Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 159

Yan, having concluded his dialogue with Darkin, immediately set his steps in motion. His destination was none other than the direction of the fortress.

Cruel, at his side, inquired, “You’re not seriously thinking of barging into the Pirate Empress’s domain, are you?”

“Yes.”

“But from what I saw when we were chased away, it seemed like any frivolous talk wouldn’t be taken lightly…”

“As long as it’s not frivolous, we should be fine.”

Yan glanced back at Cruel and issued a command, “Check if the others might be meeting with someone.”

Cruel nodded heavily.

Only after they parted ways could Yan finally exhale a deep sigh. He knew who the leader had planted among them, but speaking of it to the Pirate Empress was another matter entirely.

‘However… her martial prowess and influence could only benefit me and the Armenian territory.’

Of course, it was unlikely that the Pirate Empress would comply so easily with his plans.

Yan’s eyes sparkled with determination.

‘I’ll have to make her follow willingly.’

With that resolve, his form streaked like a beam of light towards the fortress.

* * *

At that moment…

The Pirate Empress was sprawled in her grand hammock, massaging her temples as if to soothe the storm within her mind.

“If you join us, I’ll reveal the whereabouts of the son you’ve been so desperately seeking,” declared the man who introduced himself as the leader of the revolutionaries, the moment he sought her out.

To her, the son was an entity worth sacrificing everything to find. After all, it was for him that she had ventured into the rough tides of piracy.

She had prostrated herself, ready to lick boots if it meant finding her son.

But a month passed, then two, and even a year, with no word from the revolutionaries.

“And then, exactly one year later, you show up and say… what? You don’t know?”

A scoff escaped the Pirate Empress. It almost felt like a provocation from the so-called leader.

She shook her head, casting away the tangled thoughts.

‘I’d like to tear apart every messenger that comes calling, claiming to bear news.’

But without a proper answer, she couldn’t rashly harm the revolutionaries’ envoy.

“Sigh… nothing has changed.”

She would use her subordinates to search for her son again.

When that would be, she didn’t know—be it a year, ten years, or even a hundred, she would find him.

As the Pirate Empress made this vow and closed her eyes to rest…

Snap!

Something disturbed her keen senses.

A fierce smile played on the lips of the Pirate Empress.

Someone was racing towards this place at a terrifying speed, made possible only because all the captains were away at the ‘Kraken Hunt’.

The only reason she hadn’t erupted in rage was that the intruder had merely knocked out the remaining personnel in the fortress, not killed them.

The Pirate Empress rose from her hammock and settled into a large chair, then quietly observed the door.

Before long…

Creeeak.

The door opened, revealing a young man.

It was Yan, whom she had seen before.

He greeted her with a refreshing smile and a polite bow.

“Good afternoon. May I have a moment of your time for a conversation, if it’s not too much trouble?”

The Pirate Empress chuckled at his suave appearance and then…

Roarrrr.

With the force of a tidal wave, she pressed Yan, asking,

“I suppose I can grant a dying man’s last wish.”

* * *

Swallowing hard…

Yan faced the tangible waves of potent mana and swallowed his apprehension. Any foolish words would surely shatter his body into fragments under their fierce onslaught.

He steadied his breath, calming the pounding in his chest.

“I have something to say.”

“Speak.”

“I don’t know what deal you’ve struck with the leader, but I urge you to break it.”

The Pirate Empress’s eyes widened slightly, but her face quickly hardened.

“You want me to break a deal you don’t even know I made?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Yan met her gaze squarely and spoke deliberately.

“Whatever deal you made with the leader, he has no intention of keeping it.”

“…What?”

“Didn’t he summon you somewhere?”

“…How did you know!”

A smirk curled at Yan’s lips.

Just as he had thought.

To capture a monster like the Pirate Empress, one must lure her into a thoroughly prepared trap.

And the first step was to call her to that place.

“Don’t go. It will be your end.”

“Why?”

“The revolutionaries are laying a trap.”

At this, the Pirate Empress let out a derisive laugh.

“Me? Why? If they’re trying to catch me as you say, there must be some benefit for the revolutionaries. But if I die, the empire’s attention currently on me will shift to them. What benefit is there in that?”

“If, just if, you were to perish, who would lead the pirate fleet?”

The Pirate Empress snorted.

Yan had realized what she was implying.

“There’s no one to lead. Without me, there is no pirate fleet. It’s only because of the Pirate Empress that these wild pirates band together.”

It was an outrageous claim, but Yan instantly knew it to be true.

After all, who but a powerhouse like the Pirate Empress could dominate such ferocious pirates?

If there were such a person, they would have emerged long ago.

“And my captains have already acknowledged who I would choose as my successor. So there’s no chance of a coup.”

Yan nodded.

“I understand. That’s why I’d like to make you an offer.”

“An offer?”

“How about making a deal with me instead of the backstabbing leader?”

“…?”

The Pirate Empress frowned at Yan.

Her look was one of reprimand, as if a mere revolutionary dared to negotiate with her.

But Yan was no ordinary revolutionary.

“I’m also temporarily with the revolutionaries out of necessity. And while I may not know much else, I might have broader access to information than the leader.”

“What do you mean?”

“The empire’s crown prince, the current special envoy, the Duke of Beowulf from the north, and even my personal intelligence network. It might sound like I’m boasting, but I have some influential friends.”

“Ah, I’ve heard there’s a rising star gaining fame in the empire, and it’s you.”

For the first time, the Pirate Empress showed interest in Yan’s words.

But it was fleeting, and she murmured with a hint of disdain.

“It’s tempting, but I’ve already received an answer from the leader.”

Yan stared intently at the Pirate Empress.

“So you’re saying you’ll go, even if it’s a trap?”

“Perhaps.”

“And the other pirates…?”

“The condition is that I go alone.”

Yan chuckled inwardly. What could be so important that she’d walk into such a suspicious trap?

But then he thought.

‘If it’s that important, finding it for her could put the Pirate Empress in my debt.’

His mind was made up.

“If it turns out to be a trap, will you consider dealing with me?”

“I might.”

Pleased with her response, Yan smiled and quickly left the fortress, heading towards the village.

There was urgent business to attend to.

* * *

The following day…

The Pirate Empress awoke and immediately rose to gaze out the window.

It was a bustling scene, as the pirate fleet prepared for the annual ‘Kraken Hunt’.

Sailors fortified ships with steel, loaded cannons and shot, while captains gathered to fervently discuss the hunting strategy.

The Pirate Empress smiled contentedly at the sight of her subordinates’ diligent work.

“Everyone’s working hard.”

An hour passed, and the hundreds of ships anchored at the Caribbean island set sail to capture the Kraken.

Once every vessel had departed, the Pirate Empress began her own movement.

She donned a coat embroidered with golden threads on black fabric, hanging from the coat rack.

With an eyepatch in place and her lifelong companion, a curved blade, at her waist, she declared,

“Let’s set off.”

Fully prepared, she exited the fortress and boarded a small skiff docked behind it.

Then, she took out the map given by the revolutionaries and commenced her voyage.

Swoosh, swoosh.

The skiff carrying her quietly cut through the water.

The Pirate Empress diligently rowed, checking her position against the map with a spyglass.

After several hours, a small island shrouded in thick white mist appeared in her view, matching the location marked on the map.

She steered towards the island, docked the skiff, and stepped onto land.

As she did, the white mist engulfed her, and an anomaly occurred.

“Ah!”

For reasons unknown, her freely controllable mana felt dampened, like sodden cotton, upon contact with the mist.

It was clearly a trap set for her, but she couldn’t turn back without checking.

Suppressing the rising doubt in her heart, the Pirate Empress followed the map into a cave at the center of the island.

Inside the dark cave, only the damp smell and bones that seemed decades old littered the ground.

“As expected.”

She clenched the map in her hand.

Whoosh!

Mana flared from her hand, igniting the map.

“Ha… Haha.”

The Pirate Empress laughed bitterly.

Then, she lifted her head emptily skyward.

“I’ve failed to find it again.”

How much more must she scour the world… The future seemed distant.

After standing dazed for a while, she shook her head and stepped outside.

She chuckled and surveyed her surroundings.

Between the white mist, she sensed the presence of thousands.

They were clearly on guard, centered around her.

The Pirate Empress narrowed her eyes.

“The navy?”

All these people were naval forces?

Had the revolutionaries sold her out?

She calmly accepted the murderous intent directed at her and focused on a particular spot.

She felt a familiar aura emanating from there.

“Pfft!”

She couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight revealed through the mist.

There stood a man who had sailed the seas with her for decades.

“Drakan.”

The second in command of the pirate fleet.

Captain Drakan of the First Division.

He had been with her since her first days at sea.

He barely managed to utter a single sentence, his lips tightly sealed.

“I’m sorry, Captain.”

And beside him stood a man she had fought with to the point of exhaustion, always ending in defeat.

“Admiral Leang, I never expected you to be here.”

“It’s been a while, Mai Valentine.”

A power player within the top ranks of the southern nobility.

Admiral Leang, with command over all the navy.