Captain – Chapter 324 – Before the Departure

Though there were neither stars nor silver moon, the scene of the two girls leaping from the lighthouse one after another, chasing each other amidst the cold rain and wind, still resembled a hauntingly beautiful scroll, displaying the extraordinary courage and determination of the figures within it… if not for that smile on Roy’s face.

It must be said, that smile was truly beautiful, yet equally hateful, containing undisguised schadenfreude, with a meaning that was unmistakably clear.

You’ve been tricked.

The dark silver rapier was still moving forward.

By now, it was only two inches away from the captain’s throat.

If nothing unexpected happened, following this trajectory, in at most another second or two, this ghost of death’s pursuit would extend its fangs, piercing into the prey’s vital point.

At that moment, an intense red flower would bloom in the silent midair.

Symbolizing the death of the Golden-Eyed Devil.

But naturally, things would not develop this way, just as raindrops falling toward water never land silently, but scatter at their destination, like a song, like a dance.

The shadow hidden in the night sky was no different.

The next moment, the wind and rain suddenly grew chaotic.

A strong gust came head-on, brushing through Vivian’s snow-white hair and making her blood-red coat flutter like a flag, rustling loudly.

The raindrops fell more urgently and densely, hitting the girl’s bloodless face, yet without causing the slight pain a mortal would feel, leaving only a faint chill, much like her indifferent, emotionless blood-red eyes, and the shadow within them that was becoming substantial.

That shadow was a real shadow, only with a pair of eyes emitting gorgeous purple light.

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Lightning flashed again.

Vivian saw the full appearance of the visitor.

She first froze slightly, then felt a sudden realization, finally understanding the source of that powerful wing-beating sound she had heard earlier.

A dragon, it was actually a dragon.

But weren’t these terrifying and magnificent creatures already completely extinct, wiped out in the hunt of the Drowned Captain?

Even the Lady believed this to be so.

Because no being in this world could escape the pursuit of that spectral ship, as it was an accumulation of all the vengeful spirits of the Cursed Sea, an indestructible entity formed from the bodies, souls, and all the bones of the prey of Edward’s crew after their deaths.

It was the devil’s most fearsome claw.

Thoughts are the fastest things in the world, sometimes even transcending time.

Therefore, when Vivian saw that magnificent creature and finished these thoughts, Nidhogg’s front claw had just clasped Captain Roy’s right hand.

In a flash, the young dragon carried Roy far away.

It was such a great distance that even though the rapier’s momentum was not spent, it could never again reach the prey’s throat to drink that sweet blood.

In that same instant, Vivian understood something, and her body and mind grew cold.

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This time, the bone-chilling coldness she felt was no longer due to Roy’s terrifying, unpredictable nature, or her calculations. It had nothing to do with the cold rain or the wind generated by the rapid fall. It was solely because of that conjecture, a conjecture related to the devil.

The Siren race was exterminated by the devil, leaving only one girl as the “person” guarding the Acherousian Lighthouse.

So, although the dragon race was said to have been hunted to extinction by the ghost ship, who knew whether that devil had planned to let one young dragon, or rather, one dragon egg, survive fortunately, so that after truly manifesting in the world, it would become the follower of his chosen one…

To complete his world-changing grand scheme?

Many legends are either false or contain errors, like the various possibilities people guessed about the Siren race’s disappearance, or the deductions made by ancient historians that the dragon race had already become extinct in ancient times.

But what Vivian knew clearly was that throughout the flow of history, many false legends and intentional or unintentional errors were related to that Pirate King.

He was like the greatest strategist, setting traps throughout the world, waiting for the right moment when they would be revealed, silently taking flight, either paving the way for future generations or leading enemies into dead ends, never failing.

The captains chosen by the Lady almost all died under the devil’s hidden pieces.

Even Solomon, who lived several decades longer for not fulfilling his promise, did not escape this fate, becoming a sacrifice to guide Edward’s chosen one onto this path.

From this perspective, that devil was truly terrifying, countless times more frightening than Roy.

Lady… can we really win?

This was the girl’s final thought as her momentum was spent and she fell downward.

A faint sound of something cutting through the air came from far away, followed by a heart-trembling, muffled thud.

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Even someone as cold as Roy couldn’t help but close her eyes briefly and draw in a sharp breath when she saw that girl fall straight onto the hard ice.

“Poor thing, poor…”

The raven couldn’t help but mutter a few words, expressing symbolic sympathy for the girl who probably had all her bones shattered and no life left.

But before it could finish, its voice suddenly stopped, with even the final note quivering slightly, as if it had seen a ghost.

Roy slowly opened her eyes and also saw what was happening on the distant ice plain. No longer showing compassion, she said with some emotion: “Look, Alfie, people call me a monster, but how could they know what a true monster looks like?”

Following the captain’s line of sight to that icy, snowy landscape, one could see that girl who had fallen from who knows how many meters high, slowly getting up, glancing at the black shadow departing in the sky, and then walking toward the sea as if nothing had happened.

“Monster, monster!”

The raven’s startled cries gradually spread out, soon carried away by the wind and rain.

“Clang.”

Returning her rapier to its sheath, Vivian casually patted her coat, brushing off some snow and ice particles. In less than three minutes, she arrived at the seaside adjacent to the ice tower.

She gazed toward the sea surface hidden in fog, barely visible, only vaguely able to make out some reefs standing like sharp blades pointing toward the sky.

Those blood-red eyes had already returned to their indifferent state, devoid of emotion, as if that shadow and the momentary vulnerability that flashed during her fall did not exist.

A clear whistle sounded from the shore.

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Accompanied by several water sounds, several black shadows appeared by the sea, emitting either shrill or deep calls, probably some larger whales or sharks.

The girl casually chose one, stood on its back, and then did something unknown. That black shadow quickly changed direction, swishing its tail fin as it swam toward the open sea, carrying the girl and her companions, disappearing into the thick sea fog.

Roy and Vivian, these two visitors who had arrived one after another, had subsequently departed, and so the ice plain returned to tranquility. The ice tower standing at the cliff’s edge seemed even more lonely, with no difference from hundreds of years ago except for that beam of light piercing the night sky.

But… there was ultimately a difference.

Like the vanished song, the broken chains, and the Siren who had regained freedom, now in an unknown place with unknown thoughts.

Time passed, and the heavy rain continued.

After who knows how long, that change finally manifested.

The sound of rain suddenly softened greatly, the falling raindrops becoming soft and warm again. Even the tides constantly striking the cliff face became as gentle as a caress.

The mysterious blue light that had reignited in the lighthouse at some unknown time now dimmed again, though this time it did not vanish completely, but instead darkened level by level from top to bottom.

As if the owner was preparing for a long journey, turning off the lights.

Finally, the ice walls of the lighthouse completely darkened, becoming purely white.

Soft footsteps sounded as the Siren came to the seaside, her long hair floating, her gauzy dress swaying gently, with faint scales shimmering on her snow-white skin.

Like a goddess stepping out of a painting.