The Pirate King's Daughter - Chapter 71

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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 71
“You let the one who kidnapped me off easy—so why won’t you tolerate a little harmless teasing?”
Spite. That was it.
Perian felt irritated every time he saw Tatiana, quite apart from wanting to understand what went on inside her head.
“Move.”
Her eyes—ocean-wide with surprise just a moment before—regained their composure.
Tatiana tried to strike his arm away from the doorframe, but Perian held firm.
“Why?”
Why should I move? She’d talked with Kies just fine in this exact position before.
“What do you want me to do?”
Tatiana asked as though she’d grown tired of him.
After giving up on pushing his arm away, she leaned against the door and looked up at him, and the taste in his mouth turned bitter.
…….
Perian closed his lips before he could say anything else foolish.
Ah!
Then Tatiana gasped, gripping her finger where something had scratched it.
‘There weren’t any thorns.’
Wondering if he’d seen wrong, Perian lowered his arm to look closer.
“Wait——!”
She suddenly shoved his chest, and the distance between them opened up.
“You fell for that, idiot.”
“…How old are you, using tricks like children play?”
“Says the person who fell for one.”
Tatiana, her tongue sticking out unabashedly, left the Infirmary without hesitation.
“Unbelievable.”
Perian laughed despite himself and returned to organizing the herbs.
* * *
Saara Island had a great river that ran through its entire length.
Because of this, it appeared to be two islands rather than one—and curiously, the upper region held grassland while the lower region was desert.
The entire island was one nation, and our destination lay in the desert region: the capital city of Telus.
“But why build the capital in a desert instead of the grasslands?”
Pudding asked as we navigated upriver toward the capital.
“Originally the north was a different country. Some pirate rescued enslaved people and stole treasure from the nobility, then founded a nation in the desert.”
It was a story much like that of someone from Joseon who couldn’t call his father by that name.
“So that’s why they welcome pirates.”
It was why we hadn’t lowered our Jellyfish Pirate Flag.
“Isn’t it wild? Am I actually famous here?”
She’d said it as a joke, carelessly and brightly.
But I never imagined it would be to this degree.
“The, the Pirate King……!”
The moment we stepped onto the Dock, a harbormaster’s official shouted that.
“Eeeek! It’s the Pirate King!”
“Look over here, please!”
“Just let me touch your hand!”
Instantly surrounded, Dilshard created a wall of vines to block off the dock.
…….
But we could still hear numerous voices from the other side.
“Tatiana’s really popular,” Dilshard remarked.
Perian echoed the sentiment.
“Maybe we should get her autograph beforehand.”
“Don’t tease.”
As she shot them both a look, a brilliant idea suddenly struck me.
What if we held autograph sessions or meet-and-greets? We could raise an Independence Fund in no time flat.
While I was savoring this fantasy, Kies approached the harbormaster’s official, who was staring at me with emotion.
“We’ll need to call the guard to clear a path so we can pass through.”
“Ah, yes, of course—just wait a moment, I’ll be back shortly.”
The official squeezed through the gap in the vines Dilshard had created, and the scene was quickly brought under control.
People lined up on both sides, calling out our name and cheering as we passed.
‘So embarrassing……!’
I kept my head down as I walked, while Pudding tensed up on my shoulder.
“Do you have any idea how many centuries it’s been since I’ve seen a gaze like this? As your Contractor with not a shred of ambition, you know how much I’ve worried?”
An autograph session was definitely out.
We slipped safely into the harbormaster’s office, quickly obtained entry permits, and were gifted a jellaba to shield us from the sun.
“With this, you should be able to cover your face.”
Since I’d barely managed to refuse the repeated offers of a carriage, I had no choice but to accept—and I genuinely needed it to leave right away.
It would have been essential once we stepped outside anyway.
“Thank you.”
“Um…….”
Just as I was about to use the rear exit, the official hesitated and held something out.
“I’m a fan! If you don’t mind, could I have your autograph?”
What he handed me was my Bounty Poster.
…….
It felt odd, but since he’d already given me the gift, I scrawled “Tatiana” across it.
“Thank you so much!”
The moment he bowed his head with grateful emotion, the other officials began holding out their own Bounty Posters without exception.
Haa…….
After an impromptu autograph session came to an end, I stepped outside and let out a long sigh.
“Would you like to change your appearance? I can help.”
Kies stepped close in front of me and asked.
“No, I think it’s fine since I’m covering my face anyway.”
It felt wasteful, too.
Once an Artifact’s power ran out, it needed to be remade, and Magic Stones were terribly expensive.
Since we weren’t in real danger, I had to conserve as much as possible to set aside more for the Independence Fund.
“Then just a moment.”
Kies tucked the stray strands of my hair back under the hood.
“Let’s look for an inn somewhere other than the one they’d recommend.”
I didn’t think the harbormaster’s official would come looking, but there was no harm in being careful.
“All right.”
And so we headed toward the center of the capital.
“Wow……”
Rabet had seemed quite exotic to me, but the Nedel Kingdom was something else entirely.
Buildings whitewashed with lime were tangled together in cramped profusion, and cloths inscribed with geometric patterns hung in places to block out the sunlight.
“Oh!”
And among countless shops, one caught my eye at once.
“Let’s go check that place out!”
A small tent in an alley, with a sign board in front reading “Fortune Teller’s House”.
“Tatiana, that stuff is all superstition.”
Perian clearly didn’t seem keen on it.
“It sounds fun though…….”
“Let’s go.”
When I said it dejectedly, Berto came to my defense.
“Then I’ll pop in with Berto and come back out—you go find us an inn…….”
“I’m coming too.”
“My future is far too interesting. Why don’t you go rest, Perian?”
When Kies and Dilshard joined in, Perian gave them a displeased look and reluctantly followed anyway.
“Come on, let’s go.”
I was delighted.
I eagerly pushed aside the tent flap and stepped inside.
“Hello.”
The dim interior had only a few candles lit, and the scent of herbs hung thick in the air.
“Is anyone here?”
When I spoke again, an old woman emerged from behind the opposite cloth.
She looked exactly like a fortune teller from a storybook—her head covered with a purple cloth—and an air of uncanny power surrounded her.
“So many of you crammed into such a tiny space.”
“Is it possible to have a reading right now?”
The Fortune Teller studied us carefully, then sighed.
“Never mind the others. Come here, miss. Step inside.”
“We can do it right here, I think.”
Kies spoke up promptly.
“Unless the lady here doesn’t want it?”
Four pairs of eyes turned toward me.
Being stared at by these large men with such forceful gazes in such a cramped space was uncomfortable.
“What sort of story would you tell?”
I cautiously asked the Fortune Teller.
“I answer what the lady is curious about. Why ask something so obvious?”
Even a fortune teller couldn’t answer what I truly wondered—like how to defeat the demon in the Empire.
But her eyes held such meaning that ignoring her felt terribly unsettling.
“I’ll just step out for a moment.”
“No.”
“No.”
“No.”
“No.”
Even Perian tried to stop me. I should have gone to the inn instead and slipped out alone to look around.
“Tsk tsk.”
The old Fortune Teller clicked her tongue at the four of them.
“You boys are hopeless. Do you really think you can stop her that way? As if she wouldn’t just run off if she wanted to. Playing so childish.”
“……!”
Does this old woman actually know something?
“If you’re not going to watch, stop blocking the entrance and get out.”
“No! I want to have a reading!”
I pushed between my companions and hurried over to the old woman.
“Tatiana……!”
“It’s just a cloth between us anyway. What’s the harm? I’ll be back in no time.”
I shook off Kies’s grip and stepped with the old woman to the other side of the cloth barrier.
The inner space was similarly mysterious, with a small table and chair.
“Won’t they hear us through such a thin cloth?”
“Sound Blocking Magic is cast here, so don’t worry. Now come, sit down.”
Such an expensive Artifact in this shabby little shop—I’d really found the right place.
“It’s been so long since I’ve needed to use this.”
The Fortune Teller cleared away the Tarot Cards on the table and pulled out a Purple Crystal Orb from below.
“Now then, tell me. What future are you curious about?”

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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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