Captain – Chapter 271 – Falling Like a Bird

The curved knife was withdrawn, and crimson blood scattered, splashing all over the young woman.

Whether by chance or intent, this stab, like the earlier missed shot, did not immediately end the man’s life.

This was a rare scene.

It was well known that once the Golden-Eyed Devil found an opportunity to get close, unless one could match her strength or even overpower her in combat, few could withstand more than a few moves, let alone preserve their lives.

Clutching his stabbed abdomen, the Governor retreated, but after a few steps, his path was blocked by a broken wall.

Blood continuously flowed through his fingers, and Robert felt as if all strength had been drained from his body. He gasped for breath heavily, leaning against the cold wall and slowly sliding down. His black pupils became unfocused and hazy from blood loss.

It seemed that although the gunshot and stab had not immediately cut off his life force, they had not left him much time either.

“Are you surprised? Desperate?”

The young woman’s clear voice gradually echoed around, so distinct and ethereal amid the complex sounds of rain, voices, and burning.

“Governor, this is exactly what I felt when you abandoned that box. That feeling of betrayal, of being discarded like something worthless, and having even the hope I had painstakingly gathered completely crushed.”

Roy stepped back a few paces, looking at the dying man with no complex emotions in her tone, only faint reflection.

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Using the rainwater, she simply washed the blood from her curved knife, then returned it to its sheath while saying softly: “Now, I return these feelings to you. Can you now understand…”

“Why I refuse to forgive you?”

The young woman’s question awakened the Governor from his unreal dream. His previously unfocused eyes concentrated slightly, his lips trembling as if wanting to say something, but in the end, all that came was a violent cough, coughing up some coagulated, blackened blood.

“Perhaps you still don’t understand why you were defeated by my hands, and defeated so miserably.”

“Perhaps you still think it was because those calculating powerful figures joined forces to create such a trap, a deadly trap that even you couldn’t see through.”

“No, that’s not it.”

The Captain gently shook her head, expressionlessly saying: “The reason you’ve met such an end is not because of those powerful figures, not because of the Empire’s hidden forces, not even because of the Black Raven Society, and of course… not because of me.”

“But only because of your arrogance.”

Sensing the anger rising in the Governor’s eyes, Roy asked in a whisper: “Isn’t that so?”

“If not for arrogance, how could you so casually drag me into this, thinking that with just a letter, you could make a legendary pirate cooperate with your plan, make this Captain willingly be your pawn?”

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“If not for arrogance, how could you think that your hypocritical lies wouldn’t be exposed, that your selfishness and callousness hidden beneath kindness could deceive everyone? Were you so certain I would still be as easily fooled as that child from ten years ago?”

At this point, Roy laughed coldly, then listed out all the schemes the other party had carried out in secret.

“At Sanderwina Cathedral, your assassin fired a shot to force me to compromise. Earlier, you said there were unavoidable difficulties in this, but plainly speaking, it was still all for yourself.”

“To ensure your will wasn’t defied, you prepared that shot in advance. But I understand more clearly than anyone that while it might indeed have been your warning to me, it was certainly not your final measure.”

“If I hadn’t acted according to your wishes, not only would Governor Naren’s life have been threatened, but I would have also been disposed of by you, because you don’t need a disobedient pawn who might seek revenge.”

Hearing this, the man’s breathing grew heavier, but the terrifying flame in his eyes weakened considerably, replaced by indifference.

Because what the young woman said was indeed the truth, and because having reached this point, neither of them needed to pretend anymore.

Seeing this, Roy’s face showed no disappointment, as if she had anticipated it. She continued speaking calmly.

“After leaving Elvet, you sent people with military orders to forcibly take me away, claiming to send me to Nickaga for interrogation. Along the way, through that servant…”

She paused, then said mockingly: “No, I should say through the mouth of the Black Raven Society’s Tomb Bat, you hoped to gain my understanding. For this, you were even willing to sacrifice Colonel Berney and leave his fate to me. What great sincerity and concession!”

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“If everything was truly like that, I might have thought better of you, but unfortunately, I learned something from him—my final destination wasn’t Nickaga at all, but Morton Prison.”

Sighing lightly, Roy said flatly: “Do you know how angry and how ridiculous I felt when I learned this? But the most ridiculous thing was that I truly believed you had some genuine concern for me, even if just a little.”

“And then before and after our reunion, the techniques of warmth, the methods of intimidation—truly diverse and varied.”

The Captain shrugged, saying puzzledly: “Even now, I still can’t quite understand how I managed to endure that nauseating feeling, like eating a rotten orange, and actually acted out this hypocritical charade with you for so long.”

“One last thing, Governor. If we meet in hell, please don’t use Black Raven Society rats as servants anymore, and don’t ‘sprinkle’ the smell of black gunpowder all over the dining table, because…”

The young woman smiled maliciously: “It really ruins one’s appetite. If not for that, I think I could have waited until after enjoying the steak before turning against you.”

“Bang!”

A gunshot suddenly rang out.

The next moment, a silver-gray lead bullet quite perilously grazed the young woman’s shoulder, passing through her flying strands of hair, leaving a black bullet mark on the wall to her side and front.

“Oh… that was close.”

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Turning her body, Roy stiffly turned her head to look, discovering that at the door illuminated by firelight, quite a few soldiers had gathered. The officer who had just fired, judging by his attire, seemed to hold a position far above the previous Lieutenant Colonel.

Besides this, she could vaguely see shadowy figures of soldiers outside the great door, flooding into the hall like a tide.

This guy had indeed set an ambush near the residence. Seeing the scale, if she had truly acted according to the orders received by those assassins, even if she had successfully broken through to this point under their cover, she would likely have been riddled with bullets in an instant by countless firearms.

Silently praising her own wise decision, the Captain took one last look at Robert, whose face was bloodless and who was already somewhat confused, and after leaving a “Farewell then, Governor,” turned and rushed into the pouring rain.

Passing through the shattered floor-to-ceiling windows, Roy arrived at the low wall that had been blasted with many gaps. She looked down along the steep cliff, but only saw a few fallen stones and darkness so deep that the bottom wasn’t visible.

Looking at that heavy darkness that seemed to have opened a giant mouth waiting for her to jump in, the Captain couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

After silently saying a prayer in her heart, she took a deep breath, then turned around to smile and wave at the officer charging over with his soldiers, as if making a polite farewell.

Then, within the officer’s slightly widening pupils, the young woman spread her arms and fell backward, disappearing from his sight.

She fell straight toward the rapid river, just like a bird pursuing freedom.