A Barbaric Proposal Side Story 42

※An Unexpected Return※

Splash! Splash!

The ropes had been severed. Randall and Ashker plunged into the water alongside several pirates, completely helpless.

[Ashker] "…Phew!"

By the time they managed to swim back and scramble onto the shore, the ship—which they had already sabotaged by punching holes in its hull—was already drifting far into the distance.

[Ashker] "This is madness! What do we do now?"

He made a move to swim after it.

[Randall] "Stop. It's useless."

Randall caught his arm, holding him back.

[Randall] "Even if you follow, you’ll be too late. Even if you catch up, there's no way to board. Besides, didn't we tear the ship's wheel right off that ship?"

[Ashker] "Ah…! You’re right."

[Randall] "Then it won't get far."

Randall ground his teeth. The information that the children were definitely trapped on that specific ship wasn't a certainty; it was merely the most likely scenario based on the circumstances.

[Randall] "We need to secure another vessel. We’ll pursue that ship while continuing the search here. They might be hidden somewhere else."

[Ashker] "I’m starting to regret only the three of us coming. If we had brought just two more, we would have found them by now."

[Randall] "Don't waste time talking. Move."

The remaining pirates, now leaderless and abandoned, scattered and fled in all directions.

Fermos, receiving the news a beat late, abandoned his plans for a sophisticated revenge and instead released a swarm of rats into the pirates' stolen goods warehouse.

Meanwhile, the information broker secured a swift vessel, and the Arsak Knights immediately set off in pursuit of the fleeing pirates.

The broker remained behind to continue scouring Blue Warren for the children.

The pirate remnants, having lost their ship and captain, planned to sell their loot to pay for their lodgings. However, when they forced open the warehouse doors, they found that the energetic rats had already utterly destroyed every single item.

---

In any field, if one persists long enough, they inevitably develop a talent superior to others. Pirates were no exception. Despite the missing ship's wheel, they made a desperate, expert effort to navigate the ship using nothing but the wind and the power of the sails.

However, while they could flee, they couldn't maintain a proper course. Some of their crew and the loot they were about to sell remained in Blue Warren, so they had to return eventually. All they had to do was deal with the children.

There were countless ways to dispose of such small hostages. Simply pushing them off the deck would suffice. Yet, doing so made the Captain worry about those two "crazy bastards" who had caused this mess.

Since they claimed to be knights, there might be dozens more like them. If they killed the hostages, they could never return to Blue Warren.

[Captain] "Nauk… where did she say that was? Can we even make it there?"

The best course of action was to return the hostages and settle the matter. Of course, it wouldn't be for free. After all this trouble, they had to squeeze enough out of the parents to cover the ship's repairs.

[Pirate] "Where is that place, anyway?"

[Captain] "For heaven's sake… if you don't know, go find a map!"

[Pirate] "Yes, Captain!"

A pirate ran off and returned with a tattered map. The ship held a collection of maps, though most were maritime maps plundered from other vessels.

[Captain] "Damn it, it’s not here!"

The Captain, who had been searching for Nauk for some time, bellowed in rage. The pirates, clutching various maps and looking flustered, cautiously offered a suggestion.

[Pirate] "Could we… perhaps ask the brats?"

[Captain] "What?"

[Pirate] "Well, those kids are clearly sharp. Maybe their parents taught them well."

[Captain] "You think children can read maritime maps that even a pirate can't make sense of?"

[Pirate] "It wouldn't hurt to ask. We have nothing to lose."

[Captain] "Ugh… damn it. I'm supposed to be the pirate here…"

A wave of self-loathing washed over him. He was a Captain, yet he was considering asking an eight-year-old to read his maps. But with no other choice, he had to make a decision.

[Captain] "Fine, I suppose we have no—"

Unfortunately, the Goddess of the Sea seemed to have no intention of favoring the Rambasol today.

CRASH!

Before the Captain could finish his sentence, a tremendous vibration shook the ship, accompanied by a deafening roar.

[Pirate] "Gah!"

[Captain] "What on earth happened!"

The ship lurched violently, tilting far to one side.

[Captain] "What is it now!"

The Captain, who had been thrown to the floor and rolled quite a distance, clutched his back as he scrambled up and ran to the deck.

There, he found his crew clinging to the spot where the ship's wheel used to be, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

[Pirate] "Captain! We must have hit a reef!"

[Captain] "What? You've been pirates for years, and you couldn't avoid a reef?"

[Pirate] "I didn't see it!"

[Pirate] "Even if I did, there was no way to steer away!"

Groaaaaan!

The ship lurched dangerously once more.

[Pirates] "Whoaaaa!"

Everyone slid toward the listing side. The pirates' faces turned pale with terror.

[Pirate] "The hull… I think the hull has been breached!"

[Captain] "Gah!"

It was an emergency. Forget Nauk; they needed to reach any piece of dry land they could see.

[Captain] "Is there any land in sight?"

He pulled out the telescope at his waist and scanned the surroundings.

[Captain] "There…! I see something over there! Head for it!"

The pirates squeezed every last drop of strength from their bodies, using only sails and oars to move the sinking ship.

---

The closest land on the trade route from Blue Warren, pushed by the prevailing westerlies, was Harummant Bay, where Bellisa Castle stood.

Usually, it was too narrow for large ships to enter, and because it was hidden by cliffs, vessels rarely entered without a specific purpose.

Furthermore, since Nauk lacked a formal navy, this was the only region where their defenses were vulnerable—consequently, it was a place where they invested heavily in coastal security.

Of course, the pirates, who were completely ignorant of the Kingdom of Nauk, had no way of knowing this. In their defense, the southern part of the continent wasn't normally Rambasol territory; having only recently moved into the area, they were still learning the sea lanes.

[Guard] "Huh…?"

The Harummant guard spotted a suspicious vessel approaching from a distance.

[Guard] "That flag… they must be insane. Where do they think they're going?"

Through a high-quality telescope—twice as powerful as anything the pirates possessed—the guard identified the black flag fluttering between the masts. It was an object devoid of any aesthetic sense, clearly something only low-life pirates would fly.

[Guard] "Go report to His Majesty immediately! Tell him a ship of mad pirates is heading this way!"

[Guard] "Yes, sir!"

The guard hurried down the watchtower, and the news reached Black’s ears with incredible speed.

---

[Black] "The ship is damaged."

As the silhouette of the vessel became clearer, it was obvious that the masts were tilting.

[Knight] "Oh? Then perhaps they don't intend to attack?"

Black had taken a position on the shore along with five Arsak Knights and thirteen guards stationed at Bellisa.

Everyone was rather bewildered, as this was the first time pirates had ever appeared here.

[Guard] "What should we do then? They're clearly pirates, but if they're approaching because they need help, it feels a bit wrong to just strike them down.

The Bellisa guard captain asked the question, but Black and the Arsak Knights gave him looks that suggested the answer was obvious.

[Knight] "So we should fish them out? Repair their ship? Let them go back to being pirates?"

[Guard] "Ah… that was a foolish thing to say. My apologies."

The guard captain fell silent, looking embarrassed.

One of the knights tapped the back of his blade. Strangely, his eyes seemed to glint with anticipation.

[Knight] "They’ve essentially invaded without a nationality, so it’s only right we take their heads. I wonder how many there are."

[Black] "No."

Black’s answer caused the knight’s excitement to deflate.

[Knight] "Why not, Your Majesty?"

[Black] "Liene is here."

[Knight] "Ah…?"

Without turning his gaze, Black merely jerked his chin toward Bellisa Castle.

[Black] "I cannot have her seeing blood."

[Knight] "I see."

It seemed the Tiwakan Commander had become that sort of man.

[Knight] "Then what shall we do?"

[Black] "We make sure they never set foot on our soil."

[Knight] "But their ship has a hole in it. Do you think they’ll just retreat quietly? They’ll be desperate to come ashore."

[Black] "Set it on fire."

He gestured toward the guards.

[Black] "Prepare the fire arrows. Once they are within range, unleash everything you have."

[Guard] "Ah, yes, Your Majesty!"

The guards couldn't help but think that letting the pirates choose between burning to death or drowning was perhaps more cruel than a simple execution. Regardless, if they did it this way, the beautiful and pristine beaches of Bellisa would remain untainted.

The guards diligently prepared the fire arrows. As the distance closed, the pirates spotted the preparation through their telescope.

[Captain] "Gah! Those cruel bastards!"

If pirates had to list the things they hated most, fire was undeniably at the top. One might think putting out a fire in the middle of the ocean would be easy, but it was a nightmare.

They couldn't afford to waste their drinking water, and trying to haul up seawater was a chaotic mess. In the meantime, the old hull and sails, weathered by long voyages, would burn beautifully.

[Pirate] "What do we do, Captain? Should we turn back?"

But they had no ship's wheel. Even if they wanted to turn, they couldn't.

Before long, the Rambasol was within arrow range. Black was the first to draw his bow.

Fwish!

The arrow sliced through the air and pierced the upper main sail.

Whoosh!

With no rain in sight and the sun beating down, the dried sails caught fire instantly, and the flames began to roar.

[Pirate] "Aaaah! Fire! Fire!"

Fwish! Fwish!

Arrows continued to rain down without end. The Captain, pale with panic, finally managed to think of a solution.

[Captain] "The brats! Bring the brats here!"

Status only had value because some sought to protect it. Even in war, nobles rarely killed one another; they preferred to take hostages and demand a ransom. It was an unspoken rule among the nobility.

If he put these well-bred children in the front, the people on shore honestly wouldn't dare burn them alive. He would figure out the rest once they were safe.

[Captain] "Bring them here and tie them to the forecastle!"

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