MTFBMP Chapter 48
by NikiniksA familiar blue glow surrounded the ghost bird. The ghost bird hovered around me, sparking once in a while, growing a little larger each time.
“It’s growing.”
Already, as I stood at the door of the basement prison, people were being attacked, and the bird was growing.
A bitter feeling rose in my stomach.
“I think it’s because of me.”
If only I had realized it sooner. No one would have gotten hurt, and I could have saved them all.
The thought made my eyes burn.
One by one, I remembered the sailors who had been so kind to me and laughed so loudly.
“You’re wrong, master.”
“Huh?”
“You can order me to do that.”
Adele said, locking eyes with me.
Still wearing only his pants, Adele was unsurprisingly not wearing shoes. In all the commotion, he seemed to be the only one left standing.
“And you can blame me for not carrying out your orders.”
Adele seemed to be giving me a hint. I pursed my lips a few times, then gathered myself and opened my mouth.
“Protect the rest of us as best you can.”
At my command, Adele stared off into the distance for a moment, as if weighing something. For a moment, all the flying beasts in the sky held their ground, then each one cried out loudly.
When all the other flying creatures were gone, Adele shook his head and then looked at me.
“And the owner of this ship?”
Straight away, I read the meaning in his words as he pointed at Dion.
“Dion is in danger.”
Adele didn’t answer, but the silence was enough to tell him.
“Save Dion.”
“I see the contract is inconvenient at times like this.”
“Inconvenient?”
“It means doing something I don’t want to do.”
With that, Adele pulled me into a tight embrace, tightening the arms around my waist. The distance between us grew even closer.
As I continued to observe Adele’s eyes, I waited for the next words.
“That human is… inconvenient.”
This was the first time Adele had ever expressed a dislike for a human other than me.
‘Dion must have had something to do with locking Adele up in the basement of the ship.’
No wonder he held a grudge.
“I still want you to save him.”
“Even if I say no?”
Adele asked, glaring at me. He was looking at me with a blank stare. There was no hint of displeasure or discomfort.
I summoned a little more courage.
“Save him, please.”
The first thing I felt for Dion was definitely sympathy. Next came pity, and right now, my biggest emotion was regret.
Most of all, if I didn’t save him, I wouldn’t be able to face Iris.
“Please.”
Without thinking, I asked Adele.
“Will you promise to leave this ship after you save him?”
“Good. Let’s leave together.”
“Right away?”
“Immediately.”
With that, Adele flapped his wings. His feet, unshod, floated into the air.
It was a very strange experience to be flying through the air, clinging to a human being, and I strained my arms around Adele’s neck, expecting to fall into the dark ocean at any moment.
My loose hair blew back in the increasingly strong wind.
The night wind was bitterly cold, but the warmth of Adele’s body against mine was enough to make it bearable.
“Huh?”
I could see more now that my vision was clearer.
A huge ship came into view. The ship was no longer in control as Adele climbed through the ceiling from the basement. At this rate, it would sink quickly.
“We need to get to Dion.”
Adele’s words suggested that they were likely racing against time.
As we flew a little higher, we could see a fight breaking out all around us.
“Over there, attack the guy with the hat.”
Seeing the red name above his head, I gave the order to attack.
Adele didn’t attack them directly, but ordered the other beasts to do so. The beasts flew with precision, attacking the enemy as I commanded.
“What, what, get away from me! Ugh!”
Surprised by the sudden appearance of the flying beasts, the pirates were overwhelmed and fell into the sea.
On the other hand, Dion’s crew, presumably led by Adele commandeered the other flying beasts and carried them to safety.
In the process, they spotted a lifeboat traveling nearby.
“Look at the sky!”
“A man is hanging on!”
“What is that? Isn’t that a kid, sea gods, oh my God.”
Sailors who recognized me pointed at the air. I could only offer so much help, but it was all I could do.
“Dion wasn’t in the lifeboat.”
Despite my best efforts, Dion was still on board. He was probably trying to stay on board to fulfill his captain’s duty.
I recalled the last time I saw Dion on deck. There was no telling if he was still there, but it was worth checking.
“Go to the deck, Adele.”
Adele nodded, understanding my command. He flapped his wings wildly.
A steady stream of screams erupted from all corners of the ship, punctuated by the cries of the animals.
He soared again and traveled along the edge of the ship until he could see the deck.
“Adele, take cover!”
I could see a spear pointed at us.
Ping!
With a roar, a giant spear shot toward us.
Adele’s hands tightened around me. Our embrace tightened, and the world spun around us. In midair, Adele easily dodged the attack.
I scanned the deck once more before the next shot flew by.
It was a giant ballista, a massive ranged weapon made of wood. The weapon was wrapped tightly around one side of the ship.
It looked like a large crossbow, loaded with a long projectile like a spear.
“That’s something.”
“Wait, Adele!”
Realizing what Adele was about to do, I stopped him.
“You can’t make waves or anything. There are still people on board, and it could capsize the boat.”
Soon the next arrow came flying. Again, Adele dodged it with little movement, and he just looked annoyed.
“Can’t you target just people?”
“We’ll have to get a little closer.”
He meant that a sophisticated attack was not easy at this distance. If we made a mistake and overturned the ballista pinned to the floor, we’d damage the deck.
If we hadn’t found Dion yet, we couldn’t attack with confidence.
“Quick, shoot it! Fire and drop it!”
“Aim for the wings!”
Unlike Adele’s relaxed demeanor, the deck seemed to be in chaos.
“What a nuisance they are.”
Adele looked down at them as if they were pesky insects.
“Do you see anyone else who was there when Adele was captured?”
“No. The only human in the room is the ship’s master.”
I drew my head out of his embrace a little more and scanned the men attacking us. Fortunately, there were sailors whose names I recognized.
They were red. They were all pirates who had sailed with Rhodon.
If they hadn’t attacked Adele before, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat.
I’d planned battle scenes for the game before, but I hadn’t expected to be thrown into the middle of it.
At first, I panicked, but flying with Adele and having a wide-angle view helped me calm down and take things in perspective. My head began to spin.
“Those weapons take a while to change direction.”
I whispered to Adele.
“Hide in the dark, fly, and aim for the back.”
The sea behind us was nearly as dark as the lighted ship was glowing brightly. The moon was also obscured.
“Hold on tight.”
Adele picked up speed and flew faster, as if this was all a game until now.
“Ack!”
Another wave of Adele’s hand sent them all flying into the sea. He slid down to the deck, still gliding.
“Well done.”
I praised Adele, not forgetting to mention, as I stepped onto the deck.
Only a few minutes must have passed since I ran off to find Adele. Whatever had happened in the intervening time, a tragedy had unfolded above me.
The remains of the party I had so carefully organized were strewn about, and I could see people trapped beneath them.
I had some idea of what to expect when I saw the pirates occupying the deck, but seeing it with my own eyes made my heart grow heavy.
“Are there people alive? Where is Dion?”
When I asked Adele, he stared at a spot without answering, and when I followed his gaze, I saw a familiar head of orange hair.
My hands shook with anxiety. I turned to run straight for him.
Shriek!
A sound cut through the air behind us.