Captain – Chapter 317 – Meeting on the Narrow Path

The siren understood Roy’s meaning and nodded slightly to show comprehension.

Only at this moment did bewilderment finally appear in the sea demon’s eyes. She stared blankly through the arched window, as if able to see through the ice walls and rain curtain to the icy sea that should have felt familiar yet now seemed utterly strange. She should also have been able to sense those souls still drifting.

But there was nothing. Nothing at all.

So her sisters had already departed.

That devil had deceived her. The hundreds of years of time, the inevitable death, the torture and suffering her people endured, and that promise…

It was all false.

Waving her hand and noticing the siren’s eyes didn’t focus on her, the captain thought she was momentarily unable to come to terms with the changes because they were too unexpected. Sighing somewhat pityingly, she walked toward the spiral staircase she had come up.

Standing beside the staircase, looking at the completely sealed door on the wall that served only as decoration, Roy remained silent for a long time. From her arrival until her imminent departure, she realized that Bivis hadn’t been wrong—there truly was a door at the top of the lighthouse.

But this door was false, illusory.

It was closed in the sea demon’s fragile heart. Unless she could summon the courage to unlock it and push it open, she would forever sleep, forever immersed in that lie.

This was the devil’s joke, though not an amusing one.

Roy lowered her eyelids slightly, her impression of that ancestor deteriorating further.

But now she was certain that she was his bloodline, had been under his care all along, receiving direct or indirect help. Thus, her emotions became increasingly chaotic, tangled like a ball of yarn knocked to the floor by a cat.

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The threads were intricately entangled, impossible to sort out, without answers.

The captain shook her head gently, casting all these thoughts from her mind. Since she couldn’t sort them out, why waste time? Better to wait until meeting him to ask directly—simpler and more straightforward.

Time to leave.

With this thought, Roy looked back one last time at the siren, finding that at some point she had silently come to stand before the arched window.

She gazed out at the sea, her hair stirred by the wind, her dress dampened by rain. Her profile, illuminated by the interplay of firelight and lightning, appeared even more beautiful and delicate, like a rare painting found nowhere else in the world.

But within that painting was an unmistakable trace of loneliness.

“Goodbye.”

Roy silently admired this scene, but before leaving, for some reason she left two words as farewell to the siren, even knowing the other couldn’t understand her words.

Some words don’t need to be understood; feeling the sentiment is enough.

Hearing the voice fading in the cold wind, the footsteps growing lighter and more distant, the siren’s calm, undisturbed eyes rippled slightly. After gazing at the sea for a long time and catching some rain in her hand, she finally turned around, watching the spiral staircase where the other had departed, her gaze lingering for a long time.

The ice tower was tall and spacious. Soon, Roy could no longer hear the burning of the fire or the clear sound of rain. Only rapid breathing, slightly irregular heartbeats, and steady footsteps remained in her ears, as if she were in an empty world containing only herself.

This state continued for a long time. Just when the captain thought it would continue until she left through the ice door, as during her ascent, something suddenly changed.

Though unaware which floor she was on, Roy halted her steps, her expression becoming vigilant and serious.

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She was like a cat in darkness, using her excellent hearing to search for danger.

“Tap… tap…”

Faint sounds came from afar, gradually becoming clearer.

The young woman recognized them as footsteps.

But she had already stopped walking, so why were sounds still approaching, slow and unhurried, quite different from her own pace?

The answer was simple—a second person had entered the lighthouse.

No, perhaps they shouldn’t be called a person.

Her thoughts racing, Roy quickly guessed the identity of the newcomer.

It couldn’t be one of her crew members, as she had given orders, and Caine would surely manage them. So it could only be a visitor from the other ship…

Those monsters from the Death Silence.

Now that the lighthouse was lit and Satin Island had appeared, her role was complete. What followed would be the struggle for the magical box and Edward’s hidden treasures. Under these circumstances, the Death Silence sending someone to the lighthouse could only have one purpose.

To kill her and eliminate the threat.

This deduction, unlike the various complexities with the devil, was clear and simple. Roy sorted everything out in a flash of thought.

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She no longer continued downward but slowly retreated into the spacious room, her right hand on the hilt of her curved saber, silently watching the direction of the staircase.

In the past, she would have unhesitatingly chosen to ambush.

But this time was different. The visitor was no ordinary person but a ghost with divine gifts from the Lady, certainly possessing strange abilities. Rashly engaging in close combat might not give her an advantage; on the contrary, she might fall into the other’s trap or unpredictable danger.

Given this, why not keep some distance, first see if she could win, then decide?

If she could win, the visitor would naturally never return. And if she couldn’t… it would be easier to escape, right?

With these thoughts, Roy tensed her entire body like a predator ready to pounce, prepared for battle, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the staircase.

The footsteps grew closer. She could faintly hear the sound of boots on ice, mixed with numerous water droplets falling with “drip-drop” sounds.

Finally, a night-black tricorn hat came into the captain’s view, followed by a bloodless face. Then, the person reached this floor.

However, she didn’t continue upward, as if already knowing the location of the person she sought. She turned her face slightly, looking directly at Roy.

Separated by some distance, the two gazed at each other silently, examining each other. After the “person’s” footsteps completely faded, the room fell into deathly silence.

After examining the other up and down, seeing that elegant captain’s uniform, Roy almost immediately determined her identity.

She was the captain of the Death Silence, the Lady’s loyal nightmare, and the world’s only remaining Blood Craver—Vivian.

As for that long, convoluted ancient imperial surname that had long disappeared from the world, the captain had completely forgotten it, as it wasn’t particularly important.

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But the other’s appearance was somewhat unexpected.

Roy had thought that such a being who had lived for hundreds of years, similar to a vampire, would be an aged figure, like those ancient vampires with wrinkled faces from fantasy novels.

Yet surprisingly, she appeared to be a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, tall and slender, wearing that somewhat oversized coat with crimson and deep blue colors, like a child who had stolen an adult’s clothes, just like…

Richi, that little brat.

Once this thought appeared, it wouldn’t go away, especially when the captain saw those same clear crimson eyes, like the purest red wine. The sense of déjà vu intensified, even making her wonder if the person before her was…

Had the little brat been cursed, changing into a woman like herself?

Of course, such an absurd idea clearly couldn’t be true. Richi had closed his eyes forever in that power struggle on the Mermaid. How could he be standing before her now?

With this thought, Roy’s eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly composed herself.

She looked at the young woman standing not far away, saying nothing. Her hand slowly released the scabbard, spreading to her sides to show she meant no harm. At the same time, her face broke into a gentle smile, her tone as warm as a spring breeze.

“I assume you’re the legendary Captain Vivian, now coming to find me according to the Lady’s will. If so, why not set aside those boring sword fights and have a calm discussion first? Let’s talk about…”

The captain raised her chin slightly, her voice deep like a devil’s whisper, full of temptation.

“How to divide the treasure on Satin Island?”