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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shrine
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The tiresome Middle Ages.
The damned Crusades.
The hypocritical facade of chivalry.
An era in which one would only encounter noble knights through minstrels’ fantastical heroic tales.
I stared absentmindedly at the gently rocking blue waves, ruminating on the past.
The gloomy weather made me feel quite down.
My trusted subordinate, Hans, approached me and asked:
“Sir Knight, what should we do about our crew members who can’t row well?”
“Tell them to row with all their might before they become fish food. Also, didn’t I tell you to call me Captain? How many times do I have to tell you I’m not a knight anymore?”
There he goes again, bringing up bad memories. How irritating.
“S-sorry, Captain!”
“Enough. Have you got those fools doing a good job?”
“Of course! They’re rowing while sweating profusely! They’re totally not really terrible at it!”
Hans’ face was filled with joy as he answered my question with gusto.
It seemed like being an overseer suited him perfectly.
“Captain! I think I have a talent for being a slave trader! I’m thinking of becoming one when we return!”
Well, that’s a bit…
“Do you want to end up like those trashes below?!”
“No, sir!”
“Then stop talking nonsense and push those bastards with all your heart! We should repay them for pushing us this far, shouldn’t we?”
“Yes! Kni-, I mean, Captain!”
The idiotic Hans ran back, panting. I leaned against the railing, staring blankly at his retreating figure, and admired the scenery of the azure sea.
“When will we see land…”
It had already been over a month since we last saw land.
Even saying it’s been a month might be an understatement, since I haven’t properly kept track of the dates. It could be even longer.
As far as food goes, we could still hold out by rationing, but being on this swaying ship and staring at the sea made me yearn for solid ground.
Humans, after all, are creatures meant to live on land.
Only by residing on soil can one be considered human.
“What a crazy life…”
It took just 2 years to go from transmigrating into an apprentice knight, to becoming the captain of a slave ship after staging a mutiny.
The rise and fall in status was like a rollercoaster.
Life is truly unpredictable.
“But now it’s over.”
After stealing all the assets of those damned slave traders, I had amassed enough wealth to live lavishly for a lifetime.
My life goal was to disembark somewhere remote and live the carefree life of a wealthy man.
I was sick and tired of the meaningless drudgery of the crusades and whatnot.
I would live quietly in a place unrelated to war.
“…But the ship seems to be swaying quite heavily today.”
Is my bad luck acting up again?
I had that ominous feeling I had experienced countless times.
I anxiously fiddled with the sword at my waist, previously belonging to a mercenary the slave traders had brought along.
Dark gray clouds loomed above the sea, and an ominous sound crackled throughout the sky.
“Hmm.”
The ship rocked as if it would capsize under the tumultuous sky.
It was a sign of my recurring bad luck.
I finally seized the chance to turn my life around, only to be thwarted by nature here?
That couldn’t happen.
“Hans! Tell them to prepare to sail at full speed! Slaves, throw out those fools and grab the oars! If we leave it to those useless bastards, we’re all finished!”
“What should we do with the expelled slave masters, Captain?”
“If they don’t get off the ship, then throw them off it! No one wants to become a ghost because of those pig bastards!”
“Wouldn’t being a ghost crew be kind of cool?”
What the hell, is this crazy guy’s future aspiration to be Davy Jones?
“If you don’t want to become fish food before becoming a ghost crew, get to work! Call Jorges to man the helm!”
“Can we trust him?! Because of him, we haven’t seen land for a month! He lied about knowing how to steer the ship, he can’t steer shit!”
“Then you steer it! There’s no one else who knows how to steer even a little bit besides that bastard!”
“I’m sorry!”
“Does being sorry mean you should sit there and do nothing?!”
“No, sir!”
“Then get off your ass, and help out!”
“Yes, Captain!”
I chased away the idiotic Hans, then imbued mana into my voice.
Such simple yet effective application of mana, strengthening the vocal cords to amplify my voice.
I shouted at the crew like a roaring lion.
“Hurry up, men! If we make a single mistake, we’ll all become fish food! If you don’t want to meet again in a shark’s stomach, stay sharp!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Even if we die, we’ll at least die on land! Understood!”
“Yes, Captain!”
At my commanding order, designed to instill grim resolve, the crew, who were former slaves, began to move about hastily.
If they moved swiftly, perhaps the situation was still manageable.
“Let’s give it a try.”
I, no, we began our struggle for survival, eying the increasingly violent waves.
Of course, almost immediately, as if mocking that determination, a colossal wave crested and collided with the ship.
“Shit, if i knew it was going to be like this, I should have just escaped when I was captured…”
The frigid seawater rushed at me, seemingly eager to introduce me to the seafloor.
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“Ahem~”
Walking alone on the beach under the refreshing morning sun was the daily routine of Lin Hye-ryeong, known as the Jewel of the South Sea.
Traversing the beach, where soft sand enveloped her shoes, seemed to aid her training, so she had long made this routine the start of her day.
If nothing unexpected happened, she would walk to the end of the beach and then lightly run toward the Haenam Sect’s training ground using her movement techniques.
Yes, that’s if nothing happened.
“…Huh?”
At the end of her sight, she saw a strange lump that she didn’t recognize.
Squinting her eyes and looking closely, the shape was somewhat reminiscent of a person.
It was half-buried in seaweed and sand, but the eyes of a top expert like her could tell from a distance that it was indeed a person.
However, it wasn’t an ordinary person.
‘A foreigner…?’
Here?
She looked inquisitive.
Occasionally, people would wash up on the shores of Haenam Island due to various accidents, but this was the first time a foreigner had been the victim.
She approached the foreigner, who was half-buried in the sand, with animal-like nimble movements.
‘A martial artist?’
She first observed his Sun acupoint. This was the easiest way to identify a martial artist.
Unless one was a high-level expert who had reached a profound realm, an energized Sun acupoint was the easiest way to discern the presence of inner energy.
Hye-ryeong, who confirmed the presence of an energized Sun acupoint, hesitated for a moment.
‘Should I bring him along?’
Hye-ryeong had occasionally heard of sects being harmed after getting entangled in the affairs of martial artists they had saved.
Thus, she hesitated briefly.
While upholding the righteous path by showcasing human decency and goodwill was the spirit of the orthodox sects, it was also important to prioritize the sect’s well being.
After some contemplation, she made a decision.
‘Let’s take him for now. Judging by the fact that he’s a foreigner, he must have come from far away anyway, so there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.’
Lin Hye-ryeong put her hand under the foreigner’s arms and dragged him onto the shore.
“He’s too large…”
She grunted in complaint as she carried the unconscious man on her back.
His waterlogged body was heavy, but she couldn’t call herself a top expert of the Haenam Sect if she succumbed to just this level of weight.
Hye-ryeong began to use her movement techniques to go back towards the Haenam Sect, carrying the foreigner on her back.
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Cool
Western fantasy to Eastern fantasy shifting