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Chapter 5
“Think carefully. Escaping with us would be the best option for you too.”
“Then why would I—”
“You were planning to escape, weren’t you?”
Alexei spoke. The smile faded from Franz’s face.
“No matter how drunk they were, they wouldn’t send someone on an errand to a warehouse holding hostages. If they were drunk enough to overlook that, they also wouldn’t bother sending someone to fetch food.”
“So what?”
“This isn’t an order—it’s a request. And we’ll double your reward.”
“……”
“If you can’t decide, we don’t have any other option.”
Franz looked at the cloth Angelina was fiddling with and nodded as if resigned.
“Fine. Alright. A hostage like me disappearing won’t trigger a pursuit, but if the hostages they’re holding separately escape, no one knows how the pirates will react. That only increases the risk for me. But since it’s a request…”
He paused briefly.
“I’ll accept.”
Finding someone to pay his ransom wouldn’t be difficult, but the real problem was what would come after—a lifelong contract.
He couldn’t afford to be tied down anywhere.
Living quietly in a place where no one recognized him was the life Franz wanted.
His troublesome talent was both a blessing and a curse. Whenever rumors spread and his name began to circulate, he would cross cities—and even borders.
He might even get stuck on a pirate ship before ever discussing ransom with a newspaper.
Blasche, fascinated by his talent, had half-jokingly suggested he join the crew. It had been said while drunk, but could become an order once sober.
He needed to escape before that happened.
While all the sailors were dead drunk—this was the moment.
“Any useful information from the pirates?”
“Just useless personal chatter. One thing is certain: this ship is heading toward the Torodi Empire.”
“The Torodi Empire?”
“I don’t know how long we’ll stay, but it’s definitely going there.”
Alexei bit his lip hard.
Even if he didn’t know the hostility between the two nations, there had to be a reason for heading there.
Even without Angelina, escape was necessary.
“Let’s move quickly.”
Franz, listening to the faint singing from above, spoke sharply.
Escaping a pirate ship in the middle of the open sea required a plan. The three of them huddled together and mapped it out.
“I’ll keep watch. You drop the lifeboats into the sea. If pirates come up, we detonate the explosives to buy time, then escape on the boat.”
“Could the Aruora catch on?”
“There aren’t any pirates guarding that side right now. We already cut the ropes to prevent escape.”
Thinking of the passengers trapped in the dining hold made Alexei feel heavier, but their escape had to come first.
“Ah, and gather supplies beforehand. We don’t know how long we’ll be at sea…”
“And weapons.”
Alexei cut him off with an expressionless face.
“Toy knives won’t do against pirates. You need something like this.”
Franz smiled faintly as he revealed a hidden knife inside his vest.
“So you’re definitely not just a pirate.”
“In this world, danger exists everywhere. You always have to be prepared. At least outside the palace.”
“That was pointed.”
“You heard me.”
“Where are you from?”
“We’ll talk about that after we escape.”
“Fair enough.”
While the two men glared at each other, Angelina searched the sacks lined against the wall of the storage room. Vegetables rolled across the floor.
Onions, potatoes, pumpkins… none of it could be eaten raw.
She needed something that could be eaten without cooking.
She quickly scanned the stacked crates. Franz spoke up.
“Pack pots, cooking tools, and utensils too.”
“What? No, unnecessary weight will slow us down.”
“We may not be able to get what we need later.”
Their eyes clashed in midair.
“We’ll handle things here. Stick to your roles.”
“Fine.”
Franz chuckled and left. Angelina muttered.
“What if Franz betrays us?”
“He won’t.”
“You always say that.”
Alexei sat beside her quietly as she packed.
“If someone tries to escape, there’s a reason. That’s what I mean.”
“So you’re saying Franz won’t betray us?”
“Yeah.”
“I know. I’m just venting. You two were being tense.”
“That guy…”
“He chose his words badly.”
Angelina tied the sack and stood.
“He felt like a child. In a situation like this.”
“……”
“Let’s go. You said we should hurry.”
Night had fallen, and the surroundings were dark. A faint singing still echoed above, but everything else was quiet.
They moved on tiptoe to another storage room. The armory.
“There’s everything in here.”
While Angelina looked around wide-eyed, Alexei grabbed a knife, two guns, and a lantern from a corner.
“Mine?”
“It’s better not to carry weapons you can’t use.”
She was disappointed but didn’t argue.
“Where next?”
“The deck.”
They crept upward. The only light came from above. With every step, the moon felt closer. Cold wind swept through their hair.
“We’ll push the lifeboats into the sea. All of them.”
“All of them?”
There were four longboats, two on each side.
“We have no choice if we want to avoid pursuit. We’ll cut the ropes on all except one.”
Angelina silently pushed one boat with all her strength. It barely moved, but when Alexei helped, it slid forward and splashed into the sea.
The sound echoed across the quiet night sea.
They exchanged glances and pushed the remaining boats over one by one.
“I’ll cut the ropes. You go down.”
“……”
“Go.”
Angelina stepped onto the outer hull and grabbed the ladder. It wasn’t as scary as she expected. She climbed down faster. Alexei cut the rope with relief.
Meanwhile, Franz, having grabbed explosives and a lighter from the armory, climbed upward.
The singing continued—it was definitely still a drunken party.
He entered a dark cabin with beds on both sides. Pulling a blanket, he quickly folded it.
The singing grew louder.
Damn.
The sound rapidly approached. There was nowhere to hide. Franz hurriedly lay on a bed and covered himself with the blanket.
The door burst open.
“Oh? There’s someone here?”
A sailor checked the room number and stepped in just as a signal rang out.
The first lifeboat hitting the sea.
“What was that?”
While the sailor turned toward the noise, Franz slipped out from under the blanket and struck the man’s head with the handle of a blade.
Time to move.
He stepped over the unconscious sailor and rushed to the deck. At the final staircase, he placed explosives and scattered gunpowder along a rope trail.
Boom—one boat after another hit the sea.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Footsteps approached—pirates.
“That painter is definitely behind this.”
“We should’ve thrown him overboard sooner.”
Franz lit the rope. Fire raced along the gunpowder trail. He ran in the opposite direction.
BOOM—
The explosion rocked the ship violently.
“Hurry!”
Angelina, already in position, shouted.
Alexei landed in the boat, and Franz began descending the ladder. Midway down, sailors appeared on deck.
“Catch them!”
The captain’s roar echoed as they grabbed and shook the ladder.
What now?
If they stayed, all three would be captured.
Some sailors tried pulling the boat rope. Alexei made a decision and cut it.
“Where’s Franz?”
Escape mattered more, but a promise was a promise.
Alexei waved his hand downward. Franz hesitated, then let go as sailors pulled the ladder upward.
When Franz resurfaced, Alexei reached out and handed him an oar. Franz clutched it and swam closer to the boat.
Relief.
Then—
A bullet narrowly grazed Alexei’s shoulder and struck the bow.
Blasche was aiming through a scope.
Alexei instinctively reached for his waist.
No gun.
It had been there just moments ago—where did it go?
Everything went dark.
The barrel shifted.
Someone had appeared in its line of fire.
Alexei turned, shouting—
“Angel, dange—”
Bang.
The gunshot tore through the night sea.
