The Pirate King's Daughter - Chapter 42

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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 42
A memory flashed through Dilshad’s eyes—the night Serena had come to find him, throwing a dagger as a threat.
“Dilshad!”
Dilshad, locked in a standoff with the man and unable to pass his sword, turned to look at me.
I quickly raised my hand and pointed at the man’s face who was restraining me.
But he hesitated. Back then and even now, he was confident the throw would land—but his heart had changed.
“Trust me!”
At my cry, both men burst out laughing.
“What, you want him to throw it? Then you’d become a shield, you little—ugh!”
The moment Dilshad met my eyes and I bowed my head, the arm wrapped around my waist went slack with a gasp of pain.
I shoved hard and broke free from the man’s grip. Then I immediately picked up the fallen sword.
“You crazy bastards…….”
Apparently he hadn’t expected Dilshad to actually throw it. The man who’d been facing off with Dilshad stumbled backward and bolted.
Dilshad watched him flee for a moment with caution, then came toward me instead.
“Shouldn’t we chase him? If he survives and we let him go, won’t he be dangerous in the next game?”
“Because you might end up alone in the Maze. Are you hurt anywhere?”
As he took the sword from me, he examined my hands, then gently smoothed back my disheveled hair.
“Your forehead’s split open. Come on, sit down.”
I made Dilshad sit on the ground and tore away the cleanest part of my shirt, pressing it firmly against his forehead.
“Ugh—!”
“It hurts, I know. Just keep holding this for a moment.”
I approached the men lying on the ground and searched their clothes. But there was no medicine.
“Let’s look for more treasure boxes.”
I sighed and checked on Dilshad. The cloth pressed against his forehead had turned crimson.
I knelt and tore a longer strip from my shirt, tying it around his head as a makeshift bandage.
“You’re really strange.”
Dilshad watched me tend to his wounds, then opened his mouth.
“What is?”
“You seemed so fearful, but sometimes you act as if death doesn’t scare you at all.”
“Because I trust you. I’ve seen you throw a dagger more than once. You threw one at Serena, and another at me—don’t you remember?”
I said it lightly, teasingly, but his ashen eyes grew darker and more troubled.
Then he bent forward and pulled me into a fierce embrace, burying his face in my stomach.
“Why do you keep trusting me? Why do you trust a liar? Even after what I did to you.”
I was startled at first, but I noticed his voice was trembling. I stroked his hair gently.
‘He was scared.’
Afraid he might hurt me.
“You threw it because you trust me too.”
He knew the hidden strength I possessed would protect me, and because of that knowledge, he was able to throw.
…….
Dilshad wordlessly nuzzled against my stomach like a petulant child.
“We need to find medicine. If it gets infected—dying from a wound like that would be pretty frustrating, don’t you think?”
I ran my fingers through his fluffy hair repeatedly until he finally loosened his arms.
His eyes were red at the corners, as if he might cry.
A laugh threatened to bubble up, but I pretended not to notice and stood.
“Shall we go?”
I offered my hand, and Dilshad took it with his left while gripping his longsword with his right. We set off down the path again.
After wandering through various parts of the Maze, we found several things, including medicine.
“A map?”
Dilshad murmured as he pulled paper from a box.
“Damn, this must be how to get out of the Maze.”
I tilted my head to look, and Dilshad lowered his hand so I could see better.
“But it’s not completely marked.”
The map only showed from the entrance to about two-thirds of the way through. Since we were roughly in the middle, we only had a bit more to go.
“There’s one more treasure box on the way there. We can stop by and collect it.”
I pointed my finger at a section marked with a square on the map.
And when we arrived at that location, we came across an empty box and two people.
“Get lost!”
A boy—whether adolescent or young adult was hard to tell—was holding the empty box.
Behind him, a girl about the same age sat with her back against the wall, and her condition looked bad, as if she’d been mauled by a beast.
“Someone else already took the things from the box. We don’t have anything left, so just get out of here!”
“How old are you?”
I had no intention of helping them. To me, Dilshad and my own life mattered most.
But if they were children, minors—even if I couldn’t protect them, shouldn’t I at least tell them to follow us?
“Why are you asking that! Don’t come near us!”
“That girl needs to stop the bleeding. If you leave her like that, it won’t end well.”
The boy glanced back at the girl.
She was pale, cold sweat dripping down her face, breathing in short, shallow gasps.
“Tear your shirt and press hard on the wound. It’ll hurt, but she has to bear it—have her bite on the cloth.”
He hesitated, but the moment Dilshad lowered his sword, the boy threw down the box and ran to his friend.
“Ngh—!”
As he applied pressure the way I’d instructed, the girl, who’d been limp, thrashed and cried out in pain.
“Just hold on a little longer, Lili.”
After pressing for several minutes, the boy applied fresh cloth to Lili’s leg and bound it tightly.
I didn’t give them medicine.
Dilshad could be hurt again, and they might change their minds once they knew we had medicine and attack us later.
I pushed down the nagging voice of conscience.
And just when I thought we were done, the boy suddenly dropped to his knees.
“I’m begging you.”
“What are you—”
“Please take us with you. You don’t have to protect us. Just let us travel with you.”
“No, first you need to get up—”
“Tatiana, don’t go near him.”
Dilshad grabbed my arm. His face was utterly devoid of warmth.
He had been a vagrant, captured and sold to an illegal slave trader. Even his awakened Magic had been nothing but something for others to exploit.
“I’m sorry.”
He must have been frustrated just waiting this long.
“Don’t apologize. You took me in because you’re not like me.”
Dilshad’s hardened face softened.
“Actually, I never took you in.”
“Anyway. Things are dangerous right now, so you can’t just trust people blindly like that again.”
He always had a talent for making it unclear whether he was insulting me or complimenting me.
Then the boy, having assessed the situation, broke in urgently.
“Please, I’m begging you. I’ll carry Lili on my back, so I can’t possibly pose any threat to you both.”
Dilshad looked down at the bowing boy and spoke flatly.
“Walk in front and do exactly as I say. If a beast appears, I won’t save you.”
“……!”
Hope blazed in the boy’s eyes as he looked up sharply.
“Thank you so much. Thank you.”
“We’ve wasted a lot of time, so we need to go quickly. Get her on your back.”
“Yes!”
He hoisted Lili onto his back and began walking ahead of us.
“Right.”
Each time Dilshad spoke while looking at the map, the boy moved without hesitation.
If anything, he seemed eager. Lili was injured.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
By now it felt awkward to keep using formal speech, so I just dropped it.
Besides, he’d even told us to get lost on first meeting, so it was fine.
“It’s Ben.”
Ben and Lili. From their names and clothes, they seemed to be commoners.
“How old?”
“I’m nineteen.”
Barely an adult. Still, he was young enough that it felt ambiguous.
“Why are you so fixated on age?”
Dilshad asked as if he didn’t understand.
“Just because.”
Now that I thought about it, Dilshad was only two years older than Ben.
“Dilshad.”
“What?”
“You must have had a hard time all this while.”
I reached out and gently stroked the back of his fluffy head.
He’d grown a lot. I hadn’t really noticed while I was with those older protagonists.
“Why are you saying that all of a sudden? Anyway, we’ve reached the end of the path on the map.”
There was a fork in the road ahead. I was wondering which way to go when I heard human voices from one direction.
“R-run away!”
Thump! Thump!
The ground shook. It was that beast’s sound from before.
The moment I realized what it was, Dilshad grabbed my hand and we started running.
Ben hurried after us too, but he was carrying Lili, so the gap between us widened.
And of all the bad luck, the person being chased by the beast came running in our direction.
“D-Dilshad……!”
“Don’t look back!”
Thump! Thump!
I couldn’t help but turn and see why the ground kept shaking.
A massive flower with crimson petals, a thick stalk piercing through its center—a beast that resembled a Corpse Flower was leaping toward us in pursuit.
“Ahhhhh!”
The stalk-like appendage elongated and snatched the fleeing man, swallowing him whole.
The petals spread wide as the man convulsed inside.
Thump! Thump!
The Corpse Flower moved again.
“No, Lili!”
Ben’s legs gave way and he fell.
Immediately, the Corpse Flower’s stalk lunged toward Lili, who lay helpless on the ground.

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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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