God forsaken the land, Conrad plead and prayed for their success. The Castaline force had commence their operation, to take back the port and (freed the innocent people locked in jails) this way they could use more assistance.

Conrad divided his men into 4 category, the 1st team is those with high defense and sharp instinct that will lead the trap, they are responsible for luring the pirates that will be attacking them. The 2nd team and the 3rd team will be those that will use the breathing stone magic, below the ocean. The last team will wait for the signal commercing of two colors, blue for reinforcements and red for success. The last team has one job, be the reinforcement.

Thats how Conrad planned everything. Even the smallest detail was well detailed and everyone understands the plan. Elifis will lead the 2nd and 3rd team, the last team will lead by Sadina and Conrad will follow Elifis as the vanguard.

Now the plan was working smoothly and the ship had already entered the foggy part of the port. Elifis, Conrad and the knights was walking slowly below the ship, they use ropes below to pull them with the ship, then suddenly the ship had stopped while the knights below immediately swam forward the port.

The ship was under attack defense lured the pirates as they planned, most of the pirates swings between ships to ship or that is why a trap was set at the top of the knights ship, a archer of about two was shutting fire at the rope the pirates use burning the ropes down. Some pirates had fallen from the high speed on the ground, injuring their physical body less, how ever it is enough to cut off the pirates connection from the knight ship, the other pirates had been lured to most traps like falling off the basement where they had prepared a inescapable bars around it.

Others was killed by the defenders, and others fell on their deaths from the heigh gronds.

Conrad had successfully entered the port and they didn't think that behind the foggy path is a bloody messy town of pirates, the fog didn't evolved on the town and the dog only become a barrier to those who's inside, they observe the place where they only see few pirates and observe how many innocent is active.

It seem that there are only few and most are childrens. The pirates had taken over much of the town but they are lesser than anticipated, Conrad went back to water and signed his men to engage. He lead them through the port where mass of pirates had been gathered, with the unexpected twists and turn, the pirates was notified and they immediately attack the knights ready to mess with them.

"Some of you needs to evacuate the innocent (as much as) possible you can! " He commanded so his men nodded and 10 knights left to take the innocent away, while Conrad begun to run towards his enemy clashing swords with them like nothing and defeated them the same way as Louise did.

"ENEMY IS ATTACKING, NOTIFY THE QUEEN! WE HAD BEEN TRICKED! " Someone yelled but it was not from the knights squad but one of the pirates yell enough to hear some of the other pirates around him.

Some of them immediately attacked Conrad and his men but they failed with no worries. That's because most pirates are drunk and others had lost their weapons from goofing around, while others was lost of what was happening.


"Listen here! This is our port so we shouldn't let them steal are turf! " The pirates confidence of defeating the knights led by Conrad immediately took them off, Conrad gaze with laughter written in his eye and he lough, the entire pirate look at him but when they look, the only thing they've seen is their blood spilling all over their body in a slow motion, unable to move nor react from that sudden attack, he pointed his sword to which lead him.

"Damn it! Call the captain, tell em that we are under attack! Tell the---"

"You won't be able to say that once your dead, " Conrad said piercing his sharp silvery blade unto his heart enough to kill him with one shot.

A flare of red light had suddenly shot upto the sky from the fog, people who didn't know what it meant just shrugged while the knights had nodded in reassurance. "FIRE THE RED FLARE! " He commanded thus the knight responsible for the signal commercing, which give him time to shot the flare up the sky.

The knights on the ship, and the defense team had seen the flare signal two of the 2nd and 3rd team, giving them enough time to engage on the battlefield.

-+-

Louise looked at his companion Frez before they look at Clodina who was close with Frez, and the knights guarding her, suddenly everyone felt awkward to even say anything nor talk about something, they just stare at each other blankly without saying anything.

The awkwardness feels so forever but Clodina knew she had to break the atmosphere a little and she immediately look at guards.

"So, we will feast to give us strength for the upcoming battle, with his majesty the king of Castaline, ruler of the treaty, without his help we don't know if we can even take back our loving kingdom! So feast till your hearts content! " Clodina said requesting for a toast, she grabbed the barrel of beer and she lift it to them.

At first non didn't understand her but soon they cheered and drunk their beer, and since they will enter the battle later or tomorrow, depends on the Castaline's speed of arrival, they must stay awake and sane for that beer brings people to failure of movements.

"The king, shouldn't the west turn into a empire instead? They have all the requirements to do so, with the treaty being signed by all of the kingdom, the west can become an empire, so why didn't you? " Clodina asked although she asked this out of losing herself from the beer she had taken--- maybe because she isn't a drinker so she drunk so easily.

Louise who she asked look at her drooling. Then he went to a silence thought with his mind. The question Clodina asked him was so stocked in his head that he didn't have the strength to even blink, so the answer for that question is rather hard to convey.

The west to become an empire? They design the treaty of the West Allied not to become an empire but to become independent of their own gain, and Castaline cannot emerge with the other kingdom for they bring such wonderful history that might shutter from the creation of an empire.

So creating an empire? No, it will be different, the history of the other kingdom that will be taken over by the unification will only destroy their own history even though some of them had been modified from that truth, but that's why its called history, to remain historical.

While the unification is needed, they think its not necessary to unify the west because they had been in peace for so many long. "The unification is unnecessary, we don't need destroy the west allied beloved history, that cannot be undone. "

"But making the west an empire can benefit the upcoming continental war, this way the power will expand, isn't it? " Louise looked at her suprise, indeed she have a point, it was a matter of benefits anyways but he looked away and exhaled his breath.

"That's true but you miss something important, the unification is unnecessary because the treaty had been providing us reinforcement, with the treaty, we can gather as much power as we desire, the unification is unneeded, so we had never think of other than our benefits, " he said coldly that even Clodina shivers in panic for retreat although it was only initiation, she can't help but to breath deeply and look at him once again.

"Its true that we have the requirements to become a whole empire, however, do you really want that to happen? Your kingdom will be anestate and thus it will turn into a noble city, which means, your history, from your ancestors hardships to create your kingdom to the suffering of your people through out the generations will be eradicated? Do you want that to happen? " Clodina had finally realize what Louise was trying to explain from the way he tells thing and does thing she will understand.

"I didn't think about that, my knowledge of philosophical politics is yet to be polished, because Ethereal does not teach anything but peace and how to live freely, we rarely talk about how to manage a nation nor can we manage a nation, " she stopped and gather her thoughts.

"You may see my kingdom as nothing but a cowards of peace, but I love this place and I'm willing to change this kingdom with me that rules over, I will show our people that we can attain peace while also learning how to fight and defend ourselves, this crisis had thought me everything that being friendly and peaceful will not end up as a good thing, " Louise understands her, it was hard to learn how to manage because her father had spoiled her with the thoughts of being in peace forever.

Louise was the same before he took the crown and name as king, he love Esmia but the responsibility of taking and managing a nation (a kingdom) of justice and pride was difficult, it wasn't easy, it was never been easy but he took all the challenges because he love Esmia and without her to rule, if they run away from their responsibilities, they will make their people suffer so he had accepted his duty as the king since the day he married Esmia and his coronation.

"I know kid, it maybe difficult but many people will help you by then, they will help you and guide you to become better, so do not worry no more! Trust your people thus your people depends on you, because managing a nation wasn't be easy, it was never been easy. "

-+-

The port had been taken back, it may have taken for far to long but they successfully got rid of the pirates and others had been put in jails, the crew that had not been slaughtered after Louise and Frez fleed was released, and they got treated, the citizens who didn't survive and the other innocent people who was a witness when the last pirate had been purged was left.

Conrad looked at the pile of body across the street and he looked at his men. "We don't have much time to get rid of the body, we have to save the other towns but-- "

"That won't be necessary knight, we will take it from here since this is our city after all, " an old survivor said, he wore a ragged clothes flattened around with the survivors beside him, they we're all smiling so Conrad feel relieved.

"However-- "

"No son! We will help, atleast this is the only way we can even start up again, please let us take care of this matter and go save our people near the capital! They might be in danger! " the old man said in persistent leaving Conrad to smile and he had nothing but to agree.

"Then we shall leave this filthy scums to you, since they made your lives suffer, you must grief for them, " he stopped and looked around.

"If (by) any chance, do you perhaps have stable or horses around? We could use some... " The old ledge first look at him with nothing but glare until he smile and he nodded.

"This (criminals) had been killing our horses since they appear so we hide some of our horses to the east in a small cave we discovered after fleeing from the town, you can use all of them if you are in hurry to take back our kingdom, this is the only thing a poor beggars like us we can offer as a help, " Conrad smile and he kneeled down to them as she looked at the ground.

"It is an honor and duty that we serve people and protect them no matter which you came, we are at treaty, our kingdom will always support the Ethereal no matter what, this is our duty to protect the citizens of the west allied, never forget that, we are one as family in a continent divided in treaty... Thank you for helping us as we accept your appreciation to make us even... "