Reincarnated with the Country System-Chapter 216: The HMS Stormbreaker.

Jimland was a country in the west of the Ostra continent. It was the fourth-largest country on the continent in terms of size. It was an agricultural nation. The people of this country were a mixture of humans and animals: hairy ears, clawed hands, scaly limbs—humanoid in appearance. Its rulers also bore the same marks—some called it the Kingdom of the Chimera.

However, after the invasion by Latvia, the country lost its former glory. Most of its cities and villages were destroyed in the war. Millions of people died. In addition, the Latvian army killed many members of the royal family, including the king and queen of Jimland. However, two members survived: the prince and princess, whom the king had sent to the Aurelian Republic after the war began. Because of this, they escaped the atrocities of the conflict.

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Moz

This was a city of Aurelia located near the border of Jimland. The atmosphere in the city was different from usual, as many people had arrived from outside. Today, negotiations with the Bernard Empire were to be held here.

In a fortress inside the city.

Representatives of the Republic of Aurelia, wearing brass-buttoned uniforms and stiff collars, sat opposite the exiled royal family of Jimland.

The two nations had long cooperated on trade and refugee aid, but never before like this—never on the edge of something far bigger.

Princess Kiera, fifteen, crossed one leg over the other, her fur-lined skirt rustling as she leaned back in her chair. Her silver hair spilled down her back like a velvet curtain, and her amber eyes gleamed with something both dangerous and amused.

"Do they really expect us to bow?" she muttered with a lazy smile. "To some empire we've never heard of? You're asking the heirs of Jimland to beg?"

Her older brother, Prince Callum, leaned forward, elbows on the oak table. Nineteen, sharp-eyed, and short-tempered. He wore a fur cloak fastened with a lion's tooth and stared at the Aurelians like they were wasting his time.

"We bled for that land," he growled. "Our father died on Jimland's soil. If the Bernard Empire thinks they can plant their banners there without our say—"

"Your Highness," Governor Erik of Aurelia—a tall man with crow's feet and an iron-gray mustache—interjected carefully.

"No one is asking you to beg, Your Highness. But you must understand the situation—"

"You don't understand anything. We are not some peasant clan asking for charity. That land is ours. The Bernard Empire may have defeated Latvia, but that gives them no right to squat in our home."

"They didn't squat, Princess. They crushed Latvia's armies in less than two weeks. They moved faster than we thought possible. Whatever claims you have... you'll need to make them through diplomacy now."

Kiera raised an eyebrow. "Diplomacy? With strangers?"

"They're not just strangers anymore," Erik said. "They're the new superpower on the continent. And their leader... well, we've requested an audience with him today. You'll have your chance."

Callum scoffed. "He'll come crawling? Good. I'll show him whose land he's trespassing on."

Kiera snorted, amused. "If he's real."

Just then—BOOM.

The walls shuddered. A deep, throaty rumble rolled through the floor like distant thunder. Dust fell from the ceiling. Muffled shouting erupted outside.

Everyone froze.

"What the hell was that?" Erik stood up sharply.

"Sir! Outside!" a soldier burst into the room, breathless and pale. "Something's coming from the sky—something massive!"

The room emptied fast. Chairs scraped. Papers fluttered to the floor. Even Kiera dropped her aloof smile.

They rushed out through the grand doors and onto the courthouse balcony. The golden evening sky had turned to shadow.

Above them—it hovered.

The HMS Stormbreaker.

Two hundred meters tall, a flying fortress that hummed with power, shaped like a spearhead with engines that burned blue fire. Its hull was plated in dark alloy, etched with symbols and markings that no one recognized.

The city square below had gone still—hundreds of people staring up, mouths open, feet rooted in awe.

Even the Jimland royals were struck dumb.

Kiera blinked, the wind whipping her silver hair across her face. "Is that... a ship?"

"A ship?!"

"That's impossible," Callum whispered. "That's not real. No ship flies like that."

"Oh," Erik said grimly. "It's very real."

A deep mechanical hiss echoed as a ramp began to lower from the belly of the beast. Steam hissed. Hydraulics groaned. The landing bridge extended all the way to the edge of the palace's west courtyard, its surface gleaming with black and gold sigils of the Bernard Empire.

Then, like actors on a stage, they descended.

Alberto was the first to step down. Dressed in a black imperial coat trimmed with silver, his expression unreadable, his boots hitting the steel ramp with solid, deliberate steps. Behind him came Carl and several ISSD members.

Alberto's presence hit like a furnace blast. His eyes scanned the gathered crowd with an expression halfway between boredom and disdain. Not arrogance—certainty.

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He walked to the center of the platform as Aurelia's anthem faltered mid-note, the brass band below unsure whether to continue. The tension was suffocating.

Erik came forward, hands raised in polite greeting. "Your Imperial Majesty. Welcome to Aurelia."

Alberto didn't smile. He looked from Erik to the stunned Jimland royals.

"So," he said, "you're the children who think Jimland still belongs to them."

Kiera stiffened. Her playful demeanor cracked. Callum balled his fists.

"That's our home," the prince barked. "You have no claim to it!"

Alberto tilted his head slightly, eyes unreadable.

"My soldiers fought and bled for it. We conquered Latvia. We paid for it in blood—ours and theirs."

He took one slow step forward, the weight of his words pressing against their chests like a vice.

"You think it's still your kingdom?" Alberto's tone darkened. "Then come and take it from me."

Silence.

The siblings had nothing to say.

Stormbreaker hovered overhead like a steel god watching the scene unfold. The smell of ozone and burning fuel lingered in the air.

Kiera swallowed hard. For the first time, she felt something she had never tasted before.

Fear.

Not the fear of defeat—but the fear that they had already lost. That the Bernard Empire wasn't a paper dragon.