The same day, 8:59 a.m.

Out at sea, half the Kingdom fleet had been wiped out, and the number of soldiers wounded aboard their ships was beyond measure.

The flagship, the Sea Knight, was only one final blow away from sinking.

In a situation like this, even Anliesi—who had dreamed of nothing but victory for the Dibiles faction—had given up hope of winning the sea battle, let alone the three kings, who had always been pessimistic.

“Pathetic! And this is the bunch of cowards helping Dibiles? No wonder the Inran faction’s been acting so high and mighty all this time.”

In the midst of this near-despair, a gray-robed figure suddenly appeared behind the four leaders in a flash of teleportation and spoke those words.

“What did you say?”

Anliesi was hot-tempered and blunt. How could he possibly put up with someone insulting him to his face?

Even though the gray-robed figure had appeared out of nowhere, Anliesi wasn’t intimidated. He spun around, ready to attack the person behind him.

But before Anliesi could even raise his wrist, the gray-robed figure moved faster than he could. They stepped forward and thrust out their right hand, clamping a pale palm hard around his throat.

Their strongest fighter was captured in the blink of an eye. Just as the other three kings were thinking they were as good as dead, the gray-robed figure suddenly said:

“Calm down. I’m your friend!”

What kind of friend grabs their companion by the throat?

The kings and Anliesi were all rather skeptical of this blatant lie.

But it didn’t matter if they believed it or not, because the very next moment, a hail of crossbow bolts came hurtling toward the Sea Knight.

With the flagship on the verge of sinking, the gray-robed figure raised their left hand at the last possible moment, drawing some of their own magic power and forming a barrier around the ship.

The crossbow bolts struck the barrier, barely causing any damage before bouncing off and falling into the sea.

After proving where they stood through their actions, the gray-robed figure told Anliesi:

“I came from Dibiles. I’m here to help you.”

Since the gray-robed figure had protected the flagship that should have sunk, Anliesi couldn’t easily judge whether they were telling the truth.

To dispel his doubts completely, the gray-robed figure then took something out from their robes.

After seeing it, Anliesi was more or less convinced.

“You really are one of us?”

He asked to put his mind at ease.

Seeing through his thoughts, the gray-robed figure replied:

“Otherwise, I could kill you right now, then kill those three behind you and every soldier aboard this ship!”

It was true: anyone capable of fending off that many crossbow bolts was more than Anliesi and the others could handle.

After thinking it over, Anliesi finally made his choice:

“I believe you. It’s not like things could get any worse... So, what did you come aboard for?”

Getting straight to the point, the gray-robed figure stated their purpose clearly:

“I’m here to help you win this sea battle!”

“You’re serious?”

“I am. I guarantee the flagship won’t sink, and I’m confident I can help you win.

“But what about you? When you’re at an absolute disadvantage, do you have the courage to risk your lives and give your army a better chance of victory?”

The three kings reacted exactly as you’d expect to that question: all three fell silent at once.

Only Anliesi could give the gray-robed figure an immediate, definite answer.

“So what if I have to risk it all? Don’t just ask me to take one chance—if you help my army turn this around, I’ll hand over my life the moment it’s over!”

Anliesi’s bold answer didn’t surprise the gray-robed figure.

They had appeared here because they’d counted on him reacting this way. That was why they dared to say there was still a chance of victory.

A little later, the gray-robed figure took on the role of strategist and explained their battle plan to Anliesi.

Not long after that, the Imperial soldiers watched as the entire Kingdom fleet began to retreat, looking as if it was preparing to flee.

“Like I’d let you get away!”

The Imperial knight commander ordered the ships to fire.

But the distance had grown, and half a minute later the wind shifted, turning from a tailwind into a headwind.

The huge crossbow bolts that should have easily hit the Kingdom ships all lost their forward momentum just before reaching their targets, plunging into the sea below.

“Did you predict the wind would change?”

Anliesi asked, staring at the gray-robed figure in shock. His tone was far more respectful than before.

“If I couldn’t even do that, what right would I have to command an army?”

The gray-robed figure answered calmly, then reminded Anliesi to keep his eyes on the enemy.

If they couldn’t settle the battle with ranged weapons, then it was time to fight hand to hand, ship to ship.

The knight commander gave a cold laugh.

“Relay the order: turn every ship broadside and slowly close in on the enemy’s vanguard!”