Chapter 18
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Translator: volt
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Walter Raleigh (Revised)
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"Phew, Mr. Hewett, what do you mean? Why..."
"Hello, Mr. Hewett?"
"Oh, hello? Thanks to you, I found Mr. White."
"No need to thank me! Why make a fuss over something like that? We were just doing our best for our neighbors!"
"... ."
"... ."
White stared blankly around him, watching Hewett amiably greet a Spanish man.
That was the galleon, all right.
He had lost consciousness in a hammock under the mast, and on the mast itself...
there was an emblem he'd never seen before in his life.
A shield wrapped in grapevines featured a transparent shield and... some strange angel holding a saw aloft? High.
'Why a saw and not a sword...?'
"Anyway, Mr. White, it's so good to see you again after three years! Who would've thought we'd meet like this..."
"...You didn't side with the Spanish, did you?"
"Uh... yes?"
"My, my daughter? Is my daughter still alive?"
"Don't worry. Mrs. Dare is now serving the Great One up close..."
"Gaaahhh!"
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"Shut up, you bastard! How dare you side with the men who killed my daughter..."
"Daddy!"
"...?"
There, Eleanor was running from the corner of the deck.
"Mr. White! You're alive!"
"Ah, haha! I'll pretend I didn't hear you call our employer a pimp!"
"...??"
Raleigh's men, whom he'd thought captured by the Spanish, were also running over from the other side.
"Welcome aboard the Nautilus, Mr. White!"
"...????"
The man who appeared to be the Spanish commander slipped in with a friendly smile.
John White, increasingly convinced this was heaven, pinched his own cheek before realizing he wasn't even tied up.
"What... is this?"
"... ."
"... ."
"... ."
Everyone exchanged awkward glances, as if it was hard to explain. Eleanor stepped forward.
"Um... Dad? You might not believe what I'm about to say."
"Oh, my daughter! Just knowing you're alive fills me with joy—what's there to disbelieve?"
"...Then you wouldn't think I'm a witch or anything, right?"
"A witch? Nonsense! Come on, tell me everything. Your father will listen to it all!"
"... ."
"... ."
"... ."
"Um... Mrs. Dare?"
"Yes?"
"You probably won't believe me, so let's show you first."
"Show me what... Oh, you mean the 'holy land' and 'holy relics'?"
"Yes. He even gave permission knowing this might happen, didn't He?"
"Well... true. Then let's head to the island and talk more, Dad!"
"...??"
John White still had no idea what was going on.
Soon the galleon reached a harbor, and White headed somewhere along spotlessly clean roads.
Eleanor suddenly felt childish seeing her father after so long.
"Dad, look!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"My God...! Bullets bouncing off an invisible wall?!"
"Ooooh...!"
"Dad, look!"
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
"I-Incredible...! Such immense light bursting from my hand all of a sudden!"
"Ooooooh...!"
"Dad, look!"
Munch munch munch munch munch.
"I-Impossibe...! How can grapes have no seeds?!"
"Ooooooooh...!"
"Dad, look!"
Vrrrreeee!
"A tree cut like butter? Th-the carriage door opening and closing on its own makes more sense!"
"Ooooooooooh...!"
And so, with Lord Nemo's permission, Eleanor strutted around operating simple gadgets as she followed him, showing off to her father.
"See? All this is the angels' tools! He saved us and built this colony!"
"O-oh... Amazing."
She loved seeing her father's awestruck face. It felt great to smile playfully in front of the father she hadn't seen in three years.
"Right? I was shocked at first too!"
"Yes. Truly remarkable. As expected of heaven's bounty."
"...But."
White, trembling with wonder, pointed west toward the fields. Eleanor followed his finger to a familiar machine.
A powerful machine that slaughtered enemies, uprooted trees, and shoveled massive amounts of earth.
"That... how does that cart with arms move?"
"Ah! That's called an 'excavator'!"
Eleanor boasted proudly.
"Only Lord Nemo can operate that complex thing!"
"I-is that so. If it's not rude, could I see it in action? I'm so curious."
Eleanor pondered his explorer's curiosity.
She didn't want to bother Lord Nemo, but for her father, reunited after years on the brink of death, she'd do anything.
"...Shall I ask Lord Nemo if He could run it once?"
"Yes. I'd like to meet this... Lord Nemo too."
Eleanor walked ahead, a bit tense. She wanted to show her father how great Lord Nemo was, how immense His power.
As his daughter, she could tell. Beneath White's exclamations lurked subtle doubt.
Anyone would doubt a tale of an angel suddenly saving his daughter.
He hadn't witnessed the miracle himself. It was understandable.
He felt only goodwill toward the benefactor who saved his daughter and granddaughter. Whether He was truly an angel was another matter.
Thus, the devout daughter and skeptical father headed straight to Nemo's green-roofed mansion and rang the doorbell. Ding-dong.
But today, no answer.
"...Huh? Lord Nemo? Lord Nemo!"
"That's strange. I saw Him inside for sure."
"Maybe He stepped out?"
"No. This door was definitely..."
Creaaaaak.
Eleanor absentmindedly pulled the front door, and it opened with a screech.
Of course, she flinched. Barging into someone else's home—let alone the holy angel's—was rude.
As she hurriedly tried to close it—
"...on the highway to hell..."
"...What?"
She'd just heard a word she never thought possible in this holy place.
The word "hell."
Soon, a horrific scraping sound like clawing air echoed from the door crack. At that unfamiliar voice and sound, Eleanor's body froze in terror.
A cold wind blew in between, slowly pushing the door open. Father and daughter's eyes widened.
"Aaah... Aaaagh...!"
A dreadful demon's hymn emanated from the dark hallway beyond.
And then.
"F-fuck...!"
Lord Nemo's voice.
A half-groan, breathless voice.
'D-do demons try to harm Lord Nemo...?'
Her thoughts reached that point, and Eleanor clenched her fists, charging into Nemo's home without hesitation. Lord Nemo was in danger!
D-daughter!"
"Dad! Stay there!"
"What father sends his daughter alone into such a place?!"
As the two ventured deeper into the mansion, the horrific sounds grew clearer from all directions.
—"Hey Satan, payin' my dues."
—"Mother, look at me. I'm on my way to the promised land."
Someone was spewing spine-chilling lyrics. And finally—
"No!"
Lord Nemo's scream echoed!
Startled, Eleanor flung open the hallway door into the living room, John White following.
"Grahhh!"
"Kyarruk! Kiririk!"
There, they beheld a horrific sight.
Lord Nemo sat in a chair, bloodshot eyes fixed ahead, clutching a black object. As if entranced.
And from all around blared the cursed songs they'd just heard.
It was terrifying enough to collapse from, but that wasn't all.
The real horror remained.
As Eleanor Dare and John White cautiously followed Nemo's gaze...
There was a picture frame.
The image inside moved ceaselessly.
As if depicting a scene from someone's viewpoint.
Each click-click from Nemo's hand advanced the scene—it was clearly what Nemo saw.
In that frame, Lord Nemo... Lord Nemo...
endlessly chainsawed demons risen from hell, slaughtering them.
And each kill drew "F-fuck, fuck..." from the usually serene Nemo's lips.
His eyes gleamed with bloodlust. Curled lips sneered coldly at the corpses.
Utterly unlike the Lord Nemo Eleanor knew!
After a while, demons swarmed Nemo, and he fell. The frame went black, revealing only one word.
Pale-faced, they backed out of Nemo's house without a scream.
Exhausted from demon-slaying, Nemo hadn't noticed them.
Sweating coldly as they left the garden, they stared silently at each other.
"Daughter..."
"N-nothing! Lord Nemo must've been... doing something we can't understand!"
"Yes. Slaughtering... demons."
John White gazed at his daughter with unfocused eyes.
"K-killing demons... Truly an angel..."
"... ."
"... ."
Thud!
Terror, awe, and tears filled White's eyes.
"Lord! My God, what was that sight...!"
"... ."
"D-daughter, I must return to Virginia. Seeing hell was too horrific..."
It shook decades of faith to its core. Still drained, John White whispered.
"You... rest too."
"...Yes."
Eleanor watched her staggering father leave, standing dazed like a statue.
And then.
"...Eleanor?"
"Kyaaah!"
She screamed at Nemo's voice from behind.
"...You must've been quite startled. Sorry. I'll make some noise next time."
"N-no, it's f-f-fine..."
"... ."
"... ."
What? Why's the mood like this.
"Um... Earlier, Dad wanted to see the excavator, so we rang the bell, but no answer..."
"Ah, sorry. I was indulging in a little... hobby."
"...A little hobby?"
"Yes. Minor, but challenging—like homework."
Since he couldn't clear the challenges.
"...Is it fun?"
"Of course. It's a hobby. Why do it if not enjoyable? Sure, it's tiring and painful sometimes, but that's hobbies for you."
"... ."
"... ."
...What's going on. Why the meaningful stares.
I couldn't stand the awkward vibe and changed the subject.
"So, what's next? Contacted England proper?"
Eleanor's stiff expression finally eased.
"Ah, no. We met Dad, but others fled thinking we were Spanish."
"Oh... I see."
"B-but we reached Dad, so everything'll work out! Reports on our colony will follow, and with the galleon, we can contact the homeland somehow..."
"What's wrong?"
"... ."
Eleanor's face turned serious again as she looked at me. I had a feeling why.
"Wh-what do we do?"
"About what?"
"...How do we report you to England?"
"... ."
I recalled the era's 'heathen' execution methods from the game catalog and shut my mouth.
How to report?
...Good question.
I pondered, and so did Eleanor.
But one odd thing.
"H-hum... Hmm...!"
Eleanor seemed even more serious than me.
One and a half months.
The time it took for Hopewell and Moonlight, carrying John White, to reach Plymouth, England's Devon port.
There, they raced to London to report to their employer and patron.
"...The colony's destroyed? And White's missing?"
To Sir Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth's favorite lover, smoker, explorer, poet, soldier, Protestant...
He raised one eyebrow lightly at the captains trembling before him.
"...Yes. Virginia Roanoke Island colony was mostly burned, covered in Spanish graffiti. Clearly destroyed by the Spanish fleet..."
"We couldn't save Mr. White—it was unavoidable misfortune. Spanish warships were scouting nearby..."
"So, you lost your passengers to a Spanish attack, and I lost my colony."
You returned without checking if my colonists relocated and built a new successful one. Like rats with tails aflame."
"... ."
"... ."
"Hooo..."
"S-since the colony's ruins, instead of the promised duty-free trade rights, other compensation..."
"Get out."
"...Yes, sir."
As the captains left Durham House's lavish study, Raleigh's friend and hanger-on Thomas Harriot slowly approached, offering tobacco leaves.
Raleigh, irritably striking flint, threw away the unlit pipe and flint in frustration, slamming his head on the desk.
Thud!
"...Please, Thomas. Tell me you have good news."
"You know I would've said already if I did."
"...So?"
"Steelyard goldsmiths refused investment."
"Damn it! Why?"
Thomas frowned slightly at Raleigh's cursing, elegantly raising his notebook to recite notes.
"First... Ireland colony failure. Catholic peasants tamed, lowering profitability."
"Tell them nonsense. A few privateer raids, and I'd recoup losses. There's another reason."
"Right? Isn't there, Thomas?"
"...Yes."
"Knew it! What is it?"
Raleigh looked up, and Thomas met his eyes squarely.
"Virginia colony info leaked. Everyone knows John White's failure."
"Damn...!"
Bang! Bang! Raleigh pounded the desk.
"Some rat spilled it. Who? Walsingham? Essex? Walsingham, that bastard!"
"Doesn't matter. Plenty hate you."
"... ."
"With 'rumors' of sole investment failing... no loans."
"... ."
"What now? Gifts for Her Majesty dwindling..."
"Shh, quiet."
Raleigh hushed Harriot, slyly pulling a letter from his desk drawer. From the Queen.
'My beloved, is your life not impoverished? Is your wealth sufficient to maintain your beauty and dignity?'
"Ah... my Queen."
Smack.
Raleigh folded and pocketed the letter, thinking.
'...Good, she hasn't caught my cheating yet.'
Love is good; more love is better.
But more love means more money spent. He'd recently splurged on jewels Beth wanted, poking a hole in his wallet.
Plus, Ireland's 40,000-acre colony was a money pit strangling him.
This way... bankruptcy.
Bankrupt now, he'd squeeze money whoring in the Queen's bed again. Money in love ruins things.
Disrupt that delicate emotional tug-of-war with the Queen, and rival Essex Robert Devereux sharing her bed wouldn't spare him.
He'd whisper: 'Vulgar Walter doesn't truly love Your Majesty. Withdraw favor, be with me eternally...' Lose her support, and financially fu-fu-fuck...!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"May I offer an opinion?"
"Speak, Thomas."
"Banging your head on the desk just racks up medical and repair bills."
"...Grrr, damn it."
If not for that damned Virginia failure, no financial or political squeeze...
Wait.
Raleigh perked up from his slump... swallowing.
"Listen, Thomas."
"Yes?"
"Did Virginia fail?"
"Burned colony, missing settlers? Usually failure."
"Exactly."
Raleigh shot up triumphantly.
"Missing? Means we don't know if failed or succeeded."
"...Irrational."
"No. Think.
Say some settlers fled threats to safety... met an angel? Angel helps develop colony!"
"... ."
"Just an example.
Point is, no one knows if Virginia succeeded."
He stood tall, regaining dignity.
"So we must properly check."
"Isn't that why we sent John White? Now he's missing too."
"Unreliable fools. Give to trustworthy, brave explorer who fulfills duty, satisfies employer—much surer."
"Know such an...?"
"Me!"
"... ."
"... ."
"Prepare voyage. We'll cross the Atlantic soon."
"Oh, my God."
"To soothe poor John White's soul."
Thus, Raleigh began assembling a fleet to save his Virginia colony.
At that moment, 'poor John White' was...
"M-my, my God! Grapes, grapes can taste this good?!"
He soothed the recent shock with his first black sapphire tanghulu.
A gift from Lord Nemo.