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Volume 4 Chapter 4 Part 2

When Laura answered, Helga took a brown vial sealed with beeswax from her pocket.

「Are there any precautions for use? 」

「No, it is fine. 」

Laura shook her head, took the vial of medicine, and slipped it into her pocket.

* * *

Returning to his private room, Vilar picked out a stout cuirass from the armor stand laid out in his room and put it on.

Margaret went around the Earl’s back and helped him put the clasp on.

「You do not have to deal with this kind of thing, you know? 」

Vilar casually called out to her while putting on his gauntlets.

「If I can be the last woman to stand by the side of Earl Vilar of Artuk, then it is my long-cherished wish. 」

Margaret answered while checking the condition of his breastplate.

「I just wanted you to be happy.「

Villar looked back at her with a wry smile.

「Do I look unhappy now? 」

Margaret was feeling rather exalted in her heart right now, as if a hot flame burned in her chest.
Overcome by that feeling, she leaned against Vilar.

「I was afraid of love. 」

Villar stared at Margaret and wrapped his arms around her waist.

「I know… 」

Therefore, Vilar could not give his affection to anyone, but he neither ask to receive it.

What the Earl really wanted was the unfailing love of his father and mother, something that he could never have.

「But at this stage, I think I can forgive myself. 」

Vilar muttered as if to make excuses and put his lips on Margaret’s. At that moment, Margaret felt the flames in her chest go all over her body. Now she felt like she could burn the whole world down.

The two exchanged passionate embraces and deep kisses for a while.

「I feel like it was really worth living my life until this moment. 」

Margaret smiled. She felt triumphant knowing that the Earl had finally accepted her love.

「It would have been nice to have something else though… 」

「To me, everything else seems pretty insignificant right now. 」

「That is utterly insane… 」

Villar smiled innocently as if he had been released from a long torment.

「Well, let us go. 」

Vilar called out to Margaret in a tone that sounded like they were going out for a long ride. And from among his weapons, he chose his two-handed sword.

「I will accompany you anywhere, my Lord. 」

Margaret picked up a bottle of oil that was standing by the lamp. The two then left the room and headed for the castle gate.

By that time, the allied forces of Waldrind and Dartania were already surging into the castle.

* * *

August 28, 2013 of the Continental Calendar

Haman’s immoral Queen Edochia was in the middle of a passionate affair with Baron Joachim when she received news from Solas, her Head Mage, that a Nord Fleet was rapidly approaching Artuk. She put o her underwear while her body was still feeling like it was burning up.

Solas reported:

「A fleet of more than a thousand ships. It is riding the tide, coming towards us at full speed. Combat is imminent. 」

「Joachim! 」

Edochia nodded at the engineer who had been laying on her body until just now.
「Understood! 」

Bowing politely, the canon engineer with a fearless body put on only his trousers and went out of the room.

After waiting for him to disappear, Solas put his face close to Edochia’s ear. The Queen of Haman smiled mischievously and put her hand on Solas’ cheek, waiting for a kiss. Solas complied and then whispered to Edochia.

「It seems that this battle has ended up with Artuk’s defeat. Earl Vilar had already made up his mind. 」

「I see. 」

Edochia sighed.

「So Lord Villar’s luck has finally run out, huh? I have been worried since the verdict of the Lord’s Conference came out, but… 」

「This palace’s speed is not enough to escape a Nord longboat. Get into a small boat and escape now. 」

「Together with everyone? 」

Edochia puts her finger to his lips and asked.

「… no. 」

But Solas only shook his head.

「We all consulted and decided to stay here together. We have all loved you equally, so that means that we are going to be equal here as well. 」

「Do not do that! I cannot live without you! 」

Edochia’s complexion changed as she clung onto Solas.

「We ask you to take care of her for us. 」

Saying so, Solas called in the Chamberlain who had been waiting outside the room and send him a signal with his eyes.

「As you wish. 」

The Chamberlain nodded, and delivered a quick blow to Haman’s queen’s neck. Edochia let out a small groan and fell onto the ground, unconscious.

Her chamberlain wrapped a blanket around the queen’s body since she was still in her underwear and held her up, taking her out of the room in the next moment.

「You taught me the joy of immorality… 」

Solas called out to Edochia.

He used to regret the first time he succumbed to her temptations, and was jealous when he found out that she found herself a new lover. But since he understood her passionate love, Solas has enjoyed this life in his own way.

「Now then… 」

Solas then slowly climbed onto the deck of the 「Palace of the Sea」. Now that the Queen was gone, this ship was no longer a palace, but a fortress.

「Advance forward while firing a bombardment! 」

Solas also ordered his crew to tell Artuk’s Head Mage that the ship would serve as a decoy and that Admiral Latua of the Artuk Navy should make the most of it. 「Palace of the Sea」slowly made its way in front of the Artuk’s ships, and then it headed towards the approaching Nord fleet.

「Baron 」 Joachim took aim, and the columns of water after he launched the first barrage of stone bullets rose high and the ill-fated longboat hit by the close shots was overturned by the waves. And when he ran out of cannonballs, Joachim filled the barrel with all his remaining gunpowder.

The palace plunged into the midst of the Nord fleet, and all who were aboard it took up arms and were preparing to attack. Metal bullets and arrows were fired from two heavy crossbows on each side of the palace, and arrows rained down from the bows of the archers lined up on the deck.

But the deadly Nord berserkers attacked the palace like wolves. They threw their grappling hooks and tried to board the ship, killing the archers with their throwing axes.

「Sink the ship! 」

「Burn it with flames! 」

Solas makes full use of his Elemental Magic, stealing the buoyancy of the enemy ships that were alongside the palace, sinking it to the bottom of the sea, and he launched fireballs to blow away the enemy berserkers. But just as he was about to cast a new spell, a throwing axe flew towards him and plunged itself deep into his chest.

Solas bend his body into a dogleg and collapses on the spot. As his consciousness faded, the last thing he remembered was Edochia when she was still a young girl.

(At that time, the princess may not have seduced me, but she may have realized my secret desire and responded to it…)

And that is how Haman’s Head Mage died.

By then, the Nord berserkers were coming onto the deck of the palace one after another. Hand-to-hand combat unfolded all over the ship.

Seeing the situation, Joachim, who was standing by the giant canon, slowly brought the torch in his hand closer to the ignition port.

He dropped out of the Magic Academy in Elam because he lacked the talent to manipulate magic, and was sent to the Gunpowder Guild to become a canon engineer. It means that he was made one with this canon that he made, an object, part of the possessions of anyone under whose peerage he would end up. But then he met Queen of Haman, who asked not for the canon, but for Joachim himself.

(Thanks to that, I can die as a person, not as an object.)

Joachim thought as he lit the gunpowder…

… and in the next moment there was a big explosion.

Along with a loud noise, a pillar of fire rose offshore, and the「Palace of the Sea」 was engulfed in flames and was colored a deep shade of crimson.

By that time, the Artuk Navy was also being swallowed up by the Nord fleet.

「Looks like a losing battle. 」