Edward stared at Caron with a hollow expression, the weight of failure pressing down on him. He wondered where things had all gone wrong, because this wasn't supposed to happen.0

The plan had been simple. They just had to neutralize the elves' spirits, then raid their village, weakened and defenseless. It was a straightforward operation, but the result was different from his expectations.0

Boom!0

"Argh!"0

"P-Please, spare my life!"0

It was a complete disaster.0

The subordinates who had followed Edward since his days in a knight order were now cornered, teetering on the brink.0

Some had been taken down by the dimwitted brutes of the White Shark Pirate Crew, while others had succumbed to Bessic's poison. Even those fortunate enough to hold their ground were gradually being picked off by the elves' spirit magic.0

It's over, Edward thought. What he'd once dismissed as an easy victory had turned into his grave.0

"...How can this be?" he murmured.0

A bitter resentment toward the Queen, the one who had abandoned him, rose from the depths of his heart. He couldn't comprehend her choice. All he had done was follow her orders, carrying out her will to the letter. So he couldn't understand why she had chosen this moment to discard him.0

Although deep down, he already knew the answer.0

Clang!0

It all stemmed from that cunning brat, Caron Leston, the one that was closing in on him. From the moment...0