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Chapter 26

Auriell, with her head bowed low, showed no signs of resistance.

Looking at the soldiers approaching to bind her, Bishop Judah felt a faint sense of relief inside.

“Thank goodness, if she had resisted for no reason, it would have been bothersome in many ways…”

Auriell possessed a power comparable to that of a saint. He knew very well that if she decided to fight back seriously, they would have to accept some casualties on their side.

Of course, even so, the outcome wouldn’t have changed, considering he was a Cleric with no combat abilities.

Bishop Judah thought they could manage their time just fine as he observed the situation.

At that moment…

Boom!!

“Huh?”

“What… what’s happening?”

In an instant, a golden flash shot up into the sky.

Seeing it released from Auriell’s embrace, the bishop, priest, and soldiers flinched at the sight.

They wondered if she might have cast some special Divine Magic.

However, nothing happened.

The golden flash vanished quietly, without any special effect or pain.

With a sense of mild disbelief, the bishop issued an order to the soldiers, who were still hesitating.

“What are you doing? It’s nothing, hurry up and capture her.”

“Ah… y-yes! Understood, Bishop!”

The soldiers, shaken from their daze, approached her once again.

Then…

“Ugh!”

“Ugh…ugh…”

“Huh?”

“What… what’s going on?”

At that moment, the soldiers suddenly grabbed their throats and started collapsing.

As if something invisible was choking them…

“What… what is this…”

Auriell remained completely unresponsive.

No, to be precise, she was reacting – with a look of surprise, she was gazing at the soldiers.

There was no indication of her exerting any Aura, making it seem unlikely that she was attacking the soldiers.

“C-could that flash just now…”

Perhaps it was an object with a special power that even Auriell didn’t know about?

But…

“No, that was just a signal flare.”

“!”

His thoughts were immediately negated by the voice of a man that followed soon after.

A massive presence loomed behind him.

It felt as though a gigantic beast was standing there, sending chills down the bishop’s spine.

Next, a large hand was placed on his shoulder.

It was large and rugged.

Simultaneously, he felt an undeniable weight of power, rendering him completely still, unable to move.

“What… what are you… you…”

Without even being able to turn his head, the bishop posed the question.

In response, the man slowly tightened the grip on the shoulder.

With an unnervingly calm voice, he said,

“You saw earlier, didn’t you? If your character is trash, then so is your memory?”

“! W-wait… Gah!”

Suddenly, an overwhelming pain began to wash over him, as if his arm were being torn from his body.

In a moment of reflex, the bishop tried to unleash his Aura for defense, but…

“W-what…? Gah!!”

His Aura shattered into pieces helplessly.

The force, transcending even that of an ordinary human, crushed the bishop’s shoulder as if it were a potato.

“GAAAAHHH!!!”

With a dreadful scream, Bishop Judah collapsed to the ground.

Overwhelmed with pain, he couldn’t even think about escape or recovery, rolling helplessly on the floor.

Meanwhile, the man clad in the Crow Mask stepped forward, paying no mind to the bishop.

Seeing him, Auriell asked with a look of astonishment.

“…How… how did you get here…?”

“You have a question for me, huh? You were acting like you wouldn’t use it…”

“I-I’m sorry… I was… I was foolish… You spoke the truth to me…”

“There’s no need to apologize. In fact, I wouldn’t have believed it either. If someone I met for the first time said that family would betray you, I would think they were insane.”

“Ugh…”

Once again, his cold words reminded her of the harsh reality.

Despite having come this far, Auriell still trembled, unable to accept it.

“Well, we’ll discuss the details later. First, let’s sort this situation out.”

“W-what do you mean by sort?”

While looking at the helpless bishop and soldiers sprawled on the ground, a plausible future came to mind.

“Y-you’re not going to kill them, are you?”

“Why? Are you still attached to trash like them?”

“That’s not it! Killing them would be murder! In fact, dealing with the kidnappers earlier was already a problem, but if you kill these people too, it will be irreversible! In Benessa, killing more than three people results in mandatory death penalty!”

“In my law, someone who did this much deserves to be put to death without any repercussions.”

“Stop saying ridiculous things! You’re not a king, so how can you decide that…!”

At that moment, the man began to slowly remove his Crow Mask.

While they had caught a glimpse of his face before, it was now that they truly recognized it…

As she focused on his features, Auriell’s face turned to shock.

“No… no way… you’re…!”

A man with an imposing demeanor and a powerful presence…

With golden hair and a matching golden beard.

He smiled warmly at the astonished Auriell and said,

“I can decide because I’m the King of the Sea.”

*

Firmly attached to the cart, Marquis Giovanni began to entertain himself.

Watching him delight in the thrill of disrobing the priest on the first night, everyone else felt a mixture of envy and slight jealousy.

“Tch… he’s really excited.”

“That’s why a person needs to have power.”

“Just wait… I had to step aside this time, but someday I’ll be in that position…”

Feeling pure envy as a man, the high nobles waited eagerly for their turn.

At that moment…

Thud!

“Huh?”

The next moment, suddenly, a hand shot out from the cart.

It gripped Marquis Giovanni’s head with the utmost naturalness.

And then…

WHAM!!

“!?!”

“What… what’s happening?”

The marquis’s head exploded like an eggshell.

As he collapsed, blood spraying everywhere, the faces of the people were painted with shock in an instant.

And then…

BANG!

The cart door swung open with a sharp sound.

Instead of the anticipated Auriell, a man appeared instead.

Clad in a Black Crow Mask, he stepped forward slowly.

Opposed to the pleasant time they expected to have with the nun, they now felt something had gone terribly wrong, enveloping them in deep confusion and fear.

“W-who are you?! How dare you enter this place…?”

“Where else could this place be but your grave?”

With that statement, the man began to channel his magical power into both hands.

Feeling a chilling sensation prickle their skin, they frantically started calling for their subordinates.

“W-what are the guards doing?!”

“T-there’s an intruder! Stop him at once!”

Hearing their cries, the soldiers rushed in from within.

Armed with guns and swords, the mix of mid-level warriors adept in mana made for a considerable military force.

Given that this was a leisure gathering for the high nobles, they seemed to have put decent measures in place.

However…

CRASH!!!

The intruder swung his fist at the soldiers.

The resulting golden shockwave swept through the charging soldiers in an instant.

“How… how is this happening…?”

“W-who the hell is this…?”

All the soldiers, who had rushed in with determination, fell to the ground without warning.

Whether they were dead or unconscious, they remained motionless, crumpled on the floor.

Even as they witnessed it before their eyes, they couldn’t believe it…

And simultaneously, a feeling of despair began to creep into their hearts for the first time.

If they stayed here, they might end up like Giovanni, with their skulls smashed to pieces.

Given the impending risk to their lives, the representative among the remaining high nobles, Marquis Rayt, shakily approached the Plague Doctor, who was slowly walking toward them.

“W-wait… why are you doing this? I… I think there’s a misunderstanding… we merely followed the Pope’s commands!”

In a hurried attempt to shift the blame to “nobility,” Rayt cried out.

Others quickly chimed in, frantically shouting,

“Y-yes! We were just trying to help complete the holy artifact under the Pope’s orders!”

“W-we had no ulterior motives! Unlike Giovanni, we participated in this sacred ritual purely…!”

Just a moment ago, they had brushed off the significance of the holy artifact, but now that fact had become their only lifeline, precarious yet valuable.

After all, it was, in the end, the Pope’s command, and as faithful worshippers, they felt they had no choice but to comply.

In response to this…

The Plague Doctor spoke in a calm voice.

“Everyone here was gathered solely to complete the holy artifact… So, does that mean you would do anything for the artifact still?”

“W-well, of course!”

“We are followers united by faith! If it’s by the Pope’s command and God’s will, what can’t we do!”

To survive, they were desperately igniting the faith they usually didn’t even bother with.

Yet…

“I understand… If that’s your will, then I shall respect it.”

It seemed this surprisingly struck a chord. With calmness, he withdrew the magical power he had gathered and continued in a serene voice.

“I wish to complete the holy artifact, and I shall allow it.”

“Ah!”

“T-thank you…?”

As they felt a respite from the threat to their lives, they also began to harbor peculiar hopes in this dire situation.

Although they couldn’t grasp the identity of their opponent, it seemed he might have targeted the holy artifact as well.

Even though the order was broken, they hoped he might go after Auriell.

At that moment, the man said,

“Bring it to me.”

“Y-yes! I’ll… I’ll get it right away!”

Shaking all over, the priest hurriedly climbed down from the cart and retrieved something from the back.

And the moment they laid eyes on it…

The aristocrats’ faces turned stiff.

“What… what is that?”

“Th-this person is…”

Before them was Bishop Judah, battered and still clinging to life.

Facing him, the Plague Doctor spoke with an icy tone.

“What are you doing? I brought the materials, so hurry and make it.”

The Pirate King Saves the Protagonists

The Pirate King Saves the Protagonists

Score 7.4
Status: Ongoing Type: Released: 2023
Become my Daughter.

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