Chapter 15
Chapter 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: To Avoid Being Sold for 2380 Copper per 100g
-----------------------------------------------------------------
An unfamiliar ceiling loomed before her eyes.
Staring up at it,
she...
The woman named Elkana spoke in a dazed voice.
"?... I'm... alive?"
The cannonball hurtling toward her in that final moment.
She had figured her already dwindling life would end right there.
Yet here she was, alive.
And not just alive—no more pain or fatigue nagging at her.
If anything, her body felt in the absolute peak condition, high as could be.
'What happened? Why am I...'
Puzzled by the fact, Elkana glanced around her surroundings.
That's when...
"Mmgh..."
"Hm?"
The next moment, a familiar voice rang in her ears.
Turning toward the sound, Elkana's eyes welled up at the sight before her.
"Mazelan..."
A man dozing face-down on the bed.
The instant she saw the person she'd been ready to die protecting was safe, Elkana's heart flooded with profound relief.
Her hand reached out instinctively.
She lowered herself, driven by the urge to pull him into a tight embrace right then and there.
But...
"...Heh heh heh..."
A different urge suddenly bloomed, shoving aside the previous one.
Elkana wiped the tears from her eyes and broke into a sly grin.
And then...
-Thwack!
"Gah!"
A merciless, powerful fist came crashing down.
That strike—rivaling a bullet... no, a cannonball—shone a brilliant light into Mazelan's foggy mind as he drowsily nodded off.
It was so brilliant it felt like his head was scorching, a minor side effect...
"Ugh... what the...? Who the hell...?!"
"How long you gonna laze around? Good kids get up early!"
"..."
"...Huh?"
No reaction to their usual morning greeting.
Mazelan just stared at her blankly. Feeling awkward, Elkana asked cautiously,
"Wh-what...? Why're you staring like that? It's weirding me out... say something...! Ack!"
Mazelan pulled her into a fierce embrace.
The bone-crushing hug left her breathless; she squirmed a little in discomfort.
But...
"Thank... goodness... you're really... really okay..."
"..."
His body trembled with deep relief. Unthinkingly, Elkana smiled faintly and patted his back gently.
"Thank you... really... thank you so much... Elkana... for staying alive..."
"...No, thank you for surviving, Mazelan."
They'd both thought it was truly the end, but they'd escaped that crisis.
Sharing their joy at the fact, the two held each other close for a quiet moment.
After some time passed and the intense emotions settled, Mazelan sheepishly released her, a bit embarrassed.
That's when.
"So, when're you buying me that dress?"
"Uh...? D-dress?"
"You didn't forget, right? You promised—if we survived, you'd get me a dress dripping with jewels. You were bawling your eyes out when you said it. No backing out now?"
"Ah..."
The memory from back then resurfaced belatedly.
It had been a sincere promise made in the heat of crisis, so he had to keep it.
But...
"W-well... about that..."
"What? Now that we're alive, you're saying a dress is too good for a girl like me?"
"N-no... it's not that... actually..."
Mazelan hemmed and hawed, hesitating.
But... it was something she'd find out eventually, so he had no choice but to explain everything that had happened.
This was the Pirate King's ship's cabin.
Thanks to the Pirate King, their lives had been barely spared, and they'd sworn to serve under him.
And something even more serious...
"Wh-what...? 100 talants? No, what kind of treatment costs ten times over? And 10% a week—what country's interest rate is that?"
"W-we scraped together every coin left on the ship and paid back 25 talants... but there's still 75 left."
"...Damn... this is highway robbery... oh right, they are pirates."
Complaining about people whose job was literally to hold swords and demand money was pretty ridiculous to begin with.
Besides, considering it was their ransom in that dire situation, it was almost a bargain.
And they weren't broke to start with—75 talants wasn't that huge compared to what they'd earned as renowned bounty hunters.
The problem was...
"Yeah... we can kiss the money in Marnseu Bank goodbye."
"Sigh... all that hard-earned cash... 8000 talants we scrimped on by skipping drinks and dames..."
"...Even now, you're sneak-flexing?"
"A compliment, right?"
"Hmph..."
With the navy firing cannons, they'd surely fabricated some charges and seized everything.
Their bank deposits would've been frozen in the process.
Already marked by the duke, they couldn't return to Marnseu Port anyway. They were practically penniless.
In this mess, with that insane 10% weekly interest, they needed cash fast—but Elkana's mind drew a blank.
"W-well... at least the creditor's the first mate now, so we're underlings. Having some debt shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
"...You don't know her, do you? That pirate named Lemain."
"Uh... huh?"
"It's rumors, but villages have vanished from the map after borrowing once from her. Even a lord once—family and whole village turned into fresh meat, sold on the black market for 2380 copper per 100g. You think someone like that'll go easy on underlings?"
The oddly specific figure nagged at her, but either way, screwing up the debt could mean getting butchered and sold down to the bones.
Rumor or not, best to settle accounts with her ASAP.
"Ugh... then no time for dresses... wh-what do we do now...?"
Obviously, bounty hunting pirates for rewards was out in their current state.
Pirating themselves? Looting chances were unpredictable, and the interest was snowballing like mad.
Great they survived, but this headache of a situation had Elkana frowning.
That's when.
"No choice... only one option left."
"Huh? What? Hidden emergency fund?"
"Emergency fund... well, more like mission pay we forgot to collect. Remember that weird witch's job from before? The one who had us hunting Leviathan, tearing across the seas for nearly three months?"
"!... Oh... yeah. We got paid, but rushed off without grabbing it, right?"
"Yep, around 800 talants. That covers the debt easy, with change."
"True. Plus, we could set up shop properly..."
They'd joined the Pirate King, but as total newbies.
They needed spare cash to live day-to-day and build status here.
So Mazelan and Elkana set first goal: withdraw from Bennetsa Bank.
Then, root themselves fast—not as faceless rookies, but snag higher spots...
Like executive roles.
And...
Once executives with real say in the Pirate King's fleet...
"Ocleang... you dare slaughter our comrades..."
"That pig of a duke... I'll snap his neck with these hands, whatever it takes..."
Unlike the lucky survivors, their other comrades from Demanes had been massacred.
Thinking of Demanes' precious family who sacrificed to protect them still set her heart ablaze.
Revenge was a must.
To soothe their comrades weeping bloody tears in the afterlife, they had to end Duke Ocleang themselves.
To do that, they needed to win the Pirate King's favor and wield his massive power.
Firming their resolve, as they dove into Bennetsa details...
-Knock knock.
"Hm?"
A sudden knock.
The cabin door creaked open slowly, revealing a familiar face.
"Ah... you're... from that time..."
"Hello. I'm Ambasha."
The girl from Cyprus Island, greeting with bright, sparkling eyes.
Awkward from their rocky first meeting, Mazelan spoke carefully to her.
"What brings you here...? Um, what's up?"
She was the Pirate King—their new boss's—daughter, so manners mattered.
Ambasha replied with surprising seriousness for her age.
"I heard. New to our crew, right? Dad said as a senior to show you the ropes."
"Senior..."
Mazelan felt weird hearing that from a girl half his age.
Unlike him, Elkana beamed at Ambasha.
"Perfect timing—we had tons of questions. Looking forward to it, Senior."
"Yes! First, the basics: No fighting among crew on board, and..."
Elkana's natural, friendly vibe melted the awkwardness.
Ambasha jumped right in.
Mazelan thought she adapted fast, riding the mood quietly as he listened.
She seemed excited despite her serious tone—kinda cute.
*
A map spread out in the command room.
Gazing at the Mediterranean Sea layout, I asked the man across from me calmly.
"What do you think?"
"...Not easy. Entry's fine, but exiting? Hard to dodge the Adriatic Fleet completely."
Brown-haired man in glasses, slim build, intellectual look.
One of the crew's executives, our ship's navigator.
Samir Rolronua.
Disappointed by the top navigator's cool assessment, I said bitterly,
"Tch... slipping in and out quietly's a no-go, huh."
"Season's bad. Currents favor entry but not quick retreat... Personally, I don't recommend Bennetsa now."
"Hm..."
We'd have to eat some losses.
Normally, I'd scout other options per his advice.
But...
"Too bad. I'm not asking to decide— just how much loss to expect."
"Is something... up? Why Bennetsa now?"
Samir ventured cautiously.
I replied,
"Yes. Set sail."
"...As you command, Captain."
Samir bowed politely and left the cabin.
I stared at Bennetsa on the map.
The maritime city called Queen of the Adriatic Sea.
One item slumbering there.
And recalling
one person...