The Pirate King's Daughter - Chapter 39

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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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Episode 39
“I waited so long for the last participant to arrive that I came out myself—and you’ve brought me such a gift.”
Gold and violet eyes, the Odd-eyed Man’s gaze gleamed with avarice.
He spoke of participants—a word I couldn’t fathom—but it was clear he was just as enslaved by that treasure as Dilshard was.
“I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about, but we’re not participants.”
At Dilshard’s words, the man nodded as though he knew it all.
“Everyone says that. Always with such futile resistance.”
The man tapped his staff against the ground once, sharply.
Behind him materialized countless armored knights.
“Living Armor? You can’t seriously think you’ll beat me with toys like that.”
Dilshard laughed as though the idea were absurd.
‘Living Armor, then……’
Armor that lives. Not worn by a person, but the armor itself moved as an artificial weapon.
I’d thought such things could exist, but I never imagined anything like this.
“I made these myself, you see. Underestimate them and you’ll pay dearly.”
At the man’s gesture, the knights began to move.
I pressed close behind Dilshard.
I’d cursed him endlessly for having a weak spirit enslaved by treasure, yet right now he was more trustworthy than anyone else.
But Dilshard didn’t summon that prized vine of his.
“D-Dilshard, what are you doing? They’re coming! You said you’d protect me, you bastard.”
“My Magic……”
As I grabbed and shook his sleeve in panic, he stared down at his own trembling hands before hastily drawing the Revolver he carried and firing.
Bang!
The bullet pierced clean through the knight’s body, and through the hole I could see the Grass Field beyond.
But the knight didn’t stop.
“Damn it.”
Dilshard thrust the Revolver toward me and drew his Short Sword.
“I’ll hold them off. When you see your chance, shoot that one.”
Clearly he couldn’t use Magic right now.
Dilshard burst forward like an arrow and cleanly severed the knight’s wrist joint.
But there were too many of them.
I had to kill that mad Odd-eyed Man before it was too late.
‘Where did he go?’
As I glanced around, I spotted the man among the knights. Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet missed.
‘Too far away.’
My Marksmanship had improved thanks to constant practice, but firearms in this world were inherently unreliable.
“Ugh!”
A knight’s blade then raked across Dilshard’s side.
As he stumbled, the knight raised its massive sword high again.
“Dilshard!”
Bang!
The bullet caught the knight’s shoulder, and Dilshard rolled clear.
The helmet turned toward me, but Dilshard carved through the neck joint before it could act, and the helmet fell away.
“Dilshard! Just hold on a little longer!”
I ran toward the madman.
Seeing him smile with such ease, he seemed confident he could handle me—but I had a trump card of my own.
‘Even if I throw away my life, I have to kill him.’
Dilshard wielded a sword well enough, but ultimately he was a mage. He couldn’t last much longer.
“You think you can kill me?”
“Yes.”
I stopped at a reasonable distance, then instead of firing again, I reached into my pocket for the Artifact that Kiis had given me.
And the moment I activated it.
Screeeee!
Something massive erupted from behind the man and blocked the flames.
“What—what in the world is that……?”
The piercing cry was hideous, and the creature’s form was utterly repulsive.
A serpent’s body and the head of some beast I couldn’t even identify.
Eyes entirely consumed by black pupils fixed upon me.
“Don’t kill it.”
At the man’s command, the creature slithered and lunged toward me.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three remaining bullets barely grazed its hide.
“Ahhhhh!”
The tail coiled around me with ease, and my entire body was wrapped tight.
“Tatiana!”
Dilshard, who’d only now grasped the situation, pushed through the Living Armor and rushed toward me.
“Dilshard, behind you!”
“Urgh!”
A massive blade traced a wide arc across Dilshard’s back, and blood sprayed in all directions.
He didn’t fall. He managed to drop to one knee, but the Odd-eyed Man behind me approached him leisurely.
‘No, no. Dilshard.’
I struggled to break free, but the creature’s coils only tightened.
“Tsk, it went quite deep.”
“Agh!”
The man kicked Dilshard over, then bent down and tore the Pendant from around his neck, holding it in his hand.
His eyes fixed on the treasure blazed with madness.
“It’s my first time having a participant bring me a gift, so I’ll give you plenty of time to recover. Your skill is impressive enough that I’m looking forward to it.”
The man extracted a piece of Treasure from the Pendant and held it to the top of his Staff. It was absorbed.
“Drag them.”
As the man moved forward, the Living Armor holding Dilshard and the creature binding me followed in his wake.
* * *
“I said I’d give you time to recover!”
Dilshard woke to Tatiana’s voice.
“I did.”
“You think a wound like that heals by tomorrow? At least give it a week. This is all just your entertainment, isn’t it? You wouldn’t enjoy watching us die too easily, would you?”
Dilshard, who’d been lying face-down, pushed himself up to see Tatiana standing before the bars, furious.
“Ugh!”
A burning pain shot through his back.
“Dilshard!”
At his groan, Tatiana spun around and rushed to him.
“Don’t move. Just lie still.”
Tatiana dropped her fury and gently eased him back down, her face full of concern.
“Tatiana……”
Dilshard’s voice came out hoarse and strained.
“Wait a moment.”
Tatiana turned back toward the bars.
Beyond them stood the Odd-eyed Man from their earlier fight. He regarded Tatiana with bored disdain.
“Please. Just one more day. If you give us that, I’ll show you everything you want from this cursed game.”
“Everything I want?”
The bored Odd-eyed Man’s eyes suddenly gleamed with interest.
“Yes. I’ll tear through human flesh if that’s what it takes to survive.”
“Cannibalism—now that’s a scene we haven’t had yet. Fine. The game resumes in two days.”
As the Odd-eyed Man left after their incomprehensible exchange, Tatiana approached.
“I’ve applied medicine to your back. Don’t move, and tell me if you need anything. Water?”
Dilshard nodded, and Tatiana poured from the pitcher on the wooden side table and held it out.
“Just lift your head slightly. There—slowly.”
Water trickled down his chin as he drank awkwardly, and Tatiana caught it gently with her hand.
“Thank you. Ugh!”
“It hurts, doesn’t it? He wouldn’t give me any Painkiller. Just bear it a little longer. The wound isn’t as deep as you might think—by tomorrow it should hurt less.”
This came from experience. Tatiana had been struck by a whip once herself.
Remembering this, guilt washed over Dilshard’s face. But assessing the situation took priority.
“What’s happening? What did he mean by a game?”
“That madman owns this island. He gathers people who come here like we did and forces them into a Survival Game. Pure entertainment for himself.”
“He’s absolutely insane. Why would he do such a thing?”
It was inhuman. From what Tatiana had said to him, it sounded like he makes participants kill each other.
“I think it’s because of the Treasure.”
“The Treasure?”
Dilshard frowned in confusion, and Tatiana asked carefully.
“Dilshard, do you think Kiis poses a threat to me?”
“Why would you suddenly……!”
He’d started to respond hastily when something seemed to occur to him, and his words trailed off.
His face flushed bright red, steam practically rising from it, and he buried his face in the pillow.
“I’m so sorry, Tatiana. I did something terrible to you.”
Tatiana leaned closer. His voice was already soft, muffled further by the pillow.
“It’s fine.”
Her voice was so genuinely unconcerned that Dilshard lifted his head to offer a proper apology.
“But still……”
Yet he couldn’t continue.
Golden hair spilled before his eyes, radiant as captured sunlight.
“Really, it’s fine. You were controlled by the Treasure the whole time anyway.”
That luminous hair moved, and pale skin appeared. Ripe, soft lips parted slightly.
“Isn’t that true?”
Her eyes held a purity that made the Prison-like Room and the madman’s Survival Game seem far less troubling by comparison.

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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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