Around the time the Cherokee Kingdom was experiencing a flood disaster due to the heavy rains.
At the Royal Palace of Lota…
“The sun is shining brightly~♬ The sand is sparkling~♬”
Otto had a leisurely tea time, enjoying the falling leaves in the garden.
"Whooo. The weather is great."
Otto looked up at the sky and breathed the crisp fall air deep into his lungs.
The sky was clear and blue without a single cloud, high and bright.
"You seem to be in a good mood."
"Of course, I am."
Otto smiled in response.“With the weather being this nice, how could I not be in a good mood?"
"I feel the same way."
“Huh?”
Otto couldn't believe his ears when Camille said he was in a good mood.
By nature, Camille was someone who rarely showed his emotions.
Especially, it was extremely rare for him to say he liked something.
If Otto didn't provoke him, his emotional fluctuations were so minimal that many people who didn't know him well had no idea that Camille had a temperamental side.
Given that it was Camille who said he was in a good mood, Otto couldn't help but doubt his ears.
"In a good mood… you say?"
"Is that a problem?"
"It's not that, but even when you're in a good mood, you usually don't say so, do you? As far as I remember, you've never said it before."
"You're mistaken."
“Mistaken as hell.”
Camille let out a small snort of laughter.
"How good do you think my memory is?"
“Haha.”
“A-Are you even laughing?!"
Otto exclaimed in disbelief.
*Shudder*
Otto was so surprised that the hairs on his arms stood up and goosebumps appeared.
"Is it strange for me to laugh?"
“Isn't it strange?”
Otto responded as if questioning whether that was even something worth saying.
"What’s wrong? Is something going on? Are you sick? Did you catch a serious illness? Are you going to die soon?"
"……"
"It’s not something like a terminal illness, is it?"
Camille shook his head in disbelief at Otto’s questions and then responded.
“It's not like that.”
“Then?”
"T-That is."
"…..?"
“Actually.”
Camille hesitated as if he found it difficult to speak, then finally opened his mouth with difficulty.
“I'm getting married.”
“Oh.”
A look of realization and understanding crossed Otto's face.
“Well. You're old enough for that.”
“Aren't you surprised?”
"You were going to get married eventually. I don't see what the big deal is."
Otto took the news of Camille's marriage in stride.
He wasn't particularly surprised because he had already experienced this event several times through games.
“It's no big deal. We should celebrate.
“Thank you.”
“When is it?”
"We decided to have it next spring."
"The timing is good."
Otto smiled.
"Got it. I'll keep that in mind."
"The wedding…"
"You want to keep it simple with just a few close friends?"
“How did you know that?”
“I just know.”
Otto said that, and nodded in understanding.
Just then.
"Your Majesty! We’ve received reports that heavy rain in the Cherokee Kingdom has begun to flood the entire territory!"
A messenger approached and reported.
“I see.”
Upon receiving the report, Otto put down his tea cup and immediately set off.
* * * * Read in GalaxyTranslation10 Website * * * *
* patreon(dot)com/SchattenTranslations *
* IF YOU ARE READING THIS ON A SITE OTHER THAN GALAXYTRANSLATION10, IT'S STOLEN *
Otto immediately led the Lota Kingdom army to the border area with the Cherokee Kingdom.
*Pitter-patter!*
On the other side of the border, torrential rain was pouring down.
The scene was truly surreal.
While the sky over the Lota Kingdom was clear without a single cloud, the sky over the Cherokee Kingdom was covered with dark, ominous clouds.
It was as if the world was divided in two at the border…
*Splash!*
*Splash!* *Swoosh!* *Splash!*
Near the border, massive waves from the Cherokee Kingdom surged violently, but not a single drop of water crossed into the Lota Kingdom.
The embankment that Otto had built up over time.
Designed by dwarves and built with the labor of Cherokee prisoners of war stood firm, protecting the Lota Kingdom from the devastating floodwaters.
In front of the embankment, countless lifeboats and Lota Kingdom soldiers wearing life jackets had set up camp, waiting for Otto’s orders.
"Lota Kingdom troops!"
Otto shouted as he rallied the Lota troops.
"Today, our enemy is not the Cherokee Kingdom troops! Today, we fight against water! Our enemy is Mother Nature itself! We face nature in battle!"
"Waaaaaah!!!"
The soldiers of the Lota Kingdom erupted in a massive cheer.
"From now on, our mission is to enter the Cherokee Kingdom, which is suffering from the great flood, and rescue the people! Combat is not just about killing; saving lives is also combat! Rescue them! And save them! Our mission is to save lives! There are no enemies or allies in this mission! Do you understand?!"
“Yes!!!”
The soldiers of the Lota Kingdom responded to Otto's speech with a roar as powerful as thunder.
A smile appeared on Otto's lips as he saw the soldiers' enthusiastic response.
“May this be a good opportunity.”
"What do you mean by that?"
Camille, who was standing nearby, asked after overhearing Otto's murmured words.
“Oh, that.”
Otto smirked.
“We've always been killing.”
“Huh?"
"Our soldiers. They're always going into battle, killing enemies, and dying themselves."
“Yeah….”
"That's how war is…"
"….?"
"If they're always just killing enemies on the battlefield, don’t you think it would feel different to be saving people instead?"
"…..!"
"I hope our soldiers get to experience that this time. Not just fighting and killing enemies on the battlefield, but also protecting and saving people."
“Y-Your Majesty.”
Camille was truly surprised upon hearing Otto's words.
He was surprised that Otto had such deep thoughts.
"I hope that our soldiers' psychological wounds can be somewhat healed through this opportunity."
Otto was taking the psychological suffering experienced by soldiers very seriously.
This was the same thing that had happened during the battle in Loredin, when he used the Book of Carnage to soothe his soldiers' psyche.
“Anyway, we should go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Otto climbed onto the embankment with Camille and threw a bottle he held toward the Cherokee Kingdom that was now a sea of water.
*Plop*
*Rumble* *Rumble*
Then, a black fleet majestically and overwhelmingly emerged, floating on the water.
“Take command.”
Otto turned to look at Drake.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With that, Drake led the naval personnel he had brought from the Gurling Archipelago aboard the Black Fleet.
At the same time, the Lota Kingdom troops also launched the lifeboats and boarded them.
Thus, the Black Fleet and thousands of lifeboats advanced toward the capital of the flood-ridden Cherokee Kingdom.
The aquatic campaign on land had begun.
* * * * Read in GalaxyTranslation10 Website * * * *
* patreon(dot)com/SchattenTranslations *
* IF YOU ARE READING THIS ON A SITE OTHER THAN GALAXYTRANSLATION10, IT'S STOLEN *
The performance of the Lota Kingdom troops as they entered the Cherokee Kingdom was truly remarkable.
Otto had analyzed the topographical information of the Cherokee Kingdom in advance, so he was aware of which areas were dangerous and which were safe.
So, Otto led the fleet through the flooded areas, extending a hand of rescue to the Cherokees who were stranded in the water.
“T-Thank you!”
"Thank you so much for saving us!"
The Cherokees who were rescued bowed repeatedly to the Iota Kingdom soldiers, expressing their gratitude.
"First, cover yourself with this blanket and have some warm milk."
The Lota Kingdom troops showed kindness to the flood victims, clearly demonstrating that they were not enemies.
The food and medical supplies that Otto had stockpiled in advance were used for the Cherokees.
From then on, Lota's fleet continued to travel through the Cherokee Kingdom, rescuing drowning people and bringing them to safety.
“…We're saving people.”
“Yeah, we're not killers, we're soldiers.”
During the rescue operation, Lota soldiers shed hot tears.
Saving the lives of the Cherokees had relieved them of much of the mental anguish and guilt they had suffered during the war.
Meanwhile, Otto's mind was unexpectedly troubled.
‘It seems that someone always has to die.’
As he gazed out over the flooded landscape of the Cherokee Kingdom, he could do little to alleviate his bitterness.
Every time he saw the bodies floating in the water, he couldn't help but feel guilty.
If he hadn't taken Varuna's Water Pillar, the entire kingdom of Lota would have been submerged…..
“Your Highness is doing the best you can.”
Camille comforted the troubled Otto.
“But at least you're saving the Cherokees in this way.”
"I know that too."
"We can't save everyone."
"Yeah, I guess that's true."
Otto nodded and looked far off to the east.
"Let's head to the capital. We need to capture Kalmar. Only then will this rain stop."
Otto knew very well that this rain would not stop.
The rain would continue to pour for several more weeks, and by then, even the areas that were relatively safe couldn't be guaranteed.
The only way to resolve this situation was for Otto to capture Kalmar and take over the throne.
That way, the territory of the Cherokee Kingdom would be considered part of the Lota Kingdom, and Varuna's Water Pillar would exert its power and the rain would stop.
“Let's go.”
Otto commanded.
“Stop the rain.”
At Otto’s command, the Lota Kingdom's fleet turned its bows toward the east.
Toward the capital where Kalmar was.
* * * * Read in GalaxyTranslation10 Website * * * *
* patreon(dot)com/SchattenTranslations *
* IF YOU ARE READING THIS ON A SITE OTHER THAN GALAXYTRANSLATION10, IT'S STOLEN *
The damage to the Cherokee Kingdom was indeed enormous, but the destruction in the capital was the most severe.
The capital of the Cherokee Kingdom was located in a basin geographically, and there was a river flowing near the capital.
Of course, the Cherokee people were not fools, and they were relatively well-prepared for flood damage.
They were so thoroughly prepared for even the heaviest rains that there had not been a single issue in over 200 years.
But this time was different.
This time, the rain seemed as if the sky itself had opened up, pouring down with unprecedented intensity and quantity.
As a result, the river overflowed, and water spilled over the levees into the basin-shaped capital, which became submerged.
Kalmar was powerless to do anything.
The soldiers they'd trained for the invasion of Lota?
In the face of this massive flood, there was nothing they could do.
No matter how strong the military force, it was impossible to deal with this immense flood without proper preparation.
The current state of the Cherokee Kingdom military was as follows
Are there life jackets? NO.
Are they familiar with the water? NO.
Are there any boats? NO.
Are they good swimmers? NO.
Unprepared for anything, the Cherokee army was no different from the common people.
In a landlocked Kingdom with only a few dozen fishing boats on the river, it was more surprising if there were any means to respond to such a massive flood.
“Aaah… Aaaaah….”
Kalmar, standing on the spire, looked down at the submerged capital and wept bitterly.
Now, the Cherokee Kingdom was essentially as good as destroyed.
The entire capital was submerged, and countless people drowned.
If the capital is in this state, it's clear what the situation must be like in other regions.
Kalmar sat there blankly, not eating or drinking, for several days while the rain fell.
Regretting accusing Sullivan of being a spy was one thing, but what tormented Kalmar the most was his fear of the future.
He was at a loss as to what to do next.
Not only could he not think of a way to handle the situation, but he also felt overwhelmed by the prospect of the recovery work that would need to be done once the rain stopped.
Just a few days ago, a Kingdom that was building up its military strength to conquer the Lota Kingdom suddenly collapsed overnight.
Now, as the King of a fallen Kingdom, Kalmar would have to face a harsh and difficult life.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Then.
“L-Look over there!”
A subordinate shouted, pointing to the submerged capital below.
Kalmar looked in the direction pointed out by the official with his eyes that looked like the eyes of a dead fish, and then doubted his own eyes.
‘What the…?'
A Black Fleet.
Massive black warships were approaching the royal palace, leading thousands of lifeboats.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Dead fish Eye (Ref for you guys to know what it looks like)
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter