The Final Stretch

The air in the cargo hold was thick with the scent of decay—a damp, hot mustiness eroded by salt water that seemed to seep through the nose and settle into the very marrow of my bones.

The wooden planks creaked faintly, as if they might splinter at any moment, lending a sense of unease to every movement.

The surroundings were dark and oppressive. Oil lamps on either side flickered unsteadily, casting fragmented shadows upon the floor like a torn net, ensnaring everything within.

Including us.

“Straight ahead, right?”

“Yes.”

The winding, narrow path felt as if it had no end.

Even though she had confirmed the area was clear, and the girl carrying me was sprinting like the wind, the near-identical scenery created the illusion that we were merely running in circles.

I recalled the landmarks we had passed: mountains of crates, metal pegboards, dried seaweed, and even blood-stained iron tools.

These evidences of pirate plunder reeked of sin and rot.

But it was precisely this strong contrast that allowed them to serve as signposts for every intersection.

Our route was correct, without the slightest error.

Creak… creak…

The ship’s hull swayed slightly from time to time, and the faint sound of metal scraping against metal echoed from the floor. In the excessive silence, the buzzing in my ears created a sensation of being watched by something lurking in the shadows.

Every one of the girl’s steps was cautious. I could hear only her breathing, the clattering of the tools in my luggage, and the pounding of my own heart.

Perhaps because we were drawing closer to our destination, my heart was in my throat. I had never felt this tense. It felt as if the entire ship were a silent, giant beast, waiting for a single moment of negligence to swallow us whole.

Or perhaps it was because I had never felt such a desperate sense of urgency.

‘I hope everything goes well… I hope we can escape.’

Huff! Hah!

Compared to the start, the frequency of the girl’s stride was increasing.

This was the signal that no one was around. Only during such moments would we, who had been walking on thin ice, risk a reckless dash to reach our goal faster.

Tatap-tap!

Once this momentum began, it meant there would be no sign of any Sirens for a long stretch of the way.

For us, this was a godsend.

“There really… isn’t a single person… Hah!”

The prolonged absence of others made it feel as if we were running in a world belonging only to the two of us. The overwhelming silence eventually compelled one to speak.

Whether it was talking to oneself or to another.

“Because we are very close to the destination.”

“Good!”

Hearing my answer, a light sparked in the girl’s eyes, and she increased her speed by another gear.

After all, having studied the ship’s structure, the route I planned was undoubtedly the one with the highest safety rating.

Although we had taken a detour, the deck remained a dangerous place. Since passing beneath it was unavoidable, the first segment of our journey had been terrifying, with the sounds of Sirens moving all around us.

But we were now far past that area. The destination, an escape boat, was extremely well-hidden—likely a special craft reserved for the Captain. Thus, the closer we got, the fewer people there were who even knew this path existed.

We moved in silence without any accidents and reached the end.

Splash… splash…

As we passed through the final narrow corridor, the gentle sound of waves reached my ears like heavenly music.

“We… are here?”

The girl stood frozen at the door, wearing an expression of disbelief.

“Yes, we’ve made it.”

I lightly patted her shoulder, signaling for her to put me down.

“…O-okay.”

The girl’s voice trembled with a sob. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the glint of tears.

I understood the feeling, so I simply squeezed her shoulder to remind her that it wasn’t over yet.

“Keep watch.”

“O-okay!”

For at the entrance, one more lock waited for me to pick.

I deftly pulled the pick from my hair and immediately dropped to one knee to begin work.

My condition was even better than when we were at the maintenance room door.

After the nap, my fever had subsided significantly. The medicine the girl applied was working, and this lock was of a normal size.

Excellent.

Maintaining total focus, I encountered no major difficulties. The lock-picking progressed steadily.

Consequently, I had the spare capacity to observe our surroundings. In this slightly wider corridor, the girl stood in the center, her ears perked up as she listened intently to every sound, her eyes scanning left and right.

However, like me, she was visibly more relaxed than before. After all, it was so quiet here that one could hear the waves.

Yes.

It was a comforting tranquility.

The tension of the escape was blown to the back of my mind. Opening the lock was a certainty. I could already imagine the escape boat hanging behind the door, and how I would operate it to lower us safely onto the water.

Then, we would sail away together.

I still had many blind spots regarding the knowledge of this world. If I weren’t careful, I could easily expose my identity as a human.

But with her around, that problem would be mitigated.

Clack, clack… clack…

As the lock reached its final stage, my hands paused slightly.

I closed my eyes briefly. Everything I had experienced on this pirate ship flashed through my mind.

To reach this final step… it truly hadn’t been easy.

At that thought, I felt a lump in my throat. Words were stuck there, and I didn’t know how to say them.

Was it a reflection on the past, or an outlook on the future? Or perhaps…

“Thank you…”

‘You?’

The inner thought escaped through the gaps in my teeth, causing me to freeze.

“Leni-chan, is something wrong?”

Hearing me, the girl turned, her face appearing before me once more.

“I…”

Even now, I still don’t know your name.

Click.

With a final crisp sound, the lock was picked.

“I… really want to thank you.”

I lightly pressed the door handle. Confirming the door could be pushed open, the final stone in my heart finally fell.

“It’s just, I still don’t know your name.”

“Eh?”

The girl’s ears twitched. Clearly, she hadn’t quite processed what I said.

“Leni-chan… didn’t you know my name already?”

“I don’t.”

“Did I… not introduce myself?”

“You didn’t.”

My answer was decisive. However… it was actually my fault.

If I had treated her as a friend from the beginning, I wouldn’t be in this position where I didn’t even know her name.

“It seems… I didn’t.”

Tapping her chin, the girl nodded as if remembering something.

‘Will she be angry?’

I felt uneasy. After all, calling her “you” all this time was quite rude.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I can tell Leni-chan now.”

Yet, she didn’t mind at all.

She smiled as she always did—a smile so innocent and pure, as if she had never suffered a single hardship.

“My name is—Leni-chan!”

Just as I was waiting with anticipation for her to say her name, her face suddenly filled with terror, and she lunged toward me.

‘What’s—’

Bang!

Before I could figure out what was happening, I was thrown heavily to the floor. She had taken my place where I was just standing.

Rumble—!

Almost simultaneously, the door I had just painstakingly picked—along with the wall—collapsed with a roar, as if crushed by something massive.

Then, a gargantuan figure that shouldn’t have been there slowly emerged from the dust.

A pair of crimson eyes flashed with cold killing intent.

Water dripped from its wet fur, sliding down each strand of its mane and hitting the deck with heavy “thuds.”

The dark fur clung to muscles tensed like steel—a strength that was suffocating.

—The Long-Whiskered Leopard stood in our way.

“Roar!”

It let out a low growl that made the deck vibrate, as if announcing its arrival.

‘Why… why is it here? At this time, it should be—!’

My face was a mask of disbelief, but time would not halt for my sake.

“Leni-chan!”

Standing between me and the monster, she could only call out to me with all her strength.

Just to wake me up.

“Run—!”

Those were the girl’s final words.

Squeltch!

The beast roared and pounced. There was no time to dodge. I only saw those massive fangs instantly tear through her body.

I could not comprehend what was happening.

—Splurt!

But the blood was real.

The crimson, metallic-smelling blood rained down upon me like a storm.

What entered—no, what was violently thrust into my vision—was only the lower half of the girl’s body, still standing on the deck.

And the upper half…

“Growl…”

Was crushed into fragments within the beast’s jaws.

“Ah…”

My throat produced a raspy sound. My entire being seemed frozen to the spot, unable to muster even a shred of strength.

The image before me seemed magnified a thousand times, like a blade gouging out my eyes and stabbing directly into my brain.

Her mangled body fell powerless. The pool of blood spread slowly across the deck like a spreading curse.

The surroundings were silent, but my mind roared like thunder. I couldn’t stop remembering the way she had smiled just a moment ago—that smile pierced my heart like a thousand needles, ruthlessly shredding my remaining sanity.

‘Why…’

‘Why?’

‘Why, damn it!’

Wasn’t everything going well? Weren’t we right at the door? As long as we got on the boat, we could have left together!

Why did it turn out like this? Didn’t we agree to survive together! Why!

My chest heaved violently. My heart felt as if it had been smashed by a heavy hammer; it was too painful to breathe.

I stared blankly at her still-twitching body, my limbs as stiff as iron, unable to move at all.

Until my vision blurred, and tears of resentment and regret filled my eyes.

Until the girl’s death was seared into my retinas.

Until… a voice came from behind me.

“You really can cause quite a stir, to have made it all the way here.”

Thump, thump!

My heart tightened, and my breathing stopped.

When I turned my head tremblingly, I saw only a pair of deep, dark eyes staring straight at me.

“I’ve finally found you, human.”

Red scales covered the snake-like lower half of her body. Beneath a hat adorned with a skull, those sinister, emerald-green pupils seemed to radiate death.

It was the master of this ship, the Captain of the pirates.