‘Illegal Substance?’
A pirate is a plunderer.
This has been a basic truth and a long-standing fact. Pirates have roamed for ages without any land to call their own.
They crossed seas to attack merchant ships and seize goods, which they would sell elsewhere for profit.
However, this is an old tale. While piracy still exists, pirates nowadays often collect tolls or run their own businesses in unique ways.
‘Could this be the work of pirates?’
Among their activities was the manufacturing of illegal drugs.
These drugs were made by crudely mixing cheap herbs, creating substances that were unrefined and toxic. They often caused addiction, offering no real medicinal value despite being labeled as ‘drugs.’
Although there were many varieties, only a few gained notoriety as social problems because ‘trends’ in such matters rarely lasted long.
‘Their very existence is already a problem.’
The distribution of these substances was cunning and malicious. Pirates remained hidden while victims were used as shields to avoid the navy’s scrutiny. They often started distributing from islands a bit removed from the mainland, making them even harder to track.
‘Moreover, this issue of illegal drugs was also a nuisance for Wita.’
Wita, one of the Sixth Houses with the power of healing, was already overwhelmed with resolving issues within the western continent. Even so, Wita’s abilities were not all-encompassing.
‘Without direct contact with someone of Wita’s bloodline, treatment was impossible.’
Thus, it was not feasible for Wita to handle all infected individuals.
The only option was for doctors to observe Wita’s treatment process and then develop treatment methods based on those observations. If, despite Wita’s help, no satisfactory results were achieved, the condition was deemed incurable.
The contagious disease I contracted, which forced me to leave the ship, was also declared ‘impossible’ by Wittar Medical Association, Wita’s direct institution, and became known as a deadly disease.
That is why my accidental discovery shook the entire continent, and it was due to this achievement alone that I was able to become affiliated with Wittar Medical Association.
‘Of course, I was only ranked 3 out of 10 levels.’
But that’s not important right now. Anyway, this behavior was something Nereus greatly despised. Inescapable indulgences brought not pleasure, but pain.
One reason the Caelum Pirate Crew was different from other pirates was precisely because they never got involved in such activities.
Caelum never dealt with illegal drugs. In fact, they strongly despised them.
Thus, as soon as that word left Ethan’s mouth, the surrounding chatter abruptly ceased.
“Hmmm~.”
In the ensuing silence, only the curious hum of a man could be heard.
Nereus stroked his rough chin and laughed, one of his eyes glinting with light.
“Our next destination is decided.”
No one dared to question the captain’s decision.
Ah.
“Dad.”
Except for me.
“What’s up?”
“Can we make a stop somewhere before we leave?”
“Hmm? Where?”
“The temple.”
Well, this wasn’t exactly arguing but rather a suggestion.
***
The world I live in worships two gods: Deira, the god of earth, and Cormare, the god of the sea. My adoptive father took my name from Cormare. More precisely, it was his daughter’s name.
“This world was created through the grace and love of Deira and Cormare.”
Roughly speaking, these two gods shaped the concept of land, sea, and existence. Through Deira’s grace, visionaries were born, and so on and so forth…
While the priest’s gracious sermon continued, I clasped my hands tightly together and closed my eyes. To onlookers, I probably appeared as a devout believer.
“Ugh…”
Dexter, sitting next to me, seemed uncomfortable in this setting.
‘Poor thing. Hang in there, Dexter.’
Since Dexter had the least to do on the ship today, he was assigned as my guardian. However, seeing him trembling like a sail caught in a sea storm made me feel like I should be the one protecting him instead.
‘I guess I’ll have to do that. No matter how skilled a sniper Dexter is, he’s helpless without his gun.’
Poor Dexter. He eventually clasped his hands together and sniffled beside me. This was because the temple was surrounded by navy officers, though the other worshippers, unaware of this fact, mistook us for a very pious sibling pair and showered us with candy and chocolate.
“Did you come with your brother? Oh, how sweet!”
“Look at that young girl, quietly praying alongside her brother. How admirable.”
“My grandchildren won’t even come to the temple when I ask them to.”
And so, to me:
“Thank you!”
“My, what a polite child.”
“Dad says I must always say thank you when I receive something from adults.”
“You must have a wonderful father.”
Yes, even if he’s a pirate who steals, disrupts the order of the seas, repays revenge a hundredfold, and recklessly dives into whatever strikes his fancy without any plans…
‘Well, as long as he’s a good dad to me, that’s what matters.’
With a grin, I unwrapped one of the chocolates I had received and popped it into my mouth.
“Today’s prayer is for the Corne family, who are searching for their lost young son….”
The priest, with a voice that was rather tiresome—or rather, gentle and compassionate—offered prayers for a noble family who had lost loved ones to pirates.
‘Where is it?’
Now wasn’t the time to leisurely savor the taste of the Wichid Company’s almond bonbon chocolate. I had a reason for coming to the temple today.
Today was Earth Day, the sixth day of the week, and the temple held a service every Earth Day. It was customary for all off-duty navy personnel to attend the service.
After rolling my eyes around, I finally found my target.
‘Found it!’
Of course, Hyperion was there too, but he wasn’t my target. Hyperion was already too noticeable, so there was no need to make any special effort to find him.
In a crowd, just pick the one shining the brightest, and that would be Hyperion Pharus.
The person I was looking for was…
“Are you alright?”
A hand holding a chocolate suddenly extended in front of me.
‘Perfect.’
It was worth the trouble of deliberately dropping chocolates. The man who handed me the one I had dropped had a soft appearance that could easily stir the hearts of many, with cocoa-colored hair and light green eyes.
He wasn’t as striking as Hyperion, but this apprentice priest with a rather clean appearance…
“Thank you!”
‘If I didn’t know better, I might have been completely swayed by that smile.’
His name was Steve Adeba, a man infamous in my previous life for his immense greed.
As for him, he was once caught embezzling temple donations and spent five years in prison after receiving a public beating. I know about this incident because it caused a significant stir even within the navy.
It wasn’t merely the embezzlement that sparked controversy. The reason it became such an issue within the navy had to do with the navy’s requirement to attend worship services.
Every Earth Day, navy personnel were expected to attend the temple service and then have a brief confession session in the confessional. Most importantly, the confession room inside the temple was a place where no eavesdropping devices could exist, making it the only area out of the navy’s influence.
And the priest in charge of hearing these confessions was known as the confessor priest.
In other words, it was no coincidence that Steve happened to be at this temple on this island. After all, it’s unlikely he’d go out of his way to visit every temple in every region just to meet people.
Steve was supposed to become Hyperion’s first confessor priest.
Because of this, when he was taken away, Hyperion got entangled in the scandal, making it an even bigger issue since he had already been promoted to admiral at the time.
‘As the admiral’s first confessor priest, it’s clear that Pharus Admiral must be involved in his embezzlement!’
‘Though, since no evidence was found, it was dismissed… but I remember there was a fair amount of hair-pulling over it.’
In the navy, personal greed was unacceptable. People used to say, ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,’ and for a while, there were all kinds of negative rumors surrounding Admiral Pharus, or Hyperion, to put it simply. This should show just how significant the relationship between the navy and the confessor priest was.
By the time I joined the navy, that close relationship had faded significantly, but a first confessor priest still held considerable importance to the navy.
Once a priest becomes a regular, there’s no obligation to enter the confession room, so most of them stop doing it. However, hardly any priests overseeing the navy’s confessions quit.
Due to the harsh training and duties, the confessor priest became almost like a friend and family to navy members, being someone they could rely on.
‘Though this is nearly ancient history by now.’
The navy valued the belief in justice highly, and they respected the old ways. So, Hyperion’s confessor priest would remain this man in front of me, Steve, until he returned to the navy headquarters….
‘It’s certainly not a coincidence that this man showed up in front of me.’
I was almost certain of it.
After all, when I came in, I put a gem the size of an adult’s thumbnail in the donation envelope. Of course, donations are usually handled anonymously.
‘But just because a name isn’t written doesn’t mean complete anonymity.’
I even included a strand of hair in the envelope. After observing the congregation, I confirmed that no one else shared my hair color.
Donation verification is usually done by apprentice priests alongside regular priests. According to records, Steve had been embezzling since his apprentice days, so it’s likely he was also assigned to check donation envelopes this time. Since this job doesn’t count towards experience, is tedious, and offers little reward, hardly anyone wants to do it.
Steve probably took on this unwanted task in place of other reluctant apprentices, discreetly siphoning off small amounts as he checked and recorded the contents of the envelopes.
‘He must have been shocked to suddenly find such a large gem.’
It was worth at least 80,000 Wetten. I felt a little guilty for taking it from the spoils of our latest voyage.
I clasped my hands tightly, giving Steve a pure and innocent expression that would’ve fooled anyone who wasn’t as shrewd as Nereus.
“Tell me, are you a great priest?”
“Hmm, I’m not so sure. I’m not a real priest yet. I’m still an apprentice.”
Dexter was pale as he watched me act like a child. He didn’t seem disgusted, just like he was witnessing something he shouldn’t.
‘Not my problem, though.’
“But you know, they say starting is halfway to success. I think you’re really amazing, priest. You even found my chocolate for me!”
Steve must’ve deduced from the hair strand in the envelope that I came from a somewhat wealthy family. The better if he assumed I belonged to an influential household.
When I gestured for Steve to come closer, he leaned slightly toward me, and I whispered to him.
“Actually, I did something bad behind my dad’s back, priest. If it’s not too much trouble, could you convey my repentance to the two gods?”
I held out a chocolate in my hand to him.
“I’ll give you this. Please?”
Steve’s light green eyes fixed on the chocolate in my hand. He paused for a moment before giving a gentle smile.
“Of course. Although the confession room for regular worshippers is over there, there’s quite a long wait. Let me guide you to another one.”
Dexter stood at a distance, his face pale, looking back and forth between me and Steve.
“L-Lala?”
I handed Dexter all the chocolates and candies I had received from the worshippers earlier.
“Eat these while you wait. I’ll be back before you finish them.”
“If the captain finds out, it’ll be a disaster….”
Hearing the word ‘captain’ come out of Dexter’s mouth, I shot him a sharp look before breaking into a wide smile.
“He won’t know as long as Dexter keeps quiet.”
It was obvious that the timid Dexter wouldn’t be able to stop me anyway. But since he was already in trouble from a recent incident, he was even more desperate to avoid any new issues.
Trembling, he asked,
“It… it’s safe, right?”
“Of course!”
I declared boldly.
“There’s a whole bunch of navy personnel here. What could possibly go wrong?”
Dexter squeezed his eyes shut and muttered in a voice only I could hear.
“That… that’s the problem….”
