MTFBMP Chapter 5

The Horned Whale Inn was busier than it had been in a long time.

 

I descended to the first floor, fixing my hat. I glanced out the window and saw a pirate ship docked at the nearest harbor. The shop door was unusually wide open.

 

Around the ship, people, presumably sailors, were bustling around. Judging from the lack of luggage being unloaded, it looked like they would be leaving in a few minutes to get what they needed.

 

I saw a tall man already inside the inn, standing at the counter. Unlike the people heading to the grocery store, he was dressed in hasty clothes.

 

He seemed to be in a position to bargain.

 

‘It’s been years since I’ve eaten at an inn.’

 

It was to lure this ship in that he continued his quest. Hopefully, word would spread across the sea, and they’d realize the tasty tidbit of information was here.

 

The big fish I so desperately wanted was now circling my hook.

 

I headed straight for the counter.

 

The man behind the counter was a head taller than the henchmen who had accompanied him, but he was relatively slim. He’s probably the kind of guy who snaps his fingers at people.

 

It was a good deal for me.

 

“I’m sure this is the place, and I’m not lying.”

 

As I moved a little closer, I could hear his polite but sharply pointed tone. I could also see Iris, who was shrouded by his body.

 

“That business has nothing to do with us, I’m not here to buy it.”

 

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

 

It certainly wasn’t a sentence any ordinary sailor would have chosen.

 

“Sure. If cherry pie is what you want, I’ll get the ingredients and bake it for you right now.”

 

“Miss. I think you already know that’s not what I want right now.”

 

“I don’t know if you’re not going to stay at an inn…!”

 

“I’ll take care of it.”

 

I cut Iris off in mid-sentence. The man should have been flustered by my sudden presence, but he crossed his arms as if to wait things out.

 

“I’m looking for cherry pie, which is only sold here, and this lady says she doesn’t sell it.”

 

His tone was polite, but clearly questioning.

 

“I’m sure they don’t sell it anymore.”

 

“I’m sure this inn…”

 

“But I do have one left.”

 

The man instantly shuts up. The mood quickly reversed.

 

“You! I thought you weren’t in business anymore!”

 

Iris, who had blurted out the words without thinking, immediately followed them up with a sibilant snap. Iris glared and averted my gaze as if she didn’t understand.

 

“What I’m asking for is obvious. Five cherries. Location, center.”

 

Five. It was the first time I’d heard that word while selling quests.

 

“Do you have them?”

 

A fork in the road, a choice, a checkpoint.

 

All sorts of gaming terms flashed in and out of my head.

 

I opened my lips slowly, saying, “I know exactly what you want.”

 

The man waited, as if to say go ahead. Without breaking eye contact, I took the rolled parchment from my arms and placed it on the counter.

 

Just one ‘five cherries’ quest.

 

This was the most obvious, if risky, escape route. The ship of whoever finds it would be able to help me escape with certainty.

 

“Entrance to the Imperial Secret Market.”

 

The location of the cherry meant the center, the heart of the empire.

 

I didn’t care where the ship was headed. What was more important was what was on board.

 

The ‘something’ they wanted to sell in the secret market was the best way to escape that I could think of. The eyes of the beast from earlier seemed to haunt me, following me like an afterimage.

 

The gaze returned to me with a rather intense certainty.

 

The man’s eyes sharpened even more, and his body moved closer to the counter, what little remained of his gentle demeanor gone.

 

“How much do you want?”

 

“Like I said, it’s not for sale.”

 

There was a deliberate pause before I spoke again.

 

“What I want is something else.”

 

I tried to keep my composure, even though he wasn’t exactly a friendly opponent.

 

“I want you to take me on your ship.”

 

“…”

 

“I know which way to go.”

 

A small rumble sounded in the distance. Iris, who was right beside me, stared at me, her eyes almost popping out of her head.

 

The man didn’t answer right away but stared back at me as if he had been thinking. It was clear that he was trying to figure out who I was inside.

 

“Do you mean to tell me that I am to take this unidentified man aboard the ship?”

 

“I can pay for it, if necessary.”

 

“Money is what I was going to offer you in the first place.”

 

Cough. It took a lot of effort not to make a pained grunt.

 

“Well, I’m afraid it’s not my place to decide who gets on the ship.”

 

“Then where is that person…”

 

“You must have something you want here, Jade, since you’re late.”

 

Before she could finish her sentence, another voice interrupted.

 

All eyes in the inn turned to the person who spoke. My gaze widened.

 

The man was younger than his voice, with neatly tied-back orange hair that burned as brightly as a sunset.

 

‘That must be…’

 

The second problem was that he had the kind of good looks you don’t see in a town like this.

 

This person must be…, someone important enough for me to know.

 

“I apologize for being late, Master.”

 

His voice was a soft plea for forgiveness, barely above a whisper, but I heard it all, being right in front of him.

 

“You’re the master of the ship, and you’re not even the captain?”

 

The master’s brow wrinkled as if he was offended. Even his frown was pretty. It was hard to recognize him as a pirate.

 

If the crown prince was gorgeous, he was dainty. It sounds similar, but it was different.

 

‘It’s a pity I didn’t see him when he was made, but here he is.’

 

Because I was the one who described him that way.

 

His skin was slightly tanned by the sun, but it couldn’t hide his innate elegance. He was different from the others, starting with his straight posture and stern expression that didn’t show emotion directly.

 

Dion, the heir to the pirate island, was a key character in Season 2.

I had no idea that the ship was owned by Dion. Season 1 was all I remembered.

 

No amount of sudden changes could have altered my plans now.

 

The dice had been cast, and the ship’s bell had begun to chime.

 

“Is there a reason you need to come aboard our ship?”

 

“I’m sure I can be of help. You’re here because you need the information I have.”

 

“It’s more to our benefit to have that parchment on board than yours.”

 

Snapped–

 

“…”

 

I untied the ribbons of the parchment I was holding and unfolded it.

 

The parchment was tattered with holes.

 

“The information, it’s here.”

 

With the index finger of the hand that wasn’t holding the parchment, I tapped my temple.

 

The Master frowned, unable to hide the full extent of his displeasure.

 

“If you find my information to be incorrect on the way, you can throw me into the sea then.”

 

“Anthe…!”

 

Iris, who had been dazed from the moment Dion appeared, snapped out of it and was about to call out my name, but immediately closed her mouth and bit her lip, but Dion had already heard it.

 

“Anthe? So that’s your name.”

 

“Anthele. Call me Anthele.”

 

I hadn’t intended to use a pseudonym in the first place, but I figured the more I could hide the truth from him, the easier it would be if Dion knew it was me.

 

“Okay, Anthele. But we’re still not sure.”

 

Dion regained his composure and began to haggle, “We could actually just subdue and torture you here.”

 

“You wouldn’t do that.”

 

“Maybe you’re putting too much faith in an offshore pirate ship?”

 

With that, I couldn’t think of anything else to say to convince him. Fortunately, the wind was still blowing my way.

 

“There is no one here who could harm my family.”

 

The person I was calling out to most desperately right now appeared.

 

“Old man!”

 

Iris exclaimed, leaping from the counter and running to the doorway, elated that she had finally found an ally. There stood Simon, the original owner of the inn, and my adoptive grandfather.

 

His deep wrinkles and graying hair gave him the appearance of old age, but his tall stature and well-proportioned, straight body belied his age. That appearance, coupled with the intimidation emanating from his deep voice, instantly overwhelmed everyone in the inn.

 

“I thought you were a customer of the shop, but apparently you’re a rogue.”

 

He also happened to be the captain of this seaside town’s guard.

 

Simon was dressed for active duty, with leather bracers on his chest and arms. At his waist was a greatsword he would not normally carry.

 

The gold leaf embroidered on the scabbard still shone despite its age. Dion seemed to recognize the emblem if no one else did.

 

“Are you, by any chance, the exiled warrior of the Empire?”

 

“I don’t know of any such person, but I am the captain of the guard here.”

 

Simon, an exile but former captain of the Imperial Guard, who had turned his back on the Empire before Iris and settled in this seaside town, taking in Iris and me as fugitives.

 

He was the most powerful man I ever knew.