’s prince are you? Are you telling me to bow down to the enemy in front of me?” Perriad yelled.

“That’s not what I meant…” Aslan tried to explain.

“Shut up! If you keep siding with the enemy, get out of the royal court right now!” Perriad shouted.

At Perriad’s anger, Aslan could no longer argue and lowered his head. Lazuli gave him a mocking look.

‘Hmph, a bastard trying to act up. They must think they’ve become a real prince because they’re being praised?’ Lazuli thought.

The high priests of the Holy Empire could not marry. Because of this law, high priests did not marry, but instead secretly adopted bastards from their mistresses to continue their families or pass on their titles. Duke Perriad, who was a great lord and archbishop of Conrad, was no different. Aslan was treated as a prince only after Perriad started the rebellion.

“Is there anyone else who objects?” Perriad asked sharply.

At the sharp, cold question, the vassals could no longer speak, and in the end, it was decided to execute the envoy.

‘Heh heh heh, yes! Keep fighting to the end!’ Lazuli thought, smiling wickedly alone in the deep silence of the royal court.

3

When the head of the noble sent as a surrender envoy was returned, the leaders of the expeditionary force were filled with rage. Despite the assassination attempt, the Pope had generously given them a chance to live, but they responded in this way!

The leaders of the expeditionary force now thought that the only thing they could give Duke Perriad was a miserable destruction.

“Attack with all forces! Leave not a single seed of the traitor Perriad and his followers!” Commander-in-Chief Marquis Valentino ordered furiously.

As the furious order fell, the expeditionary force that had been surrounding Elbera began to launch an all-out offensive. Originally, the Holy Artenia Empire was lenient towards its enemies, unless it was a holy war against demons, black mages, or heretics who committed injustice. In cases like civil wars, even if they had participated in the rebellion, they would only punish the noble himself or his immediate family, and they rarely destroyed the family itself.

However, the Holy Empire was not so soft as to show leniency to an enemy who had trampled on the Pope’s authority.

Shwoooosh- Bang!

Shwoooosh- Bang! Crash!

“Uwaaak! The walls are collapsing! Everyone, take cover!” a soldier yelled.

“Enemy Gigants are coming! Our riders, respond!” another shouted.

The Conrad Kingdom army, which had stubbornly held out for several days, could not withstand the relentless concentrated fire of the expeditionary force’s artillery and the fierce attacks of the Gigant units. Parts of the triple walls collapsed, and the gates were broken one after another.

Thud! Thud!

The north gate of Elbera.

With two gates already destroyed, a fierce battle raged between the expeditionary force and the Conrad Kingdom army over the last remaining gate.

Broken Gigants [large, humanoid war machines] were scattered in front of the gate.

Most of them bore the crest of the Conrad Kingdom, yet Gigants from their side continued to jump down from the walls, desperately trying to defend the gate.

“Those guys are really persistent,” Luke said, frowning with annoyance.

An hour earlier, after the first attacking unit suffered heavy losses and retreated, the Red Wolf Mercenary Corps, led by him, had been deployed in their place.

They had expected stiff resistance, but the enemy’s desperate struggle was beyond anything they had imagined.

“If only Kratos were here, we could have swept them all away.”

Unfortunately, the hero-class Gigant, Kratos, had been decommissioned. It had sustained severe damage during the destruction of the meteor at Eisenberg.

So, Luke was fighting in Achilles as a substitute, but after riding a hero-class, piloting a warrior-class Gigant was far from satisfying.

“I need to get a hero-class Gigant soon…”

“Ah! Watch out, Captain!” Philip, who was in the middle of a battle in Marina, shouted in a panic.

Three Conrad Kingdom Gigants were rushing towards Achilles, which Luke was piloting.

The problem was that they weren’t just rushing; they were stabbing their own Gigant’s core engine with their greatswords at close range!

“These crazy bastards!” Startled, Luke hurriedly swung his sword to push away the enemy Gigants trying to self-destruct. He also deployed a shield magic.

Kwaaang! Kwakwang! Puuuh-ung!

The enemy Gigants were annihilated, scattering debris in all directions.

Having barely survived the crisis, Luke looked around to assess the condition of his allies.

“Report the status of each Gigant!”

“Number 2, Marina, is fine.”

“Number 5, Thunderstar, right shoulder armor damaged!”

“Number 8, left knee joint ruptured! Requesting towing!”

Thanks to Luke’s leadership, there were no major casualties.

Luke quickly had the damaged Gigants evacuated and launched a renewed attack.

After breaking through the barrage, overcoming the enemy Gigants’ stubborn resistance, and pounding on the gate several times, the third gate finally broke, and the north gate was wide open.

Seeing the scene from afar, Count Marquez jumped up from his seat and gave the order.

“The north gate has fallen! All troops, charge!”

“Waaaah!” With a roar, the 4th Army of the expeditionary force began to pour into the castle like a flood.

The Red Wolf Mercenary Corps, the main contributors to the fall of the gate, also charged ahead without rest.

“Sir Philip, you take command of the unit from here. I’ll go to the rebel’s palace first,” Luke said as he jumped out of his Gigant.

“Are you going to look for the evidence you mentioned last time? Be careful. There might be strong people there.”

Luke nodded and immediately ran towards the palace visible in the distance.

He encountered the Conrad Kingdom army along the way, but thanks to invisibility magic, he was able to pass by safely.

“What? Where did that guy go?”

“He suddenly disappeared.”

“Don’t worry about it and focus on blocking the enemy in front of you!”

The Red Wolf Mercenary Corps pushed hard against the faltering Conrad Kingdom army.

The enemy forces blocking the way were twice the size of the Red Wolf Mercenary Corps, but they failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority.

The shock of the gate being breached had completely demoralized them.

“Push forward! We must secure the intersection ahead!” Philip, who was leading the Gigant battle and encouraging his men, noticed some men hesitating on one side.

They were Gebil and the former Garlic Mercenary Corps members, and they couldn’t take their eyes off a nearby merchant building.

Judging by the goods and money scattered on the street, it seemed that the merchant and employees had not been gone for long. Of course, there was quite a lot to take, but…

“What are you dawdling about!” Gebil, startled by Philip’s shout, quickly made an excuse.

“W-well, I’m a little tired…”

“Tired? Are you trying to pull a trick to loot?”

“N-no, sir! Absolutely not!” Gebil shook his hands, trembling.

He remembered being beaten and rolled around after looting at Eisenberg after the battle, and he almost died.

Since old habits die hard, he hesitated like this and was caught by the devilish instructor.

“Even if you’re tired, endure it with grit! So you won’t be ashamed of your comrades who are fighting hard!”

“Y-yes, sir.” Gebil and his gang immediately charged into the enemy lines.

Although the regret was still there, they had been disciplined by the harsh training and did not dare to disobey their superior’s orders.

4

“Don’t back down! Hold on to the end! If we hold on a little longer, reinforcements will come!” Duke Perriad was directly leading the city battle within the castle with his personal guard.

Although the situation was getting worse, he still had a last resort.

That was Marquis Suleiman’s Bless invasion and Emperor Rudolf’s support.

The Duke, firmly believing that the enemies would retreat if they held on a little longer, encouraged his allies with a vein popping in his neck.

However, the momentum had already completely shifted to the expeditionary force.

With only about a hundred Gigants left, they could not stop the expeditionary force that was pushing in with hundreds of Gigants.

“Lazuli! Where is Lazuli!” As the situation became uncontrollable, the Duke called for Lazuli. The Flying Dragon [a merchant guild with its own military force] guys who had been fighting with him a little while ago were nowhere to be seen.

“Lazuli, the head of the merchant guild, said he was going to defend the port an hour ago and left the castle with his troops.”

“What?!”

“He said he had your permission, Father, wasn’t it?” Duke Perriad’s face contorted at Aslan’s question.

With an ominous feeling, he quickly sent a subordinate to check the port.

The messenger who returned shortly after delivered a shocking report.

“Not a single Flying Dragon ship remains!”

“T-this can’t be!” Lazuli had come to the Duke before he declared independence and incited the rebellion with all sorts of sweet talk.

He said that if the power of the Conrad region and the full support of the Baroque Empire were combined, they could achieve independence.

As a result, Duke Perriad, who had been filled with hot air, declared independence, and it seemed to be somewhat successful at first.

However, when the subjugation began in earnest, the situation changed 180 degrees. The power of the Holy Empire was more than he had imagined.

‘Clench, did I dance like a clown because I was deceived by Emperor Rudolf?’ The Duke’s face turned red with anger as he belatedly realized that he had been deceived.

“Your Majesty, the enemy has advanced to the vicinity of the palace!”

“Send support, send reinforcements!” Duke Perriad felt his mind go blank as he received the reports from the messengers.

At that moment, Prince Aslan, who was beside him, opened his mouth.

“We must retreat immediately.”

“Retreat? Where the hell are we going to run away to?”

“Elbera is no longer a hope. How about abandoning the castle and going to the Southern Continent?”

“To the Southern Continent?”

“Yes, according to the messenger, there are still ships left at the port. If we go out to sea by ship, the Holy Empire will no longer be able to chase us.”

Even if they asked for surrender now, the expeditionary force would never accept it.

Even if they fled to the Kingdom of Castia or other countries, there was a high probability that they would not be accepted because of the Holy Empire’s influence.

So, Aslan decided that it would be better to cross the ocean and go to the Southern Continent.

The Duke, who had been thinking for a while at his son’s words, sighed deeply and barely opened his mouth.

“Is that the only way left?”

“In the current situation, it seems to be the best option.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.” As the retreat was decided, Duke Perriad and his vassals immediately began to load the remaining wealth of the palace onto the ships waiting at the port.

Because the situation was urgent, they only moved what they could quickly grab, but the treasures and gold bars that the Duke’s family had accumulated for hundreds of years were by no means small.

‘Treasures are treasures, but…’ Aslan, with only a few guards, hurriedly ran to the palace’s archive, where important documents were kept.

The archive was already a mess. The administrators and scribes were burning or destroying important documents.

However, since the expeditionary force was right in front of them, more people had fled. Those who remained were more focused on erasing unfavorable records of their own families or clans than the Duke’s family.

“Destroy everything here.” After instructing the guards to destroy the documents, Aslan took out a few books from the bookshelf at the innermost part of the archive.

Then, the bookshelf opened like a door, revealing a hidden room.

‘You dirty bastards! If you thought you could just use us and throw us away, you’re wrong!’ The secret room of the archive contained secret letters exchanged between the Perriad family and the Flying Dragon, as well as transaction ledgers.

In addition, there was also information that had been secretly gathered about them. The personal records of Lazuli de Volter and the Baroque Imperial Guard members who had disguised themselves as mercenaries were among them.

Aslan picked out only the important ones. He thought he had minimized it, but it was still quite a lot for him to carry alone.

Aslan, who was about to call the guards, noticed a young scribe.

“Hey, you. Come and help me move these.”

“Ah, yes!” The young man, who had quickly run over, received the documents that Aslan handed him.

“It seems quite important?”

“It’s important. Yes, it’s very important!” Aslan gritted his teeth and hurriedly headed to the port by carriage.

By the time he arrived at the port, Duke Perriad and his main vassals had already boarded the ship.

“What took you so long!”

“I had some things to take care of.”

“Get on quickly. If you delay, the waterway will be blocked!” The Duke, who had loaded treasures and some guards onto three paddle steamers, hurriedly set sail.

“Your Majesty! Please take us too!”

“Turn the ship around right now! I led all the forces of my territory, trusting only in you, Duke, and now you’re abandoning us like this!” Lower nobles and neighboring lords, who had belatedly heard the news of the retreat, rushed to the port, clamoring to be taken on board.

However, the Duke did not even blink an eye and ordered his men to attack those who approached the ship.

In response, the soldiers shot arrows and crossbows at the rushing nobles.

“Aaaah!”

“You cursed bastard! You will be punished by heaven!” The ship that had left the port unfurled its sails and increased its speed.

The expeditionary force belatedly found out and tried to pursue them, but they could not catch the paddle steamers that had already gained momentum.

‘Grind! I’m running away like this now, but I will definitely come back!’ Looking at Elbera, which was getting farther away, Duke Perriad vowed again and again with his bloodshot eyes.

While he was doing that, Aslan was walking around the deck and the hold, looking for someone.

“Captain, have you seen the young scribe who came with me?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“He has platinum blonde hair, and his height and build are about this…” The captain tilted his head at Aslan’s explanation.

“Well, we were in such a hurry to set sail that I don’t even know who boarded properly.”

Aslan’s face hardened. It was because he had entrusted some of the important documents to that young man.

“Could it be that he didn’t get on the ship…”

“Should I ask if he might have boarded another ship?”

“Please do.” Aslan waited for good news, but after a while, he only received a report that he was not there.

In the end, he had no choice but to be satisfied with the documents he had brought.

A few days later.

Perriad’s fleet, which had passed through the mouth of the Rio River and entered the sea, encountered paddle steamers with skull flags.

The pirate ships, which had been hiding behind the shadows of the island, suddenly appeared and unleashed a fierce barrage.

As the ships approached Perriad’s fleet, the pirates threw grappling hooks and stormed onto the deck. They then swung their swords and axes mercilessly, cutting down soldiers and sailors.

“Hahaha! If you don’t want to die, jump off the ship!”

“Hurry up and jump! The sharks are waiting with their mouths watering!” Duke Perriad, who was dodging here and there on the narrow deck, gritted his teeth when he spotted the young man with beady eyes directing the pirates.

“Lazuli, you bastard! Not only did you dare to deceive me, but now you’re pointing a sword at me!”

“Hehehe, why are you so upset, Your Majesty? It’s all over now. Don’t be attached to it and go quietly. We’ll make good use of your legacy.” As Lazuli lightly snapped his fingers, the pirates, who had briefly stopped the slaughter, resumed their bloody work on the deck.

“Uwaaah, save me!”

“P-please! I’ll do whatever you say…!” Those who held out on the deck or hid in the cabins were beheaded, and those who jumped into the sea were torn apart by sharks that had come smelling blood.

Duke Perriad, who had fought to the end, was shot by an arrow fired by the pirates and fell.

“Father!”

“Keok, r-run away…” Aslan, shedding tears of blood at his father’s death, cursed Lazuli.

“Lazuli! You will be punished by heaven! Your clan and your lord, Emperor Rudolf, as well!”

“Yes, yes. Go to the other world and beg the gods to punish them.” Lazuli, with a sneer, raised his hand.

The pirates, who had already drawn their bows, fired arrows, and Aslan fell into the sea, hit by more than ten arrows.

Thus, the Flying Dragon, having finished the cleanup of the rebellion (?) on behalf of the Holy Empire, dragged the three captured ships and disappeared somewhere.