episode_0074

The gently rippling sea.

It was an exceptionally quiet night.

Even the fierce typhoon was scattered by the sword strikes imbued with flames, and only a pristine landscape was reflected in their vision.

A night sky without a single cloud.

Against a backdrop of twinkling starlight.

We leaned against each other.

Holding the fox from behind, I soon grasped her drooping shoulders and spoke.

“You’re quite injured.”

“……I’m fine.”

Irene, looking utterly exhausted.

She breathed with difficulty.

Contrary to her words, her body bore various wounds, both large and small.

I added a bitter smile.

“Please stay put for a moment.”

A slight deception flowed from my fingertips.

As a deep shadow spread, I snapped my fingers and used my ability.

Snap!

A momentary darkness enveloped the girl.

And then.

The wounds on her body were completely erased.

The fox’s body instantly recovered.

Although it consumed some output, I felt a sense of satisfaction seeing her skin return to its smooth state.

“You’re much better now.”

I smiled gently.

I stroked her vermillion hair.

“It won’t hurt as much now.”

“……”

Irene blankly checked her body.

The girl seemed to glance around for a moment, then turned her back and faced me.

Only my reflection was perfectly visible in her transparent pupils.

Her hesitant lips parted.

“……Thank you.”

Just one word.

Was it because she was clumsy with her expressions?

It seemed she had many words she wanted to convey, but couldn’t quite voice them.

I replied, indicating it was nothing.

“You don’t need to thank me, Miss Irene. Your safety is enough.”

“……”

“Miss Irene?”

It was a teasing remark, but the girl reacted with a rather heavy atmosphere.

The fox now had a complex look in her eyes.

What was she thinking?

The girl, who had been silent, suddenly asked softly.

“That voice of Master-nim that lingered in my ears earlier. Was that also a hallucination you created…?”

“Oh, you noticed?”

“I didn’t know at first. It was only after you appeared that I thought it might be the case.”

“It might have been a bit rude of me. He must have been someone precious to you, Miss Irene… I sincerely apologize.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“Hm?”

“I’m the one who caused this situation. You just came to save me again, and I don’t want to be so shameless as to receive an apology.”

“……”

“The one who should be sorry… is me, not you.”

“It seems you’ve been under more stress than I thought.”

The girl lowered her gaze to the floor.

I felt a sudden bitterness in my mouth.

She wasn’t usually one to speak so weakly.

It seemed she had become exhausted from facing the Hounds and achieving awakening, amidst various hardships.

I calmly stroked the fox’s cheek.

“It’s alright. I’m doing this because I want to.”

“But…”

“Let’s talk about this later. For now, isn’t it a priority to resolve the immediate problem?”

“……Alright.”

Irene nodded.

Perhaps due to her psychologically unstable state, she was clutching my sleeve.

It seemed to be an involuntary action.

I wanted to tease her immediately, but held back.

It was truly time to conclude this one-night episode.

Whoosh-.

A gentle breeze blew.

As I quietly scanned the deck, I noticed figures standing around.

Most of them were low-ranking soldiers under the Hounds.

“Hm.”

There were no particularly strong individuals visible.

At this level, even if I hadn’t been here, a tired Irene could have swept them away.

Except for one person.

‘There he is.’

My wandering gaze stopped abruptly at one point.

A young man stood there.

His green hair fluttered.

His neat suit attire was striking.

In addition, he concealed a presence powerful enough to encompass the entire ship.

At the very least, a powerhouse on the level of a professor.

“Ha.”

I subtly twisted the corners of my mouth.

It seemed he had also noticed me, as he hadn’t taken his eyes off me since earlier.

With a faint smile, he spoke first.

“I never expected to meet you in a place like this.”

He offered a casual greeting.

“It’s been almost a year.”

“You are…?”

His green eyes widened belatedly.

He seemed to realize that the person standing before him was truly me.

He immediately put down the hidden weapon in his hand, then knelt, signaling his surrender.

Both his arms were clasped behind his back.

“My apologies for not recognizing you. I belatedly offer my greetings to the leader of the Stars.”

His attitude changed in an instant.

Towards the flustered young man, I spoke in a relaxed voice.

“It’s been a long time, Unnamed.”

He was someone I was acquainted with.

***

In the original work, a total of three factions appear as enemies.

The Baobab Tree, the Entrepreneur, and the King.

Among them, a godfather of evil, modeled after ‘the King’, dominated the underworld.

In the underworld, he was called the Sovereign.

It was also the name of the greed that once swallowed the empire’s night.

Even now, overshadowed by Astro’s light, there was still no corner of the continent untouched by his influence.

When discussing legends in this dirty underworld.

He was the first villain many people would name.

‘And.’

Guarding the Sovereign’s side were five swords.

Sometimes, they were also called the Five Negations.

Unnamed, Unrighteousness, Unease, Distrust, Disloyalty.

The man kneeling before me was also one of them.

‘The Unannounced One, Unnamed.’

As the most favored sword, he was a major figure who served as the Sovereign’s right-hand man.

I silently looked down at him.

His suit attire was still without a single wrinkle.

I subtly let out a remark.

“I never dreamed I’d meet you on the Entrepreneur’s ship.”

“I was surprised as well.”

Unnamed replied in a businesslike tone.

Despite the passage of time, his uniquely rigid demeanor remained unchanged.

“I had heard that the King had joined hands with the Entrepreneur, but I didn’t realize they were moving so quickly.”

“The alliance was formed in extreme secrecy… You had already grasped it, as expected.”

“Haha, I tend to have sharp ears.”

“I will be more thorough in the future.”

I asked lightly.

“How is the King doing?”

“My liege is peaceful.”

“How regrettable.”

“Of course, he still complains. He mentioned that the right arm you took back then feels empty.”

“That’s good news to hear. If possible, I’d like to take his other arm as well.”

“I will stop you with all my might.”

“Huhu, can you actually stop me?”

We exchanged a few words.

At first glance, it seemed like a friendly conversation, but listening closely revealed subtle barbs.

“It’s good to see you like this.”

“Likewise.”

“Please convey my regards to your liege.”

“I will do so. That is, if I can truly leave this place alive.”

“It’s good that you understand the situation well.”

A conversation like walking on a blade.

Unnamed, who had been letting out a complicated hum, then gazed at Irene, who was held at my side, and spoke.

It seemed he was trying to gauge our relationship.

“The kidnapping was an act carried out solely by the Hounds. My mission was merely to inspect the transport ship.”

“I see.”

“I was unaware that she was your companion. Had I known, I would have stopped it myself.”

“She’s not a companion, but she is a precious person to me.”

“So you mean she’s your lover.”

“Hmm~ Shall we say it’s something similar?”

“Anyway… I just want to say that this was not a matter my liege intervened in.”

Unnamed desperately defended his master.

I stood with my arms crossed.

There was no lie in the words he had just spoken.

Irene’s kidnapping was indeed a scheme orchestrated solely by the Hounds.

‘However.’

There must be a price for complicity.

I considered eliminating him, but the Sovereign still had various uses.

In the first place, I had spared him a year ago precisely for that reason.

“Hm… Let’s do this.”

After a brief moment of thought, I calmly parted my lips.

It was perfect timing.

I needed a useful pawn.

“You just need to give me a little help.”

“Help, you say…?”

“From now on, I plan to take control of this ship. Help me to clear out the remaining forces. I’d like to do it myself, but there are various inconvenient circumstances.”

“Are you telling me to betray the alliance?”

“You could interpret it that way.”

The inconvenient circumstances were precisely this:

There wasn’t much power left for my lies.

-Ding!

[Current Output remaining: 21.7%]

The display was already showing it hitting rock bottom.

While Irene was battling, I had gone to the lowest deck where the slaves were confined.

Perhaps due to the wretched conditions visible through the cold iron bars.

Many sick people were there.

Among them were young children, unable to endure the hardship and dying.

I simply couldn’t bring myself to pass them by.

As I healed them one by one, I ended up consuming more output than planned.

That’s why I needed a subordinate to take control of the ship for me.

“Unnamed. With your skill, this should be no trouble, right?”

“What is the price I gain by carrying out your orders?”

“Your life.”

“I accept.”

“Didn’t you say ‘alliance’? There’s no hesitation in your answer.”

“Even if my liege were here, he would have done the same. The loss incurred by my death would be greater than any gain from upholding the alliance.”

“As expected, you’re quick with calculations.”

I subtly smiled.

As if taking that as a signal, Unnamed gathered his hidden weapons and rose to his feet.

He then moved towards the ship’s interior without hesitation.

“I will carry it out immediately.”

His figure silently walking away.

As I watched him go, Unnamed turned his head as if he had just remembered something and spoke.

“Ah… now that you mention it.”

“Hm?”

“The Hounds once said something.”

“What was it?”

“They mentioned that a detonating spell was embedded in the ship’s lowest deck. I heard it activates within a certain time if their death is detected. I presume it’s intended to sink the ship.”

“So that’s how it is.”

“It seems you already knew, but I mentioned it anyway.”

“Well… nothing like that is going to happen. I plan to prevent the ship from sinking.”

“In that case, I will proceed with peace of mind.”

Unnamed bowed his head, then moved with a leap.

His figure vanished in an instant.

I erased the killing intent that enveloped my entire body.

Just as I was sorting out the situation, a voice suddenly came from within my embrace.

It was a voice filled with shock.

“Wha-what did I just hear? The ship is going to sink…?”

The fox looked up at me with startled eyes.

Her black pupils were trembling.