Chapter 118: French Kiss to Apologize!  

Of course, simply having no losses can't be called a true victory.

The reason Skadi was said to have won strategically was because if the Sword Emperor Lucius hadn't been lured out of Rome, Britain would have had little chance.

It's easy to understand if you think calmly.

Rome isn't a backward or weak country—it's a real empire. The Sword Emperor Lucius himself rebuilt declining Rome into what it is today. He single-handedly restored the empire's glory. Conventional tactics wouldn't do much against that.

What truly made Rome strong was Lucius stirring the emotions of the people—pride, anger, greed—and leading them to war.

Through wars, intimidation, plunder, and annexation, Rome was pulled back from the brink and made stronger than ever.

Like inheriting and reviving a family business that seemed dead, this was an incredible feat. Something Arthur could never achieve in his lifetime.

Well, Britain had never been strong before Arthur's rise.

Ahem, off-topic.

Anyway, defeating Rome was extremely difficult.

The decisive gap was population.

Britain was too small; Rome could not be defeated unless the Sword Emperor Lucius was killed.

Even if Lucius's head was cut off and a battle won, that wouldn't end the war.

Rome could elect a new emperor, form new legions, and continue fighting.

To Arthur, that was meaningless.

That wasn't war—it was a farce, like a child's fight.

A war that doesn't aim to destroy the enemy can't be called a war.

If we fight, we might as well completely destroy Rome... No, at least crush it into submission and seize its military and economy. Only then can it be called a victory.

Otherwise, sign a non-aggression pact?

That's no better than actively seeking peace.

Thus, Britain could only truly take over Rome after the Sword Emperor left Rome and lost direct influence over its internal affairs.

In other words—stealing the home without war.

Even if the Sword Emperor conquered Britain, Arthur could cross the sea to take his home.

Roman territory was bigger anyway—it wasn't a loss.

"From an overall strategic view, you laid the foundation for Britain's ultimate victory by leveraging the situation to lure the Roman army ashore. This is something even Lord Gawain couldn't have done, so don't feel guilty," Arthur said seriously.

This wasn't just politeness.

After all, Gawain was the type who wouldn't retreat even if beaten to death unless the enemy was wiped out.

"But—" Skadi lowered her head.

"Well, you did very well—maybe a bit too well," Arthur said with a strange look.

Some even wondered if the Roman army might just turn around and leave right after landing.

After all—

Skadi was remarkably thorough.

When she learned the coast might become a battlefield, she evacuated civilians months ago.

To prevent homesickness, she demolished and relocated old cities.

Not just farmland and tools, but not a single livable house remained.

They moved everything so thoroughly, not even a stone was left behind.

The only missing thing in the two new cities was the spontaneous old town the people rebuilt themselves.

The materials were complete.

Before evacuation, soldiers blew up all defense lines.

Nearby wild animals were hunted to feed the troops—Skadi was eager to kill them herself.

Not a single hare remained.

Even the nearby seas suffered murderous attacks by the Ghost Shark Troops.

There were plenty of supplies in the sea—provided the Roman army brought fishing nets. Otherwise—

"By the way, Skadi, were there any Roman supply ships?"

"Yes, they were destroyed," Skadi nodded decisively, almost seeking praise. "The Ghost Shark Troops' first target was the supply ships. I didn't miss any."

"...Well done," Arthur breathed out.

Amazing!

By the way, Romans don't eat Romans, right?

"Anyway, you did great," Arthur said, then picked up the two swords beside Skadi. "Our only loss is actually these."

The Sword of Stirring Tides, the black greatsword Skadi used. Not worthy of her, it was made of ordinary materials but forged with special processes. With British tech, they could easily recast several spares.

The other sword was named Frostmourne by Arthur himself, out of mischief.

It wasn't really damaged—just the vengeful spirits sealed inside had been cleared out.

Although Frostmourne was A-rank and its quality nearly rivaled Gawain's Sword of Victory, as a magic sword its value was low.

Its soul-imprisoning, vengeful-spirit-creating power was just too evil.

Originally, since ordinary soldiers couldn't keep up with Skadi's speed in the sea even with magic naval gear, they used this sword as a substitute.

But now, it was better to replace it. They couldn't have the image of an evil Knight of the Round Table.

The guardian of King Arthur's Round Table must be noble and sacred, inspiring people.

"Let Merlin remove the soul-binding power, turn it into a light cannon specialist, and recast it into a sword that stirs the tides. The black sword is more convenient anyway," Arthur smiled as he decided Frostmourne's fate.

Now thinking about it, Arthur shuddered.

What if this sword fell into a prince or princess's hands?

One day he'd hear: "Father, it's all over—" and have no place to cry.

"Don't worry, the Holy Sword suits you better than the Demon Sword," Arthur said gently.

But the next second, Skadi threw Arthur to the ground—tears streaming silently.

Skadi! What, regicide?

Only one thought flashed through Arthur's mind.

It's over!

You know, whether sitting or lying down, all Skadi's chairs, tables, and beds were magically reinforced.

Even her favorite spots were magically protected.

That gave an idea of how heavy the impact would be in the next moment.

It'd probably end up like the meat sauce in the spaghetti bolognese I had for lunch, right?

But after a while, the expected pain didn't come.

Instead, Skadi's weight was within Arthur's tolerance—it even felt soft and comfortable.

Arthur was stunned, then remembered:

Oh, I think I'm pretty strong.

"Um… Miss Skadi, may I ask what you're doing?"

Skadi had a blank expression and whispered, sobbing:

"Apologize."

"Huh? What did I do wrong?"

"I apologize."

"...Oh, I don't blame you, so can you get up now?"

"You must apologize! With a French kiss!"

Of course, before apologizing, she had to try pressing him down and sucking hard first.

Woo~ that really feels better.

Okay, all preparations done—let's start apologizing, chu~ Miss Killer Whale, I'm very happy.

"Wu? Mmmmm—!"

No, how come... Wait, don't put it in! No!

Meanwhile, Manaka was busy preparing dinner.

-End Chapter-

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