I Just Fell in Love With a Pirate, How Did It Turn Into a Bloodbath?! - I want to board your ship.

The sound of waves reached her from afar. It was still dim in the early morning in the port town of Perla Rossa. On the second floor of the general store "Isola," by a small window, Rina awoke. Her shoulder-length light brown hair was disheveled from sleep. She always tied it back with a blue ribbon, but she hadn't done so yet. With her large dark brown eyes, she gazed absently out the window. On the hill, she could see the white lighthouse, "Candela." Twenty-two meters tall. Overlooking the harbor, it was the highest point in town. Rina clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest. Beneath her linen blouse, a pendant of blue glass beads swayed ever so slightly. A keepsake from her mother. "Mama..." Her voice was hoarse. It was five years ago. When the epidemic spread through Perla Rossa. Her mother was quickly consumed by fever and never returned. Rina was twelve at the time. Her mother had been close with old Mor, the lighthouse keeper. She would often take Rina along to climb the lighthouse. That day was no different. At the top of the lighthouse, her mother pointed to the blue, glittering sea and said: —Rina, listen. Someday, a ship will come to take you to that beautiful sea. When that time comes, don't be afraid. Get on board. Rina nodded. Her mother smiled, a little troubled, and stroked Rina's head. —You really are such a scaredy-cat. Rina still remembered the warmth of that palm, stroking her hair over and over. Soon after, her mother was gone. Rina kept gazing at the sea from the window. Believing that someday, the promised ship would come. All this time. But she was quickly made to realize that reality wasn't so sweet. After her mother died, Rina was taken in by this general store, Isola. The owner, Balto, was a quiet, former sailor. Gruff, but not a bad man. She worked there live-in, for a monthly wage of sixty piastres. In this town where a single loaf of bread cost two piastres, she had managed to survive. But. Rina, with fingers that had a habit of fidgeting with her bangs, unconsciously twirled her hair. When she was thirteen, there was a young apprentice sailor who was kind to her. Every time he shopped at the general store, he would speak to Rina gently. Rina was so happy, she ended up telling him where the store's earnings were kept. The next day, he vanished with the money. It wasn't a large sum. But Rina blamed herself. Balto said nothing, which made it even harder. She became afraid of trusting people. "Sorry" became her constant refrain around that time. Whenever anything happened, she apologized first. Because she always thought it was her fault. (...I hope today is another uneventful day.) Rina let out a small sigh. Her petite, slender body curled inward as she moved away from the window. Her canvas skirt, patched over and over, rustled softly. She had a complex about her figure. She was especially self-conscious about her small chest. Even though she was already seventeen, she thought every time she looked in the mirror. Well, it wasn't like she had anyone to show it to anyway. "...Alright." Rina picked up her blue ribbon and quickly tied her hair back. From downstairs, she heard the sound of Balto opening the shop. Another ordinary day in Perla Rossa was beginning. In the morning, Rina was organizing merchandise out front. Nautical rope, waterproof cloth, simple medicines. Everything sailors came to buy. This town was at the southern tip of the Verdian Peninsula, a port town of about twelve thousand. It lay right at the entrance to the Tyrenian Sea, which stretched eight hundred kilometers east to west and six hundred north to south. To the north was Favonia, capital of the Kingdom of Verdia, and to the south, the Caravina Archipelago was scattered across the sea. At sea, an old customary law called the "Code of Free Navigation" held sway, where status and nationality didn't matter. It was a world where only skill and trust counted. But on land, the kingdom's class system still held power. Neither the sea nor the land mattered much to Rina, though. Just the general stores, taverns, and tailor shops lining this Corda Street, and the forty ships coming and going from the harbor. That was the entirety of Rina's world. "Rina, put the rope out front." Balto called out from the back of the shop. A fifty-five-year-old, taciturn former sailor. "Yes, right away." Rina gathered an armful of rope. That was when it happened. Someone came running down the street. "Marin's ship has entered the harbor!" It was a young sailor's voice. The rope fell from Rina's arms with a thud. Before she knew it, Rina was running to the harbor. Her heart was pounding loudly. (Why am I running?) But her feet wouldn't stop. When she reached Perla Harbor, the ship was just slowly pulling alongside the pier. The Luce Libera. A medium-sized sailing ship, thirty-two meters in length. Its vivid blue sails billowed, filled with the sea breeze. At the bow, a golden figurehead of a woman glittered in the morning sun. "Beautiful..." Rina caught her breath. And then, she spotted a figure standing on the deck. Long, blazing crimson hair fluttered softly in the wind. It reached her waist, with no adornments, simply left to the wind, and yet, why was it so beautiful? Eyes the color of bright aquamarine, as if they held the very hue of the horizon. Even from a distance, she could tell. That person was smiling. Marin. The legendary female pirate. Known to everyone in the Tyrenian Sea, a person who truly believed in the Code of Free Navigation, who helped the weak regardless of friend or foe—like the sun of the sea. Deep in Rina's chest, something burst. The pounding was so loud she could almost hear it herself. (What is this?) It was a sensation she'd never felt before. She couldn't look away. Her hands trembled. She couldn't breathe properly. "Ah—" Rina tripped on a rope at her feet. The one she'd dropped earlier—she had unconsciously picked it up and carried it all the way here. She lost her balance and pitched forward— "Whoa, careful there." A hand gently caught Rina's arm. When she looked up, aquamarine eyes were right there. It was Marin. She had disembarked before Rina even noticed, standing right in front of her. Much taller than Rina, with a stature of a hundred and seventy-two centimeters. "Are you alright? You almost fell." "Ah, uh, um...!" Words failed her. Her large dark brown eyes opened even wider, quickly beginning to well up. This always happened when she was nervous. She desperately fought the urge to fidget with her bangs. Marin deftly took the rope that was about to fall from Rina's hands and smiled warmly. "Is this yours?" "S-sorry..." She didn't even know what she was apologizing for. Marin tilted her head. "Why are you apologizing? You haven't done anything wrong." "N-no, it's just... I was in a rush... the ship was so beautiful..." "Ah, the Luce Libera? That makes me happy, hearing you say that." Marin looked up at her ship with a distant gaze. "That girl's name means 'Light of Freedom.' She's my treasure." Rina couldn't say anything. She just gazed at Marin's profile. A person who didn't sweat the small stuff, as vast and free as the sea. She'd heard rumors that Marin was kind to everyone without discrimination. And it was true. She even smiled like this at someone like Rina, a mere girl from a general store. (It's her.) For some reason, she just knew. Early afternoon. She never imagined that Marin would come to the general store Isola. "Is old man Balto around? I'd like to see some nautical rope." The moment Marin's voice sounded at the shop entrance, Rina dropped the ledger she was holding. It hit the floor with a loud bang. "Oh, aren't you the girl from earlier?" Marin looked at Rina and smiled again. "Do you work here?" "Y-yes...!" Her voice cracked. Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her mouth. Balto came out from the back, exchanged a few words with Marin about rope, and then said to Rina: "Rina, you explain the ropes to her." "Huh!? M-me!?" "You know more about them, don't you?" Well, that might be true. Rina was, for some reason, exceptionally knowledgeable when it came to judging rope. Because she had handled nothing but rope, day after day. "Th-this is... a three-strand twist of hemp harvested from Torre Island in the Caravina Archipelago... It's made extremely sturdy, to withstand the complex currents of the Grana Strait..." Her voice trembled, and she stumbled over her words repeatedly. But Marin listened earnestly. "Wow, it's made with that much thought. That's amazing!" Marin's hand reached out toward Rina's head. She patted it lightly, twice. "You really are a good kid." Rina froze. The center of her chest grew steadily warm. (This is bad.) She didn't know what was bad. But she thought it was bad. A racing heart like she'd never felt before. She didn't know this feeling. Marin turned to Balto and said jokingly: "Old man, why don't I take this girl to work on my ship?" She thought Balto said something. But it didn't reach Rina's ears. Inside her head, something snapped with a crack. Even after Marin left the shop, Rina stood rooted to the spot for a while. "...Mama." The word escaped her. Her promise with her mother swirled around and around in her head. —Someday, a ship will come to take you to that beautiful sea. She's the one. Marin is the one. (If I run away, I'll regret it for the rest of my life.) For the first time, something solidified within Rina. She was timid, bad at expressing her own opinions, and would immediately apologize with "sorry." But once she decided on something, Rina had a core of determination that wouldn't give up, even if she was scared. A core she had never shown anyone yet. Rina removed her apron. Balto was saying something from the back of the shop. But she couldn't hear it. She just started running. It was dusk. The tavern "The Wave-Splasher" was crowded with sailors. With the famous citrus liquor in hand, everyone was laughing loudly. The landlady, Galda, was busily carrying food. Rina stood frozen at the entrance. (I'm scared.) The tavern's clamor felt like a wall to Rina. Her legs trembled. The thought of just going home crossed her mind. But. In a seat at the back, crimson hair swayed. It was Marin. Glass in hand, surrounded by sailors, laughing. Rina took a step forward. With trembling legs, another step. The curious eyes of the sailors around her gathered on Rina. "Hey, who's that girl?" "Isn't that Rina from the general store?" She heard whispers. But Rina didn't stop. She stood before Marin. Aquamarine eyes looked up at Rina in surprise. "Oh? The girl from the general store..." Rina clenched both hands tightly. Her small chest, her quiet voice—none of that mattered. She had never told anyone her feelings before. But. But if she didn't say it here, she'd regret it forever. "I... I...!" Her voice trembled. Tears threatened to spill from her large, welling eyes. "I want to board your ship!" For a moment, the tavern fell silent. Marin's eyes widened slightly. And then. She smiled gently. "...You really are a good kid." Marin's hand patted Rina's head again. Just like before, with a light pat-pat. "Alright. Let's go together." Something inside Rina overflowed. Tears streamed down her cheeks. When she smiled, a small dimple appeared—Rina's one and only charming feature. She didn't know if she was smiling properly right now, though. (Mama, I kept my promise.) Rina clutched her mother's keepsake pendant in front of her chest. That was when it happened. In the corner of the tavern, someone moved. Rina instinctively looked that way. Someone was sitting in the shadows. For a moment, she felt their eyes meet. A cold gaze. (Huh...) A chill ran down her spine. It was only for an instant, and

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Episode 1

Name: I Just Fell in Love With a Pirate, How Did It Turn Into a Bloodbath?!
Author: Novelia

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