Time crawled on. They had set out to sea in the early morning, and now it was already well into the afternoon. Still, there was no sign of any island along their route.
"Maybe that pointer of yours is broken?" Riddle asked doubtfully. After all, if that noble really had come to Lagar Island, they shouldn't be this far away from it.
On this ship, Riddle was usually the one who played the role of saying the things that might ruffle feathers.
"Impossible. My mother left me this pointer. The direction it shows can't be wrong." Sadrall's voice was firm.
"Fine. Let's keep sailing for a while. It's not like heading anywhere else would make a difference right now," Bai Chuan said. That noble named Riller had become an obsession for Sadrall. Until the man was dead, Sadrall's inner demon would never be laid to rest.
Fortunately, Sadrall's persistence wasn't in vain. After another hour or so of sailing, an island finally appeared on the horizon, and the pointer in Sadrall's hand was aimed directly at it.
"Looks like that's the place." Sadrall let out a long sigh, as if a great weight had just slid from his shoulders.
He was going to settle everything here. After he left this island, he would begin a new life.
"Let's head ashore, then."
At the island's port, the residents who saw them showed no signs of fear, panic, or any kind of negative emotion.
"Are the people on this island not the least bit afraid of pirates?" Riddle muttered, puzzled. Back when he was a captain, even if the locals didn't run and hide, they'd still keep their distance and steer well clear.
But these inhabitants were nothing like the ones he had encountered before.
"Maybe they have something backing them up," Bai Chuan replied. Though he was just as surprised by the residents' reactions, he reached the most plausible conclusion fairly quickly.
"The royal capital isn't far from here. Seems like we anchored in a pretty good spot. We'll make it into the city before dark."
Jorah had already asked around for directions to the capital.
As a rule, aristocrats without exception lived in the royal capital. This Riller should be no different.
"Do we need someone to watch the ship?" Sadrall asked Bai Chuan. If they lost the ship while they were off killing someone, how would they make their escape?
"No need. If anyone dares to steal my ship, I'll make sure he regrets ever coming into this world."
"Uh, Captain, how about I stay behind and guard it?" Riddle suddenly spoke up.
Others might not care if the ship was lost, but he definitely did. That ship was his.
"Alright. You stay and watch over it," Bai Chuan said after a moment's thought. Leaving the ship unattended really was a bad idea. What if it actually got stolen?
As they made their way along the road, Bai Chuan and the others happened upon a carriage heading to the royal capital. They hit it off with the driver, who was soon happy to give them a ride and shoot the breeze along the way.
The driver's name was John, a simple and honest-looking young man.
"So, John, do you happen to know a noble called Riller?" After a bit of idle chatter, Bai Chuan steered the conversation to the real reason they were there.
At the mention of the name Riller, Sadrall instantly clenched his fists. Bai Chuan caught hold of his arm, signaling him not to do anything rash.
"Count Riller? Of course I know him. Who are you people, and why are you asking about him?" The moment John heard them prying into Riller, his guard went up immediately.
"Oh, we're distant relatives of Count Riller. We heard he'd made it big here, so we came to seek shelter with him. But we don't really know what kind of person he is, so we wanted to ask you and see if you think he'd take us in."
"Ah, is that so? Well, you can set your minds at ease. Everyone in this country knows what kind of man Count Riller is. He'll definitely welcome you." Bai Chuan's explanation put John at ease. Kind-hearted and simple, he had no idea just how treacherous people could be.
"Why is that? Is Count Riller really that good of a person?"
"Of course he is. Count Riller is the only noble willing to help the poor. He does more for the common folk than anyone. Not only does he hand out food and clothing, but if a poor person proves themself, they can even get a job as a servant in the Count's mansion. That lets them leave poverty behind completely."
"Enough! Not another word!" Sadrall suddenly exploded. The image John was describing was completely different from the one that had taken shape in Sadrall's mind.
John looked thoroughly frightened by Sadrall's outburst.
"Sorry about that," Bai Chuan said quickly. "My friend here is a bit embarrassed about having to throw himself on the Count's mercy. He actually came here hoping Count Riller would just turn him away. After what you've told us, it sounds like his hopes have been dashed."
"That friend of yours sure is peculiar, then, not wanting a good life for himself."
"Heh heh." Bai Chuan just laughed along.
After that, a hush fell over the carriage. Euristine and Jorah were never ones for small talk, and as for Sadrall, that went without saying. Besides, after his outburst, John had lost any enthusiasm for conversation.
Thankfully, they were about to reach the royal capital. The awkward silence couldn't last much longer.
"You sure you don't want me to drop you off right in front of Count Riller's residence?" John asked when he saw them preparing to get off right after the city gates.
"No, that's alright. We plan to grab something to eat first before we go see the Count. I'm sure that with his reputation, finding his mansion shouldn't be hard."
"Fair enough."
The truth was, Bai Chuan didn't want any trouble to fall on John because of them. Count Riller was already on Sadrall's kill list, which meant his death was inevitable.
Once the Count was dead, the kingdom's authorities would certainly investigate. If they traced Bai Chuan and the others back to John, John would not survive. He'd likely be arrested as an accomplice.
"Could we have gotten it wrong?" Jorah ventured. "The Count Riller John described and the Riller Sadrall talked about might not even be the same man."
"That's a possibility. Let's just ask a few more people and find out."
But the results were deeply disappointing. They asked plenty of people, but there was only one noble named Riller on this island. Everyone said Riller was a man of impeccable character, a genuinely good nobleman rare to come by.
As Sadrall's expression grew darker and darker, Bai Chuan made a suggestion. "Let's get something to eat first, then scout out the Count's mansion tonight."
"If this Riller really is Sadrall's father, there's bound to be some resemblance between them. We can make our move then, and it won't be too late."
Of course, what Bai Chuan really thought was that they should just kill the man regardless of whether he was the right Riller. One murder solved a world of problems. They were pirates, after all. They didn't need a reason to kill someone.
But if this Riller turned out not to be Sadrall's father, wouldn't that be a failure to honor Sadrall's feelings? Sadrall's entire purpose right now was to kill his father. Killing the wrong man wouldn't free him from the shackles in his heart. Worse, it might even burden him with a new guilt.
/-\
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