“Ha ha ha—!!”
Nereus laughed like a villain.
Well, technically, pirates were villains, but still.
“Quite lucrative, isn’t it?”
“Right? Right?”
In the end, the pirate crew of Baire was captured by the navy. Meanwhile, some of the crew tried to escape on a small boat loaded with treasures and supplies.
“Oh, they even had some spices here.”
“Must’ve planned to sell it. Let’s keep it for ourselves.”
They seized everything and tossed the pirates into the sea. However, the rather ‘kind-hearted’ Caelum pirate crew even threw them some wooden planks, at least sparing them the fate of sinking directly into the ocean. Although, they’d still have to swim quite a bit.
“Hehe, let’s see. That vile guy Byle, despite being filthy and unpleasant, always managed to get good treasures.”
“How filthy and unpleasant was he?”
“No need for my princess to know that~”
Nereus ignored my question and continued rummaging through the sacks.
“Oh, how about this?”
“It does look valuable, doesn’t it?”
It was an old goblet adorned with multicolored glass pieces on the surface, with jewels embedded here and there.
‘I feel like I’ve seen that somewhere before.’
What was it? Anyway, I remembered it being something so rare and precious that I had been at a loss for words. Nereus held this valuable item in one hand, carelessly waving it around.
“Lala, do you want this?”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
“If you clean it up a bit, it’ll be perfect as a juice cup.”
He then pulled out a flashy necklace laden with jewels from the sack, smirking.
“It might be good to put this up in the ship’s auction.”
***
The ship’s auction was mainly used for illegal items… in other words, a marketplace for stolen goods. Pirates wanting to launder money cleanly, even if it meant high fees, often used the illegal ship auctions.
There was an island called ‘Phamus’ that dealt in treasures, but it wasn’t exactly a place where one could strike it big.
‘Honestly, if you’re lucky, putting it up in an auction can fetch you way above the base price.’
Although pirates supplied the stolen goods, they couldn’t participate in the auctions themselves. Only nobles, wealthy merchants, or major trading companies with considerable influence could bid as guests in the auction.
Thus, although selling stolen goods was illegal, they rarely got caught. The bidders could simply claim they knew nothing about it.
And here we were,
“Hey, hey. How does this outfit look?”
“You look like a wild boar dressed in a uniform.”
“What did you say?!”
“Oh, my bad.”
“…….”
“It looks like a shark wearing a uniform.”
“Alright! Today is the day I settle the score with you!”
Preparing to participate as bidders.
Nereus tried on all sorts of suits, and Gilbert teased him nonchalantly.
‘This is hilarious….’
Among the clothes they had taken from Lunatic earlier, there happened to be some men’s uniforms, which were now being used as costumes.
“Captain~ Captain~ Can I really wear this?”
Clara was hugging one of Lunatic’s new dresses, her eyes sparkling like stars.
“Sure, sure. Take it all. None of the others are interested in dresses like that anyway.”
‘Well, only Clara ever really liked pretty dresses.’
The other women found them cumbersome and didn’t favor them much.
“Just make sure to take good care of it this time, alright?”
“Of course!”
Clara jumped excitedly, exclaiming, ‘Yay ♥.’ She was my big sister, and a bit adorable, I had to admit.
“I’ll wear it nice and clean, then pass it down to you, Lala. I’ve always wanted to try sharing clothes with a younger sister~”
“If sister Clara likes it, I like it too. I want to be as tall as you so we can share clothes every day.”
“Huh? You as tall as me? That would be nice, but it might be tough.”
Truthfully, Clara was taller than Dexter but slightly shorter than Gerard. No matter how well I ate and slept compared to my past life, reaching Clara’s height seemed impossible.
As I grew a bit downhearted, Nereus laughed lightly and ruffled my hair.
“If there’s a magic item at the auction to make you taller, I’ll buy it!”
“As if that exists. You’re such a silly dad.”
“Yes, yes, just a fool who dotes only on his daughter.”
He had a remarkable talent for teasing me so easily.
“Dad, can’t I come along? Please? You’re such a fool who only cares about me, and I’m worried about you.”
“Cough.”
Having never been to a ship’s auction before, I was eager to visit. I hadn’t actually been there, but I had a rough idea of the types of items they traded.
‘But why does he react like that?’
I was serious, but Nereus was suppressing a laugh, covering his mouth and shaking with amusement.
That somehow annoyed me.
‘I have to go, no matter what.’
These underground markets often sold stolen goods, followed by poison and its raw ingredients—the materials used for assassination. Records of these transactions remained unknown unless the entire auction house was exposed.
There was even poison with no antidote yet developed. When I was 26, some poisons still had no known cure.
As I was lost in thought, someone’s hand suddenly slipped between my arm and body, lifting me up so that my perspective shifted.
“Lala, don’t bother the captain.”
“Isaac Dad.”
Isaac looked somewhat embarrassed, which was understandable. Isaac was effectively Nereus’s right-hand man.
Nereus, in particular, treated me as if he’d give me his liver and gall. Gilbert wasn’t quite right in the head either, so it was up to Isaac, who constantly watched over and assisted them, to stay sharp.
‘Yeah, I shouldn’t trouble Isaac more.’
But if I didn’t go and gather the poisonous plants, things would become even more troublesome later.
Pirates were vile and cunning, using every poison imaginable. Unlike the chivalrous knights or navy on the mainland, who avoided such tactics, they had no qualms about using poisons.
Win at all costs—the world where only the survivor endures. Because of this, even the navy invested much effort into developing antidotes. But the ocean was vast, and so were the kinds of poisons.
‘There’s even poison that wiped out an entire island kingdom.’
Initially believed to be a contagious disease, it was actually a poison that killed everyone, only discovered after the kingdom vanished from the map. How terrifying is that?
“Are you cold? Why is the child shivering like this?”
“Right? Did the sea breeze seep all the way in here…?”
“What nonsense?”
Nereus and Isaac exchanged odd remarks. After shooting them a quick glance, I tapped Isaac’s hand to signal him to set me down.
‘Hmm, I feel secure.’
If it were Nereus, he would have ignored my words, but Isaac quietly put me down without a fuss.
‘Even if I beg them to get it for me, it’ll probably be pointless.’
Maybe if it were Ethan, a sailor who mainly used poison as a weapon, he’d listen, but it was clear that a six-year-old like me demanding poison from an auction wouldn’t be taken seriously. I wouldn’t, if I were in their place.
‘No matter how much of a genius I claim to be, this request won’t go through.’
I had no authority at all. At the very least, I’d need to be Ethan’s official assistant to have the freedom to make such requests.
‘I’ll have to try my luck.’
After all, these people were complete novices when it came to raising kids. They didn’t know how to handle a stubborn child. And besides, I held the ‘daughter’ position here—still the beloved and adorable one.
If that meant playing the role of a slightly annoying child, so be it.
To get what I want, I have to give up something minor. I can always regain it later.
I lay down flat on the floor and went limp.
“Lala, what are you doing down there? It’s cold and dirty, so get up.”
“If you don’t take me along, I’ll sleep here tonight.”
“……..!”
Nereus and Isaac looked slightly distressed.
“Hey, where did you learn this? No matter what, a dad…”
“No matter how delicious Gilbert Dad’s food is, I won’t eat any of it!”
“Hey!”
“Even if you offer me chocolate, I won’t eat it! If you don’t take me, I won’t eat, play with Dad, or do anything!”
It would have been perfect if I could squeeze out some tears…
Unfortunately, my mind was still that of a 26-year-old. Crying over this wasn’t within my emotional range or age.
***
From the outside, the ship hosting the auction looked as ordinary as could be. However, upon stepping inside, its grandeur was enough to widen anyone’s eyes in amazement.
The interior, appearing far larger than the exterior, applied magic principles from the Eastern Continent and was adorned with dazzling ornaments. It looked believable enough to be a noble’s mansion.
‘That’s why people come not just for the auction but to indulge in the luxury here as well.’
Having won my battle of wills with Nereus, I stood between him and Clara, taking in my surroundings. Since I had only heard about this place and never visited, it was all very fascinating.
‘Wow….’
I knew that it would get even grander in the future, but even now, it was impressive. Just as I was admiring the chandeliers adorned with dangling crystals, a large hand, which had been holding mine, gave a gentle tug.
“Stay close with me. You’re so small that if I’m not careful, I might lose you.”
“That’s you losing me, not my fault.”
“If only you’d hold your tongue.”
Nereus chuckled, amused by something.
“Do you remember our little promise?”
“Yep.”
In reality, my insistence hadn’t worked 100%. If they barred me from entering as a child, I agreed to return straight to the ship. For this, one of our crew members was waiting nearby in case I needed an escort back.
‘But I think it’ll work.’
Even if it’s an illegal auction, a young child like me coming here is unheard of. Nereus must have counted on that when he set the conditions. But I had something to rely on as well.
The condition for participating in this auction was to be a noble or someone with authority on par with a noble. Additionally, they needed a ticket to gain entry.
There was no way we would have an entry ticket. Nereus had come here almost directly to gather information on a new illegal substance.
“Come on, Clara. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Clara smiled brightly, almost mischievously. The two of them strode toward the entrance. The attendant beside the guard seemed startled.
‘Well, that’s understandable.’
All of us were wearing the most expensive clothes from Lunatic, the latest styles, and each of us was decked out in top-grade outfits, even ones that were few in Lunatic’s collection.
No one knew we had gotten them by ‘persuading’ a store.
For Lunatic, reputation was everything. If word got out that they tried to sell cheap clothes just because they didn’t like the customer, it would ruin them.
Nobles of the Western Continent valued dignity. Even without that, if a rumor spread that a child had broken out in hives from their clothes, Lunatic would suffer serious long-term damage. They had no choice but to keep quiet about it.
“Welcome.”
The attendant, who had briefly been flustered by our attire, seemed like a rookie at this auction house. Normally, people don’t show such obvious signs of surprise here.
“Could I see your entry tickets?”
Nereus tilted his chin up arrogantly and replied.
“We don’t have any.”
“What?”
“I said, we don’t have them.”
It was a strategy to be deliberately difficult.*
🍓; *Implies that someone intentionally chose to act in a way that would create challenges, resistance, or complexity, often for a specific purpose.
