Amid the gasps and screams of the surrounding survivors, Liam slowly opened his eyes. In front of him, Knight Bart's longsword was frozen mid-air, its gleaming edge stopping just a hair's breadth from his face.
"Seven parts strength when you swing," Bart said calmly, tapping Liam's cheek with the flat of his blade. "The remaining three parts, use that to control your weapon."
Then, with a flick of his wrist, the knight withdrew his sword and stepped back.
"Enough!" Cersei's voice boomed across the deck like thunder. "Fight properly! I want to see a duel! If you keep wasting my time, I'll have everyone thrown into the sea!"
She hurled her crystal wineglass onto the floor with a loud crash. Scarlet wine spilled out, mingling with the blood that already stained the deck until it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.
"It's time, child," Knight Bart said quietly, his tone heavy with resolve. "I am old now… You're a trustworthy man. Take good care of my daughter!"
With that, he lunged forward, beginning a new round of fierce attacks.
As Bart's sword clashed again and again against Liam's shield, sparks flew in every direction. Liam could feel the weight and precision of the knight's strikes, each movement forcing him to adjust his defense, to adapt and learn. With every blow, his mastery of the shield grew sharper, steadier, more instinctive.
"Remember this feeling," Bart murmured between swings, his voice deep but gentle. "It's the only thing I can leave you now."
At the final moment, the knight made no attempt to parry. He deliberately opened his guard, accepting his fate with calm acceptance. His expression was peaceful—resigned.
Yet, just before Liam's sword could pierce the man's heart, it stopped. The steel trembled, the tip hovering right above Bart's chest.
"Seven parts strength," Liam said softly with a faint smile, "and the rest… to stay in control."
"You've made a mistake, boy," Bart sighed bitterly, closing his eyes. "Now we'll both die here."
From the corner of his vision, he saw Cersei rise from her chair. Her expression was flat, bored. Without a word, she turned and began walking back toward her ship.
"Wait!" Liam shouted suddenly. "I have an idea! A way to solve this!"
Cersei paused mid-step, half-turning. Her slender fingers gestured lazily for him to continue.
"Mama!" Liam dropped to one knee, both hands raised high as he offered his sword to her like a sacred gift. "I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you to join your fleet! The seas will only remember a new recruit under your command who has offered you the blood of a transgressor!"
Cersei blinked. Then—she laughed. Loudly, richly, a sound full of amusement and delight.
"I like clever men," she said, pointing at Liam with her long, elegant finger. "Especially the kind who know how to entertain me! Bring him aboard, Fangtooth. As for the rest—let them go."
Without sparing another glance, she turned and walked away, her long coat trailing behind her as she led her crew back to their ships.
Fangtooth, the shark-headed brute, looked disappointed as he stared at the corpses on deck. With a grunt, he gave Liam a light shove. "Oi, move it. Don't dawdle. You owe me lunch now!"
Knight Bart's eyes softened, a mix of pride and regret flickering within them. "You shouldn't have done this, boy. It wasn't worth the price. You had a bright future ahead of you."
"I think it was worth it," Liam replied with an easy grin, pulling the older man into a quick embrace. "Besides, being a free-spirited pirate suits me better! Take care of your daughter for me and who knows? Maybe one day, I'll come back to marry her!"
As he walked toward the pirate ship with Fangtooth, the surviving crew watched him go with tears and gratitude in their eyes. Liam couldn't help but smirk to himself, silently scoring his own back view 99 out of 100. Leave one point off… just to stay humble.
"Liam!" Knight Bart called out suddenly from the rail, tossing his shield across the gap between ships. "This is a Rosetti family heirloom. May it bring you luck. You'll need it more than I do now!"
Catching it with both hands, Liam raised it high in thanks. "Got it! I'll make good use of it!"
Almost immediately, a glowing system prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Quest: True Feelings in Adversity] (Completed)
All your actions have been under the watchful eyes of Carla's father. Fortunately, you've left a good impression on him. Unfortunately, danger now looms. Will you rise like a true man, take up arms, and defend the weak?
Difficulty: Dangerous
Reward: Advanced Background Class: Loyal Cerys Guardian
Aldric listened intently as Liam, his voice rising and falling with practiced emotion, recounted his "epic, soul-stirring" tale of heroism.
Beside them, the shadow assassin had long since fallen asleep right around the part where Cersei Lannister made her dramatic appearance.
"What's wrong?" Liam asked, noticing the increasingly dark expression on his superior's face. "Did I miss a detail somewhere?"
"I asked for intel on the pirate faction," Aldric said flatly, rubbing his temple in frustration. "Not a bedtime fairy tale."
Having a talkative compatriot, he realized, wasn't necessarily a good thing especially one with such a flair for internal drama.
"I was just getting to that!" Liam said quickly before the commissar's temper could flare. "As for Mama's actual strength, I don't know! I've never seen her fight personally. But she's got five warships under her command. Besides her flagship, TheIron Throne, each one has at least one transcendent combatant stationed aboard!"
"You've seen them all?" Aldric asked, lowering his clenched fist slightly. "And what about that goblin who works for her what's his rank?"
"I've only seen the Sea Shark, the ship commanded by that shark-headed brute. I've only been in the fleet for a week, so I don't know much about the others. Everything else I heard from other pirates," Liam said hurriedly. "That goblin works directly under Mama. We came here this time to collect protection fees from Antoine."
"You're saying Antoine and the pirates are partners, not subordinates?" Aldric frowned, feeling the situation in Antonie Port growing even more tangled.
"I can't say for sure," Li answered. "But from the way that goblin treated Antoine, I don't think he's our 'boss.' And trust me if you ever met Mama, you'd know. Her presence alone crushes that fat pig Antoine by two whole streets!"
Still, he added, "That said, Mama usually gives him face. Most of the pirates operating in these waters are under her command, but every quarter, we get paid commissions through Antoine. That's why we came ashore this time."
"Soldier." Aldric corrected him sharply. "From now on, when you say 'we,' it means you, me, and the rest of the warband. Remember where your loyalty lies."
"Yes, sir! I mean—they! I mean—yes, sir!" Liam snapped to attention, saluting automatically.
Mama, Aldric repeated the name silently in his mind.
The witches had somehow learned of the Black Ship's location before Priest Richard did and even knew it would dock here to resupply. If this pirate queen who ruled these seas, Mama, had no secret dealings with the witches, then the only explanation was that the witches had a mole inside the Black Ship itself.
Or perhaps both were true, a two-pronged alliance? Either way, Aldric realized he needed to reassess the true power behind the witches' faction.
"Soldier," he ordered finally, "stay here for now. Keep the wounded hidden and safe. That assassin is temporarily one of us—so cooperate."
"Got it, boss! I'll definitely join your warband—serve the people and all that! But, uh, can we maybe relax a little when it's not life or death?" Liam said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.
"Try saying that to the security department captain next time," Aldric replied with a cold glare.
Liam instantly wilted.
The security department captain an almost sixty-year-old retired veteran, formerly a squad leader in the Underworld Assault Unit. Thanks to modern biotechnology, he looked like a fit man in his forties, muscles still hard as steel and charm enough to make young girls swoon.
Aldric hadn't interacted with the man much, but he'd heard plenty about that infamous temper. In terms of raw combat ability, the captain ranked among the top within the three hundred in Cathay.
(End of Chapter)