Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Eve's Defeat
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"Ha, fuck."
Eve swung her sword wildly through the empty air before taking a step back. Thanks to that, the hero managed to regain his composure. I grabbed the mermaid by the hair and pointed my mace at her head as I said,
"Drop your weapon."
I was praying desperately that this threat would work exactly as intended. Honestly, even holding the hostage and fighting, I had no confidence in subduing Eve. Killing her would be a waste, but taking her down without any losses would cost too much. Backing off was the best option for both sides. Eve tapped her sword against the deck and stared at me.
"My weapon? What if I don't? What the fuck are you gonna do then? Kill her. Go on, kill her. You think I'm acting like this 'cause I can't beat you lot? The second my mom dies, you're all fish food. Got it? Let's see how cocky you are fighting down there in the sea."
Eve jabbed a finger toward the ocean. She was right. The moment that crazy bitch jumped into the water, we had no way of catching her. Beating a mermaid in an underwater fight was damn near impossible. And this wasn't just any mermaid—she was the kind who could smash ships barehanded. The instant I killed this mermaid, she'd wreck the ship and drag us into a submarine brawl.
"Go on, jump in."
But I couldn't yield here. If I dropped my weapon out of fear from her words, I'd be a eunuch in no time. Losing this war of words meant death, so I couldn't back down any further. The hero stood between me and Eve, eyes darting back and forth. I tapped the mermaid's crotch with my mace and said,
"Go on, jump in. I'll fucking ram this mace right up there."
"Ha, fuck. This is getting interesting."
But Eve clearly didn't want to watch the mermaid die either, so she didn't make a move. A bizarre stalemate had formed. Just like the hero said, there was room for negotiation now. Sailors were starting to creep out from hiding spots all over the ship. Eve spotted them slinking around and exploded in rage.
"Fuck! What the hell are you bitches doing? Get back to work!"
The sailors hesitated and froze. They were torn. From what I'd seen so far, these women hadn't become sailors by choice. They were forced into it by lesbian rapes and terrifying threats—no doubt about it. And right now, the final chance to take Eve down was right in front of them.
Eve ruffled her hair to swallow her anger. She glanced back and forth between me and the hero, then raised a single finger and said,
"I'll say this once. Let my mom go, and I'll let the priest go. I'll even give you a ship—get lost on it. Aei? Fuck, drop your weapon now and I won't cut off your arms. Cut the shitty rebellion. Got it?"
"Pass."
I answered before the hero could. I started grinding the mace against the mermaid's crotch. The cold metal made contact, and the mermaid let out a faint moan. Eve freaked out and screamed,
"Fuck! Keep that up! I'll rip your guts out alive and salt them! And you, fucking Aei—I'll hack off your limbs and fuck you like a dog! You hear me? You get it, you pieces of shit? Drop your weapons and let my mom go!"
But she still didn't dive into the water. No matter how badass she was, me snapping the mermaid's neck would happen faster than her smashing the ship. She knew acting rashly would be too late, so she couldn't plunge in.
"What are you fuckers doing? Get to work!"
The moment Eve's anxiety showed on her face, her reign of terror started crumbling. The sailors began staring blankly at me, Aei, and Eve in turn. And that's when the hero spoke up.
"You mustn't give in to fear."
Eve clamped her mouth shut mid-rant. She took a step toward the hero. He steadied his breath and continued,
"Everyone. We can all make it out alive. If you help us, we can definitely pull this off."
"Ha, fuck, is this bitch nuts? What are you worthless cunts doing? Go back to work or crawl under the deck! Wanna get fucked after this ends?"
"You all want to go home, don't you? We can make that happen. How long's it been since you saw your homes? One year? Two? We'll send you back. We can do it!"
"You fucking bitches! Get lost! All of you under deck! You fucking..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Heretic Inquisitor] Can declare opponent as evil, dark attribute. Deals double damage to evil, dark attribute targets. Takes only half damage from them. Bang!
The gunshot rang out. Eve whipped her head toward the sound, face full of panic. One of the sailors was holding a gun, trembling violently. The bullet she'd fired had punched a small hole in the ship's wall. Eve stared at her in disbelief and let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha, fuck."
"I-I..."
The sailor was shaking. But she didn't back down. Clutching her quivering legs, she shouted at Eve,
"I want to go home! Fuck, I want to go home! You goddamn bitch!"
She jammed fresh powder into the gun. Eve had the strength to snap her neck before she could fire. But as she lunged forward and reached out, the sailors on deck rushed Eve all at once, no one waiting for anyone else.
"Save my husband, you bitch!"
"Let me go home! I've done enough!"
"I can't keep living hauling away castrated corpses! I'm going home!"
Hands grabbed from every direction. Eve shook them off, creating a split-second opening. A mere instant—but more than enough for hero Aei. He stepped forward, thrust his curved sword ahead, and crouched low.
The next moment, Aei's body shot toward Eve like lightning. The sailors clinging to her burst away with a bang. Aei's blade pierced straight through Eve's belly and out her back.
"Urk...!"
Eve's shocked face turned toward Aei. I smashed a fist into the downed mermaid's face to knock her out cold again, then charged at Eve. Whatever about training her or turning her into a slave could wait. Survival came first.
With her gut skewered, Eve glared at Aei with eyes brimming with emotion. Her empty hand gripped a razor-sharp blade. She tried shoving the hero away by force, but once he'd burrowed in, he had no intention of pulling out. Eve stared at him with pain and shock twisting her features. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth. I gripped my mace in both hands.
"You... fuck... ing...!"
"Eve!"
I shouted. My mace was aimed dead at her. Eve started to swing her blade at Aei but turned to look at me instead.
"I deem you evil!"
I charged at Eve. At the same time, Aei yanked his sword free and rolled to the side. The shock made Eve clutch her belly and drop to her knees. Bright blue blood soaked the deck.
I swung my mace with everything I had at the kneeling Eve. Her eyes locked onto the mace hurtling toward her. She seemed to be reminiscing about the old days— a faint, distant light flickered in her gaze for a moment.
Clang!
But her sob story meant nothing to me. She was just the bitch who'd tried to steal my woman. Eve rocketed backward like a cannonball from the mace blow, smashing half the deck before slamming into the far corner of the ship.
"Guh...!"
And yet she was still alive. I caught my breath and checked her status. Blue blood streamed from her head. I'd figured someone pulling shit like hers wouldn't have normal human blood, and sure enough, even the color was off. She flailed her hand in the air and murmured,
"Mom..."
The sailors were hugging each other and sobbing. Aei tossed ropes to the ones who'd fallen overboard. I noticed the mermaid on the deck staring blankly at Eve before slowly crawling toward her. I didn't bother stopping her. The mermaid clutched Eve's hand tight, then passed out with her head pressed to the deck.
"Fucking bitches."
I muttered it under my breath, too quiet to hear. To make sure she couldn't do shit even if she woke up, I fetched chains from below deck and wrapped her arms and legs multiple times. And just in case she slipped free, I kept my mace ready to smash her skull, watching her right up until we docked.
Luckily, Eve didn't come to properly before we reached the harbor.
Eve's pirate ship stirred up absolute chaos at the port. Voices mixed with alarm shouted everywhere about pirates finally raiding directly, warnings blaring. Only after hearing they'd open fire if we didn't turn back did Aei and I show the tightly bound Eve to calm the maritime guards.
Eve said,
"Let my mom go. I killed them all. I lured them in and killed them. Mom never killed anyone."
"I don't give a shit about that."
"Let her go. I'll pay for my crimes. Fuck, is it a crime for a mermaid to kill mermaid hunters? Mom's innocent—let her go!"
As Aei handed over the contraband he'd found aboard to the guards, Eve pleaded with me. I shook my head. The way the sailors freaked out even at the mermaid proved she'd taken part in the murders. Hell, jerking off in front of the corpses sealed her as an accomplice. Eve ground her teeth and glared at me. I just found it pathetic.
"Mermaids that valuable? Enough for hunters to roam around?"
"They pay well. Mermaid blood... Hold on, fuck, you don't mean..."
Eve stared at me in horror. Why was she shocked at me planning legal mermaid sales when she didn't bat an eye at her own killings? I figured I'd hand the knocked-out mermaid to the guildmaster as the true culprit behind it all.
The guildmaster was already foaming mad—he'd handle it. Mermaids were a jack-of-all-trades species: edible meat, usable blood, even sex toys. They were just rare, smart, and hard to catch, but once nabbed, demand was sky-high.
And a mixed-blood mermaid like her? Top-tier rarity. Since we'd caught her anyway, I planned to drag our Eve all the way back to my territory.