Chapter 52
Clap clap clap!
“This is… way more amazing than I expected.”
“That was a really beautiful song… I don’t really get the lyrics, but…”
“Right? I got chills just listening to it—it was truly art!”
“As expected of the greatest voice on the continent. To think someone like me could be moved this much…”
Receiving the applause and praise of the pirates, Auriel Stardust successfully concluded her performance.
Though the number of spectators was far fewer than when she usually performed,
The mere fact that there were people who admired her song and clapped for her was more than enough for her.
However—
Separate from the satisfaction of the audience’s response,
At that moment, an entirely different discomfort had taken root in Auriel’s heart.
After bowing to express gratitude to the audience, she headed toward her cabin.
The moment she finally opened the door and stepped inside,
She shut the door tightly and collapsed straight to the floor as if crumbling.
“Haa… Haa… Haa…”
Auriel gasped for breath, her body trembling.
Her face flushed red,
She curled up on the floor and began to tremble slightly.
She already knew the cause of this torment.
It was a stifling and painful emotion…
Something one might even call a thirst.
Even though she sang her beloved hymn with all her might,
Even though she poured out praise for the Divine until her voice nearly gave out,
Her heart remained unbearably hollow.
And then, memories began to surface.
They were…
The memories of the very first time she experienced something—
Something utterly blasphemous,
And yet indescribably euphoric.
Sweet and burning,
That moment that had set her entire body ablaze.
Recalling that moment,
Auriel unknowingly began to bite her fingernail.
Time passed in inner conflict and agony,
Until finally, in the dead of night when all had gone to bed,
Auriel began walking down the hallway of the cabin with hesitation in her steps.
Even now, resistance to it remained inside her.
Even if her once-held faith had crumbled, she was someone who had once vowed to dedicate her all to the Divine.
She was once a pure Nun, and the doubt of whether it was truly right to succumb to desire still lingered in her heart.
But—
‘But… I can’t… take it anymore…’
After wrestling deeply with herself, she finally arrived.
Standing before the door now, she could feel even her last hesitation falling away…
Auriel gently knocked.
“Come in.”
“…”
A voice echoed from within.
Upon entering the room, Auriel’s eyes landed on the man.
The Pirate King, Ezra Drake.
“So you’ve come again. You say you don’t want to, yet your heart seems honest enough.”
“Fufu…!”
Auriel flinched slightly at the Pirate King’s words.
Then, drawn by something, she slowly approached him as he sat on the bed.
At that moment, a voice whispered in her mind.
It wasn’t too late…
She could still turn back now…
She shouldn’t entangle herself with this man any further…
However,
Despite that voice, Auriel could not stop her steps.
Because she had already tasted that pleasure.
She had already come to know the ecstasy that came from desire and indulgence with this man.
“P… please be… gentle…”
“Haha, even as you say that, weren’t you the most excited in the end? You screamed so hard last time—how coy of you to act so modest now…”
“T-That’s because you… ngh…”
Even as she tried to speak, Auriel couldn’t fully deny it.
Her face turned red in frustration, and as she glared at him,
A deep smile spread across the Pirate King’s lips.
“Then, come closer.”
“…Yes… Captain…”
At Ezra Drake’s command, Auriel carefully sat beside him.
And then, before her eyes appeared something large and beautiful…
Despite the brief moment of hesitation…
Auriel unconsciously reached out her hand toward it.
And then—
“Gulp…”
The moment she got it in her hand, Auriel instinctively swallowed her dry saliva.
With a sensation as if the thirst in her heart was being quenched—
Sweet and overwhelmingly blissful—
She clutched it tightly and began to move her lips.
“P-Please… give it to me. What you have…
Captain, that thing you possess… Please, give it to me…”
A voice filled with deep yearning.
Her plea was so desperate, it felt as if she were searching for water in a desert.
In response, the Pirate King began to extract the contents from the item she was holding.
“Yeah, it’s not that easy!
The world that allowed me to exist is not some comfortable and sweet place that comes easily!
Even so, I’ll soar!
With dreams in these small wings!
Just wait a little longer~ Oh my love!”
A melody and lyrics she had never once heard before in her life,
Something she’d never even imagined.
Not a hymn of praise for the Divine—
But a song about overcoming despair, about hope and love.
The lyrics contained within the large sheet music in her hands,
And the melody bursting from the Pirate King’s mouth that echoed in her ears,
Dug deep into the depths of her brain.
Auriel’s face trembled with irrepressible excitement and anticipation.
“Ahh…”
“How is it?”
“It’s… truly… truly a wonderful song…
As expected… this world is filled with such vast, beautiful music! Ah… why did I only realize that now?
To think I lived without even knowing such songs existed…I’ve wasted half my life!”
With those words, she began to move her hand feverishly, as if possessed.
Having fully embedded the melody into her body after just a single listen,
She now began to birth a new piece, adding her own interpretation and variations to this splendid song.
And so, today again, with the Captain’s help,
She felt ecstasy at the thought of creating a new “child.”
At the same time, she who had once declared she would sing only for the Divine—
Now found herself unable to be satisfied by hymns alone,
And was overcome with deep feelings of blasphemy.
Auriel devoted herself to her creative work today, just as she always did, pouring her unique passion and talent into it.
At the same time, noticing the Pirate King’s gaze—one of admiration—she couldn’t help but blush slightly…
***
Auriel, passionately scribbling on sheet music before my eyes.
As if possessed by a god, she moved her hand without pause,
What she was doing was called “arrangement,”
But honestly, it was basically composing from scratch.
From my point of view, there was an intensity—maybe even madness—
That was hard to understand.
‘So she’s into modern songs, huh? Well, I guess it’s not really a problem…’
Since the songs were originally from another dimension,
There was no issue about copyrights, no matter how she arranged or used them.
The only thing that bothered me a bit was…
Every time I introduced her to a new song,
The way she looked at me seemed to grow more and more intense.
The first time I shared the theme song from OneX Piece,
She had that “Are you a genius?” kind of face,
So I quickly clarified that I didn’t write it, I just happened to know it.
But over time, it felt like her suspicious gaze was getting stronger.
‘Well… nothing’s probably going to happen… right?’
Suddenly, I remembered the time Franklin had unexpectedly hit me with a confession attack.
But I quickly dismissed that thought.
This wasn’t some dating sim.
Just because favorability goes up doesn’t mean the girls around me are going to confess love all of a sudden.
More than anything, I already have a lover.
Any more attention would just be troublesome.
So, watching Auriel, who was burning with creative energy before me,
I resolved to keep seeing her in a pure, innocent light.
And inside, I began to look forward to what kind of song would come next.
‘Now that I think about it, in today’s performance she only sang hymns…
Maybe she still needs more time to adjust?’
As someone who was hoping she’d sing one of the arranged songs for me,
I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
Thinking about that,
I casually tried to bring it up.
That’s when it happened—
Bang! Bang!
A knock—or rather, a pounding so hard it sounded like the door might break—rang in my ears.
Frowning slightly, I stood up and opened the door.
“You’re gonna break the door. Knock more gently.”
“S-Sorry… more importantly, something urgent’s come up…”
Standing before me, gasping for breath, was Remine, the First Mate.
Her expression was unusually flustered—
Far from her usual self—
And I began to sense something was seriously wrong.
Then—
“Urgent? What’s going on?”
“War… a war is about to break out!”
“What?”
At those words from her lips, my brow furrowed instinctively.
—
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