Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 108

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Reina Letem shook her head and patted Thomas on the shoulder.
“Eugene seemed to catch on somehow, but Evan has absolutely no sense of crisis, so I came here myself—Reina Letem, at your service.”
“You didn’t come because you were curious about pirates?”
“Pfft! What fun would I get from seeing pirates—making soup?”
Why did the same words sound so irritating coming from her? Thomas, the former Pirate King, bit his lip, but Reina, displaying her characteristic quick wit, laughed with a mischievous grin and jabbed him in the ribs.
“Besides, I’ve already seen the most impressive pirate there is. What entertainment would common street rabble provide?”
“Fine, I’m already offended.”
“Oh, you’re adorable when you pout like that.”
Reina continued with a smooth tongue. She promised that if he cooperated with her wishes, she would tell Evan’s mother how magnificently Thomas had stepped up for Evan—pure flattery. And Thomas, despite knowing it was flattery, had no choice but to fall for it.
“You’ll really speak well of me?”
“Of course! And it’s not even a lie! Finding out where that Duke is—that’s all thanks to you, sir!”
“…Well, that’s true.”
“Exactly. And I’ve been thinking about it, and this might all be planned.”
“Did the Duke orchestrate this with those newcomers?”
“That’s right. You really are the Pirate King—you catch on so quickly.”
“I’m telling you again—don’t mention this to Evan or Eleanor.”
“I know, I know! I’ll keep the Pirate King thing sealed tight!”
When Reina made her bold promise, Thomas decided to let it slide—it was mutually beneficial, after all. While being reassessed by Eleanor was urgent, listening to Reina’s account made it clear that Evan, the dark horse from Ilam who hadn’t yet fully blossomed, had simply fallen into the wrong hands with an unprincipled noble.
“You brats! We’re going to crush those newcomers right now!”
“Ooooooh!”
“Long live the Pirate King!”
“Long live Thomas!”
When Thomas shouted for them to go crush those kids, his juniors cheered, and his crewmates looked bewildered. But soon, after hearing the explanation that Evan might be forcibly taken away as an adopted daughter of some noble family, they joined in the crusade.
“We’re fine, but isn’t that young lady a noblewoman?”
“I wonder how many days she could endure such squalor.”
“Ah…, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
The sailors fretted while Captain Thomas remained optimistic.
That night, Reina Letem, the young lady of Count Letem’s household, whom everyone expected would spend the evening seasick on the damp floor, instead drank cheap rum with the pirates and passed out sprawled on the deck. Watching Reina sleep soundly, snoring away, the sailors laughed at their needless concern and draped a blanket over her.

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“Hehehehe.”
“Is that guy insane?”
“I don’t know. Don’t make eye contact.”
The newly minted pirates lamented their misfortune, beating the ground in regret. They’d snatched him because he looked wealthy and well-dressed, but they should never have complied when he begged them to take him. Now they understood the full context, and it was the pirate crew who’d been cursed with terrible luck.
When they first learned the platinum-haired handsome man was Duke Neftis, they didn’t believe him—didn’t want to believe him. They’d even scoffed at the notion of why the Duke would be in such a remote countryside.
Not long after, the platinum-haired middle-aged man produced identification and family insignia, demanding they bow beneath the name of Neftis. They nearly forgot to breathe. The fledgling pirate crew was now being coerced by Duke Neftis to bind and imprison Duke Neftis himself.
“Shouldn’t we at least loosen the ropes a bit?”
“If we don’t tie them tight, he’ll tell his wife everything.”
Even pirates in the countryside knew of Duchess Neftis—a legendary mad mage. Mages were universally unhinged, but if one earned particular notoriety for madness, it meant they possessed extraordinary power. The pirate crew had no desire to end their short lives, nor to be marked by a legendary lunatic.
“When is my daughter coming? When is my daughter arriving?”
“Sir, you just went for a walk this morning and came back.”
“You should raid the Coastline itself to bring my daughter here!”
“We’d die trying, sir!”
They tried soothing him like a senile grandfather, but the stubborn Duke wouldn’t hold his tongue. The fact that he already regarded the Integrated Ilam City like his own daughter seemed genuinely unhinged. Rumor had it his eldest daughter, the heir, had been executed and he’d lost his mind over it. Even accounting for that, his madness seemed to exceed all reasonable bounds.
“Daughter! Daddy is here! Come rescue me quickly!”
“I swear I’ve heard him call for his daughter a thousand times already!”
“Calm down, everyone. We need to keep our wits about us.”
The man who served as the crew’s leader encouraged his companions and desperately prayed that the Market Administrator would come capture them soon. At this rate, they’d all go mad because of this old man.
That’s when it happened. A thunderous boom echoed from the Coastline at the Remote Island, the pirates’ hideout, and the crew screamed with joy.
“The Market Administrator! The Market Administrator has come to rescue us!”
“He’s come to arrest us, you fool!”
“I don’t care—I got paid already, and I’d rather just go to prison!”
That much was true. When they’d captured Duke Neftis, they’d already received substantial payment. They’d taken the advance and could extort more from the Market Administrator during the hostage exchange—a profitable venture, or so they’d thought.
After learning the truth, they’d wanted to abandon him on some other island, but each time, the Duke had torn jewels from his clothing and given them to the crew, which was why they’d persisted this long.
“Mitchell! Mitchell, I’m here! Daddy is here!”
“That old man really has lost it.”
The deceased heir’s name was definitely Mitchell Neftis. But the Integrated Ilam City Market Administrator’s name was Evan Laef. It was strange enough that he regarded the Market Administrator as his own child, but calling a complete stranger by his dead daughter’s name confirmed he’d truly gone mad.
The pirate crew felt a chill run through them at the realization they’d been with a completely unhinged man for days. Their only thought was to escape this place immediately.
“I-I’ll go surrender and come back!”
“Let’s go together!”
“No, I’m going! I’m the one going!”
The pirates ran without hesitation, and even the leader couldn’t suppress his terror as he fled the hideout. They lost consciousness in the order they’d departed. The last thing the pirate leader saw was a blazing fireball and, more vivid than the flames themselves, a woman’s hair streaming crimson as it writhed.
The Pirates ran about frantically without any order, and the leader, unable to bear the fear, bolted from the hideout. And they lost consciousness in the order they had fled. The last thing the Pirate leader’s eyes took in was a fiery red ball of flames and the Female Informant’s hair, burning even more crimson red as it swirled in the blaze.

“Wildfire!”
Duke Neftis found himself doubting his own eyes at what had unfolded in an instant. Mitchell Neftis should have been the one to arrive—the most beautiful eighteen-year-old in the world, despite the freckles that had appeared. She possessed silver hair that transcended human beauty, inherited from her mother, and eyes as deep, blue, and brilliant as Neftis Lake itself. His daughter, a peerless beauty, should have been here. Instead, someone else’s daughter stood before him.
And had she just called out “Wildfire”? A skill with fire infused into it—only a beauty from House of Letem would dare use such a technique. Why was Letem appearing here of all places? Duke Neftis felt beyond exasperated; he was genuinely furious.
“Wow! You really are the Duke himself!”
As the beautiful woman laughed cheerfully, the Duke felt his anger beginning to melt away—but he caught himself. He couldn’t let it show on his face. No matter how much he adored beautiful people, he needed to know how to be angry when the occasion demanded it.
“Are you the heir of House of Letem?”
“Oh, you know of me? All those tedious royal banquets the Emperor keeps hosting have finally paid off.”
“I don’t remember that. I’m usually only looking at my daughter’s face.”
“Ah… yes.”
Much more stubborn than I expected, Reina Letem muttered to herself as she hoisted the Duke onto her shoulders with a grunt.
“Put me down this instant! And what about the Market Administrator—what about Evan? Why are you here instead?”
“That’s precisely why I’m here, sir.”
Speaking in a leisurely manner, Reina Letem turned back the way she’d come and issued a warning to Duke Neftis.
“Evan has already been claimed by House of Letem and Brandenburg. Get in line, sir. Get in line.”
“How dare those insignificant fools—!”
“What else would you call a poor nobleman who’s lost his heir?”
“Ugh!”
The Duke’s neck tensed with fury. He hadn’t lost his heir. Evan Laef was alive and well under that name. But he couldn’t say that to Reina. Mitchell had become a dead person by imperial decree.
“We’ll be seeing each other’s faces for a long time to come, and I’d rather not exchange harsh words. So please, withdraw your hand from Evan.”
“Why should I?”
“If word gets out that the Duke put on a show just to bring back some rural Market Administrator, House Neftis’s reputation would be in tatters.”
Duke Neftis tried to counter, but Reina gave him no opening, instead bringing up the Duchess Neftis. No matter how formidable that woman’s abilities were, she was still just one individual.
“House of Letem has numbers, you see. And Brandenburg? They have plenty of real combat experience.”
“Know your place. Are you threatening me?”
“No, not at all. Just… you know how it is.”
If you make a move, you’ll be at a disadvantage, Reina murmured as if to herself, speaking with subtle implications. Duke Neftis felt his anger rise to the crown of his head, and he demanded to know why they were interfering when they wouldn’t even make Evan their heir.
At that, Reina Letem cleared her throat with a soft cough and opened her mouth quietly.
“Well, that’s what friends do for each other.”
“…What?”
“Friends, I said. My friend is about to be dragged off to inherit someone else’s house against her will—how could I just stand by and do nothing?”
The usually cheerful beauty blushed shyly as she spoke, and Duke Neftis’s anger vanished without a trace, replaced by a warm, contented smile.
And well it should, for what had the heir of House of Letem just said? That Evan was her friend. And if Evan was her friend, then that meant Mitchell—his daughter—was her friend.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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