Chapter 2: The Ocean Doesn’t Have a Lid

Sager had always assumed that this woman was just a local bandit leader. After all, there were so many bandits around here that you could encounter a gang every kilometer or so.

"Turns out you're not, huh? I was just thinking, you look pretty decent and classy—doesn't really fit the whole bandit vibe. So, you're a princess? Wait a second…"

Sager noticed something odd and looked at Lily. "You're royalty, and the ones issuing the bounty are also royalty. So… does that mean it's like, a dog-eat-dog situation?"

"I am NOT a dog!"

Lily was on the verge of grinding her teeth to dust. "HE is! He's a traitor! A usurper! The most despicable man on earth!"

"Oh…"

Sager nodded in understanding, then casually placed a hand on her shoulder to steer her back in the right direction.

They'd started to veer off course.

"I took three days to get from the capital to here, but if we keep walking straight, it shouldn't take that long. We'll push through the night, and we should arrive by tomorrow morning," Sager said.

Lily was dumbfounded, her words caught in her throat as she just stared at Sager. Half an hour later, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Aren't you curious?"

"Curious about what?"

"The royal bounty…"

"Not at all."

Sager shook his head. "My dream is to become a rich landowner who exploits others, not some savior who sticks his nose into everything. I asked your name for memory's sake, not because I'm interested in your problems."

"You're really…"

Lily sighed. "You don't act like a strong man at all."

"Well, I never claimed to be strong," Sager chuckled.

Just because you have cheats doesn't mean you're invincible.

Even though he couldn't quite remember the full storyline, he knew about the famous powerhouses in this vast ocean.

Those people could literally destroy islands and change the weather at will.

Sager could handle regular folks just fine, but wreaking havoc on an entire island or altering the climate? That was way beyond him.

"Is that so…"

Lily muttered, her lips pursed in silence as she kept walking.

Her face was filled with a mixture of stubbornness and unwillingness.

Aside from their footsteps, nothing else broke the silence between them.

That is, until the sound of hurried footsteps shattered the quiet.

"Stop right there!!"

Several armed men burst out of the forest, surrounding them. The leader, a large man, glared at them fiercely. "Hand over your money!"

These men were all ragged and gaunt. Though they wielded swords, their hands trembled, and their eyes showed hesitation.

Sager had seen many like them in the past few days.

Bandits.

Sager sighed, speaking softly, "I mean, look at me. Do I look like someone who has pockets? No pockets, no money. I'm poorer than you guys! At least you've got swords."

"Don't try to fool us! That sword on your waist—it's obviously valuable! And that woman looks like a noble!"

The bandit leader barked angrily, "Hand over the money, or I'll kill you both!"

"Boss, wait, look at the woman…"

At that moment, one of the bandits stepped forward, pulling out a wanted poster that Sager found oddly familiar. He carefully compared it to Lily.

"It's her! Boss, if we catch her, we'll be rich!" The bandit shouted excitedly.

"One hundred million Beli!"

The leader's eyes widened with greed as he pointed his large sword at Sager. "We're taking this woman. Get lost, or I'll kill you!"

"No…"

Lily suddenly spoke up.

Whoosh!

In that instant, Sager vanished, turning into a blur of motion.

That blur zipped past the bandits in a flash.

Before anyone could react, he was already behind them.

The bandit leader, sword raised, and the rest of the shocked bandits stood frozen, as if turned to stone.

Sager casually walked over to the immobilized leader and patted him on the shoulder. "We're all struggling here. If you're going to rob someone, at least don't rob me. I'm counting on this woman to fulfill my dreams."

He grabbed the flask hanging from the bandit's waist, uncapped it, and took a swig.

"Ugh, this booze is terrible!"

Sager spat out the foul drink. "You'll be able to move in half a day. Next time, pick your targets more wisely."

Lily finally walked up to Sager, her lips trembling slightly. "Thank you…"

"I'm just not interested in bothering with poor people. There's no bounty, so no point wasting my time."

Sager asked, "By the way, does your kingdom have some kind of Bandit King's treasure?"

Lily was taken aback, then shook her head. "I've never heard of any treasure."

"No treasure? Then why are there so many bandits?" Sager wondered aloud.

Lily's expression dimmed as she whispered, "The taxes are too high. The citizens can't survive. That's why they've turned to banditry."

"Huh?" Sager blinked in surprise.

"Don't you understand?"

Lily's voice rose with frustration. "They can't afford the crushing taxes, so…"

"So what? The ocean doesn't have a lid on it. If they can't make a living here, they can just sail away."

Sager replied. "I haven't heard of the Oikot Kingdom banning people from setting out to sea."

He was the perfect example—when life became too tough, he set sail. If he'd had a bit more money, he'd probably still be trying to start a business somewhere.

Lily's eyes widened in shock, and Sager was startled by the look on her face.

"Don't tell me you never thought of that? Seriously?" Sager asked in disbelief.

In this era of grand piracy, people sailed for all sorts of reasons. One of the most common reasons was simply not being able to survive on land.

And yet, here in the East Blue, where the climate was stable, people preferred to become bandits instead of going out to sea?

"Go to sea…"

Lily's eyes widened again briefly, but then she lowered her gaze, her expression falling. "There was once a pirate war in Oikot. People hate those who go to sea. They won't do it lightly."

…

Lily Biendetta, age sixteen, was a princess of the Oikot Kingdom and the next in line for the throne, assuming nothing went wrong…

Oikot was a nation in turmoil, especially after the navy and pirates fought a war here more than twenty years ago. The country had never stabilized since, though things had improved slightly when Lily's father became king.

But her father died in an accident the year she was born, and the brief period of calm vanished, plunging the nation back into chaos. And as if things weren't bad enough, Lily's mother remarried amid the turmoil, bringing a new husband into the picture—Lily's detested stepfather.

Not long after the second marriage, her mother passed away as well. Using Lily's youth as an excuse, her stepfather claimed the Biendetta family name and crowned himself king, taking over the chaotic kingdom. And, predictably, things got even worse under his rule.

He wasn't a visionary or even a competent ruler. At the very least, he did absolutely nothing.

Under his reign, Oikot became even more unstable, with bandits and thieves running rampant. This sorry state of affairs dragged on for over a decade.

Lily grew up in this environment with a burning desire to save her country. So, half a year ago, she attempted to assassinate the usurper…

And then she ended up with a bounty on her head.

After that, Sager caught her.

"You've had some bad luck…" Sager commented with a scowl.

"You…" Lily felt a stir in her heart when she saw his sympathetic expression.

Could it be that he was willing to help her?

"A royal princess, and one who attempted to assassinate the king, only worth a measly hundred million Beli?" Sager said with frustration. "She should be worth at least ten million… no, twenty million!"

Wait, that's what you're upset about?!

Lily rolled her eyes, but despite her annoyance, a strong impulse welled up within her.

Maybe this man could…

"Stop." Sager raised his hand abruptly.

Lily froze. "I haven't even said anything…"

"Your eyes are telling a story, and I hate hearing stories."

Sager waved dismissively. "It's always the same—help you reclaim your throne or help your citizens set sail or whatever. High taxes, unbearable burdens… I'm not interested. The ocean's full of people with hard lives. You're not the only one struggling. I'm struggling, too! If anything, why don't you help me by letting me claim your bounty first?"

He had just started his career as a bounty hunter, and he needed her to be his first big catch!

Seeing this, Lily clamped her mouth shut, not saying another word.

They continued their rapid march, disappearing into the dense forest…

…

By the time the sun had yet to reach its zenith the next day, Sager and Lily arrived at the royal capital.

Oikot's capital resembled a medieval European town from the 17th or 18th century. The streets were clean, flanked by rows of brightly colored two- or

 three-story buildings. Shops lined the roads, and in the center of town was a large square with a towering clock tower, even taller than the city walls, which stood as the iconic symbol of Oikot.

If it weren't for the bandits swarming the hills, this would actually be a peaceful town.

Sager entered the royal city with Lily. After notifying the guards at the gate, they were escorted to the palace.

Honestly, Sager had prepared himself for all kinds of scenarios. After all, this was the eldest princess, beautiful and passionate about saving her country. She should have been pretty popular.

He'd expected situations like the gate guards drawing their swords on him upon seeing the princess, or the citizens trying to stop him out of sheer desperation when they recognized her—a classic "everyone hates the guy capturing the nation's princess" scene. But… none of that happened.

Instead, people seemed more intrigued, casually following them to watch the spectacle unfold.

When they reached the grand staircase leading to the palace, Sager finally couldn't hold back his question, "Aren't you a princess? This reaction… doesn't seem like anyone recognizes you."

"I've never left the palace."

Lily, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. Her eyes were fixed on the enormous staircase ahead as she said in a low voice, "Since childhood, I've been confined to the palace. Naturally, no one knows me. Everyone in the palace is under *his* command… The only information I have comes from listening to them… They're here!"

Sager looked up at the staircase too, where a group of figures slowly appeared on the wide, empty steps.

There were two groups.

One was made up of Oikot kingdom soldiers, escorting a single individual, and the other—was a contingent of naval officers, all dressed in white uniforms.