Chapter 10
“Ugh…”
Magellan lay groaning in pain in the cabin.
Fortunately, no bones were broken, but thanks to being thoroughly beaten, there wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t hurt.
It was a stark reminder of how precise the Pirate King’s punches were.
‘I must be careful from now on… Doing something to antagonize that man, the Pirate King, is absolutely…’
However, even as Magellan thought this, he regarded this experience as an incredibly valuable one.
Though not entirely, he was able to witness firsthand fragments of the Pirate King’s strength, which he had only heard of in stories.
The sheer flow of that overwhelming magical power vividly lingered in his mind.
The force, which shook the air simply by condensing, was an ultimate realm far beyond what Magellan could even dream of achieving at his current level.
Though a pirate hunter, he was also a warrior who harbored a deep admiration for strength. Being able to witness such heights with his own eyes was an invaluable experience that couldn’t be traded for gold.
‘That is the King of the Sea… The power of one who has reached the pinnacle…’
His heart began to race.
There were beings in this world with such incredible strength.
If he continued to train endlessly, perhaps…
Even if he couldn’t reach that level, maybe he could at least touch its shadow.
‘This feeling… It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. I guess I’ve grown a bit complacent lately… Once this situation is resolved, I’ll dedicate myself to training again.’
A thirst for strength, rekindled after a long time.
Feeling a pleasant eagerness from that desire,
At the same time, he felt a slight sense of gratitude toward the Pirate King for igniting such emotions.
A deep smile began to spread across Magellan’s lips.
At that moment…
Knock, knock.
“Yes, come in.”
Responding to the knock, Magellan permitted entry.
A female hunter cautiously entered the cabin.
She was Magellan’s childhood friend and the deputy commander of Demanes’ unit.
Elkana.
Her arm was wrapped in bandages as she spoke in a voice tinged with concern.
“Are you okay, Captain?”
“Well… It still hurts, but I’m managing…”
Magellan forced himself to sit up despite the pain.
Seeing this, Elkana spoke in an apologetic tone.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. You’re still badly injured.”
“This much is nothing now… Ugh…”
Even as he spoke, Magellan winced slightly from the pain.
During the time when he was relentlessly beaten by the Pirate King, Magellan moved tirelessly to protect his subordinates as best he could.
It was the best resistance he could muster as their captain in that situation.
Thanks to his efforts, Elkana and the other subordinates had recovered to a point where they could move again, but Magellan was still unable to rise easily.
“I’m sorry. I should have looked into it more thoroughly… I didn’t expect this to involve the Pirate King…”
“It’s fine. In fact, we’re lucky to have gotten off with just this much after provoking the wrath of the Pirate King.”
“Magellan…”
Even in his pain, the captain forced a smile.
Seeing him think of others even in this situation lightened Elkana’s mood a little.
However, aside from her emotions,
she wore a serious expression as she continued the conversation.
“That aside… Magellan? I’ve been thinking about this, and this mission was clearly…”
“Hmm… Most likely orchestrated by that noble, the duke, or whatever he is. He probably set this up deliberately.”
Now that he thought about it, the mission had been suspicious from the start. They were paid an exorbitant amount of money to retrieve a single girl without being given any proper information.
The lack of information and excessive payment seemed calculated, knowing they’d have refused the mission had they known it was tied to the Pirate King.
While they should have been more cautious, being used like this left them with an unpleasant feeling of being deceived.
“It’s not like we’ve done anything to the nobles…”
“When have they ever cared about things like that? They must’ve really wanted that girl, even if it meant dumping the blame on us if the mission failed.”
The request itself had been made through an intermediary, and the only thing they managed to learn was that the client was a duke.
It was clearly an attempt to cut off any traceable ties.
Despite realizing this, there was little Magellan and his team could do about it.
No matter how skilled they were as bounty hunters, their opponent was a high-ranking noble.
And ultimately, it was their decision to accept the mission, making it absurd to even complain about the injustice.
At this point, the only thing they could do was report the mission failure and return the payment.
Suppressing his feelings of disgust and frustration, Magellan lay back down on the bed.
“What can we do? It’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened. At least we didn’t get scammed out of our payment after succeeding…”
“Sigh… Fine, let’s forget about it. Forget it. I thought this might finally change my fortune…”
With those words, Elkana casually lay down beside Magellan’s bed.
Then she cautiously reached out and began to touch him.
“…What are you doing? I’m still injured, you know?”
“So what? You’ve been hurt worse before and still managed to mess around with two women at once.”
“That’s because those women were so incredible they left me speechless. With your scrawny body, I’d have to be completely sober to deal with you.”
“Ugh! Sorry for being flat! I was just trying to comfort you…”
Elkana puffed out her cheeks slightly.
Finding her expression somewhat cute,
Magellan also considered that she was still injured and decided he couldn’t let her push herself too hard.
In the most irritable tone he could muster, he said,
“Just go get some rest. It’ll take a few more days to reach Marenseu Port anyway.”
“Yes, yes, Captain. As you command.”
With that, Elkana, showing a slightly sulky expression, walked out of the room.
Nevertheless, her lips carried a faint smile, as if she didn’t mind the situation too much.
Now left alone again, Magellan felt sleep creeping up on him and reflected on a different kind of regret.
‘Still… it’s a shame. If this mission had gone well, I could have made Elkana’s dream of starting a trading company come true…’
Unlike himself, who enjoyed roaming the rough seas, Elkana and a few other subordinates secretly longed for a peaceful life.
As their captain, he regretted missing the opportunity to fulfill their wish.
With that thought lingering, Magellan quietly closed his eyes, letting sleep take over.
Still, he believed another chance would come someday…
***
On the way back from grocery shopping,
I carried Ambasha on my back, already fast asleep, and with my other hand, I held a bag filled with spices, vegetables, and meat, heading toward the port.
“I… I’m so sorry for making you carry all this because of me…”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re injured, aren’t you? Don’t overexert yourself. Once we arrive, go see Remine for treatment immediately.”
Reassuring Franklin, who expressed his guilt, I briefly reflected on today’s events.
“They said they were hired by some noble, a duke or something, right?”
“Yes, though I couldn’t catch the exact name. That’s what they said. They claimed they’d been promised a fortune to bring Ambasha.”
“Hmm…”
There wasn’t enough information to make a judgment yet.
Even though the client was supposedly a duke, there was no confirmation about which country he belonged to.
Moreover, the fact that Ambasha was specifically targeted raised many questions.
Spending such a fortune on a mere slave girl?
And if they knew it was me they were up against, the risk far outweighed the reward.
It wasn’t impossible that the person was some deranged maniac with a strange obsession…
But given the scale of this operation, the other party might also know something about Ambasha.
Perhaps they recognized the immense potential she held…
Or maybe…
‘Could it be… someone like me, another transmigrant…?’
I couldn’t be certain that I was the only one who had been transported to this world.
Over the past eight years, I hadn’t encountered another, but this world was vast, and there could be someone like me out there.
And if the other party was someone who had played the original story, they would undoubtedly want—no, need—to have Ambasha at all costs.
To progress the storyline smoothly…
Or even if not for that, considering her future as a top-tier powerhouse, she was worth such efforts.
Especially with the era of war looming over the continent, it made even more sense.
Weighing these possibilities,
I decided to approach this matter with utmost caution.
If the other party truly was another transmigrant…
And if this incident eventually led to hostility between us…
Then I’d need to prepare myself more thoroughly than ever before.
***
Magellan’s group finally arrived at Marenseu Port.
Due to injuries that made proper sailing difficult, their journey had been delayed, and they barely made it in time.
Without any chance to rest, the hunters of Demanes headed straight to the designated meeting spot with the client.
The location was an abandoned ruin on the outskirts of the port, a desolate area.
As they made their way there, a heavy atmosphere hung over the group.
Since they were on their way to report a mission failure, there was no way their steps could feel light.
What made it even worse was the thought of giving up the enormous reward tied to this job without even touching it.
At that moment,
Magellan raised his voice as much as possible to address his subordinates.
“Cheer up, everyone. It’s just money. We can earn it again. Let me remind you: surviving today is an incredible stroke of luck. After all, we tangled with the Pirate King and lived to tell the tale!”
“Hmm… That’s… true, but…”
“Still, Captain, it’s hard not to feel disappointed. Leaving behind that much money is…”
“There will undoubtedly be another chance. And in any case, the mission is over, so tonight I’ll treat everyone to a round of rum. I’ll even invite plenty of ladies, so drink, eat, and enjoy to your heart’s content.”
“What? R-really?”
“Well… if you’re offering us that much, then…”
Hearing the promise of drinks, the subordinates quickly brightened up.
As always, Magellan couldn’t help but think about how simple-minded they were, but at the same time, he liked them all the more for it.
With a smile, he began walking toward their destination once more.
“But… isn’t this still a bit annoying? The noble could’ve just sent an intermediary or come here himself. Why call us to such a remote place?”
“When have nobles ever made sense? It’s probably some show of formality or to maintain appearances.”
“Hmm… Now that you mention it, that does sound likely…”
There was once a noble who refused to step foot in a space with commoners and demanded they travel nearly 100 kilometers to his castle.
This situation seemed reminiscent of that.
Thinking once again about how detestable nobles were, Magellan slowly ascended a small hill despite the lingering pain in his body.
‘Come to think of it, the Pirate King also seemed to have a deep hatred for nobles. I wonder if he had some bad experiences with them…?’
As this light thought crossed his mind, Magellan felt a strange sensation.
Then.
“Finally, we’ve arrived.”
Before him, a group of people came into view.
Spotting a large, overweight noble man with a scowling face—who appeared to be the client—Magellan’s group stopped in their tracks.
—
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