types qw

Name

Chapter Text

'Sh*t! That hurt!'

Gen cursed as he flung his body to the side, hiding behind a tree.

His left arm was split open to the bone, leaking blood and pus.

He hurriedly stuck a Recovery charm onto it, his movements slower than usual, before quickly moving away as the tree split into two.

Gen heard a sharp, metallic creak, followed by a grotesque sound of something heavy dragging against bark and soil

He gritted his teeth, forcing his body to turn around, facing the darkness of the night forest.

The red moonlight reflected agains a bloody blade as a figure emerged.

It could barely be called a figure, more of a nightmare stitched together.

Half of it resembled a boy, no older than 16, with short, dark-brown hair.

The boy's frame was slim, his clothes torn and burned, clinging feebly to his body.

But that wasn't why Gen's thoughts turned sluggish, neither was it the reason why his forearm was split.

Gen's eyes paused on the other half, especially the arm, of the worn-out boy.

It was a marionette's limb, stretched impossibly long, almost twice longer than the boy's arm.

Its jagged and rusty metal joints gridded and groaned with each stuttered movement.

Each body part seemed to be made out of wood, but with ugly white granules covering its surface.

Rusted metal twisted through the wooden body like veins, catching and reflecting the crimson moonlight.

The warped and long limbs twisted and bent unnaturally.

The leg snapped backwards, forcing the creature's hunched frame to shift and contort gruesomely just to balance its two asymmetrical halves.

The mask it wore made the grotesque silhouette even more horrifying.

It was split in two, yet still showed the same expression.

The hollow, glowing eyes stared and observed Gen, filling him with dread.

Its mouth was pulled into a wide, toothy smirk that seemed too sharp... too hungry.

The human side showed a black face, plastered onto a smooth white mask.

The marionette side mirrored the grin with a white face on black.

But it's features were jagged, showing cracks and splits in the corners of the teeth.

The mask pulsed faintly, dark mist swirling from its edges and the cracks like a living thing.

The fog tried, and failed repeatedly, to contain and absorb the abomination beneath.

It mended the cracked features only on for them to split back with a loud noise.

Gen swallowed back his discomfort, his pupils shaking.

The creature moved.

Its steps were broken and lagged, jerking forward in rapid, stuttering motions.

Each movement sliced through the silent forest with a sharp, jarring creak.

A serrated blade was sliding in and out of its marionette wrist, trying to unhitch itself.

Each movement came with a sickening scrape of metal, like nails on a chalkboard.

The blade itself looked frail, as it was thin and rusted all over.

But Gen knew, that blade was harder and firmer than an Enchanted dagger, the fresh blood on its edge was proof of that.

Gen slowly watched as the creature lunged at him.

His foot instinctively moved back.

But it was slow as he couldn't think fast enough.

Gen's torso turned to the side as the creature's blade stabbed where he stood.

He grasped forward, it was sluggish, but fast enough to grab the marionette's open wrist.

His body trembled at the monster's strength, which should not be possible considering its slim build.

With simple thrust, Gen was shoved backwards, his back crashing into a tree.

The painful shock spread out, hitting the back of his mind and freezing his already lazy thoughts.

The creature rushed forward at an incredible speed, its motions still as loud and disturbing as the first time Gen saw it.

'How the f*ck do I feed anesthesia to something that doesn't have a mouth?!'

Gen tried to dodge, but his sluggish thoughts betrayed him.

As the rusty blade fell, a heavy body slammed itself into the monstrous figure, causing it to stumble.

Because of its jagged limbs and poor balance, the creature fell to the ground, stabbing the blade into the ground.

Then a different sound filled Gen's ears.

It was a calming tune, one which forced Genks thoughts back into their place.

The marionette made a screeching noise as the cracked mask slightly mended, staying firm.

Gen stood up, looking at the singing wolf on the ground.

"Thanks for that."

Kalim gave him a glance, not daring to stop the melody.

Using the short moment when the creature was limped on the ground, the endless shadows stretched out.

Shackles spread out, enveloping the half monster to the ground.

Gen swallowed, stepping on the marionette's back and opening a potion bottle.

'Do I just pour it onto the mask? But its face is towards the ground...'

Gen's thoughts were messy and slow as he grabbed the creature by the back of its neck.

He then pulled back, twisting the spine up before pouring the potion into the cracks on the masked mouth.

The liquid made hissing sound.

The cracked splinters reformed and allowed the black mist to enlarge.

Just when all seemed to turn better, the marionette's body snapped.

The head and limbs twisted around to face Gen before plunging against him.

The metal painfully shrieked, sending icy shivers down Gen's and Kalim's spines.

Gen, who was once again hurting all over, unsteadily stood up.

The monster's joints snapped back into place as its long leg thumped on the ground sideways.

Both Gen and the creature stumbled, unable to keep their balance firm.

Kalim's voice rose, giving Gen the advantage as the marionette's body was covered in thicker layer of black fog.

At the same time, more shadowy shackles swarmed around the figure's body, holding it in place.

The joints made scratching sounds as the shoulder and elbow bent and tilted in all directions, trying to break free.

At the same time, the human part of the split figure trembled.

Its knees buckled as the human hand reached to grab the marionette's arm.

As if that was the sign, the mist rapidly spread, sucking on the wooden half of the body.

The wood scraped as its consistency changed and the metal scraped as it blended into the spreading skin.

It was an unnatural change.

Limbs grew shorter and softer as the blade painfully sank back into the open hand and the snapped wrist mended.

Before long, the marionette was gone and the boy fell to the ground face down.

Gen and Kalim shared glances.

The forest was quiet except the deep and heavy breathing.

After a moment of silence, Kalim turned his whole body to face Gen.

The wolf's growling voice was dry and hoarse.

"Do you have some water?"

...

Wednesday morning, Jenica opened and entered the workshop.

She took a deep breath as Tessa skipped in behind her, followed by Carol.

Tessa smiled, chatting with Carol as Jenica set her tools into the correct position.

She went through the notes she placed on her board the previous day.

It was to remind herself of all which needs to be done.

Her workload was actually quite light as it was split between three people.

Sometimes, not being alone was a pleasant thing.

The clock turned.

Jenica stood, hovering over her workbench.

Her focused gaze was fixed on a delicate mechanical part as sparks flew from her soldering tool.

Tessa sat on a nearby stool, absently tapping a rhythm on her knees.

She occasionally glanced at Jenica's work, resisting the urge to interrupt with commentary.

Then a light knock sounded before the door opened.

A young girl with long black hair and strange but aesthetically pleasing clothes stepped inside, immediately gathering attention.

Tessa turned to her, wearing a broad smile.

"Juny! Perfect timing. You're just in-"

"Tessa, a moment of silence, please?"

Before she could finish, Juny's spoke up.

It was not a sharp tone, but it carried weight which halted Tessa mid-sentence.

Jenica looked up from her work, her eyes immediately narrowed on Juny's face.

Juny's features were as youthful and composed as ever.

Yet, there was a subtle tightness around her eyes and in her jaw.

It was almost as if she was anxious.

Jenica's gaze immediately moved to Juny's hands.

In them, Juny held multiple pitch black spheres, each etched with glowing symbols.

Juny lightly, but with unusual carefulness, placed the spheres on the table.

"These need to be disarmed. As soon as possible."

Her tone was light, as if she did not just tell them to hurry up.

Jenica straightened, wiping her hands on a cloth.

She moved closer to study the spheres before her brows furrowed.

"Traps?"

Juny nodded, her smile unchanging.

"Sophisticated ones. Can you handle it?"

Before Jenica could respond, Tessa leaned in, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Whoa~ those look... complicated. Where'd you find-"

"They're dangerous. That's what matters."

Juny interrupted just as Tessa tried to take a breath.

Jenica's gaze flickered up to Juny.

"They're dangerous, but not dangerous enough for you to deal with them yourself? Instead bringing them here?"

Juny kept her slight smile, shrugging.

"I trust your expertise."

Jenica observed her, catching as Juny's fingers momentarily fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve.

She seemed uneasy.

Tessa, oblivious to the tension, took a breath to start another stream of questions.

"Oh, speaking of expertise, I've been meaning to introduce you to-"

Juny's focus shifted to Carol, standing awkwardly behind Tessa.

Her gaze lingered on the boy a moment too long.

"You're new."

Carol lightly jumped before straightening, hands clenched at his sides.

"Yes, Miss. I'm Carol. Tessa brought me here to-"

"To help him lighten the workload!"

Tessa chimed in with a wide grin.

"He's super talented. We met a while back, and when I heard he got kicked out of-"

"That's good. I'm sure Jenica will make good use of him."

Juny cleanly cut her off, her eyes flying across the workshop.

Tessa blinked, momentarily surprised by the interruption.

Juny's tone was calm, but her fingers twitched again.

Her eyes shifted back to the spheres on the table.

"These traps. It would be great if they were disarmed quickly."

Jenica frowned, moving to examine the spheres more closely.

"If you want them disarmed, I need to know more. Who set them? Where were they?"

Juny hesitated but her smile remained as it was.

Maybe because of the light break in her composure, Juny's response came a second too late.

"It's... complicated. They were in a hostile area."

She spoke carefully but quickly enough for it not to seem strange.

Jenica's eyes narrowed, clear suspicion in her tone.

"Hostile enough that you're keeping the details to yourself?"

Juny's lips pressed into a thin line, looking up at the ceiling.

After a short pause, Juny sighed.

"Just focus on disarming them."

Jenica's gaze lingered on her for a while before turning back to the spheres.

Reaching out, Jenica pulled out some of her tools.

"Fine. But these aren't ordinary traps. Whoever made these knew exactly what they were doing."

She couldn't help but murmur as she grabbed a few mechanical pieces from a nearby shelf.

Tessa, eager to break the tension, leaned closer to the table.

Her eyes were bright with curiosity.

"Do you think they were protecting something? Or... someone?"

Juny didn't respond.

She folded her hands behind her back as she took a measured step toward the door.

"Who knows. But it might be dangerous, although they're not in the red zone yet. Either way, it'd be good to disarm them quickly."

Her voice was steady and the sentence prolonged.

But Jenica caught the faintest edge of urgency.

Jenica kept her eyes on the spheres as her voice traveled through the workshop.

"You've gotten yourself into something uncontrollable again, haven't you?"

Juny paused, her back now to the room.

"What do you mean? I've always got everything under control."

And with that, she stepped out, her shadow disappearing down a nearby alley.

"..."

The room was quiet for a moment after Juny's departure.

After a while, Carol nervously whispered to Tessa.

"She's... intense."

Tessa grinned, her eyes moving to the spheres.

"Oh, you have no idea~'

Jenica, still studying the glowing runes, muttered under her breath.

Only for herself to hear.

"What are you getting yourself into, Juny?"

Tessa tilted her head, watching Jenica's careful movements.

"Do you think she's in trouble?"

Jenica didn't answer immediately.

Her focus shifted between the runes and Juny's subtle tension.

"Trouble's always just a step behind her. She just usually ignores it."

...

"Ugh..."

A groan spread out as the boy opened his eyes.

Sunlight burst forth, forcing him to quicklyquickly shut them again and blink a couple of times.

Feeling his back against the wet grass, the boy struggled to sit up, only for him to feel pain in the left part of his body.

He kept still for a while, blinking in silence.

Then, memories began to resurface in his mind, memories during which his brain was clouded.

The boy gasped for breath in shock, forcing his stiff body up.

His hands moved, pressing firmly against his face and... something hard.

What his hands touched was not skin, but a light and hard layer of strange material.

Fright took over him, grabbing the edge of the mask and pulling down with great force.

But no matter what, the mask wouldn't budge.

In this frenzied state, the boy heard loud footsteps.

"Whoa, careful there. If you actually manage to pull it off, we'll be in great trouble, you and I."

The boy flinched at the hoarse but exhausted voice.

He looked up, locking eyes with a tall and muscular man with handsome features and reddish gray eyes.

The man loomed over him, clothes in disarray.

The boy blinked again, still not making a sound.

Seeing this, Gen sighed and scratched the back of his neck.

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

The boy froze, more memories returning to him.

Strangely dressed men catching him as he was on his way back after buying some vegetables for dinner.

The next thing he remembered was being locked in a hard and cold cell.

The cell had unknown liquid spreading in the corners, the stench of blood and decay in the air.

He was fed something hard and rocky by the weirdly dressed man.

It was painful, but the men didn't even flinch as he screamed in pain, pleading for death.

Instead, they brought in a strange box with purely white, full-face mask.

They put it on his face, and then his lights went out.

The next thing he remembered was appearing in an underground alley.

Around him blood and torn up corpses.

His body felt strange and tall, he couldn't really register much, he couldn't move either.

He could feel his hand moving and screams filling his ears.

It didn't matter who stood before him, his scratchy and strange arm always fell on the people, slicing them.

Innocent or not.

Prisoners or onlookers.

Those locked or those who locked others.

The boy killed them all without hesitation, on instinct.

And when there was no more to kill, he left.

His mind was numb all the way, but he was conscious, he had to be conscious.

Otherwise, he would not remember it.

The boy grasped his torn-up clothes, hand moving to his mouth.

He coughed.

Even as there was a mask on his face, he threw up small chunks of meat into his hand and down on the grass.

He stayed like that, coughing, for a long while.

But considering that the hovering man didn't leave, it probably wasn't that long.

He didn't know why his mouth was filled with meat chunks as he didn't remember eating anyone.

The boy was sure that it was probably his flesh.

But he didn't want to think too deeply about it.

"You good now?"

The boy gulped down his saliva.

He slowly looked up at the man whom he remembered.

He opened his mouth, a roaring voice, unlike the one he remembered came out.

"Yes."

The boy was, of course, surprised, but not to the extent that he would pause.

What surprised him more than his voice itself was the way it sounded.

Although the tone was unlike his own, it was clear.

It didn't sound like someone who's talking through a mask.

Gen nodded as if he expected it, reaching out his hand.

"Alright then, I suppose you should have something to drink first."

The boy hesitated, but ended up grabbing Gen's hand as he stood up.

His body was still hurting and his legs wobbled with every step.

But he could stand, the boy found that he had a surprisingly good balance.

Looking down at his legs, the boy mumbled.

"Oh god... I should really eat breakfasts more often."

Ignoring the strange murmurs, Gen reached out into a strange rift in space, pulling out a metal container with water.

He handed it over to the boy, watching as he stared at it.

Gen leaned against a tree, he himself curious about how it's going to work.

The boy gave him a glance, the eyes on the mask following the movement underneath.

After a while, the boy moved the metal to his 'lips' and, very slowly, leaned the container sideways.

Unlike what he expected, the water flowed through the mask, spilling into his mouth.

The boy swallowed, cooling his sore throat.

Feeling that now everything was possible, the boy didn't even question it as he asked.

"Where's that singing wolf?"

Gen froze for just a moment, having been thrown off by the straightforward question.

"Uh... he went to report. Anyway, are you good now?"

The boy nodded, the face on the mask changing to a smile.

"Report? So you're a part of some organization? I'm good, I confirmed that like a minute ago."

Gen raised an eyebrow but agreed.

"You did, didn't you? And yes, we are."

The boy nodded again, taking another gulp of water.

"I see. What's going to happen to me now?"

The boy's tone was unreasonably light, the smily face on the mask not revealing any hints either.

Gen looked at the gray brooch in his hand, not hesitating a moment before answering.

"That heavily relies on what the Scoutmaster will say."

The boy tilted his head.

"Scoutmaster?"

Gen gave him a glance, lightly nodding.

"Yes, the Scoutmaster. Just like I am the Den Chief."

"Oh~ Mr. Den Chief... still don't know what that is tho."

Gen raised his head.

"Uh, they are titles in our organization. You see?"

The boy hummed, the face on the mask showing a light grin.

"So, are you going to kill me? I deserve it, if I say so myself."

Gen frowned, trying to find something on that strange mask.

But it was a mask, and the one underneath it had the power of a Clown.

'Tsk... that's really annoying when I think about it. Also, he's really good at adaptation. He already figured out how to use his Beyonder abilities.'

Gen thought to himself as the gray brooch pulsed in his grasp.

He infused it with spirituality before taking a step back.

The space cracked, revealing a mesmerizing starry space with a spreading galaxy of Violet hues.

Gen gave the boy a glance and stepped aside, waiting for him to enter.

Seeing this action, the boy's mask didn't change as he walked inside, but his breath was stuck in his throat.

He appeared in a large, endless place with light and pleasant air.

It was a tranquil place, one which calmed him just by being in here.

The boy warily looked around, half amazed half alarmed.

Next to him stepped out Gen, who immediately made his way to his seat.

The boy followed behind him, stopping right before the large circular table.

Between Gen's seat and an empty chair.

The boy's eyes moved across the table's edge as well as the empty chairs.

He saw the large gray wolf from his memories sitting on a smaller chair behind a white seat with a dragon-like symbol.

His eyes moved further and onto the head seat.

There sat... a small girl.

It was a short girl, not older than twelve.

She had long pitch-black hair with Violet highlights, blending pleasingly into the surrounding galaxy.

She wore unusual clothes with an alarming amount of belts and a really loose coat.

It was strange but surprisingly very pleasant to the eyes.

She was looking at him with a light smile, leaning leisurely on her palm.

Her eyes were young and calm but the boy felt a sense of oppression.

The boy was stunned, unsure how to react, so he just mumbled.

"Your boss is a little girl?"

Juny's smile widened while Gen just gave the boy a look filled with disbelief.

"You're fine with a singing wolf but a young girl leading an organization is where you draw the line?"

The boy jumped, the mask fuzzing, unsure what expression to show.

"No, I mean. When you said Scoutmaster, that- this was not what I imagined."

Juny lightly sighed, still keeping her calm smile, slightly amused.

She motioned to the empty chair next to the boy.

"Take a seat."

The boy nodded, sitting down on the neutral but also quite large chair.

The chair stayed the same, not changing in any way.

The boy looked at Juny, waiting for her to say something.

Seeing this, Juny gave him a smirk.

"We could start with an introduction. I'm the Scoutmaster of the Abyssal Troop."

She then looked at Gen and then at Kalim.

"I'm sure you've already met the Den Chief and I hope you remember the Assistant Scout Patrol Leader. I've heard he's quite memorable."

The boy followed her motions.

Seeing that Juny's eyes returned back to him, the boy nodded.

"My name is Jonah, Jonah Eihve."

Juny smiled, unable to hear the constant mumbling of the Elementals.

...

The spheres sat on Jenica's workbench, their pitch-black surfaces etched with glowing symbols.

Each pulse of light felt like a delicate heartbeat, as though the devices themselves were alive.

Jenica leaned over, magnifying lens in hand, scanning the intricate symbols that spiraled around the orbs.

Beside her, Tessa and Carol worked on dismantling a disarmed casing.

They followed the instructions she has previously given them.

Jenica took another deep look, muttering to herself.

"These symbols... they feel wrong. Like they're almost familiar but-"

She quickly shook her head and set down her tools.

Seeing this unusual reaction, Tessa glanced over while wiping her hands.

"Something bothering you, Miss Jenica?"

"No, focus on your task."

Jenica answered quickly, her voice firm but devoid of its usual sharpness.

Even as the silence settled again, Jenica still couldn't shake the nagging unease in her chest.

The symbols... she knew them, or at least, something like them.

The curvature and patters... it tugged at a memory, something she has seen many times before.

It wasn't until she etched part of the rune onto her notepad for further analysis that it clicked.

The reason for her anxiety.

The symbols bore resemblance to the symbols Juny used, drew and engraved while using her abilities.

Jenica's hands froze mid-sketch.

The realization was small, like the first ripple in a calm pond.

But for some reason, it carried an inexplicable sense of dread.

"No... it can't be."

Jenica couldn't help but whisper under her breath

Carol looked up from his work, tilting his head as if listening.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Jenica replied quickly, but calmly.

She took the notepad before stuffing it into a drawer.

She forced her focus back to the sphere in front of her, but the air seemed heavier.

Something was tugging at her strings, making her heart beat a little too fast.

'Clank.'

Tessa stretched, yawning loudly.

"Phew, this one's almost done. I didn't think bombs would be this intricate. Whoever made these things was a real psycho genius."

Jenica didn't respond.

Her gaze flicked back to the symbols, her fingers trembling slightly as she traced the lines with her tools.

The symbols were similar to Juny's, but not identical.

They were cruder, harsher, lacking the grace and precision Juny stood for.

It was almost as if they were a corrupted imitation.

Made by someone who knew what they were doing, but who didn't bother to do it correctly.

The thought sent another ripple of unease through her, this one larger, more insistent.

'But no one else can use those powers. They belong to Juny's Pathway alone. Unless...'

Jenica swallowed hard, trying to push the thought away.

She glanced over at Tessa and Carol, who were chatting about their progress.

They seemed so relaxed, completely unaware of the storm brewing in her mind.

Minutes stretched into hours as they worked, the room heavy with tension that only Jenica seemed to feel.

She forced herself to stay calm, pushing away the unsettling thoughts as best she could.

But they kept creeping back, like whispers in the back of her mind.

Her hands stilled once more as she caught sight of a particularly intricate symbol on one of the spheres.

Its design was sharper, more jagged, yet it bore an unmistakable resemblance to a Rune Juny once engraved on a charm to create mesmerizing but deadly Violet flames.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

She remembered that day vividly.

Juny was with her in the workshop.

They had a pleasant, interrupted conversation with each focusing on their own task.

When she finally caught a break, Jenica took in the sight of Juny's work.

Her hand moved swiftly but with an unbelievable precision.

It was something to be admired, the complicated Rune symbol looked like a masterpiece.

Now, staring at this crude imitation, Jenica felt an unfamiliar sensation: fear.

She turned her head toward the door.

Jenica was half-expecting to see Juny there, leaning casually against the frame with her usual light smile and calm eyes.

For a brief moment, she imagined it.

She saw the cool reassurance Juny always seemed to exude, even in the most dire situations.

But as the vision lingered, it began to change.

The smile cracked, jagged lines spreading across her imagined face like splintering glass.

Her gentle eyes darkened, the warmth fading into something hollow.

Something empty and cold with unseen, never-ending depth.

"Jenica!"

Tessa's voice snapped her out of it.

She blinked rapidly, her breath catching in her throat as she realized she'd been staring at the empty doorway.

Jenica turned back to the spheres, her hands shaking now.

'This is not possible.'

Her thoughts were murmuring what she so wanted to hear.

'No one else should be able to create these symbols. No one but Juny.'

But what if someone had found a way?

Her chest tightened as the pieces began to fall into place.

Juny's hurried manner earlier, her dodged questions, the slight fidgeting she'd tried so hard to hide.

The tension in her eyes which should not have been there.

It wasn't just exhaustion.

Something else was eating away at her.

Jenica stared down at the glowing runes, her unease reaching a climax.

'What have you gotten yourself into, Juny?'

"Madam Jenica? Are you okay?"

Hearing Carol's hesitant question, Jenica forced herself to nod.

"I'm fine. Keep working. We need to finish these as soon as possible."

As Tessa and Carol returned to their tasks, Jenica stole one last glance at the doorway.

This time, it remained empty, but the image of Juny's fractured smile lingered in her mind.

...

Dager smiled as he stared at the far-spreading sea.

From behind, he could hear the laughter of those who still haven't had enough celebrating.

Hearing footsteps come to a halt behind him, Dager turned around.

His back was now away from the empty sea.

The sun was already hovering just above the horizon.

He met eyes with Valler who seemed to have come here for a casual conversation.

Everyone seems to be in high spirits."

But even though that was his intention, he couldn't help but make a report.

Dager's smile widened.

"I was hoping for some friendly banter, but no, here you are with a report. Do you dream in reports too, or is that just a daytime thing?"

Valler's eye twitched, half annoyed with himself.

"I did come here to chat- never mind..."

Valler sighed, feeling defeated in front of Dager's teasing smile.

Dager chuckled, patting Valler on the shoulder.

"I know, I know. You're just really bad at socializing."

Valler opened his mouth with a frown but paused.

His gaze moved behind Dager, eyes narrowing.

"Captain, there's something in the sea behind you..."

Dager's eyebrows rose as he leaned against the railing, his back still to the sea.

"Oh? A mermaid? Maybe a lost treasure chest? Or just a very enthusiastic fish who missed the party last night?"

Valler's eyes widened at Dager's very unrealistic guesses.

"No, really, Captain, it's-"

"I swear, every time someone mentions 'something in the sea,' it's either a fish, a rock, or some shipwreck. But hey, worry not about that. You know what? It was very sweet of you to try and protect me yesterday. Especially how you jumped on that bastard's back. Where'd you learn the acrobatics?"

Having been cut off for the second time, Valler gritted his teeth with a glare.

"Captain it's a ship! It's quite a large ship!"

Dager blinked, tilting his head.

"A ship? Another one? Heh that's certainly not something you should see every day."

With a silly face, Dager dramatically turned around before blinking.

"Huh. Well, that's... definitely a ship. A really large one too... Good call. Guess I owe you one."

He turned back, giving Valler a thumbs up with a smirk.

Valler's hand trembled as he slapped his forehead.

"Dager..."

Hearing the incredible amount of irritation in Valler's voice, Dager turned back around, still teasing.

"Ah, the joys of being right. You should be used to it by now."

Valler glared, but Dager quickly added.

"Don't worry, the ship doesn't look even close to turning to us. Not to mention. That's Tracy's ship, see?"

Valler flinched, quickly moving to stand next to Dager.

But unlike Dager, his eyes were not so good that he could see the flag from so far away.

Currently, Dager's Infernal Abyss was between an island and Tracy's Black Death.

Dager tapped the wooden railing with his finger.

'Juny did say that there was a huge chance that Ailment Maiden Tracy would be in the perimeter of Bayam, but I didn't expect to see her so soon.'

After a moment, his eyes narrowed as his smile went away.

"Valler."

He called, gaining an attention of the, now calmed down, First Mate.

"Inform the crew that there is a huge catch heading our way."

Valler tilted his head, not at all understanding what Dager meant.

The Black Death was a large distance away from them and Dager couldn't possibly be talking about a fish.

Seeing this confusion, Dager smirked.

"We'll be having a guest on our ship in a minute."

Valler blinked.

'Again, what does that mean...?'

With a sigh, Valler turned around to the rest of the crew before walking away.

Dager looked at the figure faintly swimming through the rash waves as the sun completely disappeared behind the horizon.

The figure was moving with an incredible speed, making its appearance clearer and clearer.

It was a beautiful lady with bright red hair.

It was none other than the pretty Red-Haired Helen.

A smirk crept across Dager's lips as he reached to grab the fiery earring in his ear, infusing it with spirituality.

'Juny's going to lose her mind when she hears of this.'

Within a minute, three people gathered right behind Dager, even more peeking from further away.

All of them looked into the dark seawater and at the pretty lady in a wet, golden-red dress.

Helen also seemed to have noticed them all staring as she stopped swimming, staying in place.

Dager smiled wide, placing his hand by his mouth.

"Hey! If you stop now, Tracy might catch up to you!"

His voice was booming and loud enough to reach the red-haired woman.

Dager leaned on the wooden railing with amusement, grinning as Helen looked behind her.

Kaelith gave him a concerned glance, not understanding what he was doing.

The Black Death moved away, not even close to seem like it's chasing after them.

Dager clicked his tongue, shouting out again.

"You can come onboard, we don't bite! Unlike the fish!"

Helen looked back, her gaze lingering on the Supernova Pirate's flag.

After a moment of hesitation, she moved in closer.

Dager glanced at Kealith, who immediately tightened a rope around the railing.

She grabbed the other end of the rope and jumped down.

A few minutes later, Kaelith climbed back up, dragging the Red-Haired Helen behind her.

Helen bent over, coughing out seawater she happened to swallow.

Dager kept leaning on the railing, scanning Helen with sharp eyes.

After a few seconds, Helen straightened up, glaring at Dager.

"What do you want from me?"

Her eyes were filed with anger and suspicion, while her voice was delicate but firm.

Dager scoffed before glancing back at the sea from where the Black Death has long disappeared.

"What could I possibly want from a toy of some creep?"

Helen's eyes narrowed before widening, momentarily fear flickering in her pupils.

Seeing such real-like reaction, Dager laughed.

"Heh, but you know what I heard?"

He stood up straight, turning face to face with Helen.

Dager tilted his head left and right, still smiling sheepishly.

Seeing this, Helen gritted her teeth, forcing out words with a hiss.

"What?"

Dager took a step closer, leaning over to meet Helen's eye level.

"I heard that Red-Haired Helen, the one whom the Ailment Maiden Tracy abducted, was a weak girl who could at most be a Low-Sequence Beyonder."

Helen stood steady, not reacting to Dager's words.

Such reaction only made Dager more certain.

"So tell me. How did a frail, skeleton-like girl manage to not only escape off of the Black Death, but also swim fast and far enough to get away from the pursuit when she was just recently apprehended?"

Helen finally flinched, taking a step away as Dager stepped even closer.

"Especially when this girl is NOT from the Sailor Pathway and does NOT possess any aquatic-related artifacts. If you ask me-"

Dager paused right in front of Helen's face, his grin still annoying and wide.

His eyes were sharp and steady, as if he was seeing right through the person before him.

"-I smell a Faceless."

Helen froze.

And then slowly, her facade collapsed.

Her trembling pupils steadied while her exhausted expression recovered and turned cold.

Seeing this, Dager snickered, straightened his back to stand tall.

"Well, am I right? Mr. Sparrow?"

The cold face changed once more, showing alarm rather than coldness.

The 'Helen' frowned deeply, her cold lips parting to let out a deep, male voice.

"You know me?"

Dager's smile disappeared for a second as he blinked twice fast.

And then, the smile returned, wider than before.

"Hah!"

It was so wide that Valler, who watched this from the side, groaned as if he was in excruciating pain.

Dager ignored 'Helen's' raised eyebrow as he turned to Valler.

"I was right twice in a row! Take that, you goody-two-shoes!"

"Captain..."

As the spectators of this incredible exchange, Brielle and Kaelith shared exasperated glances.

Dager showed a teasing smile as the rest of the crew burst into laughter behind Valler.

Having been humored enough, Dager raised his hand.

"Okay, okay. Let's end the funny here. Valler, give the guy some reasonable clothes. I'd rather die than have to talk with a deep-voiced girl."

Valler deeply exhaled, nodding.

"Certainly, Captain."

'Helen' just stood there, 'her' expression unchanged, but the corner of 'her' lips twitched.

As Valler gave orders to a nearby crewmate to bring the spare clothes, 'Helen' stepped over.

Having noticed it first, Brielle stepped closer to 'her'.

"Don't take it to heart. The timing of your appearance was just... unfortunate."

Kaelith moved in behind her, nodding along.

"Yes, the Captain probably just had some quarrel going on with Valler. That's why he made such a scene."

'Helen' didn't reply, looking at the two before repeating 'her' previous question.

"Do you know me?"

Brielle paused, looking at Valler, who already got some clothes.

Since he was listening from afar, he answered as he walked over.

"Not us, and not the Captain either. I suppose it has something to do with the Scoutmaster. Anyway, follow me."

'Helen' nodded as 'she' took the clothes.

'Her' eyes were filled with caution as 'she' followed Valler into an empty room.

"After you're done, you can meet the Captain in the Captain's cabin above."

'Helen' nodded as the door clicked closed.

After a moment of silence, 'Helen' looked down at the clothes, eyes narrowed.

'How does he know my name?'