Chapter 205 - By your name

There was a man sitting alone in an empty cell with his head bowed.

It was a prison filled with coldness, both where he was seated and where he was leaning.

However, unlike the gloomy surrounding landscape, his expression seemed peaceful for some unknown reason.

"I suppose he has already arrived."

"Yes, probably."

Jager, who was standing on the other side of the bars, nodded silently at Joseph's words.

In fact, by now, it would be time for Vlad to have encountered Barbosa's ships.

"Are you alright?"

But, in reality, Jager was more concerned about Joseph than about Vlad, who would be on the battlefield right now.

This was because the cold winter air always made Joseph cough dryly.

"I clearly know what I must do. Even though my body is exhausted, my mind is at peace."

"…"

Though he was a bit pale, Joseph's face, seen through the bars, seemed as relaxed as he had just said.

However, Jager couldn't smile along with Joseph's smile.

Because he knew very well how much thought was behind that laugh.

"I wish I had lived like this a long time ago."

The morning sun began to shine on Joseph's cold breath.

The light, which used to flee when chased, now approached him as he remained seated.

***

Kuwagagagagak-!

The strong waves began to rise above the calm waters.

It was the sound made by one of Barbosa's ships lifting into the sky.

"…What is this?"

The cold drops of water hitting my face felt like a dream.

Tolbin, the commander of this exploration group, wore an expression of astonishment as he watched the ship rising at a strange angle.

Even for someone like him, who had spent his entire life at sea, this was the first time he had seen such a sight.

"Everyone, grab onto the railing!"

But what goes up must come down.

But falling doesn't have wings.

¡Kwaaaaaaaaa!

The ship that had challenged the sky came crashing down violently, breaking into pieces.

The massive chain that had been tied between the reefs flapped noisily among the crashing ships.

"It's a trap. Captain!"

"We need to get out of here now!"

It was a trap.

This maritime zone where we found ourselves.

The place we reached after pursuing the red rose was surrounded by reefs and confined with enormous chains.

It was a trap that couldn't have been set without a long period of preparation.

- They're out again!

- Everyone, duck your heads!

Whoosh!

Sharp arrows began flying again toward Tolbin's stunned ship.

I don't know who fired them, but they were arrows that didn't lose any sharpness despite piercing through the strong sea breeze.

"Argh!"

"Ugh!"

The deck was filled with the cries of sailors everywhere.

Some of them had already lost the will to fight and were lying under the railing to avoid the rain of arrows.

"…Get up! Get up! Everyone, get up and fight!"

Tolbin finally came to his senses and began shouting at the sailors.

Even if it were an exploration group, there was no way ten ships could collapse like this.

"Unknown ship! It's approaching again! This time from the stern!"

"…What?"

However, even though they had just dealt a great blow through a trap, the unknown enemy seemed to have no intention of letting go of the momentum they had gained.

Just as I heard, there was a ship emerging from the fog.

It was a ship displaying a flag with a red rose.

'It was right in front just a moment ago!'

Just a moment ago, the ship was luring them right in front of them, but before they knew it, it had turned around and was aiming at their rear.

Tolbin felt a chill at the incomprehensible and unexpected mobility.

"Prepare the weapons!"

"We're out of range!"

Suddenly, a ship appeared behind the fleet, as if it had emerged from the sea.

Tolbin's crew let out loud shouts as they saw the ship reappear in a place where it shouldn't have been.

"Then why do their arrows reach us?!"

The unknown ship began to turn sharply, aiming directly at their flank.

"The enemy ship is approaching!"

"What?"

A ship with the flag of the red rose that lured the enemy, trapped them, and then reappeared.

Tolbin's eyes widened as he watched how the ship moved, making the most of its small size.

Although the ship was small, its ram was sharper than any other ship Tolbin had seen.

¡Kwaaang-!

***

"Everyone hold on tight!"

"¡Heeeeee!"

All sorts of items rolled around the Zemina, which was tilted so steeply it seemed like it might topple over.

Even the elves with their good sense of balance had to struggle to grip the railing.

However, the reason the ship could maintain its balance was probably thanks to the captain's elaborate calculations as he held the helm.

"Send the wind! Wizard!"

"It's not as easy as it looks!"

From the bow of the enemy to the stern.

Harven's steering skillfully guided through the fog, made possible by the thick mist that obscured the view and the wizard's mysterious abilities.

"I can't do it anymore! I've used all the wind we had!"

"Damn it!"

Nibelun used to send wind with a strange bellows he took out of his backpack, but even that seemed to have reached its limit now.

Just a moment ago, the sail had been swollen as if about to burst from the wind, but now it had visibly collapsed.

"Vlad, I can't go on. If we lose speed, we'll get caught."

"I understand."

The Zemina had used the dense fog as cover to completely devastate the enemy's blind spots, but this was now their last attempt.

"Still, this is enough."

However, thanks to this, we were able to break apart the enemy fleet, so it was a sufficient success.

Apart from the ships currently trapped in the snare, the ships scattered beyond the fog would have become prey for Nidavellir.

"What do we do? Do we run now? I think we've fulfilled our decoy mission."

"No."

Vlad raised his hand and looked into the distance to see that only four enemy ships remained from the original ten.

And as if they had dealt with the scattered ships, the Nidavellir ships were approaching from afar.

Now, seeing the enemy ships trying to change their course by pulling out the oars, Vlad strengthened his resolve.

"We'll capture one."

"What?"

"We must capture one with our own hands."

Definitely taking the initiative.

And once you have the momentum, don't stop.

The technique of using a single strike to achieve victory wasn't limited to the enemy.

"Only then will we get an apology from the dwarves."

Vlad clenched his teeth at the thought of the dwarves.

I fully understand the current situation where we were misunderstood, but in my heart, I wasn't completely convinced.

Joseph, who is still imprisoned in a cold cell, was Vlad's benefactor and a person of pride to him.

"…"

Vlad looked at the elves standing silently by the railing.

It is said that the elves of Ausurin are natural archers from birth.

They, who would surely pierce an enemy with an arrow, looked directly into Vlad's eyes and nodded.

"Let's see this through to the end. I don't think this is enough to repay saving the World Tree."

"Thank you."

As Baradis spoke, the elves drew their swords instead of their bows.

The sailors, anticipating what was to come, drew their weapons with tense faces.

"…Never thought I'd end up ramming Barbosa's ship."

A name probably anyone working at sea would have heard at least once. The Golden Lord Kazan Barbosa.

Thinking about attacking that great name from now on, Harven felt dizzy.

"Don't worry. The Zemina has always been good at ramming."

"That's your Zemina!"

Thud-thud-thud!

Yes, after all, they were born in poverty.

The people who lived in back alleys, who had nothing to lose because they were born with nothing in their hands, began to shout at the roaring sea.

"This is my Zemina!"

At Harven's gnashing signal, Nibelun's bellows began again.

Then, the ship with a lot of momentum began to shoot towards Barbosa's ships.

"I'm going to die... If this continues, we'll all die!"

It was Nibelun who worked with the bellows as if he was going to die for the Zemina.

However, Nibelun, who was so exhausted, didn't realize that the bellows he was stomping on with all his might had already exhausted its usefulness.

"Prepare for impact!"

There were clusters of lights gathering to replace the insufficient wind, pushing the rear of the Zemina.

The squids flocked, following the scent of the World Tree taken by Vlad.

The unknown currents they created flowed directly towards Barbosa's ships.

***

Crunch-!

"The enemy ship... has impacted!"

The sound of the planks tearing was thunderous. The deck they were standing on trembled as if there had been an earthquake, and several sailors who couldn't grab anything fell into the sea.

It was small but fast, so the vibration it emitted was surely enormous.

"Why didn't we hit a single cannon?!l

"The enemy... was moving too fast!"

"Shit!"

The speed was such that even for the most experienced sailors, it was difficult to handle. 

The Zemina, which maneuvered through the passing projectiles and struck Tolbin's ship, was deeply embedded like an arrow and had no intention of falling.

"Prepare for hand-to-hand combat!"

"Knights, descend to the dock!"

Tolbin shouted as if furious and struck the helm he was holding. 

Even considering the current situation of being trapped by a small ship, where it wasn't enough to avoid the dwarves' attacking ship, it was ridiculous to think about it.

"Die, bastards!"

"Push them back! Don't let them board!"

Right next to them, the dwarves kept coming. And the enemy sailors were arriving like an avalanche from below.

In an instant, men began to emerge from the Zemina, which had been confined to the dock rather than the deck due to the low ceiling.

"We can't hold them back!"

Because, to begin with, it was a narrow hole, making it difficult to pass through. 

However, if the person in front is a knight with his own world, it won't be a big problem.

-Kaaaaaa!"

-It's a knight! A knight with aura!

The blood, as salty as seawater, was sticking to Vlad's armor. 

However, the reason it fell before it could stay long was probably due to the vision engraved by the dwarf blacksmith.

"Otar, free the rowers!"

"Understood!"

It wasn't just the West's privilege to keep dwarves as slaves. 

The dwarf rowers, who were bound together and unable to move, widened their eyes when they saw Vlad suddenly breaking in.

"The rest, follow me!"

From the hold to the deck, Vlad advanced, cutting down the enemy sailors.

"Don't block my way, damn it!"

In the narrow space, the gray armor repelled every attack. The enemies fell in his wake. 

Every time the Justia armor deflected an enemy's sword, those strangers' heads fell without fail.

"You're the rumored illegitimate son of Dragulia!"

"…"

In the end, someone's footprints were left on every step taken upward. 

If it weren't for his help, he'd still be in the mud. 

No, probably not.

"Who did you call Dragulia just now?"

But now I could shine with the name I wanted. 

Vlad's blue eyes began to shine towards the person who called him by the wrong name.

"Who did you call Dragulia?!"

""Kaaaaak!"

Not with swordsmanship or techniques, but simply with ferocity. The unknown knight blocking the stairs could clearly see the bright blue eyes penetrating his world.

"Aaaah!"

Vlad's sword, full of rage, did not lose any momentum. 

Vlad charged towards the deck with the knight still impaled on his sword. 

The blood running down the corners of his eyes disrupted his vision, but Vlad did not stop.

Kwaaaaang!

Vlad noisily broke through the hold and ascended. 

As the golden color of Vlad, engraved deep in his heart, illuminated the ship's dark interior, a clear path began to appear for the group following him. 

It was an upward path.

Rumble!

After knocking down the door blocking the way with a loud noise, fresh air finally began to rest on Vlad's cheek. 

It was the deck he wanted to reach and the upper world he aspired to.

"Who... who are you?"

It was a noisy appearance, but what greeted him was only a silent silence. 

The knight impaled on the sword swinging as if to shake it began to split in half. 

Blue eyes visible in that miserable gap. 

Tolbin swallowed involuntarily, looking at the gaze in his eyes that only a natural predator could have.

"From Soara..."

It was raining. 

Rain washing away the flowing blood. 

Vlad felt the rain gently falling on the blood, which was as thick as the mud from before.

"I am Vlad, knight of Joseph."

For today, I can confidently say it in the name of another person and not my own. 

For Joseph, who allowed him to be here, Vlad raised his sword towards the golden flag. 

That cold winter day, he was a sword for Joseph, who recognized him as a person despite bearing another name.

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