The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Chapter 191
Pirate (1)
“Puhhhhh.”
Marquis Nocturne, the commander-in-chief of Madra, let out a hollow laugh.
At first glance, it looks like a mad cow.
A knight under his command approached and asked the reason.
“Your Majesty, is something good happening?”
“Hehe, good job? Oh, would you like to take a look too?”
“Yes? What are you talking about?”
The Marquis silently handed over what he was holding to the knight in response to the question.
Then the knight carefully took it and began to examine it.
“… … This is.”
“This is a reply from Esteban.”
“… … .”
The knight’s eyebrows furrowed greatly.
That’s because the content wasn’t funny at all.
[Stop being a jerk and send the military if you want.]
A sentence that seems rude and even arrogant.
But there was so much meaning packed into that one-line reply.
“Does this mean that you are prepared for war to break out?”
“Well? I guess only they know that.”
The commander-in-chief continued speaking with a smile on his lips.
“It could be a hedgehog counting down the days, or it could be a beast waiting for its prey to be caught.”
“Pretense and composure… … but they actually appeared to be preparing for war with the Federal Empire.”
“So, isn’t that why you used the hedgehog as an example?”
The act of showing the enemy that one had thorns and threatening them was not something that could be dismissed as mere bluff.
It’s more of a warning.
No matter how strong a beast is, if it tries to devour a hedgehog, it will be the ones who suffer.
“Even so, in the end, it is nothing more than a threat.”
The Marquis of Nocturne raised the corners of his lips, a refined murderous intent flashing through his eyes.
Even if you wound the enemy, you cannot avoid being crushed by their teeth, and this would leave a huge scar in the face of a war with the loser known as the Federal Empire.
Then what if, on the contrary, they are beasts waiting for this situation?
That wasn’t a problem either.
Because they were not ordinary prey, but hedgehogs with their spines raised.
“Even if you know you’re prey, you can’t help but get hurt, and with that recklessness, it’s almost as if it’s already been decided.”
The commander-in-chief’s eyes captured the entire scene in his field of vision.
Twenty battleships cutting through the waves.
Powered by magic, they advanced through the battlefield faster than the wind, and above them were the elite troops of the Federation Empire, including the soldiers of Madra, with their blades raised.
……okay.
“This is what it means to be in a war that you know about but can’t stop.”
A surprise attack force of ten thousand troops.
Those thorns will tear the flesh to pieces in their mouths.
The Marquis of Nocturne couldn’t wait for that moment.
* * *
I called in the Knights of the Sun that I had deployed to the northern occupied territory.
All of them, without a single exception.
Could that be why? Vice-Chief Roder’s expression was filled with indifferent tension.
“All of the Knights of the Sun, including the new Lord Calver, have come running at the call of His Majesty the King.”
“You arrived at just the right time.”
The news that the Knights of the Sun, who were active at the forefront, were moving was tantamount to warning that war would soon break out.
Moreover, they also knew about the letter sent from Madra.
After all, news about him had already spread throughout the country.
If so, that means the next goal is the war with Madra.
But the reason he pretended to be indifferent during that time was probably because he didn’t want to show me that he was nervous.
“Although it is late, I sincerely congratulate you on your ascension to the throne. Please forgive my disloyalty for not being able to meet you sooner due to my continued mission.”
“Okay.”
I waved my hand in annoyance and cut off Roder from speaking.
I was the one who deployed the Sun Knights there in the first place, so what kind of disloyalty is that?
At least for me, the safety of the North was more important than a grand coronation ceremony.
“First, listen to the situation in the North. Report the situation.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Roder took out the map of the North he had prepared and placed it on the desk.
The place that used to be filled with an ashen color, signifying unexplored territory, was now painted in a variety of colors, as if it had been fully explored.
“I haven’t been able to hear any detailed news, but from what I can see, the war between the Federation and the barbarians seems to be nearing an end.”
“To be exact, it would be that we have reached a lull.”
“Yes.”
There are still large and small battles taking place in the northern border areas of the Federation Empire. However, unlike before, it is not at the level that can be called a war.
Not only was the famine that had swept through the lands of the barbarians subsiding, but the sacrifices of the warriors were also considerable, which led to their passiveness.
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“The Federation Empire is also now provoking them. It seems as if they are preparing for war with Esteban, but it also seems that they have realized that it will be unprofitable.”
“But are you saying that the barbarian forces are still concentrated in that direction?”
“For now, they are probably focused on the forces of the Federal Empire. It seems that the North will not be threatened for the time being.”
“I see.”
For them, not only was Esteban occupying their land a concern, but the forces of the Federal Empire were also a concern.
However, unlike Esteban, who had stopped his advance, he was still at war with the Federal Empire. So he had no choice but to concentrate his forces there.
‘Thanks to that, the Sun Knights can move freely like this.’
The operation to exhaust the power of both the Federation Empire and the barbarians was successful.
For once, with the North acquired, the biggest obstacle was removed.
‘Besides, there is no threat of being attacked from the rear during war.’
There was no way that the barbarians, who had no contact with the continent, could have known that Esteban and the Federal Empire were at war.
Well, it doesn’t really matter if someone leaks the information.
Because the war between the Federal Empire and the barbarians is not yet completely over.
‘From their perspective, it might seem like a diversionary tactic.’
It means that they have brains, so they won’t go after Esteban while ignoring the threat from the Federal Empire.
At least for the next few years, we will be free from barbarian raids, and by then the war between the Federation Empire and Esteban will have ended.
It has reached a level where we can be confident that it is literally a ‘perfect’ success.
“Then I guess I have to take care of this.”
I said to Roder, who was biting his lips invisibly.
“As expected, Madra has officially declared war.”
“I heard that they stumbled upon an ancient magic formula.”
“okay.”
“But it is hard to believe that he did this alone, especially when he had to march a long distance… … .”
“Of course, the backing is the Federal Empire.”
“her.”
Roder’s eyes opened wide.
It was not yet openly known that Madra was under the command of the Federal Empire.
So it was understandable why Roder was surprised.
“… … Then it would open the way for the Federal Empire to advance quickly. We should also consider the possibility of their military joining in.”
“Yes. That’s why I ordered the troops to move to the eastern border.”
“Yes, because that’s where the enemy will arrive.”
“But the concentration of troops in the East was a smokescreen.”
“……yes?”
What the heck is that smokescreen?
Roder asked, recalling the meaning of the smokescreen operation he knew.
“I am sorry, but may I ask Your Majesty what you think?”
“The troops gathered in the East are a device to induce their carelessness, and the war will be led only by the Knights of the Sun.”
“Th, what is that… … .”
“From now on, the Knights of the Sun will become pirates.”
“… … !”
Indeed, the look of confusion is evident.
But it would be easier to show you than to explain in words.
Wooooow!
At that moment, the long-awaited message arrived. The sender was… George, who had been left behind in the archipelago.
Swish-
“Speak.”
-They’ll start to approach the coast of Esteban soon.
“As expected, it seems he was heading here even before sending the letter.”
– I guess so, given the timing. There’s nothing quite like an effective surprise attack.
“Okay, just wait a moment.”
And Roder quickly joined in the conversation, seemingly not understanding the situation.
“what?”
“The coast… Are you saying that the enemy has already arrived?”
“That’s correct.”
“Why didn’t I find it… … Ah!”
Coasts and raids. And even the pirates I mentioned earlier.
Roder noticed the context of those words and stood up with his eyes wide open.
“Are you saying that Madra’s army is coming by sea?”
“Actually, it should have already arrived. The Federal Empire has kept it a secret.”
“This can’t be happening!”
Roderick shuddered.
At least it wasn’t because of the news that they were already within reach.
It was because I fully understood that the move to concentrate troops in the east was just a smokescreen.
“That, that means… … .”
“It means that everything has already been prepared.”
I disconnected the call and slowly stood up from my seat.
“Should we start pirating in earnest?”
The eyes were those of a beast waiting for its prey.
* * *
Choaaaah-!
The ship sailing through the sea was as fast as if it had a tailwind.
The Marquis of Nocturne liked it.
“Even the wind is helping us. How much longer until we land in Esteban?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It takes about two days.”
“Haha! They probably have no idea that an army will come from the sea.”
I didn’t see a single one of their patrol ships on my way here.
Was it just a silk patrol ship? Rather, I didn’t see even a single small vessel like a fishing boat.
It was partly because the Federation Empire controlled departures, but also because this was a pirate territory.
That is to say, there was no one who knew they were there.
“You wouldn’t be able to find it unless you had eyes on the sea. Surveillance magic wouldn’t be able to reach here because of the sea fog.”
“Yes.”
Moreover, according to incoming intelligence, their forces are concentrated in the east.
With this level of momentum, it was clear that they would be able to easily destroy the entire South.
“Kuuuuu. It’s been a while since I’ve had some real fun.”
Phew!
Ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki!
“Huh!”
“Suddenly the wind… … !”
At that moment, a strong headwind blew and the sails, which had been spread wide, began to tilt abnormally.
At the same time, ominous sounds continued to ring out from the ship.
It was the sound of a tree breaking.
The Marquis, sensing something strange, stood up from his chair and shouted.
“What’s going on!”
“Hey, the wind is blowing!”
“Wind? What kind of wind can blow so hard?”
“That, that… … .”
“It’s so frustrating! Why don’t you just hoist the sails and inspect the hull?”
The Marquis narrowed his eyes and gave an order as he stepped out of the cabin.
But what caught the Marquis’ eyes were the black clouds gathering in the distance.
“Tae, typhoon!”
How can the weather, which had been fine until now, change so suddenly?
Even though the weather on the sea is very changeable, it was a strange thing.
Besides, no matter how you look at it, it wasn’t something that could be overlooked.
“Contact your home country first! We’ve encountered a typhoon!”
“Oh, I understand!”
Despite such urgent cries, the typhoon showed no signs of abating.
And it was coming closer and closer, targeting the ships at every moment.
As if to say that my purpose is to devour them.
“Damn it… … !”
The typhoon that finally arrived swallowed up twenty ships.
