Captain – Chapter 2 – Elizabeth Roy

The golden-haired youth, that is, Roy, exhaled coldly, brushed aside the wet strands of hair obstructing his vision, and looked through the thick curtain of rain at the man who had appeared suddenly like a ghost.

He was handsome, with short chestnut hair most common in the Pronora Federation, a pair of dark golden pupils that seemed cast from the same mold as Roy’s own, and a figure that wasn’t particularly tall. He wore a somewhat old pure black formal suit, looking just like a wandering poet commonly seen on the streets of the Federation, yet without the self-importance and sourness of those minstrels—possessing only elegance that penetrated to the bone.

Thunder rolled like the tide, lightning still occasionally serving as the herald of divine wrath. That fleeting light couldn’t bring the slightest warmth; instead, it made Roy’s heart sink even further. And the cause of all this was the strange man before him.

The light of lightning couldn’t illuminate that pure black formal suit, nor did it cast even a blurry shadow outline of the man on the smooth marble.

The curved blade that had drunk the blood of countless people could only pass through his body, cutting through empty air. The cold rain strands passed through the hem of his clothes and fell on the hard ground, as if there was no elegant gentleman standing there at all—only an illusion formed by the refraction of light.

But Roy knew that this man was not an illusion.

There are many things in this world that cannot be explained by the so-called science of scholars. The world itself is filled with absurdity and madness. Even he, in his long journey as a pirate captain, had witnessed many phenomena beyond natural principles, such as… the undead that only exist in the myths of holy books.

Gripping the knife handle in reverse, tidying his wet and messy hair, Roy tried to make himself appear more polite.

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“Excuse my rudeness, but I really want to know, what exactly are you… what kind of thing?” Roy gathered his thoughts. Facing something he could see but not touch was really not good news for someone who excelled most at physical force.

“Me?”

The man smiled slightly, bowed slightly in a standard gentleman’s bow, then raised his head with a playful look in his eyes and explained: “In terms you can understand, you can consider me to be an existence like a ghost or spirit. However, I prefer to be called a devil, because when I was still alive, many people called me that.”

“Alright, alright, Mr. Devil. If that’s the case, what reason do you have for not finding release? Perhaps I can be of some help.”

Roy showed not the slightest sign of panic or surprise; his expression instead softened as he slowly sheathed his curved blade, though his left hand quietly covered one side of the scabbard.

That small movement made an extremely faint sound that was masked by the downpour. The devil seemed completely unaware, his attention still on Roy’s question: “No, no, no, I’m not in this state because of some unavoidable reasons…”

Before his explanation was halfway through, the devil’s words were interrupted by a burst of intense golden light. As the light grew increasingly brilliant, that not-so-tall figure crumbled into countless particles like dried sand, collapsed, and finally fell into the drainage channel between the marble slabs, washed away by the rainwater.

The light gradually dimmed and receded, until it completely disappeared into the small, exquisite crucifix in Roy’s hand.

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Roy stepped forward, watching those grains being carried away by the water flow, gradually sinking into the black soil of the dense forest. Only then did he reinsert the crucifix into that inconspicuous recess on the scabbard.

“This captain doesn’t have time to fulfill the wishes of every ghost in the world one by one. Being purified by the church’s crucifix should be a decent release, right, Mr. Devil?”

The tried-and-true method worked again. Roy smiled with a hint of smugness, but that smile only lasted until the moment he turned around.

The devil, who had allegedly turned to ashes and disappeared, appeared once more. Only this time, he was sitting on that throne, with that magnificent triangular hat pressed against the armrest beside him.

Seeing the expression of shock on the captain’s face, the devil smiled with satisfaction, looking exactly like an overgrown boy.

The devil reached out to pick up the triangular hat and gently placed it on his own head. The next moment, the scene before Roy’s eyes changed.

The water that had been flowing in the drainage channels disappeared, replaced by fiery golden magma that slowly flowed backward along the channels and ultimately all poured under the throne.

With countless cracking sounds, numerous stone fragments broke off from the throne and fell into the scorching magma, splashing up bubbles. That crudely shaped throne, which looked almost like a failed product, began to reveal its true form.

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Brilliant jewels, gilded patterns—an incomparably noble and magnificent throne completed its transformation in the blink of an eye. Everything was aligning with the legend.

“Captain, I told you that you could call me devil, but I am not the kind of evil entity described in holy books that would be purified by a crucifix.”

The devil who had donned the triangular hat transformed from that gentle gentleman into a fierce pirate filled with the scent of blood and fire before Roy’s eyes.

Laughing dryly, Roy forcefully patted the crucifix on his scabbard and replied with amazement: “I was wondering why this church contraption didn’t work. Mr. Devil truly has extraordinary powers. If I’m not mistaken, you must be… Captain Edward from the legend?”

Given the current situation, this was already an obvious fact. Anyone could see that this captain who kept backing away was trying to change the subject, yet there wasn’t the slightest flaw in the genuine emotion on his face.

One couldn’t help but admire Roy’s thick skin. Even among pirates, few could compliment and converse so naturally after having slashed at someone.

“Kid, I have to admit, though you’re not the most outstanding among the pirates who have come to this island, you’re definitely the most shameless one.” The devil shook his head and beckoned to this captain who had secretly decided that survival was the priority and was preparing to flee. Then, a scene that terrified Roy unfolded.

His retreating steps suddenly stopped. His entire skeleton began to shake violently, and then his body moved uncontrollably toward that throne, toward that seemingly affable devil.

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Soon, Roy stood before the throne. The moment he regained control of his body, he collapsed onto the wet ground as if all strength had left him.

“Damn it…” Roy cursed reflexively, then looked up at the devil who was within arm’s reach and muttered almost like a moan.

“So now, can we have a proper talk, Captain Roy?”

The devil examined that delicate face, which was too fine to be a man’s, with great interest and couldn’t help but praise: “The Roy bloodline is indeed excellent, after all it’s…”

Roy didn’t hear clearly what the devil said afterward. Looking up at this ancestor of all pirates, he deliberated for a moment, then revealed a sheepish smile: “You seem to know me quite well?”

The devil reached out his hand, and the moonstone skull that had been placed in Roy’s bosom immediately floated out and landed in his palm: “Of course, how could I not recognize a pirate kid who has been seeking me for exactly three years? I not only know your origins and your experiences over these dozen or so years, but I’m also very clear about the secret you’ve been hiding from your crew.”

“Elizabeth Roy.”