By Zephyria =======
Just then, a wave dug beneath the hull and violently thrust the bow upward. A crest of water crashed all the way to the center of the ship. Simultaneously, the wave vanished abruptly from beneath the stern. It was as if a giant’s hand had supported the hull for a moment and then suddenly yanked it away.
The rear of the ship plummeted as if falling off a cliff. The recoil sent everyone on deck flying into the air. Outcries erupted from all directions. Soon, the waves surged back under the stern. The floor, which had momentarily drifted away, slammed back against their boots with a thud. In that split second, Wolf grabbed the railing. The water wetting his lips tasted heavily of salt.
Red Eagle screamed as he flew over the warriors.
“The starboard side is steeper! Two more bigger waves are coming! Hold the railing and stay low!”
Wolf exhaled a ragged breath. His breath shattered into white mist.
It was truly strange.
The heat inside his body would not cool down. Despite being drenched in a torrential downpour, the inside of his chest remained hot.
He had been in this state ever since his eyes met that madman’s. The man would not leave his retinas. A long, lean build that didn’t seem to match his menacing, monstrous strength. Above all, the color of the eyes that had pierced straight through him. A color that existed somewhere between a cold winter sky and a snow-covered field.
Why am I like this?
Because I want to fight him once? A flare-up of the combative instincts typical of the people of Stohl? Because I want to test how long I can hold out against that monster?
Those desires certainly existed. He wanted to seize the man with his own hands and bring him face-to-face. At a distance so close that their blades would touch. He wanted to clash with him head-on. He wanted to plunge a cold blade deep into that flesh. He wanted to be showered in the erupting blood. He wanted to fight to the end, even if it meant doing so bare-handed, until he couldn’t tell whose mouth the gasping breaths were coming from.
Was this, after all, just a competitive streak? But…
This was the first time Wolf had ever felt such a persistent interest in someone. A single line like “because I want to fight” was woefully insufficient to explain this excessive heat. This needed a different name.
“Wolf!”
Red Eagle flew toward him.
“Big wave coming from behind! Grip the railing tight!”
A sudden thump—an impact hit the side of the hull. One warrior lost his grip on the railing and finally fell into the sea. Wolf barely managed to cling to the railing as his body was flung toward the water. He braced himself as much as possible, legs spread wide with one foot stepped back. His trousers were soaked through, clinging to his skin until they were nearly translucent.
“Wolf! Lower your waist more! It’s tilting toward the spot that just dipped!”
Red Eagle drew close. Wolf gave a slight smirk.
“Stop exaggerating. It’s nothing.”
“It is something! Keep an eye out for a plank you can float on if we shipwreck! If you fall in, grab the biggest plank first…!”
“I’m not going to die.”
Wolf looked up at the sky. Lightning crashed through the black clouds, scattering white light. Even in this moment, those eyes came to mind.
He wanted to see him again. That man.
The corridor was damp. The scent of pine resin and alcohol drifted through the hazy air. The fire from the braziers cast the shadows of the people walking the hall onto the walls, bloating them like orcas.
Silver walked with heavy thuds. Ahead of him, six or seven senior pirates walked with heavy steps, their backs hunched like shrimp. If one were blind, they might hear those footsteps and be certain they were slaves dragging the megalithic pillars of a temple.
The band of pirates stopped in front of a wooden door at the end of the corridor. A light cough. Silence from inside.
It seemed unlikely that a mere cough would penetrate that thick wooden door to reach the owner’s ears, but the seniors seemed to accept the silence from within as an affirmation. Without asking twice, they opened the door. The rusted hinges let out a long, agonizing creak-screech-groan. The seniors shrugged their shoulders as if that sound had asked, ‘Are you prepared?’
The room was littered with valuables. High-quality furs were piled high in one corner. Jewelry was scattered across a table like seeds sown in a spring garden. A stuffed wolf’s head hung on the wall. At the furthest end was a bed draped with long curtains. Beside it sat a nightstand cluttered with cups and liquor bottles.
Clothes were strewn across the floor beneath the bed. The light from the brazier dyed the curtains red. Thanks to this, the scene inside the curtains was revealed clearly, like a shadow puppet play. A man and a woman. One was prone like a dog, wailing provocatively. The other was thrusting violently, slapping the partner’s buttocks with loud smacks. Neither seemed to fear the muscle pain that would arrive tomorrow morning.
“Oh, ah—! Honey! Ah— yes, right there…! He, heugh…! Huwaaa, hwaaaa, it feels so good I think I’m going to pee…! Oh, oh-gok!”
“Shut up, you mutt! Huff…! Fuck!”
“H-hu-eeee…! My, my body is splitting in half… hiit…! Hng, ng, uwaaaaang, don’t stop, you animal…!”
The provocative voice suddenly took a deep breath—whoop. Then, she let out a magnificent wail, as if imitating the howling of a wolf. If there were a moaning contest, she had the skill to come in dead last.
Ah, so that’s why the seniors just opened the door.
Silver felt a slight sense of admiration. Even if the door had been as thin as a sheet of paper, there was no way the couple would have heard a cough amidst this chaos. The seniors exchanged glances and shrugged, then shouted together in loud voices.
“Charcoal Fire Bear!”
The moaning stopped abruptly. After a short silence, the curtains were yanked aside and a naked woman walked out.
“What is it, you brats! You’re interrupting someone’s fun!”
Below her swaying breasts, she wore a leather belt with a large wooden phallus attached. On the bed behind Charcoal Fire Bear’s shoulder, the man who had been slapping her backside trembled all over.
Charcoal Fire Bear stood askew and cast a glance.
“Is it just you guys? Where are my brothers?”
“About that… they both died.”
One of the pirates spoke up hesitantly. As soon as the words left his mouth, the man on the bed snapped his head up.
“My god! Does that mean honey is the Captain now? Oh, I’m so happy I think I’m going crazy!”
“Shut up, you idiot! Your brothers died and you’re laughing!”
Charcoal Fire Bear snapped in an angry voice, but the corners of her mouth were twitching, stretching toward her ears. Charcoal Fire Bear’s acting was as poor as her lover’s clumsy moaning. Realizing she was being watched, she quickly raised a wine glass to cover her mouth.
“My brothers died? Are you sure?”
Asking back, Charcoal Fire Bear glanced sideways at the pirates. It was a look that suggested she would tear the subordinates to shreds if they answered that they ‘weren’t sure.’
“We’re sure. We couldn’t even recover their heads. Sorry…”
“Definitely dead? Definitely? For sure?”
“Yes. Definitely. For sure.”
“It’s true they can’t come back alive? Really?”
“They absolutely can’t come back. They’re dead, really. Really. Really.”
“I see. They finally died… how sad… Even so, we shared blood, so I feel tears coming… My brothers, you must have fought bravely until the end, right?”
“Ah, of course!”
The pirates shouted at the top of their lungs.
“One of them sliced through thirty—no, forty men alone!”
“Later on, his sword handle broke, and he split the enemies’ skulls with his bare hands!”
“Even the legendary thunder wouldn’t have been that strong!”
Silver suppressed a yawn at the shower of cringeworthy flattery. Charcoal Fire Bear rubbed the corners of her eyes, where not a single tear had formed.
“To think my brothers died… and both of them… so soon…”
“Honey, don’t cry. It makes me sad too. Shhh—”
The lover hugged Charcoal Fire Bear’s waist from behind. Having finally managed to settle her laughter, Charcoal Fire Bear set down the wine glass.
“My brothers’ end must be as brilliant as a flame,” Charcoal Fire Bear suddenly said in a firm tone.
“Put my brothers on a ship engulfed in flames and send them to the sea! Prepare it immediately!”
“Of course! Then, shall we burn the
One of the seniors wrapped his arms around himself, his shoulders trembling. He must have been a pyromaniac before switching careers to piracy. Charcoal Fire Bear slapped the man across the cheek.
“You stupid brat! Those are the main ships of our
“Then the
“No, you idiot! That’s a scouting ship! No ship will do!”
Charcoal Fire Bear slapped the other’s cheeks repeatedly with both hands.
“Bring the two scarecrows hanging from the top of the Bone Flute Tower. They will stand in for my brothers! The coffins will be rafts! The funeral will be held on the beach in front of the breakwater, so prepare it quickly! Now!”
The pirates scrambled out of the room. As soon as they stepped outside, the seniors dumped the chores on Silver.
“Hey, rookie. You heard, right? We’ll take care of the rafts, so you go get the scarecrows.”
77 – Hell Execution Order