HEO 126

The pirates’ reaction was explosive.

“Woooooh!”

“The bird is talking!”

“Captain! You’re the best!”

Screams and cheers erupted, and the speed of the rowing quickened. The square sails were unfurled. In an instant, the three ships entered the narrow waterways of the Shark Tooth Archipelago. Dozens of oars moved as one. They lay flat in perfect order, plunged deep into the water, and rose smoothly. The ships maneuvered through the jagged reefs as if they were one body. A roaring song echoed, loud enough to blow away all the seagulls perched on the cliffs.

When they were about halfway through the waterway, Silver approached Wolf.

“Look.”

There was a circle mark on a spot on the map he held out to Wolf.

“That’s Morgan. The optimal route is to sail along the northern continental shelf beyond the Whetstone Shoal. Since the currents are pushing eastward at this time of year, set our leeward direction at 15 degrees until we get out of the waterway, and then just let the wind take over.”

“If the wind is right, we’ll reach a mainland port before sunset.”

Wolf muttered. Silver sat on the railing.

“Fuck. I’m finally leaving this goddamn island.”

A sense of relief hung in his sharp tone. His platinum blonde hair fluttered in the wind. Red Eagle landed on Wolf’s shoulder after circling from bow to stern. Wolf gave a slight nod to the white parrot.

Yesterday, Wolf had instructed Red Eagle to call him Captain, not Wolf, for the time being.

Wolf swallowed nervously and looked at Silver.

“Silver.”

“Yes.”

Silver kept his gaze fixed solely on the sea. After a moment of silence, Wolf kicked his voice out of his mouth with all his might.

“What’s your father’s name?”

“Why do you ask?”

Silver glanced sideways. Wolf turned his head and pushed his hair back with one hand.

“You said he was the best assassin in Stoll? If it’s a man like that, I can’t help but be curious.”

“Tch, what a trivial thing to ask.”

Silver spat toward the sea. A look of gloom flickered across his eyes.

“Black Weasel. The Brave Black Weasel.”

“Black Weasel……. Without the epithet, the name is ordinary.”

“I’m not entirely sure. I told you, it took me days to remember that bastard’s name.”

Silver frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s probably the right name. I can’t guarantee it, though.”

“It must be right. Still, it’s a name his son struggled to remember for days.”

“Damn it, you’re being sarcastic.”

Silver kicked Wolf in the Read onleg and left for the rear. After letting some time pass, Wolf spoke in a quiet voice.

“Hey.”

〔What.〕

“Search it. That thing.”

〔Execute.〕

The Mirror Document unfolded before his eyes. Wolf clenched his fist tightly. Starting with the familiar fishbone, countless names followed in a string.

Black Weasel.

Black Weasel…

The name in question did not appear even as the list went past one hundred. It was such a common name that one would expect three or four people with the same name, but strangely, there wasn’t a single one. Around the time the list exceeded three hundred, Wolf let out a low sigh.

“Close.”

〔Confirmed.〕

The Mirror Document closed. Wolf leaned his back against the railing and tilted his head back. The cloudless autumn sky was as deep blue as it was yesterday. If it were a person, it would be a carefree expression. Though not to that extent, the look on his face right now was likely much lighter than yesterday.

“I didn’t kill Silver’s father.”

“Fuck. Awesome!”

The only thing left was to clear up Silver’s misunderstanding. It wouldn’t be easy, but he had to do it somehow. And… he also had to say those words. The words he had resolved to say someday, ever since he first spotted the mantis fairy perched on Silver’s shoulder on the beach.

I’m a survivor of the lair of the skeleton, just like you. What reward did you get there?

Why don’t you go on an adventure with me?

***

They arrived at the mainland port before sunset. By the time the three pirate ships rounded the final cape, the sun was turning a coppery hue as it descended from the sky. The port was large enough to fit thirty of the Shark Tooth Gang’s rickety docks with room to spare.

The stone pier stretched out into the sea like a measuring tape. Beside the local ships anchored in a row, several elegant and sophisticated Atanian merchant vessels caught the sea breeze. Dozens of warships belonging to the Stoll royal family were also visible. These warships, adorned with distinctive, ominous bow decorations, were clustered near the eastern breakwater, far from the ordinary vessels.

The pier was bustling with people. Sailors busily carried wooden crates along the deck ramps. Merchants raised their voices while shaking their cargo manifests, and somewhere, the harbor bell rang. Fishmongers, mule drivers, wagons, and carts mingled as they moved about. And the motley crew, acknowledged by everyone in Stoll as the true masters of the docks, were positioned here and there. Their eyes gleamed as they eyed today’s prey.

As the sun began to set, the pirate ships of the Shark Tooth Gang entered the empty berths. Before the mooring line could even be fully tightened, a motley crew spotted them.

“Huh? Oh! Oh oh!”

“Oh? Oh! Oh oh!”

The dockside owners swarmed in like rats flocking to a pile of grain. In an instant, the pirates were surrounded by beggars, pickpockets, female prostitutes, unauthorized copy male prostitutes, muggers, and the like.

“Honey! Your one-eyed look is so cool! One penny for the night!”

“Your gums are sexy! I’ll suck deep down your throat! One penny!”

“Just give me a penny!”

Hands held out here and there held not only beggar’s tin cans but also bundles of green leaves.

“Top-grade hallucinogenic herbs! One bundle for one penny!”

“One penny for two bundles! Taste heaven……!”

The sales pitches could not be completed. A pirate as big as a bear roughly snatched a bundle of hallucinogenic herbs from the hand of an old beggar woman, and, weeping profusely as if he were adoring a lover returning from war, buried his face in the herbs. Before long, the motley crew was surrounded by pirates.

The pirates pushed and shoved each other to snatch even a single leaf of the herbs. One pirate hit an old male prostitute on the head, knocking him unconscious, and snatched the bundle of herbs. In the blink of an eye, all the herbs belonging to the motley crew had fallen into the pirates’ grasp. As if stuffing them into their pockets with their hands wasn’t enough, they even put them in their mouths and stuck them in their ears and nostrils. Among them was a pirate who displayed his old pickpocketing skills to completely empty the pockets of the motley crew.

The commotion finally ended only after half a candle had burned out. The motley crew crawled on all fours between the pirates’ legs and barely managed to escape. Wolf raised one arm.

“Listen up! Everyone assemble at the dock tomorrow morning when the bell rings nine times. We will depart according to the tide. Anyone who doesn’t show up will be left behind!”

“Don’t worry, Captain!”

A female pirate with hallucinogenic herbs stuck in both ears clenched her fist.

“We will assemble at the bell ringing seven times! You’re going to be the one late, Captain!”

“You’re reliable.”

Wolf nodded; he decided that he would wake up at dawn tomorrow, go around to every inn, and beat those drug addicts to a pulp to wake them up.

“Now, let’s rest at the inn.”

Since there were so many people, they split into groups of 50 to enter each inn. Wolf, leading his pirate party including Vice-Captain Charcoal Bear and Silver, headed to a nearby inn.

The inn’s sign was worn down by the storms of time, looking no different from a pile of planks. A yellow light spilling from the window stained the ground outside. The moment Wolf and his party pushed open the door, the tavern was enveloped in silence. The guests were speechless at the sight of this legion of drug addicts, armed (?) from head to toe with hallucinogenic herbs.

Charcoal Bear was competent. She glanced around with only the whites of her eyes visible, then said just one sentence.

“Get out.”

The guests were quick-witted. They all shut their mouths, grabbed their coats, left their bills on the table, and fled silently and orderly. Once the tavern was empty, Charcoal Bear walked upstairs. Doors slamming, and women’s scream followed in succession. In the span of seven or eight breaths, only the pirates and the owner remained in the inn.

Wolf asked the owner.

“How many rooms are there?”

“There are twelve. There are two beds in each room. It fits roughly four people in one room.”

“Two people are left over. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Wolf turned to look at Silver.

“Do you want to share a room? If you want to use one bed all to yourself.”