The Ghost Ship and the Compromise

Today was another day of calm seas.

Saranya raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, her gaze sweeping across the distant horizon until it settled upon another sailboat.

That vessel was considerably smaller than the Monster, the ship beneath her feet. It was roughly half the length, sails unfurled, pressing forward at full speed in the same direction.

“Look at the flag,” Saranya observed, “that’s a Bloodsail Alliance ship.”

“You got it right, but no prize for you~”

Talia leaned against the ship’s rail, a section of knot-laden rope dangling from her mouth, her words muffled and indistinct.

“Just those rich folks who rented our ship a couple of days ago, trying to escape Vero before the demon plague hits. A bunch of cowards, really…”

“Hmph!”

Beside Talia, Borok let out a disgruntled snort. Clearly, Talia’s remark about cowards had inadvertently included her own captain.

“Heh heh…”

The female sailor scratched her head, quickly shifting the topic.

“Come to think of it, their cruising speed should be faster than ours, shouldn’t it? How are we slowly catching up to them? Oh… it looks like their sails aren’t in great condition. Seems their sail master is a novice, then…”

“Slow down.”

Kaelan interjected abruptly.

The witch, perched on Saranya’s shoulder, shifted her small bottom. Her ruby-like eyes were fixed on the distant ship, her expression grave.

“Order your crew to slow down immediately!”

Talia was about to question the command, but the usually sly Borok, uncharacteristically decisive, tossed aside his monocular and loudly issued orders to the sailors on duty.

“Reef the sails! Slow down!”

At the same time, high above their heads, an old sailor clung to the edge of the mast’s crow’s nest, shouting down in astonishment.

“Captain, that ship is empty! There’s no one aboard!”

The entire crew instantly grew vigilant. Under Talia’s command, the sailors half-reefed the sails, drastically reducing the ship’s speed. This afforded them more time to observe the situation, while standby sailors seized the opportunity to arm themselves for any contingency.

“Huh?!”

Saranya suddenly felt a warm sensation on her shoulder. She froze for a second, almost thinking her master, perched there, had relieved herself. Upon inspection, she realized it was the wolf’s head on her armor — the wolf’s eyes, crafted from magic-sensing crystal, were faintly glowing, signaling a flow of magical energy nearby.

The sea surface appeared utterly devoid of anything unusual; the waves were gentle, and visibility was excellent. If anything felt amiss, it was the uncanny silence.

Indeed, it was too quiet. Throughout their journey, they had seen countless gulls circling overhead, and active schools of fish frequently leaped from the water as if to greet them. Yet, upon reaching this particular stretch of ocean, every moving creature seemed to have vanished in an instant.

That was highly problematic.

“How far are we from the area where the demon plague mist appeared?”

“Roughly… four nautical miles.”

Borok answered distractedly, raising his monocular once more to scrutinize the unmanned ghost ship on the sea.

Saranya rested her chin in her hand.

Four nautical miles… that was still a considerable distance. It was difficult to ascertain any connection between the ghost ship and the demon plague mist.

Talia leaped down from the ship’s rail, accepting two large scimitars from a subordinate. With a flick of her wrist, she smoothly tucked the pair of weapons into the straps at her waist, her movements exuding a formidable, heroic air.

“Captain, something’s fishy. What do we do?”

“Nonsense! Of course, we’re going over there to get my ship back!”

Borok slammed his fist into his palm, baring his large teeth like a rabid dog.

“Do you know how much a ship costs?! Don’t act like we have a choice here!!”

“No!”

Saranya could no longer stay still. Borok might be willing to risk his life for a dilapidated ship, but she and Kaelan would gain nothing from it. This was not something she intended to do.

“We have no idea what happened on that ship. If we blindly sail over there, what if something goes wrong?”

“Oh! You’re afraid to even check out an empty hull? Our esteemed Lady Haia, with such meager courage, still intends to inspect the demon plague mist?”

Borok was precisely the kind of man driven to folly by greed. Murder, robbery, kidnapping, smuggling—the Bloodsail Alliance dabbled in it all. Merely approaching a ghost ship was hardly a concern for these sailors.

“This has nothing to do with courage; it has to do with intelligence! If you want to die, don’t drag us down with you!”

“You’re on my ship, so you listen to me! If you don’t like it, jump overboard right now and swim back to Vero!”

“Jump!”

“Yeah! Jump!”

Saranya was arguing on home turf, so to speak, and couldn’t gain an advantage. All the observing sailors sided with Borok.

Furthermore, while Borok’s words were harsh, his logic was sound. This was his ship, and it certainly wasn’t appropriate for her alone to dictate how it should be handled.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!!!”

A coarse voice sliced through the air, its sheer volume silencing everyone on deck.

It was Talia.

The chief female sailor stepped between Saranya and Borok, hands on her hips, her upper body slightly leaning forward. Her amber cat-like eyes glittered as she scanned the noisy sailors one by one, her fierce demeanor effectively silencing the onlookers.

“Captain, Xiao Ya has a point! Our brothers’ lives are precious too; we can’t throw them away for a suspicious wreck!”

“You rascal…”

Borok’s bluster subsided slightly after Talia’s shout, yet he still craned his neck, pointing a finger at the female sailor.

“Then what do you propose we do? The Bloodsail Alliance is already short on funds! Are we just going to watch our assets disappear without trying to save them?!”

“Of course, we’ll mediate… no, wait… compromise!”

Talia clapped her hands, her voice booming.

“We’ll rescue the ship! As long as Xiao Ya helps us retrieve it, we’ll let them use this ship during the demon plague. They’ll handle all the maintenance fees and such themselves, and then return it afterward. How does that sound?”

Upon hearing the words “maintenance fees,” the anger on Borok’s face instantly vanished, replaced by a feigned reluctance.

“Ah… uh… fine, if Talia says so…”

‘Saranya wanted nothing more than to punch Borok in the face. She would exert effort to save the ship, yet still be burdened with its maintenance costs. By any measure, she was getting the short end of the stick!’

“No… why should we provide both the effort and the money—”

She began to retort, but a subtle pressure suddenly came from her shoulder.

Kaelan tapped her collarbone with a delicate toe, prompting Saranya to turn her head and meet her master’s beautiful red eyes. She saw the corner of her master’s mouth curve upward, a movement so slight yet conveying her meaning perfectly.

“Agree to their terms.”

‘From her observations, Kaelan likely enjoyed the feeling of being on a ship, which was probably why she accepted the deal.’

‘Besides, having such a ship would give them more naval power when the demon plague arrived…’

With her master’s approval, Saranya accepted the conditions, ready to face whatever dangers lay ahead.

“It’s a deal, then.”

“Agreed!”

“Alright! Xiao Ya’s quick! Let’s get to it!”

Talia moved to pat Saranya’s arm, but Saranya, with a slight pout of displeasure, turned sideways and dodged her.

“Don’t call me that. You’re giving me goosebumps…”

“Lads!”

The female sailor laughed heartily, her unruly brown hair swaying as she brandished her scimitar overhead, looking every bit like a bandit leader.

“Grab your weapons! Prepare to board! Let’s drag the captain’s precious treasure back!”