The fourth night since leaving the Kingdom of Leandro’s territorial waters.The ship was entering the approaches to the Merk Sea—a lawless expanse under no state’s control, where fog and storms were an everyday thing.The sudden thunder of cannon proved that its reputation was no exaggeration.“Raid! Raid!”A clamorous bell clanged under the watchman’s shouts, and sailors who’d just shut their eyes tumbled into clothes, grabbed their weapons, and sprinted up to the deck.Then, at what they saw, every jaw fell open.“Whoa…”“What even is all that…?”Dozens of ships had punched through the thick night fog to surround them.Peering through spyglasses at the swaying masts and the many different pirate flags, one sailor let out a disbelieving snort.“Well, it’s not like I expected a warm welcome…?”“They’re all from different crews! They’ve banded together!”“Whew, looks like the balance of power’s changed a lot in just half a month.”“I swear, this sea never leaves you bored.”Grumbling with their mouths, they grinned with their teeth.The howls rolling off the enemy ships were no small threat. Even so, none of the Mostro Family tensed up. If anything, the mood was that of people recognizing they were back home.At the prow, the Underboss, Siobhan, lifted his face to look up.“What should we do, Boss?”The crew flinched and followed his gaze upward.And then they all snorted when they spotted Noce standing on the mast—soundless, without anyone noticing when he’d gotten there. What kept them on edge was never the enemy. It was their boss.The wind whipped his black hair into a wild drift. The ornate robe he’d worn for a while was nowhere to be seen; in a plain black vest, he bared the brutal lines of his arms and chest.And within those heavy-lidded eyes, an alien gold gleam flickered cold.It was the color pirates loved most, and at the same time the devil’s hue no one in the Merk Sea wished to meet.Far off, snipers who found him in their scopes shouted something, and for a heartbeat even the enemy’s roar ebbed.“Siobhan.”“…Aye.”His answer lagged a beat to a voice pitched lower than usual.He’s in a foul mood.He even noticed there was no pipe in Noce’s hand.The thing that had to be in his reach for him to feel at ease was absent. Which meant—He plans to end this fast.His hunch was right.“Don’t humor them one by one.”Noce caught the scabbard at his hip.Sllrch— As the long, heavy-curved blade slid out slow, the grins faded from one face after another. Their boss was stronger than anyone, but he was never the first to step forward. For him to draw from the start was no good sign.“I’ll open a path.”Noce bent his knees in a light spring. At the same time, every muzzle on the onrushing ship ahead swung to track him.“We punch through as fast as possible.”Fuses caught. But before the fire could run, Noce kicked off—lightly. One push sent him high into the air. He raised the long curved blade and cut straight down through empty sky.And—KWA-BOOM!!The sea split.***A flinch.Braced on a bedpost against a heavy lurch, Aquila stared wide-eyed out the window.That just now… didn’t sound like cannon.The boy seated beside her answered the question in her head.“Ah, that’s the Boss.”“…Noce Mostro?”“Yes.”Setting lidded mugs and bowls from the bag carefully onto the floor, Milio spoke like this was routine.“It’s rare for him to go first. Still, thanks to that, this will end quickly.”“Quickly? They just said there were dozens of enemy ships. Even for the Mostro Family…”“It’s fine. Our Boss is someone who splits the sea.”“…What?”“Oh, and he’s good at splitting ships, too.”“…”A joke to smooth the awkward air?Aquila’s expression hung between doubt and disbelief—KWA-BAAAM!“…”The roar was even louder than before, and it was certainly nothing like a cannon.Milio quickly pressed the lids so the bowls wouldn’t tip, then gave a sheepish grin.“I figured this might happen, so I brought only dishes with lids. Here—eat before it gets cold, miss.”“…Hey.”Aquila wrapped hesitant fingers around the mug she’d been all but shoved and swallowed a sigh.Why “miss”…?The madman was gone, and in his place an odd little kid had shown up.Pressing at the dull throb between her brows, Aquila decided to go through things one by one, rationally.“You said you’re a noncombatant, so you hide in here every time a fight breaks out.”“Yes.”“And every time, you bring a lunch like this…?”“Oh, this isn’t for me. It’s for you.”“What?”Still rummaging in the bag as if something were missing even after all the bowls were out, Milio spoke.“Miss, you’ve gone four whole days without eating, right? You even woke up yesterday and still couldn’t get anything down before you collapsed again.”“…”“The Boss took care of you day and night, but now you need real food. As the cook on this ship, I can’t allow you to starve.”And as a kidnapped victim I don’t get a say?And what? Who did what day and night?It came out so naturally, but Aquila couldn’t just let Noce’s behavior slide; it felt like a blow to the back of the head.“He… took care of me?”“Of course. He didn’t let you out of his hands for even a moment. I’ve never seen the Boss that devoted… Did you two know each other before?”“We’re nothing.”“Really? But… ah, damn.”Milio, tilting their head, stopped searching the bag and let out a long sigh.“Sorry, miss. I packed in a rush and I must’ve forgotten a spoon.”“…You’re Milio, right?”At last, patience gone, Aquila asked it straight.“Aren’t you afraid of me?”“Uh, mm… Then aren’t you finding me strange, miss?”“What’s strange about you? And I asked first.”At that, Milio shut their mouth for a second, then flashed a grin.“I’ve never seen a human talk to a beastfolk like that.”Human.The casual deference in the word made Aquila pause.Non-humans—beastfolk among them—were fundamentally hostile to humans. Even if Crown Prince Joshua had abolished slavery, the hatred from long years of being hunted and worked as slaves wasn’t going to vanish overnight. In truth, thanks to the Ouroboros lot, slavery hadn’t disappeared entirely.And those who said “human” with that kind of respect were most often people who’d lived as slaves.And I hauled a child like that around as a hostage.I did something I shouldn’t have.Aquila pressed her lower lip between her teeth, then spoke.“I’m sorry I kidnapped you.”“…You’re the first human to apologize to a beastfolk.”Milio’s eyes went round, as if they hadn’t expected that.In truth, seeing a human this close without bars or shackles between them was a first for Milio as well. They studied Aquila with open curiosity.Snow-white hair and a fine, tapering face. Unlike Milio or the others, not a single animal trait—rounded ears, smooth skin—and eyes that glittered ruby like gemstones.Every time the lamplight caught, those eyes broke into colors. Milio couldn’t help the quiet breath of admiration, and said frankly,“And you’re the prettiest human I’ve ever seen.”The apology lasted only a moment before Aquila’s expression slid toward exasperation again.“…It’s not my place to say this, but don’t believe everything people tell you. Be on your guard.”“Even so, you saved me in the end.”They were talking about the moment before the fall, when she’d thrown Milio back into the ship.Aquila frowned.“Saved? No. If I hadn’t taken you hostage to begin with, none of it would have happened.”“If there’d been any other choice to begin with, you wouldn’t have taken me hostage, would you? You either.”“…”“I understand.”Milio smiled gently, as if that were the whole truth.“So you came in knowing everything, then. Noce Mostro tipped you off, didn’t he?”“Ah.”“Forget it. I’d already realized I’d been dancing in the palm of his hand.”“The Boss wasn’t trying to tease you!”Thinking they’d misspoken, Milio hurried to explain.“He told me…!”‘I want to break them without pain. That young lady’s wings.’Is there even room to call that a defense?Milio froze for a beat, and Aquila tilted her head down to look at them, waiting for the rest. Awkward, Milio added,“H-he told me he… didn’t want to hurt you, miss.”Something ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ was missing in the middle, but it wasn’t a lie. For now.“…Hmm.”Aquila let her gaze drift, thinking. Unlike Milio, who fretted that they’d said the wrong thing, she felt little stir.He probably coaxed a softhearted kid with pretty words. More than that…What Milio said in trying to defend him had, unexpectedly, struck the heart of it.He tried… not to hurt me.Remembering what she’d briefly forgotten—what there was between them—Aquila felt heat touch her cheeks.She had told him there was no need. Yet his hands had caressed and warmed her as if to melt her down.A woman he’d picked up, whether as a whim or a fancy. He could have handled her rough as he pleased. He didn’t.Aquila glanced at her own wrist and forearm holding the mug. Not even the common ghost of a handprint. Clean. More than that, he’d addressed her unfailingly as “young lady.”As if…He’d simply taken possession of it—the finest treasure on that ship.Truly as if she were a treasure.

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