bookpower Chapter 177 : Chapter 177
Chapter 177 : Chapter 177
The Plank Kingdom, located beyond the northern sea.At the murderous remark from the envoy named ‘Ronak,’ a heavy tension flowed through the port of the Jerpan Archipelago.
In particular, the tension flowing on the face of the Jerpan Archipelago knight facing Ronak was not much different from that of a knight on the verge of an actual battle.
But then.
“But—.”
Ronak said, sweeping back his rough, bluish-black hair.
“My King is a merciful, wise, and peace-loving person. That is why he did not attack you first, but sent me, who is on the weaker side of the kingdom, here to talk.”
“A talk… you mean, what exactly—.”
“That will depend on your attitude.”
Such arrogant words.
But no one at the port thought Ronak was being arrogant. It was because the confidence shown by Ronak and the pirates— ‘soldiers’— behind him was immense.
Ronak took a few steps forward and asked the knight.
“So, how long do we have to wait for your Grand Lord’s people to arrive?”
“Ah, that… it will take about two days. It’s some distance away.”
“Two days, I see. Then we will wait on the ship until then.”
At the words that they would wait on the ship, the knight gave an awkward smile.
“It will be inconvenient for you to stay on the ship, so it would be better if you stayed at an inn. We will provide for you.”
“We don’t need the support of the enemy.”
“……”
“And we are more comfortable living on a ship. We’ve lived on ships for half our lives.”
Having finished speaking, Ronak turned around and went back to the ship. It was a clear action that he had no more to say to the knight.
The pirates silently followed behind Ronak.
Watching Ronak and the pirates re-board the ship, the knight swallowed nervously.
‘Is it right to… attack now?’
It seemed that the man named Ronak and the soldiers he led already considered the Jerpan Archipelago an ‘enemy.’
In other words, there was a very high probability that they would become enemies eventually.
‘But I can’t make such a judgment rashly. If I do and it turns into a real war… I won’t be able to take responsibility.’
Besides, Ronak had clearly said it.
Even if he and his pirates died here, stronger knights and the great King would avenge them.
How could one lightly attack a man who says such things?
‘It’s better to leave it to the Grand Lord’s envoy. This is not a matter for me to judge.’
In the first place, his role was only to ascertain the purpose of the suddenly visiting envoys from the Plank Kingdom.
Since that purpose had been sufficiently achieved, the knight decided not to overstep his bounds any further.
‘By the way… I didn’t notice before, but the Plank Kingdom’s ship looks quite large and sturdy.’
Was it because it was built to cross the wide sea?
The Plank Kingdom’s ship seemed to be twice as large as the ships of the Jerpan Archipelago. The wood that made up the ship also seemed to be twice as thick.
‘Of course, a large and sturdy ship is not necessarily good. A smaller one is much more advantageous in narrow waterways or for swift combat. But… it’s still certainly threatening.’
As the knight was observing Ronak and his ship.
Ronak, who had boarded the ship, was also assessing the Jerpan Archipelago.
‘The knights and soldiers are all on edge. They are soldiers with combat experience.’
“Rollo, what do you think? Those knights and soldiers.”
At Ronak’s question, Rollo sat down roughly on the deck and replied.
“They seem to have combat experience. But they don’t look very strong. It seems they are not eating properly.”
“Right?”
“Mhm. But such soldiers can be even more threatening. A starving human is more terrifying than a starving beast. The moment those bastards land in the Plank Kingdom, all hell will break loose.”
“That’s true. They’ll charge like mad dogs at the grain warehouses that are filled to the brim thanks to His Majesty’s grace.”
The other pirates nodded in agreement with Ronak and Rollo’s conversation.
They all knew from their pirate days. The terror of a ‘hungry human.’
If not for Ronak’s leadership, they might have gone mad, killing and actually eating each other.
“Ronak. Do you think those guys will attack our kingdom?”
“Hmm, just looking at the knights and soldiers, it doesn’t seem so. They are too exhausted. They don’t have the look of wanting to, or being able to, go to war.”
“Mhm.”
“But that ‘Grand Lord’ fellow might be different. Except for our King, nobles, lords, or kings use their people as tools to satisfy their own greed.”
Ronak spoke carefully and subtly turned his gaze towards the port.
There were more soldiers gathered at the port than before.
‘His Majesty said that those guys would likely attack the Plank Kingdom. So… should I attack first now to reduce their numbers.’
It seemed they could get away without any problems if they launched a surprise attack at dawn, set the port on fire, and fled.
The knight who seemed to be in charge of the port didn't seem to be of a very high level, so he could be dealt with without much difficulty.
However.
‘If I did that, many innocent people would get hurt and die.’
Most of the people in this port were knights and soldiers.
But there were also a fair number of civilians. From merchants to laborers doing odd jobs, and prostitutes who catered to the soldiers.
It was a typical port that could be seen anywhere.
‘My King would not want those civilians to get hurt. Definitely. If he didn't care about the civilians, he would have ordered me to burn the port down himself.’
After thinking deeply, Ronak came to a tentative conclusion.
“Rollo, maintain maximum vigilance without provoking the enemy.”
“Got it. But we only have about two weeks’ worth of food left, what should we do about that?”
“Go into town and buy some before the moon rises. If possible, buy uncooked ingredients. That way we can cook and eat them ourselves.”
“We should. You can’t just eat food from other regions carelessly. Especially in an enemy camp like this, someone might poison the food.”
As expected of former pirates who had been through thick and thin.
The two had no problem sharing their opinions.
Ronak thought as he watched the sun slowly set over the sea.
‘I must try to think as wisely as him, so as not to disappoint my King's expectations.’
The thing Ronak feared most.
It was not death.
It was disappointing the king he truly respected.
***
Three days later, early in the morning.
Two luxurious carriages bearing the flag of the Grand Lord arrived at the entrance of the port.
Clop— clop—!
Rumble—!
As soon as the carriages stopped, the knights and soldiers in charge of the port lined up in front of them. The person in this carriage was the ‘Grand Lord’s envoy,’ so he was practically the Grand Lord's representative.
No one in the Jerpan Archipelago, where the Grand Lord currently held absolute power, wanted to get on his bad side.
Even the defeated lords and their families bowed their heads.
“Stand straight! Be alert!”
Just as the knight spoke to the soldiers lined up in front of the carriage.
Thump—!
The door of the first carriage opened rather abruptly. As the door opened abruptly, someone got out of the carriage in a hurry.
It was the Grand Lord's daughter.
“L-Lady Loa? Why is Lady Loa…?”
The person in this carriage should be the Grand Lord’s envoy.
But since the Grand Lord's daughter was here, the knight couldn't help but be flustered.
“I have come as my father’s representative. And so has General Milton.”
General Milton was already getting out of the second carriage. At the appearance of the two bigwigs, the knights and soldiers naturally became very tense without being told.
‘Lady Loa, whom the Grand Lord is said to cherish more than his own life…!’
‘And General Milton, the Grand Lord’s right-hand man.’
‘The fact that those two have come as representatives… does it mean they consider the envoy from the Plank Kingdom that important?’
‘Rumor has it that Lady Loa handles the internal affairs of the Grand Lord’s territory… and now General Milton, the symbol of the Grand Lord’s military power, is here as well…’
‘Is a war really going to happen? With the Plank Kingdom?’
As the individual and complex thoughts of the knights and soldiers connected as if they were one.
Loa asked the knight in a rather urgent voice.
“So, where are the envoys from the Plank Kingdom? Which inn did you take them to? The ‘Golden Swan’? Or the ‘Moonlight Pond’? Where should I go?”
“Th-That’s…”
The knight became even more nervous in many ways as Loa approached him and spoke.
The reason he was flustered was partly because a beautiful woman had come so close that he could feel her body heat—
But more than that, the problem was where the envoys from the Plank Kingdom were staying.
“The envoys are staying on their ship.”
“……On the ship? They’re staying on the ship they came in?”
“Y-Yes. I offered to take them to an inn, but they refused.”
“What kind of rudeness did you commit…?”
“N-No! I truly treated them with the courtesy befitting an envoy. But the envoys from the Plank Kingdom said…”
“Said what? Don’t hesitate, speak quickly!”
The character of the Grand Lord's daughter, Loa, was famous not only in the Hideon territory but throughout the Jerpan Archipelago.
As a warm, kind, and angelic person.
And she was, in fact.
But that same Loa was raising her voice a little.
The knight hurriedly replied.
“Th-The envoy said! That the King of Plank said, ‘"The Jerpan Archipelago will attack the Plank Kingdom."’!”
“……?”
“So the envoy from Plank considered us an ‘enemy’ as soon as he met us! It didn’t lead to an actual battle, but he drew his sword and seemed ready to attack us at any moment!”
“H-How could that be.”
Loa’s voice trembled.
‘How on earth does the King of Plank know? That my father is trying to attack the Plank Kingdom?’
She suddenly got goosebumps.
‘Is there a spy? No, that’s not it. Even if there were a spy, he couldn’t have delivered the news this quickly. So… the King of Plank just made a prediction without any information.’
It was absurd. No matter how wise one was, it was impossible to reach a conclusion without information.
‘But if the King of Plank actually predicted that we would attack… then how he predicted it is no longer important. What’s important is that the King of Plank is a very terrifying person.’
“But you did offer them a meal, right?”
“Th-That too…”
“You couldn’t even offer them a meal?”
“Yes. We brought them food, but they did not accept it.”
“My goodness…”
To not even accept food.
Are they really considering them complete enemies?
Haaa—.
As Loa sighed, General Milton, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, spoke.
“Lady. Loa. Don’t. Meeting. Is important. First. Worrying. Too much. Ruins. Things.”
General Milton’s speech had been slurred since he was young.
His background was not very good either.
Nevertheless, he was a man who had been active in the military and had risen to the position of general solely on his skill.
“……I should, General. Then please guide us to the ship of the envoys from the Plank Kingdom. I will meet them.”
“Yes, understood!”
The knight immediately guided Loa and General Milton to the inner part of the port.
At the same time, he also let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
‘…Thankfully, it seems the blame won’t fall on me.’
And yet, the knight felt as if his lifespan had been reduced by 10 years.
***
Ronak.
Watching a group of people approaching from the ship at the port, he nodded his head.
‘They’re here.’
“Are you the envoys of the Grand Lord?”
When Ronak shouted from the ship, Loa, who was approaching the ship, replied with a little surprise.
—Y-Yes. Are you the representative of the envoys from the Plank Kingdom?
“That’s right.”
Ronak replied briefly and grabbed a rope hanging from the sail.
And then—.
Zwoooosh—!
He jumped off the ship, holding the rope with one hand. As if on cue, the other pirates also grabbed ropes and jumped off the ship.
“……!!”
Loa was surprised again, as she hadn't expected the envoys from Plank to jump off the ship.
General Milton spoke to Loa.
“My lady. I will. Speak first. They are. From. Probably pirates.”
“……Pirates?”
“Yes. A feeling. That kind of feeling. Pirates have. A pirate’s. Negotiation. Diplomacy. There is such a thing. They are. Showing off. Their strength. …They are actually strong. The pirates of this land. Are no match.”
Milton’s words were slurred, but Loa could fully understand what he was trying to say.
‘They are former pirates, and there’s a pirate way of negotiation or diplomacy. They’re showing off their strength for that… and they’re so strong that even General Milton is tense, and the pirates of the Jerpan Archipelago are no match for them…?’
Why on earth would they send former pirates as envoys?
Loa tried to understand the King of Plank’s intentions, but she had too little information.
‘Let’s listen to what General Milton says first. And gather information in the meantime.’
As Loa was thinking calmly like an intellectual.
The General Milton she had trusted began to do something shocking.
Shing—.
“I am Milton. The Grand Lord’s general. Commander-in-chief of the army. The great general.”
“……?”
“Envoy of Plank. Draw. Your sword. Let’s. Compete. In strength.”
“…General?”
To suddenly draw his sword and start a fight?
Loa was so flustered that she blankly called out to Milton.
Then Milton turned slightly and spoke quietly in a voice only Loa could hear.
“……My lady’s goal. Is to prevent war. Then we must show them. That they are strong. The Plank Kingdom.”
“……”
“The Grand Lord. Is not foolish enough. To attack a strong enemy.”
Hearing those words, Loa could understand.
That General Milton was thinking the same thing as her.
That the only way to stop the Grand Lord from starting a war was to show that the Plank Kingdom was strong.
…Nod.
As Loa nodded her head, General Milton took a stance and approached Ronak.
Watching Milton, Ronak scratched the back of his head and asked.
“General Milton, are you the strongest knight in the Jerpan Archipelago?”
“I don’t know. In the war. Many knights. Died. But. Not once. Have I. Lost.”
“So you are the strongest.”
There seemed to be some dissatisfaction in Ronak’s voice. Whether it was dissatisfaction, disappointment, or curiosity, probably only Ronak knew.
Ronak turned his back and said.
“Rollo— no, Hark. You deal with him.”
“I will.”
As Hark stepped forward with his large greatsword slung over his shoulder.
Milton frowned and asked Ronak.
“Is he. Strong. That man. The strongest?”
“No, Hark is about 4th or 5th among us. In the entire Plank Kingdom, he wouldn’t even rank.”
“……Such. A weak knight. No, pirate. To face me? Do you. Disrespect me?! Me?!”
“I’m not disrespecting you.”
Ronak said, sitting on a random nearby crate.
“If you face me or Rollo, you will die. But I don’t want to kill you. It seems you and that pretty lady don’t want a war.”
“……!”
“My great King is fundamentally a pacifist. He’s the type to protect peace even if it means purging all the nobles at the age of twelve or thirteen, and executing all the criminals.”
Having finished speaking, Ronak waved his hand. He was signaling Hark to begin.
As soon as he saw that, Hark spoke.
Unlike his appearance, the clothes he wore, and the way he held his weapon, Hark’s way of speaking was very ‘gentlemanly.’
“I am Hark, an intermediate knight of the Plank Kingdom’s ‘Bandit Army.’ I will do my best to fight you to protect my proud country and the honor of my King, which is more important than my own heart. As a knight, I also respect your honor.”
“……”
“Then I shall begin.”
Hark, who had been defeated in a single blow in a spar with Jereuth in the past.
He was now facing the general of the Jerpan Archipelago as the representative of the Plank Kingdom.
Before they knew it, a crowd of spectators had gathered at the port.