Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Young Alan woke from a daze, his mouth slightly open, staring blankly at the ceiling beams. Tears slowly streamed from the corners of his eyes.
"Mom..."
Despite the passing of many days, he still couldn't face the harsh reality of losing his only family. Compared to the immense pain in his heart, the increasing scars on his body seemed to evoke no sensation.
Over half a month ago, Alan's village was raided by pirates. He and several villagers were taken captive to be slaves. Unfortunately, Alan's mother was killed while trying to prevent the pirates from taking her son away.
The boy was knocked unconscious and transported to a secret pirate base on a small island along with others who suffered the same fate.
The stronger and older ones were forced onto the oar-powered sailboats, while Alan and a few other children served as servants to the pirate leaders.
Every day, the boy mourned his mother's death, fueled by burning hatred towards the pirates who had caused it. He hated his own weakness and cowardice at the time.
He had attempted to escape several times, each ending in failure and leaving behind scars from brutal beatings.
Facing the pirates' enslavement, he resisted and refused to obey, only to be met with humiliation and torment time and again.
"If you weren't such a pretty boy, I'd have thrown you to the fish long ago," his pirate "master" had once said to him after a severe beating.
As Alan lay on his bed lost in thought, the door opened. The person who walked in was familiar—Tom, a neighbor from their village. Many children from their village had been captured by pirates, including the annoying Payne who always clashed with Alan.
"Alan... Another nightmare?" Tom noticed the tears in Alan's eyes and asked softly.
"Yeah, I dreamed about Mom again."
Hearing this, Tom's face filled with sorrow. Though his own parents hadn't been killed by pirates like Alan's mother, he didn't know if he'd ever see them again in his lifetime. After enduring several beatings, he had resigned himself to his life as a slave.
Suppressing the urge to cry, he hugged his friend.
At that moment, another person entered—the old servant who had been enslaved here for many years. Seeing the two boys in such a state, he knew they were missing their families again.
"Sigh!" The old servant sighed and reminded them, "Alan, it's your turn to deliver food today. Hurry up, or you'll upset those people again."
Alan got up reluctantly, picked up a large food box from the pirate base's kitchen, and walked towards a courtyard.
In the courtyard were rows of houses, each divided into small rooms where young women were imprisoned. At his age, Alan didn't understand why the pirates had locked up so many young women here without giving them any work. He had asked the old servant once, who had only replied that he would understand when he got older, shaking his head and muttering, "It's a sin."
Under the watchful eyes of the pirate guards, he delivered food from room to room.
In the last room was a girl not much older than him. She was very cute, but instead of the carefree age she should have been, her face was expressionless.
Alan placed the meal on the small table inside the room. The girl nodded slightly at him, still showing no emotion on her face.
Just as the boy was about to leave, he heard a commotion outside.
"Haha, it's finally our turn to relax. This time I want to try the younger ones."
"You sure do, showing up so early."
It was the voice of the guard.
"I stood watch all night, haven't had any sleep yet."
A pirate barged in loudly, noticing Alan who hadn't left yet. The brand on the boy's body identified him as a slave, and the pirate impatiently waved his hand, saying, "Hurry up and get lost, don't ruin my mood here."
Mood? What did he want to do?
Alan noticed the girl's frightened expression, instinctively feeling that the pirate intended harm towards her.
"What are you going to do?"
The pirate was slightly surprised, then put on a menacing expression. "What's it to you? Fine, I'll tell you. I'm going to have my way with this little girl. What about it? You want to watch?"
"Don't hurt her!"
Thinking the pirate intended to beat the girl, Alan gathered his courage, arms spread out in front of the pirate. His small frame starkly contrasted with the pirate's bulk.
The pirate looked incredulous. This little slave who came to deliver food dared to speak to him like this? Did he not know his place and where he was?
He smirked menacingly. "Ohoho! Where did this little hero come from? Playing the knight in shining armor?"
The pirate's intimidating aura made the boy tremble uncontrollably, but he stood his ground, defiantly blocking the pirate's path.
A large hand grabbed his shirt, lifting him up like a chick.
"Looks like you're a newcomer here. Let me teach you the rules."
"Let go of me!" Alan tried to pry the pirate's hand off, but it was like trying to move an iron clamp. Failing, he shouted, "It's wrong of you to bully people!"
"Bullying? Hahaha!" The pirate burst into a wild laugh. "You better understand, this is a pirate's den. The strong can do whatever they want to the weak."
With a swing of his arm, he slammed Alan's head hard against the wall.
Alan felt a sharp pain in his head, followed by intense dizziness. Everything around him seemed to sway.
"How about it? Still want to stop me?" the pirate taunted.
"You... you... this isn't right."
The pirate, slightly annoyed, would have cut short the boy's life if slaves weren't considered "common property" within the gang.
Just as he was about to continue disciplining the insolent slave, a small hand rested on his arm—it was the girl.
Shaking her head at the pirate, she pleaded silently.
"Hmph! Forget it, I've got other things to do. Don't want to waste time with this little thing," the pirate sneered.
With Alan barely conscious, he was dragged out like a rag and tossed outside. A kick to his head from the pirate knocked him out.
When he woke up, he found himself lying on the bed in the room. The wound on his head throbbed painfully, almost causing him to faint again.
"Thank you!"
A voice reached his ears. Turning his head, he saw the girl sitting beside him, apparently unharmed by the pirate.
"No need to thank me," Alan said. Both enslaved by pirates, he felt sympathy for those imprisoned here. While outsiders could move around the base, these women seemed unable to leave this courtyard.
He got up and, feeling steady on his feet, bid farewell.
What could he change now? Besides expressing his frustration in that powerless way before, there was nothing else he could do.
(End of the Chapter)