Chapter 15: Restoration (Part 2)

By the time a week had passed since leaving Plymouth, Claire had fully recovered and was able to move about. He began to take walks on the deck with Mary Read and spent his afternoons lying in a hammock reading books.

Having sent Henry away and laid bare his inner thoughts, Claire felt he had nothing left to hide. He spoke his mind as if he had let go of a heavy burden and treated the crew without hesitation. Mary Read, seeing this change, was delighted, thinking Claire had finally cheered up. Claire simply let her believe it.

The good weather held, the seas remained calm, and the voyage was smooth. For a while, he had been tense, expecting Elpian to visit, but the man seemed so busy that Claire didn’t catch a glimpse of him.

From the deck, he could hear the pirates drinking and singing boisterously in broad daylight. Occasionally, fights would break out or tensions would flare, yet it was strangely peaceful. To Claire, however, this peace felt like water in a cup filled to the very brim, just seconds away from overflowing.

“Morning, Claire.”

As he entered the mess hall early one morning, he saw Miguel—whom he hadn’t seen in a while—sitting with Giltre and Mary Read.

Miguel didn’t show his blatant hostility as he had during their first meeting, but Claire still felt uneasy around him. He couldn’t shake Elpian’s words: that Miguel had been aiming a pistol at his head while Henry made his escape.

Instead of avoiding them, Claire sat at the edge of the table. To hell with it, he thought. Mary Read began her usual chatter.

“The weather’s getting warmer, isn’t it? We’ve entered Portuguese waters. Land already, and without a single incident—my bones are itching for action. Isn’t there a Spanish merchant ship passing by?”

“Is fighting the only thing in that head of yours?” Giltre’s usual retort was now a familiar melody to Claire.

“Old bones like yours might be happy rotting in a chair, but young bones need to run wild once in a while!”

“Keep loving a fight that much and you’ll run into a Spanish warship and meet your end.”

No matter how much they boasted of being the strongest fleet, even Mary Read fell silent at the mention of the formidable Spanish Navy. Claire, too, knew well the power of the Spanish fleet and their hostility toward England. Giltre sipped his tea and continued in an explanatory tone.

“Portugal has been cooperative with Spain lately. They’ve likely heard we’re heading for the Mediterranean; their fleets might pull a pincer maneuver. We could end up at the bottom of the sea.”

“Hmph. They’ll be lucky if the Admiral doesn’t send them running with their tails between their legs. The Admiral would never let us die.”

Mary Read’s voice was full of confidence. Claire, not wanting to hear any more praise for Elpian, casually changed the subject.

“How long will we stay in Porto?”

“Who knows? Quite a while, I’d guess. We arrived much earlier than scheduled. We only stayed briefly in London and left Plymouth much faster than expected.”

“Mary Read is right. I suspect we’ll be there for at least a month.”

At the mention of a month, Claire’s ears perked up. Though he couldn’t escape until his family’s safety was confirmed, he was desperate to set foot on solid ground after being on a swaying ship for so long.

“Then, can I leave the ship this time?”

“Probably not,” Mary Read said, shaking her head. As a disappointed Claire toyed with his salt beef—which he was now utterly sick of—a voice broke the silence.

“If you want to go ashore, tell me.”

Miguel, who had been quiet, finally spoke. Claire’s blue eyes fixed on him.

“I’ve spoken with the Admiral, and I’ll be in charge of you from now on. If you want to go ashore, I’ll allow it on the condition that I accompany you.”

“What’s with that prison warden tone? Claire isn’t a s*ave,” Mary Read snapped.

“He’s not a comrade either. He hasn’t signed the Articles of the Sea.”

Having stated his piece, Miguel pushed his empty plate aside and stood up. Before leaving, he glanced back at Claire.

“You seem quite idle. Why don’t you start earning your keep? You call yourself a doctor, yet you do nothing but loiter. This isn’t a luxury cruise for you to eat and play.”

The door slammed shut behind Miguel. Mary Read immediately pulled a face of pure annoyance.

“God, he’s such an irritating brat. He’s been in and out of the Admiral’s cabin a few times lately, and now he’s back to being arrogant.”

“Is Miguel serving the Admiral’s bed again?” Giltre asked.

“Who knows? But with that smug look on his face, what else could it be?” Mary Read pounded the table in frustration. “He’s bearable when the Admiral ignores him, but the moment he gets a bit of attention, he acts like this. Acting like the lady of the house… damn it, I preferred it the way it was before.”

“Well, it’s true Miguel is boasting, but I don’t think he’s sleeping with the Admiral. He’s the type to scream so the whole ship can hear, and I haven’t heard a peep lately.”

Suddenly, both of them turned to look at Claire. He caught a flicker of strange pity in their eyes. Realizing they were “comforting” him for supposedly losing Elpian’s interest, Claire scowled. As far as he was concerned, it would be a blessing if Elpian took that man instead.

However, being called a “free-loader” stung more than anything else.

“Are there patients on this ship?”

“We get bombarded a few times a month; of course there are always patients.”

“Then why don’t they come to me? You kidnapped me to be the ship’s surgeon, didn’t you?”

“We thought… you wouldn’t want to see them…”

It seemed Mary Read and Giltre had been shielding him from the crew. Claire thought for a moment before speaking.

“I don’t mind. If there are patients I can treat, send them to me.”

He loathed the pirates, but he loathed being treated like a parasite by a jealous man-child even more. He wanted to prove his skill and put Miguel in his place. Besides, Claire had his pride as a physician; he enjoyed healing. He had nothing better to do, and if he wanted to be recognized by Elkain later, it wouldn’t hurt to build a good reputation now.

“If that’s what you want… but you’ll probably regret it.”

“I don’t care about looking after patients. By the way, where is my medical bag?”

“The Admiral told us to put it in his room, so it’s likely there. Come to think of it, he mentioned he bought the things you asked for in Plymouth and moved them there too.”

So Elpian had actually purchased the items on the list Claire had given him. Since many of those items would be useful now, Claire felt a spark of interest.

“I need those. Can you bring them to me?”

“Oh? I’m actually a bit busy.” Mary Read, who usually did him any favor, unexpectedly refused. Claire turned a pleading gaze to Giltre. He exchanged a meaningful look with Mary Read and shook his head.

“Sorry. We’re getting close to land, so I’m busy too. You’ll have to look into it yourself.”

Their behavior was suspicious. Claire realized their scheme—for some time, they had been trying to push him and Elpian together. The realization annoyed him.

“Mary Read. You know exactly how much I want to avoid that man.”

“I can’t keep acting as a parrot between you and the Admiral forever. I have duties as a lieutenant, too.”

Being a “busy” officer gave Mary Read the upper hand over the “idle” Claire. After a moment of visible displeasure, Claire pushed himself up from his seat.

“Fine. I’ll go ask him myself.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the two of them began to smirk. Scowling at them, Claire left the mess hall.

He’s the last person I want to see, but seeing him won’t kill me. With that thought to bolster his courage, he stood before Elpian’s door.

He didn’t even want to knock with his hand, so he gave the door a sharp kick with his foot. He waited, but there was no response.

Thinking he was being ignored, he kicked the door several more times in annoyance.

“Kicking the door won’t do you any favors.”

The low voice came from the corridor, not the room. Claire spun around to see Elpian standing behind him, looking as if he had just returned. Ignoring Claire’s “vandalism,” the man stepped past him and into the room.

“What is it?”

“Where is my medical bag?”

Elpian stared at him without answering. To achieve his goal, Claire added, “Give it back. You told me to act as the ship’s surgeon.”

“You were screaming and wailing as if the world was ending, disturbing everyone’s sleep, and now you suddenly want to play doctor?”

“Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

Elpian raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. “I thought you’d be attempting suicide by now. You’re an unpredictable one.”

“I suppose I caught you off guard. What do you actually know about me?”

As Claire spoke defiantly, Elpian wore an arrogant expression that said, ‘There is no way you could ever catch me off guard.’ Claire felt a surge of anger but bit it back.

“Just give it to me. I won’t bother you once I have it.”

“Either your ability to adapt is beyond common sense, or you’re harbouring another stupid scheme.”

“Think what you want.”

Having been read so accurately, Claire deliberately acted indifferent and picked up an apple from the table. Seeing Claire nonchalantly wipe it on his sleeve and take a bite, Elpian furrowed his brow. Looking too bored to even argue, he jerked his chin toward a wooden chest in the corner. Claire hurried over and opened it.

Inside was his familiar black leather bag and a large bundle. Excited, he opened the bundle, but his voice fell in disappointment.

“What? This isn’t even half of the list I gave you.”

“There are no errand boys on this ship meant to cater to your personal whims.”

“Cheapskate.”

Elpian looked utterly baffled at Claire’s grumbling.

“Let me off the ship in Porto. I don’t want to have to ask permission from that Miguel person. If you’re going to use me, treat me like a human being.”

Shouldering the bag, Claire continued to demand more. Elpian, seemingly reaching the end of his patience, grabbed Claire roughly and shoved him against the wall.

“Ugh! That hurts!”

The imposing, cold look on Elpian’s face was terrifying, but Claire didn’t look away, meeting his gaze directly.

“What? Move.”

“I let you be, and now you use that mouth so recklessly…”

Elpian couldn’t finish his threat. Claire suddenly let out a deafening, massive scream.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGH!!!!”

There was no one who would come to save him. But the sheer volume of the shout made Elpian wince and pull back slightly. Seizing the opening, Claire pushed him aside and bolted out of the room.

He looked back at Elpian—who wore a face of genuine bewilderment—and sneered.

“Caught you off guard, didn’t I?”

Elpian’s beautiful face twisted into a murderous expression, but Claire spun around and walked away. There was no sign of Elpian following him. He had expected as much; a man who hated looking undignified would never chase someone out into the hallway after a scene like that.

Back in his room, Claire checked his belongings. Everything in his medical bag was intact. Most of the items he had requested were there, excluding the ones even he admitted were a bit absurd.

“I’ll do what I can until the opportunity comes. Surely, an opportunity will come one day.”

As he organized his supplies, he muttered to himself. His blue eyes shone clearly, even as the room began to darken into night.