Holy Milishial Empire, Port Town Cartalpas, a Certain bar

Everyone in the Central World considered the Holy Milishial Empire the strongest country in the entire world. The port town Cartalpas, the center of trade here, was where merchants from many different countries gathered and spoke candidly about the goings-on in their countries. It was also an extremely important information hub, given how each country also mixed spies in with their merchants.

Within the civilized areas, the Holy Milishial Empire was known for its excellence in the development of magic technology. Just by walking in the streets, a visitor could see magic streetlamps and other examples of sophisticated magical tools in use.

At a certain bar, drunk merchants were exchanging information. A man who looked like a beer barrel with a white beard started gossiping excitedly. Some person that seats on one table is the S+ Rank Adventurer Party that was dispatched from the Celestina Empire to snoop around for information.

“The craziest story in recent times has gotta be how the Tenth Empire, that emerging country, destroyed the Second Civilization superpower Leifor. Who here knows anything about the Tenth Empire?”

A man in a robe with his face hidden responded.

“‘The Eight Empire’ is just what they were called in the rumors, their actual name is the Gra Valkas Empire or something like that. I was in Leifor capital Leiforia selling spices when it happened, but I’ll never forget it. They had suddenly ramped up security in the capital; before, they just had the one magic cannon battery, but one day a huge number of technicians came to install a second one in just a few hours. Not only that, but wyvern lords from all over the country were also recalled to the capital. There were a lot of rumors being thrown around among the merchants about what was going on. Even if you asked a soldier about it, they’d just say ‘we can’t talk about that now,’ so naturally, a lot of people assumed the Tenth Empire was gonna come knocking. But, even though people may have thought that at the same time they also believed Leifor would never lose, so no one was actually worried.

“Everything changed one night. Earlier that day around noon, all the wyvern lords formed up into squadrons and flew off towards the sea… and they didn’t come back. Thinking back on it now, this was when we should have realized something weird was going on.

And then a huge warship came. It was like a small mountain, and it had gigantic cannons that were so big we could see them from the city. I’d never seen a boat as big as that one in my entire life. This ship was off the coast about six kilometers, completely out of range of the cannon batteries. Then, the cannon fire started.

There was only one ship, so we didn’t think much of it, but the firepower of that thing, it was so destructive we thought that even a god of fire couldn’t make something as strong as this. The cannon batteries were demolished in a single volley. Then they just randomly bombed the entire city, it was terrifying. We ran and ran and ran. Those guys were just way too strong. They laid waste to the capital of a superpower with just one ship!!! I bet even Mu would lose them. The world belongs to Gra Valkas now, if you ask me.”

“Wait a minute. Obviously, if they beat Leifor, that means they’re strong, but they’ve got nothing on Milishial’s super-advanced magic. They’re just on completely different levels.”

“Mu, the land of machines, also isn’t too far behind Milishial. I don’t think they’d stand a chance against Mu either. No matter what you say, Mu wouldn’t lose to some barbarian country outside the civilized areas.”

“Leifor just lost to one of those barbarian countries, you know.”

“As one of the superpowers, Leifor was, you know… I feel bad saying it, but they were the weakest one, weren’t they? Sure, they were really strong compared to other countries, but if you only look at the other superpowers, they don’t really measure up…”

“You all don’t know how scary the Gra Valkas Empire is, so you shouldn’t make assumptions.”

The drunks kept on chatting.

“By the way, there was a Kingdom of Louria, wasn’t there?”

“That eastern barbarian country? The one with at least a population on par with the superpowers?”

“Ah, when I was there for a trade deal, they started a war with their neighbor Qua-Toyne because they wanted to eradicate all the demihumans.”

“Eradicate demihumans?! What a waste of time. Just like barbarians to do something so pointless!”

“Then, this country called Celestina joined the war, and they lost. I guess Celestina was way stronger than them. Louria didn’t even manage to kill a single man of theirs, and their fleet of forty-four hundred ships got decimated by just eight of Celestina’s ships. Celestina’s other country that’ll be making waves in the future!”

“They couldn’t even kill a single person, and their forty-four hundred ships were taken out by just eight ships? No matter how you slice it, that’s just propaganda. Way too unrealistic.”

“Louria lost? If it were a superpower or one of the civilized countries, I could understand it, but to a barbarian country?! Unbelievable.”

“Well, no matter how strong Gra Valkas or Celestina are, compared to Milishial, they’re not even worth spit. They couldn’t possibly beat them. In the end, the Central World will always be stable! At least until the ancient sorcerous empire returns.”

The drunkards’ fun night wore on while the adventurers record their catters.

“It seems we got their attention.”

“No wonder they decide to send us in the first place. Since we’ve come to unknown land…”

“Yeah. Anyway, we should continue.”

“Cheers, mate.”

“Cheers.”

The adventurers are enjoying their drink for that night as they will prepare for the next mission tomorrow.

Second Civilization’s Strongest Country, superpower Mu, Supervising Army, Communications-Information Analysis Division

The information analysis division was the country’s intelligence agency, it analyzed information gathered in various countries. The general impression of soldiers in the army about this branch was:

I don’t really get what they do. Their work probably has no value.

Because of this discrimination, their understanding of information technology was very poor. Technical Officer First Lieutenant Myrus broke out into a cold sweat while analyzing the magic photographs of the attack on Leifor conducted by the Gra Valkas Empire’s super-dreadnought Grade Atlastar.

“This is bad…”

The Republic of Mu was only average in the world in terms of magic technology; they had come to discover the wonders of science, so they focused more on machinery and scientific advancement. That was why his position existed, but… Shockingly, he felt that the Gra Valkas Empire might be more scientifically advanced than Mu was. He wasn’t sure if the military or the politicians would believe him since they were so hard-headed, and he heard they also tended to be cowardly as well. Frankly, his analysis of the reports made his stomach churn.

Mu’s latest battleship, the La Kasami, was equipped with a state-of-the-art rotating turret that allowed them to overcome the size limits for mounted guns on ships-of-the-line. It now had a giant 305mm cannon, capable of bombardments far more destructive than their previous ships-of-the-line. Because the cannon barrel was long, its accuracy also improved dramatically. It also operated on burning heavy oil to move, abandoning the convention of using Tears of the Wind God to power sails.

Displacements: 15.600 tons Length: 147.8m Width: 23m Installed power: 22.500 HP Speed: 21.25 knots Armaments: 2 x twin 305mm (Main armament) 4 x twin 200mm (Secondary Armament) 14 x 120mm (Secondary Armament)

These specifications even gave it the potential to compete with the Holy Milishial Empire’s magic-powered boats. It went without saying that it was far superior to the sail-powered ships used in Leifor and the Papaldia Empire. The mechanically-advanced Mu was special; it was the only country that could come close to Milishial’s level. But…

Myrus scratched his head and his elf ear is moving up and down. Gra Valkas’s super-dreadnought Grade Atlastar, according to their reports, could reach a speed of around 30 knots. Looking at its size, it probably had a displacement of around 70,000 tonnes, and it was equipped with 38cm cannons, or were they even 40cm? For something that big to move at 30 knots, what kind of power did it need…? Wouldn’t it be around 70,000 horsepower?

It was also loaded with many more cannons. Firepower increases proportionally to the cube of the caliber. In simple terms, if Mu’s new battleship La Kasami fought this dreadnought, it would almost certainly lose. Unless there was a miracle, it would be annihilated. Considering this ship’s level of sophistication, it was probably also more accurate.

“Just by looking at these pictures, I can tell we’d lose… This is… technology we’d need another fifty years to develop!”

Technical Officer Myrus groaned, lamenting Mu’s uncertain future.

Then, there was this other picture of another country’s warship, though they were very far from Mu and shouldn’t have any direct impact on them. East of the civilized areas, there was a war between the Kingdom of Louria and the Principality of Qua-Toyne. Anyone would have guessed that Louria would win by a huge margin, but this ship belonged to the country that completely turned that prediction on its head. According to the informant who provided this photograph, this was the ship Seraphic Ocean from the country of Celestina…

“I don’t get it, but… What’s this…?”

While this ship was also enormous, it got no cannons installed. He just couldn’t comprehend the design philosophy at all. Was the cannon so expensive that they couldn’t afford one? There were other design peculiarities he couldn’t understand as well. Simply, he just didn’t get how this ship had any actual utility. However, to have the front deck have a lot of space there, he already suspects that they could store their cannons there, but he needs to see it by himself if it was true.

“And this completely incomprehensible country also suddenly appeared…”

There was no end to Myrus’s anguish.

Celestina Imperial Space Command, Western Navy Sea Headquarters, Capital of Mechania, Zaid, 500 feet inside the ocean

Some of the adventurers and the soldiers are training as usual. Vice Admiral Ishiene, the Commanding Officer of Ocean Crystal 2nd Division is supervising every military personnel and adventurers who come to train, including the Undine, the name of the mermaid race that resides in the Kingdom of Embellia. Adventurers and the military are receiving training to increase their combat efficiency inside the water, known as aquatic combat. For those who wish to become specialized at aquatic combat and underwater operations, this is the best place to train.

Her adjutant, Lieutenant Junior Lapis Lazuli, also participates in the training. Their training was intensified after arriving at the New World while Ishiene splits the Division members into sixteen battalion-sized personnel to maintain the perimeter around Zaid. Since Undine is the backbone of the Celestina Coast Guard and Navy, they often patrol together with the Coast Guard.

Despite they have their own kingdom known as the Kingdom of Embellia led by Queen Emelone Lise Embellia, they are the superpowers when it comes to the sea. The Kingdom of Embellia is the only vassals and under the protection of the Celestina Empire. The Kingdom of Embellia has absolute control of sea resources and experts at naval warfare. In fact, all kinds of technologies were obsolete when it comes to fighting the Undine under the sea. Their speed was recorded to be more than 300 kilometers per hour.

Alicia writes the testament about the Undines fifty years after Third Interstellar War.

“Regardless of our technology that continues to advance and as efficient as possible, even we have more resources and power to maintain the ocean, we cannot defeat the Undines when it comes to the naval battle. Speed on swimming, aquatic combat, everything was surpassing every warship and technologies we made. We entrust the control of the sea to them and together we share the control of the sea. They knew the nature of the sea and it is the main reason why we cannot meddle with them. They rule the sea and they act as Guardian of the Sea with Poseidon as their protection God.”

During the break from the training, Ishiene talks to Lapis while eating some snacks.

“Do we have news from those who infiltrate the Papaldia Empire?”

“Yes, information from Madam Regal is should the Kingdom of Verlaine did not comply, then it was most likely they will be targeting the capital, Blate.”

“Isn’t that where Master Shiki is currently at?”

“Yes, I think so too. That Kingdom has a lot of magic gem deposits and Silvano informs the Intelligence command that they intend to drain Verlaine’s most valuable resources to dry.”

“So which means we will be fighting the Papaldia Empire soon.”

“That’s what I expecting as well, Ma’am.”

“According to Regal, the Papaldia Empire treats us as a barbarian while they are unaware of our technology and capabilities. Just because we’re outside the civilized area, that’s a bad move for them.”

“I think they’ve been constantly at war most of their lifetimes considering we managed to obtain more intel from the occupied territory.”

“Seriously… *sigh* We’ve never considered them or even country outside the Celestina Empire as a barbarian country. We always treat them equally and considered them as a partner or allies to grow together. Also, we can’t do anything we want just because we’re superior from any country outside Celestina just like in our previous world. It will ruin our pride and even our image despite we are a superpower.

We continue to trade with them and help them advance their civilization. For the security itself, as we have known, Grand Duchess Maya had some difficulty since it’s very rare to see a demihuman insect on this world so she only sent those who are expert on espionage.”

“But, what happened if the war breaks out?”

“Grand Duchess Cecilia already prepares Arcus, but this time Atlas and Astro will also come. Master Shiki surely will evacuate the royal families.”

“I see… So can we threaten them?”

“No. Alicia already has a plan for them. She wants to toy with their pride first.”

They resume their training once the break time is over.

Kingdom of Verlaine, Royal Capital Blate

In southern Fillades, a bit separate from the civilized area, there was a kingdom, Verlaine. With a population of 20 million, it was considered large in terms of both national power and population for a country outside the civilized areas. It had a warm climate. The architecture in the royal capital was based on circles, with all of its buildings built to be round. The country was rich from exports since it had magic gem mines and their signature flower, rose. Around 700,000 people living in the capital Blate were all very lively. In contrast to those spirited people, there was one person in the royal castle who was holding his head in his hands.

King Daara the 19th was very distressed.

“Are they… insane?”

The documents he looked over were full of nonsense. It was a formal request from the Papaldia Empire, one that came every year, although it was a “request” in name only. In practical terms, it was an order. He read it over and over again.

“This just can’t be…”

After the previous emperor passed away, the current emperor, Ludius, came into power. He had heard that Emperor Ludius wanted to expand his territory to increase their national power, so he was pressuring countries to gift the empire some of their lands. There were many cases where the land requested was completely unused, so it turned into a profitable arrangement for both parties. However! In the case of his country, there were no benefits for them at all!!!

The Kingdom of Verlaine will present the Silitsa magic gem mine to the Papaldia Empire. Verlaine Princess Rosaria will be sent to the Papaldia Empire as a slave.

Please complete these 2 requests within 1 week. We would like to avoid using armed force if possible.

The Silitsa mine was Verlaine’s largest mine; its production formed the core of their economy, and it was one of the five largest mines in the world. Without it, the country would lose a huge amount of national power. Furthermore, obtaining the princess as a slave did not benefit Papaldia in any way, it was simply to insult Verlaine. While the economy can be sustained with the commercials of flowers and rose ornaments, it can’t compensate for the loss of the mine itself.

He could only see this as a provocation to war. But why!! They had already suffered endless humiliation when completing Papaldia’s requests until now, so why did they suddenly overstep so far? It was utterly incomprehensible.

The king decided to go down to the 3rd foreign affairs department’s branch in Blate to see if there was a mistake.

The Kingdom of Verlaine, Near the 3rd Foreign Affairs Department Branch, Grape Rose Café

Two people are enjoying the sweets at the café. They went to the Verlaine Kingdom based on Tohriu Shiki's decision himself. Near the Department branch, they saw a royal carriage escorted by the guards stopping at in front of the branch.

“Master. Why we won’t go in? It’s better if we listen to them carefully, right?”

“No need, Zilva. Intercom and Hidden Cameras are already enough to spy on them. Besides, we already identify our main target for this one.”

“So, this means we will move to the next operation once they end their talks.”

Tohriu Shiki himself goes to the Kingdom of Verlaine personally due to take a liking of the Princess, Rosaria. She was elegant, caring, and simple. Her simpleness and her popularity with people is the main reason Shiki wants to approach her. Zilva was assigned as his assistant for this job. She was recruited personally by Shiki since she’s one of the best assassins at the Zealot Strike Force and now she’s a part of Zealot Strike Force under Shiki’s guidance.

“Not to mention Reynes keep pestering me on when I will get a marriage partner even after thousand of years…”

“You know he’s once trying to help you seek it, right?”

“But it didn’t end up well…”

“You’re too dense at that time…”

“Ugh...”

Sipping the drink, they will listen to the conversation before they move to the next phase of the operation.

Papaldia Empire, 3rd Foreign Affairs Department, Verlaine Branch Office

“I’ve been waitin’ for you, Verlaine King!” called the Papaldia ambassador, Zion. His legs crossed as he sat lazily on a chair. The king had to just stand there since there wasn’t another chair.

(How rude…)

“I’ve come to confirm your country’s intentions regarding the formal request,” King Daara the 19th announced.

“Huh? Just like it says.”

“The Silitsa mine is my country’s most important asset.”

“So what? You’ve got other mines. Or… Huuuh? Are you going against Emperor Ludius?!”

“Of course not, I wouldn’t dream of opposing him… but, can we not negotiate a change in the request?”

“No waaay!!!”

“… Uh, well, about my daughter, the princess’s enslavement, what is the purpose behind that?”

“Oh, that. Princess Rosaria is quite the looker, ain’t she? I wanted to give her a go.”

“…What?”

“I wanted to screw her. Once I get tired of her, I’ll sell her to some brothel.”

“…Is that… also the will of Emperor Ludius?”

“Yeah!!! What’s with you and gettin’ all smart with me?! As the empire’s ambassador, my will is the emperor’s will!!! You fucking barbarians! Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?!”

King Daara the 19th silently turned around.

“Hey! We’re not done here!!!”

He ignored him and left the room.

“Don’t you ignore me, fucking barbarian king!”

The king left the branch office. What they do not know is Zion was now listed as the primary target for the Celestina Empire to be Eliminated. The method of execution is up to Shiki, but right now, Sacchito and the party are at the Kingdom of Selarong so the Zealot Strike Force won’t make any moves.

Due to the Kingdom of Verlaine has yet to establish a diplomatic relationship with Celestina, the Zealot Strike Force can’t interfere. Unless it was an enemy, the Zealot Strike Force’s standing order is not to interfere with their affairs by any means necessary with exception of self-defense.

“And there we go.”

After listening to the conversation, both Shiki and Zilva will move to the next phase of the operation. Their mission now is to evacuate King Daara the 19th and Rosaria Verlaine to the Celestina Empire.

If Celestina diplomats are being dispatched when the Papaldia Empire is attacking Verlaine, it can cause a problem for Alicia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

They will wait until the Papaldia Empire makes their move, or contact from Silvano Shin Regal, the Chief Clerk of the 3rd Foreign Affairs Department. They can’t send a diplomat now since the process at the Verlaine Kingdom will take at least two months until the official treaty has been made.

Verlaine Royal Palace

“That fucking ambassador can go fuck himself back to Papaldia!!! I refuse their request, I’ll send them a letter severing our diplomatic ties, and at the same time I’ll freeze all of Papaldia’s assets in Verlaine!” the king bellowed. “Assemble the army, tighten up defenses in the capital! Call up all our reserve troops! The oversight army is coming!!! We’ll show the Papaldia Empire that we still have our pride!!!”

If he rolled over and acquiesced to their demands, he might as well just surrender the entire kingdom to them. They had to attack the oversight army first and try to end things quickly, otherwise there was no way the kingdom could survive. Because of how wealthy they were, their military strength was in line with countries in the civilized areas. Even against the Papaldia Empire, they should be able to put up a fight against the slightly old-fashioned oversight army.

The king hardened his resolve to fight the empire as he watched the setting sun.

The Papaldia Empire, Imperial Capital Esthirant, 24th September 1523

The Papaldia Empire was the only superpower from the Third Civilization. Emperor Ludius’s imperial palace had rows of pillars with such detailed, extravagant carvings on them that they awed visitors. There was a breathtaking garden that evoked the image of this world’s idea of heaven. The interior of the palace was gorgeous and dazzling, with treasures from all over the world on display.

This was what every ambassador and king thought when they visited: “They brought craftsmen from far-off lands to make those pillars. They can maintain this heavenly garden in pursuit of true beauty. They have the ability to decorate the palace with all these riches from around the world… Their national power must be tremendous.”

Esthirant was undoubtedly the most prosperous city in the eastern civilized area, area of the Third Civilization. Merchants and commonfolk visiting the city definitely thought “What an enormous city. How rich are the people here? It’s so beautiful.”

Lieutenant Faira aboard Arcus had a spare time taking a portrait around the capital three months earlier. When it was published in Celestina magazine, specifically the New World Dimensional Travel magazine that features towns and place of interest acquired from Zealot Strike Force and Recon Prowler, Celestina citizen laughs when they look at how the capital was made. They didn’t laugh at the capital itself, but they laugh at how extravagant the capital of the Papaldia Empire is.

The underdeveloped countryside is also a part of where the citizens of Celestina state that it’s ironic that only the capital was rich while the countryside is not developed aside from Chicaga, the Industrial City of the Papaldia Empire.

If compared, the Celestina Empire was neatly arranged both in town and village alike. Both got a strong economical chain and it was difficult to cripple the economy of the Celestina Empire due to the efficiency of the government itself. The strong bureaucracy along with each one of the nine territories is being handled by one of nine Main Council members, dubbed “Nine Guardians” where they balance each of the development itself. Every single town and village receives equal development, allowing them to prosper.

Inside the palace, a man was kneeling in front of the Emperor.

“Raise your head.”

The 3rd foreign affairs department head Kyeos, with beads of sweat trickling down the sides of his head, looked up. In front of him was Emperor Ludius, who carried himself with such dignity that it was almost unimaginable for him to be only 26 years old.

“The oversight army was sent to punish the Kingdom of Selarong… where is the prBerngeninary report?”

“Y-Yes!! Please accept my deepest apologies for failing to receive approval to dispatch the oversight army—”

“Imbecile!!!”

“…!!!”

“We do not care that you failed to seek approval. We recognize the authority of the 3rd foreign affairs department. If we had to authorize invasions for each and every barbarian country, we would be forced to spend all day, from morning to night, doing so. That is of no consequence, but what is concerning… is the matter of their defeat.”

Kyeos felt like there was a waterfall of sweating pouring from his face.

“How were they defeated? It could not possibly have been by the hand of the Kingdom of Selarong, could it?”

“Y-Yes! We are currently using all our resources to determine which country is responsible for this heinous action. From our investigations so far, we believe they are from outside the civilized area since we have not obtained any more definitive information. We do not know enough to submit a formal report just yet…”

“You still do not know…” the emperor growled, his face screwed up in anger. “While that fleet consists of only old warships, for an uncivilized country to dare oppose us… That country must be held responsible for its impropriety. Be sure to thoroughly instruct them on the consequences of opposing our empire.”

“Y-Yes, sir!!!”

Kyeos bowed very deeply.

“We will give all those other countries the privilege of watching the empire extinguish the Kingdom of Selarong. Once you discover which country defied the empire, we shall send the imperial army to destroy them along with Selarong.”

“I-I understand!!!” Kyeos licked his lips, then nervously opened his mouth again. “Your Grace, I have one other report to make.”

“What now?!”

“Regarding the request sent to the Kingdom of Verlaine, they have refused to hand over the Silitsa mine, as planned.”

“Oh, did they?” replied Emperor Ludius, a smile playing at his lips.

“Furthermore, they have frozen all our assets in their country and cut all ties with us.”

“How bold… to rebel so openly against us… This matter has indeed gone as planned, but for them to go this far, it appears we have underestimated them. Jill!!”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

A high-class maid called Jill is bowing in front of him.

“Get me some drink to refresh myself. My throat got dry from hearing all of this mess.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Jill bows and leaves the audience hall, leaving Ludius, Kyeos, and a military advisor.

“In case you did not know, she has just got promoted last month and she got the reward yesterday. She did an excellent job as a maid of this palace to the point where I appoint her as my personal maid. Learn something from her as she could train not for not to be imbecile.”

“Y-Yes, Your Grace.”

Jill returns with a pot of water that has some fruits inside it. She first serves it to Ludius, following by military advisor and Kyeos.

“Please raise your head, Sir Kyeos. You may need this.”

Offering a drink, Kyeos takes a glass of water and he drinks it. Ludius was delighted to feel that his throat has been refreshed.

“Hmm… I expect no less from my personal maid.”

“I’m not worthy of that praise, Your Grace.”

“Where was I? Ah… Do not send the oversight army, send the imperial army to crush them. How soon can they be ready?”

The emperor posed this question to the man in a military dress standing beside him while handing a glass of water back to Jill.

“We are always ready to execute the emperor’s will. At your word, we will depart immediately, decimate the Kingdom of Verlaine, and seize all of their mines in your name.”

“Is that so… then this matter shall be left in your care. You may do as you wish with the citizens of Verlaine.”

“Understood!”

That day, the superpower Papaldia Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Verlaine.

Jill record all of this and immediately send the report to Lyrallei Windrunner and Cecilia Keyron.

Celestina Empire, Zealot Strike Force, Shiki’s Unit, Verlaine Kingdom

Shiki and Zilva receive a transmission from Celestina Imperial Intelligence Security Agency to give a report and a cue to make a move.

“Report from Arcus indicates that the fleet has left the Papaldia Empire four days ago. This is supported by a report from Chief Clerk Silvano that confirms the Imperial Army is heading to the Verlaine Kingdom.”

“When they will be arriving?”

“At least within two days.”

“Perfect. We will be heading to the castle for extraction.”

Shiki and Zilva immediately went to the Verlaine Royal Castle with their mask and camouflage on.

Kingdom of Verlaine, Royal Capital of Blate, Royal Castle, 12th October 1523

King Daara the 19th was speaking with his daughter, Princess Rosaria.

“Rosaria, all the arrangements are in place. Escape from the kingdom immediately,” the king pleaded impatiently.

“Why must I?”

“The Papaldia Empire has declared war on us… You understand what this means, yes? They aren’t sending the oversight army, but instead the imperial army.”

“For me alone to abandon the people and escape… I cannot allow it!”

“Given the differences in our national powers, our kingdom will likely lose a drawn-out war. The entire royal family will be executed. Rosaria, my daughter. The only thing left for you here is tragedy and pain. Please, just run.”

“But…”

“I am a failure of a king, allowing only my own family to leave… But, as a parent, I simply want my daughter to be safe. Rosaria. I beg you, do as I say.”

“I… I understand…”

“Your vessel, disguised as a merchant ship, will leave the capital before the war starts. Of course, attendants will be going with you. You will ride the southern currents and go to Rodenius. If the opportunity arises, seek protection from the country that defeated Louria, Celestina. From what I’ve heard, the people of Celestina are all very kind.”

“…Yes, father.”

Before Rosaria can make a preparation, they heard a voice.

“You will be coming with us.”

Suddenly, a voice startled them both. Two people appeared themselves from active camouflage and they are wearing a mask. Their sudden presence brings both King Daara the 19th and Rosaria into a fear where they can be killed at any moment. They open the mask, revealing themselves as Tohriu Shiki and Zilva Silverain. Rosaria remember a man with black hair and scarlet eyes.

“Y-you! You’re the one that helps the city guards take down the thieves a month ago!”

“I’m glad you remember, Princess Rosaria.”

Shiki and Zilva bows to them and they formally introduce themselves.

“Allow us to introduce ourselves. I’m Tohriu Shiki, Supreme Commander of the Celestina’s Zealot Strike Force and the Leader of my unit. This is Zilva Silverain, Field Commander of my unit.”

“Z-Zealots?!”

Hearing them introducing themselves and they are surprised to hear the word of Zealot. The King approaches Shiki, placing both of his hands at both of his arms.

“W-We know about your Empire. Can you please send us some assistance?”

The woman with the hair as white as snow and the eyes that shines like a yellow topaz shake her head.

“My apologies, Your Majesty. We were not able to send reinforcements since we’re not a part of the diplomat and this Kingdom has yet to form a diplomatic relationship with us. But, if necessary, Master Tohriu will become a mediator for the Celestina Empire to prepare the diplomatic relationship with Celestina. Despite this Kingdom has fallen, as long as both of you still alive, the Kingdom of Verlaine will not fall.”

“I cannot abandon this Kingdom.”

Shiki held both of the King’s arms and gently move both of his hands away from his arms.

“Don’t worry about it, Your Majesty. You will still come with us. We’ve already prepared everything to make sure both of you can escape safely. Zilva, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

Placing her index finger and middle finger into the forehead of the King, both Rosaria and the King sense some magic from her as she chants a spell.

“Doppelganger.”

Another person that looks exactly like the King is standing in front of Rosaria and Daara the 19th. Both of them look at the body and it was not a fake after all. No one will notice if the real body was still alive should this one is dead.

“H-How did you…?”

“I’ve prepared him with the exact memories as His Majesty’s memories. Your Majesty will still able to command the personnel while we’re on the sea through share vision and mind. Once we’ve managed to escape, we will immediately call for extraction. Currently, the extraction is not possible since we can’t risk our transport.”

“All right. I believe in you.”

Seeing a glimmer of hope for the aid that will be given by Celestina once the diplomatic relationship was formed, the King and his daughter, agreed to Zilva and Shiki terms.

That night, King Daara the 19th and Princess Rosaria boarded what looked like a merchant ship and left the capital. Their destination was Mayhark Town where Celestina Empire will extract them with a Cruise Ship.

130km North-East of the Verlaine Kingdom coast, 14th October 1523

It was a sunny, warm day with no wind and great, billowy clouds like those commonly seen in southern countries. The ocean was calm, with seabirds nonchalantly floating on the surface of the water. A huge number of ships left streaks of white in their wakes as they headed southwest. In total, there were 350 ships. This was the Papaldia Empire’s imperial army. There were 220 100-gun ships-of-the-line and other gunboats, 15 dragon carriers, and 115 attack transport carrying land dragons, horses, and ground troops. East of the Central World, as far as the Third Civilization was concerned, they were so dominant a force that their opponents would never have any choice but to surrender.

The imperial army was heading southwest to eradicate the Kingdom of Verlaine. General Cius was watching the peaceful ocean. He was a strategist and known by his men for being cold-blooded and merciless.

“We will soon be within the range of the Verlaine army’s wyverns,” came the report.

“So they haven’t come yet… As soon as there’s anything on the anti-air magic detector, send a hundred dragon riders out on alert. Other than that, all other matters are under your command.”

The anti-air magic detector was developed to find sources of magic from wyverns outside of the visible range. Cius had a squadron of wyvern lords on standby to support the fleet from the air. Each dragon carrier carried 20 wyvern lords.

The Verlaine navy was already 60 km from the imperial army; they could see them approaching from the horizon. However, since there was still so much distance between them, it wasn’t yet time to begin the battle. The enemy didn’t have any dragon carriers, so all their wyverns came from the land.

His mantra was to inflict minimal damage to apply the maximal effect. General Cius sized up his enemy as he glared at the sea.

Kingdom of Verlaine, Royal Navy, numbered 30

“They’re coming to take over our country… those damn locusts!!!” yelled Navy Commander Brande angrily.

On the extremely wide horizon, an endless array of Papaldia ships could be seen crawling forward. In most cases, people could only tremble in fear at this. However… because of the wealth that they accumulated with their magic gem mines, even though they were outside the civilized zone, Verlaine was able to build up an army on the scale and quality of a strong country in the civilized areas.

This was no easy task. They did not manufacture weapons in Verlaine, so they had to deal with weapons exporters from the civilized areas and risk being outsmarted or deceived. They had to export their magic gems to be purified in the civilized areas and import Tears of the Wind God to power their ships. Because of their wealth, they were even able to obtain weapons customized for their country. If they faced any other country from the civilized areas, they would probably be able to defeat them.

“All right, as soon as the enemy fleet enters the range of our wyverns, send them in and we’ll go on the attack at the same time!!!” Brande gave direct instructions into the magical communication device in his hand. “We will enter combat soon! 1st unit, prepare for battle!!! Got it?! Drum up your courage!!! Our country’s survival depends on us! Everyone needs to be sharp!”

Celestina Empire, Above the Naval battlefield, Recon Prowler Alpha Team

Above them, a Radar-class Prowler, Astrid, is hiding using a retro-reflection shield and the ship was using magic concealment to hide them from detection at forty-five thousand feet. Arcus is already in a position to do recordings at Astrid’s position while Atlas is on standby to see the readiness of the Verlaine royal army.

Lieutenant Faira looks at the holo table and examines their arsenals and equipment while maintaining contact with Astrid and Atlas.

“I’m guessing that they didn’t manufacture weapons.”

“What makes you think of that, Captain?”

“Just take a look at their arsenals. I expect that they’re quite a pacifist country.”

“They should already expect that the Papaldia Empire is pressuring them. How about their manpower?”

“Intel from Silverain indicates that they got no more than fifty thousand personnel. Also, they can’t mobilize the entire troops in time.”

“That’s… very few if I’m, to be honest.”

“Well… Compared to the Selarong Kingdom which the numbers of personnel can reach up to nine hundred thousand personnel if they are being conscripted properly. They may not prepare themselves very well for this matter.”

“Don’t compare it with Selarong. That country is where the citizens are trained to use basic weapons as a meant of survival. But we can’t deny it since all of them, including women and children, can be also recruited when necessary.”

“That’s true.”

Both Arcus and Astrid continue to fly from above and Astrid reports the beginning of the engagement.

“The Papaldia Wyverns are going higher.”

“What are they doing…?”

Looking at the sun and where the Papaldia Empire Wyverns goes, Faira immediately noticed it.

“They’re going to use the sun as a cover.”

Looking at the battlefield, it would seem that the Verlaine’s Wyverns will not ever think of such stratagem. This will be a part of the report where Celestina will conduct joint training with the entire countries at the Rodenius Continent and the Verlaine Kingdom in the future.

Kingdom of Verlaine, Dragon Rider Squadron, Captain Inzaghi

The enemy had subjected them to many humiliating requests, which they had to just grit their teeth and bear before, but apparently, they demanded the Silitsa mine and the princess as a slave this time. The princess was beautiful and good-natured and was very popular with the citizens. Everyone also knew that after losing the Silitsa mine, the kingdom would no longer be able to sustain itself. After seeing the formal request sent by Papaldia that went public, they were outraged. “Even should our country be destroyed, we need to strike back against those tyrants!!!” became the overriding public opinion.

The dragon rider squadron, numbering 120, flew in formation to the northeast to strike at the Papaldia imperial army. Inzaghi gave orders via his magical communication device. Shortly thereafter…

“I see them!!!”

The Papaldia fleet came into view; its size was unprecedented.

“As planned, spread out! After that, follow the twelve squadron leaders’ orders!”

The Verlaine dragon riders began to scatter and head for the Papaldia imperial army. Then, Inzaghi realized.

“What!? They attack diagonally behind us! They’re attacking with the sun at their backs! Watch out!!!”

The enemy wyverns came in a line from the direction of the sun. Naturally, the Verlaine riders could barely see them at all. Their communications were interrupted, and their formation was broken. The enemies dove rapidly, fired off fire blasts, then continued descending. There was an astounding number of direct hits simply due to how many fire blasts were shot. Over half of the Verlaine squadron were killed from this ambush.

“Goddammit!!!”

The Verlaine squadron tried to strike back at the wyvern lords, but the difference in speed left them unable to catch up. After escaping out of the fire blast range, the enemy squadron once again ascended to an advantageous position high in the sky and fired another volley of fire blasts. There was no escape!

The Verlaine dragon rider squadron couldn’t even get off a single attack as they were annihilated. Their opponents suffered no injury or loss.

“How fast… they were already taken out…” Navy Commander Brande wouldn’t show his men how anxious he was, but in his mind, he was thoroughly shaken.

“Two kilometers from the enemy fleet.”

“Maintain course!”

The Papaldia fleet appeared hungry to engage with the Verlaine fleet.

“Wait… are we already in their magic cannons’ range?!”

Puffs of smoke wrapped around some of the enemy ships. Papapapapapa… a second later, the sound of cannon fire came.

“Oh no!!!”

Because there were so many enemy ships, only a portion of them could perform a broadside. As time passed, more and more ships would become capable of attacking. The Verlaine navy still needed to travel another 1 km to be in a magic cannon range, but the Papaldia fleet could position faster than they could travel.

(We’ll be wiped out before we can even get in firing range!!!)

“Hard to starboard! Change our angle of approach to 45 degrees, keep our cannons trained on them! Here comes their cannon fire!!! Prepare our Bolts of the Wind God!!!”

The fleet slowly turned. The enemy’s cannon shells seemed to fly at them in slow motion. KRESHAWWW KRESHAWWW KRESHAWWW—pillars of water goes up high in the air. The first volley had arrived.

…BOOM.

“Ship-of-the-line Broy has been hit!!!”

The Broy exploded violently. These were the rumored explosive shells… their range, power, and numbers were better. The vast majority of shells from the first volley hit the waves. The next volley would surely be both more numerous and more accurate.

“Preparations for Bolts of the Wind God complete!!!”

“Fire Bolts of the Wind God!!!”

The Bolt of the Wind God was a ballista bolt tipped with an explosive magic gem and fixed with a small sail and a small gemstone of Tear of the Wind God in the middle. The wind from the tear-shaped gem would blow on the sail, vastly improving the range of the bolt. A weapons merchant would have been appalled at the number of Bolts that were fired one after another. However, because they had 2 km to travel, they were able to build up speed, giving them much more power than normal. If they were fighting any other opponent from the civilized areas, Verlaine’s ability to outrange their opponent with this tactic would have been a trump card. This was a weapon that could only be developed by a country rich with magic gem mines.

Pheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwww…

The wind blew over the tops of the ships.

Pheewwpheewwpheewwpheeww—

The Bolts of the Wind God were fired one after another at the invaders.

The Papaldia Empire, Imperial Army

“One enemy ship was hit, it has gone up in flames!!!”

“Our accuracy was so poor… I suppose that’s the best we can do with our first volley.”

Because the fleet was so large, the number of ships in position to attack would increase over time. The enemy’s firing range was so short and their own ships were fast enough to get in the range that this would be like shooting fish in a barrel. The officers were beginning to feel enthusiastic about this battle.

“The enemy fleet’s angle of approach is changing.”

“I wonder what they’re doing?”

“!! The enemy ships are firing their ballistae at us!!!”

“Ballistae?! Those have such short-range, what’s the point of firing them?!”

The officers were all confused.

“!!! The bolts are… flying!!!”

“What?!”

A bolt flew over the 100-gun ship-of-the-line flagship Thirant and landed in the water 50 meters away. The tip of the bolt exploded, causing the water to burst dramatically.

“Based on our analysis, these bolts are probably enchanted with explosion magic and Tears of the Wind God.”

“How terrifying… Such a waste of good materials… However, they are nonetheless a threat.”

The bolts rained down near the flagship, causing explosions of water all around it. About fifteen of the Bolts of the Wind God scored direct hits on it.

Celestina Empire, Radar-class Prowler Arcus and Astrid, forty-five thousand feet above the ocean

“So, what do you think?”

Faira looks at the assessment of the Tears of the Wind God Ballista Arrow.

“Speed was sufficient, but… Looking at the barrel itself, the accuracy was already not good enough. If they make a longer barrel, it can increase the accuracy.”

Both crews of Arcus and Astrid agreed on that.

“If we can bring that technology to Celestina, perhaps Grand Duchess Alicia can improve it and can increase the research progress of Magnetic Accelerator Cannon medieval version research.”

“Isn’t she already field-test one of it at the Topa Kingdom?”

“She does. Since it was just a prototype, it is bound to be changed at any time. The arrow was made of steel for using coilgun as the basis.”

“Regarding that magic gemstone. Do you think we can profit a lot if the Papaldia Empire agreed to open a diplomatic relationship with us?”

“I doubt it. Their pride already tell us that they need to be punished. If we can get a hand on the magic gem processing factory at the Papaldia Empire. We could produce a lightning gem for Medieval MAC guns. If it does happen, then Verlaine can pierce that ship-of-the-line even with anti-magic coating. You can’t deflect it unless you got a forcefield or energy shield equivalent capable of absorbing it.”

They continue to review every new arsenal they found as they continue to observe the battle.

Kingdom of Verlaine, Royal Navy

“All one hundred Bolts of the Wind God have been launched, sir!”

“Good, now set a direct course for the enemy fleet!!! Get within the cannon range as soon as possible!!! …How pathetic… for only fifteen of a hundred of our bolts to hit, the royal navy has seen better days…”

They would focus-fire on the flagship, sink it, disrupt the command structure, then attack the rest of the fleet from a distance… or at least, that was the plan. The smoke around the enemy's flagship finally cleared. Navy Commander Brande froze in shock.

“Attack failed!!! The enemy ship is still afloat!!!” screamed the communications operator.

In testing, the bolts inflicted immense damage on their own ships. Fifteen direct hits should have thoroughly destroyed the enemy flagship. But… while a portion of the deck was destroyed, the ship's body was completely undamaged. Unfazed, the ship continued advancing and began to attack them as well. Thanks to the antimagic steel plating, the brunt of the attack was easily mitigated and no one suffered any serious injuries. Compared to the first volley, the empire’s second one was many times more destructive.

“Ship-of-the-line Grase has been sunk! Ships-of-the-line Roberry and Roape have also been sunk!!!”

“Ship-of-the-line Whose has been hit by a wyvern lord’s fire blast, a fire has broken out!!!”

Horrifying news kept pouring in.

“Damn… Damn it all!!!”

Brande trembled as he watched the Verlaine army’s main fleet burn. He squeezed his fists so hard his hands dripped blood. The number of attacking enemy ships kept increasing, which increased the number of shells that scored hits on the fleet, until eventually they were constantly, continuously devastated by explosions.

“Ah—!”

BOOM!

Navy Commander Brande’s consciousness cut out when the cannon shell hit his ship.

“Enemy fleet has been Eliminated.”

“Damage report?”

“Flagship Tyrant was directly hit by fifteen of the enemy’s explosive bolts, but the antimagic steel reduced the effects drastically, so it only suffered minor damage.”

“What about the dragon rider squadron?”

“No losses reported.”

The strongest country in the Third Civilization, the Papaldia Empire, crushed the Kingdom of Verlaine’s royal navy.

Celestina Empire, Prowler Team Alpha

That day, when the sun is setting down, the Papaldia Empire arrives at the northern beach of Verlaine Kingdom. They will be setting up the base of operations there.

“All right. Let’s withdraw and do a shift for surveillance.”

“Arcus will stay first. The rest of you will retreat and change shifts every eight hours.”

“Can we ask to stay at a Cromwell-class Carrier or any ship that was on station at the orbit above Verlaine?”

“I’m trying”

Lieutenant Faira contacts one of the Cromwell-class Carrier, asking to have a rest while surveilling the movements of the Papaldia Imperial Army.

“This is Lieutenant Faira, Commander of the Recon Team Alpha. I would request a Cromwell-class Carrier to accommodate us while we’re on surveillance mission at the Verlaine Kingdom.”

“This is Wisdom of Knowledge. Grand Duchess Alicia has summoned you and the Captains from each prowler at Recon Team Alpha at the ship. She would like to discuss matters regarding the arsenals from the Verlaine Kingdom. The accommodation has already been prepared in advance by Grand Duchess Alicia for surveillance.”

“Errr… This is Arcus, understood.”

Looking at the crew, she nodded to them and cut the transmission.

“Let’s go.”

The prowler departs and went to Alicia’s flagship for debriefing.

Middle Orbit, Flagship of the Fleet of Knowledge, Juno-class Supercarrier, Wisdom of Knowledge

Around thirty-five thousand kilometers above the ocean, there was one warship accompanied by at least hundreds of smaller vessels at the Middle Orbit. The size alone was huge that it can ram the Audhumla-class Heavy Cruiser side-to-side. This ship holds the records of all history during the journey of the Nine Guardians and its fleet before the founding of the Celestina Empire. Even after three hundred years has passed, the ship remains in service.

Alicia is examining the bolt and the weapons made by the Kingdom of Verlaine on the holo table at the bridge. She examines every inch of the ballista arrow itself.

“Grand Duchess.”

Looking at Faira and the other two Captains of the Prowler Team Alpha, Alicia look at them.

“What do you think about their arsenals?”

Faira explains about the bolt fired by Verlaine Navy.

“The bolts equipped with small sails and a gemstone of Tears of The Wind God, due to lack of barrel length, the accuracy is not as high as we expected. On the other side, the Papaldia Empire does not equip with a stabilizer, or rather, most likely they are using wheels inside the ship-of-the-line for recoil support.”

“Hmm…”

Looking at the specification and based on how Faira gives the report. Alicia commented.

“We could help the Verlaine Kingdom to establish a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon with Ballista. If we can get our hands on it, the “Medieval MAC” gun will bring us a lot of damage to the ship even they are made of steel. But, if they lack materials to make a steel bolt, that can be problematic.”

Magnetic Accelerator Ballista, or known as Medieval MAC is Alicia’s current project in this New World. It’s using modern MAC technology, but it will be fitted for countries who fight at medieval war. Feena is already working on the prototype, but she needs a field report from the Verlaine Kingdom to boost up the Medieval MAC performance. It will be designed so the Papaldia Empire’s ship-of-the-line cannon becomes powerless and it can damage the enemy’s modern warship. While Feena already solved the recoil and its drawback problems, the only problem left is she needs a field-test from the Verlaine Kingdom.

But with the current war situation, they have to wait until Shiki and Zilva reach Celestina Empire.

“All right. Make a shift for surveillance. They will make a move once every one of them arrives at Verlaine soil.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

The Kingdom of Verlaine, 40km North of Capital Blate, 14th October Night

On this vast, empty coast in the wilderness, there was no place for people to hide. No freshwater, no resources, just land abandoned by people. However, the coastline was wide, so it was a convenient place for the army to land. After scouting the area carefully with their wyvern lords, the Papaldia army secured the bridgehead and set up an encampment. Their objective: Verlaine’s capital city, Blate.

The Kingdom of Verlaine, Royal Capital Blate

King Daara the 19th finished the preparations for his departure. The Verlaine royal navy was defeated and the empire had already landed. From a careful analysis of the magical communications, before the connection was lost, they were completely destroyed without causing much damage. He prayed for the soldiers who died for the kingdom’s sake. They must have had families; some may have had parents to nurse, others may have been betrothed. However, they still went to die for their country.

Nobody on that Kingdom knew that King Daara the 19th has been replaced by a doppelganger made by Zilva Silverain two days ago. Shiki himself already report this matter to the Main Council as he already dispatches a member of five from his team to infiltrate and to maintain the intelligence at the Verlaine Kingdom. The king was also maintained at stasis, as Zilva continue to drink more mana potion to keep her doppelganger operational. It requires an abundant amount of mana and Zilva need to drink Mana Elixir to fully restore her mana once every eight hours while meditating. If not, then she could only withstand for six hours without Mana Elixir.

The king contemplated idly: if they were able to push back the enemy this time, he would do something for the families of those soldiers, to honor them… Unfortunately, the empire was heading south for the capital, and they were both powerful and still in nearly perfect condition. Because they were being attacked by a superpower, none of their allies had come to help them.

The king could do nothing else but blindly hope for victory.

Before the battle can start, Recon Alpha Team went deployed when both Verlaine Royal Army and the Papaldia Army began their march.

The Verlaine Royal Army, 25,000 personnel

The royal army was in position about 10 km north of the royal capital, Blate. Their objective was to secure the bridgehead north of the capital and wipe out Papaldia’s 3,000 soldiers. Their giant army of 25,000 was assembled to steamroll the landing army’s 3,000. Normally, one would consider this arrangement overkill. No strategy could make up for the overwhelming difference in manpower. Furthermore, the enemy troops were simply going in formation without any screens or shields.

Against a normal enemy, simply having these numbers meant they had already won. However, they were facing one of the world’s five superpowers.

“This should be our victory, but don’t let your guard down…”

King Daara the 19th gathered his resolve and determination.

Papaldia Empire Army, Ground Forces

The imperial army invaded along the southern coast. There were 3,500 elite troops and 32 land dragons.

Land dragons were large lizards said to only live in the Papaldia Empire before Celestina Empire’s arrival. Long ago, when the empire was still expanding, they found a way to control these land dragons. Their hard scales repelled both arrows and ballista bolts, so the imperial army easily dominated ground battles. Now, the empire’s overwhelming national power placed it in the top three countries in the Third Civilization alongside the high elves. The reason it gained superpower status was due to these land dragons. As a result, the face of the red dragon was used as the national flag of the Papaldia Empire.

Land dragons weren’t as mobile as wyverns, but their scales were much harder, and their fire blasts had a short but wide range. Wyverns can’t stay in one spot for a long time, so land dragons were ideal for defending positions. They were about twice as large as humans and had fairly round bodies with a triangular head that could extend and retract like a turtle’s.

Celestina already had a plan for capturing the Land Dragons. Alicia wanted it captured so she can study and raise it at Territory of Sahara. They can’t just bluntly capture it since they need to lure the Papaldia Empire out by making sure they make an invasion to the Selarong Kingdom. This information was very classified only at Main Council and Main Advisors.

Also, the Papaldia army had human portable cannons and explosive shells, larger cannons pulled by a horse, and flintlock muskets with lead shots. In the sky, wyvern lords were scouting and sending information to the ground forces.

“The enemy’s main force has about twenty thousand men.”

“Twenty thousand, huh… They really did some work.”

“Yeah… However, if we can overcome that, Verlaine is ours.”

“Hehehe… That’s a lot of responsibility.”

Army Captain Brahan smiled nastily.

Kingdom of Verlaine, Impalse Plains

No grass grew in the Impalse plains. It was an open field in the wilderness with great visibility. Here, the Verlaine royal army and the Papaldia ground force faced off about 2 km from each other.

King Daara the 19th, only thinking of victory, shouted, “All troops, charge!!! We’ll cut off the empire’s greedy hand here!!!”

“RAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!”

Dust was kicked up all over as the Verlaine cavalry, armed with spears and bows, led the charge.

That was when…

Pheeeeeeeeeww…

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!

Explosions went off all over their battle formation.

“Wha—! What’s going on?!”

“Are those… magic cannons?!?! They’ve made cannons small and light enough for soldiers to carry?!?!”

The explosions took out thousands of soldiers. However, the Verlaine soldiers continued weaving towards the imperial army through the explosions like threading a needle. These were human-wave tactics!!! They were obstructed by a storm of fire blasts from the wyvern lords up in the air. However, even with continuous cannon fire, against Verlaine’s wave of people, it was like trying to stop a flood by throwing rocks at it. Even the fire blasts could only take out one soldier at a time.

“AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!”

Within huge clouds of dust, the Verlaine army closed in on the Papaldia army. The Verlaine soldiers saw a line of land dragons guarding the front lines. They were so big… However, there were only 32 of them, and there were 50 meters between each dragon. They didn’t think there would be any problem piercing through.

“We have more numbers than they do!!! Trample them!!!”

The cavalry took out their bows and aimed at the land dragons.

“Those sure are huge targets…! Take this!!!”

fwipfwipfwip

The arrows cut through the air and flew at the land dragons.

Click! Clank! Clink!

All the arrows that flew true simply bounced off the land dragons’ scales.

“Tch!!! Leave the dragons, run past them!!! Chaaaarge!!!”

There were 50 meters between each dragon, so the defensive line was basically full of holes. After they got past the dragons, there were only 300 meters to get to the enemy soldiers.

“Ignore those pointless dragons and take down the troops!!!” The army surged towards the dragons.

“AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!”

That was when the dragons opened their mouths, light coming from within.

“Watch out!!! Fire blasts!!!”

The line of dragons let out their short-range, but high-powered, flames. They burned both the ground and their enemies black. The land dragons extended their necks to pan side to side, extending the range of destruction. The Verlaine army jumped right into the hellfire.

“GUUUUAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!”

Soldiers and horses on fire rolled around on the ground, screaming in pain. Because the fires were too strong and wide, the Verlaine army had to stop its advance. The dragons slowly advanced, extending the area of the flames. The vanguard troops, unable to back up because of all the soldiers behind them, were burned to a crisp. However, there was about 300 cavalry who were able to get past the dragons. Those cavalries went straight for the Papaldia soldiers.

POP! POPOP! POPOP! POP!

White smoke rose up from the enemy infantry formation, and the Verlaine cavalry fell jumbled to the ground.

“Wh-What’s going on?!”

POP! POPOP! POP!

The attacks continued, and soon all the cavalry who had broken through were dead. The Verlaine army was completely stopped. Then, fierce explosions went off all over the kingdom’s army.

“No!!!”

The king looked over at the sea. Nearly a hundred of gunboats had been beached and were providing supporting fire. Including some 100-gun ships-of-the-line, they rained shells down on the Verlaine army. Under so much simultaneous, controlled fire, the Verlaine army collapsed.

The king was killed in battle and the Kingdom of Verlaine fell into the hands of the Papaldia Empire.

Most of the citizens were allowed to live to continue mining magic gems, but the royal family, their retainers, and all their relatives were impaled on spikes and left on display in front of the royal castle. Only King Daara the 19th and Princess Verlaine escaped.

The Kingdom of Verlaine, Vessel disguised as a merchant ship

King Daara the 19th woke up from his slumber. He was shaken in fear as all of his soldiers are annihilated.

“We…We’ve been defeated…”

The King kneels while Rosaria try to comfort him. Zilva panting while Shiki bows to them.

“I apologize for the cause of this.”

“No. It’s alright… It’s our fault that we didn’t take the initiative soon as well…”

They continue to sail for another week until they are around 10km from Mayhark port. In that time, their supplies were still sufficient for another two days, thanks to Shiki and Zilva’s item box that stores more supplies. If not, they could be gone hungry for three days.

“Command. We’re approaching the port, ETA in one hour.”

But, six kilometers from the port, three ships were approaching and they hoist a flag of jolly roger, a skull and crossbones.

“I-It’s a pirate!!”

Later, King Daara, Rosaria, and the attendants will receive their first-hand experience to witness the strength of two Elite Assassins.