Chapter 77: The Pirate King of Laxas (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: The Pirate King of Laxas (4)
He had unified every single pirate in the Seven Archipelagos, save for one, earning him the title of Pirate King.
There was no one in these waters who did not know the name of Ladan. He was the man who had single-handedly sunk over fifty pirate ships and annihilated 'Black Tooth,' one of the strongest fleets in the Seven Archipelagos, to earn the title of Sea God.
That also meant there was no one who hadn't heard the rumors about him.
He was called a 'Demon' because he tore the captains of the Seven Archipelagos apart with his bare hands and slaughtered pirates with a smile full of madness. He was known as a villain who committed murder on a whim, as if he were the living embodiment of the phrase 'the sole authority under heaven.'
That was why.
"Big Brother...?"
The words that left Ladan’s mouth were enough to draw everyone’s eyes to him.
The pirates who had always watched Ladan from his side.
The merchant ship workers who knew of Ladan’s reputation.
Even Penia, who had been wearing an anxious expression until a moment ago—everyone stared at Alon.
And Alon, who had been staring at the white-haired, white-eyed man for a while, finally spoke.
"...Ladan?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, a smile spread across Ladan’s face, which had been frozen in surprise.
"I mean, Big Brother, what are you doing here?"
At Ladan’s casual use of the term 'Big Brother,' the pirates who had been watching blankly were collectively struck with horror.
Among them, Drake—Ladan’s subordinate who had been by his side since he took down his first pirate in the Seven Archipelagos—was so shocked his jaw hit the floor and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
In all his time serving him, he had never once seen his boss, Ladan, act so friendly toward anyone.
W-what on earth is this?
Before he could even process his confusion, he saw Ladan swing his spear to cut Alon’s ropes.
Penia was equally unable to comprehend how the situation was unfolding. She, too, was well aware of the rumors surrounding that man.
Just who... who is that person?
Seeing Alon’s familiarity with Ladan, the 'Walking Disaster of Laxas,' Penia was reminded once again that Alon was no ordinary individual.
As for the man himself, Alon...
...This guy is Ladan?
He was currently very surprised.
Of course, based on the information Evan had given him earlier, he had suspected the man might be Ladan because of the white hair and eyes, but honestly, he hadn't expected it to be true.
Unlike the other Five Great Sins, Ladan was a character who never had an illustration of his normal state. From the moment he became one of the Five Great Sins, Alon only remembered illustrations of him as a hideous monster, with the only notable features being his white hair and eyes.
"...I was on my way to Laxas for some business."
"You should have contacted me if you were coming."
"I was thinking of trying to meet you if possible, but I didn't expect to run into you like this."
"Let’s go together for now. Oh, Uncle Evan, it’s been a while."
"...It has been a while."
Alon, who had been exchanging light greetings with him out of gladness, watched as Ladan casually raised a hand toward Evan, who was standing there with a pale, sickly face.
"Everyone around here is with you, right, Big Brother?"
"Yeah."
As soon as Alon answered, Ladan moved his trident and cut the ropes binding Penia and Pellin.
"Let’s go."
Ladan was about to lead Alon away with a smile when—
"Ah."
As if suddenly realizing something, he turned his gaze toward the captain, who looked like he couldn't believe what was happening.
"Now that I think about it, what did you say again?"
Ladan’s murmur was low.
"...You said you were going to sell my Big Brother?"
His voice was neither loud nor soft. Hearing Ladan’s voice clearly, the captain finally seemed to realize what he had done.
"Ah."
A low gasp escaped him.
His face instantly drained of color as he tried to say something, but unfortunately, he couldn't continue. The moment his lips parted to speak—
Thuck!
Ladan’s trident was already buried in his throat.
"A-ah...?"
The captain’s eyes stared at the trident in his neck in disbelief before he coughed up blood.
"Gah...!"
The trident was stained red. The captain belatedly tried to grab it with trembling hands, but Ladan, who had thrust the spear into his throat, maintained the same smile he had when looking at Alon. However—
Squelch!
With a chilling, shimmering murderous intent in his eyes, he finished slicing through the captain’s neck.
With a dull thud, the captain’s body collapsed onto the deck.
"Let’s go, Big Brother."
With blood splattered on his armor and face, Ladan spoke with a smile.
And Alon, who had certainly seen people die before but had just witnessed the terrifying murderous intent glinting in Ladan’s eyes, thought:
...He hasn't already awakened as one of the Five Great Sins, has he?
Remembering that he was one of the Five Great Sins, Alon maintained a neutral expression while feeling a bit cautious.
* * *
Alon left the merchant ship bound for Laxas and set his destination for the Seven Archipelagos.
In just half a day, they arrived in the territory of the Seven Archipelagos ruled by Ladan.
"I-I’m alive."
Evan, who had been crawling across the deck as if he were dying even after switching ships, laughed with pure joy the moment he stepped onto land.
"So this is the Seven Archipelagos..."
Penia muttered to herself as soon as they arrived at the massive island Ladan ruled, and Pellin let out a tiny exclamation of wonder beside her.
Even Alon couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise the moment they arrived. The city before his eyes looked less like a pirate haven and more like a very well-organized estate.
And not just any estate, but one that looked meticulously planned.
"..."
The entire island was laid out in straight lines as if measured with a ruler, and the houses, though different in size and appearance, were all perfectly aligned.
...This island couldn't have been like this originally. Did he make it this way because of his mysophobia?
Just as Alon was recalling that Ladan suffered from a severe case of mysophobia...
"Please, come in, Big Brother."
They arrived at Ladan’s mansion on the island.
Just like the outside, the interior was perfectly symmetrical, as if the left and right sides were mirror images of each other. While his companions were resting, Alon spoke with Ladan and learned a piece of information.
"...So that merchant ship wasn't actually headed for Laxas?"
"Right. It was a ship going toward the 'Sea Wolf.'"
"The Sea Wolf... of the Seven Archipelagos?"
"Yes."
"...Then I was tricked?"
"Exactly. The reason I went there in the first place was to cut off that bastard’s supply line."
Ladan shrugged his shoulders.
"Was that a supply ship?"
"Yes. Specifically, it was carrying human flesh."
"...What?"
"Human flesh."
Alon frowned at those words. Even though the world of Psychedelia was a dark fantasy, human flesh was considered a taboo, and he loathed the idea.
Moreover, a certain keyword came to mind as soon as he heard that.
"Is the Sea Wolf perhaps connected to the Fishmen?"
Ladan nodded, looking a bit surprised by Alon’s question, and began to tell him the story.
After listening for a while, Alon was able to summarize the situation.
"So, around the time you were about to swallow up the entire Seven Archipelagos, the Sea Wolf appeared leading the Fishmen and started fighting back."
"That’s right, Big Brother. Though I have no idea how he’s controlling those monsters."
At Ladan’s nod, Alon felt a headache coming on. He didn't know exactly how the Sea Wolf was involved, but the moment 'Fishmen' and 'human flesh' were combined, one word naturally surfaced in his mind.
An Outer God.
If the Fishmen were looking for human flesh, it meant they were trying to summon an Outer God. He didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.
"...Do you plan on taking care of the Sea Wolf?"
"Of course. You were the one who gave me the chance for revenge, Big Brother. Now that I’ve cut off his supply line, I plan to end it in three days."
"...?"
Me...? When...? Alon thought, but he decided it wasn't a good idea to ask right now. He followed up with another question.
"...Can I come along?"
"You, Big Brother?"
"...There’s something I want to ask the leader of that pirate crew. Is that possible?"
The Fishmen had appeared, but if they could stop the offering of human flesh now, the Outer God might not manifest. For Alon, who had to find the Mermaid and descend into the deep sea in addition to awakening the Artifact in Laxas, the chance to prevent an Outer God's arrival was crucial.
If the Fishmen were to summon an Outer God, Laxas’s destruction would be guaranteed, and the Seven Archipelagos would not be spared. In other words, to get his work done quickly and for Ladan’s safety, he judged it best to deal with the Fishmen.
Unlike the others, Ladan had gone a bit (?) astray and become a pirate, but Alon still felt a somewhat fatherly affection for him.
Therefore...
"As long as I’m the one who takes his head, I don't mind, Big Brother."
With Ladan’s agreement, they continued to talk about various things. As a result, Alon discovered some positive facts about Ladan.
"Ayy—Big Brother, no matter how much I like acting out, I don't kill people just because I’m in a bad mood."
"...Is that so?"
"Of course. It’s always because the situation calls for it. Even that guy I killed today—I wouldn't have touched him if he hadn't brought you up."
"...I heard you have the nickname 'Demon.'"
"Well, that’s true, but that’s only when I’m killing pirates. I can finally get my revenge now."
The truth was that Ladan was much more sane than his infamy or the first impression he gave suggested. Seeing him talk and laugh so affably, Alon breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
...I was worried that if he had become a total psychopath, all the support I gave him would have been for nothing.
In fact, when Alon first boarded Ladan’s ship and heard more rumors about him from Penia, he had seriously worried that Ladan might have already become the kind of person destined to be one of the Five Great Sins.
But it seemed the rumors were somewhat exaggerated.
...Being a pirate wasn't exactly a good thing, and the way Ladan acted today was a bit psycho, but Alon judged it to be within an understandable range. The other Five Great Sins were also mostly sane, even if they were broken in one or two strange ways.
Recalling that—
"But Big Brother, you feel surprisingly... normal."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It’s just, whenever the other kids meet you, they change so drastically. I was curious. I thought maybe you used hypnosis magic or—"
"...Hypnosis magic?"
"I don't mean you actually did, just that they changed that much—that’s what I’m saying."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. That’s how it seemed."
After chatting like that for a while, Alon eventually changed the subject.
"Ladan, can we go to Laxas?"
"Are you stopping by Laxas?"
"Yeah, I have some business to take care of."
"What kind of business, Big Brother?"
"There’s someone I need to meet."
As Alon spoke, he thought of one man.
Alexion the Appraiser.
Unlike the Artifacts found in the Labyrinth, the ring obtained from Heinkel and the relics from the Colony’s treasury were special. Thus, Alon thought of a specific appraiser to identify them, but a look of distaste flickered behind his expressionless face.
In truth, he had come all this way to meet him, but Alexion the Appraiser was someone he didn't particularly want to see. The reason was that his personality was incredibly violent and foul.
Even when playing the game, the man, who could be found in the slums of Laxas, was infamous among players because he would set prices arbitrarily based on whether he was in a good or bad mood. Every time you clicked on him, his rude dialogue made you want to strangle him.
However, aside from Alexion the Appraiser, most relic appraisers were special merchants who could only be encountered in labyrinths or dungeons by pure luck, which was why Alon had sought him out in Laxas.
It pisses me off just thinking about the game... but I have no choice. I’ll just have to put up with his insults.
So...
"Who is this person you’re meeting, Big Brother?"
"Alexion the Appraiser."
"You just need to meet that guy?"
"That’s right. So I’d like to head to Laxas."
When Alon brought it up, Ladan remained silent for a moment, humming in thought.
"I understand. Please get some rest, Big Brother."
"...?"
That was all he said.
Though the answer was mysterious, Alon went to sleep, urged by Ladan to go in and rest.
And the next day.
"Big Brother. I brought him."
"?"
Alon saw Ladan with an innocent smile, and to his left, Alexion the Appraiser, shaking like a leaf.
"P-please spare me. P-please...!"
Where had his violent personality gone? Despite being a middle-aged man, Alexion was sobbing and pleading for his life.
"Hey, did I kidnap you? I invited you politely, didn't I?"
"Y-yes, that’s right, you invited me very politely. Truly...!"
"Then why are you shaking?"
"...Hic."
Seeing Alexion hold his breath at a single word from Ladan, Alon was left speechless.
...He’s definitely not going to become one of the Five Great Sins, right?
The doubt that had subsided yesterday poked its head back up in his heart.