Frydam buried his head under the blanket. The "torture" that beautiful girl had just inflicted on him made him question his very existence.
He was just a mining slave. Matters between men and women had never been necessary to him, because once you became a slave, your fate was to die from exhaustion anyway.
It was his first time doing something like that, and being forced into it only made things worse. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. His face now looked completely lifeless.
"Ha ha ha, what's with that face? Getting to sleep with a beautiful woman like me should've made you happy." The girl laughed and teased him.
"Hmph, you're awful." Frydam puffed out his cheeks, sulking.
He was still just a boy, barely experienced in life, so calling him childish wouldn't be wrong. Clearly, he was still in shock from everything she'd just done.
The girl puffed up her cheeks and grinned, feeling like she was a terrifying male pirate who had just kidnapped a poor maiden named Frydam.
"Wanna become a pirate with me?" she asked cheerfully.
Normally, she wouldn't bother to invite anyone. Her current crew had all chosen to follow her only after witnessing her strength.
"Pirate?" Frydam tilted his head. One look at his clueless eyes was enough to know he didn't understand what that word meant.
The girl frowned at him like he was some idiot who'd been living under a rock. This era was literally called the Age of Pirates—the most chaotic time in history—when pirates were more common than ever.
Meeting someone out at sea who didn't even know what a pirate was? That was downright bizarre. She began to grow suspicious of his identity.
"Where the hell did you crawl out from?" she asked.
"The mining zone. I just escaped from there not long ago," Frydam replied honestly.
Eventually, his identity would be exposed anyway—he didn't know how to lie. Every slave understood one rule: a good slave was an obedient and honest one.
She rubbed her chin in thought, then immediately dismissed the idea that he was just a miner. Miners were still regular people, and any normal person would've known what a pirate was.
'A slave, huh?' That thought flashed through her mind, and suddenly her interest in him grew even stronger. After all, a runaway slave in this world was something you almost never saw.
"Let me tell you something. Being a pirate is the freest job in the world. Interested yet?" She narrowed her eyes, looking like a sly fox trying to trick a child.
Frydam widened his eyes, his deep blue gaze flickering like the sea.
"What is freedom?"
"Huh?" The girl froze. It was the first time anyone had ever asked her that question. She'd seen plenty of people chasing freedom before, but never someone who didn't even know what it was.
Now she was certain—he must have been a slave. Only a slave could live without knowing a single thing about freedom.
"Freedom means you can do whatever you want. Nothing in this world can stop you. Acting on your own will—that's freedom." She thumped her chest proudly as she spoke.
That was exactly why she had gone to sea, why she became a pirate. She couldn't care less about so-called great treasures. What she loved was the thrill of doing whatever she pleased.
"I see... Then I'll join." Frydam hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
He didn't know whether her words were true or not, but it was something worth trying once. After all, he had nothing left to lose.
"Good. I'm Velda Naga Vale. You can call me by my name or call me Captain, whichever you prefer." Velda slung an arm around his shoulders with a grin.
Frydam nodded repeatedly but the next thing she said made him jump out of his skin.
"Let's continue." She said it and immediately pushed him down onto the bed.
"Help! Someone help me!" Frydam almost cried, feeling like she was far scarier than any of the mine's guards.
At least the guards despised slaves so much that they'd just shoot or beat them to death outright. Velda, on the other hand, enjoyed "torturing" people.
…
After being thoroughly "tormented," Frydam stumbled out wearing a wrinkled, half-buttoned shirt. The moment he stepped outside the cabin, a bunch of teasing stares from the pirates hit him all at once.
"Kid, you sure are lucky."
"Barely set foot on the ship and already caught the captain's eye. I can't compete with that."
"Ha ha ha, cheer up, kid. Your bright future's just getting started."
…
Frydam didn't react to a single word of their teasing. His life force had been completely drained by Velda. He didn't even have a flicker of energy left.
"Take this." A tall, burly pirate handed him a mop and a bucket of water.
???
Frydam stood frozen, completely clueless. He had never seen these things before. No one cared whether a slave's quarters were clean or not.
"Why are you staring at me like that? If the newbie doesn't clean, who will?" The pirate explained briefly, then walked off, leaving Frydam standing there like an idiot.
He looked at the mop in his hand, then at the bucket. His brain was working at full capacity, trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do with them.
He dipped the mop into the water and started moving awkwardly, every motion stiff and clumsy. Normally, even a child cleaning the floor wouldn't look this hopeless.
A nearby pirate couldn't stand watching anymore. He snatched the mop from Frydam and started demonstrating.
"Like this… like this… got it?" he said while mopping.
Only then did Frydam understand. He nodded repeatedly and said, "I got it. Thanks."
"Good. Still can't believe they let such a dumbass on board," the pirate muttered to himself before walking away.
And just like that, Frydam's life as a pirate officially began. Everything was fine, except for the nights when Velda dragged him back into her cabin.
…
Ordinary days at sea were painfully dull, and Frydam didn't have much to do.
The ocean stretched endlessly in every direction, with land being only a tiny fraction of the world. Most of their time was spent drifting aimlessly over the waves.
From the lookout post, a pirate peered through a telescope, breathing heavily with excitement. He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Ship ahead! Ship ahead! It's a merchant vessel!"
The pirates who had been lying lazily on the deck suddenly sprang up as if injected with adrenaline.
Guns and blades were raised high, waving wildly with uncontrollable excitement.
Their howls and cheers echoed across the sea like a pack of wild beasts awakened from a long, dull slumber.
Velda stepped to the bow, lifted her massive spiked mace, and roared, "Alright, you bastards, prepare for battle!"