Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Sea's Song Called by the Stars
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Suddenly, Aureal exposed the crown of her head as a sign of submission.
Truly taken aback by this, I asked in a slightly cautious tone.
"...You do know what you're saying right now... that I'm a pirate, right?"
"Of course, Pirate King Ezra Drake... I ask you once more. Please allow me to follow you."
"...Why? Even if I did save your life, you should know better than anyone that this path doesn't suit a priestess."
Of course, our ship wasn't entirely without former priests.
But that woman had seemed like a loan shark in priestly robes from the first moment I saw her—no trace of true piety to be found even if you washed your eyes out looking for it.
Somehow, she wielded divine power at an absurdly high level,
but compared to the 'real priestess' standing before me now, Aureal, it was like the difference between holy water from the grand cathedral and groundwater from underground rock.
With me harboring all sorts of doubts about this situation,
Aureal spoke in a serious voice.
"...Certainly... I know it's not an easy path. Depending on the circumstances, it might even stain my hands with the mud of sin. But..."
With those words, she gazed at the burning mansion.
Wearing an expression filled with sorrow, she quietly said,
"After what happened today... I can no longer be certain of anything. What is good... what is evil... and whether gods truly exist at all."
"So... you've lost quite a bit of your faith... is that what you mean?"
At my words, Aureal nodded slightly, her face darkened.
She had been betrayed by those she trusted and unjustly abandoned by the religion she served.
In a way, one could even say the gods had forsaken her.
Having no faith myself to begin with, I couldn't fully understand, but I could at least accept that her personal convictions had been shattered.
"So... I've decided to find out for myself. About the pirate life that others call evil... and about that Buddhism you mentioned believing in."
"Hmm... Buddhism..."
Suddenly, words I'd tossed out half in jest as a reflexive sermon had come back twisted in the strangest way, leaving me quite perplexed, but at least I could grasp why she wanted to become a pirate.
Today's events had completely shattered the standards of life she had held until now...
The signposts named good and evil, and gods, all smashed to pieces for Aureal.
To rebuild them,
she had decided to confront and judge everything herself,
and in doing so, she had chosen a path she had never walked before.
And from my perspective, there was no reason to refuse such a determined resolve, especially since it meant gaining a capable talent.
"...Alright. If that's what you want."
"Ah!"
At those words, Aureal's face lit up with joy for a moment.
In response, I gave her a deep smile and said,
"Then, as captain, I'll issue my first order starting now. It's about tomorrow's performance."
*
The central hall of Bennetsa.
This place, capable of seating five thousand people, was currently packed with crowds from all corners of the continent.
The vast majority were here to participate in the grand auction,
but everyone present shared one additional purpose.
And that included
the woman who had quietly taken her seat among the crowd at this moment.
A woman sitting with a pure white crow mask on.
Among those here for business, she had come from one of the farthest places, and she was feeling quite excited about this opportunity that had fallen into her lap by chance.
'Lucky me... Who would've thought I'd get to hear Aureal's song in a place like this.'
The being renowned across the continent for her heavenly voice.
Having missed chances before due to her busy daily life, the fact that she could now hear the world's top singer's voice filled her with stronger anticipation than the auction itself.
At that moment.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting so long. Before we begin the main auction in earnest, we have a performance to celebrate this event."
The host's voice, amplified by magic.
At the signal to start, her eyes sparkled.
'Oh... finally!'
Then, one person ascended the stage.
Dressed in an elegant gown,
with beautiful silver hair and blue eyes,
a woman whose mysterious and sacred aura was striking.
Aureal Stardust.
She took a deep breath, seemingly a bit tense,
and at the same time, silence began to settle over the central hall, where a slight murmur had arisen.
*
With everyone in the hall closing their mouths, waiting only for one person to speak.
In that atmosphere,
Aureal carefully gripped the staff enchanted with amplification magic
and opened her mouth in a gentle voice.
"Forte in adulescentia mea
Incredibile verbum audivi
Attrahenti fabula de dando totum mundum
Somnum dedisti mihi"
A song in Latin lyrics flowing calmly in a slightly wavering tone.
Though it was unfamiliar music,
her voice, serene yet carrying a sense of sorrow,
began to touch people's hearts sweetly, like rain sprinkling on parched earth.
"Ridiculum est, etsi caput excutio
Me intra me spectat me et susurrus
Mundus ad somniantium pertinet
Anime, potes"
Her song spread softly, like the faint morning mist.
Not due to mere amplification magic.
The unique timbre flowing from the vocal cords crafted by a heavenly being.
That sound, piercing straight to the heart, warmly enveloped the listeners' ears.
And...
"Tempus transit sine intermissione
Non possum sic abire"
A clear melody began to weave into the gently flowing song.
Like a single ray of dawn piercing the darkness,
it slowly expanded its reach, gradually awakening the senses of those captivated by the silence.
"Sumamus in provocationem simul
Tu et ego tenens manus
Congregans omnia nostra somnia!"
Her voice ignited like the rising sun.
Like brilliant light dispelling the darkness of dawn,
it made the audience's hearts pound as if awakening a sleeping world.
Ventos et! altos fluctus!
Nunquam timeo ne si quid obstat!
Even stronger.
Faster.
More beautifully...
And... at the moment when that brilliant symphony of tones reached its peak!
Multis… iudiciis…
sine fine explicans…
A sudden silence at the end of the passion.
The sensation of all the fervently burning emotions compressing in an instant enveloped everyone present.
Est in clara cras....
Her trembling voice faded like a dying candle.
Along with the feeling of the light that had illuminated the world gathering into a single point and vanishing.
People's hearts were seized by a profound shiver.
With that, Aureal politely bowed her head.
The silence that followed signaled the end of the performance.
Amid the shivers in their hearts, the audience could only take a moment to compose themselves.
And... the moment those emotions finally calmed...
-Clap... clap... clap clap clap clap!!!
Starting with one person's applause, thunderous cheers erupted.
In the wave of overwhelming joy, Aureal looked over the crowd before her and bowed once more.
The praise poured without restraint amid the lingering intense afterglow.
However.
Those who had heard her song this time...
More precisely, those who understood Latin tilted their heads slightly.
"It's an amazing song as always... but it feels a bit different from usual."
"Indeed, didn't Aureal usually sing hymns?"
Aureal had always sung songs praising the Lord.
Yet in today's performance, she hadn't mentioned gods even once.
Even so, the lyrics themselves were excellent.
"Well... since it's a grand auction today, she must have chosen a special song."
"I don't know who composed it, but it was quite good. I should look into it if I get the chance."
Dismissing it as no big deal, they simply enjoyed the great song.
But at this moment,
among those spectators,
the very person who had commissioned today's song from Aureal—the one who had essentially made it possible for her to sing here.
And...
the one who could now, in this world, command her to sing.
From behind his black crow mask, he wore a deep smile, savoring a unique thrill different from the others.
'As expected of a genius... Who knew she'd take that short time and arrange it into something this artistic...'
His favorite song, a symbol of pirates.
To hear it in Latin operatic style...
And sung with an artistic voice that fully deserved the title of heavenly,
that fact filled him with profound emotion.
Thus, to greet Aureal after her utterly satisfying performance...
And to begin his business in earnest at this auction house,
he quietly left his seat.
And.
Right after the man in the black crow mask departed,
the woman standing directly behind him...
The one wearing a pure white crow mask
tilted her head slightly.
'...One Piece?'