Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Kingdom Army Retreat
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Ravi and Lenis headed toward the Kingdom Army's base.
They had no intention of unleashing the same merciless physical force on the Kingdom Army that Elfin had used on the Empire's forces, but they still needed to prepare for the possibility that the Kingdom troops wouldn't back down easily. As they traveled, the two discussed various contingencies.
"What if they don't retreat? I don't have a way to neutralize them all at once like Elfin does..."
"Same here. But... um... I-I'm from the Kingdom, so if I talk to them nicely, it might work...?"
As Ravi's eyes narrowed, Lenis hurriedly added an excuse.
"I-It's not just talk! Have you forgotten? I'm a lady from a proper Kingdom count's family! Plenty of people in the Kingdom know my face, so it might actually work..."
"I didn't say anything, Lenis."
"You were doubting me with your eyes!"
"N-No way."
The two chatted about various ways to make the Kingdom Army retreat when their conversation naturally shifted to Alvis and Elfin.
"I wonder what those two are up to right now. Probably... doing it, right?"
Lenis let out an incredulous scoff at Ravi's words.
"Hah? It was only a few hours ago that they... y'know, with us, and you think they can't hold out that long?"
"But Alvis has great stamina, doesn't he?"
"Hmm... That perverted, lecherous, three-legged beast of a man could probably pull it off... but even so, no way..."
"Alvis does have three legs...♡"
Lenis froze for a moment, unable to grasp what Ravi meant as she gazed at her with an ecstatic expression, lost in some memory.
A few seconds later, realizing the implication, Lenis blushed furiously and scolded Ravi.
"W-What are you even saying, Ravi! Get a grip! A princess of a nation shouldn't say such undignified things..."
"Huh? As long as I can be with Alvis, I don't need any dignity. If he told me to become his bitch, I would."
Lenis felt dizzy watching Ravi respond as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Back at the academy, Ravi had been the purest, most innocent girl imaginable.
Despite her gentle appearance, she possessed a strong spirit that never wavered even against all sorts of racial discrimination. Yet now, she had been completely corrupted by Alvis, blindly obeying his every word.
She didn't hesitate to spout all sorts of sexual remarks that would never have crossed her lips before, and she had no qualms acting like a whore in front of him.
With both body and soul fully claimed by Alvis, Ravi was beyond saving. Lenis lightly slapped her own cheeks.
'G-Gotta pull myself together! Now that Ravi's like this, at least I need to keep my wits about me...'
But the moment that thought crossed her mind, Ravi whispered seductively from beside her.
"You loved it too, right, Lenis? Alvis's huge cock♡"
Crash!
Those words shattered Lenis's clarity to pieces, her mind instantly filled with memories of Alvis's massive member stuffing her full.
"Alvis's is so huge and hard... The moment it thrusts in, you forget everything else, don't you? That pure feminine bliss it fills you with... Ahhh...♡ What do we do, Lenis? Talking about it has me soaking wet already♡ I want to fuck Alvis so bad...♡"
"G-Get a hold of yourself! We're on our way to handle something important!"
Lenis tried her best to sound composed on the outside, but her brain could think of nothing but her intense mating sessions with Alvis, and her lower body was already drenched beyond control.
A little further along, they spotted Kingdom troops heading their way, apparently sensing the Empire's retreat.
"There are Kingdom soldiers ahead, Lenis. There's a flag—can you make out which unit it is?"
"My eyes aren't as good as yours, Ravi. We'd need to get closer..."
"A black wolf and white shield, with crossed spears behind it."
"?!"
Lenis whipped her head around at those words.
"I-Is that real? That's really the emblem?!"
"Yeah. You know it?"
Instead of answering, Lenis gathered mana in both hands to prepare fusion magic.
Acceleration on herself. And from her extended arm backward, a powerful wind spell.
The two magics combined, propelling her forward with wind force at a speed even Ravi couldn't match in an instant.
"Le-Lenis?!"
Ravi sped up to chase after her, and soon the two reached the Kingdom unit.
The advancing Kingdom soldiers halted upon spotting the unidentified pair, drawing their weapons.
"Halt! Who goes there? Identify yourselves, or we'll treat you as enemy combatants!"
"Everyone, stop advancing! The Empire has already retreated! Don't escalate the fight—pull back from here!"
"Who the hell are you, popping out of nowhere with that nonsense...? Gah?!"
As the distance closed enough to recognize faces, the Kingdom soldier who had drawn his weapon to attack Lenis recoiled in shock.
"L-L-Lady Lenis?!"
"No way, milady! You're alive!? We thought you perished in Libertà without a trace..."
The Kingdom troops, recognizing her, bowed respectfully with honorifics.
Ravi blinked in confusion at Lenis, who was quietly sniffling with tears welling up.
"Lenis...?"
"Sniff... Th-This is the Valentin family flag... These aren't regular Kingdom troops; they're my father's private soldiers... But why are private troops here instead of the regulars...?"
The Kingdom soldiers knelt before Lenis, replying in choked voices.
"When war broke out with the Empire, the other nobles pressured the Count for military and economic aid. As you know, milady, the Count doesn't have much sway in the capital, and after the Libertà incident... uh... well..."
"What is it?"
"F-Forgive me for saying this... The central nobles were beating him down, claiming he couldn't control his daughter, letting the Holy Warrior unit stir up the kingdom and giving the Empire pretext for interference..."
Lenis recalled her reckless actions in Libertà and flushed crimson.
"When the Empire declared war this time, the central nobles squeezed the Count, saying since he bore the biggest responsibility for this mess, he should show equal sincerity in resolving it. That's why we're here instead of regular troops."
"Those damn central noble bastards..."
"Fortunately, the Count himself is here to assess the situation! We'll fetch him right away! Please wait a moment!"
One of the Valentin family's private soldiers—a commander-rank officer—mounted up and rode back to the rear.
And about ten minutes later.
Someone came charging from the horizon on horseback at breakneck speed toward where Lenis and Ravi waited.
The middle-aged man, streaked with quite a bit of gray from stress, galloped madly across the field. Spotting Lenis, he tumbled off his horse and prostrated himself.
"Ohhh! Lenis, you're alive! Alive! Oh, thank the gods!"
"Waaah... Daddy..."
Seeing her father after so long, Lenis burst into sobs and threw herself into Count Valentin's arms.
His soldiers wiped away tears, while Ravi awkwardly stepped back, standing there awkwardly alone.
Noticing Ravi late, Count Valentin turned to her.
"And this bunnykin here is...?"
"She's my friend. One of my traveling companions."
"I'd like to know the circumstances. Tell your father everything that's happened since Libertà."
Lenis recounted all the events in detail, and Count Valentin and his men listened with reactions ranging from shock to admiration to anger.
Except, of course, for the parts about Luna and Linian's existence and true identities.
"Hah... So that's Vector Baron's true nature..."
"We heard about the dispute between the Empire and Carrot Duchy. To think even this war was orchestrated behind the scenes..."
"Then what the hell are we even fighting for? Fighting here is playing right into those Underground Vermin's hands!"
Lenis calmed everyone down and made her declaration.
"Father, and everyone. Pull the troops back from here. We've already driven off the Empire forces, leaving only Kingdom troops. No need to throw away good lives. Report these forces as mutually destroyed with the Empire, and you withdraw to the rear, Father. The rest sneak back home for now."
"What are you saying? If the whole war is fabricated, we need to report to the royals immediately, halt it, and arrest that Goddess's Sword deputy commander first—"
"We don't know where the Underground Vermin are hiding in the Kingdom. Who could've guessed Vector Baron was brazenly posing as nobility? Trust no one. What you need to do, Father, is get clear of here and hide somewhere safe with Mother."
"I see... Understood. We'll do that. Lenis, come back with us then. Your mother has barely held on, believing you're alive—she'll be overjoyed to see you."
A flicker of conflict crossed Lenis's face at the thought of her mother, but it quickly faded.
"No, Father. I can't go back now. My face is already known to the Underground Vermin; running won't help. I'll stay here with my companions and work to exterminate those bastards."
"What?! It's dangerous just hearing about it—how can I let my daughter throw herself into that as her father—"
"It's my choice. And I have plenty of comrades to keep me from doing anything too reckless. It won't end until either me or those scum are dead anyway. So I'll definitely win and come back. I've been reckless plenty, but this time's different—trust your daughter just once, Father."
"Urgh..."
Knowing his daughter's bullheadedness, Count Valentin grimaced reluctantly, sighing deeply before speaking.
"You really must do this?"
"Yes."
"Sigh... Fine. Your stubborn streak won't listen anyway. Just promise me one thing, Lenis. Absolutely, absolutely do not die. Got it?"
"Of course. Just believe in me."
"And you there... Princess Ravi, I presume. Terribly sorry for the late greeting. I am Count Valentin of Pratea Kingdom."
"Ah, yes. Ravi of Carrot Duchy."
Ravi returned the awkward greeting.
"I can't thank you enough for saving my daughter's life—a thousand bows wouldn't suffice. I heard you're short on supplies during your travels, so please take whatever we have at our outpost. It's paltry compared to the grace you've shown, but better than nothing."
"Pardon? No, we couldn't..."
"Please accept. Once we withdraw, it'll all go to waste anyway. We have loads of food and gear—take as much as you need."
Lenis chimed in to support her father.
"Ravi, take it. Like Father says, it'll just be dead weight once we pull out. Better someone uses it, minus what we need."
"Hmm... In that case, thank you kindly..."
Count Valentin bowed ninety degrees to Ravi and continued.
"And for this immeasurable debt, once things settle, I'll devote myself fully to improving relations with Carrot Duchy and advancing bunnykin acceptance."
"Ah... Yes. Thank you."
Ravi replied rather indifferently, figuring it was just words and holding no real expectations. She didn't know Count Valentin, originally a merchant, judged people strictly by ability and trustworthiness rather than status, position, or race.
Needing no gear, Ravi and Lenis took only some clothing from the outpost, along with massive amounts of food and water. Count Valentin ordered his men to move it all to the vacant Empire base.
Once supplies were transferred and it was time for the Kingdom troops to depart, Lenis hugged her father, promised a reunion, and said goodbye.
After everyone left, Ravi and Lenis headed to the Empire camp where the others would be.
"Alvis, Elfin, Lady Linian, Luna. We're back. The Kingdom Army's retreating too, and we've secured a ton of food and water. No more trekking back and forth for supplies—"
"Oh, you're back?"
"Munch munch... Welcome."
In one of the camp's rooms were only Linian, scratching her belly while lying on a bed, and Luna, daintily munching on snacks left by the Empire troops. No sign of Alvis or Elfin.
"Just you two, Lady Linian and Luna...? Where are the others?"
Linian cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Those two went out to maintain their weapons... Damn, it's embarrassing even saying it..."
"What do you mean...?"
"Head northwest a bit, and you'll hit the forest edge—both are there. But... hell, do I have to say it? I can't bring myself to spell it out—just go see for yourselves. And tell 'em to wrap it up quick and come back without fooling around outside."
Ravi and Lenis exchanged glances. Lenis flushed red and looked down.
Ravi smiled brightly in response.
"Heehee... Got it, Lady Linian. We'll go check ourselves♡"