Tower Of God: Life As Hoaqin

"...Well, this is a mess."

Just a moment ago I was peacefully eating cake.

Now everything had turned into chaos.

A massive floating fortress had burst through the center of the village, and someone walked out onto its highest level, shouting something toward the warships floating above.

In response, numerous ships warped into the area.

Soon the sky was completely covered by Zahard's fleet.

"…Cheonhwa, didn't you say there were still three days left before Zahard's deadline?"

Even as I asked, I already understood the situation.

A resistance group had openly declared war on Zahard's army.

Of course they wouldn't let that slide.

The problem was—

A massive energy flow was gathering around the ships.

The output kept rising.

Then—

Whiiiiing—

Every cannon in the fleet aimed at the village and the rising fortress.

"Looks like they plan to wipe the whole village out."

Beside me, Cheonhwa's pupils trembled violently.

"No… the villagers…"

Crackle—

Despite her hopes, the cannons were already fully charged.

[What will you do?]

Baekya asked.

Since the fusion, we could speak to each other.

What else?

I'd stop it.

I stayed here for Cheonhwa in the first place.

"Cheonhwa. I'll block the first bombardment somehow. While I do that, evacuate the villagers or find another solution."

"W-wait—!"

But there was no time.

Ignoring her desperate call, I spread my shinsu wings and shot upward.

Right on cue—

The fleet fired.

BOOOOM—

Stopping it was simple.

No grand technique needed.

Just a gesture.

With a single motion, I gathered the shinsu of this entire floor toward the village.

A single source of power formed above it.

Triggered by a flick of my hand, it burst outward—

Expanding into a white barrier that covered the entire village.

The bombardment struck moments later.

But it caused no damage at all.

The immediate crisis was handled.

But the real problem remained.

Leruie had emerged from underground for a reason.

And Zahard's army obviously wouldn't stop at one volley.

Just as I was about to act—

"That's far enough, Regular."

Flash—

Before I moved, Zahard's side did.

Light flashed from the largest warship.

Two figures appeared before me.

One looked like he belonged to the Ari Family.

The other looked like a typical Ranker.

The Ari man spoke first.

"We are carrying out a royal operation. Even if you are from one of the Ten Families, further interference will be considered hostility toward the royal family. You will be eliminated."

"Haha. Cold for a brother family."

His eyebrow twitched.

"You should be grateful I stopped at a warning. Your identity is unclear aside from being Arie. Your recent actions may be considered treason. You will be detained until the mission ends."

Ugh.

Total rule-follower.

Two Rankers approached with shackles.

I really hated those things.

Kiing—

"…!"

"…What?"

The expressions of the Rankers changed instantly.

Shock.

They had just been reverse-flow controlled by a mere Regular.

The Ari officer's expression grew far darker.

His rapier was already out.

"What do you think you're doing? Do you believe I will continue tolerating this?"

"Vice Commander. We are losing time. We must resume the attack on Leruie."

"I know. Order the fleet to resume bombardment."

"Y-Yes—!"

Kiing—

When I froze even the High Ranker beside him, his expression shifted from anger to outright disbelief.

"You… are you really a Regular?"

"Of course."

"Dangerous. I will capture you personally."

His rapier radiated killing intent.

As Zahard's army vice commander, he was clearly a powerful High Ranker.

The pressure he emitted exceeded expectations.

But still—

Not enough.

Compared to Cain back home, he was weaker.

Part of me wanted to test the Ari family's style—

But this wasn't the time.

I rummaged through my pocket.

"Where did I put it…"

"Are you mocking me?!"

Finally losing patience, he lunged.

Wait—hold on.

Ah, there it is.

I pulled the item out and closed my pocket inventory.

Then casually stopped the incoming rapier.

With one finger.

"…."

The vice commander stared, speechless.

His blade had been stopped by a single finger.

I held up what I had taken out.

The moment every Zahard Ranker present saw it—

Their faces went pale.

"H-how do you have that…?"

What I held was an official command order capable of controlling Zahard's army.

Having a Zahard Princess as your girlfriend is convenient.

.....

Before Maschenny and the others left—

"Hoaquin, I sent you something through Pocket. Accept it."

"Oh? Okay."

I checked.

Sure enough, there was an item transfer.

When I accepted it—

Several photographs appeared in my hand.

These were—

Young Maschenny.

In one photo she looked about Anna's age, her mouth and hands stained purple from grapes, smiling brightly.

Insanely cute.

Next photo.

She wore an oversized helmet and held a spear far too big for her, grinning proudly.

Also adorable.

The next.

And the next.

All photos of little Maschenny in different outfits, smiling happily.

"…Ahem. Maschenny."

"…These… I'm keeping forever."

They were absolutely worth preserving.

Actually—first I should laminate them permanently—

No, wait. I should make copies first.

As I started looking around for a copier, Maschenny tilted her head.

"What are you talking about? And why is your face so red? I didn't send anything that embarrassing—"

"Where's the copier—"

"Give that back!"

"Hey! You can't take back something you already gave!"

"That's not what I meant to send!"

Maschenny's face had turned bright red, breathing roughly.

Realizing how worked up she looked, she wiped her face a few times before cautiously asking,

"…Did you see them all?"

"Yeah. All of them. Actually, I already took photos through my Pocket."

"Delete them immediately!"

"Haha, I'm kidding. So what were you trying to send?"

Finally calming down, she took a deep breath and pulled out a piece of parchment from her Pocket.

She handed it to me.

In the corner was the symbol of the Red Three Eyes.

Most of the parchment was filled with text:

As a Princess of Zahard, symbol of the royal family's military might—one who stands before all others to punish evil, bring glory to the royal family, and uphold the order of the Tower—by this authority, the holder of this order is granted command over Zahard's army forces of up to two divisions.

Holder of Authority: Khun Maschenny Zahard

Authorized Recipient: Arie Hoaquin

Validity Period: 48 hours after activation

"You had something like this?"

"I'm a Zahard Princess from a Ten Great Family. Of course I do."

Maschenny had completely returned to her usual confident self, tossing her blue hair proudly.

Her earlier flustered face had been cute though.

Moments like this reminded me just how incredible she was.

"I'm still only a Regular Princess, so there are limits to what I can do. I pushed things as far as possible. If I weren't as influential as I am, I couldn't even move one division."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm lucky my girlfriend is Khun Maschenny Zahard."

After praising her a few times, I ruffled her hair and looked over the parchment again.

Then I asked,

"But why give this to me?"

"Because you might need it. While we're gone, if Zahard's army starts acting up—or those Rulie lunatics go crazy—you'll need it."

"Alright. Have a safe trip."

"You too."

We shared a light kiss, lingered for a moment, then went our separate ways.

.....

At this moment, I was extremely glad she had given it to me.

"Maschenny… Princess Maschenny? Then you must be…"

"Yes, yes. Hoaquin. Nice to meet you, relative. That means I'm in command now, right?"

"…."

The vice commander looked openly displeased.

I thought he was strictly by-the-book, but he clearly had a stubborn streak.

Still, no matter how much he disliked it, he had no choice but to obey.

"No answer? I'm your superior now."

"…Understood. Please give your orders… temporary commander."

"Evacuate as many villagers as possible onto the floating ships and warships."

"But they are traitors cooperating with heret—"

"Put them on."

"…Yes."

He took a deep breath before issuing orders through his Pocket.

"All ships. Immediately evacuate the village residents onto warships and transports."

—"Sir? But they're trait—"

"Put them on."

—"…Understood."

The response was immediate.

Ships began descending toward the village.

Through amplified speakers they called for civilians to board.

Whether villagers who hated Zahard's army would cooperate was another matter.

But it was worth trying.

As I watched below, the vice commander spoke with clear displeasure.

"Instead of erasing the traitors, you are saving them. This could harm Princess Maschenny Zahard's standing."

"Don't worry. That's not the real reason."

"…What?"

"If civilians are around, I have to hold back."

I hated that.

Looking down again, I focused on the village center.

The spot where Leruie's fortress had risen.

Most civilians had already fled.

The remaining life signs were likely Rankers inside the fortress.

"Good. Then we start there."

[Are you beginning?] Baekya asked.

I smiled slightly.

"Yeah. Let's begin."