Chapter 305: Followers

Callaway, the second-in-command of the Beluga Pirates, was brought up in bonds and subjected to a rigorous interrogation by Ronin and Rhys.

Unfortunately, despite his high rank, the man remained entirely in the dark regarding any critical secrets.

He knew only that Mundo had approached them of his own volition; as for Mundo's true identity, or the orchestrator behind the assassination attempt on Ronin, Callaway was utterly oblivious.

It was glaringly obvious that the vice-commander of the Beluga Pirates held a mere titular role, while the pivotal figure remained the pirate chief, who seldom deigned to act in person.

Though no useful intelligence regarding the assassination had been gleaned, Ronin had nonetheless acquired a deeper understanding of the corsairs infesting the Screaming Sea.

The Beluga Pirates constituted one of the larger syndicates, comparable in scale to the Blood Sail and the Ghost Tide, forces that the early Kingdom and the fleet of the Count of Screaming Island had once attempted to annihilate.

Yet, given the vastness of the ocean and the swift, opulent rewards of plunder, piracy could never be truly eradicated.

Furthermore, they typically targeted merchant vessels exclusively, departing the moment they secured a satisfactory ransom; an assault like today's, where a ship was deliberately sacrificed to ram the Dennis III, was a rare spectacle indeed.

According to Callaway's confession, the decision to crash the ship was made partly to facilitate the assassination, and partly to ensure that when the Royal Family or the lords of Wushan Castle investigated, the disaster could be chalked up to a tragic collision rather than drawing suspicion toward the pirates.

After all, the grandson of the Wushan family was a potential son-in-law to the King; if it were discovered that he had been assassinated at sea, a devastating retaliation would inevitably follow.

Had Ronin not possessed magic, and had his prowess not reached the Gold rank, the conspirators might truly have succeeded in their design.

The nocturnal sea breeze battered Ronin as he stood at the prow, casting a distinct chill through him.

Under such conditions, spending a night in the open water would likely cause even a Gold Knight to succumb to hypothermia before the dawn.

"Earl Ronin."

Knight Rhys approached from the cabin, and though his countenance retained its habitual aloofness and coldness, his internal disposition had undergone a fundamental transformation.

During the twilight naval engagement, Ronin had preserved the lives of at least half the souls aboard the Dennis III, including Rhys himself.

The decisiveness, resolve, courage, and sheer might Ronin had displayed might not have utterly conquered Rhys, but they had certainly commanded his profound respect.

Rhys stepped forward, leaning against the bow railing. "Who do you suspect is behind this assassination?"

Ronin shook his head; he knew well enough who desired his demise, yet pinning down precisely who had conspired with the Beluga Pirates to orchestrate this specific plot was impossible.

"I suspect it may have something to do with the Count of Screaming Island."

Rhys voiced his conjecture.

"Count Alfonso is a renowned seventh-tier Grand Archmage within the kingdom, and the Fleming family prides themselves on being a dynasty of magic; they possess the capability to manufacture magic cannons, and they have always viewed my Dennis family as an adversary, with friction and conflict never ceasing over the years."

"Now, witnessing the powerful rise of both you and me, they perceive a future that could alter the balance of power in the Screaming Sea. To safeguard the maritime interests of the Fleming family, they have every motive to strike at us."

A single stroke to eliminate two threatening figures from rival families carried immense strategic value.

"Your hypothesis is reasonable, but we cannot hurl accusations based on mere conjecture, especially since Captain Wheat mentioned that the Beluga Pirates have previously plundered ships belonging to the Count of Screaming Island's family. Even if the magic cannons are indeed the handiwork of Grand Archmage Alfonso, the Fleming family could simply claim they were stolen by the pirates."

Ronin was en route to an audience with His Majesty the King; if definitive proof existed, he could present it directly to the sovereign for judgment.

But in their current predicament, they would likely have to suffer this grievance in silence.

Assassinating a noble was a capital offense, yet slandering a noble was equally severe, particularly when the accused was the hegemon of the Screaming Sea.

Moreover, in Ronin's estimation, the likelihood pointed far more toward Orson and Jesus than toward the Fleming family.

If nothing else, the Skull Society, to which the recently slain assassin Mundo belonged, very likely traced its origins to the territory of the Hyde family.

The last time, even with a pivotal figure like Rayson in custody, the interrogation had yielded no results. Trying to implicate great nobles this time through Callaway and his captured cohorts would be more difficult still.

Rather than squandering time on such fruitless endeavors, it was far better to diligently pursue the construction of the port and the maritime fleet.

Should the future prove that this matter was indeed linked to the Count of Screaming Island, Ronin could then ally with the Dennis family to launch a coordinated pincer movement from north and south, launching a surprise assault on Screaming Island.

The adage that weak nations have no diplomacy could just as easily apply to the relationships between the various duchies, marquisates, and earldoms within the Kingdom of Alduin.

No matter the era, absolute strength remained the bedrock.

"Once we reach Horn Bay, deliver these men to the royal authorities for custody and trial, and then you can pen a letter to inform your father and Wushan Castle; they will dispatch agents to oversee the matter."

Rhys nodded slightly; he was well-suited for a physical confrontation, but he possessed little appetite for unraveling such bureaucratic entanglements. He looked Ronin up and down. "It is time to speak of your own affairs, Earl."

Ronin paused, momentarily bewildered.

"My affairs?"

"What is your true rank now? Silver? Or Gold?"

Rhys inquired, adding, "Furthermore, you are a mage. What tier of mage are you?"

Though mages were far fewer in number than knights, they were not so rare as to be entirely unseen. At the very least, during his tenure at the Royal Knight Academy, Rhys had encountered numerous mages, though most were of the novice, intermediate, or advanced tiers, while the more formidable Archmages remained rare.

Rhys had witnessed mages casting spells, and his intuition told him that the broad-spectrum defensive spell Ronin had deployed to repel the arrows was absolutely not the so-called third-tier Wind Wall he claimed it to be.

Yet, an eighteen-year-old fourth-tier Grand Archmage sounded utterly preposterous.

"Curious, are we?"

The corner of Ronin's mouth turned up slightly, offering no answer to the knight's query, but choosing instead to say, "When you can best me in combat, I shall tell you."

Rhys took a deep breath, a shadow of helplessness and defeat flitting through his eyes.

Prior to this day, he had flattered himself that he might surpass Ronin, but after witnessing the full extent of the man's prowess during the naval battle, he knew in his heart that the probability of defeating him was infinitesimally small.

In Ronin, Rhys seemed to discern the shadow of Crown Prince Garrett; perhaps in the days to come, only the two of them would be fit to contend against each other.

Sensing the helplessness and defeat manifest in his companion's gaze, Ronin wondered if the day's combat had dealt too severe a blow to the unyielding Rhys, so he patted the knight's shoulder in encouragement:

"No matter what insurmountable peak you encounter, maintain a serene mind, face it with a smile, and forge ahead!"

Rhys snapped back to reality, his lips twitching into a smirk that, for once, seemed slightly more genuine.

"You previously asked me to consider following you."

Ronin blinked, a sudden wave of joy washing over him. "What, you are willing to swear fealty to me?"

"Given the composure, courage, and strength you displayed in the recent naval engagement, you are indeed worthy of my allegiance."

Rhys spoke with gravity. "I shall discuss this matter with my father upon my return."

Unlike Rogner, the second son of Viscount Marvin, Rhys was the designated heir to the Dennis family.

Whether he chose to serve under Ronin for a season or truly bind his fate to him, it was not a decision he could make in isolation; it required consultation with the rest of the Dennis house.

"Hahaha!"

Ronin struck the padded armor on the knight's shoulder with gusto. "The North Wushan Territory always welcomes your vanguard, Knight Rhys!"

At present, what he lacked most were knights of formidable caliber—advanced, Bronze, and Silver ranks were all in critically short supply.

A talent like Rhys, who possessed immense potential, significant martial prowess, and an adaptability to naval warfare, was precisely what he desperately coveted.