Raised the Villainous Daughter and Ran Away

Side Story II. A Good Trip

They say that happy times are fleeting.

Time passed quickly and the end of the trip was near.

“It’s already this late.”

Jang Jong-won smiled bitterly at the dock just before departure. Loneliness was clearly visible on his face.

‘I guess you don’t have any friends.’

That makes sense. We are not in a position to become friends with anyone without looking at their conditions.

Even if Jang Jong-won had no intention of doing so, the other party would naturally have noticed his reaction. Also, there would be evil people who would stick around to get capital.

In that sense, we may have been happy to welcome you.

“Don’t worry, I’ll come again next time.”

“okay…….”

I patted Jang Jong-won on the shoulder and chuckled.

“We will keep your name on special notice, so if you need any help later, send us a letter right away. There is nothing we cannot do for Fedelian.”

Descartes, the real power in the empire. Even the emperor, Raja Fedelian, is on our side.

If Jang Jong-won wants it, not only can we give him a noble title, but considering his abilities, we can also give him the title of Count.

“Then let’s go.”

“Okay. See you next time.”

After a friendly handshake, I started walking. As I boarded and went up onto the deck, France greeted me with a smile.

“Have you said hello to everyone?”

“Yeah. He told me to come again next time.”

“What a good friend you are. For welcoming me so warmly.”

“That’s right. I definitely have to repay you.”

I nodded my head, slightly raising the corners of my lips.

I really received a lot of help from him on this trip.

I could have just looked around the restaurant, but not only did he treat me to his own food, I was also able to freely view the cultural events he was running.

‘It was great.’

He hired a large number of starving artists and collaborated with them to turn his novels into comics.

He didn’t stop there, but hired welcome wizards. He even made a contract to build them a place to stay and provide them with the necessary equipment for their research.

They also got help with their research and just had to show the story through illusions every weekend with their welcome magic.

‘I never thought I’d be able to do creative work here.’

That’s great. I guess he had some leeway based on capital.

“Gongrya… Jin! Come play again next time! I’ll be waiting!”

As I looked down from the deck railing, I saw Jang Jong-won waving his hand vigorously. It seemed like it was really sad to part ways like this.

“I guess we were very happy to see each other.”

“It’s not easy for Jongwon to make friends.”

He smiled and waved his hand downwards.

‘I would like to invite you to Fedelian.’

It was impossible for several reasons. He had to focus on his current business.

“Let’s set sail!”

Wooow!!!

The signal to depart rang. I waved to Jang Jong-won one last time and moved away.

There are things to do before arriving at the Empire.

* * *

The luggage compartment of a cruise ship.

It’s so full of dust that it’s hard to breathe. It’s so dark that not a single light comes in.

Most of the space was for luggage, but one space was left empty due to my request.

There, Scarlett Visconti, the captain of the pirates who attacked the cruise ship, was tied up.

Suddenly, I opened the door and went in, and she glared at me with eyes full of life.

“I heard you’re Jean Descartes? It seems you’re no different from other men since you’ve taken the trouble to capture me separately. You’re a beast.”

As soon as I saw her, I quietly looked down at her, wondering what she was talking about. Let’s listen in.

“What are you pretending not to know? You held me back after seeing my face! What on earth are you trying to make me do?!”

Clank! Clank! The chains tied to her ankles and wrists shook violently.

“What are you talking about, yellow potatoes?”

The words that I had been thinking about came out of my mouth without me realizing it, as if they were nothing more than words.

“No, yellow potatoes?”

“Yeah, yellow potatoes.”

As I said when I was trying to appease Frances earlier, I only see women other than her as potatoes. Talking potatoes.

“I think you’re having a strange misunderstanding, so let me correct it.”

I opened my eyes wide and met Scarlett’s gaze. Her blue eyes sparkled intensely.

“There is only one reason why I have kept you here. Because you are a useful sword master. And you have a unique nature.”

If it’s a light attribute with many advantages, it will be helpful in many ways. It will be able to perform that role well.

“… What do you plan to do with me?”

“I will hire you into my family.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened.

“… What? Are you crazy?”

“I have found out the crime you committed.”

He ignored her questions lightly. He pulled up a chair and sat down in front of her, nodding his head.

“The most common thing is to plunder transport ships. Other than that, they take officials or nobles hostage and collect ransom.”

It was just a crime that pirates committed, but there was something different about her than other pirates.

“But there’s one thing you never do. You don’t touch the elderly, children, or women. You don’t take their lives without permission unless they resist and fight you first.”

It’s rare to see pirates like this. If they’re outlaws, they should act like outlaws. Why are they guarding the line?

“Is there a reason?”

I glared at Scarlett with my eyes wide open. She answered with one corner of her mouth raised.

“There’s no reason to say that. Is there a law that says you have to become a monster just because you live in a cave? I just didn’t want to become a monster.”

It was a funny answer. As if the criminals had no choice but to take this path.

“To other people, we’re all just pirates anyway.”

I’m talking like potatoes would talk, I wonder if they’re yellow potatoes.

“Anyway, unlike other pirates, my history is relatively light, so I decided to accept it from our Descartes concentration camp. If I went to the Empire, I would have been locked up in the Panopticon without being able to move, so this is a good thing.”

At those words, Scarlett clicked her tongue and turned her head away, her face filled with annoyance.

“I have one thing to entrust to you. Become the shadow of our family.”

Shadow. In short, he is the person who will take over the dirty work that I used to do.

“Even if things are quiet now, Descartes will have many enemies. He is at the pinnacle of the empire’s power.”

Later on, there will be things that I cannot solve with my existence alone. Unlike before, I am bound by the frame of a nobleman and cannot move rashly.

In that respect, Scarlett Visconti, who was a criminal with high skills, was the perfect person for the job.

“Are you telling me to deal with that insolent noble?”

“You got it exactly.”

“Huh, what do you believe in about me?”

Scarlett shrugged her shoulders and smiled bitterly. I quietly pressed down on the restraints I had received from Kazar. The crystal that had been shining green shone.

“Ugh…!”

Scarlett writhed in pain, clenching her teeth. Not excessively. I knew how painful it was.

“There is no way for you to resist.”

“Huh… … .”

Whoosh. She turned her head, her long blonde hair fluttering.

“Anyway, I think this is a good choice for you. They’ll pay you a fair salary and treat you like a knight of the family.”

She pursed her lips and said nothing. I waited for a moment, sighed, and shook my head.

“Well, if you don’t like it, go to the Panopticon. I won’t hold you back.”

Turning his back, he added quietly, “Ah.”

“With your nature, you wouldn’t be able to sleep if you were put in a panopticon. You’d have to endure dirty stares and protect yourself every night.”

It is the panopticon, the deepest abyss of humanity. No matter how strong she is, she will not be able to withstand a mental breakdown.

At this point, I’d like to make another suggestion.

“I ask you one last time. Will you join us? All you have to do is deal with Descartes’ enemies.”

Scarlett carefully raised her head and looked at me.

“… What happened to my men and sailors?”

“The lucky ones survived.”

“What is that…?”

“I sank your ship.”

“Surely not even those guys!?”

“okay.”

Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide. She didn’t make a sound. It was Scarlett’s face, pale.

“Don’t say it’s cruel. You pirates know that death can come at any time, right?”

Criminals, outlaws, nothing more, nothing less.

“So, what do you propose?”

“… Are you telling me to live alone in such a dirty way?”

“… … .”

I thought they were just a bunch of criminals who only cared about themselves, but they actually had affection for each other.

“We were all dirty pirates, but none of us were without a reason. Patian promised to get married after this was the last time he had done this. Lushan planned to stop being a pirate after he had paid for his sick mother’s medical expenses.”

Scarlett quietly recited the story of her crew. She felt no particular emotion.

“Redansha, go back to your hometown─”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

I interrupted her mid-sentence.

“Answer whether you will accept the offer or not.”

“…there is a condition.”

“condition?”

Does he know where he is now? I shook my head and nodded. It meant that he should at least try talking.

“I wish it had never been known that our Visconti crew were pirates. I cannot take full responsibility for it, but as their captain at one time, I would like to do this much.”

Even lowly pirates have honor. It’s a funny situation. But, well, there was no particular reason to refuse.

Because they lost their lives anyway.

“Okay, I’ll do that much.”

“… Then I will accept the conditions.”

This concludes the negotiation. Instead of Descartes, we get a cleaner to do the dirty work.

“I’ll tell you more details when we get to the mansion.”

* * *

After finishing my work, I returned to my group.

“Are you here?”

Frances greeted me at the entrance to the room, as if she had been waiting for me.

“The work is done. But why are you alone?”

“Everyone is asleep. Only Kale is awake.”

Well, I guess I’m tired after playing around and cutting down on sleep. I guess I’ll have to tell this story when I get back to the mansion.

“Let’s go in since the sea breeze is cold.”

Led by her hand, we entered the designated room and sat down next to each other on the bed. Frances leaned her face against my shoulder.

“Now it’s back to normal life.”

“Yeah. Time really flies.”

I put my hand on France’s shoulder and pulled her closer to me.

“How was your trip?”

“It was fun.”

“Enough to make you want to come again?”

“huh.”

Frances smiled bashfully. There was no falsehood in her bright smile.

“I wish it could stay this peaceful forever.”

“… … .”

“Take it easy, without any worries.”

At her slight wish, I smiled warmly and stroked her hair. Her long red hair. The scent of flowers passed through my mind.

“Don’t worry. It won’t be as complicated as it used to be.”

If anyone touches us or France, we plan to make them disappear without a sound.

At the center of it all is Scarlett Visconti, who we brought in this time.

‘We should gradually increase the number of personnel to a small elite group.’

We can leave the information gathering to Exceed of Seldas. He can now be considered a noble under Descartes.

‘I have to make sure of this part.’

I would do anything to protect this life with France.

“Why are you looking so serious?”

Frances poked my cheek. I immediately relaxed my expression and smiled.

“Did I look serious?”

“Yeah. Like I’m going to kill someone.”

“Ahem… … .”

You read my mind perfectly.

“Anyway, Jin? Today is a rare quiet time for just the two of us… … .”

Frances felt my chest with sparkling eyes. This was her signal.

“That’s right.”

I met Frances’ eyes naturally. She smiled as usual and kissed me on the lips.

It was an unforgettable honeymoon.