Chapter 73

The red rapier piercing through the barricade.

Seeing it soaked in blood, the faces of the navy began to turn pale with fear.

The makeshift barricade of stacked chairs and desks was merely a stalling tactic in front of the sharpened blade.

As they witnessed it shattering in an instant, the soldiers could only grip their weapons with trembling hands.

And finally…

-BANG!!!

With a loud noise, the door and barricade were smashed.

Before their eyes appeared those infamous monsters…

A young girl with blonde hair and red eyes, along with a large rat with white fur and red eyes.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

“Thank goodness. There are still some alive.”

The girl, smeared with blood, wore a bright smile.

Her overly cheerful demeanor, as if she had come from enjoying a fun game, felt even more terrifying than the raging monster.

As they watched the slowly approaching child, the navy members fell to their knees and began to plead.

“P-please… spare our lives! Please… just let us live!”

“We… we are just following orders from the Commander!”

“… We will never… never touch the lady again! So… please… just forgive us this once!”

The desperate pleas of the navy echoed.

At that moment, the small girl smiled at them and said,

“Alright. I will spare you all, specially.”

“!”

“Oh!”

Just when they had almost given up, a hand of salvation came down.

The faces of the navy started to shine with hope.

Then, she continued,

“But, there’s one thing I want you to do…”

“! W-what is it?”

“J-just say it! If you spare us, we will do our utmost to accomplish anything!”

Realizing they had a chance at survival, the navy shouted with all their strength.

To them, Ambasha replied with a warm smile,

“It’s simple, just return this ship to the Island of Sicilia.”

“W-what?”

“Y-you mean… the ship?”

The navy members, momentarily displaying confusion at her words.

The girl then wiped the blood off her rapier with a smile still on her face.

“Why? You’re navy, so surely you can handle that much?”

“!! N-no!”

“Of course we can! J-just leave it to us!”

“We will depart at once!”

With that declaration, the navy rushed toward the helm in a frantic hurry.

Watching this, the girl, Ambasha, began to smile broadly.

“Alright. With this, we can return safely. Father and sister Franklin must be worried sick.”

Since she believed she had been kidnapped, surely there was chaos on that side.

Thinking she must hurry back, Ambasha leaned back in a chair, beginning to rest.

However…

Regrettably, she was unaware.

The four who had survived were formerly part of the army until just before this operation.

“Damn it… how the hell do we move this thing?”

“I don’t know! Just figure something out!”

“Shit! If I had known, I would’ve studied navigation a bit more before switching from the army!”

“W-well, just try something! If we stay here, we’re as good as dead! If you don’t know, just pretend to act like you do!”

In essence, they were essentially impostor navy members to fill numbers and had no idea how to operate a ship.

Yet, desperately trying to survive, they rummaged through the cabin for navigation books and began fiddling with the ship.

As a result of their desperate efforts to survive,

They finally managed to steer the ship properly, but it took a whole week to accomplish that.

They had drifted to Palma Island, 500 km from the Port of Marinseu and 1000 km from the Island of Sicilia.

*

“Alright! Time to set sail!”

“Yes! Pirate King!”

Under my orders, the sails were unfurled as our ship headed for the Kingdom of Frantz.

However, at this moment, the vessel carrying me and the officers was not a pirate ship.

It was a warship from the Kingdom of Frantz that we had captured in this battle.

Though it was only half the size of the flagship Golden Cross, and its combat ability was terribly lacking, it didn’t matter much.

Our outward appearance was disguised as the navy of the Kingdom of Frantz, thanks to the cooperation of Napoleona and Achroiel.

From the outset, the operation’s goal was not pillaging but rather a ‘raid’ after infiltrating the land.

We needed to move as discreetly as possible, so we had to keep our identity concealed.

To achieve this, we disbanded our gathered pirate crew,

And the Golden Cross was left with Lemain, Samir, and a few others waiting at the Island of Sicilia.

But that did not mean the strength on this ship was weak at all.

With Franklin among the three officers and strong individuals like Magellan and Elkana on board,

We had sufficient combat power that could easily wipe out thousands of enemy soldiers if we were determined to fight, ensuring we were more than capable of dealing with any enemies.

Of course, considering this was likely an imperial battle, we had to remain vigilant, but even in the worst-case scenario, we had enough power to escape without any significant losses.

Having completed our preparations, I set off once again with a determined resolution.

I swore to save Ambasha and ensure that we all return safely.

*

“Phew…”

Watching the departing Pirate King, Auriel let out a deep sigh.

If she had her way, she would have wanted to join them.

Though their time together was short, she had grown quite fond of Ambasha as a fellow cooking squad member.

Wanting to help rescue her even a little, Auriel ultimately remained here due to the Pirate King’s orders.

Considering the hardships faced during the last operation, this was an expression of care.

In truth, she had been using her aura to sense presences nearly every day, helping Cheshire in battles almost daily, and she was quite tired.

‘Well… in this condition, I might just cause more trouble… It’ll take at least a few days for my aura to recover…’

Recognizing her limits, Auriel decided to head to the inn for some rest.

‘By the way… what happened to her? Cheshire…’

Cheshire had vanished after the last battle.

Not only she but the entire White Shark Pirate Crew had mysteriously disappeared during the battle, leaving Cheshire’s whereabouts completely shrouded in mystery.

Were they dead? Or alive?

If alive, where were they now?

‘… Shall I… give it a try? Perhaps she’s hiding somewhere nearby…’

A sudden light curiosity began to bloom.

With time on her hands, Auriel cautiously unleashed her aura to sense for any presences.

Using her power would slow down her recovery, but with plenty of time at her disposal, she felt no particular burden.

However…

“…Huh?”

In that moment, a familiar sensation began to be detected within her aura, but…

‘…What? Why is this here… and… is that…?’

A presence felt much closer than expected.

At a spot not too far from the harbor… a small yet clearly perceivable presence began to kindle both excitement and caution within Auriel.

‘If Cheshire is here, it means the White Shark Pirates are lurking nearby… Is it possible they’re planning another raid?’

Given that about seventy percent of the main forces, including the Pirate King, had departed, the possibility was adequately high.

Sensing an unexpected crisis, Auriel hurried on her way to the one managing the situation here…

Towards Vice-Captain Lemain.

*

“Really? Is there a member of the White Shark Pirate Crew nearby?”

“Yes, that’s correct. A presence has been detected right around here.”

“Hmm…”

Following Auriel’s guidance, Lemain and a few pirates began to move.

They cautiously navigated the mountain roads near the port, alert to their surroundings.

While they had formed a temporary alliance with Benessa, the privateers of the Brittania Empire remained their enemies.

With the Blue Shark Pirates already completely obliterated, if they could also eliminate the White Shark Pirates, it would be a win-win situation.

The presence of a crew member nearby meant they might be able to catch a lead.

As they cautiously approached the designated spot, they found only a steep cliff in sight.

“This is the area. The presence of Cheshire’s… that officer is felt right ahead, but…”

“Hmm… nothing is visible at the moment…”

Immediately, there was no sign of any officer, but nonetheless, it was an ominously unusual location.

With steep cliffs and sharp stones below, it was a spot that could be dangerous with just a misstep. The pirates took care to survey the surroundings.

But then…

“…Huh?”

Peering over the edge of the cliff with a hint of suspicion, Auriel suddenly spoke with a voice filled with shock.

“Auriel?”

“N-no way…!”

“W-wait, be careful!”

Ignoring Lemain’s warning, Auriel rushed down the cliff.

Though she used her aura to protect herself, the rough terrain made her appear precariously unsteady.

As she rapidly descended, Auriel arrived at a spot and froze, her face turned rigid, her voice trembling.

“Cheshire…?”

Then Lemain arrived.

Immediately, a different kind of bewilderment washed over her face.

“…W-What is…?”