Inside the banquet hall, the atmosphere had turned deathly still.
The pirates exchanged confused glances, whispering among themselves. None of them understood why their Captain had suddenly uttered the words "Wizard Master."
It was the 19th century—weren't wizards just fairy tales to scare children?
But Cruise wasn't speaking nonsense. In the fragmented memories clawing at the edge of his mind, he recalled sitting in a dark room with several notorious pirate lords of the Indian Ocean. At the head of the table sat figures cloaked in black robes.
And then—
A burst of sickly green light. It radiated such power that even recalling it made his soul ache. From the wand in the black-robed figure's hand, that light shot forth—and in an instant, a pirate lord commanding over ten ships collapsed, lifeless.
The bullets they fired had been effortlessly blocked—one simple flick of that wand and it was as if an invisible wall had materialized, rendering their guns useless.
They had called themselves Wizards.
Now, faced with the boy calmly sitting before him, Cruise's intelligence filled in the gaps. The impossible scene earlier—the two of his own men turning on him, the floating bullet halted mid-air—this was just the surface.
Kai Adler wasn't ordinary.
"I believe we can… talk."
Cruise nodded hurriedly, gesturing for his men to lower their weapons.
"Captain!"
Some of his crew hesitated, looking anxiously between Cruise and Kai.
BANG!
A gunshot tore through the silence. The pirates flinched, some instinctively raising their guns again. Hermione jumped in fright, her wide eyes darting toward Kai.
But Kai merely turned his head, utterly calm.
A bullet floated, suspended inches from his shoulder, the tip flattened as if it had struck solid steel.
With a faint, mocking smile, Kai turned his gaze back to Cruise.
"It seems… someone isn't very convinced by your authority as Captain."
Cruise's expression darkened with fury. His eyes landed on the shooter—a pale, dumbfounded man whose gun hand still trembled in shock.
"Harlem… First Mate…"
The man—Harlem—stood frozen, eyes locked on the suspended bullet, face ashen.
"C-Captain… I was trying to save you…"
Kai laughed softly. "If you truly wanted to save your Captain, you'd have aimed here."
He tapped his temple with one finger, eyes sharp as a blade.
Harlem's face drained of all color. His mind raced. He had long despised Cruise's hesitant style—always talking first, probing the enemy, sometimes even letting them go! To Harlem, this wasn't piracy; it was cowardice.
Out here on the lawless sea, only strength ruled. Guns ruled.
He'd been waiting for a chance to challenge the Captain's authority. Seeing Kai's little display, he had thought: wound the boy, cause chaos, force Kai to retaliate and kill Cruise, then the crew would finish Kai off in the confusion.
With Cruise dead, the ship would be his.
But now?
"Shut up, you… you monster!"
Panic gripping him, Harlem yanked the trigger again—
BANG!
The gun backfired. Black Magic visibly coiled from the barrel as it exploded in his hand, flesh torn and blood spraying. Harlem collapsed, screaming, clutching the bloody stump.
Kai dispelled the lingering Black Magic around the weapon, his expression unbothered.
"Your crew. You should deal with them first, don't you think?"
Cruise's face twisted with rage and disappointment as he looked at his First Mate.
"Take him below. Lock him in the brig."
Several pirates hesitated, but ultimately pinned Harlem, bound him tightly, and dragged him off, his screams echoing down the corridor.
Soon, only a handful remained in the hall.
Cruise sighed heavily, turning to his most trusted men—the very ones who, moments ago, had their guns pointed at him.
"What happened to Colin and Cohen?"
"Nothing."
Kai smiled faintly and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the vacant expressions in Colin and Cohen's eyes cleared. They glanced around, confused, seeing the pistols in their own hands still aimed at their Captain. Shocked, they quickly lowered their weapons, stepping back in embarrassment.
Kai ignored them, gently stroking Hermione's hair.
"You weren't scared, were you?"
"Hmph! Of course not."
But her small hand still gripped his sleeve tightly, her knuckles pale. The gunshot had rattled her, even if pride kept her voice steady.
Kai chuckled softly, not calling her out.
"You should head back to the cabin. I still need to… chat with Mr. Cruise."
Hermione hesitated, then nodded.
"Be careful."
A flicker of purple light darted into her sleeve—Luna, watching over her.
Cruise gestured to Colin and Cohen.
"Escort Miss Hermione. Make sure no one disturbs her."
The men nodded, keeping their eyes down, clearly unnerved by the power they had witnessed.
Once they had gone, the hall fell silent again.
Kai reclined casually in his chair, gesturing toward Cruise.
"Black tea?"
His tone made it sound as if this were his ship.
Cruise forced a laugh.
"Apologies… we don't have any on board—"
Before the sentence finished, a porcelain tea set materialized beside Kai, floating in mid-air. The teapot poured two steaming cups, one drifting effortlessly toward the dumbfounded Captain.
Tentatively, Cruise took the cup, waving a hand through the space beneath it, confirming it truly floated by unseen magic.
"Is this… Black Magic?" He took a cautious sip, eyes widening. "Huh… good tea."
Kai took a sip himself, looking satisfied.
"Thank you."
As if there were no dead silence, no fear creeping along the walls.
Realizing the boy had no intention of rushing this conversation, Cruise composed himself, no longer daring to treat him as some common child.
"May I ask, Mr. Kai Adler—"
"Kai Adler, yes."
Cruise blinked.
"So the Ivor Family name…?"
"It exists."
Kai swirled his tea, smirking.
"The Ivor Family is… or rather, was, a prominent Black Magic bloodline."
Cruise exhaled in understanding.
"They must be powerful."
"Decent, I suppose." Kai set down his cup. "I wiped them out last Christmas."
Cruise choked mid-sip, coughing violently.
"You… you what?"
"Wiped them out," Kai repeated calmly, eyes glinting like polished steel. "Tied up some old grudges."
The room seemed to grow colder.
Cruise stared, wide-eyed, the implications of his guest's words sinking in.
Kai Adler, smiling serenely over tea, had just declared himself the destroyer of a powerful Black Magic family.
And now, he was aboard Cruise's ship.
"Shall we continue our… talk?" Kai offered politely, refilling his cup.