HEO 107

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠“Ah, I see.”

In Silver’s vision for the future, the target of the phrase “If you don’t want your nose to be the first to disembark, head for land.” had shifted from Charcoal Bear to Stuffy-Nosed Mouse. The man had somehow established a maritime kingdom in the meantime. His ability to take action was thunderous.

“He just barged into the bedroom out of nowhere. Right in the middle of Charcoal Bear roughly conquering her lover’s ass. He declared that the Shark Teeth Gang was his from now on and grabbed the fireplace poker before snapping it in half.”

“The poker?”

Silver frowned.

“It must’ve been a wooden poker. Or maybe Charcoal Bear was high on drugs and hallucinating.”

“Ah, of course.”

The senior pirate shrugged.

“But Charcoal Bear needed an excuse to surrender without even putting up a fight, right? So the opponent had to be a monster. He’d have to easily break an iron poker for her to save face. Anyway, that night, Charcoal Bear lost everything, including her house, to Stuffy-Nosed Mouse. Oh, except for her lover.”

“Charcoal Bear went broke overnight…”

“She didn’t go broke. She’s the vice captain. Do you think that greedy bastard would just go down without a fight? She negotiated with Stuffy-Nosed Mouse. And the next day….”

Suddenly, the senior’s voice broke with tears.

“From that day until now, we haven’t been able to take a single puff of weed. The new captain burned every last herb in the garden to the ground to celebrate his appointment. Not a single leaf left. Every last bit!”

It seemed as though he wouldn’t even wail so bitterly at a family funeral. The senior wiped his eyes roughly with his sleeve.

“Without even a little comfort, what’s the point of being a pirate? I don’t even know what to do while I’m not high. Think?”

The senior’s face contorted. Just saying the word “think” seemed to make him want to vomit.

“Everything’s so strange! I wake up every morning with a clear head. I can hear the birds chirping clearly. I can taste the nutty flavor of the bread. How can a person be like this?”

“You’re doing a great job with your rehabilitation.”

“Rehabilitation? Don’t give me that nonsense! This is destruction, that’s what it is!”

The senior covered his face with both hands and sobbed.

“A jog all the way around this huge island! And as if that weren’t enough, carrying logs back and forth along the beach! Diving into the ocean at dawn! Pushing boulders! It’s enough to make sweat pour from my bones! Anyway, you go see the new captain right now.”

“Why?”

“Did the captain tell me why he’s looking for you? I don’t know! I don’t know!”

Silver gave up on asking any more questions.

Damn bastard, just keep doing those damn rehab exercises day and night until you drop dead.

“The captain’s probably holed up at home. You’re here, and I’ve delivered the message. Whether you go see him or not, it’s none of my business from now on.”

With that, the senior slammed the door shut and stormed off. Silver’s belt pouch bulged and jiggled.

〔Ƨᴉɼʌԍʁ, Ƨᴉɼʌԍʁ! Looks like that weirdo’s trying to recruit you!〕

Before Silver could even open his pouch, Starry Eyes shouted. Silver let out a “Tch” and sat down on the bed.

“Recruit? That’s like counting your chickens before they’re hatched.”

〔That’s the only reason to look for you! Ƨᴉɼʌԍʁ is the only person on this island who doesn’t need rehabilitation! That alone makes you an outstanding talent!〕

Starry Eyes leapt into the air.

〔He might even promote you to third in the ranks! Hurry up and go!〕

“Go where? I’m heading to the mainland. I’m sick and tired of this drug island.”

〔It’s not a drug island anymore. The members are all in rehab. If you get this place in order, it’ll be the envy of most tribes, don’t you think?〕

That was true. After all, the line between pirate groups and tribes was blurred in Stoll. Depending on Stuffy-Nosed Mouse’s decision, the Shark Teeth Gang could be reborn as the Shark Teeth Tribe overnight.

〔Ƨᴉɼʌԍʁ, look at the natural environment here. It’s so bountiful, nothing like the mainland. It wouldn’t be bad to settle down here.〕

“No thanks. Group living comes with too many rules to follow. I prefer the free life of a wanderer.”

〔It’s wise to keep your options open, Ƨᴉɼʌԍʁ. I don’t think it’d be a bad idea to try living here for just a year to see how it goes. You never know, that eccentric guy might offer you a huge bonus.〕

“A huge… bonus?”

His ears perked up. Among the quotes left by Black Weasel, the only one Silver ever acknowledged was, “The sweetest scent in the world is the smell of money.”

But…….

An uncomfortable feeling took hold. It might be different with anyone else, but Stuffy-Nosed Mouse was someone he’d harbored inappropriate desires for, even if only for a brief moment.

Settle down in that guy’s territory?

“No way. Absolutely not! No matter how huge the bonus, settling down just isn’t my thing… Huh?”

Silver blinked. He didn’t even realize when he’d moved, he was already outside his lodgings. His feet had been more honest than his head.

Starry Eyes slipped into his belt pouch, cheering.

〔Let’s go! Bonus negotiations! Bonus negotiations!〕

〔Make sure to get an advance payment! I want to get some new clothes made!〕

“……Ugh.”

Silver fastened his pouch and looked up.

“Alright. I’ll have an attire made for you out of the finest Atania silk.”

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠2 .

The autumn sky was tinged with the colors of sunset. The old house, perched atop the hill and exposed to the wind, looked as if it were floating in a pool of blood.

Originally part of Charcoal Bear’s territory, the house was still crooked. The shoddily nailed wooden planks covering each window rattled in the wind. It looked like an old warrior limping along.

The front door, which slid open before he even knocked, was exactly the same as before. Pirates like him never lock their doors. It was to teach a lesson to any insolent fool who barged in with an axe in the middle of the night. Charcoal Bear, however, ended up being the one who got the short end of the stick.

A single torch hung on the hallway wall. Aside from the areas illuminated by its light, the hallway seemed to melt into pitch-black darkness, appearing like a solid mass of blackness. With every step he took, he felt as if his whole body were sinking into a lump of tar.

Silver hesitated in front of the door.

What’s this?

Skeptical, he took a deep breath. A subtle scent wafted out from the crack beneath the door… He’d smelled it once before. On that night when stolen content Stuffy-Nosed Mouse fell ill with fever, the old lodge – battling the torrential rain with every fiber of its being – had been enveloped in the exact same scent.

The scent of a rain-soaked forest. Sandalwood.

Suddenly, Silver felt dizzy. He leaned against the wall and shook his head. The rough splinters on the wooden wall pricked his palm.

Why all of a sudden…?

Silver took a slow, deep breath. Once more. Then again.

No matter how many times he steadied his breathing, the dizziness wouldn’t subside. On the contrary, the hallway stretched out like a pool of melted candle wax. Every time the wind swayed the torch, it left layer upon layer of crimson afterimages.

More importantly, the scent. The sandalwood fragrance, which should have lingered briefly in his lungs before fading away, seemed to have lost its way. It wandered as if it were searching for a path, crawling into every corner of his body. Although the concentration was minimal, it felt as if the scent was seeping into his very bones.

Silver rubbed his forehead against the wall and held his breath. Something was wrong. There was no way such a confusing physical reaction could be triggered by an ordinary scent. That bastard must have mixed drugs into the sandalwood powder.

Was this guy a junkie?

He’d briefly suspected it that night too. He’d just forgotten about it. Because for a guy who snorted drugs, he radiated a solar-like energy. And the disgust in his gaze toward the junkies here seemed genuine.

As the scent of sandalwood seeped in again, even the memories he’d forced himself to bury resurfaced. A young body burning like a ball of fire on the bed. Golden hair clinging to his face. Those vacant eyes staring right at him. And even the strange fissure that opened up inside him when he leaned in close to him.

Maybe that was all there was to it. Maybe that damn experience was nothing more than a hallucination. Maybe the rebellion his own body staged back then was just a trick played by the drugs, cleverly hidden within that exquisite scent.

Just then, a sound came from beyond the door. The sound of footsteps approaching, thud, thud. The unusually heavy footsteps directly revealed a strong build. Moreover, he was barefoot. Shoes wouldn’t make such a soft sound.

The footsteps came to a sudden halt just beyond the door.

Silence.

Silver couldn’t even move a fingertip. As if determined to become a bowstring, every muscle in his body was taut. That’s how intense the tension had become, all because of the sound of footsteps approaching him.

Silver held his breath and closed his eyes. He squeezed every ounce of strength from himself and urged himself on.

What are you doing?

Don’t waste time. Get out of here. Now!

Just as he was about to turn his head, the door opened.

Silver’s entire body froze. A man leaned one arm against the doorframe and looked down at Silver. His muscular torso was covered only by golden hair that cascaded stolen contentdown to his chest. His face, half-hidden in the darkness, was expressionless. He looked like a statue carved from snow-white plaster.