The Pirate King's Daughter - Chapter 61

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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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Chapter 61
I was in the middle of fleeing with Kies, separated from the others.
A hand suddenly shot out from an alley, seizing my arm and dragging me inside.
“Kies, wh—!”
At the same moment, a large palm clamped over my mouth, cutting off the cry.
Kies drew his blade at once, but the moment he heard the voice that followed, he withdrew his Aura.
“Stand down, Basil.”
Instead, Kies pulled me away possessively, shielding me behind him.
“Follow me. I know a place where you can hide.”
“How are we supposed to trust you?”
“If I were chasing money, I wouldn’t be working as an Inn attendant. And as a Demon, I’d rather not entangle myself with the Navy.”
Basil continued.
“You can choose not to trust me—I don’t mind. But can you really escape without help when the Navy is already swarming the city?”
We could alter our appearance, but since our ship had already been identified, retrieving it wouldn’t be easy this time.
“Now that the Navy has targeted Tatiana as their mark, if capture proves difficult, they’ll simply execute her on the spot.”
Even if Basil feared the Treasure’s power, he knew well enough that I myself had no such abilities—that was why he spoke with such certainty.
Kies stood frozen, unable to decide either way.
“This way!”
At the Navy’s shout and the sound of running feet, we hastily crouched behind wooden crates.
After the soldiers passed, I spoke to Kies.
“We have to go with him. There’s no other choice.”
When I took Kies’s trembling hand, he laced his fingers tightly through mine and repeated, as if swearing an oath.
“Don’t worry.”
So we followed Basil.
The place he led us to was a modest two-story house, utterly unremarkable.
“I’ve moved all your belongings from the Inn. The others should arrive soon—catch your breath for now. Once everyone’s here, I’ll explain how you’ll escape.”
“Why go this far for us?”
At Kies’s question, Basil glanced at me sideways.
“I believe Tatiana is the one who will set us free. The Aura she bears and the power she protects—these are no coincidence.”
No. It is a coincidence.
Basil was speaking with the dangerous fervor of a true believer, built on a grave misunderstanding.
“Are you saying Tatiana will summon Demons to this land?”
“It’s not about humans and Demons. I simply know that right now, I must help Tatiana.”
He was beginning to sound like a cult leader.
If I didn’t free him eventually, there would be hell to pay.
“What on earth is this Treasure that makes you act like this? Even I, someone with Aura Usage, sense nothing at all.”
“Humans and Demons are different, that’s all.”
As for what exactly the difference was, Basil seemed reluctant to explain further.
And just then, the others arrived safely at the building where we were sheltering.
“Tatiana!”
“Oof!”
Dilshard rushed over and embraced me tightly.
“Let go.”
Just as I was about to pat his back in thanks, Kies seized Dilshard by the collar and tore him away from me.
“What’s it to you? You’re just a broken betrothal anyway.”
While the two bickered, I found my own target to scold.
“Perian.”
“Hm?”
Perian looked at me with a confused expression.
“How dare you call for me from there? You deliberately had the Navy chase me so you could escape alone.”
“That’s not true. The captain was worried you might fall behind, so she called for us to run together.”
The audacity of this man.
How some deluded soul came to label him as “a gentle and affectionate handsome man” was beyond comprehension.
“Now that everyone’s arrived, please gather here.”
The man who had brought the three of them spoke from before the table.
“Allow me a brief introduction: I operate an information network and my name is Howard. I understand this will be difficult to trust immediately.”
At Howard’s next words—apparently not pre-arranged with Basil—Basil pressed his forehead and sighed heavily.
“But if people know Basil is a Demon, there’s nothing strange about hiding a Pirate King whom Demons revere. We’re short on time, so let’s move quickly. Take a look at this.”
Whether Howard was simply impatient by nature or whether our circumstances truly demanded such speed, I couldn’t tell.
We huddled together and examined the paper he presented.
“A Ship Transfer Contract?”
“Yes. Right now, at every Dock, the Navy is stationed to verify identification. Taking a ship is impossible.”
Following Howard’s explanation, Basil opened his mouth.
“I’ll pretend to receive the ship transfer and sail it across the Border. You can make your way by land.”
“But the Border is already under inspection, isn’t it? How are we supposed to get through there?”
Kies asked seriously, listening intently.
We could alter our appearance, but they didn’t know that.
And since we didn’t know how the situation would unfold, it made sense to ask.
“Currently, the Navy hasn’t been dispatched to the Border itself yet. But there are checkpoints in cities leading to other regions. So you’ll need to pass through the Jungle.”
“If we can pass through without being detected?”
At my words, Basil shook his head.
“You still must go through the Jungle. Traveling through cities would take three times as long or more. By then, the Navy will already be fully deployed everywhere.”
“What hazards should we expect?”
At Kies’s question, Howard produced a bundle of documents tied with string.
“Poisonous plants and beasts are catalogued here. But the greatest danger will be the Indigenous People near the Border.”
“Indigenous People?”
“They have excellent physical abilities and know how to exploit the terrain well. An encounter would be quite troublesome. Still, they’re insular—as long as you don’t strike first, you should be fine.”
Something about it felt off.
Speaking from the intuition of a web-novel reader and an incarnated soul, this is exactly the kind of situation where you inevitably meet trouble.
“You can read a Map, yes? Come this way.”
Howard then unfolded a Map and began explaining, but I couldn’t follow—my eyes merely traced the lines.
Roughly, it seemed we were to walk briskly for about a week along a jagged route and meet at the Beach.
“Now, sign the contract and give me the Mooring Documents.”
Berto readily handed over the documents he’d been carrying.
The hasty, hurried pace of it all gave the unsettling feeling of being swindled.
“Change your clothes quickly and come out. Oh, and here’s a Bag with drinking water and provisions.”
“When exactly did you prepare all this…?”
At this pace, I wondered if Basil had seen the bounty notice, made these preparations, and then reported us to the Navy.
“I always keep an escape plan ready. I simply prepared more than usual. Now hurry and change.”
Pushed into a room, I changed into thin, long clothing and emerged to find the others already shouldering their Bags and asking for additional precautions.
“This is for Tatiana. Since you might fall behind, I prepared some food separately, but I didn’t pack much since weight will slow you down.”
I fastened the small Belt Pouch Basil offered around my waist.
With that, all preparations were complete.
Following Basil past the Navy’s watchful eyes to the edge of the Jungle, I offered my farewell.
“I’m truly grateful to both of you. We’re leaving without even a proper goodbye.”
“We’ll see each other again anyway. Go now.”
And so, with that simple farewell, we set foot into the Jungle.
* * *
How much time had passed? Kies stopped walking and spoke.
“We’ll make camp here for the night.”
“Ugh.”
I collapsed onto the ground in an ungraceful heap.
“You all right?”
Pudding extended a concerned tendril and began massaging my legs.
It wasn’t soothing at all, but the creature was so endearing that my fatigue seemed to ease a little.
“I’m managing.”
Despite starting late and not walking long, navigating through dense undergrowth and the abundance of twisted roots jutting from the forest floor had been grueling.
“Berto, Dilshard. Conduct a Reconnaissance, would you?”
The two set off immediately to scout the surroundings.
Kies, having weathered war, seemed quite comfortable with this sort of situation.
“What should I do?”
As I got to my feet and asked, Kies led me over and sat me atop a raised root formation.
“Rest. I’ll handle it.”
He’d been watching over me the whole walk, and now this again.
“Kies, I’m not baggage.”
True, my stamina was weaker than the others’. If I fell ill, it would slow everyone down, so perhaps I did need more rest than them.
But not now.
“…We need to set up the Tent, so clear the ground for me, would you?”
“Understood.”
As I swept away rotted leaves and small roots, Perian gathered large leaves nearby to create an insulation layer beneath the Tent.
“Wow, you two work really well together.”
Once the ground was cleared, I settled onto a rock to watch Kies and Perian work.
The two propped up thick wooden branches, secured them with cord, draped waxed cloth over the frame, and quickly assembled two A-frame Tents.
“On the battlefield, they don’t call a physician a physician.”
I’d thought it odd that someone so sickly seemed so physically capable—now I understood the reason.
Once Basil’s tools had a fire going in moments, Berto and Dilshard, who’d gone on Reconnaissance, soon returned.

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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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