After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

However, among the wooden sailing warships, there were also several [metal warships] that were also powered by steam and whose cannons were still faintly visible.

The pirates of Alessar—a formidable foe on the Issugard sea route, a rising pirate nation in the southern island group.

The "swarm of fish" beneath the pirate ship are a bloodthirsty alien race. Unlike the sirens or mermaids of Ysgard, these creatures are more like a hybrid of lizards, humans, and fish. They are not highly intelligent, but their numbers are vast. They lurk in the water, and a moment's carelessness could lead to them climbing onto the ship and wreaking havoc.

Upon seeing this situation, the commander of Ysgard broke out in a cold sweat.

Merchant ships laden with cargo could not be abandoned. They were already slow, and if they were abandoned, not to mention what would happen to the goods and supplies on board, the people on board would certainly die.

However, in direct combat, merchant ships are severely lacking in firepower—they are merchant ships, how could they possibly be equipped with warship-level weapons?!

Are we to pin our hopes on [Shizhui] and [Yingmu]?

The commander gritted his teeth and ordered the flag bearer to wave the flag. As the order was relayed, the [Shizhui] and two old ironclad ships broke away from the fleet and began to try to seize the T-series ships in order to project more firepower at the pirate fleet.

Meanwhile, on the [Eagle Mother], the griffins being raised are being fitted with saddles by the operator.

One after another, griffin riders, each carrying a strap filled with glass bottles of flammable oily liquid in one hand and a crossbow in the other, mounted their mounts. Once fully prepared, they immediately took off as instructed, forming an aerial mobile squadron of 40 griffin riders in less than two minutes.

The oil-filled Molotov cocktails they carried posed a significant threat to wooden ships, but to the metal warships of the Alessand pirates, they were nothing more than tickles.

"Have the [Shizhui] and the ironclad ships focus on dealing with the pirates' ironclads! Have the air mobile squadron focus on dealing with the wooden ships, and have the sailors prepare for hand-to-hand combat and boarding—Lady Nia?! It's dangerous here now, please go back!"

The commander roared out his orders, and just as he gave the order for the sailors to prepare for hand-to-hand combat, a black-haired woman with horns on her head and a dragon tail swung behind her walked out of the cabin.

The dark-haired woman, known as Nia, stared intently at Alesser's pirate fleet, then turned to the commander and said:

"You are the commander here, and you understand the rules of naval warfare better than I do—transform into a dragon and give me your orders."

"But Lady Nia?! If something happens to you, not only the research institute, but even the President will—"

“No buts, if you lose, I’ll die too. Let’s do this—the Black Dragon can’t freeze the sea like the Ice Dragon, but we can melt the hull of one of the metal warships with our dragonfire a maximum of three times a day, rendering one silent… that should be fine.”

After saying that, Nia leaped off the deck and transformed into a huge black dragon in mid-air with a beam of black light.

The black dragon flapped its wings and roared as it soared into the sky. In that instant, illuminated by flares, the pirates raised the blood flag.

This means a fight to the death, with only one side able to leave this sea area alive. It will be a bloody battle that will not accept any surrenderers.

Only the [Schcuz] and the Black Dragon Nia, equipped with 150mm experimental cannons, could pose a threat to the pirates' metal warships, while the pirates only had a few metal warships that could pose a threat to the ironclad ships.

The key to this naval battle was who could sink the other's metal warship first.

Griffin riders roared as they swooped down above the wooden warships, hurling Molotov cocktails and crossbow bolts. The pirates, not to be outdone, retaliated with javelins and harpoons hurled at high angles from their crossbows.

On the Issugard fleet's side, sailors wielding swords, bows, crossbows, and even muzzle-loading guns and new rifles are fiercely fighting against the lizardmen in the sea.

Every now and then, wooden warships approaching the Ysgard fleet would burn and sink; every now and then, griffin riders would be struck by javelins and harpoons and die at sea; and every now and then, the corpses of sailors or lizardmen would be thrown into the sea.

In the distance, the T-shaped [Shizhui] is bombarding the Alessar pirates' metal warships with maximum firepower, while two old ironclad ships without new cannons act as its shields to block enemy shells.

Nia the Black Dragon was constantly searching for an opportunity to dive down from high in the sky—she could only unleash her dragonfire three times a day, and the combined force of those three bursts could only sink one ironclad warship at most. She couldn't waste it; she had to find the most suitable enemy, sink the most threatening enemy warship, or perhaps, by sheer luck, sink two directly.

But who exactly? Which direction should they dive towards? Nia was extremely anxious, and just then, the magician's flare failed.

The sea was plunged into darkness, and the pirates on the metal warships were thrown into chaos, but for Black Dragon, who possessed night vision, this was an opportunity!

"Die! You damned pirate!"

The black dragon roared and swooped down under the cover of night. Her throat was crimson from the accumulated flames, making her veins bulge. She took a deep breath and hovered above one of the largest-looking ironclad warships, flapping her wings.

It was at this moment that a volley from [Shizhui] struck the bridge of another metal warship. Amidst the pirates' wails and howls, Nia unleashed a torrent of flames she had been holding back—and in that instant, her eyes caught sight of a giant scorpion crossbow on the other metal warship aimed at her.

Hey!

Nia cursed inwardly.

After the flames erupted and the firelight illuminated the giant crossbow, it was discovered that several barbed javelins, each as thick as an adult's calf, were still embedded in it.

She cursed again.

With a whooshing sound, the metal warship below was burned into molten scrap metal, and the javelin pierced Nia's body.

The naval battle continues.

As yet another flare was launched, even the elven rangers along the coast of the continent of Elusia could see the sun flashing intermittently on the distant sea.

"Report this to the great Fen immediately!" shouted the elf leading the group. "Then the rest of you, follow me to the coast to build an observation post—this isn't Roman Empire territory, and we elves have the right to investigate this anomaly!"

"Yes—but great-grandfather, shall we walk back, or—"

"Idiot! Use magic! It's bad enough that we have a fool in our family who prefers javelins to longbows, but now he's even forgotten magic?!"

“Great-grandfather, you’ve forgotten, I only know earth magic, one of the four great magics.”

The younger elf shrugged, while his handsome great-grandfather, exasperated by his good-for-nothing great-grandson, pulled out a scroll: "Isn't it because you always like to bury yourself in the ground playing some kind of 'lurking' game?! You idiot, you idiot! Hurry up! I'll take the men over first, we can't let Roman's barbarians beat us to it."

"Yes!"

The javelin-wielding elf used the magic on the scroll to inform the ranger master of the Hanging Gardens, Fingel, of the strange phenomenon on the sea.

Upon receiving the news, the master of the Hanging Gardens of Fingel immediately informed Fingel's handmaid, Chinna, hoping that this loyal servant could quickly relay the message to the great Fingel so that the next course of action could be confirmed.

Qinna accepted her new job. After quietly opening the conference room door, she heard Finn's slightly cheerful voice from inside:

"Then, are you willing to pay the price for this important matter of rescuing the young queen and the chief justice by becoming the regent of Gaparia?"

...It seems that we've reached a critical juncture here.

Chapter Twelve: How about you hand over your regentship to me? (Part 2)

"Then, are you willing to pay the price for this important matter of rescuing the young queen and the chief justice by becoming the regent of Gaparia?"

Faced with the deal proposed by Finn of the Elf Kingdom, Yang Hao remained neither impulsive nor blinded by the tragedy of the little queen. After all, this was a deal personally proposed by a queen who required careful consideration, and one of the terms of the deal was that he would become the regent of the Elf Kingdom?

...This requires calm consideration. We can't let the little empress escape the tiger's den only to fall into the wolf's lair—although this wolf's lair is much better than the tiger's den, Yang Hao still needs to understand the whole picture of this deal.

He simply closed his eyes and stared into the darkness for a long while before calmly saying:

"...Thank you, Finn, for the intelligence and the deal. But I need to know the whole story—what does the Elven Kingdom need me to do in the name of Regent? Why does the Elven Kingdom want to do this? When will you send someone to rescue the Little Queen and the Chief Justice? And most importantly... what do you plan to do with them after you rescue them?"

Transactions, especially those involving a particular person, require a thorough understanding of every single detail.

This matter not only involves the little empress that Yang Hao has been longing for, but also his lifelong psychological trauma—the matter of becoming regent again.

He needed to figure out what he needed to do, what level he needed to reach, and how the little queen would be treated after being rescued—at least these three things he needed to understand.

As for the Elf Queen, she needed to explain everything.

Therefore, she first turned to look at Qinna, and after Qinna whispered a few words in her ear to report the situation on the coast, she felt an even greater sense of urgency: something big had happened on the sea, and it was certain that it would be related to the elves in the future.

In other words, Regent, the elves must be captured.

She glanced at the purple-clad princess beside Yang Hao, and upon noticing the princess's wary gaze, she gave a harmless smile:

"So, where shall we begin? Ah—let's start with the treatment the little empress received after she was rescued."

Elves are a race that doesn't lie; at most, they might conceal something.

In the present case, Fen naturally did not present any lies.

How will the Queen be rescued? After the little Queen is rescued, how will they be treated in the Elf Kingdom? What kind of magic will be used to heal the little Queen's tongue and restore her freedom? Will she have permanent residency in the Elf Kingdom if she wants to live there? Will the Elf Kingdom provide political support if she wants to return to the Roman Empire?

and many more.

Fen recounted the little empress's treatment in a clear and gentle tone. Visibly, the seriousness on the man's face eased slightly. Although the wariness in his eyes didn't diminish, at least his gaze softened somewhat.

Even the rough hand holding the nun loosened its grip slightly—ah, I wonder what it feels like to have such a rough hand rubbing against my skin?

After a moment, Fen took a sip of freshly squeezed, sweet and sour juice and cleared her throat:

"As for the price you will have to pay in our country... it will naturally be to assume the position of Regent of Gaparia and lead us in reforms."

"...reform?"

Seemingly touched a sore spot, a twist of emotion flashed across the man's face. Of course, Finn understood—after all, this man had fallen into such a predicament precisely because he had been betrayed by the people who had benefited from the reforms. But Finn didn't blame him. After all, any ruler in his former position, as long as he had a brain, would surely have gone mad to improve his country's strength after seeing the ironclad warships of the great power across the sea.

He chose the latter of three options: immediate death, slow suicide, or gambling everything for a chance to survive—but the ignorant barbarian could not comprehend his thoughts. The elves, however, could.

But now... we still have to consider it from his perspective.

Thinking about it carefully, His Majesty the Regent has become the target of public criticism because of the reforms he had to carry out. If it were in the past, he might have just gritted his teeth and endured it in a way that was all.

After his previous failure, and now that he has a partner, he will inevitably consider his partner's feelings and be unwilling to take risks. After all, this is only natural, so Fen understands perfectly.

But in other words...

If the risks he faces can be completely eliminated, wouldn't that mean he has no choice but to accept it, even if he doesn't want to?

Finn chuckled twice and unleashed two swift straight punches:

"Yes, reform—I'll discuss the details once you've accepted them. Let's first talk about the conditions for the reform."

It's very simple. After the reforms failed, all responsibility fell on [Fen].

Even if you fail, you, as the Regent, will not be resented by Gaparia, for it was Finn who chose you to be Regent. This is Finn's responsibility for not allowing others to be present, thus dragging down the entire nation. I will not allow my subjects or friends to bear this humiliation and pain; please understand.

Although Fen wouldn't dare say she knew Yang Hao very well, based on what the ancient trees of the Elf Forest had seen during this time, he was a man with the necessary abilities, but whose emotional intelligence wasn't actually that high.

The man was terrified of becoming the target of public criticism and implicating the nun he cherished like his own heart. So Finn said that in Finn's name, he would not be bothered by anything after the failure of the reform, and naturally, he would not be persecuted.

While this might be considered mere empty talk among humans, it is a definite fact for elves who value promises and for the reputation they have built over thousands of years.

The elf will not hold any grudge against him for the failure of the reform; at most, he may resent Finn—this is Finn's first direct punch.

"And after the reforms are successful, the praise of the bards, the acclaim and celebration of our people, and the honor of the entire kingdom will all be yours to receive."

Needless to say. If you accept our request and become the Regent of Gaparia, bringing about reforms for us, then naturally you will be the core of those reforms. You are the heart of these reforms; without you, there would be no reforms, and no subsequent success—those accolades are rightfully yours, and you should accept them no matter how humble you are. On the contrary, we will be the ones worrying about how to give you appropriate compensation.”

Similarly, although Fen doesn't really know much about Yang Hao, and even though she's only getting to know him now with the intention of "learning more about him later," Fen still understands that besides pursuing wealth, what's even more important for humans is naturally pursuing power, fame, stability, and happiness.

Leaving aside the last one for now, since happiness can only be achieved on the foundation of one of the first four. But frankly speaking, as long as Yang Hao can complete the reform of the Elf Kingdom, wouldn't the first four be easy things for him to obtain?

[Wealth] – Once His Majesty the Regent completes the reforms, he can freely spend and designate the wealth of the Elf Kingdom. To be honest, for a young girl like Finn, ruling the entire Elf Kingdom alone is too tiring. If His Majesty the Regent intends to do so, then becoming the Elf Finn after the reforms wouldn't be a problem... naturally, he would possess the wealth of the entire kingdom.

[Power] – Once he accepts this position, Fin will immediately issue a public notice throughout the Elven Kingdom the very next day, demanding the cooperation of the citizens in carrying out the reforms. She will handle things in the council, and although the old elves are stubborn, they ultimately yearn for change, so they naturally won't hinder His Majesty the Regent's work, unless there are truly pressing issues for them... Naturally, he will have power from the moment he takes office.

[Reputation] – Needless to say, once the reforms succeed, the elves will erect a statue in his honor, build a memorial hall in his name, and name the magnificent land after him. The elves are not like those ungrateful barbarians of the Roman Empire; great men should be commemorated and praised even thousands of years later – this is a well-deserved [honor].

As for "stability"...

...To be honest, if the elves don't reform and can't withstand this diocese invasion and the next demonic calamity, then His Majesty the Regent probably won't be able to find a place to live peacefully anywhere except overseas.

Unless it is truly as the prophecy says...

The underground kingdom of brothers will one day rise again, otherwise...