Pirates and a Heart broken [4]

"..."

Eldric looked down, avoiding Kayden's gaze.

"Y-you have the wrong—"

"The prodigy among prodigies who quit his position in search of something precious he lost."

Eldric sucked in a sharp breath, eyes snapping up to meet Kayden's.

'Damn! Look at his eyes.'

'Completely dilated and red from all the crying and stuff.'

"H-how?"

"I'm a noble, Sir Eldric. Trash or not, my father runs this duchy. I've seen you with the king. I think anybody in the entire West Reach would know your face."

'And of course, its better for you to be with me than just die in vein.'

Kayden took another sip of his fruit juice.

'Wow, this stuff is truly great.'

"I've seen you in the Capitals, and I thought to myself, how can a man who looks just barely two years older than me be this powerful? It was fascinating... and a little disheartening."

'That's some high-quality bullshit spewing from my mouth.'

'Dang! But it looks like it's working.'

Kayden—no, Kael Ryuu—observed the man in front of him intently.

He wasn't going to save this minor villain, who was so much like him, out of pity.

Why should he?

'Nobody pitied me.'

He wanted to save this guy not out of pity or respect, but because of his potential usefulness.

Someone as powerful as Eldric, yet insignificant to the main plot, could be a valuable asset if Kayden played his cards right.

'If I start recruiting people like him early, I might actually survive the Night of the Ashes.'

'With enough planning, I could even prevent it, but that would alter the story.'

Kayden decided to worry about that later; he still had some time before anything like that would happen.

This Eldric guy will start a fight with Peg Leg Jack and his crew, then kill them all, which puts a bounty on his head.

Forced to flee the duchy, he finds the border to Storm Reach heavily guarded, so he wanders aimlessly inside the kingdom itself.

Bounty hunters started to hunt him, but he killed them all, which only increased the bounty on his head.

He became so paranoid and such a menace to the kingdom that the Crown sent its heroes against him.

Eventually, in a standoff against Prince Cassius and his legion, he met his end.

It was a tragic death.

Eldric didn't even find his wife, dying by the blades of one of his closest friends.

As for his wife, she was apparently in the hands of a cult called 'the Messengers of the Undead'—the same cult that put the eldest daughter of the Ashbourne duchy in a coma and kickstarted the 'Night of the Ashes.'

'Tsk, tsk. The author made sure to punish anyone remotely associated with the Ashbourne duchy.'

'But why did he start killing Jack and his crew, though?'

'That's something I don't remember reading.'

He also remembered the prince asking Eldric how he could kill innocent tavern employees.

'Innocent, my ass. If the prince knew who Jack and his crew were, he would've rewarded Eldric for hunting down such a notorious pirate crew.'

"I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm just passing through."

Eldric muttered, sitting hunched over, his eyes downcast.

'Yeah, not here to cause any trouble? Right.'

'Tsk, tsk.'

"That's so. That's good. But I have an offer for you, sir."

"I'm not looking for one at the moment." 

"Oh, that's a shame. I wanted to help some innocent lives. I could've used the help of someone as powerful as you are to minimize the damage while protecting them."

Kayden said, shaking his head as if disappointed.

"The poor mothers and 'wives' will be so sad when their sons and husbands die by some bandit's blade."

Kayden said, making sure to emphasize the word 'wives.'

It seemed to have worked, judging by the widening of the man's eyes.

Kayden peeked at the man and could even see his pupils shaking violently.

'Damn, is that even possible?'

"Though with the help of my 'secret organization,' I can save them. But having someone as powerful as you with us would have reduced the casualties much lower."

'Secret organization? Bullshit!'

He paused for a moment to make it more dramatic.

"Return the husbands to their loving wives."

The idea of a secret organization seemed strangely enticing to him.

He could persuade various minor characters who were powerful to join him and ensure his family's safety during the war.

He needed his family to sustain.

He didn't love them, but the family name would be helpful to him.

If none of them survived, he would have to work hard, and he didn't want that at all.

'That's a good idea.'

"Anyway, I've said what I wanted to say. If you still don't want to help the poor wives, well... what can I do?"

With a shrug, Kayden stood up from his seat.

He hoped that Eldric's remaining consciousness as a soldier, one who once protected innocent people, might prompt him to reconsider.

"It was nice meeting you, Sir Eldric. May the gods grant you whatever you're searching for."

He said with a smile, then walked off.

Before leaving, he made eye contact with Rose, who was dancing without a break.

She smiled back, giving him a wink.

'Crazy woman.'

He was thinking about her temperament.

After Jack and the crew were dead, she had fought Eldric and managed to poison his hand, which eventually started to rot, forcing him to cut off his own sword hand.

This was also one of the reasons Eldric lost to the prince.

"Ah, young master, c'mere."

Jack called from behind the bar, beckoning him closer with his little hands.

He frowned and walked toward the bar.

"The traders have contacted, Rose. They said the goods must be exchanged in a week or two."

Jack whispered, as if it were a top secret.

'Is this about Kayden's alcohol smuggling?'

Kayden purchased illegal alcohol from various kingdoms. With the abundance of criminals frequenting this tavern, acquiring illegal goods was a simple task.

Jack was the one who connected Kayden to the smugglers and concealed the barrels of alcohol in his cellar.

While Rose would act as the mediator—a strikingly attractive woman who appeared to be just a dancer—her charm would put the traders at ease, making them trust her.

However, the reason for Kayden's frown was the timing of the exchange.

'In a week or two, security across the borders will tighten since that incident happens the day after tomorrow.'

'Well, these people are pirates; they know their way.'

"Sure, we have time. By the way, take good care of that man over there. He might be very useful."

Jack smiled his toothy grin and rubbed his hands together at the mention of "useful."

He was already thinking about in what ways the young master was going to scam the man.

"Sure, sure, young master. Your guest is my guest too, right? Heh, heh, heh."

Kayden frowned at Jack's smile but decided to let it go. He nodded and left the area, not before taking one last look at the ex-knight.

'He's contemplating. Good, good.'

...

Back at his new home, Kayden was met with another problem as four pairs of eyes cornered him.

"I thought you would actually keep your word this time. I'm disappointed in you, son."

Poor Kayden seemed like he couldn't catch a break, even in this new life.