‘Has puberty hit already?’
This was something she couldn’t quite understand. Even when Hyperion was Rion, he didn’t pay much attention to his appearance. Perhaps back then, he wasn’t aware of his own charm, but anyhow.
Still, Steve and Hyperion would likely become close pretty quickly. Steve would bring him delicious food each week because of my request, and naturally, people tend to like those who offer them treats.
‘Plus, Steve has a soft spot for kids.’
Navy training was conducted in utmost secrecy, and it was forbidden to speak about it to outsiders.
However, all these secrets didn’t apply in the temple, where navy personnel would spill every detail in the confessional. For those who couldn’t express their hardships anywhere else, the confessional served as their only spiritual anchor, a sanctuary.
Steve had also listened to the confessions of several other sailors besides Hyperion, so he would know just how grueling their training was.
‘If he understands how tough it is, it must be hard for him to think of a child enduring it.’
It was rare for someone so young to join the navy, so it was natural for it to be a concern.
“Lala, why are you lying down right in the middle of the path your dads use to walk by, huh?”
As soon as I folded the letter and put it in my pocket, Nereus appeared.
“……..”
Why was he suddenly picking a fight? I was lying on the deck, at the far end, next to the railing—not in a path used to carry goods or store items temporarily.
In other words, even though he was busy checking inventory before departure, Nereus still specifically sought me out just to pick on me.
“Are you so busy that you had to come all the way here just to mess with me?”
“I’m done with the inventory check. We’re ready to depart.”
I thought he was about to plop down beside me, but instead, he lifted me up in his arms with a grin.
“Hey, princess. You know, I think I might be bad at counting money these days.”
“Huh?”
“I kept some jewels and gold coins aside. I’d get a better price selling them elsewhere.”
“………”
“But why do the numbers look a little strange?”
His roundabout way of speaking still conveyed the real message. Did you take them? Where are they? If you confess now, I won’t scold you.
I rolled my eyes and looked away.
“Haaah.”
I didn’t understand why he’d ask when he already seemed to have his answer. Of course, his suspicion was correct.
He probably wanted to ask why I took it and what I intended to use it for…
‘How am I supposed to explain that!’
Dad, the truth is, I’ve lived this life before. In my previous life, I was in the navy. And Hyperion—or rather, Admiral Pharus—was my closest friend. But Caelum was destroyed, and I’m trying to prevent it…
‘It’s impossible.’
Yeah, impossible. If I even started to explain, I’d either come off as a lunatic or end up thrown overboard or locked in a dark, cramped room as punishment.
Sometimes, a little white lie is good for your health.*
“I thought the shiny stuff was pretty, so I played with it and lost it.”
At this age, isn’t it normal to like sparkly things? There’s not much else to play with on the ship.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, I can’t exactly play with guns or swords, can I?”
“That’s true.”
Nereus nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with me.
“You’re too young to be handling weapons. You should play more, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Good girl.”
Saying this, he picked me up in one arm and rummaged in his pocket. I was curious about what he was doing, and suddenly, he pulled out a pile of glittering gold coins and a string of pearls.
“All this is yours.”
“W-What?”
This must be worth tens of thousands of Wetten. Combined, it could even exceed a hundred thousand. The pearls were all of such high quality that they shouldn’t just be stuffed into a pocket with gold coins.
‘Is he seriously giving this to me?’
Is he out of his mind? Sure, he’s the captain, and we’re supposedly family, but these were the spoils of our last voyage.
Even if everyone adored me, if it involved such a significant amount, there should surely be objections.
‘There should be… but.’
Looking over Nereus’ shoulder, I noticed the distant crew members watching us with strange expressions.
‘What’s with this?’
Everyone was smiling warmly, looking at us. One of them even shouted, “I told him to give it to you!”
‘Is this for real?’
This feels off. I had thought the Caelum pirates were a bit foolish, but I didn’t think they were stupid enough to just hand over such valuable items to a child.
“I’m worried about the day Dad falls in love…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What if he goes around bringing everything to his love interest, just like this?”
If he’s this generous with me, imagine what he’d do if he liked someone. It’s pretty scary. Nereus has always been endlessly giving to those he cares about.
For some reason, this statement of mine made Nereus break into a mischievous grin, as if he’d heard something amusing.
“Dad, why are you making that face?”
“My little Lala—is she afraid of getting a stepmother? Huh?”
“No, I’m not worried about that.”
“…..…”
Well, thinking about Caelum’s first rule, it’s absolutely impossible anyway, isn’t it? Especially for Nereus, of all people.
Nereus was the one who founded this pirate crew, and naturally, he was also the one who established the first rule.
“Dad, the pirate crew is what matters most to you, right?”
“Of course~”
Nereus gave a wide grin, pressing his forehead against mine.
“Good that you know. Don’t ever forget that, alright?”
This guy.
As cool as he sounded, what he really meant was that he’d give his all—heart and soul—to anyone who becomes part of his family.
‘I really need to do my best…’
Perhaps one of the reasons Caelum crumbled so easily was that someone took advantage of Nereus’ boundless affection and trust.
“Captain! Should we set off now?”
The helmsman shouted from afar in a loud, echoing voice.
“No, just a bit longer!”
‘Huh?’
Our destination was an auction ship. It was an illegal auction, held sporadically across the sea.
The thing about it was that, being a ship-based auction, you’d miss the chance to attend if you didn’t hurry to the designated area, as it would disappear soon after.
‘Why is he so laid-back?’
Nereus had discovered that a newly circulated illegal drug would be sold at this auction and had pinpointed the next auction closest to us.
It was only a few days away, and the auction site was quite far, so we needed to hurry.
However, Nereus seemed incredibly relaxed, and no one questioned his decision.
Just then, a ship silhouette began to appear in the distance. Noticing this, Nereus finally gave the command to raise the sails.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s no Jolly Roger.”
The Jolly Roger, or pirate flag, wasn’t flying. In other towns, it was common to hide the pirate flag when setting sail, but there was no need for that in this maritime city.
It was a place where the locals knew pirates came and went and kept their mouths shut about it. There was even a well-developed marketplace around the secret harbors used by pirates.
“Haha, my daughter’s got a sharp eye!”
“It’s hard not to notice such a bold Jolly Roger.”
The Jolly Roger of the Caelum pirates depicted a skull with a storm and stars. It was quite an unusual combination.
“Hahaha, yeah, it stands out, doesn’t it? Soon, you’ll understand why.”
As our ship caught the wind and moved forward, the distant ship began to come into clearer view.
“Oh, what?”
A Jolly Roger.
The distant ship was flying a pirate flag as well. Since I don’t even recall it, it must be some place bound to disappear within a few years.
“Now, you’ll get to see something really interesting.”
Nereus placed me on the railing and leaned beside me.
“Something interesting?”
The pirate ship drew closer, and I could see the sinister-looking pirates laughing loudly as they looked at our ship.
“Nereus! Is that you?”
“Hey there, Byle—it’s been a while.”
It seemed they knew our crew, Caelum. To anyone watching, it was obvious they were speaking to Nereus in a condescending tone, yet our dim-witted captain just smiled and waved at them.
The man called Byle took one look at the Caelum pirate ship and, noticing the absence of a Jolly Roger, burst out laughing.
“Judging by the size, it doesn’t look like another pirate took your Jolly Roger! Did you hide it because you got scared of the navy base?”
“Hahaha, sure. Life is precious, you know.”
“That’s why no other pirates like you! You coward!”
“Hey, watch your language; there’s a kid here.”
‘But Nereus says rough things in front of me all the time.’
I thought, giving him a sour look. Some pirates standing behind Byle noticed and, as if not understanding the situation, looked at me in surprise. Nereus pointed to me and said…
“My daughter. Isn’t she pretty? She’s a beauty and a genius too. Amazing, right?”
Thinking about it, Nereus had rarely introduced me to other pirates, except for those he was truly close to.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize why he was showing me off to these guys now.
“Well then, take care—”
In the distance, a massive silhouette began to appear, and Nereus grinned slyly.
“—down to the bottom of the sea.”
The enormous ship that appeared suddenly bore a navy insignia, with symbols of waves and an anchor.
‘The navy’s here?’
The navy of the maritime city occasionally patrolled the sea. Of course, the exact timing and location of these patrols were strictly confidential, known only within the navy.
‘Did Nereus know about this?’
He was watching the navy with a laid-back smile. The navy ship turned its cannons, not towards us, but towards the pirate ship across from us.
“Baire Pirates! Surrender immediately!”
“Hahaha!”
As the panicked Baire Pirates scrambled in confusion, Nereus let out a hearty laugh, pulling a bundle of papers from his jacket and scattering them into the sea.
‘Wait, that’s…!’
Though I couldn’t see them clearly as they scattered in the wind, those were documents summarizing reports from within the navy base.
And the content was…
‘Isn’t this all about us?!’
The documents contained information about the bounty on the Caelum Pirates and the navy’s patrol records.
With just the patrol records, we could slip away from the maritime city with a navy base without facing any threat.
Of course, it would only work this one time.
‘But seriously, when did he sneak into the navy and steal these?!’
🍓 ;
*That occasionally telling a harmless or small lie can have positive effects, such as avoiding conflict, reducing stress, or protecting someone’s feelings. It suggests that in some situations, a minor lie might be better than the truth, especially when the truth could cause unnecessary harm or discomfort.
*Jolly Roger, is a pirate flag, usually featuring a skull and crossbones. Pirates used it to scare other ships into surrendering without a fight. It has become a symbol of piracy in movies and stories.
