The Captain’s Sister, Consumed by Vengeance

"The Pope has recognized that piece of trash ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as an Emperor."

In the office of a certain lord's mansion, a woman with short, navy-blue hair crumpled the letter in her hand as if the very sight of it disgusted her, then flung it to the floor.

"He must have recognized him on the condition that the hostages be returned safely."

The woman, her arms crossed tightly beneath her chest, wore a face twisted with rage. She understood the reasoning, but she could not contain the boiling emotions surging within her.

"Damn that bastard Pope. He was the one who claimed before that he 'could not recognize a nation of pirates,' so what is this pathetic display?"

The person who had sent the letter to her was Perphone, a figure known by the nickname of the Merchant Lord. The goal of both women was the eradication of Grid. For the woman, it was for revenge; for Perphone, it was for her own survival. Because of this shared objective, the two had formed an alliance.

That was why the woman could not overlook the fact that the enemy they had to topple had been recognized as the monarch of a nation.

"He could have at least put up a fight. Why fold his tail so easily?"

Grid had founded a nation. He had destroyed the Beastman Union and announced to the world that he had established the Desire Empire upon their lands. He had dispatched carrier pigeons to every island to proclaim this fact. A mere pirate trash had dared to establish a country.

There had been several such attempts in the past, but they had all ended in failure. Most were destroyed by the attacks of neighboring countries or simply collapsed from within, unable to control their own greed. People assumed the Desire Empire founded by Grid would meet the same fate.

One only had to look at the proclamation Grid sent via carrier pigeon to understand why.

With his ambitions laid bare so explicitly, who would recognize this country? Who would bow their heads to a nation that brought only thoughts of plunder and slaughter? Everyone would surely risk their lives to destroy it.

"This is no different from giving the bastard wings…."

And yet, the lords were currently watching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the situation from the sidelines. They were hesitating between siding with the First Princess in the capital or bowing to the tyrant Grid and falling into slavery. The Desire Empire was now so powerful that it caused such hesitation.

Lords who had looked down on them as pirates and used mercenaries to invade the empire had lost their lives. While ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the women were spared, they were reduced to slaves serving Grid for eternity. Their kin were no exception. The commoners of the territories were turned into slaves, and concentration camps were built upon their lands. Those who became slaves were imprisoned there, destined to live out their lives as brood sows serving Grid.

Many adventurers who had invaded the empire with Perphone's support also lost their lives. Some survived, but most could not return home and were reduced to breeding stock, bearing the tyrant's children. The lords were horrified by the sight of the empire repelling every enemy that attacked.

They had thought it would be easy to win because pirates prioritized their own desires over unity—vile creatures who would kill their own friends if it meant achieving their goals. That was common sense to the lords. They had seen many pirate groups collapse, unable to overcome their own greed.

They realized too late that their assumption was wrong. The pirates were united and desperate to protect their territory. Whenever they were invaded, they retaliated immediately, crushing their enemies thoroughly. While crushing them, they slowly expanded their influence. No pirate nation in history had ever been so attached to its own land, and no one had imagined the Desire Empire would be this strong.

To date, the Desire Empire had annexed every hostile force it encountered. As a result, most of the southwestern territory of the Nechia Kingdom had fallen, and they continued to expand to secure complete control. Not a single lord had managed to stop this advance. There were only countless lords being raised as brood sows, producing soldiers alongside their own subjects.

Even knowing this, the Nechia Kingdom could not respond. With the civil war still in full swing, they had no energy to spare for pirates. In fact, some royals were even trying to exploit this situation to seize the throne. Consequently, the First Princess, the de facto monarch, had no capacity to help the lords, and the lords were left with no choice but to agonize over their options.

There was no way to stop the empire, and the kingdom that should have helped them was powerless. They should have united around the First Princess, but would that really overcome this crisis? If they couldn't win, wouldn't it be better to preserve their lives, even if it meant becoming slaves?

Such treacherous thoughts were beginning to fester among the lords. In the midst of this, the empire was recognized as a nation by the Holy Kingdom. Using this as a pretext, the empire began to accelerate its expansionist policy, declaring that since the Nechia Kingdom had violated the empire's territory, they would pay the price with their destruction.

As the situation escalated, lords began to surrender to the empire one by one. Of course, the result for all of them was to be reduced to brood sows.

The woman with the navy-blue bob had no intention of surrendering.

"If lords start surrendering when we haven't even gathered our forces properly…."

"That won't be a problem."

A beastman answered the woman's words. She was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠leaning against the back of the chair the woman was sitting in. "Even if they surrender, they're treated as livestock, aren't they? They surrendered to save their lives, but they'll soon realize how horrific a life as livestock is. They'll learn that surrender isn't the answer. They'll realize that fighting, for better or worse, is the only way. Just like you."

Her hair was white, and her eyes were sky blue. She wore a hanbok identical to Sua's, but in white, matching her hair. Seol-hwa, the Gumiho who reminded one of a snow spirit and was Sua's younger sister, calmed the woman with a voice full of conviction.

"So, please stop getting so worked up. Will the empire disappear just because you're angry?"

"How can I not be angry!" the woman shouted at Seol-hwa's words. "How can I just sit still while things go exactly according to that bastard's will?"

"Then are you going to fight?" Seol-hwa asked. "To get your sister, Cardian, back, to avenge your dead parents—are you going to raise an army right now? With that measly amount of troops?"

The woman wanted revenge. She truly wanted to kill that trash, Grid—the one who had brainwashed her idol, her sister, into a slave, insulted her father's corpse, and killed her mother. Arwen, Cardian's younger sister, wanted that more than anything.

But despite wanting it, she couldn't bring herself to speak of raising an army. She only ground her teeth in frustration.

"…Damn it."

Arwen knew it well. The gap between the enemy's military power and her own was too vast to bridge. Currently, the troops Arwen possessed, even after conscripting every single subject in her territory, barely reached 2,000, and she only had five ships. In contrast, the enemy Grid possessed at least 8,000 to 10,000 troops. His fleet consisted of four flagships and 40 escort ships, totaling 44. That was the confirmed number, and to make matters worse, his forces were increasing in real-time. It was a gap too desperate to even speak of revenge.

"That's why we must use a different method." Seol-hwa hugged Arwen. "I showed you. The means to bring Grid down."

"You mean Black Light."

Black Light. It was a drug Arwen had created using a recipe she found in her father's treasure vault. It was known to have the absurd effect of turning weak humans into violent monsters. Arwen had created it to defeat Grid, but she had hesitated to use it. Was it truly possible to turn into a monster? If it were possible, she would need to experiment to prove it, but who would she use as a scapegoat? If she tried it herself and failed, dying in vain, her revenge would end there. She didn't want to sacrifice anyone, but what else could she do?

After much deliberation, Arwen finally decided to become the test subject herself. This was her revenge, after all; she couldn't entrust it to anyone else. It was when she had made that resolution that Seol-hwa appeared.

"It was certainly impressive. When I heard your report, I was finally able to sleep soundly."

Give the Black Light to me. I will show you that the effects of Black Light are proven. Just as you want to kill Grid, I hate him too. Since our goals are the same, wouldn't it be better to try it? As it happens, there is a beastman among them who would make a decent test subject. Her name is Tie. Why not experiment on her? It would be a disaster if something happened to you, the center of the anti-Grid forces, so why take the risk?

Persuaded by Seol-hwa, Arwen eventually accepted the proposal. And she was able to see the desired result.

'I lost, but….'

She knew it worked on him. She knew it could turn those hopeless iron ships into scrap metal. She had confirmed the hope that they could win. Although the materials required to make Black Light were numerous and difficult to obtain, if she could secure the right amount, she had a fighting chance. Perphone had promised to find the materials somehow, so she would be able to make it.

Arwen was so grateful to Seol-hwa for showing her such a miracle, but at the same time, a question arose.

'But how did she know I had Black Light?'

'The fact that I was making Black Light was something only Perphone and I knew….'

Did Perphone tell her? No, more than that, was this Gumiho an acquaintance of Perphone? How could she hold hands so casually with someone who had condoned the hunting of beastmen? And….

"It's suffocating, could you let go? I can't breathe."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I just wanted to try it once…."

They were clearly of a similar age, so why did she treat her like a daughter? Why was she acting so familiar? The more she dug, the more Arwen's head was filled with suspicion. But she decided not to worry about such things for now. Eradicating that devil was the top priority.

"Then, I'll head to the North Sea." Seol-hwa said, heading toward the door. "I'll go and persuade that Queen."

"Can you? There's no guarantee that Queen will join our alliance…."

Arwen was currently gathering allies. She was collecting those who held a grudge against Grid, those who wanted to protect their land from him, and those who, like herself, had been hurt or threatened by him. The reason Seol-hwa was going to the North Sea was also to gather allies. Their current alliance power was nowhere near enough. The only person who could fight Grid on equal footing was that woman. If they could bring her in, they could stand against him. That was why Arwen had intended to go to the North Sea herself.

But would a woman who had no grudge against Grid follow their words so easily? Even if she had seen Grid's proclamation?

"It's possible." Seol-hwa answered confidently. "Actually, I'm quite close with the Ice Queen. So, persuading her is something I can do."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Seol-hwa had answered confidently, but she kept her true feelings hidden: 'I want to run away from that woman, though.'

"Anyway, don't attack like a fool. Do it after either the Black Light or the iron ships are completed. That's the only way you'll stand a chance."

With those final words, Seol-hwa closed the door and left.

"…Hoo."

Arwen leaned her head back. "Father, Mother… please watch over me. I will avenge you and get my sister back. I will show him what the price is for touching our family. I will cut off his head and offer it before your graves. So please, give me strength. Give me the strength to strike down that devil."

Arwen prayed sincerely. At the same time, a single flower bud fell from the pot on the windowsill. There had originally been three, but the last remaining one had finally fallen.