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chapter 12
Get a grip.
There was no need to tell Nereus the truth. Not just about my regression, but also about the fate of the Caelum pirate crew—how shocked would he be if he knew? It was unnecessary information, so it would be better to keep my mouth shut until the day I died.
I lightly shook my head.
What good would it do to say something like that?
As the orchard keeper staggered about, tying the ingredients together, Nereus easily picked up the bundled load.
“Up we go. Looks like our little princess will get dirt on her shoes on the way back~ What a shame~?”
“They already got dirty when Dad put them down.”
“…….”
“Well, whose idea was it to make me wear white shoes today? Whoever picked the outfit did a terrible job.”
“Listen to the way you talk. Why are you so lacking in cuteness?”
“…Would you hate me if I wasn’t cute, Nereus?”
At my question, Nereus’s expression changed strangely.
What is that face? If a kid saw it, they’d cry in fear.
He frowned slightly and stared at me in silence for a few seconds before his tightly shut lips finally parted.
“Of course not. You’re my daughter. No matter what you do, I—no, we—will never hate you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, of course. Besides, you’re waaay cuter than I was at six, so don’t worry.”
Nereus at six—I couldn’t imagine it. I studied his face closely, then nodded.
Somehow, he seemed like the kind of person who’d had that same personality and aura since the day he was born.
“That does sound right.”
“Hey, you little brat!”
“But don’t worry. Even though Dad looks suuuuper scary, I still like you a lot~”
I meant to tease him, but Nereus replied calmly.
“That’s not exactly surprising.”
“Huh?”
“You’re the only kid who hasn’t cried or frozen up after seeing me.”
Nereus snorted and nodded his chin at me.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Even his brief smile looked villainous. I prayed there were no guards nearby.
But honestly, whether he smiled or not, Nereus already had a pretty villain-like appearance. If a guard spotted him, they’d definitely try to detain and interrogate him.
And Nereus was not the kind of man to let that sort of treatment slide. With some twisted logic about how it was unfair and needed payback, he’d surely end up hurting them. He hated inconvenience, after all.
Please let us pass peacefully, oh gods.
Unaware of my noble inner prayer, Nereus simply walked farther ahead. I hurried to follow him.
No—at least, I tried to.
A rough, urgent presence hit me. My vision spun, my stomach lurched, and my body lifted off the ground. A sharp sensation pressed against my neck.
“Y-you crazy pirate bastard!!”
“…….”
“Damn it! Trash like you pretending to be human! Pirates die on ships all the time! Isn’t it better for the world if you die?! And you didn’t even die! So why the hell are you doing this to me?!”
“Ha….”
In an instant, I was taken hostage. Nereus looked at the orchard keeper holding me with an expression of sheer disbelief.
“Didn’t you grow your operation this big thanks to that ‘criminal bastard’?”
This orchard was tucked away in a remote area and didn’t receive proper protection. Hiring private guards was expensive, so those who wanted to save money often made discreet deals with pirates.
Pirates valued timely supply above all else, and there was an unspoken rule: anyone who harmed their regular trading partners would be hunted down to the ends of the sea.
Since it was hard for villains to earn trust, once someone was considered “their own,” they’d protect them by any means necessary.
In other words, trading regularly with pirates was a gamble—but in exchange for slightly cheaper goods, one could get protection at a low cost and still make money.
But stabbing him in the back like this? Of course Nereus would snap.
Still held hostage, I calmly observed the situation. Nereus’s face was stiff, but he didn’t look worried.
“Lara, close your eyes.”
“Okay.”
Without questioning him, I immediately shut my eyes. Then—bang! A gunshot rang out.
That sounded like it came from pretty far away.
“Aaaargh—!!”
A man’s agonized scream pierced my ears. My body began to drop, but large arms caught me securely and lifted me up.
This feels like déjà vu.
“Well, damn. Dropped all the medicinal ingredients on the ground.”
Nereus chuckled softly as he looked down at me in his arms.
“What do we do? Lara, now not just your shoes, but your clothes are going to get dirty too.”
He was holding dirt-covered materials, so his arms were filthy. Naturally, being in his arms meant I got dirty too.
“You can say it’s Dad’s fault.”
“Oh? Blaming someone else, are you?”
I didn’t answer his teasing question and instead turned my gaze toward where the orchard keeper had fallen—but Nereus’s hand covered my view.
“Ugh… ngh…”
A pained groan came from below. Nereus hugged me tightly against his chest and walked away.
“Tsk tsk. That’s gross. Let’s go far, far away.”
“Dad, what about the ingredients?”
“Oh, don’t worry. A porter will be here soon.”
As expected.
He really had a sniper waiting at a distance. I’d wondered why Nereus was so relaxed letting me wander around—turns out someone was watching him the whole time.
“Weren’t you scared?”
“No. I knew you’d save me.”
“Just who did you inherit those guts from?”
He scolded me, but he looked pleased. Only after we’d gone some distance did Nereus finally remove his hand from my line of sight.
That’s when I saw a skinny man with black hair running toward us from afar.
“Ah.”
“Huff—huff. Sorry I’m late.”
“Where’s Ramis?”
“He said he’d follow slowly and told me to run ahead.”
“That bastard… what kind of crewman strolls along when the captain calls for him?”
I couldn’t tell whether he was trying to watch his language in front of me or not—since he was still muttering curses without a care.
He’s not even aware of it.
But what caught my eye more than Nereus’s behavior was something else. Black hair, a thin frame, sharply upturned eyes—but instead of looking fierce, he seemed more fragile than a jellyfish drifting at sea.
“Dexter?”
“Huh? Why, Lara?”
Despite his frail build, Dexter carried a long rifle on his back.
I had no idea what Dexter did….
I thought I knew my family well, but I hadn’t known—even before my regression—that he was a sniper. I’d assumed he was just a general errand runner. In reality, he was skilled enough for Nereus to entrust his back to him.
That crybaby who looked like he’d faint at the sight of a drop of blood was the disciple of Ramis, Caelum’s greatest marksman?!
I’d seen him cleaning guns and going in and out of the powder magazine sometimes, but I never imagined this—not even in my wildest dreams.
My mouth fell open. Nereus casually pressed my jaw shut with his hand and told Dexter to pick up the fallen luggage.
Dexter readily took on the role of porter, then cautiously asked Nereus,
“S-so, Captain… what should we do with that bi— I mean, that man?”
You were totally about to say “bastard,” weren’t you?
I was used to Nereus’s foul mouth, but this was my first time hearing it from Dexter. He always spoke so gently in front of me.
“Ramis will bring him in. A guy with a bullet in his leg can’t exactly walk properly.”
“I see. Then… should I shoot the other leg too?”
The chilling conversation made me shiver.
“Lara, are you cold? Want me to cover you with my jacket?”
Dexter, who had spoken so flatly to Nereus just moments ago, now worried about me in an endlessly gentle tone.
“No, I’m okay.”
“If you get cold, tell me. Catching a cold would be bad.”
Dexter looked at me with a faint smile, then suddenly snapped his head up and stared in a certain direction.
“Captain.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“What is it?”
When I looked back and forth between them, curious why they were talking without me, Nereus read my expression and said,
“It’s nothing. I just sensed someone nearby.”
“Someone? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Nope~ It’s a really small sound. Probably… eight or nine years old?”
Smiling brightly, Nereus strode toward the direction Dexter had been watching.
“Oops.”
“…!”
There was a very beautiful-looking boy lying there.
This is only the second time in my life I’ve seen someone this pretty.
I’d seen plenty of handsome and beautiful people, but this boy—despite his young age—had a beauty beyond human limits. He looked like a sculpture carved from a fragment of a god.
If he’s this pretty with his eyes closed, how beautiful must he be when they’re open?
I admired him for a moment—then realized something.
“…He’s collapsed.”
That’s right.
The boy was lying there, his face flushed, breathing shallowly—clearly the 모습 of a sick child.
He looked like a divine young lion straight out of a masterpiece painting, and for a moment I failed to grasp the situation. I couldn’t believe I’d made such a rookie mistake.
“That’s because the ‘presence’ Dexter felt was the sound of him collapsing.”
“Dad?! A kid’s collapsed—how can you be so calm?!”
I shouted and yanked hard on Nereus’s hair. He yelped exaggeratedly and pried my hand away.
“Because I’m taking him with us!”
“When we first arrived at the orchard, that’s what you muttered too, right? Isn’t it?”
“Ha~ I don’t dislike a sharp little brat like you.”
Grinning, Nereus scooped me into one arm and slung the blond, beautiful boy over his shoulder. The boy groaned softly, uncomfortable in that position.
“But why is such a young, sick kid alone out here?”
I’d been so busy getting angry at Nereus’s nonchalance that I’d forgotten—normally, a child this age should have a guardian with them.
At my question, Nereus answered as if it were obvious.
“Because he was abandoned.”
“Huh?”
“Those wagon wheel tracks—you saw them, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That wagon came to dump him here.”
“That’s insane.”
“Watch your language, my daughter. At this rate I’ll get killed by Gil—or Isaac.”
“How can there be such damned monsters in this world?”
“You’re not wrong, but it kinda feels like you’re talking about me, and that makes me nervous.”
