MTFBMP Chapter 23

“Can that thing be tamed?”

 

Could I pet that giant being? I wasn’t sure, but I knew it wasn’t impossible.

 

‘So, if I can take Adeline and escape this ship with him, maybe I can…’

 

Taking Adelaine away would mean Dion had failed the mission of a lifetime.

 

The thought was too heavy.

 

Even if Dion couldn’t accomplish what was on his mind now, his foster parents wouldn’t disown him. He would still be the heir to the pirate island.

 

‘But his first captaincy will be a failure.’

 

I would be betraying his faith.

 

‘It’s too difficult.’

 

Of course, my life was more important than anything else, but that didn’t completely ease my burden.

 

I paced backward a couple of steps, Adelaine’s cage in front of me. Inside the cell, he was still asleep, his eyes closed.

 

Turning to him, I spoke, “Let’s check the other cages first.”

 

It occurred to me that it might not be a bad idea to check out the other beasts beforehand.

 

Some cages were empty, others filled with beasts. Some beasts were small, while others were quite large, though not as large as Adelaine.

 

None of the beasts tried to attack me, as though Adelaine had been commanded them. 

 

Rather, they nuzzled their heads in obedience.

 

None of them seemed to be in pain, but just in case, I pulled out some cookies or pies from my bag and shared them with them. The animals were wary for a moment, but soon accepted the treats.

 

Once fed, the animals purred and laid their heads in my hands to be petted.

 

As I went through them one by one, I had to accept the reality.

 

‘Adelaine is the only one big enough to carry a person.’

 

There was no telling how long the flight would be, so I had to be prepared to travel some distance, which meant I would have to be able to ride on its back.

 

‘So if I’m going to have a pet, I guess a griffin is the best option.’

 

I stifled a sigh. There seemed to be no more options. All I needed now was my resolve.

 

‘Huh?’

 

I was about to take the last step-up onto the deck.

 

‘That beast…’

 

A faint blue glow caught my eye. It was so far out of the corner of my eye, and so small, I almost missed it.

 

‘There it is.’

 

There it was, the beast I was supposed to ride instead of the main character of the story.

 

It was Ghostbird.

 

‘But why…’

 

It was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, let alone a human.

 

Something was very foreboding.

 

💫

 

The glowing human took a moment to examine the other cages, one by one, and then quickly trotted up the stairs.

 

The beast flicked its claws, though it knew better. It had freed a door that had previously been blocked by an intangible force and would not normally open.

 

Bam—

 

Watching its tiny body slip right through the door, as if it hadn’t had any reservations, made me laugh.

 

— The idea of taming me…

 

It was both familiar and exciting. The sleepless hours began again.

 

💫

 

The only thing that could feed a ghostbird, or phantom bird as it was commonly called, was the soul it breathes forth before death.

 

I kept thinking about the bird after I emerged from the cellar.

 

‘This ship was meant to be a ghost ship.’

 

It was a beast that had been set up to match that setting.

 

A giant bird that grew in size by eating all the ship’s crew. But when it became a ghost ship and was abandoned, it was locked in a cage, waiting to die.

 

Originally, the protagonist would tame it by feeding it while killing the pirates who were chasing him.

 

‘But now, it was a baby bird.’

 

It felt like the beginning of the protagonist’s story. I couldn’t imagine what this gorgeous ship would have to go through to become so ragged in a year’s time, earning the name ‘ghost ship’ and being abandoned on the black market.

 

But from what I could see at this point, I could narrow it down to two possibilities.

 

‘One is that Adelaine, trapped down there, has gone berserk.’

 

He said it was possible to lose reason and go on a rampage.

 

But I quickly dismissed this theory. If he had, there would be no trace of this ship, and he would have gotten out either before or after the deadline.

 

There was only one theory left.

 

…No matter how much I pondered it, I couldn’t shake the premonition that there were people with bad intentions aboard this ship.

 

And if anyone would do such a devious thing…

 

“Come in.”

 

I looked up, following the voice that suddenly broke through my thoughts. The door in front of me opened to reveal Jade greeting me.

 

‘Someone on this ship could be up to no good.’

 

The thought made my body tense.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

After giving Jade a quick nod, I made my way into the navigation room.

 

The navigation room was only slightly larger than Dion’s room. In front of me was a panoramic window. The first thing that caught my eye was the huge map on one wall, the compass and weather vane lined up next to it, and the decorations gave the room an air of luxury.

 

The most ornately framed portrait of a stern-faced middle-aged man caught my eye.

 

I thought, ‘Wow. I recognize that face.’

 

Dion’s official adoptive father and lord of Pirate Island. Duke Noir, one of the imperial royalty and the only surviving brother of the current king.

 

Also known as the Pirate King.

 

A portrait of the de facto owner of this ship.

 

As I wandered around, my eyes fell on a table in the center of the navigation room. It was no ordinary table, of course. The carvings on each leg were the work of a master craftsman.

 

Dion was sitting casually at the table, drinking tea, and Jade was standing by his side like a butler. The two seemed to have already had several conversations.

 

“Have a seat.”

 

Dion said as he saw me enter the navigation room. Jade, who was beside him, bowed in greeting and gestured for me to take a seat. It was a decidedly more polite demeanor than I’d seen at the inn yesterday.

 

‘Firstly, I don’t think Dion is speaking nonsense.’

 

Glancing over at Dion, he took another sip of tea, his expression calm. Just then, Dion looked up and made eye contact. His gaze was ambiguous.

 

“I’ve passed your story on to the Master, and I hope you’ll do well.”

 

Just then, Jade came to my side and spoke to me. The air between us was about to get awkward, so I didn’t mind his intervention.

 

“I’ll do the same for you.”

 

Jade offered me his hand, which I shook casually before taking my seat.

 

Dion’s gaze flickered to our clasped hands, but he quickly lowered his gaze back to his teacup.

 

Without another word, Jade picked up the teapot next and poured tea into his own cup.

 

“Let us begin to talk about the voyage ahead.”

 

“You’ll have to address the specifics of the voyage to me, not the Master.”

 

Jade cut to the chase, not even sitting down, as Dion spoke up.

 

“Then…”

 

Squawk!

 

Just as I was about to speak, a few seagulls came to the window and perched in a row.

 

A pair of eyes darted around the navigation room.

 

The first seagull to perch on the window ruffled its wings and squawked again.

 

‘I feel like I’m being watched.’

 

I’m sure modern surveillance cameras would have been less intimidating.

 

Ignoring the gulls’ glares as best I could, I spoke again.

 

“What route will you be taking to the Imperial capital?”

 

One of Jade’s eyebrows twitched.

 

“Are we going to stop at an island along the way?”

 

Traveling along the continent, they had to pass a fairly large island. More like a small continent than an island.

 

The water between the continent and the island was narrow and shallow, with many rocky islands in between. It was reckless to use the passage with such a large ship.

 

We could either go around the islands, or dock and switch ships on the other side.

 

Their end goal would be to trade with the beasts down here. If possible, they would want to move in secret. Transporting cargo was a risk.

 

Still, it was strange to circle without anchoring.

 

‘Because it’s a pirate island.’

 

It felt disconcerting to travel to an island that was Dion’s home turf without anchoring.