NOVEL NEXT Chapter 61: 61. Pirates
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Time -- ? Location -- ?
"So, what happened?" The black-haired boy, who has now removed his cloak, asked the white-haired girl, who was silently sobbing.
"I-I stole bread from a big guy and ran away."
"Can you elaborate?" The boy showed a kind smile and asked, contrary to what the girl expected him to react.
"I am part of a refugee camp. Some mean-looking people control who is given food, and they were not giving it to kids and the elderly, so I stole it and ran away."
"I see." The boy kept his kind smile while patting the girl's back to reassure her.
It was an unnatural sight due to the fact that both were children below the age of 10, with one calming the other down.
The girl finally stopped crying.
"Do you have any other family besides yourself?"
The girl shook her head, her expression growing more sad.
It would seem like at any moment, she would start crying again.
"Oh, I just know a wonderful lady. You will really like her when you meet her," the boy, sensing her emotions, quickly said and grabbed her hand while guiding her.
They walked in silence before they reached a building.
"Oh, brat? You are here again, and who's the other brat with you?" A middle-aged lady, seemingly in her 40s, asked.
"Oh, I found her while going around. She is from a refugee camp and, due to reasons, she can't go back. She is an orphan, so how about you take her in, Ms. Aiko?" The boy asked while giving a pleading look.
He glanced at the girl, and she caught on, mimicking his expression.
Though the boy was not really that cute, the girl's expression, with her hair and facial features, was a deadly combination, making her look very cute.
"Tch, fine. It's just one more mouth to feed," the woman said while going inside the building.
"She might look mean, but she is really kind-hearted. You will know when you spend more time with her," the boy whispered, afraid that Aiko would hear him.
---
"So, what is exactly our mission, boss?" Erza asked while putting one leg over another.
"Also, why are we on a boat?" Kaiser asked while looking at the water around him.
He didn't like the fact that the boat was small, which meant that he wouldn't be able to train properly.
"Our mission is to recover a spatial mage - Takuma from the Diamond Kingdom while causing chaos throughout the country," Akeru said while taking a sip of the orange juice he was holding.
"A spatial mage was kidnapped?" Erza asked, shocked.
If a spatial mage could be kidnapped, then aren't they almost defenceless?
"No, he actually ran off with his squad mate - Miko. They both are from Purple Orca."
"Wait, so why did they run away to the Diamond Kingdom?"
"It is suspected that this person named Miko was from the Diamond Kingdom," Akeru took a bite out of his sandwich.
"Wait... So, he technically got seduced by an enemy spy and fled?" Erza couldn't hide her shock.
So could the other people present on the boat.
"What about his family?" Kaiser asked.
"He doesn't have any direct relatives alive. He did live with his uncle and their family for a while, but it seems he was not attached to them or his noble House to stay in the kingdom," Akeru shrugged.
"Such a bastard," Kaiser said while blankly staring at the water.
"Why are you saying that? I don't think he did anything wrong," Akeru asked while furrowing his brows.
'I didn't expect Kaiser to be the patriotic type.'
"Hmm, I guess I said it without thinking. On careful thought, it does make sense," Kaiser shrugged, recognizing his mistake.
"Hehe, what are your thoughts, boss? Do you also have a plan to leave the Clover Kingdom after getting seduced by somebody?" Erza asked with a teasing smile.
Akeru rolled his eyes. "Well, it depends. I still have a decent amount of people I care about in this country, so not really."
"What if there is nobody left?" The conversation instantly took a dark turn.
"Well, then I don't mind getting seduced. After all, it would be meaningless to be in this country, no?" Akeru said without hesitation.
'Well, if neither the Black Bulls nor the Vermillions are present, then I don't think I would have much incentive to be present in this country after all,' Akeru thought while looking at the sky.
"Hehe, it was just a thought, boss. No need to ponder on it too much. So, our aim is to capture this spatial mage?" Erza changed the topic after seeing Akeru's mood.
"I am fine. Such thought-provoking questions do help us be more clear to ourselves, no? Anyway, you guys already know this, but capturing a spatial mage would be difficult. So, I have an option for you guys," Akeru completed his meal after gulping the entire juice.
"What option?"
"Well, I don't really care whatever you guys choose, but it's fine if we eliminate Takuma. Our objective is to not let the Diamond Kingdom have him in his possession."
The mood of the boat changed as everyone's demeanour changed.
Though it's an unspoken rule, killing is the last option Magic Knights take due to various reasons.
One of the reasons is the morality of the members.
Akeru suggestion could lead to outrage among newly minted Knights, but people here are anything but inexperienced.
They have their fair share of adventures and know that sometimes such things are necessary.
"You guys might need the merits that would come from accomplishing this mission, so it's acceptable to do that if you are fine with it," Akeru said while gauging everybody.
"I don't really mind, boss," Ren shrugged.
"Me neither, though it would leave a bad taste," Erza said while furrowing her brows.
"Yeah, it does leave a bad taste in the mouth," Akeru nodded in agreement.
'I have really become desensitized to the death of a fellow human being, such that even when I am the one responsible for deciding that, I really don't care about Takuma's life. I will blame living in a grand magic forest for this long to change me,' Akeru introspected on how far he had changed since arriving in this world.
'Maybe this is what growth is, though I don't know if this is a good thing or bad thing.'
"I-I don't know, boss," Kaiser appeared confused.
"That's completely fine. Take your time. You have plenty of time to make a decision," Akeru said while looking in a certain direction.
"It seems we have company," Akeru said, making the other three raise their guards.
In a few seconds, a big ship with a flag appeared on the horizon.
"Though I have heard that the Diamond Kingdom is in contact with pirates, it's the first time seeing it in person," Kaiser said while the pages of his grimoire flipped.
'Oh, now I think about it, I noticed his grimoire just now. It has grown in thickness since the last time I destroyed it,' Akeru just noticed the book floating near Kaiser.
"4 Individuals, boss. All of them seem to be young adults. Ohhh, there is even a hottie among them. It seems our luck is really good," a man wearing a black bandana said with a lecherous smile.
'I feel like I am being observed. His magic must be something related to scouting. I had the same feeling when Mimosa used her guidepost spell. Let's assess everyone's levels,' Akeru thought while analyzing everyone on the pirate ship.
'That guy with the cap, who clearly looks like a captain, seems to be strong, though his magic reserves are lower than the other guy near him. My Ki is telling me that he is the strongest.'
"Third Class Magic Knight is the highest one present on the boat. Who is go-"
Whooosh.
Akeru stopped talking as he felt something pass near him.
A rocket was fired and it hit the ship.
BOOOOOOOOOM.
The ship got blasted, with a loud explosion ringing throughout the area. Most of the pirates perished in contact with the explosion.
Some unfortunate ones were unlucky enough to not die on the spot, leading to a prolonged and very painful death.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you. Were you saying something, boss?" Erza asked in an innocent tone.
"Nothing," Akeru's eyes twitched as he replied without looking at her.
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A/n- Either this arc is going to be flopping due to a change in writing style and focus or it's going to be a banger, I don't know what would happen, but look forward towards the change.
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