Chapter 45

That person,

from the moment they first met, stole her heart.

The first person to extend a hand toward her, who everyone called a malevolent spirit and tormented.

From that day on, feelings of admiration for that man took root in her heart.

She wanted to do anything for that person,


and she could do anything for his smile.

No matter how difficult or challenging it might be.

With a single warm compliment from him, all her pain would melt away like snow.

Then one day…


she realized something.

It all began simply… but over time it grew into an overwhelming desire.


She wanted to be with him a little longer,


to feel his gentle touch a little more.

In that moment,


she understood that it was the emotion commonly known as love,


and she was engulfed in a torment she had never felt before.

He was… someone she could never reach.

Even just being in the same space, she knew there was an immense gap between him and her.

Yet, despite that.


Even knowing it was an emotion that was not allowed,


once this feeling arose, it did not easily fade away.

No,


it grew stronger as time went on, becoming harder to control.


At the same time, the anguish she felt grew as well.

The yearning feeling kept expanding.


Within that,


she arrived at a single conclusion.

Let’s become stronger.

If the current version of herself was insufficient…

then by filling that insufficiency, let’s become someone who deserved to be a little closer to that man.

To achieve this, she diligently pursued her goals day by day, discovering talents within herself she hadn’t even been aware of.

Through the rigorous training of her magical power, she realized she had significant potential in combat.


By a stroke of luck, after hearing him say her cooking was delicious, she took it upon herself to become the cook in charge of meals.

As a result, she became the person responsible for the ship’s meals,


and climbed to the position of one of the five core officers under the Pirate King.


She finally felt a little dignified.

Now, she finally believed…


that she had become worthy of longing for that man even just a bit.

And now.

She reached out her arms, overcoming her hesitations in order to grasp the opportunity she had long cherished.

The man who would grant her every wish,


Pirate King Ezra Drake’s words.

In response,


Franklin Sadik showed her long-held wish,


through the most definitive action she could think of to convey her feelings.

By giving her first kiss…


to that man.

*

“!…”

A sudden strong sensation caught her off guard.


In that moment, she felt momentarily dazed.

The soft feeling touching her lips.


Though she had lived a rather wild life as a pirate until now,


this contact…

The kiss gave her a sensation so different from any she had ever experienced before.

Clumsy as it was,


because of that, one emotion stood out even more vividly.


Above all, the fact that the object of her feelings was not just anyone but Franklin, one of the core officers she had long considered like a daughter or little sister,


began to stir complex feelings within her.

“…Hah…”

Carefully brushing her lips against Franklin’s.


With her face flushed red, she shyly averted her gaze.

“Franklin… this is…”

“…”

She kept silent at my question for a moment.


However…


she seemed to have made some resolve,

still blushing, she looked directly at me and said.


“I… I have… feelings for you. Drake… sir…”

“…”

Usually, in such situations, the oblivious protagonists of boy’s manga would throw around misconceptions.


They might think it was just a strange accident, or that there was some other reason behind it.

However, unlike those dimwitted characters, I was able to grasp the meaning of the situation in an instant.


The girl before me…


No,


this woman…


had carried feelings of ‘admiration’ for me all along.

‘Well, when I think about Franklin’s actions over the time… hmm…’


Her past actions suddenly flashed through my mind.


Staying up all night researching unfamiliar cooking ingredients for me,


or the way she would brighten up with a smile at my small compliments, even after a hard battle…

‘…Wait a minute… at this point, I must have been completely dense…’


Even after she had continually shown her feelings through actions, it stung a bit to realize I had only just caught on.

But there was a justification for that.


Aside from situations like missions, our pirate crew maintained an atmosphere like family, but it was undeniably a massive organization with a proper hierarchy.


A superior’s word was absolute, and ordinary crew members could not defy the decisions of the officers, nor could the officers oppose mine.

In such cases, asking, “Do you like me?” wouldn’t just create pressure, but could quickly become a heavy burden.


I felt a hint of unease, thinking, “Is this really needed?” but I couldn’t connect my feelings to admiration for that reason.

Anyway, that was that.


Facing Franklin, who had openly expressed her feelings,


I felt the necessity to respond.

“…Ah…”

Cautiously pulling her into an embrace,


Franklin let out a voice filled with tension.


Toward her, I spoke in a calm tone.


“Do you really feel that way? About this old man…?”

“Yes… I… like… you… from the first time we met… and… even now… continuously…”

“There must be better men out there?… Like someone more handsome who can make you happy than a guy like me…”

“There… isn’t… Anyone… for me, only… only you… Captain… Drake… You are… the coolest person in this world…”

“…Ha…”

Still, from the perspective of the ‘big brother’ who had taken care of her all along, I tried to gently dissuade her, but the result was just as I had anticipated.


And now, having devoted myself (especially with food…) to her,


I couldn’t bring myself to reject a girl who had come this far to talk to me.

To be honest, while she wasn’t exactly a breathtaking beauty, she had her own charm if we excluded the usual gloomy and scary atmosphere.

“…I understand. Then I’ll grant you what you wish.”

“Ah! Then… ugh….!”

Franklin expressed genuine joy at my words.


However, in that instant, as she tried to move, she could only shrink back due to the pain she felt in her back.


Yet even through it all, her face still bore the enduring joy of the moment.

“Don’t overdo it; we have plenty of time ahead. Take your time to try the things you want as a couple.”

“Ugh… Yes… Thank… you… Drake… sir.”

Seeing the genuine joy reflected in Franklin’s eyes, filled with tears at the edges,


I suddenly thought, you have such a cute side to you.

“However, for a while, let this remain our little secret. You must have sensed to an extent, but this is a very critical time. I want to avoid any potential sources of friction for a while.”

“Ah… Of… course. I understand that much.”

“Also… I may intentionally treat you a little differently because of this. But please know that it’s not my true feelings.”

“Yes, I understand what you mean.”

The subtle competition among the five core officers was a well-known fact.


From the way Samir had received the highest evaluation in the last rewards distribution, where he was shot jealous glances by the other officers, you could tell.


However, Franklin had not really formed any factions, so it had felt like it was just someone else’s problem until now, but with the four others outside slowly forming a group, nobody knew how long that would last.

At a time like this, if it became known that we had a special relationship, various annoyances could arise.


Especially from “that guy.”

“Then… I… may not be much, but… ah… I look forward to our future. Drake… sir.”

“Yeah, I’ll… be counting on you too, Franklin.”

*

“Alright, we’re almost there, so just a little more effort.”

“Seriously… How on earth did those guys manage to bring back so much in such a short time…”

“Well, for newcomers, they’re certainly doing well. We need to step up our game.”

The sailors were moving the auction items obtained from this mission.


The bags brought by Elkana and Ambasha were filled with objects,


and as they moved the unidentified box along with them to the Pirate King’s cabin, they felt a sense of fulfillment from the hard work.

Just carrying what they had was worth hundreds of Talands each.


While the handling fees for stolen goods would be considerable, it was still like carrying a treasure trove, making it hard not to feel proud.

At that moment.


“By the way, what’s this box?”

There was one box that stood out for its particularly large size among everything else.


Seeing this, the pirates felt a twinge of curiosity and began to inspect it.

“What the heck is this… it’s made of adamantine?! What on earth is in it…?”

The metal adamantine, which can’t be broken by bullets, nor even cannonballs!


Even at half the size of an adult man, they started to feel questions arise.

“Well, the captain will explain the details later. Anyway, let’s just finish up.”

“Right. Let’s hurry and go have a drink. I need to ask the kitchen to bake up a pizza as a snack.”

Having set aside their curiosity, they finished their work and left the cabin.


However… in that moment, the pirates failed to notice.


The adamantine box, virtually unbreakable,


had a fist-sized hole at the bottom…