Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: An Invitation to the Castle
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“Kyuuu!”
“Kyuhng! Kyu-kyu-kyu!”
The Poka that had been offered up as sacrifices and then freed rushed toward their comrades.
“There’s so many of them... Ugh! The smell.”
Selena pinched her nose upon seeing the hundreds of Poka tribe members living in wretched conditions inside the stockade.
“They’re actually a very clean species by nature. Their home is the sea, sure, but most of them live in places with freshwater. That’s why they peacefully dwell among themselves on river deltas or nearby islands.”
“I’m sorry, Lord Galpredic. I didn’t know.”
Selena quickly apologized and then cautiously asked,
“But Master. Why did Lord Eugene order us to rescue them? What can I say? He doesn’t exactly seem like the type overflowing with humanity.”
“Who knows?”
“What? What did you just say?”
Galpredic stroked his chin while Luke bristled.
Startled, Selena ducked slightly behind Galpredic and muttered on.
“I mean, it’s true, right? They’re kinda cute and all, but the Poka aren’t going to be of any help to Lord Eugene.”
“You little!”
“Haha. This time, Selena’s right. Your master didn’t save the Poka out of pity.”
“See? Lord Galpredic agrees.”
When Lancelo stepped in, Selena stuck up her nose. Luke paused, then asked politely.
“Then what’s the reason, Lord Galpredic?”
“You know Lord Eugene plans to use this island—no, the Roderick Archipelago—as a foothold, right? Merchant ships and supply vessels from Mopern will be coming and going from here in the future. Who do you think would be easier to use as laborers? Those trash pirate scum?”
“Ah...”
“So Lord Eugene intends to save the descendants of this island’s orc lord? So they can properly rule this place again. Right, Lord Galpredic?”
Selena clapped her hands, and Lancelo grinned.
“Who knows. Lord Eugene doesn’t strike me as quite that kind and considerate.”
“Keuk! Exactly. It’s the same as that rumor about Marquis Romani loving the sea.”
Everyone’s heads snapped around at those words.
“Aigo~ Aigoo~”
The mage, who had been slumped on the ground groaning ever since landing on the island, looked just as ragged and pitiful as the imprisoned Poka tribe.
* * *
Clop clop clop.
“Whoa, whoa.”
Silion halted at Eugene’s command after stepping onto solid ground for the first time in a while.
Clad in plate armor and armed to the teeth, Eugene stared across the swaying rope bridge at the castle perched there.
The shabby old fortress built atop the cliff was utterly devoid of ornamentation—simple at best, crude at worst.
The gates were already firmly barred, and up on the walls, the pirates who had fled there early on stared back in undisguised panic.
“Master, what now? We could get in out in the open, but a house or castle needs the owner’s invitation, right?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
That was the vampires’ greatest weakness.
A vampire couldn’t enter a place unless invited by the owner or resident.
Up until now, the lords and nobles he’d encountered had all invited Eugene first or given permission to enter, so there hadn’t been any issues.
“But all we need is permission, right?”
“Kkieng?”
“Hoo.”
As Mirian tilted his head, Eugene steadied his breath, opened his mouth wide, and bellowed.
“OPEN THE GAAATES!!! SURRENDER AND I’LL KILL YOU QUIIICK!!!”
Ah... Ah... Ah... Ah...!
His thunderous roar echoed off the castle and cliffs.
“Eek!”
“Urk!”
Already terrified, the pirates flinched as one at Eugene’s shout. It wasn’t just the volume—it was what he’d said that left them dumbfounded.
Even if surrendering meant getting killed anyway, who offers to do it “nicely”?
“Bull! Bullshit! We’ve got food and water to last months! Just keep walking, you landlubber bastard!”
A bald pirate covered head to toe in grotesque tattoos yelled back.
“I’ll hack off your limbs and mount them on the walls! I’ll drink your filthy blood and bathe in it! But! Open the gates and surrender, and I’ll just kill you quick!”
“Suck my dick! Or eat this instead!”
The one who seemed to be the captain yanked down his pants and thrust out his flabby ass over the wall, shaking it.
Uahahaahaha!
As if trying to forget their fear, the pirates burst into exaggerated laughter.
Mirian watched the scene, suddenly shuddered his wings, and muttered in a creepy voice.
“Kkii? Ass... butthole... Something I wanted to forget is coming back. Ah, the nightmare... what was it? No. Must forget. That never happened. Kkiiieee....”
The “exploration inside the sea monster’s body” seemed to have left a deep scar on the spirit.
“Master, don’t ever forgive that bald fuck. My inner mon... mon is telling me that.”
“No intention of forgiving.”
Eugene turned back to the castle, this time infusing his shout with utter scorn.
“Hey, you! With a dick smaller than a goblin’s, you’re no real man!”
“W-what?!”
“Your courage and balls are just as tiny, huh!? Do you know how masterful this knight’s swordsmanship is!? I could climb those walls and slice your cute little dick-head into ten pieces!”
“You fucking cunt!”
The enraged bald pirate spat as he screamed.
“Do it if you can! You shit-eating fuck! Crawl up here if you can! I’ll smash your skull with this!”
Eugene had just tossed out whatever came to mind as a taunt, but it hit home for the bald pirate, who’d been a bit self-conscious about his slightly undersized package. He hurled a massive rock in a frenzy.
“Really? So this knight can climb up there, yeah!? And chop off your cute, dainty little dick-head, right? That’s an invitation?”
“Come up if you can! Enter if you dare! You shit-eating fuck!”
“Yeah. Thanks for the invite.”
A cold smile curled Eugene’s lips.
“Waaang. Master really has no equal when it comes to pissing people off.”
“Cut the crap and head back. Hey! Cute dick-head! I’ll drop by later, so wait up!”
“You fucking cunt!”
Ignoring the bald pirate’s curses, Eugene wheeled his mount around without a second thought.
An hour later, the sun set over the western sea.
* * *
“Why aren’t those landlubbers coming? Hey, any word from the watchtower?”
“Yeah, boss. Earlier.”
“Captain, you fuck.”
“Ah, yes, Captain. Earlier they said they only saw those guys’ ship arrive—no sign of it leaving yet.”
The subordinate hastily corrected himself. With the real captain and his cronies all killed in the daytime sea battle, this bald guy had seized the top spot for himself.
What could they do if they didn’t like it? The strong ruled.
“Fuck! Got it. Where the hell did those fuckers even come from anyway?”
“Seemed like knights from the continent. With so many sailors but few soldiers, probably just passing by Brantia and stopped in by chance?”
“Then they should’ve kept going. Fucking bastards... Oh, the guys who went to the sea god still haven’t come back, right?”
“Yeah. Probably got eaten along with the Poka.”
“Goddamn it. Nothing’s going right.”
The bald pirate spat on the ground and glared piercingly beyond the cliff. But with the moon hidden by clouds, the pitch-black cliffs were impossible to see.
“Tell the brats to watch properly. Especially around the rope bridge.”
“Captain. Wouldn’t it be better just to cut it?”
“You sick fuck. Then how do we get out after the landlubbers leave? You gonna crawl down the cliff?”
“N-no, of course not. Understood. We’ll watch like hawks.”
“Good. I’m heading in to rest.”
The bald pirate lumbered down from the wall.
“Fucker. Probably gonna guzzle rum and roll around with the slaves again. Ptui!”
“Total fucker.”
“Hey. Fuck it, should we just take him down?”
“What?”
“Hear me out. Captain Bayron and the Babahton brothers are all dead, right? We just need to off the bald fuck and a few more.”
“Yeah. Cut his head off and hand it to those knights.”
“Sounds good. They wouldn’t really kill us all for that, right?”
Some pirates muttered with murderous intent gleaming in their eyes.
Loyalty meant nothing to these pirates who lived by killing and looting indiscriminately.
The strong ruled, and the strongest took all. That was the pirate code.
But now, the strongest and cruelest original captain and his gang were mostly dead.
Facing those demon-like knights from earlier again sounded worse than taking a shot at killing the bald guy, who might be doable.
“What to do... Fuck. Huh?”
The murmuring pirate’s eyes widened slightly.
As the moon peeked out from the clouds, the oppressive darkness lifted somewhat.
Then he spotted the rope bridge to the opposite cliff swaying up and down.
Creak. Creeeak.
The pirates’ faces turned uneasy as they watched the bridge shake with an ominous sound.
“W-what is that? Not much wind?”
Even if there was wind, it’d sway side to side more, not just bob up and down like that.
There was only one cause for that: someone crossing.
“Ugh...”
“Fuck. What if it’s a ghost crossing?”
“Hey! Don’t jinx it, you bastard.”
True to form, these murderers of sea and land who killed like it was nothing were all superstitious. Several pirates flinched and stared fearfully at the bridge.
“Kee kee. What if the ghosts of the Poka you killed are waddling across? Kyuit, kyuit, kyuit.”
“Stop it.”
“Huurgh mrghuu~”
“You fucker for real!”
As one excited pirate growled.
Keeeeeiiiing!
A ghostly wail-like gust of sea wind swept over the walls. The bridge’s bobbing stopped abruptly, as if by magic.
The inexplicable phenomenon made goosebumps erupt on the pirates’ backs and arms.
“Uuu.”
“D-did a real ghost cross?”
“Fuck. This is scary as shit.”
Even the ones joking moments ago retreated into the castle interior, gripped by fear.
* * *
Using the Black Scale Mail’s camouflage, Eugene had crossed the underside of the rope bridge hanging from his arms. Now, he silently scaled the walls using his extended claws.
He’d skipped armor to avoid detection and brought not a single piece of metal—just his bare body wrapped in the Black Scale Mail.
Scrape. Scrape.
Wedging his claws into the gaps of the neatly stacked stones, Eugene climbed bit by bit.
Minutes later, his head poked over the top of the wall.
About ten pirates huddled by a bonfire, chattering away, while pairs of two or three milled about here and there pretending to stand guard.
Eugene slithered silently onto the wall top, pressing his body flat to the ground like a spider.
Crawling on all fours and elbows along the wall passage, he looked grotesque.
The pirates, busy chatting among themselves or peering at the opposite cliff, paid no mind to the passage.
Swish. Swish.
“Eek!?”
One pirate with sharp instincts jolted and spun around.
“W-what? You scared the shit outta me, asshole.”
“No, something just brushed my leg. Ugh.”
“What a pussy, seriously.”
The tense pirates hurriedly scanned around, but saw nothing.
“...Huh?”
The sharp one’s eyes widened as he stared at his comrade.
“Ah, you fucker, seriously. Cut it out.”
Already spooked, the pirate snapped irritably as his comrade stared like something was behind him.
“N-no, I mean! There’s really something behind you... Hiiiik!”
“Hey, you fucking shit. Stop it... Gack.”
Slice.
The pirate’s throat was half-severed; he clutched the gushing red wound and collapsed.
Behind him, a pair of red eyes materialized, followed by a low voice.
“Shh... out...”
“Kiyaaaaak!”
The sharp-eyed pirate screamed piercingly and bolted madly.
“It’s a ghooooost! Keeak! Kiyaaaak!”
“What? What’s going on?”
“Ghost! It’s a ghost! Pinel got killed by one! We’re cursed! Uwaaaak!”
At that moment, in the flickering torchlight of the dark wall passage, Eugene’s upper body—half dropping its camouflage—shimmered in the moonlight breaking through the clouds.
“...!?”
Anyone would take it for a ghost.
“You’re... cursed. The strongest one as sacrifice...”
As the low, sinister voice echoed down the passage.
Uwaaaaaak!
Terror-stricken, the pirates fled like madmen every which way.
(To be continued in the next chapter)