Chapter 224

Chapter 224

Zeke rushed to where Billy was.

Billy was in a frenzy, cradling a water-blue-haired figure who was bleeding and lying on the ground.

"Oh no, sir knight! What's wrong with our captain!"

At those words, Zeke realized that the figure lying on the ground was Peter Pan.

However, Zeke himself was surprised for a different reason.

'She's not a mermen?'

Surprisingly, the person lying there wasn't a mermen at all, but a human girl who didn't seem much younger than Zeke.

Zeke crouched down and examined Peter Pan's wounds.

The cuts and injuries that were bleeding weren't very severe, but demonic energy had permeated her body in various places.

'It looks like it'll be dangerous if I leave her like this.'

Zeke put the Mask of Agamemnon into his inner pocket and deployed the Purification skill.

Uwooo-oong!

Golden aura spread from Zeke's hand, and the demonic energy that had latched onto Peter Pan's body was purified.

At the same time, Zeke also healed the wounds on Peter Pan's body with Healing Factor.

"Ugh..."

As her injuries healed, Peter Pan soon regained consciousness.

When she opened her eyes, water-colored pupils similar to her hair came into view.

"Y-you human...!"

Peter Pan immediately stood up and stepped back.

At the same time, water droplets gathered around Peter Pan's body.

『Only death awaits humans!』

A voice that didn't suit the girl's face at all boomed and spread.

Then, the water droplets gathered and transformed into sharp arrows, flying towards Zeke.

Pabababat!

Zeke stepped back and deployed Forceful Quake.

Kwa-kwang!

Blocked by the Forceful Quake that Zeke created, the water arrows that Peter Pan had launched shattered back into water droplets.

Just then, Billy clung to Peter Pan.

"W-wait a minute! Captain! Just wait a moment!"

Peter Pan was flustered as Billy grabbed her arm and clung to it.

Then, she looked at Billy and was surprised by the look in his eyes.

"Billy? Are you... alright?"

In an instant, a girl's voice befitting her age flowed out instead of the booming voice.

Billy nodded at Peter Pan and said,

"T-that knight saved us! He even healed you, Captain!"

Peter Pan looked at Zeke with a confused expression, glaring at him.

Zeke slowly approached Peter Pan and said,

"What Billy said is true. I released the mermen pirate crew members from their brainwashed state."

Peter Pan spoke again in the booming voice.

『There's no way such a vile race as humans would help without a reason!』

"First of all, I agree that humans are a vile race. And of course, there's a reason why I helped."

Peter Pan was rather taken aback when Zeke agreed with her words.

"Peter Pan, there's something I want to ask you."

Zeke showed the glove on his hand to Peter Pan.

Then, in an instant, Peter Pan's eyes sharpened.

At the same time, a stream of water tangled her body, and soon that stream of water formed into the shape of a giant sea serpent.

『Accursed Draker scum! Are you in league with the Knight of Massacre!』

Uwooo-oong!

Zeke maintained a calm demeanor even as he looked at the sea serpent that seemed ready to devour him at any moment.

"My name is Zeke Draker. I am a direct descendant and a pure-blooded Draker, just like Abel Draker who attacked the mermen."

At Zeke's words, Peter Pan became even more wary and thrust the sea serpent made of water forward.

He said to Peter Pan,

"Don't you want to save the mermen who have been captured?"

Peter Pan's eyebrows twitched at Zeke's words.

She shouted at Zeke,

『Don't talk nonsense! I can't trust the words of humans!』

"Who said you had to trust my words? I'm saying let's make a deal for our mutual benefit."

Peter Pan hesitated for a moment at Zeke's words.

Just then, Billy, who was next to her, said to Peter Pan,

"C-Captain, that knight is alright. He seemed like a r-really good person."

『Billy! I've told you countless times not to let humans look down on us! I told you not to use your dialect in front of humans!』

Peter Pan had deliberately taught the young crew members scary expressions and manners to avoid being looked down upon by humans.

However, the crew members were so innocent that it didn't go as she had taught them.

Still, it seemed somewhat believable when Peter Pan was around, but without her, they were completely lax.

"That knight saved me several times even while coming here. Earlier, you weren't feeling well either, Captain, but you became fine after that knight's hand flashed a few times. If he had bad intentions, he would have harmed us earlier."

Peter Pan couldn't refute Billy's logical words.

She turned her head back towards Zeke and opened her mouth.

『Damn human. Since you did save my comrades, I'll hear what you have to say. Speak.』

"First, Cali Draker. Is she still alive?"

Peter Pan looked at Zeke with a still suspicious gaze and said,

『While I was fighting her, we were suddenly attacked, but she was alive.』

"You were attacked in these ruins?"

『Tell me what kind of deal you're proposing first, human! If you speak nonsense, I'll immediately sink you to the bottom of the sea!』

Zeke felt slightly anxious at the news that Cali had been attacked.

'It seems they attacked her by taking advantage of the gap after instigating a fight with Peter Pan. If a hidden spy like that guy earlier ambushed her from behind, even Cali would be in danger.'

Moreover, if the attacker was a knight who could use martial arts, even Cali, despite being a Red Knight, would be in danger.

Zeke stated his terms to Peter Pan.

"If you help me save Cali Draker and get off this island, I will save all the mermen captured by the Empire and protect them safely. I guarantee it in my name."

Peter Pan frowned at Zeke's words.

『You expect me to believe such a tale?』

Then, Zeke took out a contract he had prepared beforehand from his inventory.

"This is a contract inscribed with the Oath of Allegiance. I will allow you to write the contents as you wish. If I harbor any other intentions, the Oath of Allegiance will be erased."

Even at Zeke's words, Peter Pan still wore a distrustful expression.

'She's very suspicious.'

Zeke clicked his tongue inwardly and said to Peter Pan,

"As mermen, you wouldn't want the ruins of the Deep Sea Race to be defiled by humans, would you?"

Peter Pan was startled at those words.

『How do you know the term 'Deep Sea Race'!』

To gain Peter Pan's trust, Zeke decided to make up a story.

"I am actually the successor to the Hero King's legacy. The Hero King lamented that the legacies of the Sky Race and the Deep Sea Race were not connected and asked me to help ensure their legacies could continue."

In fact, Kaisir hadn't particularly said anything about the Sky Race or the Deep Sea Race and wasn't very interested in them.

Especially when it came to the sea, he suffered from severe seasickness and didn't like going to the ocean much.

However, Peter Pan's expression changed slightly at the mention of the Hero King.

『Are you saying you are truly the successor to the Hero King's legacy?』

"Yes. It's true."

Peter Pan stared at Zeke for a moment and then spoke again in the booming voice.

『If you are truly the successor of the Hero King, you should be able to control all four elemental spirits. If you can control the water spirit, I will believe your words.』

Zeke frowned at Peter Pan's words.

'Spirits? What's she talking about?'

He had learned swordsmanship directly from Kaisir while being constantly beaten, but he had never heard anything about spirits.

In the first place, he had never actually seen any spiritists who controlled spirits.

As Zeke hesitated, Peter Pan frowned as if she had expected as much.

『Treacherous human. As expected, you were trying to deceive me...』

In that instant, Zeke drew his sword and deployed the Field of Water.

Hoo-woo-oong—

As Zeke's sword moved like a wave, surprisingly, the water droplets that Peter Pan had summoned began to gather towards his sword.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

The water droplets gathered in the flow of the sword, creating a massive wave in the air.

As Zeke swung his sword, the sea serpent that had still maintained its form shattered into water droplets.

Seeing this, Peter Pan's jaw dropped, and she unknowingly spoke in her natural voice.

"N-no way. Are you really the Hero King's successor?"

Zeke sheathed his sword and looked at Peter Pan.

"Do you believe me now?"

He spoke nonchalantly, but in reality, Zeke was sighing in relief inwardly.

As the rank of Elemental Sword had changed to SS-rank, his power to control elemental forces had strengthened, allowing him to even subdue the water spirit under his control.

'I didn't know Elemental Sword had this kind of function.'

It was then.

Suddenly, Peter Pan gathered her hands towards her chest and began to chant.

"●○●● ●● ●● ●●●……."

He couldn't understand what she was saying just from the pronunciation.

Seeing that the system also didn't translate it, it seemed to be a chant in a language that didn't have a clear meaning.

After a while, water droplets gathered in front of Peter Pan and slowly formed a single shape.

It was the figure of a small woman with wings, looking just like a fairy from legends.

Peter Pan looked at the small fairy made of water droplets and said,

"Undine. Can that person really control the water spirit?"

Hearing Peter Pan's words, the spirit called Undine flew towards Zeke.

Uwooo-oong!

Zeke, too, was quite amazed as it was his first time seeing a water spirit.

The water spirit flew around Zeke's body, smelling him.

Then, it went back to where Peter Pan was and whispered something to her.

'What is it?'

Hearing Undine's words, Peter Pan still looked at Zeke with a suspicious expression.

Having finished speaking to Peter Pan, Undine flew up and perched on her head.

Peter Pan spoke to Zeke in her natural voice, not the booming one.

"Well, Undine says you smell nice, so I'll hear what you have to say."

Zeke wore a dumbfounded expression at Peter Pan's words.

"I'm glad you'll listen, but... is it really okay to just trust what a spirit says?"

Then, Peter Pan glared at Zeke and said,

"Who do you think believes you because they want to! The fact that the spirit feels friendly towards you means your soul is relatively clean, so I'll listen to what you have to say. Don't get the wrong idea!"

Zeke shrugged at Peter Pan's words.

'My soul is clean? I have no idea what that means.'

As the two stopped arguing, Billy finally let out a sigh of relief.

Zeke looked at Peter Pan, who had Undine with her, and asked a question that had been on his mind.

"Peter Pan, you're not a mermen, are you?"

"No, I am a mermen."

"Are you perhaps a mermaid from legends? I heard that mermaids look like humans until they enter the sea."

Peter Pan wore a slightly surprised expression at Zeke's words.

"You even know that much. The Draker know all sorts of things."

"...Most of it is just strange prejudice against Draker. It's not because I'm a Draker that I know."

Peter Pan chuckled and said,

"I am a mermaid. It's ancestral regression that manifested the traits of the Deep Sea Race."

'Ancestral regression, huh.'

It was a phenomenon where descendants uniquely inherited strong bloodline abilities or where extinct racial characteristics manifested.

'I think I know why Peter Pan became the Pirate King in my previous life.'

She, a member of the Deep Sea Race, and this Isle of the Sea God seemed to be connected somehow.

'I'm curious about the relationship between the Sea God and the Deep Sea Race, but that's not the urgent matter right now.'

Zeke asked Peter Pan,

"Where is Cali Draker?"

Peter Pan turned her head to the side and looked at the knight Zeke had just defeated. She pointed at the knight and said,

"I used the water spirit to capture Cali Draker, but those guys who were with her suddenly attacked."

As Zeke had expected, they had planted spies in the Silver Knights Order beforehand and attacked at the crucial moment.

"Is Cali Draker alright?"

"I'm fine, but those guys seemed flustered by some strange power. Suddenly, all the strength drained from my body, and I couldn't summon the spirits. Most of those knights followed the Silver Knight, so... I can't say for sure."

The knights who attacked Cali could also use martial arts.

'How many bastards like that are there?'

Seeing the Night Killers who shot magic bullets and the knights who could use martial arts, Siemens's true power was beyond what was known.

Zeke said to Peter Pan,

"Take me to where Cali Draker was attacked. I must save her. Otherwise, not only the mermen but the entire continent will be stained with blood."

Peter Pan frowned at Zeke's words.

She gestured to Zeke.

"Follow me this way. The Silver Knight was attacked over there. She probably fled in a different direction from me."