Chapter 96

The atmosphere around me felt off in a way that I couldn’t quite shake off.

However, regardless of my awareness of this, I truly had no capacity to care about it right now.

My mind was consumed with a singular thought.

It was all about Franklin’s departure to Duke Ocleang’s mansion…

Whether she would safely find and rescue Ambasha was my only concern.

With Duke Ocleang having escaped into the Holy Empire now…

If she couldn’t find Ambasha in that mansion, then it was no longer just a matter of time dragging on — I would have serious doubts about whether we could even save Ambasha at all.

The Duke being an issue was one thing, but the Holy Empire had been a major antagonist in the original work.

I couldn’t predict how their generals would react to Ambasha…

Assaulting a place with no ties to us was bound to be several times more difficult and time-consuming than infiltrating the Kingdom of Frantz.

Wishing fervently that the worst possible situation wouldn’t unfold, I felt my insides burning with anxiety, longing to meet Franklin as soon as possible.

Then…

“!”

“Aha… It seems those folks over there are the Pirate King’s companions.”

Napoleona exclaimed as she spotted Franklin’s group.

Truly, as she said, it was a bit of a distance away, but I could clearly distinguish them with my own eyes.

Franklin, Magellan, and Elkana.

But…

Looking at them filled my heart with despair that I had desperately hoped wouldn’t emerge.

‘They’re not here…’

Ambasha was nowhere to be seen.

No matter how hard I searched, there was no sign of Ambasha.

If they had found Ambasha, there was no reason for them not to bring her here.

‘In the end… does this mean they couldn’t find her… that Ambasha isn’t in the Duke’s mansion either…’

With my last shred of hope extinguished…

This meant that the time of suffering for that child would stretch into the unknown.

“Ugh…”

I felt the pain.

The fact that I couldn’t keep my promise to protect that child…

That the Pirate King himself couldn’t even protect a little girl…

“…Pirate King? Why… what’s wrong?”

“….”

I didn’t even have the strength to respond to Napoleona’s worried words.

While conjuring up the image of that child, who was still suffering now,

I was engulfed by an ache that felt as if my heart was being ripped out.

Then…

“C-Captain…”

“…Franklin…”

Franklin approached, her face rigid with the same hardness I felt.

I could tell instantly that she was thinking the same thoughts…

Since we both hoped that if they couldn’t find her over there, they would at least bring her back from this side…

As we moved towards each other, seeing the tears glistening in her eyes made my emotions begin to surge.

And then…

“Ugh… ugh… wuwah…”

“…”

Franklin finally began to shed the tears she had been holding back.

She then crumpled to the ground before me and knelt down.

In that moment, her body felt unbearably heavy.

Unable to bear it, I spoke with a voice soaked in pain.

“I’m sorry… I’m truly… truly sorry…”

“W-What do we do now? What… what do we do now? Ambasha… that child… she’s…”

“…”

Even I, who had sworn to find her no matter what happened, couldn’t easily respond.

Feeling the depths of despair…

All I could do was to suppress the tears that threatened to spill in front of the grief-stricken Franklin.

I wanted to see that child so much today.

That little girl’s face…

Even though she was adopted, she used to run to me calling me Father with her adorable smile…

“Father!”

A familiar voice echoed in my ears.

Hearing something so longed for filled me with deeper anguish, and I inadvertently looked in that direction.

Yes…

She looked just like that.

With blonde hair and red eyes,

Smiling brightly was the girl.

Seeing a girl who resembled her come running towards us deepened the despair in our hearts.

How wonderful it would be if that girl running towards us were Ambasha…

Even thinking of something utterly impossible like that.

“…Father?”

“…”

The girl, slowing her steps, looked at me with wide eyes.

Wondering if now I was even hallucinating, my heart ached even more… Huh?

“Father, why are you crying? And… Sister Franklin too…”

“…”

“…”

“Um… um…?”

The girl began to show signs of confusion.

But in response, we couldn’t utter a single word.

Neither I,


Nor Franklin, Magellan, Elkana… everyone in our Pirate Crew present here.

We were all left in a state where we couldn’t express joy or shock regarding the situation unfolding before us.

Our minds had gone into a blue screen mode, unable to comprehend the situation at hand.

Then…

“Ah, you all are here. I had been searching for you… things have really turned out well.”

Another familiar figure approached us.

Auriel, who had been left on the ship to rest,

And the two twins dressed in dark clothing, wielding axes, who looked somewhat familiar.

Even seeing them, the blue screen stuck in my head showed no signs of shutting down.

Then…

“W-What the… Auriel? Why are you here?”

In the midst of this chaotic situation, Elkana managed to get the words out.

In response to her question, Auriel beamed her usual bright smile and said,

“I came on the Vice-Captain’s orders. I was to bring funds from Pare and deliver a message to the Captain. Here you go.”

As she spoke, she pulled something out and handed it to me.

With a dazed expression, I took it from her.

With a stiff motion, I struggled to open the message.

And then…

The content inside was…

– Ambasha has returned home and is being sent there for now. –

“…”

A message that summarized everything and omitted the details.

I felt an indescribable sensation wash over me, my mind rebooting as I pressed my face into my hands.

And then…

“Th-Then… I’m… s-sorry… I heard everyone suffered because of me… and now it’s ended up like this…!”

Right after that,

Without saying a word, I pulled Ambasha’s body into my embrace.

No… it wasn’t just me.

Franklin beside me,


Elkana and Magellan too.

Everyone who had come to worry about her all embraced this precious treasure.

“Waaaah!!! I’m so glad! Really… really glad! Ambasha!!!!”

“Honestly… you…!”

Franklin was nearly bawling while pouring out tears, and Elkana was crying tears of joy.

Amid the prolonged moments filled with tears,

I quietly shed joyful tears while feeling the warmth of this child in my arms.

*

“…What the… is going on?”

An inexplicable situation unfolded suddenly.

Napoleona, who had been watching from the side, couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Up until now, the Pirate King had refused to answer any questions regarding Ambasha.

He had stated it was a private issue and a secret that needed to be kept within the Pirate Crew.

All she could speculate was that he seemed to be searching for someone, but she couldn’t connect that with the present situation.

From Napoleona’s perspective, the scene looked like…

The Pirate King, who had reunited with his companions, suddenly began to weep and express the emotion of pain for the first time, only to be followed by him discovering a little girl, prompting the pirates to all break down into tears together…

It was a bizarre scene that was difficult to comprehend in many ways.

‘Well… it’s probably not the best time to butt in anyway. I suppose I’ll have to ask later…’

Feeling the intensity of her curiosity grow, she thought that she should dig a little deeper to understand the details.

At that moment…

“Hmm?”

Napoleona suddenly became aware of something and began to look around.

“What’s the deal with that?”

“That child… wasn’t she the one who called that person Father while running towards him just now?”

“Did she find her lost child amidst the chaos?”

“Oh my… thank goodness…”

“Honestly, it’s a relief. She returned unharmed amidst all of this.”

The intense atmosphere that seemed ready to charge towards the cart just moments before.

It quickly vanished, along with the commotion caused by the pirates and the audible sounds of sobs filling the air.

It may have just dulled the mood, but the attention to the cart that the queen was riding in diminished, which also made the possibility of an incident slip away.

Napoleona let out a sigh of relief, and at the same time, gazed at the Pirate King still holding that little girl tightly.

‘Could it be… was this intentional to break the mood?…’

When she thought about how the steadfast Pirate King was shedding tears like this, it felt somewhat alien to her.

Adding to that, the common reaction displayed by the pirates as if they all synced…

With such thoughts flooding her mind, Napoleona suddenly felt a chill running through her body.

‘Could it be… Pirate King… is he intending to expose Robes Fiora’s schemes all at once like this…’