Chapter 15
An unfamiliar ceiling came into view.
Staring at it,
She—
The woman named Elkana—muttered in a dazed voice.
“…I… I’m alive?”
The cannonball she had seen flying toward her in her final moments…
She had thought her life, already hanging by a thread, would completely end with that.
But now, she was alive.
Moreover, she felt no pain or exhaustion.
If anything, her body felt like it was in the best condition, utterly revitalized.
‘What’s going on? Why am I…?’
Questioning this reality, Elkana looked around.
And then…
“Hmm…”
“Huh?”
A familiar voice reached her ears.
Turning toward the sound, Elkana’s eyes welled up with tears at the sight before her.
“Magellan…”
The man was slumped over a bed, dozing off.
Seeing him—safe, the man she had been willing to give her life to protect—Elkana’s heart swelled with deep relief.
Instinctively, her hand reached out. Lowering her posture, she felt an overwhelming desire to embrace him.
But then…
“…Hehe.”
Another desire suddenly surged, pushing aside her previous one.
Wiping away the tears pooling in her eyes, Elkana began to smile mischievously.
And then…
Thud!
“Guh!”
A merciless fist came down hard.
That single strike, comparable to a cannonball, jolted Magellan’s mind awake.
Though it came with the minor side effect of making his head feel like it was on fire…
“Ugh… What the—who…?!”
“Are you planning to sleep forever? Good kids wake up early!”
“…”
“…Huh?”
Despite Elkana’s usual morning greeting, Magellan made no reaction.
He simply stared at her with a blank expression, which made her feel awkward.
In a slightly cautious voice, Elkana asked,
“What… What’s with that look? Don’t just stare at me weirdly—say someth—urk!”
Magellan abruptly pulled Elkana into a tight hug.
The embrace was so strong it nearly squeezed the air out of her lungs, making her squirm slightly in discomfort.
But…
“Thank goodness… Thank goodness… Truly, thank goodness…”
“…”
Magellan trembled as waves of relief washed over him.
Seeing this, Elkana smiled faintly and gently patted his back.
“Thank you… Truly… Truly, thank you, Elkana… for staying alive…”
“…I should be thanking you, Magellan… for surviving…”
What they had believed to be their final moments had passed.
Relishing in their shared relief, the two held each other for a moment longer.
After some time, their emotions calmed, and Magellan, feeling slightly embarrassed, carefully let go.
At that moment…
“So, when are you getting me that dress?”
“Uh… A dress?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot? You promised, remember? You said you’d buy me a dress adorned with jewels if we survived. You were even crying when you said it. You’re not going to back out now, are you?”
“Ah…”
The memory of that moment resurfaced.
It had been a heartfelt promise made in a desperate situation, so it was one he intended to keep.
But…
“Well… About that…”
“What’s this? Are you saying now that I’m not worth buying one for after all?”
“No, no! That’s not it! It’s just… the thing is…”
Magellan hesitated, his voice faltering as he deliberated.
But knowing she’d find out anyway, he finally decided to explain everything.
This was the cabin of the Pirate King’s ship.
They had barely survived thanks to the Pirate King’s help and had sworn allegiance to him.
And beyond that, there was an even more serious matter…
“Wha-what? 100 talants? How can treatment cost 100 times more? And 10% interest per week? What kind of country even has that rate?”
“Well… I scraped together everything left on the ship and managed to pay 25 talants. But there’s still 75 talants left…”
“…Good grief… This is outright robbery—wait, they are pirates, aren’t they?”
Complaining about extortion when their profession was literally taking things at swordpoint felt ridiculous.
Besides, considering the extreme situation, one could argue that the cost of saving their lives had actually been cheap.
Not to mention, 75 talants wasn’t a staggering amount given the fortune Magellan had amassed as a renowned pirate hunter.
The problem was…
“Well, we can assume all the money in the Marenseu bank is gone.”
“Hah… Do you know how hard it was to save that? All those nights drinking less, skipping women, to save up 8,000 talants, and now…”
“…You’re trying to rub it in, aren’t you?”
“I’m complimenting you.”
“Ugh…”
Considering the navy had fired cannons, it was safe to assume they’d fabricated charges and seized everything.
This likely included the funds they had stored in the bank.
And given their current status—marked by the Duke and unable to return to Marenseu Port—they were effectively penniless.
With an absurd interest rate of 10% per week, they needed to come up with money quickly, but Elkana couldn’t think of a solution just yet.
“Well… at least the creditor is the second-in-command. We’re her subordinates now, so maybe it’s not an immediate issue?”
“…You don’t know, do you? Just what kind of person Remine is.”
“Huh?”
“Rumor has it, there are towns that vanished from the map because they borrowed money from her and couldn’t pay it back. There’s even a story about a noble’s entire family and village being turned into meat and sold in the black market for 2,380 coppers per 100 grams. Do you think she’ll let us off just because we’re her subordinates?”
Even with the oddly specific figure, the point was clear:
Owing Remine money could very well lead to a gruesome fate.
Regardless of whether the rumors were true, it was wise to clear any financial ties with someone like that as soon as possible.
“Ugh… So now’s not the time to be talking about dresses… W-what should we even do now?”
Given their current state, hunting pirates and earning bounties like before was no longer an option.
On the other hand, resorting to piracy didn’t seem viable either; who knew when the next plundering opportunity might arise, and the rapidly compounding interest was terrifying.
While it was fortunate they had survived, Elkana couldn’t help but grimace at the troublesome situation they now faced.
At that moment…
“In this situation… there’s only one option left.”
“Huh? What? Do you have some emergency stash hidden somewhere?”
“Well, not exactly a stash… It’s more like money we earned from a job that I forgot to withdraw. Do you remember that strange witch’s request? The one that had us searching the seas for nearly three months to hunt Leviathan?”
“!… Oh, I remember. Right, we never got around to withdrawing the payment because of that urgent situation.”
“Exactly. If I recall correctly, it was around 800 Talants. That should be enough to cover the debt and then some.”
“True. With that, we could even secure some funds to settle ourselves.”
Though they had joined the Pirate King’s crew, they were essentially new recruits starting from the bottom.
They needed some financial cushion to establish themselves and climb the ranks.
Thus, Magellan and Elkana decided their first step was to retrieve their deposit in Bennessa.
Afterward, they aimed to quickly solidify their position within the crew—not as invisible rookies but by securing a spot among the officers.
And then…
Once they became officers and gained influence within the Pirate King’s fleet…
“Duke Oaklean… That bastard dared to kill our comrades…”
“That pig of a duke… No matter what it takes, I’ll personally cut his throat…”
Unlike the fortunate pair who had survived, their comrades had been slaughtered.
Thinking of the Demanes crew, their precious family who had sacrificed themselves to protect them, lit a fire of rage in their hearts.
They had to take revenge.
To avenge their comrades, who must be shedding tears of blood in the afterlife, they needed to ensure Duke Oaklean’s demise by their own hands.
To achieve this, they needed to win the Pirate King’s favor and leverage his immense power.
Resolving themselves, they began discussing the details of their plans in Bennessa when…
Knock knock.
“Huh?”
A sudden knock interrupted them.
As the cabin door slowly opened, a familiar face appeared.
“Oh… You’re the one from before…”
“Hello. My name is Ambasha.”
The young girl they had encountered on Cyprus Island greeted them with sparkling, lively eyes.
Though their initial meeting had been terrible, she seemed slightly awkward. Magellan carefully spoke.
“What brings you here… Ahem… What’s the matter?”
Since Ambasha was the Pirate King’s daughter—their new master—they had to remain polite.
In response, despite her young age, Ambasha replied in a surprisingly serious tone.
“I’ve heard the story. I understand you’ve joined our pirate crew recently? My father has instructed me, as your senior, to guide you through a few things.”
“Senior…”
Hearing this from a girl who appeared to be half his age made Magellan feel slightly strange.
However, unlike Magellan, Elkana smiled brightly and said to Ambasha,
“I see. That’s fortunate—we had many questions to ask. We look forward to learning from you, senior.”
“Yes! First, I’ll explain the basic rules. Violence among the crew is strictly prohibited…”
While Elkana adapted smoothly, listening with genuine interest, Ambasha began her explanation.
Watching the lively exchange, Magellan quietly listened to Ambasha’s words, blending into the atmosphere Elkana had created.
Despite her serious demeanor, there was an unmistakable excitement in Ambasha’s voice, which Magellan found endearing.
***
Inside the command room, a map lay spread out.
The map depicted the Mediterranean Sea, and staring at it, I turned to the man standing across from me and asked calmly,
“What do you think?”
“…It won’t be easy. Entering might not pose much of a problem, but escaping without detection by the Adriatic Fleet seems nearly impossible.”
The man, wearing glasses and possessing a slim build with an intellectual appearance, had brown hair.
He was Samir Rolonoir, one of the fleet’s officers and the navigator of our ship.
Hearing the cold, calculated reply from the best navigator I knew, I sighed and replied with bitterness.
“Tch… So sneaking in quietly is out of the question.”
“The season isn’t ideal. While the currents make entry easy, a swift retreat is difficult… Personally, I don’t recommend going to Bennessa right now.”
“Hmm…”
It was clear that some losses would be inevitable.
Under normal circumstances, I might have heeded his advice and explored alternative plans.
But now…
“Regrettably, I’m not asking for your opinion to make a decision. I just need to know how much loss we’ll have to endure.”
“Is there… a particular reason you must go to Bennessa at this time?”
Samir cautiously inquired.
In response, I simply stated,
“There is. So set sail.”
“…Understood, Captain.”
After bowing respectfully, Samir left the cabin.
Turning my gaze back to the map of Bennessa,
The maritime city known as the Queen of the Adriatic Sea,
I thought about the treasure hidden there,
And one particular individual.
—
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