Chapter 12
“Gasp!!”
Magellan woke up with a sharp intake of breath, his eyes snapping open.
The familiar ceiling of the cabin came into view, and the familiar smell of the sea filled the air.
Feeling relieved at this realization, Magellan wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead.
‘A dream…’
A terrible nightmare that made him nauseous just thinking about it.
The horrific scene of his precious comrades being slaughtered by a vile noble came to mind, causing Magellan to shudder.
His throat felt parched as if burning, and his whole body still ached.
Even so, he felt a wave of relief knowing that the hellish scene had only been a dream. Slowly, Magellan tried to get up.
But then…
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a heavy pain radiated from his shoulder.
Realizing this, Magellan’s face hardened.
“What… What… is this?…”
His wound, wrapped in blood-soaked bandages.
And the wound itself…
It wasn’t from a bruise.
It was a gunshot wound.
Understanding the implications of this,
and feeling a deep sense of unease rising from within,
Magellan staggered out of bed as though he was falling.
“No… No way… Ugh!”
Fighting off a wave of dizziness, Magellan forced himself to move forward.
Opening the cabin door, he looked around the deck and shouted in a sharp voice.
“Where… Where are you? Everyone… Where is everyone? Elkana! Mark! Davin!”
Magellan called out his comrades’ names desperately.
However,
no matter how much he screamed until his voice broke…
no matter how frantically he looked around like a madman…
Not a single voice responded to him.
Not a single figure appeared before him.
“No… No way… This… This can’t be happening…”
Even though he tried to deny it, the reality of the situation became clearer and clearer.
In the suffocating silence, he felt his legs give out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.
“How… How could this… Is this… real? Are they… Are all of my Demanes comrades… really… all gone…”
His body began to tremble as he struggled to accept the cruel truth.
The burning thirst in his throat felt even more agonizing.
And his already exhausted body had no strength left to give.
At that moment…
“!”
Something caught his eye as he sat there.
A trail of blood on the ground.
It didn’t look like it had been there long.
Seeing this, Magellan, as if possessed, began to follow the trail.
It led him to the back of the deck where the helm was located.
And there, Magellan’s eyes fell upon…
“Elkana!”
His childhood friend, slumped against the broken wheel.
Magellan stumbled forward, barely managing to reach her.
“No… No, this can’t be… Elkana! Please… Please wake up!”
He shook her roughly, trying desperately to rouse her.
Then.
“Cut it out… You’re going to make me throw up.”
“Ah!”
A familiar voice, filled with irritation.
But at that moment, the voice brought Magellan overwhelming relief and joy. Without realizing it, he embraced her tightly.
“Thank… Thank goodness… I’m so glad… So glad you’re okay…!”
But then…
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, he felt a damp sensation.
A metallic, familiar smell filled his nose.
“What… What is this…”
“…Haha…”
Elkana gave an awkward laugh in response to Magellan’s question.
It was only then that Magellan noticed Elkana’s pale, bloodless face…
and the blood still flowing from her chest.
“No… No, this can’t…”
The blood loss was already at a dangerous level.
Seeing the failed attempts to stop the bleeding, the relief Magellan had felt turned into utter despair.
“I’m sorry… I was… so out of it… that I made… a mistake…”
“What… What are you saying? Why did you do this? I told you! I told you to leave me behind and run! Why… Why didn’t you listen to your captain?”
“Hehe… Because… our captain… never sets an example… You always… throw yourself into danger first… What do you expect your subordinates to learn from that?”
“Ugh… Just… Stay still!”
Elkana smiled faintly despite her pale face.
Determined to save her, Magellan frantically searched for anything to treat her wounds.
But all that surrounded him was the endless sea.
Even the ship’s supplies were nearly depleted.
They had used up almost everything, including food and medicine, in their hasty escape after the expedition.
Despite his best efforts to search the ship, Magellan returned empty-handed.
A shadow fell over his face.
Seeing this, Elkana chuckled as if she had expected it.
“What now? There’s nothing left… Still, don’t worry. We weren’t completely unlucky. A storm hit just as we were leaving, so… Well, I have no idea where we are now, but…”
“You… Even now, you’re joking like this…”
“Sorry…”
Even as she hovered on the brink of death, Elkana teased Magellan.
Watching her, filled with no regrets, only deepened Magellan’s guilt and regret.
“I was… I was a fool… I never should have taken… that damned mission… I never should have trusted… that noble…”
“Don’t blame yourself… We… were fools too… for not stopping you…”
Even in such a dire state, Elkana comforted him.
But seeing her dying because of him, without a single complaint, left Magellan feeling powerless.
Faced with such a dark and hopeless situation, Magellan, wanting to do something for her, tenderly draped his jacket over her cold body.
“…It smells… Don’t you have anything cleaner?”
“No… This is all I have…”
“Ugh… You buy sparkling dresses for the women at the brothel, but for me, your childhood friend, this is all I get? Really, you’re the worst…”
“…I’m sorry…”
“…Ah… Well… Maybe that was too much… Thanks… I wasn’t really mad…”
“Next time… I’ll buy you something better… So please… Please…”
“!”
Gripping Elkana’s icy cold hand, Magellan clung to it as tears streamed down his face.
“Don’t die… Please… Please survive… If you… If even you leave me… If you go too, then I… I…”
“…”
Hearing Magellan’s voice, trembling as if he might collapse at any moment, Elkana could only remain silent as she watched her childhood friend show such vulnerability for the first time.
If she could, she would have told him.
That she wouldn’t die…
That she would stay by his side as he wished…
Just as she always had.
But…
Elkana couldn’t bring herself to say it.
She already knew better than anyone.
Her life… didn’t have much time left.
Making a promise she couldn’t keep would only hurt him more.
“El… Elkana?”
She carefully reached out and stroked his cheek.
Her hand was cold, unlike his still-warm face.
Even so, she thought, unlike her, this man would somehow survive.
Forcing a painful smile, Elkana spoke.
“…I’m sorry… Magellan… I…”
Bang!!
“!!”
A sharp sound tore past their ears.
And a rough spray of water shot up right in front of them.
The two immediately turned their heads.
“What… What is that?”
“That’s…”
In their view appeared a medium-sized sailing ship.
The sight of another vessel in the vast sea could have been a sign of hope for them.
However, the flag flying on that ship…
It filled their hearts with despair.
“That’s… Oaklean’s…”
“How the hell did those bastards get here?”
The duke’s men, who had not been satisfied with killing their comrades, had pursued them even here.
Given the Franz Kingdom’s notoriously weak naval forces, it was hard to believe such a scene.
But the enemies now before their eyes were unmistakably real.
“Damn it!”
“! Ma… Magellan…?!”
Desperately, Magellan hoisted Elkana onto his back and headed for the lifeboat.
Elkana, summoning her remaining strength, tried to stop him.
“Sto… Stop it… I… I’m already…”
“Shut up! Don’t start talking about dying now! If we live, we live together, and if we die, we die together!”
At Magellan’s outburst, Elkana fell silent.
Magellan continued toward the lifeboat below deck.
A ship that had lost both its combat and sailing capabilities was nothing more than a large target.
In this situation, using the ship as bait and escaping on a small boat with oars offered even the slimmest chance of survival.
But then…
Bang!!!!
“Gah!”
“…”
A cannonball fell just in front of them.
Fortunately, it narrowly missed, but the impact sent Magellan and Elkana sprawling onto the deck.
“El… Elkana!”
“…”
Elkana’s body lay limp, showing no signs of movement.
Determined to save her, Magellan once again lifted her onto his back and tried to head toward the lifeboat.
At that moment…
“I’m sorry…”
“! El… Elkana! Thank goodness, you’re safe…”
“You… must survive… Magellan…”
“!”
With those words, Elkana forced herself to push Magellan away.
Her body fell onto the collapsing deck.
And then…
“No… Don’t…”
Bang!!!
A cannonball struck exactly where Elkana had been.
Flames and smoke erupted in an instant, leaving Magellan standing frozen in shock.
“…No… No…”
In that moment, the last glimmer of hope vanished before his eyes.
Magellan, standing blankly, collapsed onto his knees.
The fact that his last remaining comrade had been killed drained him of all willpower.
He could no longer care about anything.
The cannonballs raining down.
The bullets flying like hail.
The sound of trumpets echoing from somewhere.
Overwhelmed by the despair of this reality…
The bitter regret that everything had ended because of his foolish mistake left him unable to feel the danger around him.
The only thing he could do was lower his head, tears streaming down his face, as he berated himself for his incompetence.
“What are you doing, just standing there?”
“…? What?”
Suddenly, a voice reached his ears.
It wasn’t familiar, yet…
It was unforgettable.
Magellan slowly raised his head.
And then…
“Ugh!”
Something soft and familiar landed in his arms.
At the same time, the despair on his face began to be replaced with a glimmer of life.
“El… Elkana?”
“Take care of her. I’m not about to look after someone else’s belongings.”
With those words, the man slowly turned to face the enemy ship.
Dressed in a golden uniform, radiating an overwhelming presence of magical energy even in this perilous moment.
Seeing him, Magellan muttered in a daze without realizing it.
“Pirate… King… How…?”
—
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