Divine Kingship

Chapter 607 You're Unworthy

To be honest, being asked to surrender by the Bolen Kingdom's pirate gang was something Rand hadn't anticipated.

Rand envisioned many scenarios.

The most likely scenario is that, running out of ammunition and supplies, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Bolen would present the pirate king's head to the king of the Moon Phase Kingdom and then surrender.

To be honest, in Rand's eyes, this was the most likely scenario, since the Pirate King had decided to escape before the capital of the Kingdom of Bolun was breached.

That must be a weak yet stubborn person.

A person who wants to fight Rand to the end but is too weak to defend the city to the last moment.

As for other possible scenarios, they are either to fight to the bitter end or to continue retreating to preserve the flames and strive to turn the tide one day.

The current situation is the only one that Rand finds difficult to understand.

The fleet of the Kingdom of Bolen charged toward the fleet of Land, but the King of Bolen went to Land and begged to surrender.

Rand stared at the former king of the Kingdom of Bolen, now the "former" Bolen pirate king: "You say you can surrender with the fleet of the Kingdom of Bolen?"

The former king of the Kingdom of Bolen lowered his head, avoiding Rand's gaze, and could only curse inwardly: "Those lowly commoners and foolish nobles who can't see the situation, who don't understand my grand strategy!!!"

When the former king attempted to surrender, he faced opposition from many nobles and soldiers, but he was not without support.

The former king clearly remembered that scene.

A nobleman explained the situation to him: "When the war with the Frostmoon Kingdom began, we retreated; when we were defending the royal city, we retreated. Now, the people of the Moon Phase Kingdom are right in front of us. What's the point of retreating now? And if we surrender, will all our past sacrifices be for nothing?"

Those who surrendered said that the past was the past, and now they were out of ammunition and food, and the enemy still had the terrifying White King as an ally. Although resistance was not impossible, it would inevitably result in heavy losses.

Are they really going to risk their lives for this now seemingly elusive glory and legacy?

Then, the bargaining chip that the former king of the Kingdom of Bolen thought he had was split up. Some fled, some fought to the death, and only a small number were willing to surrender with the king.

However, the former king still said to Rand, "Your Majesty, believe me, I can subdue them again."

Although the former king was still inwardly mocking Rand's arrogant attitude and vowing to teach Rand a lesson one day, he had indeed bowed his head now.

His tone made it impossible to tell that Rand was his father's killer.

Rand was getting a little bored.

Now, perhaps subduing this idiot and making him a target to bear the resentment of his subordinates, while giving him a somewhat respectable title of commanding these fleets, would be a slightly better option.

However, there are still risks involved. For example, if a legitimate member of the Bolen royal family is left behind, what if Rand has other enemies in the future, and they decide to reclaim their kingdom?

Given such risks, Rand would certainly not choose to let this former king go, not to mention that, aside from rational considerations, Rand really looked down on this former king who betrayed his father and ran away.

“You are not worthy,” Rand replied succinctly.

The former king wanted to raise his head before offering further explanation.

But Rand's blade had already pierced through the back of his head and emerged from his mouth.

The last thing he heard was two words spoken by Rand in a low voice: "Mentally challenged."

Bloodstains and brain matter crawled along the blade.

Rand ordered his men to subdue the guards who had come with the former king to surrender to him, and then went outside with the White King to face those who had been persuaded by the former king to surrender, as well as those who had originally intended to surrender.

“Your king attempted to assassinate me and has now been executed. However, I will not hold a grudge against you; I will grant you the normal benefits of surrender.”

Land announced loudly, and the audience fell silent.

Ships were sinking and rising, while the Bolen Kingdom fleet, still charging into battle, had already clashed with Land's fleet.

Even though these fleets only comprised less than a third of the total number of ships, in a desperate battle, they were still not something that Rand's fleet could easily withstand.

Rand frowned as he looked at the battlefield: "I reckon we'll be surrounded soon."

Then Rand looked at Berlan beside him, who was already ready to show his skills: "Let's do it."

Berlan waved his hand.

Huge ice pillars rose from the seabed, blocking the way for several enemy ships that were charging at the forefront.

But these fleet ships were not afraid.

The commander of the remaining forces of the Kingdom of Bolun roared and ordered, "Charge! Smash these ice pillars! Stopping the ship means certain death!"

Rand's fleet is also approaching.

These ships, equipped with the original Greek fire, would unleash high-pressure streams of fire upon approaching, instantly igniting the enemy's wooden ships.

The enemy ships were quickly turned into burning ships.

The enemy's fire ships broke through the ice pillars, damaging the ships, but creating a path for the ships behind them.

The burning fire ships began to sway and sink, and Rand's fleet continued to press on, but the enemy was undaunted.

What followed was the most direct and brutal collision.

Theoretically, Rand's side still has the advantage here, because the ships Rand has deployed this time are all covered with iron plates and equipped with rams.

Although the ships of the allies recruited by Rand did not have such configurations, the fleet at the forefront, which could be used for ramming, naturally had the best configurations.

The metal ram easily crushed the figurehead of the enemy ship.

The high-quality oak hull still put pressure on the structure of our own ships.

The high-speed ships, weighing hundreds of tons each, collided mercilessly.

The multi-layered oak keel groaned in its death throes.

The deck tilted, and the sailors and soldiers on board clung desperately to whatever structure they could reach.

One of our ships had its Greek oil tanks pierced by embedded enemy planks, and the sprayed oil burned and rose on the churning sea.

Then, at this moment, huge ice pillars rose up from the sea again.

They continuously blocked the enemy's ships.

Without the White King's assistance, even if it were only one-third of the rebellious pirate fleet, Rand's forces might not have been able to stop it.

It can only be said that the Pirate King of the Bolen Kingdom really squandered a winning hand.

Even if he plays very well, he may not be able to defeat Rand.

Although the enemy put up a fierce resistance, the war ended in about two days.

Berlan returned to the ship to rest.

Rand looked at Berlan, whose face showed signs of fatigue, and said, "You've worked hard."

"It's much better than when we faced the orcs and the ice phoenix," Berlan said casually.

So this should be the end of it.

Even with Berlan's assistance, it was quite difficult to resist the relentless resistance of the Bolen Kingdom's warships.

Therefore, there was a portion of the Bolen Kingdom's fleet that had fled from the beginning that could not be completely intercepted.

Overall, this Bolen Kingdom pirate crew should no longer be too troublesome an enemy. We can simply use our ever-growing fleet to surround and intercept them, which will also be a good opportunity for those novice sailors and naval soldiers to practice.

"So, the fleets of the White Kingdom and the Moon Phase Kingdom captured by these prisoners are now half ours and half ours?" Berlan asked.

However, a considerable portion of the Bolen Kingdom's fleet surrendered directly because of the former king, making such fleets a substantial asset. "You get seven, I'll take three," Rand disagreed with the 50/50 split.

“No need to be so polite, your people handled most of the work this time,” Berlan said.

“But I can’t afford to maintain that many fleets right now,” Rand said helplessly. “So you should take a larger share to help me maintain them, and I’ll buy more later.”

Berlan blinked: "So you're trying to take advantage of me, huh?... Fine."

Berlan has now essentially decided that Ellie or Ellie's child will be his heir.

Berlan himself also had a clear romantic relationship with Rand.

Therefore, the White Kingdom and the Moon Phase Kingdom are gradually deepening their ties.

Although we're far from being inseparable, helping each other out in this kind of situation is perfectly fine.

Just like how many of the business modules of the White Kingdom were provided by Rand free of charge in their initial stages.

……

Just as Berlan and Rand were discussing the division of the spoils from the Bolen Kingdom's fleet.

Inside the prison of the Champs-Élysées Kingdom.

Ranta and Chad were bored.

"Are they just going to lock us up like this? They're not going to punish us or anything," Lanta said, sounding bored.

Chad chimed in, "They can't possibly sentence us for illegal entry and then send us back home, can they?"

Chad wouldn't normally answer Ranta's pointless questions like that.

But being in prison was so boring. There was nothing to do in prison, so all he could do was chat with Ranta.

The Champs-Élysées Kingdom is unlikely to actually execute the two envoys, but it certainly won't let them go, since they have embarrassed many nobles in the Champs-Élysées Kingdom.

"Do you think we could try to break out of prison?" Lanta asked, looking at the sturdy prison gates.

“This is the most heavily guarded prison in the Champs-Élysées Kingdom, where the most vicious and difficult criminals are imprisoned. I suspect that the guards at the door are likely top-level professionals,” Chad said, indicating that the chances of a successful escape were slim.

They had previously been provided with weapons and equipment by Rand, as well as powerful flying bulls and horses, but they still failed to escape. Now, they have been stripped of all their weapons and equipment and are locked up in prison, where the guards may be top-tier professionals.

Then there would be no chance of escape.

"So we're just going to stay here in jail forever?" Lanta said, expressing how unbearable it was.

Chad said he had to endure Ranta's insane remarks and was even more upset than Ranta was.

In fact, neither Ranta nor Chad were particularly afraid of death. When they sabotaged the potential cooperation between the Champs-Élysées Kingdom and the Bolen Kingdom, they were completely fearless.

But now they're not being allowed to do anything more, they're being locked up in prison, making them feel like they're wasting their time.

The Moon Phase Kingdom is currently in dire need of reconstruction, and there are still many things they need to do.

Just now.

All the prisoners in this prison, which was full of vicious criminals, felt a fleeting murderous intent.

The murderous intent was so fierce yet so fleeting.

It was as if my soul was briefly frozen by the cold of the deepest hell.

Such a brief moment of murderous intent felt like a dream, an illusion.

Ranta and Chad stared at each other intently.

Their combat skills are quite good. Although their professional level is only barely considered that of an advanced professional, their long-term training, study, and life-or-death combat have given them formidable combat abilities.

While the other prisoners were still wondering if everything they had just experienced was a hallucination, Ranta and Chad were already prepared to fight to the death.

The once noisy prison gradually quieted down.

This quietness is not because people are talking less or making fewer sounds.

Rather, it seems that the world is no longer so suitable for transmitting sound.

The light dimmed, even though the torch was still burning and the flames were clearly visible, but the light was perceived as darkening in the mind.

"Tap tap tap." The footsteps, which should not have been clear, were clearly heard by all the prisoners present.

Ranta and Chad decisively abandoned their resistance and began to act just like ordinary prisoners.

The initial vigilance stemmed from alertness.

But the current situation made them clearly realize that this was an enemy that could never be defeated.

Even the nightmares they might have encountered in their dreams were not as terrifying as the appearance of this enemy here.

"Thump." The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

Now it is truly quiet here; all the prisoners have covered their throats to prevent themselves from making any sound.

Therefore, the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground is exceptionally clear, and they can clearly hear that it is the weight of a person.

He is the highest-ranking guard in the prison in theory.

Both Ranta and Chad thought so.

However, throughout the entire ordeal, no sounds of battle could be heard from this prison, which was not very soundproof.

The battle was obviously over in an instant, and the highest-ranking guardian was dealt with before he even had a chance to make a sound.

As for the other prison guards and general staff...

They were like prisoners in jail; they dared not make any sound, dared not even move, and even had to suppress their breathing with all their might.

So as not to disturb this terrifying nightmare with overly obvious breathing sounds.

"Da da da."

The footsteps were approaching.

The figure stood still in front of Ranta and Chad.

Both Ranta and Chad recognized the person in front of them.

Elsa Ambrose was the champion of the "Household Cooking Competition" when it was still called "Household".

Of course, they were also well aware of the other identity of this culinary competition champion.

The high-ranking officials, inspectors, and intelligence officers of the Holy Domain who are in charge of punishment and security.

Because Lanta and Chad were mostly on field assignments, they didn't meet this inspector very often.

However, I had taken this inspector's course during my training, so I wouldn't say I was unfamiliar with him.

But in their minds, Inspector Elsa was a kind person, though her expression was indifferent.

It was completely different from the terror they had just experienced.

Even now, they still find it hard to believe that the terrifying atmosphere just now was caused by their own people, Elsa, the inspector of the Holy Domain forces.

They knew Elsa was powerful, but was she really that powerful?
(End of this chapter)