Chapter 42

The Pirate King, rewarding and praising those who participated in the mission.

Seeing this, Ambasha began to feel a flicker of hope.

While she may not have been as impressive as the adults earlier mentioned, she also managed to infiltrate the auction house during the Great Auction and successfully steal quite a few auction items.

Not to mention, she did this while planning and executing everything herself, even in a situation that could have turned quite perilous.

Although, as Franklin suggested, things didn’t go as smoothly as she imagined, she still managed to outsmart some gaps and achieve success in her own way.

Thinking this would surely make her father proud, Ambasha patiently waited for their turn.

But then…

‘…Huh?’

As Franklin’s turn came, an unexpectedly strange atmosphere began to unfold.

Having spent over 90% of her life as a slave, Ambasha instinctively sensed it.

The current mood resembled that of a significant mistake being addressed.

‘W-what… is happening…? W-why…?’

She could perceive it instinctively, yet at the same time, it was a situation she could not comprehend from her perspective.

This feeling was shared by Elkana, who stood beside her.

Only Franklin and Magellan seemed to be in the loop.

Amid their confusion and bewilderment, the Pirate King inquired in a calm voice.

“Explain how it is you strayed from your mission location. Why were you in the auction house instead of the warehouse at that time?”

“!”

There was no sense of rage in his tone.

However, the coldness that felt like an interrogation left Ambasha unable to speak, her tongue stiffening.

He was so unlike her usual kind father.

Suddenly, she felt a growing worry that perhaps she had done something wrong, and she couldn’t figure out what to say in this situation.

At that moment.

“W-well, you see…”

Elkana, unsure of what to do, began to speak on behalf of the flustered Ambasha.

Seemingly sensing the unusual atmosphere as well, she began her explanation cautiously.

“W-we… coincidentally encountered Navy Admiral Achroiel while executing our mission. Since she and I have had a friendly relationship before, and not knowing our true identities… I thought we could utilize her if we handled it well.”

Then she subtly glanced towards Ambasha.

Seeing her still in distress, Elkana continued, slightly omitting details.

A story about Ambasha and how Achroiel was charmed, thus laying plans to steal auction items.

She chose not to mention the arguments that had ensued during the process.

“Thus, we managed to infiltrate the auction house with Ambasha. Although security was rather tight and we struggled a bit… we eventually met the Pirate King while escaping with the stolen auction items.”

“…”

Once Elkana finished explaining the situation, the Pirate King fell into a momentary silence.

Then, he spoke.

“That means… you went ahead with unplanned actions fueled by the desire to take credit, and as a result, you sustained injuries that delayed your escape.”

Remain spoke in a stiff voice.

The underlying cold fury made Elkana feel as if her entire body froze, and she scarcely responded.

“T-that’s true, but… we did successfully steal the auction items. We incurred some damage, but it could be considered a fair deal…”

“Elkana!”

In an instant, a chilling aura emanated from Remain.

Even though she possessed healing and protective attributes, at that moment, her aura felt like thousands of needles flying toward them, sending shivers down their spines.

“Did you just say it was cheap? Let’s say, for instance, what would have happened if the Pirate King hadn’t discovered you there? Would you have been able to brush off Achroiel and escape with those injuries?”

“T-that… well…”

“If you had managed to escape somehow, what if we had left first because of the delays? Or, worse yet, what if Achroiel had caught on and tortured you for all your secrets, leading to our entire plan’s unraveling? Do you still think those auction items, which weren’t even your primary goal, were worth this much risk?”

“…”

Elkana and Ambasha could offer no rebuttal to Remain’s assertions.

Though they had planned a strategy, it had been contingent on everything unfolding in their favor.

One slip-up could have sent them tumbling down a bottomless pit, and that nearly happened.

Achroiel’s intuition had proven sharper than they had anticipated…

Moreover, due to the injuries sustained, in the end, they had imposed burdens on Franklin, Magellan, and even the Pirate King and Remain right before them.

Despite the outcome looking favorable, they realized that given the myriad of pitfalls they had avoided, as Magellan had mentioned earlier, they truly were in an indefensible situation.

And now, realizing this, they finally understood.

As they lowered their heads in shame, Remain turned her gaze toward the expressionless Pirate King.

“As you’ve heard, thanks to the recklessness of these individuals, we almost lost everything. Now, I ask for your judgment.”

“Hmm…”

The Pirate King showed an uncomfortable expression at Remain’s words.

Still, he seemed hesitant to punish these newly minted pirates so soon.

However,

To the indecisive Pirate King, Remain spoke with conviction.

“Pirate King, rewarding and punishing is the order of the world and the rules you established for this ship. They committed an error and must face appropriate punishment. If we don’t correct their behavior now, they could cause even more significant trouble later on.”

“…Hah…”

The Pirate King sighed heavily at Remain’s words.

Though he was reluctant, he could not defy the rules he had set.

For the sake of the ship’s order, and for educational purposes, he had to take action.

“We are pirates. With enemies on all sides, every mission feels like a war. The most crucial thing for soldiers on the battlefield is to faithfully execute their given orders. If that is broken, punishment is inevitable.”

“…”

“Ugh…”

The Pirate King’s declaration of punishment sent chills down their spines.

Especially for Ambasha, who had led this endeavor for the first time, she began to tremble as she regretted her recklessness far too late.

There was no injustice in this.

From the very beginning, it was all her own doing.

Because she had ignored Franklin’s warnings and had greedily pursued her desires, Ambasha began to shed tears as she blamed her past self.

At that moment.

“Wait… please, Captain…”

She stood up and blocked the way of the two.

Franklin.

In response, Remain asked in a cold voice.

“What are you doing, Franklin? You’re not thinking of disrupting discipline out of mere sympathy, are you?”

“It’s not that. I just want to say…”

At that moment, Franklin felt an unexpected lump in her throat.

She was honestly scared.

Worried about how she would be treated after saying this…

More precisely, afraid of how the Pirate King might perceive her from now on.

That realization made her heart squeeze tightly, yet,

Franklin, suppressing those emotions, opened her mouth.

“I… I commanded this. The idea to use Achroiel and to infiltrate the auction house with these two was all… my directive, as their captain.”

“!…”

“W-well…”

In a trembling voice, Franklin fabricated the truth.

Ambasha and Elkana tried to say something, their faces stiffening, but

Their actions were halted by Magellan.

Meanwhile, Remain, observing the situation, asked in a chilling tone.

“Is that… really true?”

“…Yes. It is. They merely followed my unreasonable orders. All responsibility should rest upon me.”

“But why? Considering your usual demeanor, this isn’t like you…”

“Because… I also had a desire for accolades… It was a rare mission. I felt it was a shame to only conduct a distraction like this… So I went ahead and acted.”

“…Is that truly… all of it?”

“Yes, simply… just that.”

“…”

Her words were a decisive declaration.

Ambasha and Elkana were once again struck by shock deeper than when they had initially been reprimanded.

Franklin had shouldered all the wrongdoings they had committed.

In fact, she had been the one against Ambasha’s plan from the very start and had tried to dissuade them, so this situation left a heavy sense of sin upon both Ambasha’s and Elkana’s hearts.

However, Franklin, who had executed it all, was instead at peace.

“…What will you do… Pirate King?”

“Didn’t you just say it? There are no exceptions. Execute… it.”

The Pirate King spoke in a stiff voice.

Thus, as punishment, while they were detained by others, they prepared to face the whipping.

Franklin quietly smiled at Ambasha and Elkana, who looked at her with worry and guilt in their eyes.