Chapter 43

– There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend –

John: 15:13

A horrific scene unfolding before my eyes.

As I watched, Auriel involuntarily recalled the scripture contained in the Bible.

A verse symbolizing the Lord’s sacrifice for humanity’s sins.

I never thought that this would come to my mind so quickly while standing on a pirate ship, of all places.

Crack!

The sharp sound of the whip crackling.

The sting that sends chills down one’s spine is striking the woman hit there, inflicting terrible pain upon her.

She was Franklin, a senior member of the pirate crew whom Auriel hastily treated just the other day.

In this moment, she was being whipped as a form of punishment; yet, even the other pirates present, as well as Auriel who only heard bits of the story, could easily deduce the reality of the situation.

The punishment this woman was enduring was not a consequence of her own misdeeds, but rather she was paying the price for the mistakes of the two other women weeping for her from the back.

‘But still… how could it come to this…’

Auriel knew all too well how painful a whipping could be.

Though she hadn’t experienced it herself, she had seen the ascetic priests in the past inflict torture upon themselves in such a manner.

Blood splattering, flesh being torn away, and in severe cases, even bones breaking under the punishment.

Luckily, the woman in the red garments administering the whipping seemed skilled enough to avoid any fatal injuries, but that did nothing to lessen the pain.

Avoiding a fatal injury meant delivering exquisite pain just short of death.

As she bore that torment, taking upon herself all the responsibility, a feeling of reverence began to blossom within Auriel’s heart…

*

A heavy atmosphere hung in the air.

Everyone bore shadows on their faces, some displaying pity, some impassive, and others shedding tears of sorrow.

But there was just one person.

The only one wearing a faint smile amidst this situation.

The one being punished.

Franklin.

She alone…

was experiencing a sense of calm on this deck.

Crack!!

Once again, a sharp pain sliced through her back.

Had she been an ordinary person, she would’ve long since fainted by now, yet the strikes just kept on coming.

But still, Franklin stood firm until the very end.

Her attire was now a mess, stained with blood and flesh,

and her body drenched in sweat and blood.

Even amidst this, she let out not a whimper, merely trembling.

“Ugh… ugh… ugh… O… sis…”

“Ugh…”

Her sight caused Ambasha to weep, and as tears gathered in Elkana’s eyes.

They knew.

It was supposed to be them, not Franklin, standing in that position.

She was taking the lashes meant for them.

If they could, they wanted nothing more than to turn away right now.

No, if possible, they even felt an impulse to take her place at that very moment.

Yet, despite that, they could never do so.

To step forth now would be to disregard Franklin’s resolution…

It would mean betraying her will to protect her comrades even at the risk of her own unjust suffering.

In this situation, which brought them terrible pain not physically, but mentally, the two could only watch in regretful tears.

Crack!!

Another lash split the air.

Had it been an ordinary person, they would have fainted by now from the continuous assaults.

Yet…

Still, Franklin endured it all with unwavering strength.

Her clothes were torn, blood and flesh intertwining in chaos,

and yet, she uttered not a sound, displaying a fierce conviction far removed from her usual timid demeanor.

And finally…

“It’s over.”

The voice declaring the end of the punishment.

At the same time, those standing by released the ropes binding her.

“Keugh!… Hah… Hah…”

Collapsing limply to the floor, having reached her limit, Franklin fell.

As Lemain observed her, she spoke in a frigid tone.

“According to the regulations, healing magic is prohibited until the day after tomorrow. Use this time to deeply reflect on your mistakes.”

“…Y-Yes… I understand…”

Through the unimaginable agony, Franklin replied, her voice strained.

With that, the pirate crew assembled on the deck began to disperse,

and at the same time, Ambasha, Elkana, and Magellan rushed to her side.

“Sis!”

“Franklin-sama!”

Ambasha embraced the collapsed Franklin in a flurry.

With a face soaked in tears and snot, she trembled as she spoke.

“Ugh… I’m so… so sorry… I… I… caused this… because of me, sis…”

Apologizing in a sobbing voice, Ambasha poured out her regrets.

“…”

As she gently stroked her sister’s head, Franklin endeavored to muster a smile amidst the burning pain.

“Wh…why did you do such a thing…? It was all… my fault… sis, you haven’t done anything wrong… it was all because I was stubborn… but… why…”

Questions filled with self-reproach and anguish.

There were many answers Franklin could provide to that.

She might say that it was the captain’s duty to take responsibility for the mistakes of subordinates.

Or, that she herself had erred in instilling faith in them from the beginning.

But…

Instead of explaining such trivial obligations,

Franklin quietly spoke,

with no affectation or embellishment,

truly and purely expressing why she moved.

“Because you are my sister…”

“!…”

“Though we do not share blood… I am still your sister. In whatever situation, I must protect my younger siblings…”

“!… Ugh… Ugh…”

“Ugh…”

“I’m sorry… If I had done well from the beginning, this wouldn’t have happened… and still, I couldn’t protect you like this…”

“F…Franklin… Sis…!”

“Ugh… Ugh…”

At last, the emotions she had been struggling to suppress broke free, and Ambasha collapsed as uncontrollable tears streamed down her face.

Franklin comforted her silently…

And Elkana, who had been watching, finally could not hold back her tears and began to sob beside them.

And thus, the sound of weeping echoed across the empty deck.

Regret, remorse, and gratitude…

As they sobbed, both Ambasha and Elkana swore in their hearts.

Never again would they let such a thing happen…

Because of foolish desires, they would never make their precious sister suffer like this again.

Meanwhile,

as they helplessly witnessed the sorrowful moments of repentance unfold,

a bittersweet smile began to form on Magellan’s face.

“I can’t stand it… truly… this person is…”

Since their first encounter had placed them at odds, he had continually faced defeat.

And now, he had no choice but to acknowledge the truth.

That this person, Franklin, possessed a depth far greater than he himself did.

There may have been differences in their positions, but in this instance, Magellan could not step forward until the very end.

If Elkana’s life had been at stake, he would have leaped forward immediately, but this was merely punishment for a mistake.

Indeed, he believed Franklin had brought this upon herself by ignoring his warnings.

Thus, he concluded it was only right for Elkana to face her punishment.

He even felt that it was necessary to taste the bitter reality of the world at least once.

However, unlike Magellan, Franklin had chosen to embrace all of this.

As the captain who had led them, and as she lovingly called herself, the elder sister of her teammates.

It might be a difference in mindset, but it was beyond comparison as to which side could delve deeper into human connection and emotion.

As he truly recognized her as a superior captain, Magellan silently watched over the thereafter unending sea of tears.

*

“Cheers!”

“To our victory!”

“For gold and treasures!”

The atmosphere, dull due to the punishment, quickly lifted with the festivities of the next day’s feast.

Though some parts remained awkward, in the end, this operation was a grand victory for the Golden Beard Pirates.

They had acquired what they desired with minimal loss,

while the navy of Achroiel and Benessa had suffered immense casualties and sullied their reputation.

As a result of this, they had become arch enemies with Benessa, but since the navy and pirates were in a life-or-death struggle, it hardly mattered.

Thus celebrating their pure victory, the pirates indulged in food and drink, relishing this situation.

“Give me more jerky.”

“Yes! I’ll bring it right away!”

“We’re almost out of booze! Bring three bottles of rum!”

“Yes~ Understood! I’m on it!”

Magellan was hard at work in the kitchen,

while the three—Ambasha, Elkana, and now Auriel, who had just joined as a novice—were bustling about, serving food and drink.

Due to the consequences of the punishment, they took over the kitchen and serving duties in Franklin’s absence.

This was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the heavy toll she endured, but it wasn’t for atonement…

Initially assigned to work under the cook Franklin, this was simply the harsh future they were bound to face.

“Franklin sis… you’ve really been through a lot…”

“Wait, are these people starving? How can they eat this much non-stop?”

“I just can’t take it… on so many levels…”

“I thought pirate life would be something entirely different…”

As the four felt the overwhelming burden that Franklin had to bear while everyone else feasted,

their respect for her climbed even higher amidst the never-ending labor ahead.