There really were people on the island.

Even Eda, whose eyesight had grown somewhat strained from years of poring over accounts, could clearly make out the two people waving at them—and the black smoke rising from a bonfire they’d lit to catch the merchant ship’s attention.

Eda raised his spyglass and took a look. He immediately felt a weight lift from his chest. Those people weren’t a pair of hulking, vicious-looking bandits, nor were they some primitive tribe, bare-chested and dressed in grass skirts. They were a strikingly attractive young man and woman.

The silver-haired young man looked to be just over twenty, while the beautiful blonde beside him seemed barely of age. Their clothes were a little worn, too. In every way, they looked like scions of a prominent family who’d been stranded on the island by the recent disaster.

Perhaps they could even point them in the right direction.

At the thought, Eda’s heart—sunk deep in despair—felt as if someone had pulled it from icy water. Warmth and life returned to him. He turned the wheel and called to the sailors to ready the sails, drop anchor, and bring the ship ashore.

Only the experienced old sailor stayed leaning against the railing, watching the two figures draw closer.

After studying their clothes carefully, the old sailor sighed to himself. He knew what the captain was planning. With only the people aboard and an unreliable captain who also served as navigator, there was no way this merchant ship would find its way back onto its route. It was just…

Could such an odd pair—a pirate and a naval officer from the Orlan Empire—really be trusted?

The old sailor’s fears were soon confirmed.

As the two-masted merchant ship stopped offshore near the island’s eastern coast, the woman sprang into the icy water like a leopard that had been waiting to pounce.

After only a few fleeting glimpses, she was already beneath the merchant ship. She raced up along the wooden fittings, then grabbed the shrouds securing the mast and vaulted onto the railing, landing in a crouch. Several sailors nearby stumbled backward in fright, mouths agape, and fell onto the deck.

Watching this, the old sailor narrowed his eyes slightly.

That kind of explosive power and speed would make her one of the finest fighters in the Punora Federation’s navy. Among pirates, she’d likely be the captain of a Combat Squad under some pirate captain.

That wasn’t good news. Compared to someone that fierce, the half-baked guards hired aboard the ship were nothing but harmless lambs.

Sure enough, once the hired sailor-guards saw the woman’s nimble movements, then spotted the Isk Scimitar and pistol at her waist and realized she was a pirate, they all retreated. None of them wanted the captain to order them into a fight to the death.

Less than a minute had passed between the pirate diving into the sea and landing on the railing.

Only then did Eda finally react. He let go of the wheel and hurried toward the beautiful woman, nearly tripping over a coil of rope along the way. He couldn’t have looked more flustered.

“No cannons, no armored hull. Clearly a merchant ship built to maximize profits. A Transporter Type III from the Punora Federation. Am I right, Captain?” Roy wore her signature smile as she looked at Eda, who was nervously rubbing his hands together.

“Y-yes, yes! You certainly know a lot, The Lady. You’ve described my ship’s details down to the last bit!” Eda forced out a laugh and flattered her. Only then did he notice the scimitar and pistol at Roy’s waist. Cold sweat broke out all over his already portly body, soaking a patch of his distinctive Pali wool coat.

“All right. From this moment on, this ship, its sailors, and the cargo in its hold belong to me until we reach shore. Anyone have a problem with that?”

Roy patted Eda on the shoulder and hopped lightly onto the deck. As she spoke, she surveyed everything around her as if she were back home.

The sailors on deck didn’t have the courage to stop her. They scattered to make way, until only the few hired guards remained. They gripped the hilts of their swords with trembling hands, too nervous to even draw them, and watched with long faces as the captain hurried after Roy, barely managing to keep up.

“Easy, easy. Everyone, put your weapons down.” Eda waved repeatedly at the guards. As if reprieved, they dropped their swords onto the deck and gave Roy ingratiating smiles.

What a sorry bunch.

Roy mocked them silently. In all her time roaming the Eastern Sea Region, she’d never met guards this timid and obedient.

Even when faced with the vicious Combat Squad aboard the Mermaid, those proud knights from the Orlan Empire had dared to take up their straight swords and fight back. These cowards from the Punora Federation, though, were terrified of a lone young woman.

As if he’d guessed what Roy was thinking, the old sailor who’d been leaning against the railing gripped the hilt at his waist. He’d signed on as a sailor, but he’d never left this old companion—the symbol of the honors he’d earned fighting all his life—in some dark corner.

“Pirate, the Punora Federation has plenty of craven cowards, but it’s never been short of people brave enough to face death.”

Roy turned around, a little surprised. As she looked at the old sailor, still strong despite his age, the playful smile on her face gradually faded.

She could tell he was a veteran who’d faced life and death. No loose sailor’s uniform could erase that presence. So she showed him the respect he deserved. “You’re right. Enzo told me plenty of stories about the Western Sea, including many tales of the Punora Navy’s fearless deeds.”

As she spoke, she rested a hand on the hilt of her scimitar. She knew this veteran might pose a far greater threat than the thirty-odd death-fearing sailors on deck.

“Let me make one thing clear. My code has never included bullying the elderly. But if you’re set on fighting me, I won’t hold back.” Roy wasn’t joking.

“I may be an old man, but I don’t need a woman going easy on me.” The old sailor didn’t back down.

At the word “woman,” Roy’s face darkened. Any interest she’d had in showing gentlemanly courtesy vanished. She leaned forward slightly, looking just like a leopard about to pounce on its prey.

The atmosphere on deck turned tense in an instant, pressing down on everyone until it was hard to breathe.

Were they really about to draw blood? The sailors thought in fear.

Of course, it never came to a fight.

The portly captain stepped between them, waving both hands. He looked like a dancer in a slapstick show. “Let’s talk this out! Let’s talk this out! No need to draw your weapons!”

At Eda’s pleading look, the old sailor fell silent for a moment, then released his grip on the hilt. He turned his gaze back to the sea, watching the silver-haired young man who’d also reached the ship’s hull, his thoughts unreadable.

Seeing this, Roy relaxed her stance. The veteran was still strong, but time had taken its toll; he was nowhere near as fast as he’d been in his youth. She was confident she could take his life within three attacks. But… he was an old man, after all.

Unless circumstances demanded otherwise, Captain Roy was quite respectful of the elderly and kind to the young.

“Then, The Lady… What you said just now, uh… that everything belongs to you until we reach shore—does that mean you’ll give it back to me once we get there?” Eda asked, his face falling. Even he thought it was a stupid question.

“Of course not.”

Roy smiled sweetly, looking nothing like the fearsome figure she’d been a moment ago. “The people can leave. The ship and cargo stay.”