NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 137:
As Otto had anticipated, Drake had not shot Mordred.
He pointed the trigger at the tattered deck.
“…Lock him up.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Drake barked orders to the subordinates under him, clearly not pleased with the man.
If Drake continued to look at that bastard’s face, he felt like he was inclined to pull the trigger on Mordred’s head….
“You scumbag!”
“How dare you betray us all, and yet you call yourself a decent human being!”
“You son of a bitch!”
“I’ll never kill you gently!”
The crew’s anger toward Mordred was immense.
The majority of the crew of the [Sailfish Pirates] were either former members of the Mustache Pirates or had a deep-seated grudge against Avery.
The entire pirate group had banded together to take revenge on Avery, so it was no wonder they felt betrayed and outraged at Mordred.
“Yes, well done. A man must learn to be patient.”
Kairos patted Drake on the shoulder, then turned to walk away.
“It’s going to be hard, but you’re going to get through this. At least you’re lucky you know now.”
“What do you mean, lucky?”
Drake snapped.
“That the man I called my uncle and trusted betrayed my father….”
“At least it’s not your fault.”
“……?”
“What do you think it would have been like if you had continued to believe and follow that scumbag, and now not only are you fucked, but so are the men beneath you.”
For a moment, Drake was rendered speechless, unable to say anything.
If he had.
What if, like Kairos said, he’d been played into Avery’s hands, and at some point he’d fallen into a trap?
It was terrifying to think about.
He couldn’t even imagine how great the guilt and anger would be.
“I have lived in the world for more than half a century, and do you know what is the most painful emotion in human life? It is regret, for it is a scar on the soul.”
Anyone who has been betrayed knows it.
As Kairos, a man who’s been on the receiving end of the husband-and-wife team of Argonne-Beatrice, he understands Drake’s feelings all too well.
That’s why he’d taken the trouble to offer him advice.
To Drake’s ears, it might sound like a stern lecture.
“At least you won’t have anything to regret, so you’d better get your act together now. If you are a true seaman.”
And with those words, Kairos left Drake’s side.
“I suppose it’s a good thing….”
Is it because Kairos had touched him?
Drake stood there for a moment, mulling over Kairos’ advice, then frowned, suddenly realizing something was amiss.
“Hold on. He lived more than half a century…?”
The subject, who was in his seemingly twenties, claims to have lived for more than half a century?
‘Could he be messing with me?’
Drake couldn’t help but misunderstand.
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Meanwhile, Qasim felt a distinct cold sensation.
It felt like he was lying on ice.
But that wasn’t what woke him up.
*Slap!* *Smack!*
“Aah! S-Stop! Stop hitting me! No more!”
Qasim was awakened by someone slapping him hard on the cheeks, several times.
“I’m awake, so stop… Aack!”
Qasim jumped to his feet angrily, realizing that something dark was staring down at him.
However…..
*Slip!*
Qasim slipped and crashed to the ground.
‘Why did I slip?’
He had clearly fallen.
‘Ice?’
It turns out that the floor he was on wasn’t actually a ground at all, but a frozen patch of ice.
‘Why am I on ice?’
No, more than that.
“You, what are you!”
Qasim managed to pull himself to his feet and exclaimed in surprise to find a large penguin staring at him.
“Guic?”
The giant penguin tilted its head slightly, then opened its beak.
“What is it? It’s the Peng who saved your life. Guic.”
“If it’s a Peng, then….”
He’d heard of it.
Far away, in the northern polar region called [Tundria], there were many different races, including humans.
Talking bears.
Talking penguins.
Yetis.
Northern natives.
And so on and so forth….
Among them are the so-called “Pengs,” giant penguins of high intelligence, and they’re proficient in magic.
“Why is a Peng here?”
“Guic. There was an accident. Guic.”
The penguin answered.
“Suddenly the glacier broke off and I washed up here. Guic, Guic. I must have been here for a month or two. Guic.”
“Then you saved me?”
“I told you so. Guic.”
“Thank you.”
Qasim thanked the penguin.
“You saved my life. I thought I was going to die.”
“Guic. You’re welcome. Guic.”
“What’s your name? You saved my life, I should at least know your name.”
“Guic. My name is. Gui. Guick. Guick. Chirp. Guk. Guiiiikk, chirp, chirp, chirp. Gui. Guic. Guuk. Guik. Guik. is. Guik.”
“Eh?”
“Gui. Guick. Guick. Chirp. Guk. Guiiiikk, chirp, chirp, chirp. Gui. Guic. Guuk. Guik. Guik. is. Guik.”
“So your name is. Gui. Guick. Guick. Chirp. Guk. Guiiiikk, chirp, chirp… Uh. Ummm. Mmm.”
The penguin’s name was too difficult for Qasim to remember or pronounce properly.
“Can’t I just… call you something more comfortable?”
“Guic?”
“The name is too complex. Can I just call you… Peng?”
“Guiic?!”
“Why not? I apologize if I’m being rude….”
“Guic? Did you just give me a name, Guic?”
“Huh?”
“Guic, we Peng People have a tradition of deep friendship with those who gave us names! Guic!”
“Oh?”
“Guic! Then you and I are friends from now on! Guic, what is my friend’s name? Guic!”
“My name is Qasim.”
“Guic! Qasim! Peng’s friend Qasim! Guic!”
“O-Okay. Let’s be friends. Thanks for saving me, buddy.”
Qasim held out his hand for a shake, and Peng reached out with his cute little wings to clasp it.
“Wait.”
Qasim tilted his head as if something wasn’t quite right.
“You floated down a glacier all the way here? To the southern part of the continent?”
“Yes. Guic.”
“Why?”
“Guic?”
“Because if the glacier broke off, you could just swim away.”
“… Guic.”
The Peng avoided Qasim’s gaze.
“What? What’s wrong? Can’t Pengs swim?”
“Pengs… are good swimmers. I don’t know any Peng who can’t swim, Guic.”
“But?”
“Peng….”
Peng lowered his head.
“I… can’t… swim. Guic.”
“Can’t swim?”
“Water phobia. Guic. It’s bad. I’ve never been swimming before. Guic.”
“Ohh.”
Qasim was dumbfounded.
A penguin.
No, because it didn’t make sense to him that a Peng couldn’t swim because they were afraid of water.
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Drake pulled himself together faster than Otto had expected.
While he was certainly shaken by the tremendous betrayal, now was not the time to lash out at Mordred.
Otto’s words that he had a golden opportunity to get back at Avery had cooled the flames of his anger.
As soon as Drake regained his composure, he went straight to Otto.
“You said it was a golden opportunity for revenge, right?”
“Of course.”
Otto smirked.
“We can use Modred to feed disinformation back to Avery.”
“Okay. I’ll try.”
Drake seemed to have made a resolution.
“But there’s a condition.”
“Condition?”
“I told you, you work for me.”
“Ahh.”
“I already let you live once. If I helped you get revenge on Avery, that’s like saving you twice, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
Drake didn’t deny Otto’s words.
He could never have imagined that Mordred was a despicable traitor…
“I am indeed grateful, and I will never forget this favor.”
“As for being my vassal? I don’t suppose you intend to mop it up.”
“No way.”
Drake shook his head.
“I’ll pledge my allegiance after I get my revenge on Avery.”
“Hmm.”
“Because I don’t have the confidence to serve someone without finishing my revenge.”
“I’ll accept that.”
Otto respected Drake’s opinion.
After all, how could a man whose heart was in the grindstone serve someone wholeheartedly?
Besides, Drake is one of the 100 Lords.
It would be strange if he was easy to recruit.
“Okay. You’ll take the oath of allegiance after you beat Avery.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“You’re welcome.”
Otto said with a smirk.
‘I am more thankful.’
Otto knew all too well what Drake could do in a naval battle, so he didn’t mind the stringent terms of his employment.
“Now, then, let’s get Avery.”
“How?”
“How do you want to screw with Avery….”
And then,
“Captain, we’re in trouble!”
A crew member rushed into the cabin and informed Drake.
“Trouble?”
“Yes, Captain. It appears that fifty kilograms of gold bullion are missing from the plunder cache in the cargo hold.”
In that split second.
*Flinch!*
Otto flinched.
“Check it again, mate. It doesn’t make sense that such a large quantity of gold would suddenly disappear, and we haven’t even stopped on land yet since that day.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“There’s got to be a mistake, no one’s disappeared in the middle of nowhere, and Is there anywhere in this cramped ship where a gold bar could be hidden? Look for it quietly. It’s already a mess, let’s not raise suspicions among ourselves.”
Drake was undaunted by the disappearance of such a large chunk of gold, and gave appropriate instructions for the current situation.
Camille poked Otto in the side and leaned over to whisper in Otto’s ear.
“Look, and try to emulate him, please.”
“Let’s be quiet, okay?”
Otto glared at Camille.
“What.”
Turning his head, Drake regarded Otto and asked.
“Why are you sweating so much, are you sick?”
“Haha. Hahaha.”
Otto laughed awkwardly while breaking out in a sweat.
But Drake didn’t doubt Otto at all.
No, he had no reason to doubt him.
It never occurred to him that the man who had informed him that Mordred was in fact his father’s betrayer, a spy planted by Avery, could have stolen the gold bars.
In fact, Otto had been so gracious to him that he would have given it to him if he had asked for it.
“So what are we going to do?”
“First.”
Otto opened his mouth.
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That night.
*Splaaassh!*
With the Red Goddess at the helm, the Lota Kingdom’s fleet sailed at a terrifying speed.
The speed was several times faster than their previous voyage, and the secret was the [Red Goddess].
Drake’s flagship, the [Red Goddess], was no mere ordinary pirate ship.
It was a Holy Relic, one of the most mysterious items in the world and a symbol of a Monarch Lord.
It was a warship optimized for naval warfare that could increase the speed of allied ships sailing alongside it by leaps and bounds, giving them tremendous maneuverability.