Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Since the incident when he was knocked out, Alan noticed a change in the girl's attitude whenever he delivered food. Though her face remained expressionless, she now thanked him each time.
Alan had tried to converse with her before, but each time he asked a question, the girl responded with either a nod or a shake of her head, leaving him discouraged from continuing.
There was one exception. One day, after he set down the food, the girl suddenly stared at him and asked, "Would you like to be my friend?"
Alan was taken aback. He had expected her to just say "thank you."
"Of course, I'd love to," he replied, sweating profusely.
"Thank you!" It was those two words again.
Days passed by. Everyone seemed to have grown accustomed to their roles as slaves. Alan himself no longer constantly thought about escaping.
On the 17th, before dawn, a large group of slaves were rudely awakened from their sleep. The pirates menacingly ordered them to the docks to work. Even young slaves like Alan, Tom, and Payne were driven there.
The dock area was a natural sheltered harbor where the Eel Pirate Gang had built various facilities.
When Alan arrived, he saw many slaves already loading various goods onto ships.
Despite being underage, Alan and the other children were not exempt from work due to their age. They were ordered to move scattered goods onto the ships.
After several hours of toil, the sun rose, revealing the entire scene at the docks. Dozens of ships were gathered here. Having been on the island for so long, this was the first time they had seen the pirates assemble in such force.
Hundreds of pirates gathered on the docks, appearing excited as they hurried onto their respective ships. A large number of slaves acted as rowers and were also driven onto the ships. Once in position, they were securely chained to prevent escape.
Not all rowers were slaves; many were new recruits among the pirates.
The pirates hoisted their skull flags and set their ships in motion, quickly departing from the docks.
"Get back to your original tasks! No loafing or wandering around the shore!" Overseers immediately came with whips to disperse the slaves, commanding them to return to their previous duties.
Reluctantly, Alan and the others cast a few longing glances at the sea before turning back toward their former camp.
Along the way, Alan, Tom, and Payne quietly discussed what the pirates might be planning.
"Let me tell you, I overheard a drunken pirate mumbling something about a showdown with the Alden Navy..."
Payne mysteriously informed his companions.
"Alden? Isn't that the earldom to our north?" Alan asked.
"Yeah, exactly! It's the Alden that's been called the Pirate's Forbidden Land recently!"
Tom added, "I heard from the adults that the Lord of Alden has been hunting down a large number of pirates over the past six months."
"Since the disappearance of the great pirate Edward, the two strongest pirate gangs in the Northwest Bay—the Shark Pirates and the Quik Pirates—all fell to Alden."
"They say their lord is only a few years older than us."
"So, are the pirates on this island planning to provoke Alden? That's bold."
"Lord of Light, our Father in heaven, please bless the people of Alden to destroy these lawless pirates and rescue us while they're at it."
Impressive, Alan thought, listening to his companions. People living in Alden must be very fortunate, with a powerful lord protecting them from pirate invasions.
"Hey! What are you whispering about?" shouted the pirate guarding them, startling the three into silence.
Shortly after Alan and the others left, a small boat sailed into the harbor and docked at the pier.
The pirate on watch recognized it as their own ship, but it seemed that some time ago, along with the sailors on the ship, it had been given as a gift to a certain dignitary. He immediately called for his immediate superior.
Soon, a figure wrapped tightly in a black cloak disembarked from the ship.
The junior leader who had been summoned recognized the face beneath the hood and immediately adopted a respectful demeanor. He cautiously bowed to the figure and greeted in a low voice, "Master Bennet, you've come."
A hoarse voice emanated from under the hood, "Hmm, take me to see your leader."
The pirate leader hesitated slightly and said, "Unfortunately, you've come at an inconvenient time. Our leader left early this morning with the fleet. However, if you urgently need to see him, I can dispatch a fast ship to fetch him back, um... if we can find him."
Bennet waved his hand, "No need. I came this time to deliver something to you, not specifically to see him."
He then mentioned another person's name, indicating that he had made arrangements with Jaden that if he wasn't on the island, this person would handle the dealings.
"Ah! This person is still here on the island. I'll take you to see him."
The one responsible for receiving Bennet on behalf of Jaden was an old pirate with gray hair and a wooden leg prosthetic, clearly a strategic advisor type. Bennet handed over the medicines he had brought to this old pirate.
The old pirate expressed profuse gratitude. As one of Jaden's trusted confidants, he knew that their pirate group's growth to its current stature had much to do with this mysterious figure before him.
After exchanging a few words with the wizard, who hinted at fatigue from a turbulent journey at sea and didn't seem inclined to continue the conversation, the seasoned pirate tactfully suggested Bennet rest for a while before leaving himself.
As he departed, he instructed the pirate leader who had brought Bennet to take good care of the master.
The pirate leader pondered how to win favor with this important figure. Seeing an opportunity to impress, he suddenly thought of a "brilliant" idea.
...
In an elegant room, Bennet was resting with his eyes closed when a knock interrupted him.
"Who is it?"
"Master Bennet, it's me, sir."
He remembered the voice of the junior leader who had brought him here earlier.
"Come in."
The door opened, and the junior leader entered, bowing obsequiously.
"Do you need something?"
"Heh heh, Master. It must have been rough with the waves on the way here. I've brought two gifts for you to relieve your fatigue."
He called outside, "Come in, both of you."
Then entered two women, one tall and of average appearance but with a good figure, looking nervous.
The other woman—or rather, girl—was very cute but showed no expression, her eyes empty and staring straight ahead.
Bennet immediately understood what the pirate was up to.
"These damn pirates! What do they take me for?"
He couldn't help but rage inwardly, about to lash out when he suddenly halted.
The wizard's gaze fixed on the girl. There was something about her, a quality that resonated with him and his companions.
Instead of delivering a fatal blow, his arm extended a single finger, pointing at the girl.
"She stays, take the other one away."
The junior leader, who had nearly faced disaster, smirked slyly, "Heh heh, Master has quite unique tastes."
Bennet glared at him, "Get lost, now!"
"Yes, yes! I'm going, enjoy yourself."
Thinking Bennet couldn't wait any longer, the junior leader hastily closed the door and hurried away with the taller woman.
"Phew! 'Master' my foot, no different from us ordinary folk." He scoffed inwardly.
(End of the Chapter)