Chapter 28
Auriel suddenly lowered her head, showing a sign of submission.
Feeling genuinely taken aback, I asked her cautiously.
“…Do you realize what you’re saying? You know I’m a pirate, right?”
“Of course. Pirate King Ezra Drake… I ask again. Please allow me to follow you.”
“…Why? Even if I saved your life, surely you know better than anyone that this path doesn’t suit a clergyperson?”
It’s not like our ship didn’t already have a priest.
But that man had been a loan shark disguised as a clergyman, and there wasn’t a shred of genuine devotion in him.
Despite that, he had somehow mastered divine powers on an extraordinary level.
But comparing him to the ‘real priest’ Auriel before me was like comparing holy water in a cathedral to groundwater from the basement.
As I mulled over this perplexing situation, Auriel spoke in a serious tone.
“…I know this path won’t be easy. Depending on the situation, I might have to dirty my hands with the mud of sin. But…”
With those words, Auriel looked at the burning mansion. Her expression was one of sorrow as she spoke softly.
“…Right now, I no longer know what to believe. What is good… what is evil… and whether God truly exists at all.”
“Are you saying… you’ve lost your faith?”
At my words, Auriel lowered her head, her face dark with emotion.
She had been betrayed by someone she trusted and unjustly abandoned by the religion she served.
From one perspective, it could be said that God had forsaken her.
Though I lacked faith myself and couldn’t fully grasp her feelings, I could understand to some extent what it meant for someone’s beliefs to be shattered.
“And so… I’ve decided to find out for myself. Even if it means experiencing the life of a pirate, which others call evil… and even exploring the Buddhism you mentioned.”
“Buddhism, huh…”
This unexpected turn of events, stemming from my offhanded remark used as a deflection, left me feeling rather awkward.
Still, I understood why she wanted to become a pirate.
Her perception of life’s rules—what was good, what was evil, and what constituted God—had been completely destroyed by today’s events.
To rebuild her worldview, she had decided to face everything head-on and make her own judgments.
As a result, she had chosen an entirely new path she’d never considered before.
From my perspective, there was no reason to reject her, especially since it meant bringing a talented individual on board.
“…Alright. If that’s what you truly want.”
“Ah!”
Auriel’s face lit up with joy at my words. Smiling deeply, I spoke to her.
“Then, as your captain, I’ll give you your first order. It concerns tomorrow’s performance.”
***
In the central gallery of Bennessa.
This venue, capable of holding up to 5,000 people, was currently packed with visitors from all across the continent.
While the majority were here to participate in the grand auction, there was another shared purpose that had drawn everyone here.
And that purpose also applied to her, seated quietly among the crowd.
A woman wearing a white raven mask.
Having traveled from one of the farthest regions for business, she felt a flutter of excitement at this serendipitous opportunity.
‘How lucky… I can’t believe I’ll get to hear Auriel sing in a place like this.’
The woman who was said to possess a heavenly voice, renowned across the continent.
Due to her busy schedule, she had missed previous chances to hear the famed singer.
But now, the prospect of hearing Auriel sing excited her even more than the auction itself.
At that moment.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. Before we begin the main auction, we have a special performance to celebrate this event.”
The announcer’s voice, amplified by magic, marked the beginning. The woman’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
‘Oh… finally!’
Soon, a figure stepped onto the stage.
Clad in an elegant dress.
Silver hair and blue eyes.
A woman whose appearance exuded a mystical and sacred aura.
Auriel Stardust.
She took a deep breath, appearing slightly nervous.
And as the slight murmurs in the central gallery died down, the room grew silent.
***
With everyone waiting silently, their eyes on a single individual, Auriel carefully gripped the staff enchanted with amplification magic.
In a gentle voice, she began to sing.
“Forte in adulescentia mea
Incredibile verbum audivi
Attrahenti fabula de dando totum mundum
Somnium dedisti mihi”
The lyrics, sung in Latin, flowed softly with a delicate tone.
Though unfamiliar to most, her voice—imbued with a quiet sorrow—touched the audience’s hearts.
Like sweet rain falling on parched land, her song began to seep into their very souls.
“Ridiculum est, etsi caput excutio
Me intra me spectat me et susurrus
Mundus ad somniantium pertinet
Anime, potes”
Softly flowing, her song spread like the faint mist of dawn.
It wasn’t just due to the amplification magic.
It was the unique timbre flowing from a divine voice forged by a celestial being.
The sound, piercing into the hearts of its listeners, embraced their ears with a warm clarity.
And then…
“Tempus transit sine intermissione
Non possum sic abire”
A clear melody began to form within the gentle song.
Like a single ray of dawn piercing the darkness,
It slowly expanded its domain, awakening the senses of those who had been captivated by the tranquility.
“Sumamus in provocationem simul
Tu et ego tenens manus
Congregans omnia nostra somnia!”
Her voice began to rise, burning brightly like the rising sun.
Just as the brilliance of light completely dispels the darkness of dawn,
It stirred the hearts of the audience, as if awakening a world that had been in slumber.
“Ventos et! altos fluctus!
Nunquam timeo ne si quid obstat!”
Stronger.
Faster.
More beautiful.
And then, as the dazzling symphony of her voice reached its crescendo:
“Multis… iudiciis…
sine fine explicans…”
A moment of stillness arrived at the peak of the fervor.
The intense emotions that had burned so brightly seemed to compress all at once, enveloping everyone present.
“Est in clara cras….”
Her trembling voice faded away like a candle extinguished.
The light that had illuminated the world condensed into a single point before disappearing altogether.
A profound shiver ran through the hearts of everyone.
As the performance ended, Auriel respectfully bowed her head.
The gesture marking the conclusion of the performance was followed by silence.
The audience, still caught in the intense reverberations of emotion, struggled to compose themselves.
And then, as their feelings gradually settled…
Clap… Clap… Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!!!
A burst of applause, like rolling thunder, filled the room.
Amid the waves of jubilation, Auriel looked around at the people before her and bowed once more.
The audience, still swept up in the powerful afterglow, continued to sing her praises.
However.
Among those who heard her song at that moment—
To be precise, among those who understood the Latin lyrics—some tilted their heads in confusion.
“It was an incredible song, but… it felt a little different from usual, didn’t it?”
“Exactly. Auriel’s songs are usually hymns, aren’t they?”
Auriel, who always sang about the glory of God.
Yet, in today’s performance, there was no mention of God whatsoever.
Still, the song’s content itself was magnificent.
“Well… since it’s the grand auction, maybe she chose something different for the occasion.”
“Whoever composed it did an excellent job. I’ll have to find out more if I get the chance.”
The audience dismissed it as nothing more than a good song, not seeing it as an issue.
But among them,
The individual who had commissioned Auriel’s song today—
The one who had made it possible for her to perform here in the first place—
And the only person left in this world who could command her to sing.
Behind a black raven mask, this person smiled deeply, feeling a joy different from the others.
“She truly is a genius… To think she could arrange this song so artistically in such a short time…”
His favorite song, practically a symbol of pirates.
Transformed into a Latin aria—
Performed with a voice so heavenly that it was nothing short of artistry.
The experience left him profoundly moved.
As he prepared to meet Auriel to express his satisfaction,
And to begin his work in the grand auction hall,
He quietly departed from his seat.
And.
Just after the man wearing the black raven mask left,
A woman standing directly behind him—
Wearing a white raven mask—
Tilted her head slightly in confusion.
“…OneX Piece?”
—
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