"Even if you don't tell me, I can guess the gist of it."
Medici sneered.
"Every Monday afternoon, you call out your alternate personality and let her tamper with your mind. Then, at a fixed time, part of your consciousness leaves your body, as if going somewhere."
It had been residing in Silas's body for a long time now, so of course it would have noticed the pattern.
"Wow, so clever, so impressive, truly worthy of Your Excellency the Red Angel, to have noticed even that."
Silas praised it with biting sarcasm. "Since you don't want to answer, and don't want this vial of blood, then forget it."
With that, he walked to the window and made as if to throw the tube of blood into the sea.
"Stop. I never said I didn't want it."
Medici said flatly, "I don't know where you heard that Sasrir was corrupted, but the truth is, he himself was one of the founders of the Redemption Rose."
So the Redemption Rose that those Angel Kings had founded was the very organization that betrayed the Creator of the City of Silver?
Judging by the outcome, they must have succeeded, bringing about the Creator's fall and the disaster that followed. Was that how the Forsaken Land of the Gods had been destroyed?
Still, there was one point that nagged at him.
Medici's attitude toward that Creator.
More than once, Silas had sensed that it genuinely cared about that Creator, not only holding it in awe but also feeling real nostalgia for that glorious age.
Strange as it sounded for a loyal "Hunter" to feel that way, it truly didn't seem like something that would betray its own kind.
"Medici, do you still believe in that Lord?"
He couldn't help but ask.
"Heh."
Medici let out a short laugh, whether because the topic wasn't worth answering or for some other reason, he couldn't tell. It only said, "Remember to leave that vial of blood for me."
Then it withdrew back into Silas's body and said nothing more.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The open sea off the Rosd Islands.
The afternoon sun shone brightly over the lush green islands in the distance. In the shadow of a cliff somewhere on one of the islands, seven or eight sailing ships lay quietly at anchor, their sails all dyed black.
The largest among them was a three-masted galleon, and above its mast flew a flag bearing a pale white bone.
The Black Death!
Flagship of "Vice Admiral Ailment" Tracy!
And it wasn't just the flagship. The rest of her fleet was gathered here too. Counting every ship together, the pirate crew numbered close to a thousand strong.
At that moment, another vessel came racing toward this fleet from across the water.
Seeing the signal from the approaching ship, the Black Death sent out a small boat, which rowed over, brought a group aboard, and returned.
"Behave yourself."
Misol Kim said in a low voice.
He was one of Vice Admiral Ailment's men, third mate aboard the Black Death, nicknamed "the Smooth Talker," with a bounty of 5,400 pounds.
He had originally served under "Vice Admiral Hurricane" Qilangos, and after the fleet fell under Tracy's control, he had simply continued serving under her instead.
"Creak."
The small boat rocked, sending ripples through the water. The commotion came from the captive he was escorting: a beautiful girl twisting her body, trying to slip her handcuffs and throw herself overboard into the water.
Tracy had given him the task of finding "Elaine," and he'd spent a long time scouring the Rosd Islands before finally getting good news from the local resistance.
"I said, behave yourself."
Misol Kim held Elaine's shoulders down firmly, keeping her from standing up.
But he didn't dare touch too much of her body, because she was the boss's woman.
What a shame, such a pretty girl, though maybe not quite as striking as the boss herself. If only she and the boss could serve me together.
He let the dark thought linger in his mind for only a moment before tightening his grip on her shoulders.
"Let go of me."
Klein, disguised as Elaine, struggled and put on a convincing show of anger, resistance, and frustration, as though he really were that former noble lady of royal blood.
The strange sensation of being both detached from and merged with the role made him understand with sudden clarity what it meant to be "Faceless." Inside him, the potion's effects were rapidly dissolving.
Though having the potion take effect was a good thing, he still couldn't help but wonder when Silas would show up.
Looking at the sheer number of pirate ships and the rows of cannons crowding the deck of the massive flagship, he felt a flicker of unease.
Fortunately, the human-skin talisman resting against his chest gave him a thread of confidence.
Soon, the small boat carrying Klein reached the Black Death, and under Misol's guidance, he was led into the cabin.
A blonde maid glared at him with cold, hostile eyes, then pointed toward a nearby room. "Go in."
That look, it was exactly the expression of someone who'd spotted a rival in love. So she's completely infatuated with Vice Admiral Ailment.
The Witch really is terrifying, Klein thought to himself, though his face remained set in a gloomy expression as he followed the blonde maid down the passage.
After that, Klein was made to change into women's clothing, and the blonde maid led him along further still, until at last he came face to face with the captain of the Black Death herself, Vice Admiral Ailment, Tracy.
She was strikingly beautiful, combining a woman's soft grace with a man's bold vigor.
Long black curls, deep blue eyes, a white linen shirt paired with beige trousers, the kind of look that made it hard not to feel a stirring of desire just looking at her.
Klein's disguise as "Elaine" held up perfectly in front of Tracy. Being so familiar with Elaine, she noticed nothing out of the ordinary, and instead drew closer eagerly, seeming to want to engage in certain activities meant to please both body and mind.
No choice, I really can't keep up the act any longer.
Klein seized his moment and struck without warning.
"Boom!"
His eyes flashed with a sharp light as an invisible force struck directly into Tracy's mind.
Creeping Hunger's ability, Spiritual Piercer!
"AAAAH!"
While Tracy cried out in pain, unable to control herself for that brief instant, he reached out and yanked off the Beyonder item she wore, lowering her threat level while pressing his attack further!
But Vice Admiral Ailment wasn't one to be underestimated. After that initial moment of panic, she quickly steadied herself, using a mirror in the room as a stand-in to ease the pain and begin her counterattack.
The captain's quarters became a whirlwind of white frost and black flame, the abilities of the Assassin and the Clown pathways lending both fighters astonishing speed and agility as they clashed in close combat.
Though Klein was only a Sequence 6, he possessed the Shepherd Pathway's Beyonder item, Creeping Hunger, and combined with the advantage of a surprise attack, he managed for a short while to actually overpower Tracy.
"Intruders!"
Seeing that she couldn't win, and facing real danger of defeat, Tracy raised her voice and shouted toward the door.
"Intruders!"
As if in answer, panicked cries of pirates rose up from outside as well.
As long as help arrives, I can get this bastard under control. Tracy had just begun to relax a little when something suddenly felt off.
The noise outside kept growing louder and more chaotic, and it wasn't converging on the captain's quarters. Most of it seemed to be rushing toward the deck instead.
"BOOM!"
Cannon fire thundered from somewhere in the distance. Startled, her gaze shot past the window and out toward the open sea.
There, on the distant water, a fleet had appeared from out of nowhere, and above it, a blood-stained skull flag fluttered in the sea wind.
The Blood Pirates!