The awkward atmosphere didn’t last long.
After concluding several negotiations with the captain, Judith took the two of them outside.
When they met the captain again, he had noticeably become quite haggard.
It didn’t seem like he had been tormented by Judith.
Usher immediately recognized him.
“…!”
The way he flinched and looked at Bersia with a distant gaze upon her arrival, only to quickly turn his head with a “tsk!”—all of these gestures spoke volumes.
He might have said something like, “Why are you upset on her behalf?” but, if you really thought about it, the one who should be upset was Usher.
After all, the captain had fallen in love with Bersia at first sight, hadn’t he?
In other words, he had fallen for Usher’s original appearance at first sight.
That was something Usher could not tolerate.
From Usher’s perspective, a man’s affection was a wicked thing that deviated from the divine plan that the Creator had set for humanity.
Thus, whenever the captain’s gaze turned to Bersia, Usher would become more alert and stick closely to her.
To an outsider, this might have been something that would make one sigh, but at least the people involved were being sincere, so it could be overlooked.
In any case, the meeting with the other captain, the former crew member of the pirate king, Kyle Regal, was steadily being arranged.
This task was easier than the last one.
Since it was within the Eastern Islands, the likelihood of it spreading outside was small, and their base was located nearby.
There was no issue with going to meet them, so now the key was how to bring the captain out without causing a bloody incident.
There, Lycas’s help was instrumental.
“That man already prepared the letter for us, so just sending this should be enough.”
This was also part of Judith’s plan.
Before leaving, they didn’t know who they’d encounter in the Eastern Islands, so they had prepared for both sides.
Judith explained this, and the captain seemed surprised.
“The Pirate King’s daughter…?”
His gaze toward Usher changed.
Usher felt a little awkward, but at the same time, there was a sense of discomfort.
If he were to be attracted to a strong woman, that would be one thing, but it would be very awkward if he actually developed feelings for her.
“Ah, so he got a beautiful… no, a stunning woman, huh?”
The captain let out a small laugh and dismissed the thought, which made Usher’s eyes narrow.
What was this feeling? It felt as though he had been rejected without a confession.
Though, even if someone confessed to him, he would have rejected them, but it still felt strange.
A soft laugh came from Bersia.
Usher flinched and looked up at her, her gaze as if she knew everything, and for some reason, he felt the need to deny it.
There were such small events.
The task proceeded smoothly toward the far eastern islands.
And so, Usher met the second fragment of his past.
“Huh? Daughter?! Kyle Regal has a daughter?!”
A face with bloodshot eyes from too much drinking, a body wrinkled with age, and a magic staff.
“Impossible! I thought that guy was a seedless watermelon?!”
“…?”
It was Felik Terban, the pirate king’s navigator and ship’s mage.
First, he was shocked.
The combination of a pirate and a mage didn’t seem to fit well together.
Second, it was complicated.
It felt a little bad that the only thoughts that came to mind were negative, but Usher couldn’t help it.
“Kyle’s relationships were so complicated. It was even said that there were no women left on this island because of him—women who were sick of pirates ran away because of him!”
It was a nostalgic story.
…A rather awkward nostalgic story.
“Despite all the women he had, strangely enough, he had no children! So, I was sure! That guy was a seedless watermelon! Hahaha! But now he has such a beautiful child! Looks like he had a hidden move!”
Of course, Usher had a rough idea of what that meant.
He remembered from his childhood.
Every night, he would hear a woman crying from Kyle’s room and had once told Haran that
Kyle was tormenting a woman.
Now that he thought about it, “that” was what it must have been.
After being attempted to be assassinated by Haran about a dozen times, Kyle no longer behaved like that, but that was enough to give a glimpse of his original behavior.
‘If he weren’t the leader, Kyle might have died long ago.’
Such trivial thoughts even crossed his mind.
In any case, after a few mentions of uncomfortable memories, the time came to tell Ferric about Kyle’s passing, just like with Lycas.
Though it was the second time, it still wasn’t something he was accustomed to.
Felik, who had been laughing and chatting, showed tears at that moment.
“Ah, yes. That must be it. If he hadn’t left this sea and hadn’t returned for such a long time… there must be no other reason.”
Unlike Lycas’s clear reaction, this one hurt.
At the same time, ironically, it was through such a reaction that Usher realized that Felik had genuinely cared for Kyle.
Usher tried to comfort him.
But Felik waved him off, forcing a smile as he said,
“Heh… no, it’s fine. It’s fine, kid. He left you behind, didn’t he? A truly pitiful death is one where nothing is left behind. Kyle didn’t do that. His death gave birth to creation. That’s a beautiful thing. No, it’s the kind of thing that allows us to consider it beautiful.”
At that moment, he truly sounded like a mage.
His bloodshot, alcohol-soaked eyes glistened with a spark of something.
In the subdued atmosphere, he spoke while looking out toward the distant night sea.
“I remember the old days. When I was researching magic, I came to this sea in search of truth. It seemed like the perfection I was looking for was hidden beneath the waters. The sea is fickle, sweeping you away, but at times, it guides the lost to the shore. Drawn by that strange pull, I arrived at this archipelago, and that’s when I met Kyle and had a happy dream.”
The old man, mumbling, suddenly laughed like a young boy.
“Yes, it was a dream. A dream worth spending a lifetime on. That’s enough. Now, I can let it go.”
“…Captain?”
“Aah, I don’t mean I’m going to die. I mean that it’s time to end this meaningless struggle.”
He was a restless person.
Lost in his thoughts, quickly spitting out words, and so caught up in himself that it was hard to follow his train of thought.
However, the core of his message was clear to Usher.
“I thought maybe Kyle would return someday. Because there would be a place for him when he came back. That’s why I’ve been fighting. But now, isn’t it unnecessary? I no longer need to fight for dominance over the archipelago.”
Retirement. He was talking about such a thing.
“The waves never stop. And every wave’s destination is the shore. Our lives are the same. After a long journey across an endless ocean, we find land and lay our bodies down. Isn’t that what life is? That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
Usher respected that sentiment.
He understood that the reason he had continued fighting for dominance was because he had been doing it for Kyle’s sake.
The loss of a mage’s power.
Thinking about it made him regret it, but forcing someone who didn’t want to fight to do so wouldn’t have been right.
As he nodded in agreement, it was then that Felik spoke again.
“This war will be my last voyage.”
“…What?”
“Kid, you are the wave that will lead the new era. An old man like me has to clear the way for you!”
Thud!
Felik placed his hand on Usher’s shoulder.
Then, revealing his toothless grin, he laughed.
“The Pirate King’s bloodline has produced a new Empress! If I fight for her, my last voyage will shine brighter than anything! Ah, war! How I long for that sound! Hahaha!!!”
Usher froze.
It was clear that he was not a normal person with typical emotions.
Now, it made sense why a mage like him would also be a pirate.
A pirate empress? A war for the new era?
What was he saying to someone who would be leaving once the job was done?
But it would have felt wrong to lie to someone who was so sincere.
Lycas had seemed like someone who would take the archipelago for himself if he left, but this man didn’t seem like that at all.
Usher immediately turned his head to look behind him.
He sent a glance for help to Judith, Bercia, and Melvin, but the three were cruel.
“Ah, the old man knows a thing or two, huh? Yes, our lady will become a great empress. She’ll unite the archipelago and conquer the coastline of that land as well.”
“She’s a true warrior. She is.”
“Yep! Yep! Don’t worry, old man!”
“Lady! You even have such reliable subordinates! Your leadership is just like Kyle’s! Of course, not the face, though!”
“Uh, well…”
“YOU GUYS!!!”
Usher’s eyes began to spin, filled with confusion.
Meanwhile, Felik shouted to the pirates.
“Our master has returned! Let’s see… Ah! The title ‘Goddess of the Waves’ sounds great! And since this is a war for the goddess, it will be a crusade! Hahaha! Wonderful! Let’s start a crusade!!!”
“OOOOOOO!!!”
Like most groups of men who relied on physical strength, the pirates were simple.
And if something seemed cool, they eagerly joined in.
The Goddess of the Waves—Bersia, with her pale blue hair and blue eyes, had an appearance so godly that calling her a goddess was fitting.
“Goddess of the Waves! Goddess of the Waves!”
“Empress of the Archipelago! Crusade!”
“Waaaaaah!!!”
It seemed like the situation had gotten out of hand.
Felik, unaware of Usher’s inner turmoil, grabbed his wrist and raised it high in the air.
The pirates’ cheers grew even louder, and Usher could only awkwardly grin with misty eyes.
‘This… isn’t it…?
Embarrassment surged to the top of his head.
Still, he couldn’t just pour cold water on it.
For a moment, he thought, Forget it.
Usher decided to accept the flow and, after taking a deep breath, added a few words.
However, there was one point that needed correction.
“Still, I don’t think I’m a goddess. The only true god on this land is our Lord, the Creator! This is a bit too heretical to say, so please, refrain from calling me—”
“Heretic! Crusade!”
“The beauty that even mocks the gods!!!”
“Wooooooo!!!”
Of course, they weren’t going to listen.
Usher tightly shut his eyes.
“…Ah!”
Usher felt dizzy!
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