Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Pirates' Mutiny
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Watching the pirates scrambling down from the ramparts, tumbling and getting trampled in their panic, the spirit perched on the ghost's shoulder muttered.
“This is working? Those bastards are really scared of ghosts. But what about the cursed ones~ Why aren't they affected?”
“Because then they might turn on each other.”
At first, Eugene had planned to deal with the pirates on the ramparts directly. But after listening to their conversation with his vampire hearing, he changed his mind.
They were already surrounded on all sides, and these pirates were superstitious to boot.
Eugene knew all too well what choice cornered humans gripped by fear would make—he'd seen it plenty of times.
All it took was pulling the trigger on a little ploy called “ghost and curse.”
“If it works, great. If not, just kill them all.”
With those quiet words, Eugene melted back into the darkness.
* * *
“Th-that's the curse! W-we're cursed!”
Forgetting all about rampart watch or anything else, the pirates scrambled into the annex and bolted the doors tight.
They scratched out haphazard signs of the cross and mumbled garbled prayers, begging for divine mercy.
“Come to think of it, I heard the demon god that protected the island got killed...”
“What? That's true?”
“I heard it clear as day while fleeing the beach earlier. Some knight let himself get eaten by the demon god on purpose, then burned it from the inside out with holy power.”
“Holy power? Then... could it be a Holy Knight!?”
“You mean that knight who came during the day was a Holy Knight?”
“Oh! S-so we were cursing out a Holy Knight earlier?”
“...!”
For a brief moment, the pirates fell silent.
“That's why we're cursed!”
“Son of a bitch!”
Having reasoned out why the ghost had appeared and showered them with curses—or so they thought—the pirates' faces turned ashen.
And like most people backed into a corner, the pirates began looking for the cause and solution everywhere but themselves.
“That ghost definitely said to offer up the strongest one as sacrifice, right?”
“I-I heard it too! It said exactly that!”
“The strongest one would be...?”
With the old boss and his cronies all dead, there was only one candidate left for the toughest guy around.
Clink. Swish.
The pirates rose unsteadily, grabbing curved swords, axes, and daggers.
“Let's kill that bastard. He was the first one to drop trou and insult the Holy Knight, wasn't he?”
“Yeah. We kill that prick, then surrender to the knights. That's the only way we escape the curse and survive.”
No one said the name outright, but the same face floated in the minds of every pirate, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
* * *
The castle's interior was as simple in layout as its exterior, with the main keep and annex forming an arch around the central courtyard connected to the gate.
Recalling the information from the pirate he'd interrogated in the sea monster's lair, Eugene slipped stealthily into the back of the main keep.
Thanks to the ghost commotion, not a pirate was in sight.
‘That way.’
Spotting an iron door set into the cliff that served as the natural rampart, Eugene opened it.
Descending stairs thick with the stench of brine and mildew led to a corridor lit by a few lonely torches, lined with iron-barred cells.
“You watch for anyone coming.”
“Loyalty, loyalty.”
Leaving Mirian behind, Eugene proceeded slowly down the passage, maintaining his camouflage.
There weren't many living souls in the cells. Most were desiccated corpses or skeletons.
Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be nobles held for ransom.
At the deepest end of the passage, Eugene stopped.
There sat an orc in rags little better than tatters, slumped on the floor.
Eugene dropped his camouflage and spoke softly.
“Roderick, that you?”
“Wh-who goo?”
“I asked if you're Roderick.”
“Y-yes it is. I'm Roderick. Ortus Roderick, son of Batu Roderick.”
His pronunciation was a bit rough, but the orc Ortus Roderick spoke the kingdom tongue fluently.
Roderick quickly pressed against the bars, scanning Eugene up and down with wide eyes.
“Y-you... y-you wouldn't be an assassin, would you? Here to kill me? Queeek!”
Letting out a proper orcish squeal, Ortus stumbled back.
‘What the hell is with this guy?’
Seemed like long confinement had left him a bit unhinged.
Eugene softened his voice a touch.
“Not an assassin, so relax, Lord Ortus.”
He even added the honorific due to the man's status as heir to the old lord of the Roderick isles.
“R-really?”
“I'm a knight, believe it or not.”
“Liar. A pervert in that freaky black getup a knight? Never seen or heard of such a thing.”
“...”
The black scale mail protected him fully, but right now Eugene might as well have been naked.
From Ortus's perspective, the skin-tight bizarre black outfit screamed pervert.
“Keeek? That pig dares insult my lord! Ah, but running around without proper clothes or armor is kinda weird.”
Crack.
The spirit he'd told to keep watch had snuck up to throw in his two cents, and a vein finally throbbed on Eugene's forehead.
“Kek!”
Slash!
Eugene swatted Mirian far away with one hand while slicing the bars with claw from the other. No more hiding his true nature, he growled.
“Hey, you pig bastard. You wanna debate trust right now? You coming or not? If not, rot here for all I care.”
Rescuing the heir to the isles' original lord would make things smoother and look better in the long run.
Legitimacy and justification were key in noble circles.
But that could bend to time, place, and circumstance.
“Quee, queek?”
Seeing Eugene's sudden feral shift and those claws, Ortus's expression changed.
But he soon cleared his throat and dipped his head slightly.
“Ahem! Ah, understood. So you're a loyal servant of some brave and honorable noble. I'll be sure to convey your... insolence, no, your valor fully to your master. Lead on.”
“...?”
Eugene paused, dumbfounded, then sprang into action.
Thwack!
“Gyaak!”
One punch sent blood gushing from Ortus's snout as he went limp.
Hoisting the scrawny orc over his shoulder, Eugene bolted from the prison and up the stairs without delay.
“Nothing out of the ordinary outside!”
Thanks to Mirian's quick scouting, Eugene reached the courtyard unmolested.
“All the pirates bolted to the annex and main keep! But the main keep's super noisy.”
“Hm.”
Even without that, faint metallic clashes and screams echoed from the main keep—pirates fighting among themselves, no doubt.
‘Just cleanup left now.’
Tatatata!
Eugene dashed across the courtyard. Pirate presences prickled from all sides, but it didn't matter. They were all dead men soon anyway.
As he ran for the gate guarded by a few pirates, he tried extending claws from his right hand.
But then.
“Gwaaak!?”
“It's the orc ghostaaak!”
“Hieeek!”
The pirates screamed and fled from the gate.
“What? Oh...”
Eugene knew the reason instantly.
His body was invisible due to camouflage.
To the pirates, it must've looked like a blood-smeared orc face flying through the night, limbs flailing wildly with its body folded in half—an utterly grotesque and macabre sight.
Groooowl! Crunch!
Eugene cranked open the gate pulley and jammed an abandoned axe into the gears.
He leaped atop the gate and swung a torch high.
In response, the sailors and soldiers waiting in the cliffside woods swiftly crossed the swaying bridge.
“Lord Eugene!”
“Yeah, Captain. Take this guy somewhere safe first.”
“Aye. But my lord, who's this orc?”
“The new lord of this place.”
“Pardon?”
The captain blinked down at Ortus in shock. Even he found the bloodied orc face intimidating.
After a moment's glance, the captain asked carefully.
“Looks like a nosebleed, though. Escape must've been quite urgent, Lord Eugene?”
“...”
“Lord Eugene?”
“Charge! Wipe out every last pirate!”
“M-master! Aren't you putting on plate mail? Master!”
“Gozu!”
Wearing only the leather armor Luke had handed him, Eugene charged the main keep, Mada Rajika and Wolfslaughter gripped in either hand.
* * *
Bang!
“Grraaah...”
A bald pirate staggered out, wounds oozing blood everywhere.
His curved sword and axe blade were caked in human flesh and gore.
“Fucking traitors... ngh!”
He sloshed rum over his wounds to clean them, then roughly bandaged with cloth, before tottering up to the second-floor office.
The old bosses' bedroom stash would surely have a mana crystal or two.
“Hey.”
“Gasp?”
The bald pirate whipped around.
A figure with glowing red eyes emerged smoothly from the shadows.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Can't tell 'cause I'm not in armor? Don't you recognize me? Your cute little fuckhead?”
“...!”
The bald pirate's eyes bulged, his body trembling.
Eugene glanced at the man's lower half and bared his elongated fangs.
“Told you, didn't I? I'd slice your dick into ten pieces.”
“Ugh!? Ugaaah...!”
Shwick! Scraaaape!
“Gaaaaah!!!”
The bald pirate learned exactly what it meant to have flesh flayed in agony.
* * *
“Gweeek!”
“Eggmerrynaat!”
Ortus awoke shrieking from unconsciousness, startling Selena who was tending him.
“Wh-where am I...?”
“No need to worry. This is the tent of Lord Eugene's expedition force. I'm Selena, squire to Sir Galpredic, knight under Lord Eugene.”
“I-I see. Lord Eugene, you say? Perhaps...”
“Yes. The one who rescued you. And the one who liberated the Roderick Isles from the pirates' grasp.”
“Kuweek! Such a brave and honorable lord existed!? Sniff! I must pay my respects to Lord Eugene at once.”
“Pardon?”
Selena tilted her head.
Ortus clearly knew Eugene had come to the prison personally to save him, yet now he wanted to greet him again?
‘They say it's a reputable lordly house. Even an orc with fine character, it seems.’
Thinking that, Selena smiled.
“Understood.”
“Thanks.”
As Selena stepped out, Ortus ground his teeth.
‘I shall petition Expedition Leader Lord Eugene to punish that arrogant, rotten assassin. Gratitude is gratitude, but that bastard's unforgivable. Grind!”
Moments later, the tent flap parted, and Eugene entered.
“You're up?”
“Y-you! You pervert assassin!”
Unlike last night, he was properly dressed now, but Ortus made no effort to hide his panic and rage upon seeing Eugene.
“How dare you show your face here after what you did!”
Indeed.
Ortus believed “Expedition Leader Lord Eugene” had sent troops to rescue him, never dreaming the black-clad pervert assassin was Eugene himself.
Who'd imagine the top commander sneaking into a prison in such a getup?
“No matter that you're part of the expedition... Ah, Sir Selena! Perfect timing! Chase this pervert out and relay my words to Lord Eugene!”
“Uh... what do you mean? This is Lord Eugene.”
“No, I mean! Gweek? Wh-who's Lord Eugene?”
“Him. The one who saved you, Leader of the Expedition Force, Sir Yan Eugene.”
“Th-this pervert...?”
“...”
Their gazes met in midair, Eugene's and Ortus's.
Smirk.
“This pig bastard still hasn't learned.”
Powpowpowpow!
Gweeeeeek! Gweek! Guweek!
The orc who would one day be hailed as the benevolent and wise Baron of the Roderick Isles was, for now, just a clueless fool getting thoroughly pummeled.
(To be continued)