Chapter 197
Episode 63: Escape (Part 2)
“You’re not supposed to fly!”
Jin shouted reflexively.
But the ship had already shot forward like a cannonball, hurtling toward the sea.
“Don’t worry! The Empire’s magic won’t detect this one!”
The ship had no wings and wasn’t a living creature. Cosmos knew well that Order No. 7 didn’t truly “fly,” so it wouldn’t be picked up by the Red Concentric Barrier.
Riding a flying ship was no everyday experience.
Even Jin, a Runcandel native; Kashimir, once royalty; Alisa from the Special Forces; Siris, heir to the Bow Palace; and even dragons who had lived for thousands of years—none had ever encountered anything like this.
Kraaaah!
Though it was only a brief lift caused by the water pressure pushing against the barrier wall, Jin and his companions couldn’t close their mouths in astonishment.
My god, did mere pirates really prepare something like this?
That was the thought running through their minds. Cosmos had secretly “installed” this ship underground on the island for emergency escapes.
“Ha ha ha ha! This is why I built the Order ship!”
Order No. 7—if this was the seventh, then the first through sixth must have been used in similar ways.
Jin’s companions barely heard Cosmos’s hearty laughter. They were still reeling from the overwhelming water pressure that had launched the ship like a projectile, their minds nearly blown.
But the pirates seemed right at home. They shouted and whooped like excited monkeys, reveling in the unbelievable speed that no one would believe was a ship.
The wind pushed against their cheeks. Facing it head-on, their eyelids threatened to flip back, and their hair instantly became wild and tangled.
Looking down, they saw the ships below.
It was the fleet of the Bellado Principality, surrounding the island. The men standing on their decks looked dumbfounded, staring up in disbelief.
Order No. 7 passed over them like a bird, soaring far beyond before plunging toward the distant sea.
It was surreal. The fleet commanders couldn’t even order cannon or magic fire at Order No. 7.
They just stood there, stunned, as if wondering, “What the hell is that?”
“Hahaha, now we’re dropping! Hold on tight!”
Before Cosmos even finished shouting, Jin and his companions had already jammed their fingers into the gaps in the deck.
Whether the ship could withstand the impact was uncertain. If the sea didn’t catch it, Order No. 7 would shatter into pieces.
But the only ones doubting were Jin, his companions, and the Bellado fleet.
Paaaang…! Crash…!
Water erupted everywhere like a tidal wave.
The ship had hit the sea, and at the same time, something was breaking. The sound of parts snapping and splintering echoed as the ship thrashed violently.
Fragments flew. So many wooden shards scattered that it seemed impossible the ship could survive. The entire deck had broken off and was flying through the air.
Yet the pirates laughed and shouted, clearly thrilled. “This is way better than last time,” someone called out.
Despite the ship being smashed to bits.
Amazingly, as the water settled, Order No. 7 nonchalantly and smoothly moved forward. The keel appeared intact.
“Hah…”
Jin let out an involuntary sigh. Looking back, the island and fleet looked as tiny as grains of rice.
“Do you know how we pirates survive among monsters like you? It’s because of things like this. At sea, not even the Empire’s fleet can catch us.”
“The ship seems pretty damaged. I think I heard cracking near the keel, and the deck’s completely broken. Can this ship really shake off a pursuit?”
Cosmos tapped Jin’s shoulder and laughed.
“Of course. The sea loves us. Don’t worry. Once we finish emergency repairs, those guys will be nothing but dots within thirty minutes, and gone from sight in an hour. Repair crew, get to work. Navigators, focus and hold the wheel!”
At Cosmos’s command, the pirates who had been giggling quickly took their places. Only Jin, his companions, and Cosmos stood idle.
“Amazing. How did you pull this off?”
“Don’t go trying to steal our trade secrets.”
“But anyone who sees this would have to ask.”
“Ha ha! Even Runcandel can’t do this. That’s why I’m the Pirate King.”
The others still looked stunned.
‘Why would someone with this kind of power choose to be a pirate?’
Jin wanted to ask but held back. Cosmos seemed to take great pride in being a pirate, and now was the time to express gratitude.
“Anyway, thanks. You made it easy for us to get off the island.”
“Hmph, don’t thank me too much. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have escaped. You better keep your promise—you swore an oath, but I need to be able to trust you.”
“As long as my companions and I make it safely to land, there won’t be any problem fulfilling the promise. What’s the route?”
“We’ll go straight to near the Zhan Kingdom without stops, then resupply at allied islands nearby. It’ll take exactly two weeks. You get off then and go your own way. How much are you paying?”
“More than you imagine. The money you made in the arena will feel like pocket change.”
It wasn’t even a question of being too generous.
Escaping on the Murakan or Quikantel would have been the worst choice, especially with the Red Concentric Barrier spreading. Jin had been prepared to lose some comrades swimming away, but thankfully, he met Cosmos.
And that wasn’t all. Because Jin had participated in Cosmos’s arena last year, he met Veradin and Dante and obtained a map of the Colon Ruins.
In truth, Cosmos was nothing less than a lifesaver to Jin.
Cosmos chuckled.
“I only took you aboard because I had no other choice… but you’re soft for Runcandel. Their way is to just kill us all once they’re safe, right? You’re not even clients, just pirates.”
“You hope that’s what happens?”
“I’m just saying. Unlike us, you take oaths seriously, so don’t go back on your word now. Heh, I’m looking forward to it. Don’t forget, you agreed to clear your debts and pay a bonus.”
“Of course. You’ve earned it.”
Jin’s one and only benefactor, Pirate King Cosmos, didn’t throw a tantrum.
Not even when Jin warned that not only the Bellado Principality but also the Biment Special Forces and Ziphl—other powerful factions—might be in pursuit.
“They’ll chase us every time. And every time, they’ll lose us, just like now.”
“They might send dragons this time. No matter how fast Order No. 7 is, dragons can’t be shaken off.”
“Do you think we’re fools? With the money you’re sending, we’ll hide for years. How many islands are there in the world? How could they search them all? So don’t worry, just keep sending the money.”
June 18, 1797.
When all the companions gathered again in Tikan, the first thing Jin did was send gold bars to the Cosmos pirate crew.
He also wrote a letter. Within limits that didn’t cross moral lines, he advised them to take what they needed but to consider reform, promising that someday he would provide them a safe haven in Huepester.
“My lord.”
Gilly’s eyes welled with tears the moment she saw Jin. His departure to the Mitra Desert and his immediate participation in the compass theft mission had been agonizing waits for her.
But she didn’t fuss. Before being Jin’s nanny, she was a warrior and recognized at a glance that he had truly grown stronger.
“You’ve grown. And you’ve achieved what you wanted.”
Gilly smiled, handing Jin the golden compass.
“So this is what caused all the separations.”
“While you were away, I worked with the Seven-Colored Bird squad to figure out how to use it. Like other artifacts, it activates when infused with magic. There’s more to tell, but I thought you’d want to check this out first.”
“Yeah, I want to see it quickly—and then I want to eat the food you make after such a long time.”
“I’ll prepare it as soon as you’re done.”
Jin calmly began infusing magic into the compass.
Click, click-click, kirik…!
The parts inside the compass started moving, and in the next moment, magic reflected off its surface, drawing a map in the air.
‘Is this… a continent?’
At first glance, it looked like a typical travel artifact map—just bigger and more vividly colored.
But the red dots scattered across the continent caught their attention.
Those red dots marked the lands of Biment and Ziphl, clustered in the Lutero Magic Federation. There were only a few in the Huepester Union and scattered sparsely elsewhere.
“Could all those be contractors…?”
“Looks like it, Sir Kashimir. Almost all are gathered in Ziphl and Biment.”
The compass didn’t pinpoint exact contractor locations. The red dots only indicated the number of contractors and shone only at the centers of each region.
It didn’t reveal their appearance or status. But the presence of a red dot meant contractors were there, which was enough for a power like Ziphl.
By using resources and manpower to narrow the search, they could find them easily.
Especially in small areas like the Mammit Lawless Zone shown on the compass, where there was only one red dot, searching would be simple.
On the other hand, the vast continents dotted with numerous glowing red marks seemed nearly impossible to navigate, even with a compass.
“I checked several times before you arrived, sir, but the positions of the red marks shift subtly every day. It’s probably because the contractors are on the move.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Good thing Enya, Yuria, and I left Tikan six months ago. If we’d stayed, who knows what those Ziphl bastards would’ve done.”
Ziphl must have known all along that there were three contractors gathered in Tikan.
Tikan Free City is an island. Unlike other continents, if red marks appear there, there’s no need to narrow down the area. Whether it’s one or several, it’s the same.
“If we’d stayed put, there’d be three glaring red marks right over Tikan. Just like now… hmm?”
Jin stopped speaking as he studied Tikan on the map.
For some reason, not a single red mark shone over Tikan. Even though the three contractors—Jin, Yuria, and Enya—were all here.
“Could it be… a fake? Why aren’t there any red marks over Tikan?”
At Jin’s words, the others all looked at the same spot.
“That’s strange. It seemed like the device could detect contractors. Three days ago, a red mark appeared near the Kingdom of Shcheron, and this morning there was a brief news report about someone who made a contract with the Shell God appearing there…”
“The Shell God? Was its name Olmango or Olrungo? Either way, they mark even those minor gods with red dots? That one’s so useless it’s barely worth calling a god.”
Murakan scoffed, but the others wore grim expressions.
“…Something’s off. According to Gili, the item’s real, but why does it show no contractors in Tikan?”
Quietly observing, Quikantel suddenly seemed to have an idea and looked at Jin and Murakan.
“You two, step outside for a moment.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Just go.”
“Where?”
“Outside Tikan.”