Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Saint, You’re So Vulgar! – Chapter 43
Why of all times did it have to be now?
That single thought dominated Asher's mind.
He sneaked a glance, and Versia's expression was far from pleased.
Her eyes were saying it plainly.
You said there wouldn't be any attacks.
Hiccup.
A hiccup escaped him.
Even amid that, the situation was changing rapidly.
Three small galleons were approaching in formation.
On their decks, rough-looking pirates shrouded in the shadows of the night sea stared this way.
"Th-that..."
"Want to stay inside?"
"N-no...! I'll help!"
"You really mean that?"
"They don't look like they're that strong..."
And they really didn't. The pirates in view seemed utterly ordinary.
There was no trace of any special sorcery or magic, just maybe a couple of sailors who could handle a bit of mana at most.
At this level, he could take them on alone and win.
Versia replied to his explanation.
"Last time you said the same thing and got done in. It was my mistake, but you learned the hard way that heretics can hide their divine power."
It was at that moment.
"No."
Judith said as she walked over.
"They're not drawing power from heretics. Though whether they're connected or not, who knows."
She puffed smoke from the pipe in her mouth.
Her eyes gleamed gold through the haze.
As if she'd confirmed it through some method.
"What'll it be? Capture them? Or smash them flat right here?"
The question was directed at Asher.
As Asher tilted his head, Judith added,
"You're not planning to blast them all away like last time, right? If you're stepping up yourself."
"Ah."
Cold sweat trickled down Asher's back.
How warped was Versia's image that "stepping up" equated to "massacre"?
Asher gave an awkward smile and shook his head.
Then he answered.
"I-I meant I need real combat practice since I've been training my swordsmanship...!"
He could feel Versia's displeasure intensifying.
It felt like her stare was drilling a hole in the back of his head.
But for Asher, it was an unavoidable choice.
Because if he kept backing down every time, he might end up solidified as nothing more than baggage she had to protect.
Beyond pride, it wouldn't be good for Versia either.
She was someone scarred by past events, suffering from stress.
If she developed an obsession with keeping him behind her in every fight, she'd break eventually.
So wasn't it better to act the opposite way?
She needed to see him fend for himself without getting helplessly beaten.
Stack up those moments until she saw him as a "comrade capable of fighting alongside."
Asher steadfastly ignored Versia's gaze.
Judith rolled her eyes at the sight. "Even now, you're playing the tsundere card," she said with a weary expression before turning sharply and walking away.
"Handle it yourselves. I'm heading to the cabin."
"You're not helping?"
"Hey, knight boy. When she's in danger, you're the one who should step in, not me. Or do you lack the confidence? Pretty face but hollow inside...?"
Versia's eyes turned icy at her jab.
Marvin lightened the mood.
"Whoa, Saintess! Talk like that and you're in trouble! Do you know how monstrous Asher is?"
He laughed heartily, stepping between them.
Then, ushering Judith toward the cabin, he shot Versia an apologetic glance.
With that, Judith was gone.
Just the two of them left, and by now the pirates had closed in, slowing their approach.
Kwajik!
A harpoon lodged in the ship, followed by a gangplank extending over.
"Grab her! It's a woman!"
"Oooooh!!!"
Clatter! Pirates gripping cutlasses charged at Asher and Versia.
Versia let out a sigh full of irritation and muttered to Asher,
"We'll talk later. I'm not letting this slide."
"Y-yes, ma'am..."
Asher chuckled obsequiously and gradually put distance between them.
Right then, a pirate leaped at Versia.
It was in that instant.
Kwadududuk!
"Khek!"
Versia grabbed the pirate's face and slammed it into the deck.
He passed out immediately.
How could anyone miss the emotion packed into that brutal takedown?
Asher swallowed hard.
This time, he might really catch hell. The thought only made him more desperate.
'W-weapon...!'
He had to show some results, at least give himself something to argue with.
Asher snatched a cutlass from the hand of the pirate who'd just fainted.
He exhaled sharply, his eyes sharpening.
"I-I'm heading in too!"
Tadat!
He kicked off lightly and shot forward.
The ship rocked with the waves.
His balance twisted, his sprint not as smooth as on land.
But it was no problem.
In his hand was a cutlass, curved and widening toward the tip.
And what he needed was footwork bordering on acrobatics.
-This is a sea dog's swordsmanship, Asher!
-Oooooh!!!
Asher had already learned deck swordplay.
* * *
Tae, a crewman of the Black Falcon Pirates, was stunned by the scene unfolding before him.
'What the hell is that monster...!'
Late at night, he'd spotted a small, ornate ship through the spyglass and called the captain out for a raid.
At first, he thought it was some inland noble out for fun, emboldened by the recent quiet from the archipelago pirates.
If so, it was prime prey.
Kidnap them, hold for ransom, collect the gold.
And there was a woman aboard.
Inland women were premium goods in the archipelago that ship was a gift box.
But that notion flew out the window the moment they drew near.
There was a monster on board.
An inland knight? Hired as a noble's guard on this vessel?
Kwadududuk!
The man dodged a swarm of sailors with uncanny moves, dropping them one by one with single strikes.
Unlike his refined looks, he exuded pure killing intent.
A tidal wave of presence. Sailors crumpled miserably before they could even plant their feet on deck.
And it wasn't just the man.
'Wh-what the hell is that wench?!'
Shukwagwak!
The woman with sky-blue hair whipping in the wind was unreal.
Not in a "her beauty is otherworldly" way.
'Wh-what...!'
With an innocent face, she swirled her sword like a dancer.
The blade, glinting bluish in the moonlight, traced unpredictable arcs, neutralizing sailors effortlessly.
No way to approach.
It was refined to the extreme, like a circus act.
This way, they'd be annihilated.
The resilient Black Falcons, holding out on the archipelago fringes, would end up fish food.
The thought had just crossed his mind.
"Not yet?!!!"
A gravelly shout rang out.
Tae hiccuped and creakily turned his head.
Thud, thud. Footsteps came from the cabin.
Then bang! The cabin door flew open, revealing a middle-aged man.
Over two meters tall, fierce face, bushy beard, flashy clothes.
The cutlass at his waist was twice the size of the others.
His presence alone was intimidating.
Tae trembled and bowed his head.
"C-captain...!"
Lycus, captain of the Black Falcon Pirates.
A powerhouse who'd ruled from the Great Pirate Era to now, once the Pirate King's right-hand man.
He stomped out, muttering harshly.
And right after.
"You rotten lot, struggling against one joyriding noble... Huh?"
Lycus's eyes widened.
His gaze locked precisely on the woman with sky-blue hair.
'Ah, he's taking her for himself!'
Tae saw it as a relief.
With the captain's attention diverted, no blowback for him.
Tae bowed lower, speaking in a fawning tone to Lycus.
"C-captain! There's a knight on that ship...!"
But his words didn't finish.
Lycus, looking shocked yet ecstatic with a beaming smile, leaped across with a kwang!
Near-instantaneous speed.
Lycus landed right toward the woman.
She noticed Lycus's presence.
And so,
Cheeeeng!
Their swords clashed, unleashing a sonic boom.
The ship rocked.
Tae gaped in horror at Lycus's brute strength and the woman's power meeting it head-on.
The refined-looking knight charged Lycus with a savage glare.
But Lycus twisted his body freakishly to evade, launching his next move at the woman.
The second exchange happened, and right after, Lycus bellowed,
"What are you, wench!!!"
That was the turning point.
"How do you wield the Pirate King's swordsmanship!!!"
Creak
The woman froze.
With a baffled look, as if wondering what that meant.
The fierce knight halted too. He narrowed his brow at her.
Lycus in the center was in extreme excitement.
As far as Tae knew, he never made that face even during drunken festivals with women.
Lycus slammed his sword to the deck and stomped toward the woman.
Then grab, he seized her shoulder and said,
"Are you alive?! Kadan Riguelle! The Pirate King!!!"
The woman's eyes blinked vacantly.
Her mouth hung open.
While everyone was dumbfounded, trying to process.
Kiiik
The cabin door opened.
A decadent black-haired woman appeared, puffing her pipe.
She exhaled smoke and smirked crookedly.
Her next words were shocking.
"She's his daughter."
"?!"
"That girl. The Pirate King's daughter."
"!!!"
Lycus's eyes bulged.
Asher's eyes bulged too.
Both men turned to Judith simultaneously, and Judith telepathically told Asher at that moment,
[Play along. It'll be easy if you do.]
A brazen lie.