Chapter 149

The time of dawn, when the sun was about to rise.

The pale light rising effortlessly beyond the horizon was quite a sight, no matter how many times you witnessed it.

However…

The expression of the person watching this spectacle was far from bright.

“Haah…”

She let out a deep sigh.

Vice-Captain Lemain of the Golden Beard Pirate Crew.

In this moment, she stood before a prepared sailboat, feeling quite reluctant.

“Goodness… I can’t believe I have to look after that rookie. No matter how you slice it, Ezra’s just being overly cautious.”

Last night, Pirate King Ezra Drake had entrusted her with a special request.

To personally look after Franklin, who was heading to Gibraltar to buy spices.

Though Gibraltar was not too far away, with Brittania Empire having recently declared war, it could indeed be hazardous.

Originally, she would’ve liked to go herself, but after the chaotic events of the Revolution War in the Kingdom of Frantz, her magical powers had yet to recover.

Since she needed some time to rest, Pirate King asked the ever-energetic Lemain, who had surprisingly been absent from the last war, to take a look at the situation.

Had it been the usual Lemain, she would have certainly brushed this request off with a “Yeah, right.”

It was bothersome and inconvenient that she, as a Vice-Captain and not just some rookie, had to babysit someone who was a core member of the crew.

But…

“Well… if you don’t want to, then I’ll just have to order you to leave out garlic and pepper from every meal you eat.”

“W-What? Hey! That’s totally different!”

The Pirate King’s words were deadly serious even for Lemain.

Due to her bizarre eating habits formed since childhood, Lemain was one of the only two people on this ship, alongside the Pirate King, who would suffer nearly withdrawal symptoms if she couldn’t have garlic and pepper.

Looking at the pale expression of the Vice-Captain, the Pirate King said coldly.

“Don’t you know that those who don’t work shouldn’t eat? Honestly, how can a Vice-Captain just lounge around while someone else is going to a dangerous place for supplies, especially after not resting for three consecutive missions?”

“Ugh…”

Lemain hadn’t particularly intended it, but she had mostly functioned in a supporting or standby role lately.

Of course, there were many tasks that only she, as Vice-Captain, could handle, but honestly, most of them didn’t require much effort apart from just keeping her seat warm.

On the other hand, the Pirate King, who was putting out that long speech, had been working so hard that his magical power had nearly reached Grade 12 levels of depletion.

Moreover, Franklin’s group, heading out for supplies now, hadn’t taken a break and had struggled through every task.

In the end, succumbing to a mix of intimidation and factual pressure, Lemain hoisted the white flag and surrendered,

resulting in the current situation.

To ride the currents, they had to set off at sunrise,

so Lemain was prepared to sail since the early dawn, waiting for Franklin and the cooking crew.

Alone, feeling the sea breeze, she sighed with a hint of annoyance as she watched the sun starting to rise.

“Tch… I have so much to say to Ezra. How did it come to this…”

She could have talked to him when they were alone yesterday, but it hadn’t felt like the right atmosphere.

Part of it was her difficulty in even bringing up the topic,

but more importantly, she herself hadn’t been mentally prepared yet.

So, she decided to postpone the conversation until after this job… putting it off for her future self.

Just then…

“Hmm… Is this the place?”

“?”

A sudden voice echoed in her ears.

Feeling an oddly familiar sensation radiating a sort of authority from the voice, Lemain turned her head.

“Speaking of which… I heard there’s a new cooking crew rookie…”

The rookie would practically be the youngest person onboard.

As Vice-Captain, she needed to know the basics, so Lemain thought it was a good chance to see what kind of person had come aboard.

And then…

“…Oh?”

“…?”

A woman in shabby clothes was staring in her direction.

The outfit itself wasn’t something she cared too much about.

However…

The moment she saw the woman with blonde hair and green eyes…

Lemain found herself speaking in a dazed voice without realizing it.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

“!!”

*

Following Franklin’s instruction to go ahead and wait with her luggage, Queen Louis had arrived at the ship ahead of time.

As Franklin had mentioned, there was someone who had come early as her traveling companion.

‘Is that the infamous Lemain, Vice-Captain of this ship?’

A lively-looking woman with short black hair,

Though it was her first time seeing her, there was an oddly familiar feeling to this woman, prompting Queen Louis to consider greeting her.

Normally, it wouldn’t even cross her mind to bow her head first as a queen, but at the moment, Queen Louis had long since abandoned any pretense of nobility.

She knew very well that her current status was that of a mere lowly crew member of the pirate crew.

Of course, it wasn’t easy to shake off a lifetime of habit, so bits of her former bearing still leaked out in her speech and actions.

Anyway, as she approached the waiting Vice-Captain cautiously, trying to initiate a conversation…

Then…

“Y-Your Majesty?”

“!?”

A voice mixed with shock and bewilderment escaped Lemain.

Upon hearing this, Queen Louis’s mind started spinning faster than usual.

‘T-This unexpected discovery… Who would have thought someone here would recognize me…’

Though she was taken aback, upon reflection, it was reasonably likely.

After all, her past identity was that of the Queen of the Kingdom of Frantz,

and her face was well-known from many public events.

However, while in the Kingdom of Frantz, she had purposely smeared coal on her face or covered it with cloth to prevent being recognized in public.

Now, facing the situation completely without such cover was a whole different kettle of fish.

“Your Majesty, uh… why are you here…? And in that appearance…”

“Ah… no… It’s just that… Ahem!”

Naturally, it was clear that revealing her identity here wouldn’t bring any benefit.

Despite having managed to evade detection and escape, getting caught would mean she could still end up hearing “Go back to the Kingdom of Frantz” thrown at her.

And…

At this point, with nobles being mercilessly slaughtered,

Queen Louis was very aware that returning to that fate had a high probability of leading to her own death.

Partly, she found piracy more appealing than being a queen, but her attempt to smuggle aboard was also driven by the struggle to survive.

So, calming her racing heart and addressing the Vice-Captain, Queen Louis spoke as steadily as she could manage.

“So… you recognized me. Impressive. Who are you? Are you my enemy or my ally?”

“…”

If she was an ally, it would be fine to talk things over, but if she was an enemy, then it would be over.

In that context, Queen Louis desperately hoped Lemain, the Vice-Captain, would turn out to be an ally.

“I…”

“Ah! There she is.”

“!”

At that moment, lively voices suddenly rang out.

As the cooking crew members came up onto the deck, Queen Louis felt an even deeper sense of tension.

If she was right, the Vice-Captain was the next authoritative figure after the Pirate King on this ship.

The fate of her own life would be decided by how she decided to speak here.

‘Please, let this woman be my ally…’

Feeling the rising anxiety, Queen Louis cautiously glanced at the Vice-Captain.

At that moment, Lemain turned her gaze in her direction.

Then.

“Hmm…”

“?!”

The Vice-Captain smiled.

The unsettling sensation behind that smile caused Queen Louis’s knees to weaken.

Then the Vice-Captain slowly spread her arms wide…

“!?”

To Queen Louis’s utter surprise, she seamlessly pulled her into a hug.

And then…

“Please stay put, Your Majesty.”

“!…”