"No, that wench must be found at once! As for my injury, don't concern yourself," Dave sneered. From within his robe, he produced a pitch-black scroll.
As Dave unfurled the scroll, murmuring incantations, a surge of Mindergy was sensed by Bairon.
Moments later, the wound between Dave's legs healed seamlessly.
"He's a magus!"
"A Chanting Magus!"
The deck erupted into chaos as sailors and passengers alike cast envious and admiring glances at Dave.
Anyone who could wield a spell scroll was undoubtedly a magus - a fact even the commoners knew.
"He's a magus, but a weak one, with no real combat experience..." Bairon assessed silently.
Holding up the now useless scroll, Dave declared arrogantly, "Now, Captain, I command you to halt this ship!"
Frank's gaze went blank.
Defying a magus was unwise, yet he was reluctant to halt the White Gull mid-voyage.
He had an important cargo destined for Rustburg in the North.
"Keep sailing!" Bairon interjected just as Frank was grappling with his decision.
"How dare you defy the will of a noble magus?!" Dave seethed, gesturing vehemently, "Guard, kill him!"
The hulking man at Dave's side unsheathed a broadsword, charging towards Bairon with a wicked grin, taunting, "Watch yourself, first-class passenger! I'm not some weakling you can simply toss overboard!"
Frank, recalling that Bairon too was a magus, shouted in alarm, "Don't damage my ship!"
Dave scoffed, "I'll compensate for any damage!"
"I was actually pleading on behalf of Lord Stewart," Frank clarified.
"What?" Dave froze, uttering a puzzled exclamation.
"Fear not, Captain. I'm eagerly awaiting the White Gull's timely arrival at San Sorus," Bairon said with tranquil demeanor.
No sooner had he spoken, Dave's guard lunged forward.
Raising his broadsword, he aimed a strike straight for Bairon's neck.
A wave of gasps and murmurs rippled across the deck.
Yet, in that split second, a shard of ice materialized out of thin air on the deck.
With a swift whistle, it pierced from below the guard's chin, impaling his head cleanly through.
"Battle Magus!" Dave's complexion changed instantly, as he hastily reached for another black scroll from his robe.
But before he could act, Bairon invoked Lightness.
Leaning slightly forward, he pushed off the deck with the tips of his feet, propelling himself directly in front of Dave.
Seizing the moment of Dave's surprise, Bairon snatched the black scroll right from his grasp.
"Now, it belongs to me, Lord Padorn," Bairon remarked with a cold smirk.
"Return my scroll!" Dave bellowed.
"You can have it back. Challenge me to a duel. If you win, the scroll and everything on me is yours," Bairon declared, his gaze icy.
Dave's face flushed deep red.
Though he was a lesser magus with scant combat experience, he was aware of the Magus Tower's dueling protocols.
And the sight of his guard, impaled by the shard of ice, made the potential consequences of such a duel all too clear.
"There is no Magus Tower here; I decline the duel," Dave stated, his voice wavering.
He backed down.
From that moment, the true master of this ship became Bairon.
Bairon merely shrugged, turning to Frank, his voice dripping with indifference, "Set sail, I won't be delayed any longer. If any sailor slacks, hang him."
The unfortunate man Bairon had thrown overboard never resurfaced. In essence, Bairon had dispatched two individuals in quick succession.
His methods were chillingly efficient.
"As you wish, Magus," Frank wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to order, "First mate, have the sailors return to their posts."
"Aye, Captain!"
Under the overpowering presence of the magus, the first mate discarded his torch into the sea, directing the crew back to their duties.
The White Gull resumed its voyage.
However, the male passengers, not part of the crew, continued their search, candles in hand, prowling the ship's narrow cabins.
As long as they didn't set the ship aflame, Bairon had no objections.
In fact, Bairon secretly hoped they'd cause a larger commotion, providing him further advantage.
"Thank you, Lord Stewart," Margaret, who had been waiting on the deck to disembark, approached Bairon with Anna by her side.
The recent turmoil had terrified them both.
The men had been shouting about finding an Elf, but their eyes spoke of much darker intentions.
"Madam, it's best if you remain here and await the White Gull's docking," Bairon suggested.
While the deck provided no real protection, after witnessing Bairon's lethal capabilities, the frenzied male passengers seemed wary of approaching the area.
The ship's cabins might offer even graver dangers.
Bairon's own room was the exception.
But with Margaret's party consisting of just a male steward and lacking any other male family members, it seemed inappropriate to stay in a room with a man to whom they had no familial ties.
"I understand," Margaret nodded in agreement.
Dave Padorn's gaze lingered intently on Bairon for a few moments, then with a disdainful snort, he turned and walked away.
Bairon had no interest in indulging him further.
If his predictions were right, once they arrived at San Sorus, the Padorn family would come to fetch their young heir.
By then, trouble might seek out Bairon.
This complication might manifest as a duel invitation from an Advanced Magus of the Magus Tower.
But if faced with an opponent whose strength vastly surpassed his own, Bairon would opt to decline.
Declining a duel invitation carried its own repercussions.
However, those consequences were mostly reserved for the members of the magus guild, and one of Bairon's primary intentions in San Sorus was to leave that very guild.
After setting the White Gull in motion once more, Frank approached Bairon with gratitude in his eyes. "Lord Stewart, I truly don't know how to thank you."
"For every second the White Gull stands still on the sea, it feels like I can hear the sound of gold coins being thrown into the abyss," Frank remarked, a hint of trepidation in his voice.
Bairon let out a cryptic smile. "It seems you're quite fond of gold coins, Captain."
"Of course, no one in this world would turn down gold coins," Frank confidently replied.
"Do you perhaps possess some treasure?" Bairon asked with a hint of jest.
"Uh, I'm not sure I follow your meaning, my lord," Frank responded, puzzled.
"It was just a passing thought," Bairon mused. "I've heard many tales of pirate captains possessing treasure maps. It strikes me that perhaps every captain might have one."
Frank quickly dismissed the notion with a wave, "Please, don't take such stories seriously, my lord. They're bedtime tales told to lull children to sleep. "
"As far as I understand, pirates are not only brutal but also prodigal fools. They wouldn't amass wealth... and, of course, neither do I."
"I must disagree with you there, Captain!" Stephen King appeared from seemingly nowhere, laughing, "In the Free Islands, there are pirates who are incredibly wealthy. "
" They've taken over those temperate isles, built mansions to live in, and amassed beauties from every region and race, living lives even more lavish than kings."
The Free Islands referred to an archipelago east of the Röntgen Continent.
Due to the century-long military standoff between the Provincial Alliance and the Pangboton Kingdom, neither had the resources to conquer these islands.
Consequently, pirates dominated them.
It was also where Dark Magus were most active.
"That's not collection, that's plunder! Stephen, remember you're a gentleman. Don't defend the filth of pirates!" Frank retorted heatedly.
"Calm down, Frank. While your reprimand is apt, one cannot deny that the pirate's life seems enviable to many men," Stephen countered.
"When you meet a real pirate, I hope you can maintain that optimism!" Frank snorted dismissively before turning to Bairon, "Apologies, Lord Stewart, but the White Gull will soon dock at Sail Town. I have a myriad of matters to attend to, so I must excuse myself."
With that, he turned and walked towards the captain's quarters.
Watching Frank's retreating form, Stephen remarked, "He's a money-loving, timid man who despises communication. It baffles me how he became a captain."
"Perhaps it's because he earns a lot," Bairon responded.
A captain who could bring the Elf tribe's Legacy Treasure aboard was certainly unique.
"Fair point," Stephen conceded with a nod.
Bairon beckoned to Evelyn, preparing to take her back for some rest.
Stephen hurriedly followed, calling out, "Why leave so abruptly? Don't you want to find that Elf?"
"There's no Elf on this ship," Bairon asserted confidently.
Charlotte and Old John wouldn't make a mistake.
If they had, then the White Gull surely harbored an Elf beyond Bairon's reckoning.
In which case, Bairon would still firmly believe there was no Elf on the White Gull!