Chapter 91: Departure
Axel's words struck the old mayor harder than any weapon.
For a moment, the old man simply stood there in silence, his aged face shifting between bitterness and resignation. It was obvious that none of what Axel had said was truly new to him. Deep down, he had already thought those same thoughts countless times.
He had only never been able to act on them.
After a long pause, he let out a weary sigh.
"And what would you know?" the old man said at last, his voice low and rough. "Sometimes avoiding something is the only way to survive it. Blindly facing every hardship head on does not always solve anything."
His gaze drifted toward the direction of the orphanage courtyard, where Forsyth's men had been subdued.
"Those men outside had guns, blades, and numbers. The people of this town have rusty iron, farming tools, and courage that can only go so far. Resistance sounds noble when spoken aloud, but the price of it is paid in blood."
Then he looked straight into Axel's crimson eyes.
Even an old man like him felt a chill under that stare, but he did not retreat.
"It is not that I never wanted to fight back," he said. "It is that the cost was too high. Too high for me. Too high for the town. If burying the truth could protect everyone, then was that really the wrong choice?"
"Yes," Axel replied without hesitation. "But just like you can't change my mind, I can't change yours."
His voice softened slightly, but only slightly.
"Still, there's one thing you still haven't understood. Forsyth is already dead. Are you truly certain the people behind him will keep doing business with this town? They're pirates. People like that don't care about maintaining prosperity. They care about profit. If trade becomes inconvenient, they'll loot. If fear is easier, they'll rule through fear. Businessmen build. Pirates take."
That landed.
The old man's lips trembled faintly.
He could not answer immediately, because the answer was the same one that had haunted him from the moment Forsyth died.
No.
He was not certain.
He had merely hoped.
He had hoped that because the arrangement had lasted so long, because the island had proven useful, those people would continue the same pattern after Forsyth's death.
But hope was not certainty.
And the child before him had torn that illusion apart in a few short sentences.
After a while, the old mayor spoke again, far less firmly than before.
"But if the truth comes out now, and the town stops working for them, won't retaliation come faster?"
"Then we'll handle it," Axel said.
Simple. Direct. Without a trace of fear.
Issho said nothing, but the old mayor understood the meaning of that silence well enough. If that blind man chose to intervene, then this was no empty boast. Hawkins, too, remained quiet, his cards resting between his fingers like he was merely watching fate unfold.
The old man stared at Axel once more.
He had spent his life reading faces, judging sincerity, spotting deceit before it could fully form. He searched the boy's expression for the faintest trace of bluffing, some sign that this courage was only youthful recklessness.
He found none.
That unsettled him more than anger would have.
In the end, he laughed softly, but there was no joy in it.
"So that's how it is," he murmured. "Perhaps I truly have grown old."
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, something inside him seemed to have settled.
"Very well."
The words left his mouth with the exhaustion of a man finally putting down a burden he had carried for too many years.
"I will tell them myself."
Axel did not interrupt.
The old man continued, "I was the one who chose silence. Then I should be the one to break it. If this knot is to be untied, it should begin with me."
Neither Axel nor the others objected.
A few moments later, the door creaked open.
The residents outside had been waiting anxiously the entire time. The instant the old mayor stepped out alone and unharmed, the crowd let out a collective breath of relief. Their hands loosened on their improvised weapons, though their eyes still burned with suspicion toward the room behind him.
The mayor raised a hand for silence.
"I have something to say to all of you."
His voice was old, but it carried.
At his request, Axel, Issho, and Hawkins remained inside. If any of them went out now, the already frayed nerves outside might snap into chaos. So they waited.
Time passed slowly.
Axel leaned back in a soft chair and stared up at the ceiling, passing the time by inspecting the cheap decorations hanging above. Hawkins sat quietly to one side, turning cards through his fingers in silence, as though reading something no one else could see. Issho sat as still as stone, patient as ever.
One hour passed.
Then another stretch of time that felt nearly as long.
Axel had just started wondering whether the old man had changed his mind after all when the door finally opened again.
Several people entered, including the mayor's son.
The moment they stepped inside, they stopped, straightened their backs, and bowed deeply.
"We are truly sorry!"
Axel blinked.
That alone was enough to surprise him, but the next sentence nearly made him laugh.
"We never expected the three of you to be righteous Marines. It was our fault for doubting you."
Marines?
Axel frowned at once.
Issho's expression turned faintly strange. Hawkins merely cast them a sidelong glance before returning to his cards as though none of this concerned him.
Before Axel could speak, the old mayor barked, "You idiots! Is that how you behave toward your benefactors?"
He then waved them off sharply.
"The apology has been delivered. Now get back to your work. Not one of those traffickers is to be allowed to escape. Do you hear me?"
"Yes!"
The group answered at once, then hurried back out, unwilling to stay under the old mayor's scolding any longer.
Once the room had emptied again, Axel looked at the old man.
"What's with the Marine part?"
The old mayor let out a helpless sigh.
"The situation is more fragile than you think. They need something to hold onto. If they believe the Navy's justice is standing behind them, they will find courage faster. It gives them a pillar to lean on while the truth settles."
He paused, then added with open honesty, "And if I had told them the truth plainly, without anything else to support them, many might have collapsed under the weight of it."
Axel considered that for a second and gave a small click of his tongue, but he did not argue further.
It was manipulative, yes.
But not entirely foolish.
Issho spoke then, his voice quiet.
"The people left behind in the orphanage. How are they?"
The old mayor's face dimmed.
"Doctors have already gone to tend to them. But..." He hesitated, then forced himself to continue. "Most of them were already ruined. Broken bodies. Wounds that were never treated. Lingering sickness. Even if they survive, many may never be able to care for themselves again."
A heavy silence followed.
Issho's fingers tightened faintly around his cane sword. Though his eyes were blind, the sorrow on his face was plain to anyone who looked.
After a moment, he asked, "Does anyone know where the rest were taken?"
The old mayor nodded.
"There are people in town who know parts of it. Forsyth usually sent one or two locals with shipments to check on the cargo and handle small maintenance work. They were never allowed deep into the hold, but they knew the route well enough. And among Forsyth's own men, there should be several who know the final destination."
Axel spoke at once, his voice crisp again.
"Then bring us those people."
He leaned forward, all idleness gone.
"If they know the route, we can find the next island. If Forsyth's men know where the shipments really go, we can drag the truth out of them too. Either way, we're not stopping here."
The old mayor looked at him, then slowly nodded.
He had already made one decision today that would change the fate of this town.
Now he made another.
"Very well," he said. "I'll have them brought here immediately."
And with that, the quiet waiting ended.
The next move had begun.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]