"And you… hmm…"
"Rina."
"I truly have to thank you."
Seeing that Miyagi was already drowning in despair, Yide lost interest in him and shifted his gaze to Rina.
Rina froze as Yide closed in on her step by step, instinctively retreating in fear.
"Why are you backing away?"
"I remember you once said I was a 'good person,' didn't you?"
"So… are you afraid of this good person?"
He smiled as he spread his hands, as if in mock innocence.
"No…"
"That's… that's not true…"
Rina shook her head, her expression etched with fear.
"You've played quite a role in making today possible…"
"After all…"
"You were the only one on the island who could get close to that troublesome man."
"Thanks to you asking him yesterday what he was up to…"
"Otherwise, I might still have worried that he'd come back too soon."
At his words, Rina's mind flashed back to yesterday, when Yide had come knocking at her door.
He'd asked her to find out what the outsider wanted with Elliot.
At the time, Rina hadn't thought much of it. After all, after spending so many days interacting with him, she had already come to believe he really was a good man.
So she hadn't questioned Yide's request in the slightest.
If she had refused him yesterday, he never would have learned why Elliot had left—and without that knowledge, he wouldn't have dared to make a move.
But once he heard Elliot had gone to Narukami Island to celebrate a friend's birthday, he knew the man wouldn't be back anytime soon.
So, on the very afternoon Elliot departed, Yide put his plan into action.
Truth be told, he could have struck at noon, but being the cautious schemer he was, he waited until the afternoon to send the signal to his crew.
"All right. By now your questions should be answered, and you should understand what's going on."
"From here on, just cooperate with us. I'd hate for you to make things… unpleasant."
"After all…"
"Knives don't have eyes."
Yide's expression hardened, and the warmth he usually displayed vanished completely. A violent, oppressive air rolled off him.
Several villagers instinctively stepped back, unable to hide their fear of the man standing before them.
"Search! There are fifty-eight children in the village—don't miss a single one!"
"Anyone who dares to interfere… kill them on the spot!"
At his roar, the pirates surged forward, weapons in hand, faces alight with excitement.
This was a crew that specialized in trafficking children.
The Archon War had only recently ended, and the nations of Teyvat were still restless. In times like these, the slave trade was one of the most lucrative businesses around.
Gods might preside over each nation, but they were not omnipotent—they could only guard the peace that existed on the surface.
The dealings in the shadows were another matter entirely, and even a god's gaze could not easily reach them.
…
Watatsumi Island erupted into chaos.
Shouts, cries, screams, the sound of splintering wood—noise filled every corner of the village.
Before long, flames began to consume several homes, and the mingled sounds of destruction and terror reached Yide's ears like music.
"Yide, how did you manage to blend in so fast?"
The pirate captain—thick-bearded and broad-shouldered—looked on with satisfaction.
"With an island this cut off from the outside world, it's hardly a challenge," Yide said with a smirk. "Their minds are too simple. All it takes is flattery, and offering small favors without pushing them, and they'll convince themselves you're a good person."
He watched the blaze devour the village beneath the night sky, his smile widening.
Yide was the first mate of the crew—a master manipulator, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
The captain, by contrast, was a brute of unmatched ferocity, wielding a massive skull-bladed saber. He excelled in battle and ruled through sheer cruelty—anyone who crossed him met a miserable end.
Together, brains and brawn, they had made a fortune.
…
Rina was running home as if possessed.
Bang!
The wooden door slammed open.
Inside, her son and daughter stared wide-eyed at their mother.
"Run!"
She shouted the word like an order, snatching both children's hands and bolting for the door.
But before they could escape, a pirate with a gleaming blade stepped into the doorway.
"Run?"
"Where exactly do you think you're going?"
The cruel curl of his lips was more demonic than human, and Rina and her children froze in terror.
They shuffled backward, trembling, their eyes filled with fear.
Then Rina's gaze flicked toward the table.
In one swift motion, she snatched up a plate and hurled it at the pirate.
"Run!!!"
Fueled by a mother's desperation, she overcame her fear, seizing the wooden table and charging at him.
But to the pirate, her defiance was almost laughable.
With a single kick, he sent the table crashing back, knocking Rina off her feet and pinning her beneath it.
The children stood paralyzed, far too young to know what to do—just staring, their faces pale with shock.
"Don't worry," the pirate said with a mocking grin. "I'll make sure they fetch a good price."
Stepping over Rina without a glance, he strode toward the two children.