“Pirate Lord?”
We couldn’t help but be taken aback by such a ridiculous appearance. We thought it was over since we defeated Shakallim, but suddenly, a strange kid showed up.
From the perspective of just facing Shakallim, this new arrival might seem trivial, but—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The pirate cannons were bombarding the entire island.
Not only was the island shaking from the dozens of shells fired, but small landslides also began to occur in the mountain range surrounding the valley.
The eccentric ducked to avoid incoming debris and adjusted his glasses.
“How did the pirates find us? They were just supposed to stall in the sea, right?”
“Wait a second! In the sea? Could it be that you guys are connected to the raids on Royen and Salama Dan?”
“Oh no.”
As shells rained down, Jane suddenly turned her head and glared at the eccentric. She looked strong, letting go of the adornments of formality and faith that hung from her body like a burden.
The eccentric looked at me, trying to read my thoughts with the expression of having misspoken, but honestly, Sen and I already knew.
The reason these guys were here was extremely suspicious.
“This sword feels strange too.”
I glanced at the Chain Sword, which was already ruined from overuse. At first, I thought I was lucky—
But something felt off.
It was as if this sword was overly specialized for fighting dragons.
Kaboom!
Eve jumped and cried out in surprise.
“Don’t we need to escape?”
“Hmm, hang on.”
Suddenly, a mana shield appeared right above us. The eccentric smoothly brushed off his verbal mistake.
The shell that fell directly above us exploded without penetrating the shield.
As a mage capable of using warp magic, blocking shells wouldn’t be a problem for a while.
I headed straight to the leader of the Chokugen Faction, with Sen following closely behind.
“Hey, you guys go tell them. If you don’t want to die, stop it.”
Honestly, I had exhausted too much energy fighting Shakallim. It was natural that my power to stop time ran out, and my hand muscles felt ready to burst.
Even moving was tiring right now.
I pretended to be tough, trying not to get caught, but the leader just laughed at me.
“Are you acting so arrogant in that condition?”
“…..”
“I am the leader of the Chokugen Faction. Don’t try to hide anything in front of me carelessly; it will only pique my curiosity.”
Hoo.
I let out a long breath.
Yeah, these guys were indeed the type who could betray us at any moment, and in some ways, they were closer to the pirates than us.
We were merely traveling together by chance, and it was really a bond that needed to be resolved.
I lifted the Chain Sword before starting a fight. It now looked like a cane that an old countryman could use.
The leader’s eyes twitched with anger.
“Why are you all here?”
The reason the Chokugen Faction came to Shakallim’s island.
They offered pirates a fortune and instructed them to raid Royen and Salama Dan, leading their forces there while seeking the Dragon God for themselves.
“You seem to know, huh?”
He answered nonchalantly.
Yeah, I honestly knew.
Considering their actions up to this point and the rivals we faced, it was easy to figure out.
These guys were trying to do exactly what the Tudogs had done.
The Tudogs, who had exploded with growth alongside the magical beasts living in the Forest of the Demon Realm, were our enemies.
The Chokugen Faction also headed towards the Forest of the Demon Realm, but that place wasn’t somewhere these kinds of assassins could step into.
The Tudogs’ leader had experienced living as a magical ingredient for witches, which made it possible for them.
“Did you turn your gaze elsewhere since the Forest of the Demon Realm was too tough?”
“Sleeping remains of the Dragon God can serve both as currency and as hints that bring us closer to powers beyond humans.”
The leader nodded as if he was admitting that honestly.
“After hearing about the skull-wearing mage and the wolf beastmen that the eccentric saw, I became even more certain.”
Coolika, who invaded the fake Nirva created by Sharcarl. The scene of the eccentric blankly watching the two fight flashed through my mind.
The leader yelled, pouring out his emotions.
“To face the monsters, we must possess their power! You are no exception! Daniel McLean!”
“……”
“A monster wearing human skin. I have been watching you ever since you wiped out the Tudogs all alone.”
The leader drew the sword hidden in his thigh and aimed it precisely at my neck, releasing a strong, foul killing intent.
“The number of your victims exceeds a hundred. The time to pay the price has come.”
They say if you’re too dumbfounded, you don’t feel anything, and right now, I was feeling exactly that.
“If we’re counting like that, you’re the same.”
Where exactly was I pointing fingers?
I can firmly say that there is no one as filthy as the leader of the Chokugen Faction among the worst criminals on this continent.
“You should be the one to pay the price.”
Honestly, it worked out for the better.
Even if it’s a bit risky, it might be better to kill this guy now and wipe out the Chokugen Faction entirely.
That would be much better for Sen too.
I tossed the Chain Sword lightly.
“And you used this well.”
As the already ruined sword landed near his feet, it let out a snap noise as the leader swung the sword.
“Alright, I’ll take that neck!”
My body creaked, and even though I wanted to scream not to move anymore, I forced myself to act. I had already anticipated the ambush.
That’s why I was about to counterattack, but the white-haired girl moved faster than me.
Clang!
She twisted the trajectory of two daggers.
Sen stood in front of me, expressionless as she glared at the leader.
Seeing that, the leader suggested dismissively, “Stay still, Sen. It’s easy to kill you here, but I’m giving you a chance. If you stay quiet, I’ll overlook your betrayal and accept you as a proper member this time.”
Then Sen turned her head slightly, looking at me.
I shrugged my shoulders as if to say I would respect her choice.
But maybe she didn’t like that, as she quickly punch-kicked my abdomen with the dagger in hand.
Crunch!
I didn’t see that coming.
“Aren’t you gonna catch me?”
Sen asked bluntly.
“If I suddenly turn traitor to the Chokugen Faction, what do you think I should say?”
It felt more like emotional pain, spreading bluntly as if she were backing her emotions into a dull ache.
Seeing her lips pout, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Hey, this is a bit out of the blue.”
Ever since we were in the Royen Sea, I had been contemplating one thing.
About Sen.
This girl, who had lost her emotions after being forced to take drugs in the hands of the Chokugen Faction since she was young, and was made to learn assassination against her will.
What could I offer her?
I didn’t know if she would accept, but—
“Sen McLean. It sounds a bit strange, but what do you think?”
“……Huh?”
As I asked with a grin, Sen’s eyes went wide.
For someone with such a narrow range of emotion, she looked extremely surprised.
“Oh, no… Wait, are you… serious?”
She slowly opened her mouth as if trying to say something but couldn’t get the words out.
“I’ll have to talk to my big sister, Diana. After all, she won’t say no.”
Diana had often said how she wished she had a younger sister instead of a younger brother while watching Rin for a long time.
Since Sen lived in our village during winter break, adapting after graduation shouldn’t be too hard for her.
She couldn’t keep holding a dagger and staining her hands with blood forever.
Blushing and unsure, Sen covered her face, then peeked at me, nodding slowly but clearly.
“Okay…”
I was a bit anxious, wondering how she’d feel or if she’d refuse. After all, she could just drop everything and return to the Chokugen Faction.
So I smiled and gently ruffled Sen’s hair. She tilted her head like a cat, closing her eyes at my touch.
“Well then, that’s settled. Even if you go back to the Chokugen Faction from now on, it doesn’t matter.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll find a way to bring you back.”
So don’t worry, just do whatever you want.
“Having a place to return to is a good thing.”
“Yeah.”
Seeing her face turn slightly pink made me feel good. I carefully wiped away the slightly welling tears at the corners of her eyes.
Sen took a deep breath and steadied her heart. She shot a glare at the leader of the Chokugen Faction, who seemed dazed, then leaned slightly toward me as if she forgot.
“But what should I call you?”
“Huh?”
“Should I call you ‘self’? Or maybe ‘you’…?”
“……Huh?”
In an instant, I felt like a rock had taken the place of my brain.
“Wait, that’s not what I meant. I’m talking about a little sister—!”
Suddenly, the leader’s booming voice interrupted.
“Eccentric!!!”
Thanks to the now-peaceful pirate bombardment, the eccentric, empty-handed, placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Looks like we have to fight after all. Sorry!”
The eccentric grinned playfully.
Caught up in his warp magic, I was already falling from a height where the island was starting to look like a dot.
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