"Eh?"
It would be an understatement to say that Rachel was surprised by Kyle's demands. She had thought that he was a weirdo, but Rachel did not think that he was this strange!
Copper coins?
10 of them?
Was it even difficult to get them? Or were your services just this cheap?
If that was all that you wanted, then what was with that scheming face of yours just now, as if you were about to ask for the stars?
Seeing that Rachel was obviously stumped by his request, the grin on Kyle's face started to spread even wider.
"How is it? Don't tell me that you expected me to help out for free? If you want my help, then the least you can do is to show some sincerity! In this sense, asking for 10 copper coins isn't unreasonable at all, is it?" Kyle urged on.
"Are you sure 10 copper coins is all you need? What's the catch?" Rachel asked hesitatingly in return, her tone a little suspicious of the man standing before her.
"Hahaha! You worry too much, young lady! I, Kyle Wick, no, I mean Kyle, am a man of my word!" Kyle nodded in excitement upon seeing that the young lady was seriously considering his offer.
From the looks of things, he was about to become rich!
After another few moments of contemplation, Rachel finally decided to stop reading too much into it and agreed to his terms.
"Here!" Rachel reached into her purse and pulled out exactly 10 copper coins.
Seeing the coins that were passed into his hands, Kyle could not help but tremble in elation.
With this, he no longer had to starve for the rest of the journey!
He could be like those other rich people and dine like a boss at the restaurant!
Okay, maybe not like a boss, but he could at least afford two or three of the cheaper meals.
The only thing that bugged him at the moment was how easily the other party had produced 10 copper coins. Kyle had thought that it would take a while for the girl to raise the money, but now he could only lament his lack of judgement.
If he knew that the young girl was this rich, then he would definitely have asked for more!
Still, what's done was done, and Kyle was not about to renege on his promise.
"So, what do you need my help with again?" Kyle asked after carefully keeping the copper coins.
"…"
Rachel rolled her eyes in disbelief.
Did this man actually agree to her request without even knowing what it was about?
She had clearly told him everything just now, so this simply showed just how lightly he was treating the current situation!
Rachel was experiencing mixed feelings at the moment.
She truly did not know whether to feel doubtful due to his unreliability, or to feel comforted by his composure even in the face of such danger!
But that no longer mattered.
At least she had tried her best to salvage the situation. If things still failed to work out in the end, then all she could do was to pray for a miracle that would somehow allow her to live through this ordeal!
"We need you need to help out with the defence! Hurry and follow me to the deck!" Rachel did not want to waste any more time, choosing to directly grab Kyle's hand and pull him along to the deck.
---
On the ship's deck, Anthony Pierce was watching grimly as the FADAI riders continued their assault on the defensive enchantment, with Samuel standing right by his side.
"Gather up all our valuables. We need to be ready to escape right as the ship falls," Anthony's voice was low and solemn.
He was still reluctant to admit defeat, but there seemed to be no other choices. After all, the power of an individual was limited when facing an entire group.
Despite his great individual strength, he was still unable to turn the tides against the well-prepared FADAI riders!
"I have already passed down the instructions," Samuel was one step ahead of his stubborn father, having already made the necessary arrangements the moment he realised that the outcome was clear.
The other magi were also well prepared, having gathered up all their valuables by now as they waited on the deck.
The most unfortunate of all would be the Defence Team, who had to gather up the ship administrators to ensure their safety. If the ship really were to fall, then it would fall on them to keep the ship administrators safe.
Even so, what they were receiving now from the administrators was not gratitude, but a ceaseless verbal assault for failing to repel the attack.
Some even requested them to go sacrifice their lives to defend the ship!
For such unreasonable demands, the Defence Team naturally acted like they did not hear anything, coldly standing by and waiting for the eventual destruction of the defensive enchantment.
The commoners on the ship were helpless. All they could do was to join their hands in prayer, hoping for some form of miracle to save them all from impending doom.
"Heh, the ship sure is rocking really violently here! Thank god for the King Suite to keep me comfortable!" Kyle exclaimed in surprise when Rachel pulled him onto the deck.
"That is because the ship is under attack!" Rachel finally let go of his hand now that they had arrived. "Do you finally realise the gravity of the situation now?"
"Yes, yes, I get it," Kyle impatiently waved her off as if chasing off a fly, before walking to the edge of the deck to have a clearer view of the situation outside.
"You…!" Rachel frowned in irritation, but could only follow along behind him.
When the pair arrived on the deck, Anthony Pierce and his son Samuel Pierce had immediately noticed their arrival. In particular, they had noticed how Kyle and Rachel had been holding hands when they arrived.
"Who is that man?" Anthony Pierce questioned coldly.
"I do not recall seeing him before. Perhaps it is someone Rachel met on the ship?" Samuel replied.
"Holding hands in public like that, does she not know her own status? It is as if she is not enough of an embarrassment to the Pierce Family! This is why members of the Branch Families are just no good!" Anthony Pierce snorted before turning away.
"I will be sure to remind her about her behaviour in the future," Samuel Pierce remarked with an obvious lack of interest.
After all, he knew that Rachel was not in the group that his father would be focusing on saving when they escape from the ship. In other words, it was still an unknown whether she would survive past today, so why would Samuel bother taking any of this to heart?
If she wanted to spend her last few moments with her newfound little lover, then so be it!
"Heh, those griffins sure are an active lot!" Kyle gasped as he leaned against the parapet.
"This is not the time to be admiring them, all right? Stay right here, I will go inform the rest so we can work together to repel the riders!"
"Work together? Against just these guys that can barely count as mere irritants? Is that even necessary?" Kyle raised an eyebrow in scepticism upon hearing Rachel's words.
"I alone am more than enough for this job!"