Let the Whales Fight, This Shrimp is Leaving! - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 19
The Valleon Strait was a narrow waterway in the northern part of the continent that flowed from an inland river, passing through the Plene Grand Duchy and the Kingdom of Cordi in turn.
If pirates had been causing chaos in the Valleon Strait, the Plene Grand Duchy would have certainly suffered damage as well.
“The Plene Grand Duchy has not experienced any trade disruptions so far.”
“Of least surprise. Those pirate ships only targeted the merchant vessels of our Adorif Empire.”
“So it was a deliberate assault disguised as a pirate raid?”
“Yes.”
Just in case, they had launched a ship bearing the flag of the Plene Grand Duchy, and it reportedly returned unscathed.
Upon learning the truth, Drabion II, the Emperor of the Adorif Empire, was naturally furious.
‘They had to deal with it somehow.’
The Adorif Empire was a nation that amassed wealth by exporting various resources produced across its vast inland territories.
Trade played the most decisive role in their rise to prosperity and power.
‘But due to its inland geography, the Adorif Empire has few ports.’
The Empire relied on the Valleon Strait for nearly all its trade.
And that strait flowed past the Plene Grand Duchy and the Kingdom of Cordi before reaching the open sea.
When Cordi, which occupied the edge of the strait, deliberately blocked the waterway, the Adorif Empire naturally suffered the most damage.
If Joaquin Perez had indeed been plundering the Adorif Empire’s trade ships under the guise of piracy, his intention was obvious.
‘He wants war.’
It was a ploy to provoke the furious enemy into marching their troops across the border first.
And he probably seized plenty of iron ore, a key trade good, as a bonus.
“These blood-sucking mosquitoes.”
“……Pardon?”
Once the full context became clear, tension gripped the back of my neck.
I had almost been dragged into a war between Cordi and Adorif before I could even try to summon the Demon.
I glared at Glay Holdin as if he were the object of my vengeance, pressuring him to continue.
Sensing the shift in my mood, he quickly opened his mouth without any resistance.
“An order was issued to find the mastermind behind the incidents and eliminate them if possible.”
“But when you checked, you found Joaquin Perez was the cause.”
“It was all a trap.”
Everything was a scheme engineered by the 3rd Prince, Joaquin.
The 3rd Prince of the Cordi Kingdom, Joaquin Perez.
He was a cruel man with a naturally bellicose disposition and an intense lust for power.
‘It’s exactly the kind of thing that bastard would pull.’
Despicable wretch.
If he had succeeded in eliminating Deyan Boislav Nemanic, the Adorif Empire would not have sat idly by.
Conversely, what if Deyan Boislav Nemanic had eliminated Joaquin Perez?
Cordi would have risen up in arms just the same.
Either way, it was more than enough to serve as a pretext for war.
“And you walked right into it, Sir Holdin.”
“Indeed. Though we barely managed to escape……”
“……Should I just kill you right now?”
“Pardon?”
“I briefly considered killing you, Sir Holdin.”
When I offered a bright smile and spoke honestly, Glay Holdin began to hiccup.
It seemed my sincerity had been conveyed with absolute clarity.
“What exactly did you see?”
* * *
The salty air unique to the seaside clung oppressively to the skin.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. Absolutely certain.”
The ships plundered by the pirates were docked at a port in Cordi.
Proudly flying the flag of the Cordi Kingdom.
“……It wasn’t plunder; it was a seizure.”
Furthermore, the stolen goods had simply been moved into different crates, half of them traded normally, while resources like iron ore headed straight for the Capital.
The reason was obvious.
‘Do they intend to manufacture weapons?’
Deyan Boislav Nemanic laid out all the circumstances he had witnessed so far and carefully pieced them together.
The 3rd Prince of Cordi, Joaquin Perez, wanted war.
Whether this was entirely his own rogue initiative or a national decision remained unknown.
Regardless, he was trying to create an excuse for conflict.
‘He’s testing our patience.’
The Emperor’s patience had reached its limit due to the continuous plundering in the Valleon Strait.
For the past year, they had attempted to trade through other methods, such as utilizing long land routes or paying high fees to the Agavni United States, but they were now running out of options.
An inexplicable drought had struck the Adorif Empire.
A full season had already passed.
With the scorching summer approaching, the damage from the drought would only worsen.
Far from exporting, they might have to endure a massive Great Famine.
If trade was disrupted amidst such circumstances, the Adorif Empire would undoubtedly suffer a devastating blow.
‘It feels as though the entire stage was deliberately set.’
But what human could possibly control natural disasters at will?
Deyan Boislav Nemanic suddenly wondered if all of this was because of him.
Because he had formed a Contract with a Demon and claimed to be the guardian of the Adorif Empire.
Because he wore the mantle of a hero while taking countless lives.
Perhaps a god, finding his conduct deplorable, was trying to place the laurel wreath of victory upon Joaquin Perez……
“My Lord!”
It was right when Deyan Boislav Nemanic was trapped in those thoughts.
Noticing that his master was needlessly digging his own grave in despair, Glay Holdin shook his broad shoulders ruthlessly, making a fuss.
“What shall we do now? Do we kill him? Joaquin Perez? He is a prince of the kingdom. It will turn into a diplomatic nightmare.”
“…….”
Deyan Boislav Nemanic brushed off his noisy subordinate as if flicking away an annoying insect and turned around.
His subordinates, brought along as a small elite force, knelt low as if awaiting his command.
“We withdraw.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Understood.”
The Emperor’s command had been to ‘eliminate them if possible.’
And Deyan Boislav Nemanic judged the current situation as ‘impossible to handle.’
It felt wiser to leave the decision on how to respond to the Emperor.
In truth, he instinctively knew that war would break out regardless, but his desire to delay it as much as possible was greater.
With that, Deyan Boislav Nemanic and his men quickly erased their tracks and departed.
However, it seemed that what was meant to happen would inevitably occur, as a problem arose while they were escaping the city.
Their forged identification tokens were exposed.
Deyan Boislav Nemanic and his men had posed as mercenaries returning from escorting a merchant group, but they failed the inspection.
Moreover, as if they had been lying in wait, Joaquin Perez’s elite forces ambushed them.
“Apprehend these men at once!”
“Scatter! Do not get captured, just survive!”
Only then did Deyan Boislav Nemanic realize.
That all of this was a trap.
Though he had no idea how, Joaquin Perez knew about the drought gripping the Adorif Empire.
Like a coiled serpent, he had surely held his breath, waiting for the perfect moment to bare his venomous fangs.
“I have been waiting for the exact moment to slit your throat. I never liked you, but I have despised you even more for the past two years.”
“My thanks. I am not particularly fond of men either.”
“Wasn’t banter usually the job of that chatterbox adjutant who sticks to your side?”
“I learned. I can’t rely on him forever.”
“Is that so? It’s nice to see you striving for self-improvement.”
Deyan Boislav Nemanic was nothing more than prey that had walked neatly into his snare.
“M-My Lord. Look at that!”
“I know.”
“That is a Holy Artifact!”
“I know.”
Joaquin Perez.
How exactly did he find out, and just how much did he know?
* * *
“No matter how much they concealed their identities, there is no way we wouldn’t recognize his elite forces.”
Deyan Boislav Nemanic had tried to retreat while minimizing casualties until the very end, but Joaquin Perez pursued him relentlessly, ultimately inflicting a fatal wound.
“Fortunately, once we somehow crossed the border, they ceased their pursuit.”
“They likely didn’t want me to discover them.”
At the border of the Plene Grand Duchy, there were elite forces stationed under an agreement between both nations.
Causing an unnecessary ruckus would have surely alerted the elite forces to Cordi’s border transgression, so they must have withdrawn for the time being.
‘They will try to enter through another method.’
I had a premonition that something troublesome was brewing.
“Everything after that is as you know, My Lady.”
They had scattered for an effective escape, but Deyan Boislav Nemanic lost consciousness in the forest due to excessive blood loss from his injuries, leaving them stranded.
And his loyal subordinate, Glay Holdin, unable to abandon him, could do nothing but shriek and scream.
“If you had just kept your mouth shut, you wouldn’t have been caught.”
“I, too, resent my own restless mouth, so please refrain from pointing it out.”
“Don’t just resent it; reflect on it.”
“A person’s true nature is hard to change.”
Glay Holdin, who casually accepted my sarcasm, sipped his tea.
For now, I understood the whole story of the incident.
However, one question remained.
‘Why did he back down?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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