Chapter 14

The Pirate King drove away the navy in one fell swoop.

However, watching this unfold, Magellan couldn’t feel at ease.

From their first encounter, they were caught in a tangled fate where he had attempted to ambush the Pirate King’s subordinates.

Even if it was a mistake on his part, there was no reason for the Pirate King to look at them favorably.

The reason for chasing away the navy was not to save them, but purely an action based on the undeniable hostile relationship between pirates and navy.

Above all, the Pirate King was infamous for showing no mercy to his enemies.

They had already been punished, but it wouldn’t be strange if someone like them, marked as enemies, were trampled like bugs.

However…

Even knowing these facts…

Even knowing how foolish it was to expect any hope.

In this moment, Magellan had no choice but to plead.

“Please, Pirate King! I… I don’t care what happens to me… Please, spare this person… Elkana!”

Kneeling and shedding tears, Magellan was beyond caring about his pride.

There was only one thing he desired.

To somehow save his precious person, the only one left to him…

The one who was now losing even her breath.

As he desperately pleaded, the Pirate King asked, his voice filled with the might and indifference of cold steel.

“How did this come to be?”

“! That… that is…”

It was an urgent situation, yet, it was the question from the only lifeline, the Pirate King.

The answer would determine the fate of his beloved.

Thus, Magellan immediately spilled out everything that had happened until now.

The unexpected order for slaughter from Duke Ocleang right after their return.

As a result, his subordinates were annihilated, and Elkana was the only survivor, gravely wounded and dying.

The overall content was true to fact, but Magellan added a little emotional embellishment to sway his opponent’s heart.

“Moreover… the Duke said that he would hang anyone who upset his mood—even the Pirate King—right in the square…”

“…I see? He even said such a thing…”

Though his expression didn’t change, something disturbed started showing in the Pirate King.

Once Magellan finished his hastily poured-out explanation of the situation, he once again lowered his head and pleaded with all his might.

“Please… I beg you. If you could show mercy just this once… I will repay you in whatever way possible. Whether it’s my life… or anything else, I can offer it all. So please… let my companion live.”

“…”

For a moment, the Pirate King remained silent.

Though it was a short moment, it felt like an eternity, during which Magellan trembled in deep tension and longing, not even daring to breathe.

Desperately hoping his words had moved the Pirate King’s heart…

And then.

“Lemain!”

A booming voice erupted from the Pirate King.

“Did you call?”

Responding to the voice that shook the surroundings, a small yet clear voice resonated back.

Then someone jumped down from the Pirate King’s warship behind him, landing lightly on the ground.

A beautiful woman dressed in black attire with black hair and green eyes.

Magellan recognized well who she was from the bounty notices.

The second-in-command of the Pirate King’s fleet.

Lemain Migdal.

To her, the Pirate King calmly gave an order.

“Injured person. Heal her.”

“!”

Words that brought hope to Magellan, who was filled with despair and anxiety.

“As you command.”

Lemain replied with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Yet despite her demeanor, a warm green energy began to shimmer in her hands.

A power unlike ordinary magical energy.

The Divine Power wielded by Holy Knights and Priests.

This force, known as Aura, specialized in recovery and began to envelop Elkana’s body.

Then…

“Haaa…”

As the healing power infused with divine authority seeped in, a gentle breath escaped Elkana’s lips.

The bullet wound on her chest vanished,

And color gradually returned to her pale face.

Her previously shallow breathing steadied,

And warmth began to flow back into her cold body.

Even someone ignorant of medicine like Magellan could see Elkana was recovering.

Seeing her escape danger, the despair and concern in Magellan’s heart melted away like snow.

He was on the verge of losing his companion forever, and now he had her back.

Tears of joy and relief filled Magellan’s eyes, reminiscent of those he shed moments before.

And…

To such Magellan,


Lemain silently extended her hand.

“Th-Thank you… really… truly, thank you!”

With that hand firmly held, Magellan once again bowed low.

Then, suddenly,

“It’s 100 talants.”

“…What?”

Lemain spoke calmly.

Instantly, Magellan’s face blanked in shock.

“Saving a life is worth that much, right? I’ll only take cash, and the interest is 10% per week, so it’s best to pay up quickly.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Shouldn’t you start by giving me what you have?”

“P-Please, wait a moment!”

Normally, receiving Healing Magic from a Church’s Priest or Holy Knight would cost at most 2 to 3 talants.

Some even offered a 30% discount on feast days or rest days.

Compared to that, this was an outrageous charge with insane interest that made it seem like a highway robbery.

Once again, it hit him that this person was indeed a pirate.

But having declared he would offer his life or anything else,

Magellan rushed to check if he had any cash left in the wrecked cabin without saying a word.

‘Oh no… The account in Marinseu must be closed… If there’s nothing here, I might have to go to Benessa…’

In a moment, he found himself unwillingly entangled under the Pirate King, owing an enormous debt to one of his subordinates.

However, even in such circumstances, a smile began to trail across Magellan’s lips.

Regardless of whether he had incurred debts or was about to engage in piracy,

None of that mattered anymore.

Because he had been able to save…

His only remaining family and his reason for living…

He had managed to protect her in the end.

*

Moments after Magellan left,


Lemain had placed Elkana, who still hadn’t awakened, upon her knees.

Debt was debt, but for now, she was fulfilling her role as a healer.

With her gaze now averted,


I let out a small sigh while looking at the blue status window only visible to me.

‘So it has come to this…’

<Hidden Mission Completed>

[You decided to save Magellan and his companion.

A hidden route begins.

The Kingdom of Frantz has begun to watch you.]

As expected, the mission cleared by agreeing to Magellan’s request.

I could vaguely predict what would happen next.

‘In the end, I’m going to be entangled in the land’s affairs…’

Until now, I had kept my distance from the mainland while only operating at sea.

I didn’t want to get entangled in the brutal war that would unfold two years later, starting from the original timeline.

No matter how powerful I am as the King of the Sea, I had no desire to see my precious subordinates get hurt in a war that didn’t concern us in the slightest.

However,


This mission seemed likely to complicate that considerably.

Warnings in the status window were never given lightly.

Especially since it seemed I’d triggered something akin to a frenzy when I previously saved Ambasha, it was highly likely that this event would lead to significant issues with the mainland nations… especially the Kingdom of Frantz.

But even despite the risks, I chose to walk the path of saving Magellan instead of cutting his neck.

I didn’t care about leaving a mark on history.

The main reason was that I realized an unmistakable danger loomed from Magellan’s words.

‘Duke Ocleang…’

He was the one who mobilized an excessive amount of funds to secure Ambasha.

Moreover, right after that effort had failed, he had tried to kill Magellan for absurd reasons and even mobilized the navy to ensure there were no loose ends.

Such an act was incomprehensible under normal circumstances.

While it could be understood for Ambasha, Magellan was renowned even among bounty hunters in the Mediterranean Sea.

He maintained order by taking down mid-sized pirates in the waters off the coast of the Kingdom of Frantz, so killing him over such flimsy reasoning was something no sane person would do.

However,


I knew what could explain Duke Ocleang’s incomprehensible actions all at once.

‘Duke Ocleang… that man, is likely a reincarnator… or at least one of their puppets.’

Ambasha, who would later reach the ranks of the highest level of power.

Magellan, a being of uncontrollable slaughter able to create complex variables.

If a reincarnator knew those facts, they would certainly have strong reasons to go after capture of Ambasha while simultaneously trying to kill Magellan, who would later darken into Marsus.

Not to mention, Ambasha and Marsus presented dangers that could disrupt the growth of other protagonists due to their indiscriminate massacre of NPCs.

Furthermore, in the original timeline, Marsus had garnered significant amounts of anti-fans, as he was notorious for slaughtering popular NPCs.

Depending on the reincarnator’s anti-stance or situation,


Especially if they had already secured various player characters and sought to cultivate them according to the original storyline,

Marsus would indeed be a time bomb needing to be taken out beforehand no matter how absurd the excuse.

Considering these circumstances,


I chose to accept Magellan, who could be seen as a capable asset among the original player characters, and his companion, who could act as a leash to control him.

‘An unmanageable enemy has emerged… then I can no longer afford to remain passive.’

Before me could potentially sit a reincarnator who had already established a considerable influence over the Kingdom of Frantz… or even beyond.

Moreover, judging by his confident declaration to hang me in the square, it was clear I had already crossed the Rubicon with that guy.

In this situation, even if it meant getting entangled in the mainland war, I needed to be prepared to take whatever means necessary to strengthen my power unlike ever before.

The true significant threat for me right now, as the ruler of the seas, was not the mainland war that was somewhat predictable and manageable with hints from the status quests.

Above all, I needed to be wary of those beings, who could not be anticipated even with the help of quest hints,


And who shared the same advantages as I did — the reincarnators.

The simplest way to gain an upper hand over such individuals was to gather as many player characters and special privileges as possible.

While organizing what needed to be done next,


I found myself lost in thought as I glanced at the small purse of money approaching Magellan with a perplexed expression.

‘Then… the first place I should head to at this point would be Benessa… right?’