"A ghost ship?"
Raon furrowed his brow as he looked at Paros.
"What do you mean..."
It was confusing to hear the term 'ghost ship' suddenly come up while discussing the Blue Wolf.
"Hey!"
Martha pointed her sword at Paros's head, scowling.
"If you're going to spout nonsense that even children wouldn't believe, I'll put a hole in that head of yours right now."
She raised a red killing intent over her blade, as if she meant it.
"We're quite irritated right now, you know?"
Burren exhaled heavily and clenched his fist.
"You'd better choose your words carefully. You might not just die, but die painfully."
He bit his lip deeply, as if recalling Belder Harbor, which had vanished without a trace.
"..."
Runaan just watched the trembling Paros with calm eyes, her thoughts unclear.
"He's clearly spouting nonsense just to save his own skin!"
Krein twisted his lips, suggesting they kill Paros now.
"He can't be trusted. To think a captain would try to escape by throwing his subordinates under the bus."
Trevin shook his head, saying there was no need to keep him alive.
"I-It's true!"
Paros shook his head vigorously, insisting there really was a ghost ship, even with a blade at his throat.
"I can say this because I saw it with my own eyes!"
He trembled, claiming he had clearly seen the ghost ship that destroyed their harbor.
"Fine."
Raon gestured for Burren and Martha to step back.
"I'll listen, so explain properly."
Given that even the smallest clue was important in their current situation, it seemed worthwhile to hear Paros out before deciding what to do next.
"Tch!"
Martha clicked her tongue in disappointment as she stepped back.
"Understood."
Burren bowed as soon as he heard the order and stood behind Paros.
"If-If I explain everything, will you spare my life?"
"If the information is credible."
Raon nodded, telling him to start.
"A-Alright."
Realizing this was his last chance, Paros knelt before Raon.
"Actually, the first problem in the harbor I was operating occurred almost a year ago."
He let out a low groan, saying that similar issues to the current situation had been happening for a year.
"Operating, my ass! You mean extorting!"
Martha frowned, telling him to speak properly.
"At-At that time, unlike now, entire villages or harbors weren't wiped out, but a small number of people went missing."
"Missing?"
"Yes. To be honest, it's quite common for escapees to appear in the villages we operate... I mean, extort."
Paros lowered his eyes, saying it was common for members of villages or harbors to try to escape.
"I bet. You were just extorting money from people under the guise of taxes without providing any benefits."
Martha twisted her lips, as if it was all too obvious.
"Y-You're right."
Paros nodded, seemingly judging that he couldn't deceive them.
"Actually, the harbors and villages we protect have predetermined escape routes, whether by land or sea. If ten people try to escape, we can usually catch nine of them. But..."
He shook his head with a heavy sigh.
"From about a year ago, we couldn't catch the escaped slaves... I mean, people. They vanished as if ghosts had taken them away."
Paros furrowed his brow, saying that even when they sent out subordinates to find the escapees, they couldn't find any traces anywhere.
"From all the harbors and villages you protect?"
"That's right. People were disappearing not just from one village or harbor, but from all of them."
He nodded, saying it was something he had never experienced in his life.
"And then?"
Raon tilted his chin, asking what he did after that.
"So, as a last resort, we brought in the remaining residents and tor-tortured them..."
Paros lowered his voice, glancing at Martha.
"Usually, they'd tell us where and how the escapees went to save their own lives, but this time, they claimed not to know even when we cut off their arms."
He let out a deep groan, saying he thought it was no ordinary matter after that.
"As the number of people decreased, so did our income, and with the torture, public sentiment worsened, so we went out for a while."
Paros licked his lips, saying they briefly left their territory to do business.
"In other words, you went out to be pirates."
Burren sneered, saying he had a talent for sugarcoating his evil deeds.
"Y-You're right."
Paros nodded honestly, seemingly accepting that there was no point in lying.
"After about a month of piracy, we got bored and left the fleet in the open sea. As we were returning with just our ship..."
His pale lips trembled, as if he still felt the terror.
"We encountered the ghost ship."
***
On a stormy night.
"Move faster!"
Paros stomped his foot violently on the deck.
"Yes!"
"U-Understood!"
Hearing his shout, the pirates pulled on ropes with their whole bodies drenched in rain and lowered the sails that were flapping as if about to tear.
"What the hell is this all of a sudden!"
Paros frowned as he looked at the wind and rain raging as if to shatter the night sky. The sea had been calm until just moments ago, and such a fierce storm in his decades of pirate life was unprecedented.
Moreover, with white fog rising, he could barely see what was right in front of him. It was the worst possible situation for sailing a ship.
'Things have been going terribly lately.'
Over a hundred slaves had escaped from the harbors and villages, and they hadn't been able to recapture even one of them.
To make up for that loss, they had gone out for a month of piracy, but hadn't had much success. Just as they were returning out of frustration, this storm hit, causing unbearable irritation.
'In the end, we need to get more people.'
Whether for slave trade or farming, what they needed in the end was people. It seemed they would have to go south on their next voyage to kidnap people.
"We're close to the harbor, so adjust the distance to avoid collisions!"
Paros raised his voice as he held onto the railing of the rocking ship.
"First, turn on the lights and..."
"C-Captain! Look over there!"
The deck master approached with a terrified face, pointing towards the harbor shrouded in white fog.
"What am I supposed to look..."
Paros frowned as he moved forward, then stopped.
"What is that..."
In front of the harbor they were supposed to enter, an old sailing ship wrapped in white fog was moving slowly and calmly as if the storm didn't exist.
"Is it a shipwreck?"
Sometimes ships that had lost their owners would drift in with the currents, and since there was no sign of life from inside the sailing ship, he thought it might be a shipwreck.
"It seems to be a shipwreck, as there's no response to our signals!"
The deck master nodded, saying the ship appeared to be empty.
"Good. A ship that size should have some valuable items."
Paros nodded and pointed at the shipwreck.
"Go and bring back anything worth money!"
"Yes!"
The pirates who received his order jumped into the sea without hesitation and climbed onto the shipwreck. However, as soon as the pirates boarded the shipwreck, their presence vanished as if they had died. Then, the shipwreck seemed to come alive, turning towards Paros's ship and beginning to approach.
"Hmm..."
Paros swallowed dryly and stepped back.
'This is dangerous.'
As he watched the sailing ship approaching without any sign or sound, goosebumps rose along his spine. An unpleasant, ticklish feeling in his heart. The instinct that had made him rise to the position of captain was ringing alarm bells, telling him to flee.
"What's going on? Why can't I sense the men..."
The deck master shook his head, not understanding.
"Se-Send everyone! Everyone up there. Hurry!"
Paros grabbed the deck master's shoulder, telling him to send all the pirates onto the sailing ship.
"Un-Understood."
The deck master nodded and raised his hand.
"Everyone, board that ship!"
He stepped forward as if to move himself, giving orders to his subordinates.
"Hup..."
The moment the pirates started climbing onto the sailing ship, Paros ran back and silently jumped into the sea.
'It's clear.'
That's not a normal ship. Living as a pirate, you hear various legends about the sea. That sailing ship was clearly the man-eating ghost ship he had heard about as a child. No, even if it wasn't a ghost ship, he had to flee no matter what. His ominous instincts had never been wrong.
'Ugh...'
Paros dove deep into the sea, not caring what happened above. Since the martial art he had mastered was a water technique, he went down to where the ship was no longer visible and breathed very slowly. After waiting until he could no longer hold his breath, Paros slowly rose to the surface.
"The ship, the ship is gone..."
The pirate ship he had been on had vanished without leaving even a single wooden plank, and the pirates who had been on it had disappeared without a single corpse.
'As I expected.'
Paros shook his head with a long sigh. Although it was regrettable to lose the largest of the five ships, there was no problem as long as he alone survived.
"First, I'll return to the harbor and contact... Huh?"
He widened his eyes as he tried to swim into the harbor.
"The-The harbor..."
Cox Port, which had been his base for over ten years, was completely destroyed as if decades had passed.
The entrance where ships docked was half-destroyed, and the village behind it had crumbled without leaving a single building. It looked as if a massive wave had swept through the entire village.
"What is this..."
Paros swallowed dryly as he climbed up to the harbor.
"Is anyone there?"
He shouted, but not a single person was visible. Even the dogs the villagers had been raising were gone.
"Come to think of it..."
He recalled the fog emanating from the ghost ship enveloping this harbor.
"Was it really a ghost ship?"
Seeing how it had devoured their ship and destroyed the harbor in less than an hour, he could only think it was the ghost ship from sea legends.
"Blegh!"
Unable to withstand the tension, Paros vomited into the water flowing towards the sea.
"Ugh..."
As he wiped the saliva dripping from his mouth and raised his head, he met eyes with the Blue Wolf floating on the sea.
"Wha-What is that now!"
As Paros screamed and stepped back, the wolf stared at him intently before disappearing into the sea.
"Huk!"
Unable to bear the terror, Paros collapsed on the spot with his eyes rolled back.
***
"That-That was the last time I saw the ghost ship, but..."
Paros swallowed dryly, glancing at Raon.
"Similar incidents continued to occur in the harbors I managed."
He trembled, saying all of it was the work of the ghost ship.
"Hmm."
Raon stroked his chin, looking at Paros, who seemed terrified just from speaking.
'If what he's saying is true...'
It means it wasn't the Blue Wolf that destroyed the villages and harbors, but the work of other beings.
-No!
Wrath shook his head vigorously.
-That mutt could be in cahoots with them, couldn't it?
'That's possible too. However...'
Raon licked his lips, looking at the calm sea.
'It's certain that this is the work of humans.'
Whether the owner of the ghost ship was raising the Blue Wolf or the wolf was following them on its own was unclear, but it was certain that humans, not ghosts, were behind this incident.
"Hearing that story actually makes me trust him more."
Martha frowned as she tapped Paros's forehead with her finger.
"This bastard tried to escape into the sea again today, sending his subordinates ahead."
She sneered, saying she had to chase him into the sea to catch him.
"I saw him jump into the sea without any hesitation too."
Burren let out a hollow laugh, saying it was unbelievable.
"I-I also..."
Dorian raised his hand, rolling his eyes.
"It seems real to me."
He nodded, saying that when he looked with his Mind's Eye, Paros wasn't lying.
"Yeah. It's not a lie..."
Runaan blinked, as if she had sensed something similar.
"I-I'm telling the truth!"
Paros let out a sigh of relief, feeling he might live now that others believed him.
"How big was the wolf when you first saw it?"
Raon flicked his finger towards Paros.
"Hmm, at that time, it wasn't much different from an ordinary wolf."
Paros scratched his head, saying it was about the size of a regular wolf when he first saw it.
"But as harbors collapsed and villages disappeared, it gradually grew larger."
He shook his head, saying that later it became as big as a house.
"What happened after that?"
Raon tapped the deck, asking him to tell what happened after the first harbor was destroyed.
"Even before a few days had passed, the same thing happened to the neighboring harbor. But the ghost ship was no longer visible, and after the fog cleared, the village was destroyed and people had disappeared."
Paros let out a low groan, saying he didn't see the ghost ship after that.
"So you thought it was beyond your ability to handle and tried to escape with the villagers?"
"Th-That's not it."
He shook his head with a thin groan.
"I thought the ghost ship might follow if we escaped with the villagers..."
Paros glanced around nervously before continuing.
"I-I left with just my fleet in a different direction."
He sniffled, saying he fled with just the pirates, fearing that escaping with the people might reveal that he had witnessed the ghost ship.
"You son of a bitch!"
Martha gritted her teeth and grabbed Paros by the hair.
"I-I had no choice! We had to survive..."
Paros bowed his head, saying it was the only option.
"So when you returned, all the villages and harbors you said you'd protect were destroyed?"
"Th-That's right."
He lowered his gaze, seemingly feeling ashamed of himself.
"We thought they had gone north after destroying our territory, but somehow they had come down here..."
Paros looked at Lawaine, saying they were trying to plunder one last time before escaping.
"If we've heard everything, can we dispose of him now?"
Martha gritted her teeth, saying she wanted to personally sever Paros's neck.
"W-Wait a moment! You clearly said you'd spare my life if I provided credible information..."
"We can't trust someone who throws away his subordinates like old shoes."
Raon waved his hand, telling Martha to do as she pleased.
"Let's go. You shouldn't just be killed."
"W-Wait a moment..."
"Shut up and come with me."
Martha said it would be a waste to let blood flow on this ship, then jumped into the sea with Paros. Raon licked his lips as he heard Paros's screams.
"Now things are starting to make sense."
I understand why they've been quiet for ten days. Based on Paros's words, it was clear that those moving the ghost ship had hidden themselves, knowing that he was circling this area. To make them move again, the name of Sword Emperor Raon Zieghart needed to be erased from this sea.
"It seems..."
Raon curled his lips as he looked at Lawaine and the swordsmen.
"We'll need to do some disguising."
***
"Haaah..."
Martha exhaled heavily as she sat in the corner of an old tavern.
"I'm bored."
After getting information from Paros, Raon pretended to return to Zieghart but came back to the sea, dispersing the Light Wind Palace swordsmen to infiltrate the surrounding harbors. However, the Blue Wolf and ghost ship, which they thought would reappear soon, hadn't shown up even after a month. They seemed to be extremely cautious.
'Are they not going to show up anymore?'
She thought they might have fled to another region, frightened by the name of Sword Emperor Raon Zieghart.
'This is a waste of time.'
She had been feeling the thrill of growth while training with Raon, but sitting still in a harbor with only the sea in sight made her restless. Martha roughly put down her empty beer mug and returned to her lodgings.
'I can't stand this anymore.'
She was about to start aura training but stopped and took out a gray crystal ball from her subspace pouch, injecting it with aura. The crystal ball emitted a faint blue light, revealing Raon's face.
[It's not the usual reporting time. What's the matter?]
Raon tilted his head, as if wondering what had happened.
"How long do we have to stay here! It's been a month already!"
Martha wrinkled her nose, saying her whole body felt stiff from not being able to move properly.
[You know too. There are plenty of missions that take a year.]
Raon shook his finger, saying it was still far from over.
"But this is too boring! At least let me be by your side!"
Martha sighed, saying she couldn't even train properly here.
[By my side? It's troublesome if you like me too much.]
Raon shook his head, asking her to refrain from personal feelings.
“That’s not what I meant! I can train with you!”
Martha waved her hands frantically, her face turning red.
[I'm joking. I'm sorry, but please bear with it a little longer. They'll definitely come.]
Raon shook his head, saying the ones leading the ghost ship would certainly come.
"How do you know that?"
[Those who have swallowed more than ten harbors and villages in a year won't just sit still. They'll move soon.]
He smiled with confident eyes.
"Ugh..."
Martha scratched her dyed red hair.
"Alright..."
Raon was the man she served as her lord. If he spoke so firmly, she had no choice but to accept it.
[When this is over, I'll train and spar with you as much as you want.]
He stretched out his hand as if making a promise.
"You better keep that promise."
Martha wrinkled her nose and held out her pinky finger in front of the crystal ball.
[What are you doing? We're on a video call, and you want to make a pinky promise?]
Raon waved the cloth in his hand as if he was just going to clean the crystal ball.
"Ugh..."
Martha bit her lip, her face turning even redder.
[Our Miss Rakshasa. Still a child.]
Raon chuckled as if finding her cute.
"Sh-Shut up! You... Huh?"
Martha shook her head and turned her gaze towards the window.
[What's wrong?]
"I just heard a strange sound from outside."
While talking with Raon, she heard a sound like glass breaking from above. It seemed she wasn't the only one who noticed, as people were coming out.
"I'll go check for a moment. Huh? Raon?"
Martha looked at the crystal ball to say she'd talk later, but the call had ended.
"Don't tell me..."
Swallowing dryly, she went outside the lodging. White currents were enveloping the entire city, and from the sea, an old sailing ship wrapped in faint fog was approaching.
'The ghost ship...?'
The massive sailing ship was hazy as if it didn't exist in this world, and it didn't emit any presence or sound. Just as Paros had said, it could only be described as a ghost ship.
'They-They really came!'
Just as Raon had said, they couldn't wait even a month and had taken the bait they had set.
'It can't be real ghosts...'
Let's see their faces. Martha leaned against the back of the lodging building and turned only her eyes to look at the sailing ship that had reached the harbor. As the ship touched the harbor, a white staircase fell from the deck. The first person to reveal themselves from the fog-shrouded ship was a strange figure in a white robe with red lines.
As he stepped down the stairs and off the ship, a nauseating smell of blood began to permeate the air. Martha jumped out from her hiding place, forgetting she was supposed to stay hidden, the moment she saw the figure in the white robe.
"Right. Only you bastards could do such a vile thing."
She roughly drew her sword, her eyes rimmed with red killing intent.
"White Blood Religion!"