Her mature face and figure exuded astounding charm, constantly enticing the surrounding men.
Looking at this hair color, Alka couldn’t help but glance at Lucilia beside him. One has green hair, the other blue; such colors are rarely seen in the outside world. Perhaps that’s why their families have been friends for generations, he mused.
Then, he couldn’t help but notice Chadite’s bright silver hair.
Every single one of them has unusual hair color, Alka thought.
The Mermaid spoke, but her words were incomprehensible.
Lucilia promptly acted as a translator, saying, "She says her name is Julia Begst Toner... Kars Jenny."
Upon hearing the Mermaid’s name, Alka fell silent.
Just like Lucilia’s full name, Alka mused. It seems it’s not just their hair colors; their names might also be a reason for their families’ generational friendship. You can’t be friends without some common ground.
Then Lucilia introduced Alka and the others to Julia. They nodded and smiled at each other as a form of acknowledgment. After all, with the language barrier, they had to rely on Lucilia as their interpreter.
Lucilia then approached Pororo, lifted her Ghostly Skirt, and bowed.
"Hello, Pororo. It’s a pleasure to formally meet you. My name is Lucilia... Benavis."
She formally introduced herself and briefly explained that they hadn’t intentionally concealed their situation from him.
Then Lucilia dove directly into Alka’s chest. This was a behavior Alka, Chadite, and Lucilia were accustomed to, but it seemed shocking to the others. Pororo was startled, and even Julia, who had just joined them, involuntarily stepped back.
Witnessing their actions, Chadite couldn’t help but smile. Indeed, how could a normal person not be frightened? he thought.
Alka then said to the group, "Let’s go. We should head to the shore. There’s nothing valuable left on this island."
Hearing this, Chadite and Pororo nodded.
Then Chadite turned, looked at Julia—with whom they still couldn’t communicate directly—reached out, took her arm, and led her along. Julia did not refuse.
They traveled through the tunnel back into the building and then left the extensive manor. As they followed the path back to the shore, Julia kept looking around, observing their surroundings.
Upon reaching the seaside, Alka tossed the small boat he was carrying into the water. It transformed into a skiff, which then towed them to the Swallow, hidden among the reefs.
Alka announced, "We’ll leave this sea area and find a safe island to rest."
With that, Alka and Chadite maneuvered their vessel, quickly heading out to sea. They had just eliminated a ship full of pirates here, even burning the vessel. Plus, Alka’s father could sense his general direction and had possibly already identified their location. They couldn’t possibly stay in this sea area any longer. Six months of pursuit and escape had made them quite adept at fleeing; they handled it with practiced ease.
Once the ship had sailed out of the immediate sea area, Alka finally spotted a few sailboats in the far distance, heading towards them.
"A step too slow," Alka couldn’t help but smile, "trailing behind us to eat our dust."
Pororo spoke up after a brief silence, "Don’t celebrate too soon. I hear other ships coming from the sides to encircle us."
Looking where he pointed, two ships appeared ahead, swiftly closing in from both sides. The approaching vessels were also pirate speedboats.
Alka remarked, a Red Card appearing in his hand, "Seems like they’ve learned their lesson this time."
Only speedboats could match the speed of the Swallow, and speedboats were unlikely to carry Vibrating Stone Cannons. Alka was no stranger to such encounters; he’d faced them more than once or twice. This was when his Red Card would prove its worth.
Julia, squatting at the bow, watched the three of them talking. Though she couldn’t understand their words, she knew from Lucilia’s earlier interpretation that they were being pursued. Seeing the ships behind them and the speedboats closing in from the front, she pondered for a moment. Then, she clapped her hands to get their attention and waved her arms.
The water currents beside the ship, which were already propelling them forward thanks to a Spell, suddenly intensified. A long, straight channel of water appeared beneath their vessel, its current surging powerfully forward.
The Swallow, riding this channel, accelerated instantly. It sliced through the water at an incredible speed, throwing up two massive walls of water that almost enveloped the ship. The powerful forward momentum caused the bow to lift slightly, forcing everyone to grab onto nearby objects to steady themselves.
The Swallow carved a white wake across the sea, breaking through the pincer movement the two enemy ships were attempting at astonishing speed. The crews of the two Pirate Ships could only watch as Alka shot past them, their incredible speed seemingly mocking the pirates’ efforts.
Carried by the slight sea breeze, two Red Cards flew towards the pirate vessels. The pirates on one ship saw the Red Cards arcing through the air and striking their mast. Several pirates, who had clearly heard of Alka’s reputation, jumped overboard without hesitation. The remaining pirates on board were still in a daze when the Red Card exploded, unleashing a cross-shaped burst of flames that instantly engulfed those below, turning them into human torches. The spreading flames directly ignited the mast and sails.
The other Pirate Ship was luckier; its Red Card struck the stern. The explosion still gave its crew a chance to jump overboard and escape before being instantly incinerated.
Alka looked at the two burning Pirate Ships behind them, a smile on his face.
Julia, watching Alka’s actions, had a slightly puzzled expression. Are they really fleeing from pursuers? she wondered.