ocean-life Chapter 249: The Civil War in the Principality (14)
Chapter 249: The Civil War in the Principality (14)
Chapter 249: The Civil War in the Principality (14)
The tent was filled with smoke.
“It’s been a long time, Your Highness Fran,” said Terix, the commander of the 1st Wyvern Squadron.
He exhaled a cloud of smoke from his cigar, rolled with thick leaves. Sitting in his chair, Terix was almost at eye level with Fran, and with every breath his muscles rippled beneath his massive frame.
Facing him was like facing a brick wall. In terms of physique, Terix could stand toe-to-toe with Gordon Fabian, the leader of the Guidance Mercenary Gang.
“It seems you’ve had a rough time. I suppose land battles don’t suit a naval expert like Your Highness,” Terix remarked, puffing on his cigar.
“...”
Despite the acrid smoke wafting directly into his face, Fran did not turn away.
“How dare you. What makes you think you can be so insolent...?!”
Crash!!
At that moment, as if to silence Anthem’s outburst, Terix slammed his fist onto the armrest of his chair with such force that it shattered.
“Insolent? You should be the one to watch your mouth. Know your place before you speak,” Terix growled.
“...”
Anthem, staring at the splintered armrest, fell silent. Low chuckles echoed around the tent.
Around the tent were members of the 1st Wyvern Squadron, their cold gazes fixed on the two men. They looked nothing like ordinary knights. Their armor was mismatched, and their weapons varied. The only thing that marked their allegiance was the red dragon emblem on their cloaks.
The 1st Wyvern Squadron was closer to mercenaries than knights, given that they dealt with the most violent of wyverns.
“Anthem, enough,” Fran intervened. “Sir Terix is more than capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the great noble houses.” He then turned to Terix. “I still remember learning the sword from you as a child.”
At that, Terix chuckled, but with his thick, scruffy beard, he looked like he was chewing on cud.
“I remember it well, Your Highness. You were such an adorable child back then. And now, you’ve grown to raise your sword against your own sister... Time does fly,” Terix remarked, as though bemused.
Suddenly, his presence flooded the tent with a suffocating pressure. Anthem, who was more frail than Fran and the other knights, instinctively clutched his chest.
“It’s not just you, Your Highness. All members of the Ducal House are dear to me. In truth, this entire civil war saddens me deeply,” Terix said casually, as though discussing something trivial like the weather.
“I was worried I might have to kill you with my own hands,” he added, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Terix spoke as though, with his arrival, victory on the Binfredo front was already assured.
“That’s precisely why I’ve come, Sir Terix. I believe it’s time I told you the real meaning behind this civil war,” Fran said.
“The real meaning?”
“...Could you ask your men to leave us?”
Fran glanced around the tent at the members of the 1st Wyvern Squadron.
“Well, alright.”
Terix nodded and waved his hand, signaling the knights to leave them. However, even after they left the tent, Fran could sense they were still watching closely, ready to act at a moment’s notice. Even outside, he could still feel their bloodlust.
Indeed, they’re one of the principality’s strongest knightly orders. As rude as they are, their skill is undeniable.
Perhaps they saw Fran as an enemy before a duke. Yet, despite the sharp killing intent aimed at him, Fran felt not displeasure but satisfaction.
They’re strong enough. I can... I can take that bastard’s head!
With a fiery gaze, Fran looked at Terix and spoke up, “I want to make a pact with Tuli. No, to be precise, I want to reaffirm the pact we’ve already agreed upon. I have no desire to continue this meaningless civil war.”
“Are you saying you intend to surrender to Lady Tuli?”
Fran nodded.
“That’s right.”
At that, Anthem’s face darkened. However, Terix remained skeptical despite the reactions of the two, his eyes still filled with doubt.
“Let’s be honest. When you say the result of this civil war has already been agreed upon, you're also implying that Tuli’s victory was predetermined. But a sudden intervention from an unexpected figure has thrown everything into chaos.”
“Intervention...?”
“Karyl, the king of Tatur beyond the strait.”
Terix narrowed his eyes slightly.
“What business does he have interfering in the principality’s civil war?”
“I don’t know his motive. I have no idea what he’s trying to achieve with this pointless meddling, but... he’s trying to advance on the White Bunker through Moon Aether, leading the northern tribes no less!”
Fran couldn’t bring himself to admit that Moon Aether had already fallen. This was his way of covering up his failure. He figured that by the time Terix’s forces reached Moon Aether, he would just lie and blame the defeat on Karyl.
The enemy leader was here, in this very tent, negotiating for a truce. He couldn’t have ordered an attack himself.
“By... by our own forces, sir.”
“...Our own forces?”
“Th-The soldiers of Moon Aether!"
“What?!”
Terix stared at Fran in disbelief, but Fran seemed equally shocked. His trembling hands, ashen complexion, and utterly confused expression only confirmed Terix’s suspicions, igniting his rage.
“Your Highness!! Why are the soldiers of Moon Aether here?! That place is the backdoor to the White Bunker. If those soldiers have made it to the front lines, it must mean you’ve left the backdoor to White Bunker wide open! Don’t tell me... You’ve brought them here to capture us?!”
“...What?”
Fran’s face was a mask of bewilderment.
Terix’s voice quivered with fury as he shouted, “Fran Lurein...!! Tell me the truth right now! Have you joined forces with the soldiers of Moon Aether to backstab us? Is this your idea of a truce?!”
“Wh-What?! W-Wait!!”
A shadow fell over Fran’s face as he looked up at the towering figure before him. He tried desperately to think of an explanation, but seeing Terix’s face contorted with rage, his mind went blank.
For Lord Fran!
In that moment, a voice imbued with mana echoed from afar.
May the wave be eternal!
And then the battle cry of the Iron Fleet rang out, leaving Fran no time to defend himself. Suspicion turned to certainty as Terix glared at him with murderous intent.
WAAA...!!!
YEAAA...!!!
The soldiers’ shouts could be heard all around.
“You wanted the truth? Very well. I’ll report this situation to Lady Tuli exactly as it is. Fran Lurein, this is where your treatment as a duke ends. The next time we meet on the battlefield, we will be enemies!!”
Terix forcefully grabbed the hammer standing beside him, as though pulling it out of the ground.
KABOOM―!!
BAM―!!
“Ugh?!”
All of a sudden, the massive Terix staggered. He blocked the sword strike that came slicing through the tent’s fabric, but the force of the blow sent him skidding backward.
“The next time... You’ve grown complacent, living comfortably in the White Bunker. To think you have the luxury to speak of next time in a battle where your life hangs by a thread.”
“Who’s there...?!”
A knight brushed past Fran, and the grin visible through his helmet was clear in Fran’s eyes. It was a sneer, a mocking smile directed at him.
Only one person could have looked at him like that.
“You... you... you! This...!”
Fran, overwhelmed by the realization that he had been completely manipulated, was consumed by an unbearable sense of humiliation and rage. He couldn’t even form the words.
Thud-thud-thud...!!
His heart pounded wildly, and Fran opened and closed his mouth several times.
“Do not worry, Your Highness. I am here to bring you victory.”
The knight of Moon Aether, Karyl MacGovern himself, knelt on one knee before Fran.
“Y-You...!”
Karyl played his role perfectly, acting like a loyal knight pledging his allegiance to Fran.
“Y-You... You son of a—!” Fran finally managed to scream, stuttering with rage.
However, Karyl slowly rose to his feet, and Fran instinctively took a step back.
Clink―
Karyl lifted his visor slightly, revealing his cold, piercing eyes that stared unblinkingly at Fran.
“Hmm? You don’t look like you want to win,” he whispered, barely audible, as though speaking just to Fran. “But what can you do? You’re going to win again, whether you like it or not.”
“Ugh... AAAARGHHH!!!” Fran screamed at him, his voice filled with madness.