YWPWYLFDM 50

Chapter 50

The next morning, Eila found herself unexpectedly enjoying a rare sense of freedom. Everyone except her and Cloud had been struck down by seasickness.

It made sense for Lora—she was prone to motion sickness—but Eila hadn’t expected Byron and Capella to be so incapacitated as well.

Thanks to that, no one was there to bother or annoy her, giving her a rare moment of leisure.

Cloud even allowed her to go up on deck occasionally to admire the sea, as long as she wished. Of course, she wasn’t left completely alone—he stayed nearby, keeping watch and glaring at any curious sailors who tried to approach.

Part of the reason Eila seemed a little gloomy was that she had overheard Cloud and Byron talking and had been shocked by it, though she herself wasn’t aware of her own state.

Other than those brief moments, she spent most of the day cooped up in her cabin, yet the endless horizon always gave her a deep sense of comfort.

As usual, Eila went up on deck today and leaned against the railing, gazing out at the vast ocean. Something about looking at the sea made her feel inexplicably peaceful.

Then, she noticed a strange ship approaching their vessel at high speed from a distance.

“…Cloud, that ship—it’s coming closer and closer,” she said, pointing toward it. Cloud furrowed his brows and looked in the same direction, his expression turning concerned.

The sailors soon spotted the approaching vessel as well, and panic set in as they started shouting.

“Pirates! A pirate ship is coming…!”

Eila followed their gaze, and sure enough, the threatening, dark-red flag flapped violently in the sea breeze.

“You guests should remain safely in your cabins…” the captain spoke to Eila and Cloud. He seemed concerned that the precious passengers might get hurt if a battle broke out.

But his worry was unnecessary. There was no one aboard the ship stronger than Cloud and Eila.

“…If necessary, I will fight alongside you,” Cloud said in a low voice, drawing the sword at his waist. The captain sized him up carefully.

“I’d appreciate that,” he said, nodding. Cloud’s strength seemed more likely to help than hinder the fight against the pirates.

“Then you should get the young lady down below quickly. This could get very dangerous,” the captain said, glancing at Eila with genuine concern. It was a natural reaction—he didn’t realize she wasn’t an ordinary child, but in this situation, it was perfectly reasonable.

Eila drew a dagger from her pocket and looked at Cloud. She silently asked whether it would be alright for her to stay.

Cloud simply nodded once. Eila could be a great help if a fight broke out.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself,” she said.

“…If you insist, very well,” the captain replied reluctantly. He didn’t truly believe a little girl could be of any help, but with the pirate ship approaching, there was no time for argument. At least he could console himself that he had warned her to stay in the cabin.

Moments later, a rope with a hook at the end whizzed across the deck—it had been thrown from the pirate ship, now dangerously close.

“Cut the rope! Quickly!”

The sailors rushed to the railing to cut it with their swords, but it was no easy task. The pirates kept throwing shurikens, forcing them to dodge rather than focus on the rope.

Meanwhile, the pirates steadily pulled the rope, bringing their ship ever closer.

Finally, one by one, they began boarding the deck.

“Nice ship~ Is it new?” one pirate laughed.

“Exactly what I was thinking,” another chimed in. The sailors, tense and anxious, took a step back.

“Don’t worry, we prefer to settle things peacefully! We’re peaceful folks—we’ll leave quietly if we get what we want.”

The pirates raised their hands in mock peace gestures, amused by the crew’s fearful expressions.

“Right… for example, maybe… the pretty little lady with the white hat over there? She looks like she could fetch a high price,” one pirate said, pointing toward a corner of the deck where Eila stood, wearing her white, lace-trimmed sunhat.

Eila’s expression immediately darkened, though the crew misread it as fear.

“Stay in a safe place!” the captain muttered internally, but paradoxically, the sailors’ fighting spirit rose. They were determined to protect the fragile-looking young girl.

“How dare you…! I will never give in to you!”

“Exactly! We’ll protect her with our lives!”

The crew roared, weapons raised, ready to charge at the pirates.

“…Then we have no choice. We didn’t want to hurt anyone anyway,” the pirates said with a sneer, drawing their own weapons. The situation was tense.

“Everyone, attack!!”

“Come at us, you shameless fools!”

The pirate leader shouted, signaling the start of the battle.

Eila and Cloud moved swiftly across the deck, taking part in the fight. Cloud, grim-faced, immediately struck down the pirate who had first mentioned selling her.

Eila, too, fought without hesitation. These were not innocent people—they were robbers who preyed on the weak. She was defending herself against those who harmed others.

The pirates were taken aback by Eila and Cloud’s skill, but so were the sailors. The girl they were meant to protect was now protecting them.

Yet the pirates’ numbers were overwhelming. No matter how many Eila and Cloud defeated, more seemed to appear. They had no idea how many were on that single ship. Slowly, even they began to tire.

Then, another ship appeared on the horizon, approaching their vessel.

“Damn, more pirates,” the sailors grumbled. “We can barely handle the ones we have now.”

From the deck of the new ship, a cheerful female voice called out.

“Hey there! Looks like you could use some help. Want me to lend a hand?”

It wasn’t another pirate—it was help. Though they weren’t sure of this newcomer’s intentions, they had no choice but to accept it.

“Y-yes, that would be appreciated,” the captain replied, exhausted from fending off the first two pirates.

The lively woman leapt onto their ship without a footboard.

“Captain! Again with that! What if you fall into the sea? It’s dangerous!”

The woman ignored her crew, who hastily built a makeshift plank, crossing carefully one by one.

“Alright, let’s warm up a bit,” the tall, slim woman with neatly cut light-gray hair said, stretching confidently. She ignored everything her subordinates said, drawing a flexible thin sword from her waist and rushing at the pirates.

The pirates, overwhelmed by her skill, began retreating one by one. The tide of battle had turned.

“Eh, that’s all there is to it,” she said triumphantly, twirling her swords.

One pirate, however, ran at her from behind. She spun around too late, bracing for the strike.

‘Damn, I let my guard down.’

She closed her eyes, expecting the worst.

But nothing happened. No pain, no injury.

“Huh?”

In front of her stood a girl, seemingly on a seaside vacation, holding a dagger. White sunhat, frilled blouse, and travel pants.

Looking down, the pirate who had attacked her lay bleeding on the deck. The girl had saved her.

“Are you alright?”

“…Ah, yes. Thank you,” the woman said, nodding in shock.

At that moment, the pirate leader shouted:

“Retreat! Retreat!!”

The pirates fled in disorder, taking their wounded with them, and quickly vanished from sight.