Chapter 48
Vegetables cooked rapidly in the intense heat of the fire.
Normally, thick vegetables were stir-fried over medium heat—
But when preparing meals for dozens of people at once,
It was crucial to maintain high heat and continuously stir to ensure even cooking.
In that regard, the military’s cooking division required just as much, if not more, stamina than the average soldier.
And even worse—
They had to do it every single day, without rest.
There were no days off from eating,
Whether it was seven days a week or 365 days a year.
Such a gruelling workload and strictly regimented routine were forced upon every military cook.
And despite spending 70% of her daily time cooking—
Leaving her with little opportunity for combat training—
Franklin still remained one of the Five Core Executives,
An elite powerhouse under the Pirate King’s command.
There was a clear reason for that.
Even now, Franklin wiped away sweat, stirring the large batch of vegetables over the roaring flames.
Then suddenly—
“Ah… right.”
Remembering something, Franklin briefly lowered the heat and bent down to search for something.
And at that very moment—
Something moved.
It approached her—
Silently.
Swiftly.
—
For the past few days—
The creature had barely survived on tough, tasteless feed.
Even when it finally escaped, the meat it found was frozen solid.
And before it could feast, a human barged in—
Forcing it to retreat before it could eat its fill.
But now—
Right in front of its eyes—
A large, tender, plump human female stood completely distracted.
Earlier, a male had interrupted its hunt.
But now, there were only two beings here—
The human female and itself.
This time—
It would devour warm flesh to its heart’s content.
It would feast.
A glint flickered in the creature’s fangs.
It infused them with mana, preparing for its next kill.
Then—
Whoosh!
It lunged—
So fast that the human eye couldn’t even follow.
With fangs capable of ripping through steel,
It went straight for its prey’s throat—
Ready to tear it apart.
And then—
—
“Damn it! Where the hell did that thing go?”
“It probably ran off… but I don’t see it anywhere.”
“B-But we’re on a ship, in the middle of the sea! There’s nowhere to run. It has to show up again at some point, right?”
Cursing in frustration, Magellan stormed out of the storage room.
Behind him, Elkana and Ambasha followed cautiously, their bodies tense.
Even after thoroughly scouring the area,
They found no trace of the weasel.
And that fact alone terrified them.
If any of them had mastered magic detection,
They could have easily tracked it down.
But none of them had that ability.
Had Auriel been awake, she might have been able to attempt something similar—
But unfortunately, she was still asleep, lost in dreamland.
Still—
Having searched so thoroughly, at the very least,
They believed the creature wasn’t here.
So they made their way to the kitchen—
To report to Franklin and discuss their next move.
Unlike them, Franklin could use detection magic—
If she helped, they could find it quickly.
But then—
“…Wait… hold on…”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
A horrifying realization struck Magellan.
His pace quickened.
“Wait… Magellan? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“That thing… it’s probably heading toward the kitchen.”
“The kitchen?”
“It’s the only place with lights on at this hour.”
“Ah!”
“Oh, no…”
Franklin was stronger than Magellan—
But right now, she was completely absorbed in cooking.
If that weasel launched a sneak attack—
Even Franklin might not react in time.
A cold chill ran down their spines.
Realizing the danger,
The three of them sprinted toward the kitchen.
—
“Sister!”
Ambasha cried out, calling Franklin’s name.
She tried to convince herself—
That everything was fine.
That nothing bad had happened.
But still—the fear lingered. She rushed inside.
And then—
Gasp!
“!…”
The moment they stepped in—
Elkana and Ambasha froze in place.
What they saw—
What lay before them—
A terrifying sight.
That beast—
Sitting there, mouth slightly open—
Blood dripping from its fangs.
And the sickening sound of it smacking its lips—
Drip… Drip… Smack… Smack…
And right beside that creature—
“Fufu, you’re eating so well. You must’ve been really hungry, huh?”
– “Pii-pii~”
“…”
A moment ago—
It looked like it was about to tear someone apart—
Yet now—
It was chirping like a baby chick.
And—
As always—
That woman, with a terrifying yet gentle smile— was stroking its head.
Franklin.
At that touch, the creature— like a tamed puppy, rolled over, exposing its belly, in what was undoubtedly an act of submission.
Franklin rubbed its belly a few times—
Then, as if switching modes, the creature returned to eating.
It devoured its meal—
Dried jerky slathered in bright red ketchup.
Still absentmindedly patting its head,
Franklin finally looked up at the three figures,
Who stood there,
Staring blankly—
At the drastic transformation of this terrifying beast.
“Huh? What are you all doing over there?”
“And why are you holding weapons…?”
“Did a fight break out this morning or something?”
“…”
“W-Well, you see…”
“Ha… Haha…”
The three of them could only laugh awkwardly—
At the utter absurdity of the situation.
Meanwhile—
Observing from the doorway—
Was him.
The Pirate King.
He had rushed here, thinking his lover might be in danger.
Yet—
In the end—
It had all been for nothing.
Glancing down—
He eyed the jerky he had prepared in advance.
“…Well, I guess I won’t be needing this anymore.”
The same item that the Emperor had used in the original story—
To tame the weasel.
Lamb jerky.
According to the original tale—
Once the beast tasted it,
It began to wag its tail at the Emperor.
Of course—
The Emperor’s overwhelming power also played a role—
But still.
“…Well. At least Franklin’s safe.”
With that thought—
He turned, walking back toward his quarters.
Feeling a strange mix of emotions—
At how his lover had just “stolen” the beast he had prepared for himself.
And yet—
Finding some amusement—
In the fact that Franklin’s forces had grown once again.
***
A City at the Border of the Mediterranean and the Atlantian Sea.
Gibraltar.
At this moment— A meeting was taking place between three factions, who would normally never be caught in the same room together.
At the head of the table sat Admiral Arcroyal,
The representative of Bennessa,
And the one who called this meeting.
Across from her—
Sat two figures, both dressed in military uniforms, exuding an air of power.
One was a middle-aged man with golden hair and a sharp, stern face.
A legendary war hero,
Who made his name in the American War of Independence—
And now held the military authority of the Franz Kingdom.
Grand Marshal Raphael.
A renowned name—
And a powerful figure,
Who had ascended to the rank of 11th-tier Grand Mage.
Looking at Arcroyal he spoke—
His voice arrogant.
“Hah. Unbelievable.”
“To think a mere bounty hunter like you—”
“Would dare summon me to this place.”
“You must have quite the guts.”
“Hah. I never thought I’d live to see the day.”
Arcroyal chuckled.
“Tell me about it.”
“Honestly, I never thought I’d get to cash in on an old debt like this.”
“In fact—”
“I’d love nothing more than to wring every last ounce of profit out of your ‘promotion’ from those days.”
A dangerous glint flickered in her eyes.
But—
“That’s enough.”
“I believe we agreed not to bring up the past.”
“Besides, the only reason I’m even here is—”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
“I won’t push it further.”
Arcroyal shrugged—
Dropping the subject.
Meanwhile,
Watching the exchange from across the table— was another figure.
A woman.
With golden hair and radiant amber eyes.
Her appearance suggested she was in her early thirties.
Beautiful.
Refined.
With a serene smile,
She idly stirred her tea,
Before finally speaking.
“…Enough with the small talk.”
“Let’s get to the point.”
“Arcroyal—”
“You wouldn’t have called us here—”
“Or dredged up old debts”
“Without a reason.”
“So—Tell us.”
“Why are we here?”
At that—
Arcroyal reached into her coat.
She pulled out something.
And placed it on the table.
A bounty poster.
The moment the others saw it—
Their expressions hardened.
“…!”
“…This person…?”
A name and a price—
Fifty thousand Talants.
Even these seasoned warriors—
Among the strongest on the continent couldn’t help but tense—
At the sight of the face on that poster.
Arcroyal smiled.
“So,”
“How about it? Shall we hunt the Pirate King?”
—
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