Chapter 69

Zebby, the white weasel and pet of the Goldenbeard Pirate Crew, was feeling quite hungry.

Having accidentally stuck to the body of his “little master” and dragged along for two whole days without a single meal, he found himself in dire straits.

Until now, he had dutifully filled his belly every meal time with the delicious food provided by his “master.”

Sudden hunger was enough to make anyone’s nerves rattle.

Fortunately, up until now, he had been well-cared for by his “big master” as well as the ever-generous “little master,” so he stayed calm…

But then, an unexpected and strongly distinctive smell of low-grade meat wafted through the air…

Followed shortly by the unmistakable stench of fresh blood…

To Zebby, this piece of meat right in front of him was no doubt food served by his “little master.”

And then…

“Shaaa!!”

With bared teeth, Zebby lunged and sank his fangs into the nape of the prey.

His teeth, possessing the destructive power to pierce through even adamantium, crushed the nape and severed the life from the prey.

And then…

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

Fueled by the hunger he had endured until now, Zebby enthusiastically tore into the meat.

From the pork neck down to the softest and tenderest sirloin, he devoured it all.

Though human meat soaked in alcohol tasted quite foul to this now high-class creature, in a time of hunger, everything seemed delicious.

A brief while later, after filling his belly, Zebby finally noticed the presence of his “little master.”

“Pyuing~ Pyuing~”

Feeling relaxed, he approached his master and rubbed against her.

Normally, weasels are not easily domesticated, but Zebby possessed intelligence so remarkable that he could expertly wield magical power.

Among humans, there were many stronger than him.

And by listening well to the one who feeds him, he would get to eat even greater delicacies.

Having learned all these facts intellectually, Zebby willingly lowered his head to the masters who fed him every day.

This was the very essence of being “tamed.”

At that moment, seeing him acting all cute and like a puppy—so different from the fearsome beast he was moments ago—his little master, Ambasha, smiled proudly.

With a pleased expression, she gently petted Zebby’s head with her little hand.

Feeding him and using her delightful touch to skillfully massage his head, Ambasha was radiating warmth.

Next to her, Zebby made cheerful sounds, wagging his tail in bliss.

Meanwhile…

“Hmmm…”

Now fully transformed into an adorable pet, Zebby enjoyed the soft feel of his fur being stroked as Ambasha began to ponder.

Despite being such a small and cute creature, this guy was currently a Grade 7 Intermediate Warrior.

His effective combat ability was such that it could even overpower Magellan, who was actually Grade 8.

Only someone like Franklin would have the strength to suppress him.

And at this moment, if the information gleaned from the little creature he’d just snacked on was correct…

Considering the fact that the strongest being here was only Grade 7…

It could be said that nobody aboard this ship could defeat Zebby or his handler, Ambasha.

So then…

That means…

“Hehehe…”

*

“…”

“Ugh… S-sorry… Truly… I am really sorry…”

“It was our oversight. Please, punish us.”

“We… committed a grave sin. I should have… I should have been more careful…”

Tears streaming down their faces, Franklin and her cooking crew were kneeling as they apologized.

I remained silent for a moment, suppressing my emotions, and then spoke calmly to them.

“…Everyone, rise up.”

“But…”

“This is not your fault. It’s my error for not exercising due caution while thinking we had the upper hand.”

“Ugh…”

“C-Captain…”

Franklin and the others bowed even deeper, tears flowing.

Again, I commanded them in a serious tone.

“Get up now. Regrettably, we do not have time to grieve. We must think of a way to find Ambasha.”

“Ugh… Y-yes.”

“U-Understood, Captain…”

They finally managed to stand and began to gather their wits.

However, despite calming down the children before them, I couldn’t deny how dire this situation had become.

Ambasha had been captured by the Kingdom of Frantz.

Of all the countries, it was that particular place… the one with the highest likelihood of having a traitor present… the most dangerous of them all.

Moreover, the ship that abducted the child was a small coastal vessel.

It had been over half a day since they took off, and with the current tide and wind conditions favoring them, it was impossible to catch up.

Even if we were to set sail now, by the time we reached their vicinity, those guys would have already made it to the Port of Marinseu.

“I would prefer to handle this on the water, but at this point, that’s absolutely impossible. Then…”

Given the circumstances, there was but one remaining option.

Climb ashore and retrieve her directly…

After coming to this conclusion, I called for the crucial people needed for this situation.

“Retrieve the captives from the prison belonging to the Kingdom of Frantz, and also send a message to Achroiel to join us here.”

“Yes, Pirate King!”

The pirates swiftly moved out according to my orders.

Watching them, I could no longer hold on to the last shreds of doubt within me.

I had been trying to avoid getting involved in land matters whenever possible.

However, with things having reached this point, there was no longer room for choice, nor did I want any.

I could endure anything but never let a hand be laid on my people.

This was an ironclad principle I had maintained since my days as a lowly pirate.

To let that scoundrel who had already touched my precious daughter not once, but twice, and even openly abducted her would never be an option.

“I’m going to wipe them all out… including that Duke Ocleang or whatever his name is… and every last one of them!”

With clear enmity rising within me, I felt genuine rage while recalling our poor and frail Ambasha, who was suffering as a prisoner at this very moment.

*

“What? They’re still not back?”

“Yes, not a single sign after two hours have passed.”

Montfort had vanished even after being summoned for a squad meeting.

Mingoshu, the officer under Commander Pierre, frowned.

“Good grief… What on earth is Montfort doing, ignoring his superior’s orders? Furthermore, the guy sent to call him hasn’t shown up either. Is it possible they’re hiding and doing something weird?”

“W-Well… I’m not sure. To be honest, Montfort’s attitude has been a bit strange since the captive came in…”

“Is that so?…”

For some reason, Montfort had taken it upon himself to act as the bothersome jailer.

While it seemed possible he might be up to something, I figured he wouldn’t go too far given Commander’s orders to ‘manage the prisoners properly’.

But…

The very fact that Montfort was ignoring the summons and that the one sent to retrieve him hadn’t returned put a sudden sense of unease in Mingoshu.

“Wait… could it be… they…”

“No?”

“I have to go check it myself. Stay put for now.”

“Y-Yes, understood.”

Filled with apprehension, Mingoshu hurried toward the prison.

A little beating could be healed with healing magic, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Yet, something more serious…

Such as death or rape… that would be a disaster!

After all, following the loss of the entire fleet due to our defeat, the situation had reached its nadir.

Cutting off the only lifeline we had just grasped would be akin to self-sabotage.

“I thought even that idiot wouldn’t be this clueless… Damn it! Am I underestimating the situation?”

Thus, hoping to avoid any unforeseen accidents, Mingoshu reached the lowest hold where the prison was situated.

Then…

“! What is… this…?”

As he descended the stairs, a sudden and overwhelming smell of blood assaulted him.

In response, Mingoshu quickened his pace.

“Damn it! Could it be them!”

He rushed down to the lower level and flung open the prison door.

But…

Upon seeing the scene right in front of him, Mingoshu fell momentarily speechless.

There, he found no corpses of the ‘dead captives’ he had feared.

Just the bodies of Montfort and his subordinate.

And before the corpses stood the very one he had dreaded…

The very “captive” he had worried about…

Turning slowly toward him, a broad grin spread across her face.

“Ah~~ more fresh meat…”

“!”