Guardian of Arendelle

Arendelle.

Soren sat quietly in a corner of the Copper Furnace Tavern, waiting for about half an hour. The cold, sinister man he had met before appeared. Compared to their last meeting, this time his expression was much more respectful, even showing a hint of panic and fear, as if he dared not look Soren in the eye.

"Your Mightiness."

He leaned slightly forward and handed a sealed file to Soren, saying in a deep voice, "This is what you wanted."

Soren nodded, took the document, and quickly scanned it before saying slowly, "Has the attack already begun? It seems Prince Hans will be retreating soon."

"Pass on another order for me."

"The Southern Island Nation's fleet has been severely damaged. I need them to gather the enemy in the Darktide Strait and cripple the Southern Island Nation's fleet."

The cold-faced man immediately nodded in agreement, then glanced at Soren, and seeing that he had no further instructions, quickly left.

anyway.

The orders from above were to try to befriend this Pirate King, whose influence was also valued by the Thieves' Guild.

the next day.

The Dragon Bone Island was in ruins; half of the port was destroyed, and many Warship needed repair.

Prince Hans stood near the harbor, watching all this unfold, a deep sense of defeat on his face. The fact that a mere Ghost Ship had left him in such a sorry state made him feel weak and powerless.

The sound of hurried footsteps rang out.

A high-ranking Sorcerer appeared behind him, and before even getting close, he anxiously exclaimed, "Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"

"This is a message sent by the kingdom using Message."

Upon hearing the high-ranking Sorcerer's words, Prince Hans's heart skipped a beat. The Spellcaster possessed fifth-circle Message, which allowed him to maintain close contact with the Southern Kingdom. He anxiously reached for the file, glanced at it briefly, and then turned ashen-faced. Seemingly deeply shocked, he murmured, "The Headhunter — Soren!?"

"So it was him who attacked us!... Why would he attack us!?... Why would he help Arendelle?"

Seeing Prince Hans's ashen face, the high-ranking Sorcerer reached out and touched him anxiously, saying, "Your Highness! The crucial issue now isn't why the Soren the Decapitated attacked us! It's that the situation within the kingdom is dire! Our coastline has been completely lost, the enemy is running rampant in our waters, and every place along the coast is potentially under attack!"

"His Majesty the King orders us to retreat immediately!..."

Lacking the capability to wage war at sea, the pirates' Warship could directly bombard coastal cities. The entire Southern Island Nation was now in a state of panic, especially as many Deity fell silent. With priests receiving no response, even prayers for the temples' help became impossible. The pirates from the South Coast were like the Viking invading Europe, plundering any place they could attack like locusts.

"Retreat... retreat!..."

Prince Hans, pale-faced, murmured, "Order a full retreat."

The attack on Arendelle ended in failure. All the plans had turned into a pipe dream, and the original goal of blocking the North shipping lanes and opening up the West Coast had completely failed. Prince Hans could imagine how much criticism he would face when he returned home. The nobles would blame him, the kingdom would resent him, and those brothers he had worked so hard to defeat were probably already plotting Juantu. In the end, he might not even be able to keep the throne he had inherited.

"Go back!"

Prince Hans's expression gradually returned to normal, and he said with a serious look, "I must go back first! As long as I inherit the throne, I can still Juantu!"

"The army is still in my hands. There's still a chance."

At this point, his expression twisted slightly, as if he were planning something.

He stared at the high-ranking Sorcerer behind him, his face contorted with rage, and said, "I want to see that Sea Witch! I have fulfilled my promise, and she must also help me ascend the throne as agreed!"

Upon hearing Prince Hans's words, the high-ranking Sorcerer's expression changed slightly. He then lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness..."

"Let's discuss this further when we get back."

Arendelle, Imperial Palace.

Princess Anna stared at the Bearded General before her with a look of surprise and disbelief. "What? You mean the enemy has retreated?"

"Yes."

The Ice Witch standing beside them nodded and said, "We've been monitoring the nearby waters, and we can confirm that they are retreating."

"That's wonderful!" Princess Anna exclaimed, standing up with delight.

Then, a look of worry and sadness appeared on her face, and she murmured, "Is it him? Why won't he come to see me?"

Does he hate me that much?

"You've come all this way, yet you won't even see me?"

Hearing Princess Anna's somewhat sorrowful words, the others exchanged glances. Finally, the Ice Witch spoke up, "Your Highness, news has arrived that pirates from the South Coast have attacked the Southern Island Nation. It seems that Soren was indeed secretly helping us! The enemy was forced to retreat hastily because their rear was attacked!..."

Princess Anna nodded somewhat blankly upon hearing this, and murmured, "Really?"

"Then why doesn't he come to see me?"

A series of hurried footsteps sounded.

Just then, a Guard suddenly rushed up, shouting, "Something's wrong! A Ghost Ship! A Ghost Ship has appeared in the harbor!..."

Everyone looked up in surprise upon hearing this.

Princess Anna rushed out and ran towards the port.

"Walk!"

The Captain of the Maids glanced at the others and quickly followed, soon catching up with the princess who was jogging ahead.

A misty fog enveloped the harbor of Arendelle.

Through the mist, a black Warship can be seen anchored in the distance. Its black hull, black sails, and black flagpole exude a profound sense of unease at first glance.

A massive black shadow roamed around the Ghost Ship.

No ships dared to approach; everyone stared at the scene with a mixture of awe and fear.

"Soren!!!..."

Princess Anna gazed at the distant black Warship, and for some reason, tears welled up in her eyes. She put her small hand to her mouth and shouted forward, "Is that you?!...!"

There was no response.

The pitch-black Ghost Ship seemed to be empty. It lingered near the port of Arendelle for a moment before gradually disappearing into the mist.

The dark clouds have dispersed.

The bright sunshine shone on this Abundance and beautiful city in this Land of Ice and Snow, and everything seemed to have returned to normal.

The shadow of war is receding.

The mysterious disappearance of the Princess did not lead this prosperous kingdom to decline, because they knew that there was another person, another figure, protecting this place.

The lady who guards this place!

He may not have shown up, but she believed he would reappear when she needed him.

Because that was his promise!

...(To be continued~^~)