In the dark hall of the black palace, as the Five Seas King finished speaking, Alger, who had been preparing to leave, stopped in his tracks. He looked back at the defeated figure of the "Bone Breaker" on the platform, a slight frown forming on his face.
Although Nast's reason for intervening seemed adequate, something felt...off.
Indeed...even if Dawak had violated the Five Seas King's rules again, there was no need to intervene so hastily. The more convincing approach would've been to let the duel finish and then mete out punishment.
I doubt that any demon Dawak could summon would have the power to escape this arena crafted by the Five Seas King.
As for potential casualties among the pirates...that's hardly something Nast would concern himself with.
In short, while Nast's actions were justifiable, they weren't consistent with his usual behavior. Does this mean he's inclined to protect Vice Admiral Pale? Could there be a connection between them?
Alger snorted inwardly, realizing his thoughts were drifting unnecessarily deep into intrigue. After all, I'm just here as a "pirate" captain to attend the congress. Why bother worrying over this?
---
In the second-floor lounge, Ebner, observing Mr. Gaston quietly putting away a small mirror, shared a sentiment similar to Alger's. Yet his suspicions focused on Agalito, or rather the "Death Announcer," for having invested so heavily without obtaining any insight into either Maria's path or the entity supporting her.
Could Agalito really have miscalculated so badly?
No, Ebner mused, perhaps gauging Nast's reaction was one of Agalito's intended outcomes. From this perspective, he didn't leave empty-handed.
But this brought up another issue: the "guided" prophecy that Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina received indicated Maria might die after the congress. This implied that even though Agalito likely expected Nast would shield Maria, he proceeded anyway!
What's his confidence to make such a risky move?
As these thoughts tumbled in Ebner's mind, events shifted again on the stone platform below. Following his failed summoning, Dawak fell from midair, his body cursed by the backlash; his bones shattered, piece by piece, leaving him literally as the "Bone Breaker."
Only this time, the bones broken were his own.
This was the price to pay for a failed high-demon summoning.
Yet though his spirit was waning, Dawak's mind seemed to have cleared. He glared at Vice Admiral Pale, his eyes brimming with terror, now utterly devoid of the prior arrogance of believing her fame relied solely on her exceptional weapon.
Indeed, his memory of her destroying his fleet without once drawing Pale Justice, instead dispatching all his men with just that ornate longsword, returned. He'd barely escaped death by throwing himself overboard. As for the rumors that claimed he'd fought Maria to a standstill for hours before narrowly escaping—it had been nothing but his own bravado, a lie born out of shame...
When had I begun to believe my own boastful lies? he wondered, straining to remember. Even how he acquired the summoning scroll was a blur...
It had all been like a dream, where he found himself with a collection of extraordinary items but without his usual caution or vigilance. In his overconfidence, he had brazenly challenged Maria and even defied the Five Seas King.
But now, he was finally awake.
Wait! I recall something...vaguely...hearing a voice when I was drunk...
With this thought, Dawak wanted to say something to justify his actions, to prove his value so that he might not be discarded so easily. But with both his upper and lower jawbones shattered, speaking was impossible. Staying conscious was only thanks to his Sequence 6 vitality.
However, his thoughts were swiftly overtaken by an invasive, foul-sounding word that filled his mind with its toxic stench. His brain ceased to function.
Meanwhile, from his vantage on the black throne, Nast also sensed something wrong. His dark red eyes narrowed, flickering with light as he attempted to neutralize the effect of the intrusive word. But he was too late.
One or two seconds later, Dawak's body split apart as though he were once again mirroring his earlier substitute ability. But this time, there was no glassy illusion; only real flesh and bones, splintering and falling to pieces.
Among the debris, a metallic bottle and a dagger lay untouched, evidently unused supernatural items left behind by Dawak.
Vice Admiral Pale gazed at the scene for a long moment, her thoughts unreadable, before letting her grip on Pale Justice relax and looking back toward the throne on the second floor.
"Vice Admiral Pale, you are the victor. You may claim your spoils," Nast stated from his high perch.
Maria glanced at the two scattered items but shook her head. "Thank you, Count Nast...but I didn't truly defeat him. Those things aren't mine to take."
With a polite Intis-style knight's bow, she turned and headed back toward her lounge on the second floor.
Nast was silent for a dozen seconds before turning to his second officer, Bird Mustang, and saying, "The conference may begin."
"Yes, my lord," Bird replied, bowing. He then headed downstairs to organize the trading process.
Before he did, he ordered the clean-up of Dawak's remains and the collection of the two items and his exuded Beyonder characteristic.
As Bird left, Nast's dark eyes glowed intermittently, and he sighed inwardly. Emperor Roselle...the wielder of "Pale Justice" has appeared. I have fulfilled my promise to you...
But why did you leave that sword so deliberately among the Spirit Order? Even without having seen it directly, I sense the power it holds...
---
In the lounge on the second floor, Miss Gwyn sighed, "It's over just like that? Dawak simply...died?"
"A demon-summoning backlash killed him. If he'd survived, it would've been a far worse fate," Lydia explained, chuckling.
"It's just...they didn't even have a more intense, fulfilling fight," Gwyn murmured, clearly disappointed.
At this, Ebner glanced at the young woman, a head taller than himself. Honestly, that was plenty intense. If it had been a nightmare duel or a battle between dreamwalkers, we'd see them close their eyes and the duel would be over in an instant...
"Well, let's focus now. The trading session is about to begin," Mr. Gaston said as he watched Nast's boatswain, "Corrosive Viscount" Heloise, ascend the platform.
Heloise, the only "Lady Viscount" aboard the Black Emperor, would be the auctioneer as well as the representative of the Five Seas King.
Without any introductory remarks or ceremony, Heloise held up the first item for sale: an oil lamp.
"This item is called the 'Serene Winter.'
"When lit, it gradually induces frostbite, numbness, and ultimately turns any who step within its light to icebound corpses.
"In testing, even a demigod will succumb if they lacks a means of counteracting the chill.
"It has no side effects...well, apart from not distinguishing between friend and foe. Anyone within its glow is affected equally.
"However, a Sequence 5-level Sun domain item or a Pure White Radiance Stone can partially resist the chill.
"It has five years of efficacy remaining.
"The price is 3,000 pounds or the right to hunt for a Black Spider's compound eye."
The pirates below fell into contemplative silence, as most could not afford an item of such expense.
Meanwhile, a dagger and a metallic bottle were delivered to Mr. Gaston's lounge.
These were Dawak's "remains," sent in for appraisal.
As Mr. Gaston picked up the dagger and set to work, Ebner also began examining the two items with his analytical gaze.
Soon, he had a preliminary report:
The dagger, forged from the characteristic of a "Serial Killer," boasted extreme sharpness and anti-divination properties. Its primary purpose, however, was to serve as a sacrificial tool for the high-demon summoning scroll.
Put simply, the dagger was a paired instrument to the scroll, requiring it to absorb the blood of specific types of victims to satisfy the prerequisites for a successful summoning.
In this light, Dawak's death was well-deserved.
Shaking his head, Ebner turned his attention to the metallic bottle.
The silver container was empty, but through analysis, Ebner discerned that it would refill daily with a random fluid.
When poured onto a weapon, the liquid would temporarily impart an extraordinary effect.
It could freeze, ignite, poison—each effect was entirely random and not always positive.
Curious, Ebner glanced at the dagger again, chuckling softly. Villains truly are unlucky, aren't they?
Indeed, Dawak likely hadn't even realized that the dagger also bore a latent effect: bringing misfortune to its wielder.