Ebner and Lydia had already slipped inside when the hooded man unraveled the ritual binding Tran, but they both tacitly kept silent, wanting to see what exactly the man intended to do.
Moreover, since the "Vice Admiral of the Deep Sea" had only made a rather crude disguise, Ebner could recognize him easily even without drawing on his aura.
Maybe he did this on purpose… wants Tran's elders or Lydia's family to more easily trace the one who helped him? This Vice Admiral seems to have some hidden plans of his own…
While pondering, Ebner suddenly heard Tran's delighted and emotional voice: "Lydia, it's so good you're safe!"
After that, he threw himself into Lydia's arms and said, a little choked, "I thought I would never see you again…"
Lydia stroked his head gently and said warmly, "Don't be afraid, now that I'm here, everything will be fine."
Listening to their exchange, Ebner glanced back and forth between the two with confusion, feeling that the roles they were "playing" didn't seem quite right… Wasn't this reversed?
Sensing Ebner's gaze, Tran finally realized someone else was present. Embarrassed, he scratched his head, and after Lydia quickly whispered her experiences to him, he said sincerely, "Mr. Bryan, thank you so much for saving Lydia and also for coming to save me…"
If you really want to thank me, first get your face out of Lydia's chest. Shoving dog food like that is not the right attitude for gratitude. Ebner muttered in his heart, then waved his hand and changed the subject:
"Now isn't the time to talk. First, you two rescue the rest of the crew from the Black Throne. Once I bring back Gwen from the navy flagship, we'll seize the chance when the pirates are distracted and set sail immediately.
"Ah, before we came here, Lydia and I already dealt with the guards on the Black Throne, but you still need to be cautious while rescuing the others—avoid making too much noise."
If there was too much commotion, then even with the Vice Admiral as an insider, it would be hard for him to turn a blind eye.
"But… but that mysterious man just said the crew are all suppressed by the Demigod's 'Dragon's Might' and can't recover for the time being…" Tran said anxiously.
"He can't, but that doesn't mean I can't! Don't worry, before coming here I already performed spiritual therapy on the people aboard this ship. They're fine now," Ebner answered with confidence.
He certainly had confidence—after all, he was the one who had "suppressed" them earlier, and he had held back just the right amount. By now, the "influence" had faded away almost completely.
Hearing this, and recalling Mr. Bryan's past miracles, Tran finally relaxed and said gratefully, "That's a huge help, thank you…"
Then he remembered what the mysterious man had said about their captain being seized by the Demigod and having something placed upon her. Biting his lip nervously, he asked, "And the captain…"
Ebner knew what he wanted to say, so he waved his hand and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll make sure not to trigger any methods that Demigod may have left on Gwen… Also, rest assured, I'll 'suggest' to her to forget some unpleasant things. You must be careful not to bring them up in front of her in the future."
When he had treated Gwen's mental state before, she had been unconscious the entire time, so naturally there was nothing unpleasant in her memory.
"Mr. Bryan, you're truly a gentle man." Lydia and Tran both sighed with emotion at the same time.
Once the three had agreed on their plans, they split up. Leaving Tran and Lydia aside, Ebner used "Evans' Hidden Barrier" to pass unimpeded aboard the navy flagship and located Owen's cabin.
Though the cabin was guarded by a ritual, what sort of ward could stop its own creator? Silently entering, Ebner found Gwen lying on the bed where he had placed her earlier, and immediately lifted the "Virtual Persona's" control over her.
Gwen quickly regained consciousness. At first dazed, she blinked and, recognizing who was before her, asked instinctively, "Ebner, why are you here?"
Smiling, Ebner replied, "Lydia asked me to come save you."
"Save me…" Gwen then recalled what had happened earlier, her face instantly turning pale. She quickly examined herself and found no abnormalities, finally letting out a small sigh of relief.
"That Demigod could return at any time. Let's get out of here first." Ebner spoke as he picked up from a table a belt inlaid with ornaments and handed it to Gwen.
"Good!" Gwen was always decisive and quick to act. Seeing the "belt," she exclaimed with joy, "The Golden Serpent Sword! Excellent, it wasn't taken away!"
With the Golden Serpent Sword in hand, she could "transform" into her armored warrior state, gaining battle strength nearly equivalent to a Pirate Admiral.
In fact, Ebner had already studied the sword's ability during Gwen's earlier treatment. Overall, it had inspired him quite a bit.
After all, if a ship of Sequence 3 strength could lend its power in this way, why couldn't the Pure White Eye? True, repeated transformations could cause pollution and risk of domination—just like Gwen's side effects—but as long as he controlled the time each use, the problem wouldn't be too severe…
And the principle feels familiar… hmm, the body Duke Rhine left Lilith works in a similar fashion… Did Roselle get the inspiration from here? Or maybe from a certain tokusatsu show.
While letting his thoughts wander, Ebner led Miss Gwen by the hand, carefully avoiding patrol soldiers until they returned to the Black Throne.
By this time, Gwen's crew had been rescued by Lydia and Tran. Seeing their captain return, they were overjoyed, nearly cheering out loud.
Lydia rushed forward and hugged Gwen tightly, seemingly to comfort her. But she then sniffed lightly, eyes flashing with surprise and doubt. When she noticed Ebner smiling calmly at Gwen's side, her expression turned to realization, and she couldn't help but admire his thoughtfulness.
Being stared at like that, Ebner felt baffled. Only after simulating a "mind-reading" ability for a while did he shake his head helplessly.
Turns out the girl thought he had erased certain traces from Gwen to cover up her being "violated"…
Ignoring their little misunderstandings, Ebner reminded everyone they weren't safe yet and told them to set sail at once.
…
Back in the captain's cabin of the Dominator, Vice Admiral of the Deep Sea Hal Constantine waited for his men to report Tran's escape.
But after quite some time with no word, just as he was about to investigate again, piercing whistles suddenly rang out, followed by shouts from all directions: "The Black Throne has weighed anchor and escaped!"
"The Black Throne ran? Looks like I underestimated the descendant of the Angel of the Morse Ascetics!" the Vice Admiral muttered to himself. Still, he thought this outcome acceptable. Though inwardly pleased, he kept his face stern and ordered his men to give chase.
But since they raised anchor late and their speed was no match for the Black Throne, his fleet lost sight of the enemy after barely a dozen nautical miles and had to turn back.
On returning to port, since his men had been responsible for guarding the prisoners last night, the Vice Admiral naturally bore the brunt of Lord Owen's harsh reprimand.
Only then did he learn that even "Lady Dragon Might" had been rescued.
"The only ones who can undo a Demigod's arrangement are Demigods themselves… meaning last night, those three's elders or friends must have come.
"From the timing, they likely heard my conversation with Tran as well…
"And since I made no effort to disguise myself, that Demigod surely knows who I am. Now it depends on whether they want revenge…
"If they do, they'll probably shadow our fleet—and then discover the Deep Sea Sacrificial Rite!
"Looks like I'll have to gamble…
"Sigh, if things had gone according to my plan and Gwen or the others were still captives, then they'd definitely follow…
"Unfortunately, Owen Delien is useless trash!"
As he endured Owen's rebuke, the Vice Admiral weighed his future moves. He wasn't afraid of the man probing his thoughts, for as a scion of the sea monster, anyone wishing to invade his mind first had to overcome the monster's will.
Only after Owen waved him off in disgust did he salute expressionlessly and return to his ship.
The Vice Admiral's sailors, seeing their captain pale-faced, angrily protested, "It was those damned navy men who went to the town for fun, leaving the defenses thin and letting the enemy escape… yet they pushed all the blame onto us! A bunch of dogshit!"
Hal smirked faintly, then returned to his cold demeanor. "They have a Demigod," he said lightly before entering his cabin.
At that, the pirates fell silent, swallowing their anger before dispersing.
Inside the cabin, the Vice Admiral gazed through the window at his men and murmured, "The deeper their resentment festers, the easier it will be to use…
"Because there is a Demigod, they endure.
"But what if there isn't?"
Suddenly, he froze. Something felt wrong. Aside from the full moon nights before the Deep Sea Rite, he should never have such thoughts.
Even when scheming, his ideas only ever came in fragments. Under the monster's domination, he could never piece them together like this!
What was happening? Just as he thought that, he was startled to find a stranger had appeared before him.
It was this man's aura that had blocked the sea monster's control.
"If you wish to escape your bonds, then learn the secret art on this," the man said, adjusting his glasses as he placed a slip of paper and a rune-covered charm on the desk.
Then he vanished.
The Vice Admiral warily waited for a long time before slowly picking up the slip. After a moment, he put it down again, murmuring,
"Land of the Unknown? What is that?"
…
Meanwhile, back in his own cabin, Ebner shifted back into Owen's appearance, rubbed his chin, and mused:
"Once Hal uses that secret art to free himself, my Mysticism Magister potion should be fully digested, right?"
(End of Chapter)