Chapter 19
“The song of the sanctified becomes a prayer of glory offered to God, and the Lord shall respond with blessings upon their heads.”
—Magdalene 7:36
This ancient scripture has been a cornerstone of faith, one of the reasons hymns are indispensable in worship and ceremonies.
Yet, it continues to bring anguish to tone-deaf believers worldwide.
In recent times, many across the continent associate this verse with a single woman.
Auriel Stardust.
A beautiful young woman with radiant silver hair and striking blue eyes, Auriel is a 19-year-old former nun.
Despite her humble origins as an orphan, she captivated the continent solely through her unparalleled talent in music.
Her voice moved countless souls to tears.
Many traveled great distances by carriage to hear her celestial melodies.
Mozarella, the era’s greatest composer, showered her with praise.
Saliel, second to none in composition, created a piece just for her.
Even Beta Bine, an emerging prodigy, reportedly wept upon hearing her voice.
Despite her devotion as a servant of God, Auriel continued to tour the continent, offering her songs as a supreme tribute to the divine.
Her voice, sweet and otherworldly, seemed to bring celestial beings down to earth.
After another performance concluded, accompanied by thunderous applause, Auriel gracefully bowed before leaving the stage.
“Well done, Auriel. Another splendid performance.”
“Thank you, Bishop Juda. And…”
“Ah, no need to worry about the donations. As you requested, they have been sent to the orphanage.”
“Thank you again, Bishop. Because of you, I could once more offer a joyful prayer to the Lord.”
“I’ve done little. If anything, I should be the one thanking you. Without you, I’d still be a humble priest in the countryside, unable to serve the Lord in this position.”
The bishop smiled warmly, his voice brimming with sincerity.
After their heartfelt conversation, his tone turned cautious.
“By the way, have you decided on that matter? The one regarding Bennessa?”
“Bishop, as I’ve said before, I don’t think that place suits me. My prayers belong solely to the Lord and the needy lambs who require help, not to secular gatherings that might grieve the Lord.”
Auriel once again declined, as she had in the past.
However, the bishop responded earnestly.
“I understand your feelings. But as I’ve mentioned, the world doesn’t move purely on ideals. While the event may be worldly, it gathers the most influential figures of wealth and power. Offering prayers in such a place could spread the Lord’s influence across the continent.”
“But…”
“Please, I ask again. Think of this as another way to help the poor. Any compensation received will be fully donated.”
“…Hmm…”
Faced with his unusually fervent request, Auriel eventually relented.
Although the setting clashed with her beliefs, the bishop’s words carried weight.
Moreover, he had always been by her side, striving to enact the Lord’s will.
Sighing deeply, Auriel nodded.
“Alright… If you insist this much…”
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Auriel!”
The bishop beamed with joy, more delighted than she had ever seen him.
Suppressing her unease, Auriel gave him a bittersweet smile.
***
In Bennessa, the “City of Water,” I strolled confidently under the bright daylight.
Naturally, as the Pirate King, my face was well-known through wanted posters.
Posters adorned the walls, and naval officers roamed nearby.
Yet no one paid me any mind.
This was thanks to Bennessa’s tradition during its festivals.
On festival days, everyone donned masks or costumes, blending into a sea of anonymity.
People wearing cat or bird masks surrounded me, basking in the liberating sense of freedom.
As for me, I wore a mask resembling a black raven. My entire body was shrouded in black cloth, evoking the image of a plague doctor.
Occasionally, I heard murmurs of admiration for my attire. But no one suspected I was the Pirate King.
‘Coming here during the festival was a smart move. Time to scout my target.’
Before arriving, my subordinates and I had meticulously planned our operation.
The first phase involved blending in with the festival-goers in disguise.
Even now, my crew was scattered across Bennessa, masked and mingling as they scouted for tomorrow’s grand auction.
‘I trust most of them will do fine… but I’m a bit worried about Ambasha’s group. Still, Franklin is with her, so it should be fine…’
Feeling somewhat like a father worried about his daughter on a school trip, I followed the alleyways shown on the map, moving steadily inward.
Though the area was sparsely populated, this was supposedly the fastest route to my destination.
At least, that’s what the map said…
‘Damn it. Why isn’t it here? Shouldn’t I be seeing it by now?’
Even though I followed the map’s directions, all I saw before me was a dead-end.
More precisely, what lay ahead was a quiet canal, which made me frown slightly.
‘Am I supposed to cross this? …No, that can’t be right… can it?’
At that moment, a gondola approached and came to a stop in front of me.
Curious, I cautiously addressed the gondolier standing there.
“Hey, excuse me. Would you happen to know the way to the Central Gallery from here…”
“…Damn it…”
“?”
Whoosh!
The next moment, the gondolier swung his oar directly at me.
The strike, infused with magic, was aimed straight for my neck.
But—
Thwack!
“…Huh?”
“…What are you?”
The oar landed cleanly in my hand.
The gondolier’s face instantly twisted with confusion, and—
Bang!
A single punch from me sent him flying, plunging into the canal with a loud splash.
“Well, that was random…”
All I wanted was to ask for directions, but instead, the gondolier decided to try and knock my head off.
Reflecting on the unexpectedly lousy state of public safety here, I climbed into the now-ownerless gondola and began inspecting the oar in my hand.
‘First time with a gondola… Should be similar to steering a small boat, right?’
Unlike the other gondolas, this one had a small golden figurehead affixed to its bow.
Feeling a mix of curiosity and the satisfaction of acquiring this new vehicle through perfectly legal self-defense, I decided to give it a test run.
However—
“There he is! Over here!”
“Don’t leave without us!”
Two figures suddenly emerged from the alleyway, carrying a large sack slung over their shoulders.
The sack squirmed, indicating something alive inside, and emanated an ominous vibe.
From the faint sense of presence coming from it, I had a pretty good guess about what kind of people these two were.
“Alright! Let’s get moving!”
“Nice outfit, by the way. Always acting like you hate this stuff, yet you’re the most enthusiastic. Let’s go! We’re gonna be late!”
It seemed they’d mistaken me for one of their own.
Dropping my voice to a low mumble, I played along and asked, “…Going? Where, exactly?”
“What’re you talking about? Are you joking?”
“Obviously, to Marquis Zavanni’s place. Let’s go! He’s probably been waiting for the goods to arrive!”
“…Got it. Let’s go.”
Kindly providing their destination without hesitation, these were truly helpful individuals.
And such helpful individuals deserved a fitting reward.
Raising the oar, I swung with precision.
Whack!
“Gwahhh!”
“Arghhh!”
The heads of Slave Trader #1 and Slave Trader #2 collided with the oar, sending them flying.
I had long decided that such scum were less than human and should be treated as pests to be exterminated.
After kindly separating their worthless heads from their equally worthless bodies, I used a burst of magic to untie the squirming sack.
From within emerged a young nun with striking silver hair and blue eyes.
She looked around briefly before fixing her gaze on me, her face a mixture of surprise and awe.
“D-Did you… save me?”
“Well, if you put it that way, sure.”
While it was more of a coincidence, the outcome was the same, so I nodded.
The nun made the sign of the cross before bowing deeply to me.
“Thank you, my savior. May the Lord’s blessing be upon you. I, Auriel Stardust, offer my prayers for you.”
“Skip the prayers. Just tell me where I need to go.”
“…? I said my name is Auriel Stardust…”
“…And?”
“…Wait, don’t tell me… You really don’t know who I am? A devout believer doesn’t know my name?”
“I’m Buddhist.”
“…”
—
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