Captain – Chapter 44 – The Flaw in the Disguise

The curved saber with elegant wave-like patterns stopped in mid-air.

Roy’s eyebrows shot up, her eyes filling with a look of disbelief as she stared at the young man before her as if seeing some rare curiosity: “You… you’re begging for mercy?”

“Of course, when facing death, what else can I do besides beg?”

When the intense pain he had anticipated didn’t materialize, the young man cautiously opened his eyes, quickly adopting a fawning expression, his obliging manner resembling that of a tail-wagging pug.

“Hey, aren’t you an executioner of the Black Raven Society? Don’t you feel this is beneath you?”

Roy’s face was full of astonishment. Besides shameless rogues like herself, even pirate captains cared about their dignity and authority, let alone an executioner of the Black Raven Society who could be mentioned in the same breath as federation senators and imperial decision-makers.

“Beneath me? What’s that? Is it more important than my life?”

The young man replied with complete indifference, then began incessantly begging Roy to move that gleaming curved saber further away from his delicate frame.

As if having found a kindred spirit, Roy’s dark golden pupils flickered slightly. She moved the curved saber away from the young man’s head, but didn’t sheathe it, letting it hang at her side to ensure she could block any potential attack from the darkness.

Seeing death’s scythe leave his neck, the young man finally exhaled deeply. Supporting himself against the wall, he slowly stood up, his legs still somewhat weak: “The Elder’s foresight was indeed wise, telling me to stay far from the door when opening it. Otherwise, I would have truly become a ghost under your blade.”

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Hearing this, Roy narrowed her eyes slightly. It seemed her deduction was correct—to bury an imperial governor, the only remaining Elder of the Black Raven Society had actually come to Frans Island!

“What? Sending such a frail fellow like you to face me, does that Elder still hope you’ll return alive?” Roy’s voice was icy, making the young man shudder.

“No, no, no, you misunderstand! I’m not here to fight you. I’m, uh, here to guide you. Yes, to guide you.” The young man hurriedly explained, his gaze occasionally darting to the cold gleaming curved saber, fearing any moment it might slice his throat.

“Guide me?”

Roy spoke as if hearing something amusing, smiling: “What do you mean? Your Elder wants to bribe me? That’s entirely possible. The price is negotiable, but payment comes first.”

Finally witnessing this captain’s rogue side, the young man was stunned. Even someone as cunning as him could never imagine displaying such a gentle and kind demeanor after such a powerful threat, and discussing… the price of betrayal?

“This… this…”

“This what? Let me tell you, if I weren’t really short on money right now, I wouldn’t deal with rats like you. Miss this chance and there won’t be another. You’d better think carefully.” While the young man was dazed, Roy seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.

“Of course, of course! As it happens, I manage the Black Raven Society’s funds. As for the price, could we discuss it when you meet the Elder?” The young man snapped back to his senses and asked cautiously.

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Hearing the young man admitting his identity, the light in Roy’s eyes immediately brightened significantly, looking at him as if at a mountain of gold: “So, you’re Sand Fox among the eight executioners?”

The codename Sand Fox might not be prominent in the eyes of imperial and federal military, but if you were a wealthy merchant, you would certainly know this name, because the vast financial network of the Black Raven Society was gathered bit by bit in his hands.

Moreover, as a merchant, he was also the Society’s public representative, often attending various important business or political gatherings, bringing the will of the Black Raven Society to people.

However, Roy hadn’t expected that the Sand Fox from the rumors, with a thousand faces and whose true identity was difficult to know, would be this cowardly young man before her.

“Yes, I am Sand Fox. Certain pirates among your kind have targeted me more than once.” The young man clearly emphasized “certain pirates.”

Only then did the captain sheathe her sword, smilingly patting his shoulder, looking even more fox-like than Sand Fox himself: “I never imagined the person I’ve been hunting with the Mermaid would look like this. Hmm, I’ll remember.”

Seeing the malicious smile on the girl’s face, the young man instinctively shuddered, somewhat regretting having exposed his identity so openly to this dangerous person.

Alfie’s reconnaissance had not been wrong—this dwelling was indeed the Black Raven Society’s secret base on Frans Island. However, the base wasn’t this house visible aboveground, but deeply hidden underground, accessible only through an extremely complex mechanism hidden under a wooden table.

After experiencing underground corridors that resembled a maze, Roy was completely disoriented, unable to tell east from west, north from south, just dizzily following the young man forward.

“So you’re saying, you already knew my identity, so you deliberately waited for me to deliver myself to your doorstep?”

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Having learned certain secrets during her conversation with the young man, Roy frowned as she asked.

“No, it was originally just Bee Bat’s speculation. It wasn’t until after your conversation with Scorpion Lion that we confirmed your true identity through the ravens our organization has raised.”

The young man carried a lantern in front, patiently answering the seemingly endless questions from the captain.

“This… just like that? Don’t you know Captain Roy is genuinely a man?” Roy’s face was full of distress, unable to understand where the problem lay.

“You mean the stereotype? It’s simple. Because except for the pirates who stay with you daily, all enemies who have seen you are dead, whether they are imperial and federal soldiers, or the organization’s assassins. So constructing such a lie wasn’t difficult.”

The young man glanced at her chest and continued: “Besides, you were underage back then. Developing late or binding your chest would have allowed you to masquerade as a man. I imagine attending various high-society parties as a man and having spring encounters with those ladies were all smoke screens you released, weren’t they?”

Rendered speechless by such a logical and meticulous deduction, Roy’s mouth twitched slightly, thinking to herself that she hadn’t just been playing house with those women in bed.

“Of course, that alone wasn’t enough. There’s also your rare appearance in the Empire, a cold raven so swift even hunting falcons can’t catch up, and…”

The young man swallowed and said with considerable awe: “Your terrifying combat prowess.”

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“Ask yourself, how could someone who defeats Scorpion Lion bare-handed and treats the organization’s assassins as nothing be an obscure nobody, let alone a so-called collateral heir of the Andersen family?”

Roy blinked, somewhat surprised by the Black Raven Society’s rapid information processing. In such a short time, they had already learned about the identity she had used. Then, what happened at the ball should also…

“Wait, you mean…” The captain suddenly remembered something, her gaze sharpening.

“Yes, your seemingly perfect disguise had flaws due to things you considered matter-of-course.”

The young man finally stopped walking. Before them appeared a mysterious stone door embedded with an inverted triangular metal lock containing three keyholes.

Each core base of the Black Raven Society required the authority of at least three executioners to open. But clearly, the lineup the organization had brought to Frans Island far exceeded this standard, so the young man didn’t even need to insert a key—the stone door rumbled open on its own.

Soft light spilled from behind the stone door, illuminating the dark areas the lantern couldn’t reach, and also illuminating Roy’s increasingly grave countenance.

The young man stood at one side of the stone door, making a welcoming gesture inward, announcing as if passing judgment: “Not just us of the Black Raven Society, your identity… has probably also been exposed to that cunning and vicious imperial governor.”

“So please, Captain Roy, the Elder wishes to meet you.”