Chapter 135: Chapter 135
A few weeks ago, a rumor began to float like a footless ghost across the entire South Sea.
It was the story that the young Queen of Pendia, who had recently ascended to the throne, was enraged by the pirates who had provoked her by plundering her kingdom’s merchant ships, and was sending a subjugation force.
Everyone who lived by the grace of the sea secretly sneered upon hearing this story.
“As expected of a woman, she knows nothing of war. Then again, didn’t that Altoan Lord Protector do everything in Pendia’s civil war?”
“Everyone knows that Beshalia’s marines all died or fled during the civil war… Surely she isn’t planning to gather earthworms and fight?”
“Only the battleships will be wasted. Beshalia’s fleet was actually quite excellent.”
The people of the sea despised warriors who fought only on land, calling them ‘earthworms’.
This was partly because they lived on land eating dirt, and partly because when they came onto the sea, they lost their minds on the swaying ships, falling over and wriggling like earthworms.
Though Queen Cheryn’s army had achieved immense results on land and reigned invincible, the sea was an entirely different realm.
The pirates of the South Sea were so numerous it was hard to even estimate their numbers, and they were extraordinarily tough.
To make matters worse, even the Kingdom of Ruman, the strongest maritime nation in the Arman Alliance, was unable to eradicate them.
Of course, the reality was that they were fanatically focused on using these pirates to plunder other countries.
In any case, everyone had thought until recently that the queen, full of confidence after ascending the throne, would break her nose and suffer a dire setback.
“The Red Eagle Pirates’ hideout was destroyed?”
“Yeah. My cousin is the one who periodically brings them food, and it seems they made the island completely uninhabitable for humans.”
“How could they commit such a terrible deed!”
For the people of the South Sea, an island in itself was a haven for living.
Even if it was not particularly large or prosperous, if located in a key position, it could serve as a foothold to replenish drinking water and provisions during long-distance travel, so even when capturing an island, touching existing facilities was rare.
However, Pendia’s army from the continent acted as though they cared nothing for such unwritten rules.
Throwing corpses and filth into every well was standard practice, and burning down houses, forests, and ports entirely to turn the land into an uninhabitable place was sheer tyranny itself.
To the eyes of those living on the sea, this was an act far more terrifying than murder, rape, slavery, or cannibalism.
If those were mere ordinary vices, this was downright shrinking the territory where humanity could live.
While everyone trembled in fear, a merchant spoke softly.
“Then… it is not a false rumor, but a fact that the ‘Pirate Alliance’ collapsed at Pendia’s hands.”
Though pirates usually growled at one another, they united surprisingly well when opposing a large-scale subjugation force from a foreign kingdom.
This time, too, stories had spread that they were temporarily forming a Pirate Alliance to confront Pendia’s army.
Naturally, the powerful pirate admirals tried hard to keep tight lips so that fact would not be exposed to Pendia’s side, but if secrets were kept so easily, how could they be pirates?
And before long, stories spread that thousands of pirates belonging to the South Sea’s giant pirate fleets (including Red Eagle, Demon Flag, and Elam’s Curse) had launched a surprise attack on Pendia’s fleet, only to become fish food.
There were even unbelievable rumors that those infamous black mages had cast curses raising corpses, yet still failed to win.
The sources of these stories were none other than the survivors of that naval battle.
There were hundreds of men who had been aboard smaller vessels surrounding the flagship where the executives rode, or who had plunged directly into naval combat only to escape luckily from the fringes.
Having lost the leaders who served as their focal points, they scattered in all directions, spreading across the South Sea.
“Those bastards aren’t human! There’s a whole bunch of damn Altoan monsters, and they didn’t even die when stabbed?!”
”There was even a guy breathing perfectly fine underwater and going wild…”
“My comrades and I joined forces to push one fellow off, and he floated right on top of the water even while wearing armor. They must have cast some strange magic.”
The surviving pirates vividly testified how terrifying Pendia’s army was if given just a single glass of booze.
Tales spread of an army where every single member donned powerful defensive gear that only the strongest and most brutal among pirates could wear, and armed with magical weapons that easily tore through flesh and shattered bones.
Most interesting of all were the stories regarding their commander, the Lord Protector of Pendia.
Shan Barendil, who on the continent was called the ‘Lord Thousand-Slayer’, ‘Bright Eyes’, or ‘Devil of Alto’.
“Ughhhh…”
“He killed them all, that guy killed everyone by himself. No one survived.”
“Green! Those green eyes staring at me in the dark!”
Everyone who survived the fight back then spoke in unison.
That thing was absolutely not human.
The reactions of the pirates recounting this were varied.
Some shut their eyes tightly in fear, some foamed at the mouth, and some stared blankly into space with unfocused, half-dazed eyes.
There were even those who wet their pants on the spot.
They said he leaped onto a ship alone and slaughtered a hundred men on the deck in an instant.
They said he used a bizarre magical tool to fly freely between ships and board them.
They said he swam several kilometers wearing metal armor before crawling up onto the deck.
Stories similar in nature to all sorts of bizarre rumors spread across the continent (such as crawling down cliffs over a hundred meters high, or scaling castle walls at will) yet distinct from them, spread far and wide.
Though they told different tales like this, their conclusion was the same.
If green eyes glowing in the dark approach, abandon hope, bow your head, and beg for mercy.
That was the only way to save one’s life.
The notoriety of a certain green-eyed knight was now spreading far and wide across the South Sea as well.
*
After devastating the island of the Red Eagle Pirates, Pendia’s fleet headed straight for their second objective, the base of ‘Elam’s Curse’.
Unlike Red Eagle, which ruled an entire small island and lived independently, they used a secret cave on a fairly large island called Mobic as their base.
This was because Elam’s Curse was essentially closer to a secret society than a pirate group.
Their leader and executives were evil mages, and mages generally found it tiresome to care about areas outside the fields they were researching.
Lending various wicked magical powers to the island’s count while receiving his protection must have been a much more comfortable method for them.
Of course, that history too was now at an end as of today.
“You dare trample my island with muddy feet?!”
“We heard that the minions of the black mage Elam, who ambushed Pendia’s fleet, are still on this island. To subjugate them…”
“Shut up! There are no such bastards in my territory! The moment you take even a single step inside, I will consider it war!”
Count Mobic, whose generous belly was impressive, shouted at the demands of Pendia’s envoy who had arrived as a messenger.
How dare they ignore those who had ruled this island for over hundreds of years and declare that they would send an army!
Furthermore, they weren’t even cautiously asking for understanding, but displaying a brazen attitude as if to say they would land regardless of what he said!
He did not care about the ominous rumors spreading all across the sea.
It was common enough for lowly scoundrels to exaggerate their defeats.
Above all, on this island were hundreds of soldiers, a solid granite fortress, and supplies stockpiled to hold out for several months or more.
No matter how strong Pendia’s army might be, this was a force they could not easily conquer, and if he held out, their king was sure not to abandon his subject and send support.
Believing in this, the count slandered Pendia’s fleet and its leader Shan without restraint.
Claiming that the rumor of using corpse-raising magic was utterly absurd, or that raising such a fuss to subjugate mere pirates was petty.
The leader of the envoy delegation, Ravana, listened with an expressionless face while twitching her rabbit ears, then nodded.
“Understood. I shall convey as much to the Lord Protector. And as you well know, I will make it clear that the Holy Accord does not apply to this battle. This is not a battle between nations, but an extension of the holy war to subjugate black mages.”
“What…? Ridiculous nonsense! I am innocent! How dare you make such a slander!”
The lord shouted with a face turned pale white.
“No matter what you say, the evidence is clear. There are also several priests who will swear to the truth in the name of the Goddess. I, too, participated in that battle. Unfortunately, the castle walls you boast of will end up melting in the flames of purification.”
As Ravana blurted this out and turned her head to leave, the lord raised his hand.
Soldiers and several knights blocked her path.
“Surely you aren’t intending to detain an envoy?”
Ravana asked with an amused expression.
If they really attempted such a thing, it would merely add one more useful justification.
She had no thought whatsoever that she would fail to break out of this place and end up detained.
Even without the flames of purification, there was no way Shan could fail to capture a single fortress like this.
At her composed demeanor, the lord with a pale white face stammered.
“I-I…”
“Make it clear. Are you going to detain us, or let us go?”
Clearly, he was the superior side in terms of military strength, yet in momentum, he had long been overwhelmed.
After a moment of silence, the count, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, squeezed his eyes shut and spoke.
“I will… open the gates.”
“How fortunate. Fewer people will die.”
Ravana spoke mockingly while looking around.
Not long after she returned, dozens of battleships anchored along the coast of Mobic Island.
They disembarked in an orderly manner into the empty spots where all the ships in the port had fled.
Those watching the army with curious eyes from afar could be seen fleeing in terror.
“Phew, land really is the best after all.”
“Tell me about it.”
Although they had undergone training, Pendia’s army was ultimately best suited for land combat.
Stepping off with lively faces, the army marched straight into the opened fortress.
The local soldiers shivered as they allowed the entry of a foreign army.
Shortly thereafter, the full-scale subjugation began through the testimony of captured prisoners.
“Do not let a single one escape! Kill anyone who resists!”
The first place raided was the secret cave located behind the fortress.
Just looking at its location was enough to know that the count’s claim of not knowing their existence was a blatant lie.
The pirates belonging to Elam’s Curse had not fled and remained behind.
Though they had already heard the news that their leader was dead, they had left too much behind to flee abruptly, and above all, they had never imagined the lord would sell them out.
For their years of collusion had been long and deep.
Shocked at the sight of Shan approaching, they cried out.
“It’s the devil! The devil is coming!”
“Do not run away! Everyone who flees will die by a curse!”
The black mage who was Elam’s top disciple shouted so, but what could mere pirates accomplish by resisting on land rather than a ship?
With Shan in the lead, Pendia’s army slaughtered all opposing pirates and breached the defensive line.
A few of the leadership escaped through an exit leading to the sea behind the rock wall, but even there, a battleship was already waiting.
Lug grinned as he watched the boat crawling out.
“They really are coming this way.”
As he descended onto a small boat and approached, the fleeing pirates felt for a moment as if their sense of perspective was distorted.
Why was the head of the guy riding on a vessel clearly far smaller than theirs higher than the gunwale?
When Lug hopped up a moment later, that sense of incongruity grew even larger.
An overwhelming height that was fifty centimeters taller than even burly male pirates!
“This is the end, you pirate bastards!”
Lug chuckled as he slashed the pirates with his axe.
*
The subjugation that began in the early morning ended only late in the afternoon.
After over a hundred men holed up in the den were all dead, the soldiers brought out various magical ingredients and spellbooks inside and loaded them onto the ship.
In fact, the priests wanted to burn all the products of this evil magic, but Shan stopped them.
“Lord Protector, as a paladin, how can you accept such unholy things…”
“Her Majesty the Queen desires that even if it is unholy knowledge, it should be put to meaningful use if it can save lives.”
When suppressed like this with the added authority of the queen, even priests could do nothing.
In truth, these were not empty words, but something he had actually heard from Cheryn.
That if possible, she wished to import the knowledge of black mages as well and put it to useful use.
Of course, even so, trading with those bastards was out of the question.
Unless it was through one-sided plundering like this.
Along with that, they also rescued several innocent victims from inside the den.
Having been subjected to all kinds of cruel magical experiments, they presented a horrific sight, with multiple arms attached to their bodies or missing body parts.
“Did you come to rescue us?”
“If only… if only you had been just a little faster.”
The tears shed at the words that they had come to rescue them contained both joy and sorrow.
Even if they went outside, what could they do with such bodies?
After clearing out the den like that, they also hunted down every single one of their collaborators in the fortress and village.
Bound in ropes or dragged along with limbs pierced by weapons, people shrieked from all directions.
“I-I am innocent!”
“No! Please, please!”
“Spare me!”
Pendia’s army spared no one, killing all suppliers who provided human sacrifices to proper pirates and even the gangs of thugs swaggering under them.
They did not care if a few unintended sacrifices occurred along the way.
After all, these people were not Pendians, but Ruman bastards.
Pirate scum whose very nature fell short of human, who had to die for this world to become cleaner.
Just as Westerners who believed in the Old Faith had persecuted the Altoans in the past, now they persecuted the Rumanians as Pendians.
Even the upper echelons could not escape this.
The Count of Mobic Island, whose tacit approval of Elam’s Curse was confirmed through various internal documents and testimonies, was dragged out tightly bound in ropes.
“Y-You filthy frauds! I opened the gates quietly, so how!”
“Because you opened the gates, we are not punishing innocent people. Had you resisted, we would have killed everyone inside the gates as well.”
At Shan’s bloody words, the soldiers of Mobic Island nearby flinched.
Everyone instinctively felt that that terrifying warrior truly possessed both the power and cruelty to do so.
Shan himself did not realize it, but at some point, whenever he showed murder intent to someone, it acted like an invisible aura.
“I am a count of the kingdom! At least give me a proper trial!”
“There are no exceptions.”
A cold voice rang out toward the count, who was squealing like a pig to be spared.
Before long, his round head rolled on the ground after being severed.
*
“He dared to… execute a count of Ruman?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty. And they declared that since Duke of Licharzo is behind the pirates, they will capture and judge him.”
The Great Hall of Paiman Palace, capital of the Kingdom of Ruman.
The old king, Leor, widened his eyes at the unbelievable story.
When he heard the story that Pendia’s fleet had smashed the Pirate Alliance, he thought he was glad to have listened to the opinion of his most trusted admiral.
For if he had dispatched knights there and they were taken prisoner, there would truly have been no way to feign ignorance.
But still, wasn’t this going too far?
Rather than killing an honorable noble in battle, to capture and execute him!
And what did they say they would do to the duke, his nephew and right-hand man?
This was an act of destroying the order of the Arman Alliance, no different from an insult to their bloodline!
After a brief silence, King Leor roared like an old lion.
“To think they do not know their place after merely beating down a bunch of trashy pirates! Assemble the army! Bring me that ugly Altoan bastard’s head!”
As the wounded King of the South Sea raged, everyone bowed their heads.