After taking care of all the pirates, Mandy and Caleb exchanged a brief glance.
Caleb sighed, then arrogantly stepped in front of the villagers. "From today on, you will pay tribute to us, the Venus' Seashells," he declared. "You're not to give anything to anyone else."
If not for the cold, emotionless way he had slaughtered the pirates just moments earlier, his current posture—like someone reading from an official document—would have made him look like a pompous lawyer.
To their surprise, the villagers didn't look scared. Instead, they seemed relieved.
Only paying tribute to one pirate crew was definitely better than being raided by three or four.
In the end, Father Kyle led Shella away. Before he left, his expression was conflicted, as if he wanted to say something but ultimately decided to stay silent.
