Chapter Text
“A truce?” The woman scoffed, “Are you stupid?”
Kim Rok Soo sighed, “You’re a so-called witch aren’t you? Or an astronomer?”
The woman flinched from what Kim Rok Soo called her, “You… Aren't you accusing me of witchcraft?”
“Why would I believe nonsense like that?” Kim Rok Soo didn’t like how people took lives that easily in the old days, “We have something that’s interesting, maybe you’ll be curious about it.”
The woman bit her lips and narrowed her eyes at him, clearly taking bait, “What is it?”
Kim Rok Soo looked at Cale who raised his head and placed the gun down slowly. He glanced at the silver-haired boy and murmured, “Well, the more the better.”
Kim Rok Soo placed his hand in his pocket and took out a black piece. He placed his hands upwards to show off it off, as he could feel the dagger slowly backing off his neck, “If you look closely…”
“Something seems to be moving, right?” The woman was the closest to the piece and could clearly see it moving like a furious ocean wave trapped.
The red-haired woman tried to grab the piece but Kim Rok Soo stepped back and placed it back in his pockets, “Aren't you agreeing with the truce?”
The woman looked at her partner before looking back at Cale with a glare, “Fine.”
“I’m Rosalyn, and he’s Lock.” She introduces herself and her friend, “But, if you do something dirty. I won’t hesitate to cut your neck.”
“No need for bloodshed.” Alberu sighed and placed his gun away.
Rosalyn looked at the crown prince, “What about you? What’s the Roan crown prince doing here?”
“Simply business.” Alberu smiled and looked at Cale, “So, where are we going?”
Cale hummed and pointed his finger to the north,
“We just keep going till we reach the first island.”
“How do you know we have to go that way?” Kim Rok Soo looked at Cale who was scavenging for alcohol.
“I have information.” Cale smiled and took the alcohol out of the wooden chest, “Look! It’s apple flavoured.”
“You just had a drink in the morning.” Kim Rok Soo glared at Cale, “It’s a miracle how you’re not drunk right now.”
Cale shrugged his shoulders, “The chase made me sober.”
“Wait, I just realised you never had a drink!” Cale looked at Kim Rok Soo as if he stepped on a cat.
“I told you, I don’t drink. ”
“C’mon! Try one!” Cale took a glass and poured the wine, “It’s like drinking apple juice but more… spicy.”
Cale shoved the wine to Kim Rok Soo’s hands. Kim Rok Soo glared at the wine which looked and smelled like apple juice but was clearly wine. He looks back at Cale who was grinning like a child watching chaos he brought.
“I’m not gonna drink this.”
“Too bad, there’s no water here.”
Kim Rok Soo’s body froze, “ What? ”
“There’s no water in the ship.” Cale repeated, “I looked everywhere, and there’s absolutely nothing.”
The door to the compartment of the ship opened interrupting their conversation.
“What the hell are you two doing?” Alberu looked at the both of them and his eyes winced, “The room already smells like wine.”
Cale just simply smiled as Kim Rok Soo was frowning as he looked at the glass of wine.
“There’s no water.. That’s why we have to drink wine. Y’know?” Cale smirked.
“But wh-” As Alberu was speaking, Kim Rok Soo chugged the whole glass of wine in an instant.
Kim Rok Soo looked back at them, “I’m thirsty.”
"..What?" Kim Rok Soo looked at Cale with disbelief, "I get the handgun and all but what do you mean by stealing?"
Cale, who gave the handgun just a few moments before, grinned at Kim Rok Soo's question, "Did you know his Highness has a lot of money in his pocket right now?"
"You're planning to steal from him. Aren't you?"
"Exactly!" Cale snapped his fingers, and took out a little bag with a unique european-style design, "See this? I took it while he was sleeping."
"You're a petty bastard."
"I am a pretty bastard, you don't have to remind me."
"I said petty."
Cale didn't listen to Kim Rok Soo's correction and opened the bag that was full of gold coins that seemed to be shining brightly, "When you pickpocket someone, you gotta know when they're vulnerable."
Kim Rok Soo remembered Cale also doing that to him. For the first time, he was actually glad that he didn't have anything valuable.
"Oh! Wouldn't gold be valuable in your world?" Cale suddenly thought.
Kim Rok Soo frowned, "You're baiting me."
"But I took the fish, didn't I?"
Kim Rok Soo and Cale agreed not to snitch each other out.
Alberu crossed his arms as he watched Kim Rok Soo and Rosalyn chat from the distance, "I saw a scar near his neck."
Cale breathes out and laid back to the chair, "There's also scars around his arm."
Alberu glances back at Cale, "You seem comfortable even though there's a chance he could be a spy."
Cale scoffed, "I did thought that. But even if he is a spy, what makes you think I won't kill him?"
"I can see you're getting attached."
Maybe it was because of how similar Kim Rok Soo and Cale was, or maybe it was because it reminded Cale of something.
Cale pulls his body upwards and stood up from the chair, "But he's not doing anything now, isn't he?"
"And we don't know what exactly he went through."
It had been two days since the five of them stayed on the ship together. Of course, sometimes they would “Accidentally” throw their dagger or break each other's things. But it was mostly between Cale and Rosalyn.
It had only been two days and Kim Rok Soo was already tired and just accepted what sort of things happened on the ship. But at least he managed to change his clothes with the spare poet shirt in the wardrobe of the ship (Though he placed his turtle-neck around his waist because he doesn’t want to lose it)
“Kim Rok Soo-nim…” Lock called out, “Shouldn’t we… do something?”
Kim Rok Soo drinks the water from the glass and watches as Cale and Rosalyn argue over who took their food.
But the truth was, Kim Rok Soo was the one who took their food out of spite.
“I’ll place it there when they’re not looking.” Kim Rok Soo places the glass back on the table.
Kim Rok Soo could hear Alberu let out a small laugh as he also let the two suffer.
Lock sheepishly smiled, even with all the fight and arguments, it still feels oddly lively. Lock finished eating his apple and looked to the side of the ship.
"Ah!" Lock sees a small island in the distant who had a large mountain on front, "We're here!" He shouted towards where the four was at. Cale was the first one to come out of the room and looks from the side of the ship with a bright grin.
"Finally."
After parking the ship, all of them went down the ship and looked at the fairly sized mountain that was in front of the beach. There were so many trees around the mountain as colorful and lively flowers decorated the whole grass. But even with the beautiful scenery, the boats that was on the beach were all burnt down.
“Did something happen?” Alberu looked around, lost where to even start.
Cale looked at the burnt boats, "There's a village on top of the mountain, maybe we can ask them."
They were going to pay the village a little visit.
As they were climbing through the mountain, Lock asked a question, “What village is this?”
“It’s called Harris Village, it’s a small village. That’s why not many people know this island.”
“And how do you know the other piece is here?” Rosalyn looked at Cale.
Cale shrugged at Rosalyn's speculations, “I only said there was a possibility.”
“Kim Rok Soo, how do you trust him?” Rosalyn whispered to him, “He’s a pirate. Who knows what he's planning. ”
Alberu and Kim Rok Soo were the only one who knew that Cale was the person who most likely wouldn't betray the group since his goal was to take revenge and kill the person who was both the one who was also taking the pieces of the orbs and was the on who burned the Henituse Kingdom down and framed Cale for it.
“I just trust him.” It’s best not to touch that topic.
“Huh?” Lock who was in front of the group cutting leaves to make a path stared widely at what's in front of him.
Even though the flowers and trees seemed alive and lively, the village of the island.. seemed to be burnt down. Farm, houses— Everything was burn to the ground entirely and what only remained was a black ashes. Of course, there were corpses of villagers young or not that laid in the ground that made the scene to look even terrible.
Alberu took his gloves off and placed it to his pockets. He crouched down and grabbed the ashes with the tip of his fingers,
“It’s recently burned.” Alberu's eyes furrowed at that fact.
"What if there's survivors out here? Shouldn't we at least look around?" Lock shared a thought, but even if the island is small and all... It would take at least two more days to scout around the area.
Kim Rok Soo looked around of the burnt village, trying not to look at the corpses, “Even if there is, where would they be?”
“We can always shout at the cliff.” Cale looked back where they were, “Maybe they could here us or something then we can ask what happened.”
Alberu sighed. The island itself was isolated from the main island of the Roan territory, so even if there are survivors from this horrible tragedy.. They wouldn't be able to call for help because the boats were also burnt down.
“Should we go back then? If we’re going to scout this whole island, might as well get more resources.” Rosalyn placed a plan to the table which everyone agreed to.
Half-way of the mountain, there was a little wooden staircase on the side of the cliff. It was a little dangerous since it would creek and move whenever they stepped foot on the stair.
As they were walking down, from the corner of Kim Rok Soo's eyes, he could see three people standing in the ship, "Are those.. people?"
“What?” Cale instantly looked at where the ship was and quickly spotted the people Kim Rok Soo was talking about, “Hey! That’s my ship!!”
The staircase wiggled and moved shakily as Cale skipped some stairs and quickly ran to the ship in a hurry. He didn't know if these people were survivors or were the culprits of the tragedy, that's why Cale wasn't going to stand there and let them do whatever.
"Cale! Wait-!"
Cale walked up to the ship, breathing heavily as he was out of breath. He glared at the people who trespassed their ship, “Who… The hell?”
Kim Rok Soo followed behind quickly, using a bit of his ability. Cale was reckless that it could kill the both of them at this point, he looks at the three who stood on the ship.
Kim Rok Soo's eye widen as the three were Korean
"Rok Soo?"
Lee Soo Hyuk stared at him.