Chapter 27

The condition to complete the Sword of Ebram is to feed it the blood of a Fallen Cleric.

Based on the current flow, it can be surmised that in the original work, it would have been completed by feeding the blood of Auriel, who possessed the qualities of a saint but had succumbed to ‘lewd corruption.’

However, at this moment, I had absolutely no intention of doing that.

I, Ezra Drake, as a pirate, had committed nearly every imaginable crime.

As for those who had dared to mess with me, they now rested at the bottom of the sea.

And I was notorious for not paying for food whenever it tasted bad.

But even in a country like this, I understood what kind of evil was simply unacceptable.

Betrayal.

The worst act that tramples on a person’s heart.

If a filthy weapon was forged through such a betrayal, no matter how splendid it was, I had no intention of obtaining it.

Especially if it was the result of an act that crushed the heart of someone I could call family, far exceeding that of mere friends or companions.

Thus, the best conclusion I reached according to my personal beliefs.

At this very moment, it was being carried out by the High Nobles of this land, trembling in fear as they executed the order I had given.

“Stop! Please… just stop!”

“Can’t you all just shut up!”

“It’s because of you that we’ve ended up like this! Atone for your sins with your death!”

The nobles, who were now all collapsed, were carrying the heavy holy sword with their own hands.

At the end of the sword was Bishop Judah, firmly tied to the ground.

The mastermind who betrayed Auriel and, in essence, forced me into this predicament.

At this moment, the bishop was in a pathetic state, sobbing and crying, but there was not a single person left to help him here.

Even his subordinate priest was trembling, spreading the holy scripture to complete the holy sword.

Thus, the bishop, who was backstabbed in return for the betrayal he schemed, felt the sharp blade of the holy sword start to pierce his abdomen.

“GAAAAAACK!!!!!!”

The bishop twisted his body, letting out a desperate scream.

The holy sword, piercing through his belly, was smoothly penetrating the bulging mass that indicated just how much he had gorged.

As blood spurted from his abdomen, the priest began reciting verses for his consciousness.

“And Saint Attila raised the Hand Grenade up on high, saying, ‘O Lord, bless this Thy Hand Grenade that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy.’ And the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies…”

In the midst of the splattering blood, the priest recited some incomprehensible verses.

In response, an unusual energy began to overflow from the Sword of Ebram.

And.

‘Oh… so this works?’

Honestly, even while proceeding, I had my doubts.

Unlike Auriel, who radiated the aura of a saint with her refined demeanor, this bishop was simply lacking in the fundamental specifications required to be a ‘Fallen Cleric’.

Still, I expected him to appear quite strong in the original work, and indeed, the sword absorbed his blood and soul without any apparent problems.

“AAAHHH… AAAAAHHHH… GAAAH… AAAAA…”

As the ear-splitting screams gradually subsided, the bishop’s body began to shrink.

What was once a moderately plump middle-aged man was quickly twisting and drying up like a mummified corpse… or perhaps, like dried fish.

Thus, the bishop’s form became nothing more than a shriveled corpse, having been completely drained of blood and soul by the holy sword.

His body disintegrated into the wind, and at its center, the sword…

Stood towering with an unusual energy, the Sword of Ebram.

Unlike the simple iron sword it had been moments ago, it now emitted a faint blue flame.

As I reached out, I grasped the sword and gently drew it up.

In that instant, an intense magical power surged through me.

It felt as if I were linked to it mentally, and abilities and powers contained within the sword started to be understood automatically.

However… as I grasped the detailed contents, I couldn’t help but frown slightly.

‘Hmm… it’s still insufficient.’

The power felt pretty strong at its core, but it wasn’t incredibly transcendent.

Above all, in the original work, the Sword of Ebram radiated bright blue light as if it was made of pure light.

But the thing in my hand merely had blue flames wrapping around it.

It seemed to have gained some power compared to before the ritual, but certainly, something was lacking in the fundamentals, or perhaps it was due to the offering rotting away beforehand, rather than being freshly sacrificed when I needed it — it looked definitely weaker compared to the original version I was familiar with.

‘It seems that bishop alone was inadequate… if so… here…’

Thinking that, I subtly turned my gaze to the side.

“Uh… how is it?”

A young noble, with a tense expression, asked a question.

In response,

I replied earnestly, with an honest truth in my voice.

“It’s lacking.”

“Y-Yes?”

“There’s still not enough blood.”

“… Is that so?… That’s quite unfortunate….”

“Indeed, it’s truly unfortunate. This precious holy sword being left as a mere defective product without regaining its original power… If this stays like this, His Holiness the Pope might be deeply disappointed. So, about that…”

With that statement, I slowly aimed the sword at the young noble.

“!”

“W-Why are you doing this? I… I did everything you asked! But… why…?”

“Why, you say? You all said you would do anything for the completion of the holy relic. Don’t you think you should take responsibility for what you have said?”

“!… W-What do you mean…”

Faces of terror began to pale among the noblemen who just now comprehended my meaning.

While looking at the faces of the attempted rapists, I grinned deeply and said,

“Come on, let’s pull ourselves together. We must complete the holy relic.”

*

“… Hah…”

Auriel let out a heavy sigh on the outskirts of the mansion.

At this moment, surrounding her were several men, all wearing masks like That Man, who were probably pirates.

The difference being that, unlike the man wearing the Black Crow Mask, they donned Clown Masks.

Anyway, maintaining silence, with those men standing guard, Auriel began to contemplate the absurdity of her situation once again.

‘How did it come to this… my life…’

She had been betrayed overnight by someone who had been like a father to her, and as a result, she nearly died after being violated.

Yet the person who saved her and was now protecting her was the notorious Pirate King.

Throughout her life, she had perceived clerics like Bishop Judah as righteous and pirates as wicked evil…

However, today’s experience began to shake the very foundations of her beliefs.

Moreover, given that this incident was intertwined with the Pope, if the truth behind this event came to light, she would no longer be able to live as a nun of the church.

Thus… with nowhere to turn and no conviction left, in a situation where everything had fallen apart, she…

After much consideration, would finally come to a decision.

A decision that only a few hours ago she would have thought impossible…

Yet now, at this moment, it surprisingly didn’t feel entirely bad.

*

“… Is this the end?”

As if it had absorbed the necessary blood and soul to its maximum capacity, the holy sword showed no further reaction.

After pulling out the sword from the last intact victim, I once again checked its specifications.

The blue light had brightened a bit compared to the initial sight.

However, that light was still not as radiant as in the original work, and the overall performance felt lacking.

At present, this sword contained recovery magic, but complete restoration including status ailments was impossible.

It could only heal basic injuries.

Meanwhile, the cooldown had actually increased to around 2 hours.

Furthermore, the only buff provided was an increase in attack power, and the basic stat raises felt quite low as well.

It was still a commendable sword, but the feeling of disappointment lingered heavily.

It seemed that trying to grow it with nothing but rotten food instead of the proper nourishment was the upper limit.

‘Well, it can’t be helped; it’s not that bad overall.’

With a slightly degraded version in hand but a smile knowing I had definitely achieved one of my primary objectives,

I began to look around once more.

All the High Nobles had been utterly annihilated without leaving a single survivor.

Yet with the function of erasing evidence, those who died fed to the sword had all turned to ashes and vanished, so the only corpse remaining on the floor was unexpectedly just this one.

Even though it was supposed to be in place of a saint, this sword had quite the appetite, as it turned out that all but one of the attempted rapists and their accomplices had become the sword’s meal.

Even so, learning from the fact that its original capabilities weren’t realized, I could once again comprehend how remarkable Auriel’s abilities were.

Personally, I felt envious.

‘Well… anyway, that zealot girl wouldn’t join the likes of pirates…’

Given that I had openly rejected the gods, there was no way she, being a cleric, would join a group of criminals like us.

Moreover, unlike the crew of Magellan, whose scent was somewhat similar, the basic shades of our characters were far too different.

Reflecting on how much of a waste it was, given her abilities, I lightly set the place ablaze for final evidence eradication and then gracefully exited the flower garden.

And…

“Please allow me to become your comrade… no, your subordinate.”

“…”

In the unexpectedly immediate situation that unfolded, I found myself momentarily at a loss for words.