Chapter 30: The Masquerade

"Thank you... for saving me. I really could have died." Aidan Hamil kneeled before Karyl and Suan, expressing his gratitude repeatedly.

“Are you okay? Things suddenly turned out this way... What about your little sister, though?"

Aiden’s expression darkened as he responded, "I don't know what happened. I want to go look for her, but... with my own strength..." Aidan sighed deeply.

Hearing his pleas, Suan glanced at Karyl once more.

Karyl, on the other hand, was thinking about something else entirely.

How long do I have to watch this guy's pathetic act?

Though he was kneeling, Aidan’s shoulders were loosely dropped, and his toes were bent, ready to spring up at any moment.

Karyl observed Aidan, noting his tattered coat that covered him from his shoulders to his feet like a robe.

That shredded mess is probably to make movement easier.

His main weapons are three daggers...

Karyl remembered that Adian hid his daggers on his right hip, chest, and inside his left sleeve.

Well, that should be it—

his assessment was complete.

Indeed, Aidan was a remarkable assassin, but his reputation only soared after Olivurn ascended the throne.

Going back three years ago, Aidan seemed utterly inexperienced.

The woman who came with Aidan is most likely... Zouk de Holde,

she should be a girl with short blue hair and distinct facial features. Karyl had seen her face only once, but it was so striking that he remembered it vividly.

She'd be surprised to know the truth.

Although she came from the same background as Aidan Hamil, she was an assassin of a completely different style, using poison and hidden weapons instead of engaging in combat.

She’s an annoying one.

Karyl thought, his frown deepening as remembered her face.

If it really is her, then it's Curan who should be worried.

"What do you plan to do?" Suan asked Karyl with a casual attitude, as if nothing was amiss.

A hierarchy had naturally formed between them, and Karyl responded just as naturally. "What can we even do? Stick to the original plan. We're going to Tatur."

"But...!!"

Karyl remained calm as he continued, "Then tell us. How will you help? Are you planning to take on the Golden Lion yourself?"

Suan couldn't respond to Karyl’s words.

"How did you find us?"

"Well... I came to Tatur with Suan's help. But the exploitation was too severe... I couldn't stand it anymore. So, I just waited for Suan to return."

Suan's expression stiffened upon hearing his words.

"And just today, I happened to see both of you while checking the ships at the lawless harbor."

Karyl raised his head. It was true that Curan inspected the ships moored at the lawless harbor once a week. The fierce currents of the Fonein River could damage even stationary ships.

The explanation seemed plausible, but Karyl knew that it was a complete lie. Curan was not so careless as to entrust such important ships to someone like Aidan.

He must have been hiding and only showed up when he saw us arriving. After all, he must have heard about Suan coming here not long ago.

Karyl looked at Aidan and asked, "So, you tried to escape but your sibling got caught?"

"That's right!"

Aidan vehemently responded to his agreement. To anyone else, it might have seemed like a trivial matter, but knowing who Aidan Hamil was, Karyl found it utterly ridiculous.

He wondered if Aidan realized that he was playing right into Karyl’s hands.

The important thing now is not Aidan, but rather it's how to convince Suan Hazer.

Unexpectedly, this competition for Tatur had become a game where the outcome depended on whether Suan Hazer could be won over or not.

"So, what do you want to do, Suan Hazer?" Karyl asked, his gaze fixed on Suan.

"That... that is..." Suan Hazer faltered, unable to continue.

"Let me rephrase the question. Then, tell me why I should help this guy."

Still, no answer came. Step by step, Karyl walked ahead, leaving Suan behind.

"Uh... ugh..."

He approached a groaning man lying on the ground—one of the attackers whom he had kicked earlier. .

"Is that too hard? Then let's make it simpler. I killed six just a moment ago. And this guy is the last survivor."

Karyl pointed his sword at the man's neck.

"He's one of the Golden Lion's men. He must have exploited the people here as well. How much have you extorted? Ever raped a woman? Killed someone? Were you the one who beat that person?"

"Please...! Please, spare me!!"

Karyl looked at Suan. "Now, this guy, like the others, is begging for his life. What do you think? Should we kill him? Or let him go?"

As if he wasn’t even expecting an answer, Karyl nodded and swiftly severed the man’s head, tossing it at Suan’s feet.

A life that had been breathing just moments ago was extinguished.

"At least, the Tatur I know is this kind of place."

For a brief moment, Aidan Hamil's face contorted. Karyl didn't miss the fleeting change in his expression.

"Suan Hazer, you gave them freedom. They call you the King of Slaves because your actions are righteous, but freedom is not something that is given by others. Those who boarded your ship made their own choices."

Karyl pointed at Aidan. "You don't have to be responsible for his life. He came here of his own accord."

"But..."

"Why, do you feel like you've damned them to hell?" A heavy silence fell upon them. "If so, then change that hell."

Wiping the blood from his dagger onto the clothes of the fallen body, Karyl spoke again. "How many pirates are there in the lawless harbor?"

"I'm not sure, but Curan's men always have around fifty workers under constant surveillance, rotating shifts."

Well, Aidan isn't likely to provide accurate information. It’s probably half as many again.

The Golden Lion, Curan, was a master of water-elemental magic and had a unique swordsmanship style known as the Sword of Sea Vortex, earning him a third-class ranking.

He may not be at the level of an Imperial Knight, but he's skilled enough to be recruited as a knight for any noble.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

His subordinates were certainly not the mediocre types Karyl had killed earlier. By no means would it be an easy fight.

But the thought of losing was even further from his mind.

Karyl said, gently stretching his wrists, "Follow me."

***

“These are the new arrivals.”

“Hmm...”

The man’s gaze slowly scanned the group, moving from top to bottom, then left to right.

“Hmm...”

He let out a deep sigh.

“Aaah!!”

All of a sudden, a scream followed by a thud reverberated through the room.

“You’ll do,” he declared, slowly rising from his chair.

The man, twice the size of an ordinary person, grabbed the hair of the woman who had just screamed and dragged her forward.

“If it weren't for you lot, everyone would have been pushing up daisies by now. Consider yourselves lucky. Since there’s something decent among you, the rest may enter.”

Silence fell over the room, broken only by the sight of a coin lying face down on the floor. The people stared at it, their gaze fixed and unblinking.

With an indifferent expression, the man put a collar around the neck of the woman he was holding. It wasn’t an ordinary collar, but a steel shackle fastened with a chain.

Although, it seemed heavy enough to require both hands, the man held it effortlessly. Several more chains like this were visible behind his chair.

“Just... wait a moment...!” A man behind him approached, his voice trembling. He barely managed to stand on his quivering legs as he approached.

“Hmm.”

“Curan, sir, that girl is my only daughter... Please...”

The man was Curan, the Golden Lion, and the owner of the lawless harbor. He had bulging forearms and a body covered in numerous sword wounds.

At the man’s words, Curan lowered his head.