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Chapter 35
In front of the map, the duke circled the location of Halches Wharf, then rolled the parchment up and handed it to the crown prince.
“This is probably the most detailed map in existence. And this is your travel fund.”
The bundle of money was thick.
“I placed a large bet because this is a game I intend to win.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to make sure we win.”
“In all the dangers you’ll face on the Tordy Continent, this money will be the only thing protecting you. I cannot help you.”
The smiling duke suddenly turned serious.
It was a polite way of saying he would refuse any request for aid. Aleksei nodded.
“Even if things go wrong, I have nothing to do with this matter.”
The duke emphasized it once more.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Aleksei answered just as firmly.
* * *
In front of the Red Moon Inn.
Captain Jin Blaske and his crew were anxiously waiting for the two men.
“Why are they taking so long? You don’t think they ran off, do you?”
“No way.”
“What if they’re plotting something? That woman isn’t ordinary. Even you know that, Captain.”
“…”
“I’ve never seen a sharpshooter like her before. Could she be a trained soldier?”
“It was probably luck. And what kind of soldier would a woman be?”
“She could be a man in disguise. Maybe they figured us out and decided to hide it.”
The captain felt like he was losing his mind. The crewman’s endless chatter annoyed him, but what irritated him more was the fact that he couldn’t completely dismiss it.
“You should check.”
When the crewman’s suggestive gaze landed on her body, Angelina exploded.
“Just try laying a finger on me. I’ll put a hole through your hand too.”
“See? She’s overreacting because she’s afraid of being exposed.”
If the sailor was actually right…
Jin Blaske reached toward the woman’s neck. Angelina instantly slapped his hand away.
The captain’s pride was wounded. Just as he tried grabbing her hair, one of the sailors shouted,
“Captain! They’re here!”
The people they’d been waiting for were approaching.
The captain released his grip. Then he seized the glaring woman by the shoulders and shoved her in front of him like a shield.
Aleksei raised the telescope high.
“Send the woman over.”
“Check the goods first.”
“The woman first.”
Pushed from behind, Angelina quickly walked toward Aleksei.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
After carefully inspecting her from head to toe, Aleksei threw over the telescope. Once he confirmed the captain had caught it, he hurried the other two along.
There was no way to oppose Emperor Raul’s command.
So if they wanted to escape the pirates’ pursuit, the only solution was to leave this place as quickly as possible. On the way back, Aleksei had reached that conclusion.
But then—
“Wait.”
The pirate stopped them.
“The map’s missing.”
The dismantled telescope was in the captain’s hand.
“!”
“Take them.”
Before Aleksei could even react, Captain Blaske signaled his men. The sailors rushed forward all at once and slammed the two men to the ground. Kicking at the approaching pirates, they desperately resisted.
“Stop!”
Angelina drew her gun. She didn’t fully understand what was happening, but she knew this was the moment to step in.
Even with a gun pointed at him, Blaske smiled casually.
“You can’t shoot anyway.”
“I can.”
“Really?”
The captain spread his arms as if inviting her to try.
‘No guns.’
‘Absolutely no commotion.’
Aleksei’s words resurfaced in her mind.
But right now…
Angelina tightened her finger on the trigger.
“Angel!”
Once again, Aleksei’s voice acted as a brake. The captain grinned leisurely.
“If the police come, you’ll be the ones at a disadvantage. The Tordy Empire doesn’t care about protecting foreigners, and they’ll care even less once they find out you’re Latrians.”
“And if that happens, you won’t get paid either.”
“We’ll worry about that after taking the map.”
“Same here.”
“…”
“I’d rather save the men first.”
Angelina tightened her finger again.
“And my instincts move faster than my reason. If I sense even a little danger, I’ll pull the trigger.”
As she flexed the hand holding the gun, Blaske’s expression hardened.
A suffocating tension filled the air.
“Wait, let me sort this out.”
Franz raised his hand while being restrained by the sailors.
“I’ll hand over the map. If you promise me one thing.”
“Franz!”
“Speak.”
“Promise you’ll stop chasing us, and I’ll give you the map.”
“…”
“I’ve traveled the world and seen all kinds of things. I guarantee that map is worth far more than what you were promised. So let’s not waste energy fighting. Just take the map and leave. What do you say?”
“No. Franz!”
Despite Aleksei’s protest, Franz didn’t withdraw his offer.
Captain Blaske didn’t deliberate long.
“Fine.”
“Then tell your men to back off.”
“And lower the gun while you’re at it.”
The sailors retreated behind Blaske, and Angelina lowered her pistol.
From a corner, Naomi watched everything unfold. Though she stood among the pirates, her heart was entirely with the three travelers.
She was sick and tired of people stealing from others and throwing their weight around.
“Are you really going to trust that painter’s word?”
“The more money, the better. The fewer enemies, the better.”
Blaske had no loyalty to Raul Garcia, but there was nothing to gain from making such a cruel emperor his enemy.
“What do you mean, Captain?”
“You idiot. Once he hands over the map, we attack immediately.”
Overhearing the whispered conversation, Naomi felt furious.
Listening to such vile and pathetic scheming made her ears rot.
She turned toward Kori. Maybe it was her imagination, but the monkey seemed unusually good at understanding her.
“Snatch the map. Then run. Don’t let them take it.”
The moment Franz tossed over the rolled-up map, Naomi realized she’d been right.
“Huh?”
Kori suddenly leaped from her shoulder and caught the map in his mouth midair.
“Give that back, you monkey bastard.”
Captain Blaske awkwardly held out his hand.
“…Screech…”
Ignoring him completely, Naomi’s monkey dashed away.
“Captain! Captain!”
The sailors stared dumbfounded at the fleeing monkey.
Blaske was furious.
“How dare you mock me?”
“Us?”
“The monkey belongs to someone else.”
“Do you really have time for this?”
The three of them remained calm.
Blaske whipped around and glared at Naomi.
“What? Maybe it’s just his hunting instinct.”
Her reaction was equally nonchalant.
“What should we do, Captain?”
“What do you mean what? Chase it!”
“Chase where?”
“The monkey, you idiot!”
As the captain roared, the sailors all sprinted after the runaway monkey.
“See you next time.”
Jin Blaske roughly grabbed Naomi and ran off.
“Actually, let’s not. That was the agreement.”
Franz dusted off his backside as he stood up. Aleksei exploded.
“What were you thinking, handing over the map?”
“It was the simplest and most reliable solution.”
“Our deal with the duke is ruined. My honor and pride were riding on that agreement. This isn’t something a third party can just break on their own.”
“I was the third party who almost died unfairly because of your honor and pride, Your Highness.”
“This concerns the fate of the nation too. Do you not even have that much judgment?”
“Am I supposed to take responsibility for that as well?”
“What?”
As the two men glared at each other, Angelina stepped between them.
“What deal with the duke?”
Aleksei explained everything that had happened. Angelina’s eyes widened.
“You handed a map like that to pirates?”
It wasn’t even stolen from them. They had practically offered it up.
“Then we shouldn’t be standing around here. We need to chase the pirates.”
“Forget it.”
“Why are you so calm? Wait… were you a pirate spy all along?”
First the crown prince had suspected him of being an imperial spy, and now the crown princess thought he was a pirate spy.
The tense atmosphere broke as Franz laughed.
“It’s rather unpleasant that you keep switching me between enemy and ally whenever you feel like it. But considering what I did, I’ll let it slide. Follow me.”
“Where?”
“I believe I deserve an apology from both of you.”
