Why now, of all times?
The only thought that crossed Usher’s mind was that one.
He subtly looked around, noticing that Bersia’s expression was clearly displeased.
Her eyes spoke for her.
“You said there wouldn’t be an ambush…”
A hiccup escaped.
Even in that moment, the situation was rapidly changing.
Three small ships were approaching, lined up in formation.
Above them, pirates with a sinister appearance were staring at them from the shadows of the night sea.
“…”
“Would you like to go inside?”
“Ah, no…! I’ll help!”
“Are you really going to do that?”
“They don’t look like that strong of an enemy…”
Indeed, the pirates appeared to be just regular ones.
There were no signs of dark magic or curses, and perhaps two of the crew members might know how to use a little mana.
At this level, Usher could easily defeat them on his own.
Explaining this, Bersia responded.
“We got caught last time because of thinking like that. It was my mistake, but I learned the hard way that enemies can conceal their heretical powers.”
It was at that moment.
“Not them.”
Judith spoke as she walked over.
“They haven’t received any heretical power. Well, the connection is still unclear, but…”
She puffed out smoke from the pipe in her mouth.
Her eyes glimmered gold, as though she had confirmed something through some means.
“What are you going to do? Capture them alive? Or crush them like this?”
The question was directed at Usher.
When he tilted his head in confusion, Judith added, “Not planning on blowing them all away like last time, are you? You said you’d handle it personally.”
“Ah.”
Cold sweat ran down Usher’s back.
How did Bersia’s image come to be that ‘taking action’ and ‘massacre’ became synonymous?
Usher awkwardly smiled and shook his head, then replied, “N-No, I just meant I’ve been practicing swordsmanship, so I need a real combat experience!”
He could feel Bersia’s displeasure intensifying.
It felt like a hole would open up in the back of his head.
But this was the only choice Usher could make.
After all, if one keeps retreating, eventually they’ll end up as nothing more than a burden they must protect.
Beyond pride, this was something that wouldn’t be good for Bersia either.
She was someone stressed by past wounds.
If she became obsessed with having to keep her back covered in every battle, she would inevitably break.
So, wasn’t it better to act differently for once?
Not helplessly being pushed around, but showing that he could protect himself.
By accumulating such moments, he needed to make Bersia see him as a “comrade capable of fighting together.”
Usher stubbornly avoided Bersia’s gaze.
Judith, seeing this, made a disgusted face and muttered, “Even in times like this, you just can’t resist.” She spun around sharply and walked away.
“Do as you wish. I’m going to the cabin.”
“Aren’t you going to help?”
“He’s a knight. When he’s in danger, it’s you who should help him, not me. Or is it that you don’t have the confidence to protect him? Just a pretty face, all show with nothing inside…”
Her sarcastic remark made Bersia’s gaze turn icy.
The tension was diffused by Melvin.
“Oh no, Saintess! You shouldn’t say things like that! Do you know how much of a monster Usher is?”
With a hearty laugh, he stepped between them with his usual easygoing demeanor. Then, he subtly apologized to Bersia with a glance as he led Judith to the cabin.
And so, Judith disappeared.
The two were left alone, and by then, the pirate ship had drawn so close it was almost upon them, slowing its speed.
Crash!
A harpoon embedded itself into the ship, and a plank was laid over it.
“Grab them! There’s a woman!”
“Wooooo!!!”
Clang! Bang!
Pirates armed with cutlasses charged toward Usher and Bersia.
Bersia let out a sigh full of irritation and muttered to Usher, “We’ll talk later. Don’t think I’ll let this slide.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am…”
Usher chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck, as he subtly edged away from her.
Just then, a pirate leaped at Bersia.
At that moment—
Crash!
“Guhh!”
Bersia grabbed the pirate by the face and slammed him into the deck.
The pirate was instantly knocked unconscious.
It was clear from her ruthless response that her actions carried a hefty amount of emotion.
Usher gulped nervously.
He realized he might truly face severe consequences this time, and that only made him more desperate.
“A w-weapon…!”
He had to show some results—anything—to defend himself later.
Usher snatched a cutlass from the unconscious pirate’s hand.
With a deep breath, his gaze sharpened.
“Here I go!”
Tap!
He pushed off lightly and shot forward.
The ship swayed with the waves. The unstable footing was unlike running on solid ground.
But it didn’t matter.
In his hand was a cutlass, its blade broadening near the tip.
And what he needed now was a graceful, almost artistic movement.
This is what they call a sailor’s swordsmanship, Usher!
Ohhhh!!!
Usher had once learned fencing techniques specific to ship combat.
The pirates of the Black Hawk crew, watching from afar, were stunned at the sight.
“What is that monster…?”
Earlier that night, one of their crew had spotted a small, luxurious ship through the telescope and called the captain to set out.
At first, they assumed it was some inland noble emboldened by the recent quiet among the archipelago’s pirates, out for a joyride.
If true, it was a jackpot.
They could kidnap the passengers, demand ransom, and make a fortune.
And to top it off, there was a woman aboard.
Women from inland were rare commodities in the archipelago, classified as premium goods.
The ship was practically a treasure chest.
But that illusion shattered the moment they approached.
There was a monster on board.
Was he an inland knight? Perhaps a bodyguard hired by the noble on this ship?
Crash!
The man evaded swarms of pirates with uncanny movements, felling them one by one with single strikes.
Despite his handsome appearance, the aura he exuded was brimming with deadly intent.
He was like a tidal wave in human form.
Before the pirates could even set foot firmly on the deck, they were mercilessly defeated by him.
But the man wasn’t the only problem.
“What in the world is that woman!?”
Schooooaaagh!
The woman with sky-blue hair was otherworldly.
It wasn’t that her beauty was unreal, though.
‘CH, CH…!’
With an innocent expression, she twirled her sword like a dance.
The moonlight reflected off the bluish blade as it carved unexpected trajectories, incapacitating the crew.
There was no way to approach.
Her technique was extraordinarily refined, almost like a circus act.
At this rate, they were headed for a massacre.
The Black Hawk pirates, who had stubbornly held the line at the outskirts of the archipelago, were about to become fish food.
Just as that thought crossed his mind— “Are you done yet!!!”
A raspy shout echoed.
Tei turned with a startled hiccup and a creaking sound.
Heavy footsteps were approaching from the cabin.
The door to the cabin suddenly slammed open, and a burly middle-aged man appeared.
He was easily over two meters tall, with a grim face, a scruffy beard, and flashy attire.
The cutlass on his waist was twice the size of anyone else’s.
His very presence exuded intimidation.
Tei trembled and lowered his head.
“C-Captain…!”
The captain of the Black Hawk Pirates, Lycas.
A powerful figure who had reigned since the great pirate era and had once been the right-hand man of the Pirate King.
He muttered harshly as he stepped out.
And then— “Damn fools, can’t even capture a single noble tourist without screwing it up…”
Lycas’s eyes widened.
His gaze fixed precisely on the woman with sky-blue hair.
‘Ah, so he’s going for her directly!’
Tei actually felt relieved.
Now that the captain’s attention had shifted, there was a chance this wouldn’t backfire on him.
Tei bent his waist in a bow and spoke to Lycas in a subservient tone.
“C-Captain! There’s a knight on that ship…!”
But, his words never finished.
Surprised yet gleaming with joy, Lycas smiled broadly and shouted, Kwahh! as he leaped toward the opposing ship.
His movement was nearly instantaneous.
Lycas landed exactly where the woman was, and she noticed his presence immediately.
And then—
Clang! CRASH!
The two swords collided with a resounding crash.
The ship rocked.
Tei gaped, astonished at Lycas’s immense strength and the power with which the woman matched him.
A refined knight, his expression twisted in malice, charged at Lycas.
But Lycas contorted his body grotesquely to evade the attack, then threw his next strike towards the woman.
The second exchange took place, and immediately after, Lycas shouted, “What the hell is this?! A woman?!”
That was the turning point.
“How the hell are you using the Pirate King’s swordsmanship?!!!”
The woman froze.
expression was one of utter disbelief, as though he couldn’t comprehend what was being said.
The vicious knight also stopped. He furrowed his brow and stared at the woman.
Lycas, standing in the middle of it all, was in a state of extreme excitement.
As far as Tei knew, he never made that kind of face, not even when surrounded by alcohol and women in the midst of a festival.
Lycas threw his sword to the ground with a thud and stomped toward the woman.
He grabbed her by the shoulder, his voice fierce.
“Are you alive? Kadan Riguel?! The Pirate King?!!!”
The woman blinked, stunned.
Her mouth hung open in shock.
In that moment, everyone was too stunned to comprehend the situation.
Squeak!
The cabin door creaked open.
A decadent woman with black hair stepped out, puffing from her pipe.
She exhaled smoke and gave a crooked smile.
Her next words were nothing short of shocking.
“That man… she’s his daughter.”
“?!”
“That girl… she’s the Pirate King’s daughter.”
“!!!”
Lycas’s eyes bulged.
Usher’s eyes also widened.
The two of them locked eyes on Judith, and at that moment, Judith whispered to Usher in a calm tone.
[Keep it together. If you play your cards right, it’ll go smoothly.]
It was a bold-faced lie.