“…Who are you?”
The questioning began as I found myself aboard a large ship, its wooden cabin dimly lit by a single lamp, just enough to make out Anne standing before me.
She didn’t waste a single moment after getting out of the water, dragging An’as and me into her ship.
Neither of us could put up a fight, and in the end, we were both dragged in.
Just my luck…
“You especially.”
Anne nudged her head at me, her brows furrowing.
“I’ve never seen you before.”
“What?”
I looked at her weirdly.
“And why would you have seen me before? Are you saying that you know the faces of everyone within Virith-Anash?”
That’d be ridiculous.
“No.”
The captain shook her head before pointing at her eye, which shone a faint green emerald hue.
“…But I can tell if I’ve ever met someone before.”
I raised my brow, but understood.
‘She probably isn’t lying.’
I had seen enough from her and those weird eyes of hers to know that she was most likely not lying. I grew curious while staring at her eyes.
Was this a byproduct of a bone?
“Since I’m not familiar with you, I take it that you’re not from around here. Where exactly are you from?”
The captain continued to press me.
I just stared back at her while leaning against the wooden chair I sat on.
It was rather uncomfortable.
It also didn’t look like I was detained, as I had no restraints on me, but it felt like I was. I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to.
If I weren’t detained, I didn’t know what I was…
An’as was also in a similar situation, even though she appeared to be somewhat familiar with him.
…Or at least, she seemed to recognize him.
He was probably here because of me.
“I’m just a traveling merchant from afar. I’ve been here for quite some time now. I’ve also opened up a recent shop. The Gray Cham—”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then…?”
“It doesn’t change the fact that you are suspicious.”
“And how exactly does that help you in any way? I’m pretty sure you have more serious matters to tend to.”
Like, you know… a certain captain who magically disappeared from out of nowhere the moment that it was revealed he was a hollowed?
‘Yeah, I’m not buying that.’
He was certainly planning something.
He wouldn’t just let us go after revealing that we were important ‘ingredients’ for his plan.
Something was at work beneath the surface, and it all traced back to the moment he vanished. In that instant, my mind drained, and the Hive creature slipped from my neck, collapsing to the ground.
Something happened in that moment.
I felt that was the key to understanding the situation and what Sylas was planning.
“…..”
The captain’s eyes flickered as she looked at me.
Her thoughts were unknown to me, and each passing second felt like it dragged on forever.
But that all ended a second after as she sighed.
“Yes, you’re right.”
She sat down on her chair.
“….Although I’m still suspicious about your origins, I’ve seen enough to think that you’re not on his side. At least… for now.”
Her eyes narrowed, and I felt a cold chill running down the back of my neck.
I could only force myself to remain calm while looking at her.
But at the same time, a thought occurred to me.
‘I originally planned on trying to get Sylas to bring me to the eclipsed maw. However, now that she’s here, there’s nothing that says I shouldn’t use her.’
She was one of the seven lords and was most likely not a hollowed.
About that part…
At this point, anyone could be a hollowed.
Her lips pursed as she tapped her arm.
“The situation is rather troublesome. I’ve already reported the matter to those of the Temple. The best course of action is to wait for them to give us a reply before deciding on the next steps to take.”
“Next steps?”
What was she talking about?
She rolled her eyes.
“Are you stupid? Do you think that Sylas is just going to leave like that? He very obviously has got us locked or targeted. He must’ve formed some sort of plan and is actively trying to hunt us. I don’t understand the reason why he suddenly left, but I’m sure it must be part of his plan. I’ll need the two of you to remain with me in the meantime.”
“What—!?”
It was An’as who shouted.
He looked at Anne with wide eyes.
“What do you mean remain with you in the meantime? No, no, no… I can’t remain here.”
He stood up while biting his nails, walking around his chair, occasionally glancing in the captain’s direction, and mumbling things like, ‘I can’t leave my post for too long. If I do, all my work will go to waste. I need to be promoted. I can’t fail like this.’
Ah, there he was again..
Him and his obsession with the temple.
Looking at him and seeing his expression, I grew even more curious. His obsession… it felt somewhat weird.
What exactly did this Goddess do to make him this loyal and obsessed with them?
I previously checked, and there were no signs of emotive magic or spirit magic on him.
He seemed to genuinely worship her.
“What the fuck…”
As I heard the captain’s words and I turned my head to meet her gaze, I explained,
“He’s from the Temple.”
“Oh—”
“Ah! You’re not supposed to say that!”
An’as quickly turned to me, but it was already too late. He could only awkwardly look at the captain, who made quite an expression.
“Well then, I guess I don’t need force to keep you here, do I…?”
“…Ah.”
An’as looked at me in despair. I could also see hints of hatred in there, but I just nodded my head.
‘That’s for nearly killing me back there.’
He gave up shortly after.
“That’s about it from me.”
The captain began moving towards the door of the room. She nudged the two of us with her head.
“Follow me, I’ll bring you guys out to get you familiar with the ship. You’ll stay here until I manage to get this situation sorted.”
Clank!
The wooden door opened, and the strong scent of iron and salt entered the room.
Lazarus glanced in An’as’s direction before following her from behind.
An’as could only follow along shortly after. He was still mumbling a few things, but he also realized that he had no real say in the situation.
Even the temple had to be respectful to one of the seven lords.
What did he think he could do?
I shook my head and stepped out of the room. A long, wooden corridor stretched ahead, dimly lit by scattered lamps. It extended for several meters before ending at a staircase that led upward.
The three of us walked in silence as we passed by several crewmates.
“Greetings, Captain.”
“…Captain.”
From the way they were greeting her, it was clear that they highly respected her. I looked around, taking in the sight before moving up the stairs as the scent of iron and salt became more pronounced and the all too familiar gray sky appeared.
Long white sails billowed from a massive mast, each one stretching at least thirty meters. Above them, a green flag fluttered in the wind.
“Make sure the anchor is ready!”
“Time to swab the decks!”
“Check for dry rot!”
“Caulk the seams!”
The ship’s main deck was littered with crewmates as they roamed around, shouting and barking orders as the place felt extremely lively.
I stared at the scene before me with interest.
This was the first time I had ever seen pirates in action, and it was quite an interesting sight. Even their accents were quite interesting to hear.
“This right here is the main deck. It’s where the main mast stands tall, right in the center. And if you look to the sides…” She gestured toward the heavy cannons lined along the ship’s edge. “You’ll see these beauties. One shot from them could blast the likes of you two into splinters. Costs a fortune, though, so I’d rather not waste a single round unless I have to.”
She laughed as she said those words.
I didn’t think she was joking. Staring at the cannons and seeing the numerous runes placed on them, I could tell that it wasn’t anything simple.
“There’s no particular rule that you need to follow while being on this ship.”
The captain began to lead the two of us throughout the ship, explaining its layout in detail. I didn’t really understand why she was doing this, but I soaked in the information in my mind. In case something did happen, it was best to know everything about the ship.
I was rather unlucky…
“The main rules of the ship would just be to listen to my orders. Whatever I say goes, and that’s pretty much it. Oh, yeah… don’t kill and do shit that you wouldn’t do in the city. Just common-sense type stuff.”
“Oh.”
I could do that.
This wasn’t really hard to follow.
The captain began to rumble more about the ship. About how she had managed to acquire it, what she went through, and all of that stuff. I listened attentively while staring at the crimson sea that stretched towards the white sun that hung in the distance.
Something about the reflection of the white sun on the red waters felt enchanting.
Lazarus couldn’t pull his gaze away from it.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I only snapped out of it when I heard the captain’s voice whisper from my right as she stood with her arms crossed, her gaze locked onto the horizon.
When did she move next to me?
“This sight is one of the reasons I do what I do.”
Her curly hair fluttered as she looked into the distance.
“Dangerous as it is, the Crimson Sea… It’s also breathtaking. But this? This isn’t even close to its finest sights. I’ve sailed through places so deadly they make your blood chill, and yet, each one was more beautiful than the last. The Isle of Broken Oaths, the Scalding Reefs, the Lantern Path, the Eclipsed Maw… I’ve seen them all.”
Her emerald eyes sparkled as she spoke, and I… I… Lazarus slowly pulled his attention towards the distant horizon, too.
Neither said a word as they stared at the Crimson Sea.
Indeed, it was quite beautiful.
