It was a novelty for Kai to sit inside the cabin of the captain of the pirates.
So he didn't see how the people surrounding him looked at him. Kai was sitting between Michael and Enzo, his round eyes sweeping across the ship with fascination. When someone looked at Kai, the first thing they would see is how slender and delicate he looks.
Sandwiched between Michael and Enzo who had a robust physique, Kai looked like a cute rabbit with his childlike curiosity. The white duffle coat he wore dwarfed his delicate frame making him look like fragile.
After the attack on the ship, Kai along with the prince and the mage tower master were brought to the pirate's ship. Since the attack happened at night, the battle ended close to dawn. So rays of sunlight were already breaking through the sky, painting the vast sky red and orange. The sky looked as if an artist painted his canvas with lazy and broad strokes of red and orange.
The sound of the waves crashing against the ship paired with the sunlight emerging slowly through the window brought tranquil to the cabin despite their predicament of being prisoners. Kai snuck a peek at Michael for the first time since they were brought here.
Since it was dark during the introduction between Kai and Michael, he hadn't seen his face clearly. With the rays of sunlight descending on them, a halo like atmosphere was created around Michael and Enzo. Michael had a robust physique with broad shoulders and a mermaid waist line. His muscles with contours proportionate to his body were visible to the naked eye even though he wore a black coat that covered him upto his knees.
Michael's short light blonde hair and his violet-coloured eyes added a charisma offsetting the sharpness brought to his face by his high cheek bones and his sharp jaw. His downturned eyes shone brightly in the warm afterglow of the sunlight, adding an indescribable gentle note to his appearance. He looked harmless and scholarly despite the bright red shirt he wore and the silver mana shackle that should look like a restraint appeared as an accessory instead.
In direct contrast to Michael, Enzo Hale appeared lazy like he was on a vacation instead of being held prisoner in an unknown place. The expression on his face appeared bored with his indifferent hooded ice green eyes. His long indigo blue hair cascaded down his back. Though he wasn't as muscular as the imperial prince, he was tall and had broad shoulders. His sharp jaw and prominent cheek bones added a sense of sharpness making anyone who glanced at him to be cautious and wary.
The first two buttons of his black shirt were unbuttoned showing off his collarbones. Sitting with his knees bent and leisurely leaning against the wooden chair, he emitted a sense of wildness. Coupled with the ramrod straight posture of the imperial prince and the unrestraint ruggedness of the mage tower master, Kai looked like a delicate flower that should be protected.
Although their mana was suppressed by the mana shackles, the feeling of danger that wafted off them couldn't be hidden at all. The pirates that watched over them casted wary glances at Michael and Enzo. Because Kai looked like a sheltered young master with his lean and weak figure, even though they removed his sword they didn't use a mana shackle on him.
'Either way it's good for me that they underestimated me.'
Kai thought carefully, keeping his expression naive.
He had studied the layout of the ship when they brought him here, how many people were on their side, their weapons and how many of the pirates have abilities. He wondered when Michael and Enzo would start to capture the pirates.
Of course, Kai knew that both of them were capable of doing that. Even though the author of 'God's grace' didn't write the male leads as too overpowered, he wrote them as power houses of the fields they mastered. But his musing was interrupted when he felt another presence approaching the cabin from outside.
The door to the cabin opened and heavy footsteps nearing them could be heard. Kai was distracted from his thoughts as the captain of the pirates entered. A middle-aged man with brown hair and brown eyes walked gracefully towards the wooden chair behind the wooden table in front the prisoners.
His gait was slow but it didn't make him look weak or lazy. Rather his appearance looked dignified and noble. After he took a seat, he stared at them without saying a word for a few minutes.
A tense silence descended on the people in the cabin. Even though he wasn't using any mana or a special ability, an oppressive aura emanated from him. His sharp eyes seemed to have pierced anyone he looked upon. Even his subordinates started to squirm with uncomfortable expressions on their faces.
But this didn't seem to affect his prisoners at all. The men looked at him leisurely while the young boy stared at him in fascination and wonder making him uneasy.
He made a gesture at the pirates inside the cabin to leave. All but one burly rough looking man left the cabin.
A deep voice with a tone of matureness left the lips of the captain after he finally opened his mouths.
"Forgive me and my crew, your highness for the unpleasant encounter we had."
The captain said with eloquence that far surpassed the level of education a commoner should have in this novel world.
In spite of his secret identity being exposed, the prince didn't look flustered or surprised at all. The prince had a gentle smile on his face as if he had already known that the pirates had discovered his disguise.
Then he spared a glance at the others to see that they also looked rather calm. A trickle of fear and unease started to enter his mind. When he had confidently attacked the ship, he had thought he had the upper hand because he knew about their disguises and he had comrades with awakened powers.
But he still soldiered on and continued because he couldn't stop.
"I'm quite flattered that you know of me."
A smooth and sensual voice reached the ears of the people in the cabin. There was no anxiety or caution in the prince's voice.
"Your highness, pirates like us make a living out of robbing mercantile ships. But we don't involve ourselves with politics."
'He's the most dignified criminal I have ever met.'
Kai thought amusedly. But...
'I wonder who the traitors are.'
Then Kai had a flashback to the night he met most of the entourage on the ship.
"Oh my, it seems that you are very clear about what you want."
The prince said cheerfully with a soft smile on his face while Enzo snorted disdainfully at the pirates.
The pirates that wouldn't get involved with politics but attacked and kidnapped a prince of the most powerful kingdom in Southern continent.
It's not the ransom they are after. It must be...
'Raea.'
The name of the artifact resounded very clearly in his mind.
"As expected of your highness. You are very intelligent. Please give me the artifact Raea."
The pirate leader said confidently without hesitation. There was unwavering resoluteness in his eyes burning with determination. After the words were uttered by him, there was a cold silence that engulfed the entire cabin.
Kai observed the interactions between these people. Michael didn't say a word and stared at the pirate captain, but there was no hiding the sharp edge that graced his gentle smile.
While Michael at least maintained his outward calmness at the ridiculous suggestion of the pirate, Enzo had no such reservations. When Kai stole a glance at him, he saw how Enzo bared his teeth at the pirate captain. He looked like an enraged beast that would swallow his enemy whole.
His appearance made the pirate captain gulp in fear.
"You pirates sure know how to take something a mile when given an inch."
He muttered as his face contorted in grievance and discontent.
Though the pirate captain didn't seem confident like before, his own face twisted.
"If your highness does not agree, I will have to take drastic measures."
He threatened even though his heart was gripped with fear. If he wanted to gain what he wanted, this was the only way.
Already tense atmosphere went rigid, to the point that anyone would be able to grip the tension in the cabin.
"Hahaha." A cold laugh rang through the cabin as if the tension could be gripped with bare hands.
Despite the threats, the prince gentlemanly smile was still on his face. On the contrary, Kaiser's face became uneasy along with the face of his sub-ordinate.
Enzo stared at the pirate captain with incredulous curiosity as if he was gazing at an interesting bug. Kai himself was curious. Why was this pirate so confident ?
The informants that were placed in the entourage...
The unhesitant attack on the ship...
The plan to counter-attack if the first plan to capture the ship failed...
The last well timed cannon ball...
The teleporter...
All these factors were carefully and meticulously arranged by the pirate sitting in front of him. While he may appear timid and meek when the prisoners did not give him the expected reaction, he still wasn't someone to be underestimated.
'They must really have a hidden trump card.'
Michael and Enzo must have come to the same conclusion as him. Otherwise, there was no reason for them to hold back themselves and observe.
He wondered whether the hidden card had to anything with the presence he could feel approaching them. Although Kai maintained an outward calm appearance, he was quite stunned.
The strong presence that was approaching here along with the other two weak presences. Even while Kai felt that his power was muffled as if it was restrained, he could tell that person was stronger than the imperial prince Michael, who was the strongest person he had met apart from him that is.
The burly man moved to open the door as there was a firm knock on the door. Three men appeared at the entrance. Two of them were your typical pirates while the one in the middle looked like a knight.
The middle-aged man looked haggard, his armour battered, his body covered in dirt and grim. There were small wounds with blood clotted around. His arms were bound in front of him by ropes and a silver mana shackle could be seen on his left wrist.
But no matter how disheveled and dirty he looked, there was no use hiding how handsome he was. Even his haggardness wasn't able to hide it. His disheveled honey blonde hair was mattered with dust, his wide forehead that was wounded with blood still trickling down that made him look attractive instead of ugly, his good physique helped in figuring out who he was.
"Grand duke Ruwel."
Michael unconsciously called out to him.
Then there cabin was plunged into an indecipherable pause. Because no one could fathom how Ruwel Hart could end up like this.
When practicing swordsmanship, there were several levels that one can rise. The levels start from novice swordsman, lower grade swordsman, low grade swordsman, middle grade swordsman, high grade swordsman, higher grade swordsman, expert to finally swordmaster. It gets harder for one to climb when they reach upper levels.
The level of the swordmaster was known as an existence that's beyond human capabilities. One would go so far as to sat that one swordmaster can fight against twenty expert level swordsmen. In the entirety of the Southern continent, there were only two known swordmasters. One of them was the first imperial prince, Michael De Emmanuel. The other swordmaster was the grand duke of the Hart Household, Ruwel Hart.
So, it was quite a befuddlement for them to see him this bruised and battered. When the man lifted his head, a gasp of horror. Since it was so quiet before, everyone's attention naturally shifted to the person who let out the gasp. So Kai became the center of attention in a split second.
When they saw Kai, people's eyes widened in surprise as if they had forgotten he was even there. Well, they actually did forget. Now that they looked at him, he appeared as a frightened teenager amidst these people due to looking slender and fragile. His round blue eyes that were staring at Ruwel looked pitiful, evoking the others' protective instincts. Not even the pirates escaped such notions.
They thought he was frightened by the man's bloody appearance. Of course only Kai knew why he looked so shocked. When he used the magic tool to disguise his hair, not only did he change the colour of his hair, he also disguised his eyes. His usual galaxy blue that shone brightly with iridescent white, violet and magenta lights like stars that were scattered in the night sky were changed to only look like blue eyes.
But now that he stared at Ruwel Hart, he could see the very same and familiar eyes that he changed collide with his eyes.
He stood frozen as if stupefied and stared at him. There was no mention of who the biological parents of original Kai was in the novel. This was a complete shock to his body.
'Does that mean he is my father ?'
Kai's mind was muddled with distress and bafflement. But he wasn't able to stay that way for a long time.
The people that believed he was distressed didn't want him to feel sad. The first person that moved to comfort him was the burly, rough looking pirate that remained in the cabin before. He opened his lips to say soothing words to Kai.
"Pretty sister, don't be sad. This guy only looks like this because we kept him in the dungeon. We didn't beat him, sister. So don't worry."
The guy said so sincerely that Kai turned to gaze at him with his eyes burning with incredulity. Kai's already round eyes got bigger if possible as he stared at the pirate speechlessly.
'Did he just... call me sister ?'