Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Let’s Sober Up a Bit

The night had grown deep.

“Yaarghhh! Drink up! Bottoms up!”

“Come on now, keep drinking!”

Before anyone realized it, their faces had turned flushed red with drunkenness, and their voices were slurred.

They had already downed several casks of liquor in a row—honestly, it would’ve been weirder if no one had passed out.

Especially in the case of Beryl and Mikkelsen.

“Keuhhh, you know what? I’m the guy who took down Kreveion all by myself! Got it?!”

“Big brooother! Don’t say stuff like that! We did it together, together!”

They were yelling excitedly, completely caught up in the moment.

“Hahaha! I saw it all, man!”

“Each of you had some serious moves!”

The pirates around them cheered enthusiastically, hyping them up—a rather ridiculous scene unfolding before everyone’s eyes.

‘Look at those punks… having the time of their lives.’

Hardin, who had been watching, let out a brief chuckle and then began to walk off somewhere.

“Fuuuuuu.”

“Lord Hardin, where are you going?”

“Just getting some air. Feels like my stomach’s about to burst.”

As soon as he stepped out of the banquet hall, the sea breeze rushed over him.

It carried the unmistakable scent of the Caribbean Isles—one he remembered from the days when he was still known as Varlach.

‘Who would’ve thought I’d end up back here again.’

Hardin leaned on the railing with a bitter expression, gazing up at the sky.

Under the especially dark veil of night, stars sparkled brightly, each showing off their unique light.

Perhaps it was the mood, but an old memory rose to the surface of his mind.

— Hey! Drink more! Come on, you bastard, drink up!

— N-noona… If I drink any more, I’m really gonna die here.

— Stop whining, you brat!

A memory from the past—when he’d once had a drinking contest with the Pirate Empress Redhoop.

Back then, it had been pure torture… but now, thinking that he’d never get to see her again left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Hope you’re doing well, wherever you are.”

Splash!

Hardin flung the beer in his hand forward, tossing it into the sea.

He wore a wistful expression when suddenly—

“What are you doing, wasting good booze like that?”

“…Huh?”

He turned his head—and there was Admiral Redrose, staring straight at him.

‘This one’s got her grandmother’s tolerance for alcohol, that’s for sure.’

She had been drinking just like everyone else, but her face wasn’t red in the slightest, and her voice was steady as ever.

There had to be something in that family’s bloodline.

Hardin shook his empty glass lightly and replied.

“Well, figured if I drank any more, I’d probably drop dead.”

“Weak talk.”

Redrose scoffed and came to stand beside him.

The two of them stood there in silence, gazing up at the night sky as the sea breeze blew past them.

Then, Redrose finally spoke.

“So, what brought you all the way out here?”

“I already told you. We need manpower.”

At Hardin’s answer, Redrose let out a short scoff.

“I’ll admit my crew has great skills. But you’re from the Empire. I doubt you came all the way here because of some 80-year-old promise. Doesn’t seem like the most efficient use of your time, now does it?”

“……”

Hardin didn’t answer. Instead, the corners of his lips curled up ever so slightly.

‘This guy doesn’t waste time with small talk, huh.’

Well, not that he was wrong.

Working with the people of the Caribbean Isles was certainly efficient—but it wasn’t the only option.

Besides… for a noble to work with pirates meant being ready to endure all kinds of rumors and scandal.

“I was just… a little curious.”

“Curious?”

“Yes. I—no… our ancestor, Lord Varlach, left a record saying he had a truly great time when he came here. Maybe I just wanted to see it for myself too.”

“And? How is it?”

“It’s fun. Quite.”

When Hardin smiled lightly, Redrose followed with a smile of her own.

The two of them once again gazed silently at the night sky.

Then—

“Huh?”

“Hmph. Looks like luck’s on your side tonight too.”

Suddenly, a few shooting stars began to streak across the night sky—then more followed.

It was a meteor shower.

“That’s the Silver Whale Meteor Shower. Happens once every five years, and it’s something you can only see clearly here in the Caribbean Isles.”

“…Silver Whale Meteor Shower, huh.”

For a brief moment, Hardin’s eyes trembled slightly.

— Hahaha! I’ll send you an invitation next time, so make sure you come again, brat! There’s a truly breathtaking sight you can only see here in the Caribbean Isles two years from now!

— What is it?

— The Silver Whale Meteors! It’s incredible!

— …You really expect me to come all the way here just for that? Ow! Stop hitting me, noona!

Yeah… it was worth the time to see it. Really was… Noona.

Hardin sniffled lightly.

“What, so beautiful it’s bringing you to tears?”

“Hmm? You?”

Hardin scrunched up his brow like he’d just seen something revolting.

WHACK!

Redrose slammed a hand across his back, hard enough to nearly split him in half.

“Not me, the meteors! The meteors, you idiot!”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Sheesh, can’t even crack a joke anymore.”

As the two bickered like that—

“Uhehehe! Let’s gooo! Let’s head out!”

“Let’s gooo!”

Voices rang out behind them, and the two turned their heads.

There stood Beryl and Mikkelsen, arms slung over the shoulders of some pirates.

Each of them held either a glass or a bottle of booze in hand.

“Oh? Admiral! What are you doing out here?”

In response to their subordinates’ question, Redrose motioned toward the sky with her chin.

Everyone looked up—and their eyes went wide.

“Whoa, holy crap, it’s a meteor shower!”

“Keuhhh, that’s right! The Silver Whale Meteor Shower’s tonight! Damn, I drank so much I totally forgot!”

“This is the best drinking snack ever!”

Their laughter echoed boldly beneath the night sky.

And at that moment—

‘Coming here really was the right call.’

A soft smile spread across Hardin’s face as he stood shoulder to shoulder with the others.

Meanwhile, inside the banquet hall—

“P-please… spare me…”

One wall was densely pierced with throwing knives.

Still hanging there, pale as a ghost and in tears, was Jerry.

---

Morning at the trade port of Mudside.

Another busy day was beginning just like any other.

“Bring the bow over this way!”

“Careful unloading those crates! Some of them’ll break if you mess up!”

With the noticeably increased cargo volume, the dockworkers were drenched in sweat, moving nonstop without a second to breathe.

“...Hmm, looks like there’s a discrepancy between what’s on the ledger and what’s on this shipment.”

“Sir? Please check again. I swear we brought everything correctly!”

The administrators were also scrambling to keep up with the mountain of paperwork, their voices flying everywhere.

And of course, the one who was clearly the busiest of them all...

“Lord Malion, please check this.”

“Ah, yes, just give me a moment.”

“This one needs your approval as well.”

“Y-yeah… okay…”

Inside the port management office, Malion was drenched in stress, barely keeping his head above the flood of work coming at him from all directions.

The problem wasn’t just the overwhelming duties tied to port operations—this wasn’t even the only thing he had to handle.

“...Hey, Engelmann.”

“Yes, Young Master?”

“H-how’s it going with hiring sailors?”

“We’re searching everywhere we can, but still...”

Engelmann shook his head with his eyes tightly closed.

Malion suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder and spoke with a deadly serious look in his eyes.

“Find them. No matter what.”

“Sir?”

“If we don’t find those sailors, Brother Hardin is going to bring pirates… pirates with him.”

“Y-yes. Understood, sir.”

Engelmann felt like he could hardly breathe—his master’s stare resembled that of a cold-blooded killer.

Just then, while Mikkelsen—no, Malion—was in the middle of his little crisis—

Thunk!

“Y-Young Master!”

One administrator burst into the management office, completely out of breath.

But—

“Hey! Get in line!”

“Can’t you see we’re all waiting here?”

People waiting for Malion’s signature and approvals snapped in irritation, refusing to budge.

Even—

“Wait… your turn.”

Malion himself, worn out beyond measure, waved a hand dismissively with a tired look on his face.

Realizing the situation was getting out of hand, the administrator finally shouted in desperation.

“P-pirate ship!”

“Huh?”

“A pirate ship is entering the port!”

Malion’s jaw dropped wide open.

“Outta the way!”

“Third Young Master!”

Crash! Thunk!

“Uagh!”

The crowd filling the management office toppled like dominos as Malion bulldozed through them.

He sprinted straight for the docks—

Then stopped dead in his tracks, eyes going wide enough to pop out of his head.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

A massive ship was approaching the port.

And on it… flew a very clear pirate flag.

“All hands to battle stations!”

“Goddamn it, do they even know where they are?!”

Soldiers were already suiting up, fully armed, preparing to attack the incoming pirate vessel.

It was a powder-keg moment—tension sky-high.

And then—

“Heeeeeey! Been a while, everyone!”

“…Huh?”

A familiar voice echoed from the deck of the pirate ship.

A voice that sounded slightly ridiculous, endlessly carefree… or to put it nicely, childlike.

The voice belonged to—

“Brother Hardin?!”

The blond-headed disgrace(?) of the Daphne family, Hardin Daphne.

Standing on deck, he was waving his hand enthusiastically, beaming with a bright smile.

---

The plaza at Mudside.

“Uhehehe! So this is the port?”

“Still, it’s built a lot bigger than I expected.”

The pirates who had disembarked from the ship looked around with interest plastered across their faces.

Meanwhile—

“Th-they’re pirates.”

“I heard they came from the Caribbean Isles?”

“…Are we seriously just letting them walk around like that?”

The knights and soldiers surrounding them were on edge, gripping their weapons tight and not lowering them even for a second.

“Moooommy!”

“Shh! Don’t cry!”

The local citizens, peeking at the scene from over shoulders and behind corners, all wore expressions of deep concern.

In front of the pirates—

“Hoooooh… What the hell is this mess…”

“……”

Malion and Cobalt were massaging their temples with pained expressions.

And perhaps the most interesting part of the whole picture—

“Eheyyy, I told you they’re nice guys, didn’t I? Why’s everyone so uptight?”

The very person who caused this entire situation looked absolutely thrilled.

“That’s right! Hahaha. They’re good people!”

“And they can really drink, too!”

Beryl and Mikkelsen chimed in, grinning awkwardly.

“Tsk! Keep it down!”

“…Yes, sir.”

The moment Cobalt responded with a thunderous glare, the two immediately zipped their mouths shut.

“Hardin! Send them back immediately! Using pirates as sailors—how is that even remotely acceptable?!”

“Broooother! I told you this was a bad idea! Why would you make it this complicated?!”

As the two fumed, faces turning red with frustration, Hardin simply shrugged and replied.

“It’s fine, really. I only brought guys who don’t have any serious criminal records or would be an issue.”

“That’s not the point! They’re pirates! Who in their right mind hires pirates as sailors?!”

“Well… our ancestors?”

“…What did you say?”

“I said our ancestors hired them.”

“Stop lying, brother. Why would our ancestors ever work with pirates—”

Thunk.

Hardin pulled out a document and handed it to Malion.

“What is this?”

“Proof that our ancestors hired sailors from the Caribbean Isles…?”

It was a kind of contract.

A papyrus detailing that the Daphne Ducal House agreed to hire people from the Caribbean Isles as sailors and to pay them wages.

At the bottom was the official seal of the Daphne family—confirming its authenticity.

“…It’s… it’s real?”

“H-huh?”

The two stammered in disbelief, mouths agape.

Then Hardin grinned and said,

“Don’t worry so much. These guys may look like that, but they’re seriously skilled.”

“S-still… no matter how skilled they are, hiring pirates is a problem…”

“This just doesn’t seem… right…”

Perhaps it was cognitive dissonance setting in.

The two struggled to process what was happening—completely thrown off.

At that moment, Hardin turned his head and called out.

“Hey, guys!”

“Yes, boss!”

“Just say the word!”

The pirates replied excitedly, clearly loving every moment of this.

Hardin clenched his fist and raised it high into the air.

“Let’s show the family what you’re made of!”

“Absolutely!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

Better to show them once than explain a hundred times.

As Hardin marched forward with the pirates behind him, a wide smile spread across his face.