Coming to the Rescue

"There's a battle going on below. It doesn't look like it started because of us." Shirakawa adjusted their flight altitude so they could clearly see what was happening on the battlefield.

The battle on the ground seemed to have been started by two different factions. One side was made up of soldiers from the Kingdom of Kolun, whom they knew well. Shirakawa wasn't familiar with the other side.

"Those are soldiers from my country," Kaiser Lynn suddenly said from his arms.

"Is that so? Then your country's troops really are pretty weak."

The two sides had roughly the same number of soldiers, but in terms of combat strength, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Kolun were clearly stronger than those of the Kingdom of Mol.

As more and more soldiers from her country fell, Kaiser Lynn buried her face in Shirakawa's chest. She couldn't bear to watch a scene like this—or rather, she couldn't bring herself to watch.

Just then, Shirakawa descended and set Kaiser Lynn down on the ground.

"What is it?" Feeling her feet touch the ground, Kaiser Lynn looked confused.

"We agreed to help you mainly so we could get some training on the battlefield, so naturally, we can't miss this fight."

"Thank you!" Kaiser Lynn said, tears welling in her eyes. She was deeply moved. So Shirakawa wasn't heartless after all.

"Don't get the wrong idea. We never said we'd definitely help your country's soldiers. We'll help whichever side we feel like—or, for that matter, everyone here could become our enemy."

Kaiser Lynn's face immediately fell. So all that gratitude she'd just felt had been for nothing. He really was as cold and heartless as ever.

"I hope you stay single your whole life," Kaiser Lynn muttered. Shirakawa still heard her. For some reason, whenever someone badmouthed him, his hearing became especially sharp.

"Don't worry. That curse won't come true." There was no way he'd stay single his whole life. For all he knew, he might get tired of living and kill himself one day.

"Who are you?" The soldiers on both sides had noticed Shirakawa and the others descending from the sky. His clothes stood out too much—wherever he went, he wore a white trench coat.

"We're just passing through. Don't mind us. Carry on."

Shirakawa shrugged.

"Wait, isn't that Princess Kaiser Lynn?" The soldiers of the Kingdom of Mol began whispering among themselves.

"You're the people who kidnapped the princess! Seize them!"

"Hey, are you sure you want to arrest me right now?" Shirakawa said with a smile. "You haven't forgotten what kind of situation you're in, have you?"

"Damn it." The general in charge looked bitterly at the soldiers of the Kingdom of Kolun, who were watching them warily from nearby.

"Isn't that Princess Kaiser Lynn? Wasn't she taken by our people? How did she end up here?"

"Are you stupid? You've got such a bad memory. Didn't we get word ages ago that Kaiser Lynn had been kidnapped by a gang of bandits? Those bandits must be these people."

"Right, I forgot. But if we capture Kaiser Lynn again, that'll be a great achievement."

"Definitely." The soldiers of the Kingdom of Kolun looked at Kaiser Lynn with greedy eyes. With such a prize right in front of them, how could they not want her?

But Shirakawa and the soldiers of the Kingdom of Mol were still at a standoff. Fortunately, Kaiser Lynn stepped forward and broke the stalemate.

"General Green Mountain, you've got it wrong. These are the people who rescued me from the Kingdom of Kolun. They came here specifically to help us defeat the Kingdom of Kolun."

"Hey, don't go making decisions for me. When did I say I'd help you?"

Shirakawa gave Kaiser Lynn a scornful look, as if to say she was taking herself too seriously.

"Princess Kaiser Lynn, I didn't expect you to remember me!" Hearing Kaiser Lynn call him by name, Green Mountain was so excited he seemed happier than if he'd won a battle.

"Of course I remember. Father mentions you all the time."

"What does he say?" Since he was stationed at the border, he rarely returned to the Royal Capital. He really wanted to know what the king thought of him.

"Father says Great General Green Mountain is a pillar of our country. Thanks to you, our homeland has been peaceful and secure."

"Did His Majesty really say that?" Green Mountain still couldn't quite believe it. That was such high praise.

"Of course. Do you think I'd lie to you?"

"I wouldn't dare doubt you, Princess." Green Mountain hurriedly apologized.

"But did they really rescue you, Princess?"

Green Mountain was skeptical of Shirakawa and the others' abilities. They looked thin and frail, as if a strong wind might knock them over. How could they possibly have been capable of rescuing anyone? And two of them were underage, one looking like he'd come straight out of a circus.

"It's true. Don't let their weak appearance fool you. They're incredibly strong."

Kaiser Lynn even gestured with her hands. As if waving her hands around could show just how strong they were.

"Hey, do you even know how to talk? If you don't, then don't. What do you mean, we look weak? We look plenty strong!"

"Hey, kid, how dare you talk to our princess like that? Apologize right now." Green Mountain reached out as if to shove Shirakawa, but Shirakawa caught him by the wrist.

"You'd better not get physical with us. Remember, we came here to help you."

With that, Shirakawa let go and shoved him away. He could tolerate familiar people getting physical with him as a joke, but if a stranger tried it, they were an enemy.

"Hey, do you people think we're invisible? You're chatting away right in front of us. Are you looking down on us?"

The soldiers of the Kingdom of Kolun, who'd been ignored this whole time, finally couldn't take it anymore. There were so many of them—how could they just be ignored like that?

"Oh, sorry. I forgot about you."

"Damn it! Brothers, attack! Capture Kaiser Lynn alive and kill the rest!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Hey." Shirakawa shoved Kaiser Lynn toward Green Mountain. "Protect your princess. Shanks, Buggy, let's go!"

"Right! Finally, we get to fight!"

Shanks had been holding himself back for ages. His hands were itching for a fight. Ever since Rogue had beaten him badly, he'd been looking for a group to vent his anger on. These soldiers had conveniently put themselves in his path.

Shirakawa felt much the same way. Rogue had beaten him so badly that it still gave him nightmares.

But now that Rogue was dead, Shirakawa had no one to take revenge on. All he could do was take his anger out on the soldiers from the same country as Rogue.

"Don't ask why I'm doing this to you. Your Great General offended me."

Shirakawa said this before the fight, leaving the soldiers of the Kingdom of Kolun completely baffled.

Please vote for the novel! Give it your votes!!!