The silver arc, shining like a crescent moon, turned out to be a curved sabre. A sabre that flashed silently and silently towards Rogu's neck, preparing to cut him down on the spot.
The blade was about to fall when suddenly there was a scream and splashes of blood. But it was not Rogu who screamed, it was the scream that came from the tree.
An arm fell down in a spray of blood, followed by a heavy body that fell from the treetops. The severed arm lay nearby, and on the back of it two small marks from teeth could be seen.
"What are you, a dog? You even manage to bite?" Rogu's voice echoed from the tree. He was standing on one of the branches, holding a katana in one hand, its sheath lying below. With the other, he was hugging little Ferr tightly, and his sharp gaze slid along the ground, searching for new threats.
When the first scream was heard, Rogu's gaze immediately noticed two people in the tree. One of them was the one who was now lying on the ground. The other was little Ferr, who had managed to bite into the attacker's arm.
In a split second, Rogu drew his katana, struck, and managed to save the boy, snatching him from the enemy's hands. Everything happened so quickly that it seemed as if time stood still.
"Rogu!" Ferr's voice, trembling and full of awareness, broke the silence. "These are bad people!"
"Obviously," Rogu rolled his eyes. "Would good people kidnap a child and try to kill me from an ambush?"
But the real question was not whether they were good or bad, but who they were.
At that moment, Rogu felt a faint hum, like the sound of wind right next to his ear. Before he could figure out where it was coming from, he suddenly noticed strange lines of text appearing right next to the head of the man lying on the ground.
First line: Wanted!
Second line: Nameless pirate.
Third line: Reward: 10,000 belli.
Line 4: Not subject to arrest.
The same lines appeared in another person's book. All the words were identical.
"What the...?" Rogu was confused. In the three years he had spent in this world, he had never encountered such a phenomenon.
Is this really my system? flashed through his mind.
As a person who had read many stories about time travelers in his own world, he was familiar with the concept of a system - a unique skill or ability that gives the time traveler an advantage in the new world.
He even specifically checked to see if he had something similar, but all was unsuccessful. As a result, after three years, he resigned himself to the idea that he would have to rely only on his own skills and abilities.
But now... Now, looking at these lines, he suddenly understood: "So that's what my system is, now I too can conquer this world!"
But Rogu's thoughts were interrupted by a sharp whistle of wind from below. He instantly came to his senses, casting aside thoughts of new possibilities. With a light jump, he moved from the branch, holding Ferr in his hands. At that moment, a black chain flashed under him, like lightning piercing the air.
His gaze immediately followed the chain, and Rogu noticed another pirate hiding in the bushes. Lines of text appeared above his head as well. Only this time, the reward amount had changed: 20,000 beli. However, what was even more surprising was that now, as if through the leaves, he could see all the other pirates lurking in the area.
Some were hiding behind bushes, some were standing behind trees, some were just beginning to emerge from their hiding places. But all of them, like the first two, had the same lines of text above their heads.
"Is my system some kind of radar for pirates?" Rogu thought, not believing his eyes. "And I was wondering why nothing happened for three years. It's just that I haven't met a single pirate in those three years!"
- KILL THEM!!! - a sudden cry rang out.
The pirates, without waiting for a command, began to attack. They jumped out of their hiding places, shouting as if there was an entire army behind them. Although there were only six or seven of them, their loud cries made it seem as if there were hundreds of them.
- For the great captain Marcello!!! - someone shouted.
Captain Marcello? Who is this?
A name flashed through Rogu's mind, but he immediately pushed the unnecessary thoughts aside.
"Ferr, close your eyes," he ordered in a calm, but at the same time, firm voice. It was unknown whether the boy heard his words, but the next second Rogu landed on the ground. And as soon as his feet touched the ground, a curved saber fell on him from above.
- Heh... - But Rogu only smiled mysteriously...
The nameless pirate holding the saber stopped abruptly. He didn't even have time to understand what had happened, when suddenly his body became light, and he felt his gaze begin to rise higher and higher. Everything around him began to spin, and in the end he saw his own body standing in place. The saber was still in his hands, and his head... The head looked at all this from the side in horror.
- Arc of the Moon: Third Form!
On his last breath, on the verge of losing consciousness, the pirate heard this voice.
The blade's light, shining like a pure moon disk, flashed on the ground. An attack reminiscent of three consecutive strikes from the moon tore apart the space around. The pirates surrounding Rogu were completely engulfed in this light. And their bodies, as if on command, froze in an instant.
Bam! - a certain sound was heard in the air as the blade returned to its sheath. After which little Ferr opened his eyes wide, unable to believe what had just happened.
Just one blow. Just one, like a crescent moon, wrapped in a soft glow and at the same time blinding in its brightness. It was so beautiful that it seemed like a work of art, but in its essence it was mercilessly cruel.
Everything that touched this moonlight, whether people or trees, was instantly cut in half. And only a moment later the ground around was painted the scarlet color of blood.
"You're stubborn. I told you to close your eyes, didn't I?" Rogu's voice came from right next to Ferr's ear, making the boy flinch.
Although Rogu's tone was still calm and familiar to Ferra, the boy suddenly felt that he had become frighteningly alien. The man he saw before him had just destroyed most of the pirates with one blow. And this suddenly made him incomprehensible and frightening.
The boy froze, looking at Rogu, and could not utter a word.
- Why are you looking at me like that? - Rogu narrowed his eyes. - Are you thinking of sending your mother to break my windows again?
He raised an eyebrow and added, "I'll tell you honestly, if you do this, I'll come to your house again and have free dinners for a month and eat up your food!"
- Bastard, don't you dare come to us!!! - exploded Ferr, kicking his legs. - Last time you spied on Molly's sister bathing, and then you blamed it on me! And then you ate for free at our place for a whole month, claiming that it was compensation for "moral damages"! Are you doing this again?!
- Oh, come on! Do you have any proof? - Rogu rolled his eyes. - No? Well then, for slander, I'll add another month to my "compensatory nutrition."
As he spoke, his body had already moved towards the pirate lying nearby - the one he had struck first. The latter, having lost an arm, was bleeding and so weakened that he could not even rise during the general attack. And that is why he miraculously escaped Rogu's deadly blow, remaining alive.
Ferr, still in Rogu's arms, turned around and saw the pirate. Everything the boy wanted to say was stuck in his throat. However, now, that strange feeling of alienation caused by the cruelty he had just witnessed began to fade.
Yes, the blow was terrifying, cruel and merciless. But the three years they spent together were real. And this understanding imperceptibly returned Ferru's calm