Chapter 113. The Unwelcome Guests

Earlin, the patrol officer of Eär Village, ran along a forest path. Her breaths came in desperate gasps. She could feel a paralyzing toxin spreading rapidly from the venomous dart embedded in her thigh, but she couldn't afford to stop running.

Zing!

Another dart whizzed past her, narrowly grazing her cheek. But she clenched her jaw and pushed herself forward.

I must warn the village... and... request reinforcements from Galad,

Earlin thought.

She already knew that human pirates were chasing her; they were vile people who terrorized the southern seas. Earlin pictured the ships approaching the Great Forest.

The waters south of the forest were traditionally naga territory. Normally, the nagas would have attacked the pirates without hesitation. But this time, they'd opened the sea to the pirates, and there could only be one explanation for that.

The nagas have made some kind of pact with the pirates,

Earlin thought grimly.

She knew that the elves would be horrified to learn such a thing. She'd tried to communicate the information to her village through the spirits, but for some reason, the spirits hadn't responded.

There had been no time to dwell on her confusion, though. The pirates had somehow discovered her presence and began pursuing her without delay.

"The poison will spread soon enough!" one of them shouted.

"The boss said we could do whatever we wanted with her once we caught her!" another jeered.

Their footsteps grew closer, the pirates expertly closing the gap between them and their prey. Earlin knew what awaited her if she was caught—an unimaginable humiliation. Death could well be a preferable choice.

However, she couldn't allow herself to give in. It wasn't for fear of death, though. If she failed, her village, and possibly all the elves, could face devastation.

...I must warn them... no matter what,

Earlin thought.

Thwack!

"Argh!" Earlin bit back a scream as a sudden, searing pain shot through her back; an arrow had embedded itself deep in her flesh. Her vision flashed white with agony. And yet, she gritted her teeth and kept running.

She understood how hopeless her situation was. Even the nearest patrol outpost was thirty minutes away—far beyond her ability to reach.

But her destination wasn't the outpost. Rather, it was the Purification Tree, which was located ten minutes ahead. If she could reach the tree, she could free herself from the nagas' mana interference and summon a spirit to relay the warning.

"Please... Just a little further," she whispered, her voice trembling with desperation.

She was ready to die, and she was fine with that. If it meant alerting her kin to the danger, she would willingly sacrifice herself a hundred times over.

"She's slowing down!" one of the pirates shouted.

"Throw the net and capture her alive!" another called out.

The pirates' shouts rang louder now. Earlin's sensitive hearing caught every harsh breath they exhaled as they closed in. However, her legs began to falter, the poison sapping her strength. Her body, pushed to its limits, could no longer resist the venom.

"Please..." she begged in a choked whisper.

Her vision blurred, her consciousness fading. Summoning every ounce of her remaining willpower, she forced her legs to move, but her strides had shrunk to pitiful shuffles.

Then, the pirate at the front of the group caught up to her.

Boom!

A massive pirate stepped in front of Earlin, blocking her path. His lecherous eyes gleamed with sick anticipation as he sneered, "I'm first, hehe..."

His hand, as broad as a kettle lid, reached for Earlin's face. Desperation surged through her as she thrust the dagger in her trembling hand toward his outstretched fingers.

Thwack!

The blade pierced the pirate's hand, but not deeply. Earlin's strength had waned too much; only half of the short blade sank into his flesh.

"Ah..." A helpless gasp escaped her lips. She had no options left.

Wham!

The pirate's massive fist struck the side of her head, sending her crumpling to the ground like a doll with its strings cut.

"Glad I followed the boss out here," the pirate muttered, although his words blurred into incomprehensibility for Earlin.

Still, his expression said enough. It was over. The pirates who had allied with the nagas would soon overrun Eär Village.

Mother... Please, have mercy on us,

Earlin silently called upon the World Tree as her consciousness faded.

The pirate's meaty hand reached for her limp body. The venom had spread so thoroughly that even death was beyond her grasp. She couldn't move a single muscle—not even blink. Earlin could only accept the situation with unfocused eyes.

Mother...

she called out internally again.

Just as the pirate's hand touched her clothing—

Sssshhh!

Something extraordinary happened.

"What the hell is this?" the pirate asked.

The pirate, who had been filled with lust, looked down at his hand with a startled expression. Shadows had begun crawling up from his silhouette, spreading a dark stain across his flesh.

"Is this your doing?" he snarled, baring his teeth at Earlin as he loomed over her. "Is this Spirit Magic? I thought those naga bastards handled that—"

The pirate froze as a voice echoed from the shadows beneath him.

"Oh, yeah, that's me," a figure said while emerging from the darkness. It was a knight clad in pitch-black armor.

"Hmm, so this is the range I can move through shadows," the knight mused, his tone flippant. "Pretty limited. The conditions are tricky too. What a pain."

The pirate's face twisted in confusion and rage as he asked, "Who the hell are you?"

"Well, what do I look like?" the knight retorted, his voice devoid of any seriousness.

Trembling with fury, the pirate tried to stand, but his body wouldn't obey.

"Why... can't I move?" the pirate wondered in confusion.

"Oh, interesting," the knight said, grinning. "Looks like I can restrain humans with shadows too. You've been a very useful test subject. Thanks for that."

A sly voice echoed in the pirate's ear. The pirate tried to shout something, but his tongue felt heavy and unresponsive. It was as though an invisible force had wrapped around his entire body.

While the pirate struggled against the inexplicable weight of his paralysis, the knight's voice slithered into his ears again, asking, "Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"..."

"No?" the knight continued.

"..."

"Answer me already, you bastard," the knight said.

Slice!

Thud.

With a casual flick of his dark blue sword, the knight sliced through the pirate's neck. The head rolled onto the ground, thudding softly against the dirt.

It all happened in an instant.

"C-Commander!" the other pirates yelled. They had arrived just a moment too late, finding themselves frozen in terror at the sight of the shadowy knight. Their faces drained of color.

The knight turned to face them, his movements smooth and deliberate. "Look, I asked nicely, but that bastard didn't answer me. Wouldn't that make you mad too?" he said, tilting his head.

A smile curled beneath his helmet, faint but unmistakably amused.

"Now, why don't you guys answer my questions instead? Anyone who cooperates gets to live. Oh, by the way..." the knight paused.

Swish!

The closest pirate's head toppled cleanly from his shoulders, his body collapsing to the ground before the others could even blink.

"...It's first come, first served," Caron said cheerfully.

***

Out of the ten pirates, only one was left alive in the end.

The moment Caron cut down a third pirate, the rest abandoned their comrades and fled. And yet, none of them managed to escape. Caron's comrades, who arrived on the scene shortly after him, efficiently dealt with the retreating scoundrels.

"Caron. It's all handled," Leo reported calmly.

"Good work," Caron said with a nod, before turning to Leon and asking, "Leon, can you heal the elf?"

"Should I use the Dew of the World Tree elixir?" Leon asked.

"Yeah," Caron answered.

"Understood," Leon replied.

The elf sprawled on the ground was in dire condition, barely clinging to life. After entrusting the elf to Leon, Caron turned his attention back to the surviving pirate.

"Alright. Now that things are settled, let's have a proper chat," he said, his voice dangerously light. "So, you guys came here to raid the elves' village. Is that right?"

"Y-Yes, that's correct!" the pirate stuttered, his face pale. "The boss said we were going to attack the village, so, of course, we... We followed him here."

"Bessic, the Sixth Hero. Is this your boss' name?" Caron asked.

"Yes, that's his name!" the pirate confirmed.

The lone survivor began spilling everything he knew without hesitation. This one had been the first to surrender during the skirmish. He had no loyalty to his comrades and even less to his pirate crew.

Caron nodded slightly, then drove the blade of Guillotine into the ground, mere inches from the pirate's thigh. He asked, "What's your name?"

"W-Wigo! My name is Wigo!" the pirate answered.

"Wigo Wigo? Same first and last name? What kind of parents would name their kid like that?" Caron remarked.

"...It's just Wigo, sir," Wigo corrected Caron.

"My bad. Stop stuttering, it's confusing," Caron said with a faint smirk, leaning closer to meet the pirate's gaze. He continued, "Alright then, Just Wigo. How big is your fleet?"

Wigo trembled as he answered, "O-Our White Shark Pirate Crew has eight ships, and the Edward Pirate Crew has five. S-So, thirteen in total!"

"Edward Pirate Crew, huh? That means Edward, the Fourth Hero is here too," Caron mused.

Two of the Heroes serving under the Pirate Queen had joined this operation with thirteen pirate ships. At first glance, it didn't sound like much, but considering the size of their vessels...

There's at least a thousand men,

Caron muttered under his breath, his brows furrowing. The sheer number of troops ruled out a simple plundering mission.

"Are the Heroes themselves here?" he asked.

"Yes, they are!" Wigo confirmed, his voice rising in panic.

If the Heroes had come in person, it meant this raid was no small undertaking.

But why?

Caron wondered.

Capturing elves from their village could certainly turn a profit. Elves fetched high prices on the black market. And yet, Caron found it hard to believe money was the sole motivation. The pirates had already sucked the southern kingdoms' coasts dry of wealth.

Even Wigo's gear hinted at their financial prosperity. The pirates' armor and weapons were far too well-maintained for their lot. Even the lowest-ranking members of their crew were this well-equipped, meaning the pirate group clearly wasn't lacking funds.

In other words, it was unlikely they would attack the Great Forest purely for money. It was a perilous place, even for pirates. The cost of such a venture, when weighed against the risks, suggested there had to be another reason.

Having pieced this much together, Caron fixed his gaze on Wigo and said, "It doesn't seem like you lot decided to throw yourselves into the forest on a whim. There's another reason, isn't there?"

At the question, Wigo immediately dropped his head to the ground and shouted, "I was only following orders! I swear, I don't know anything else!"

"Oh, so if I want answers, I should go ask your boss myself?" Caron replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It's the truth! The boss only told us we were raiding the elves' village. He didn't explain why. Please, you have to believe me!" Wigo begged.

Tears streamed down his face as he begged desperately for his life, his trembling voice thick with terror.

Caron watched him for a moment, clicking his tongue in mock pity as he said, "Tsk tsk. A pirate groveling for his life. What a joke."

"If you spare my life, I'll do anything you ask!" Wigo cried, clutching at the last shred of hope he could think of.

"I already told you that I'd let the first to surrender live. I'm a man of my word," Caron said nonchalantly.

He doubted Wigo had anything more useful to share. This one was a minnow; expecting a treasure trove of information from him would be foolish. Still, knowing the size of their forces was accomplishment enough. Being prepared made all the difference.

"Open your mouth," Caron ordered.

Wigo hesitated briefly, then opened his mouth wide.

Ssshhh.

Dark energy seeped from Caron's hand, coalescing into a small black orb. Without hesitation, he shoved it into Wigo's mouth.

"Mmph!"

"Swallow it if you want to live," Caron said coldly.

Wigo forced himself to swallow the orb. He gagged and nearly retched, but desperation kept him going. If he survived this, nothing else mattered.

"There. Now get lost," Caron said with a smirk.

"R-Really? You'll let me go?" Wigo asked, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"Well, unless you want me to kill you," Caron replied, shrugging.

"N-No! I'll go!" Wigo said.

"You've got three minutes to get out of my sight. If I still see you after that, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself. Got it?" Caron continued.

The words sent Wigo scrambling to his feet. He didn't even notice the wet patch spreading across his pants as he bolted forward without looking back.

"Are you seriously letting him go?" Leo asked, having approached silently from behind. He continued skeptically, "What if he reports back about us?"

"It's an experiment of sorts. I want to see how far Pluto can reach," Caron replied.

"What are you, some dark mage now, using a pirate for your experiments?" Leo muttered.

"Don't be so harsh, Leo. Now quit bothering me and go help Utula bury the bodies," Caron said, brushing him off with an idle gesture.

Leo frowned but didn't press further, retreating with a shake of his head.

Meanwhile, Caron kept his gaze on the direction Wigo had fled in. The bait had been cast.

Let's wait and see,

he thought. If this played out right, perhaps he could just reel in a prize worth the effort.