He admitted that the purpose of this attack had been to obtain the contraband carried aboard the Ocean Miracle, as well as the renowned scholar specializing in Collapse Energy.
As for screening the captives, that had merely been an attempt to make some money off ransom.
But as the commander of this mercenary group of more than a hundred men, he knew far more than the mercenary captain of the Seventh Squad.
At the very least, Moros had not extracted any information about Moth to Fire from the souls of the Seventh Squad's mercenaries.
Yes, the attack on the Ocean Miracle had actually been planned by one of Moth to Fire's subordinate research institutes.
Moth to Fire's slogans and principles might all sound lofty, and it might even be a legitimate international organization recognized by the United Nations, but the darkness within the organization ran just as deep.
To force the scholar who had refused to serve them into obeying Moth to Fire's will, the organization had gone so far as to hire mercenaries and resort to force.
As for that crate of concentrated Collapse Energy condensate, it had merely been an additional target meant to conceal the truth.
After all, Moth to Fire was still a lawful international organization. It had to save at least a little face.
Though only a little. Any more was out of the question.
In fact, the very reason those concentrated Collapse Energy condensates had appeared aboard the Ocean Miracle was Moth to Fire's doing.
Otherwise, how could the captain of the Ocean Miracle possibly have gotten his hands on contraband of that level?
"So, you should still let me take that scholar away. Otherwise, Moth to Fire won't let this go."
Both Moros and Elysia could tell that the mercenary commander had said that sincerely.
It could even be said that if Elysia had not chosen to spare him, the mercenary commander would never have said it.
"Elysia, Eden, what do you think?"
Moros asked softly, his gaze moving between the two friends he had met aboard this ship.
Moros himself did not take Moth to Fire's potential threats to heart.
If a necromancer could make the Mu Continent back down, why would he fear an international organization?
The current Moth to Fire was merely an ordinary international organization with considerable authority, not the colossal entity that had rapidly expanded after the Third Great Collapse.
To ordinary people, and even many small nations, an international organization of this scale undoubtedly possessed terrifying deterrence.
But before someone like Moros, Moth to Fire's methods and threats were not enough to pose any real danger.
The power of nuclear weapons was undoubtedly terrifying, but once Moros could freely open passages to his Demiplane, weapons launched by ballistic missiles rather than delivered through teleportation became far less threatening to him.
Their low chance of hitting him gave Moros more than enough confidence to face any challenge or threat from Moth to Fire.
Furthermore, considering Moth to Fire's current authority, Moros doubted whether it could persuade a sovereign state with nuclear weapons to launch ballistic missiles carrying Nuclear Warheads.
A Further Step in Their Relationship
"Um, Eden, what do you think?"
Elysia gently held Eden's hand and asked in a tender voice.
To her, Eden's opinion was extremely important.
If the Pink Fairy Lady had been left to decide alone, she would certainly have directly rejected the mercenary commander's suggestion. However, since Eden was involved, Elysia had no choice but to consider it carefully.
"Elysia..."
Eden fell silent for a moment, then looked into Elysia's eyes and spoke.
"I trust your judgment. Whatever you decide, I'll follow."
Upon hearing Eden's answer, a brilliant smile bloomed across Elysia's beautiful face.
She knew it. Eden understood her.
"Thank you, my dear Eden."
Clasping Eden's hand tightly, Elysia made her decision.
She looked into the mercenary commander's eyes and spoke in a cheerful tone.
"Fairies do like happy endings, you know."
Elysia's meaning was clear. She was unwilling to let the mercenary commander take the scholar away.
"..."
Understanding the implication behind the pink-haired girl's words, the mercenary commander opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.
"All right. You can leave now."
Seeing that Elysia and Eden had made their decision, Moros kept his promise and allowed the mercenary commander to leave.
However, just as the mercenary commander was about to depart, Moros spoke again.
"Hand that crate of contraband over to me. If your employer asks why the mission failed, tell them you encountered Moros—the necromancer, Moros. Your employer will understand."
As a friend of the Pink Fairy Lady, Moros had keenly sensed the worry behind her hesitation.
To keep Elysia and Eden from entering Moth to Fire's sight, Moros decided to take the blame for ruining Moth to Fire's plan himself.
After all, once his undead soldiers had appeared, there was no longer any way to conceal his existence.
There was no helping it. On the entire planet, he was the only one capable of commanding undead soldiers.
With Elysia and Eden present, Moros could not possibly hide his trail by destroying the Ocean Miracle and silencing the witnesses.
Since that was the case, using his inevitably exposed presence to conceal Elysia and Eden's existence, while also earning some goodwill from the two of them, was a perfectly reasonable choice.
"I understand. We encountered the necromancer Moros, so the mission failed."
The mercenary commander had never wanted Moth to Fire to notice the people who had saved his life. Thus, after Moros decided to take responsibility, he naturally agreed to report to his employer according to Moros's instructions.
"Moros, you didn't have to do that."
Under Elysia's large, sparkling eyes, Moros knew that his act of taking the blame had already greatly increased the Pink Fairy Lady's affection for him.
"You're my friend, Elysia."
Moros looked into Elysia's clear, sky-blue eyes, a gentle smile curling at his lips.
"Don't worry. Moth to Fire is no threat to me."
To ease Elysia's worries, Moros pondered for a moment before deciding to share some of his past experiences on the Mu Continent.
Of course, this was a version with just a tiny bit of detail omitted.
As an old captain, Moros knew all too well how deeply Elysia cared for humanity.
Therefore, there were naturally some things unsuitable to mention that he would not tell them.
Even so, after hearing Moros's account, Elysia and Eden were deeply shocked.
Although they had already realized that Moros was no ordinary man when they encountered the Vampire Lord and the wraiths earlier, they were still utterly astonished to learn that Moros had once fought the Mu Continent's regular army head-on and had even forced the rulers who controlled its government to bow their heads and back down.
Without question, Moros's confession had suddenly brought him much closer to Elysia and Eden.
As for whether this would place Moros in danger, he trusted Elysia and Eden's character and believed they would not reveal his secret.
Besides, he had the Demiplane as a fallback, providing him with nearly absolute security.
It was precisely that sense of security that gave him the confidence to be honest with them, and it was also the most important factor behind his decision.
"That is truly astounding."
Eden gently stroked her wine-red hair, her gaze resting tenderly on Moros.
The feeling of being trusted made Eden regard Moros as a true friend in her heart.
"It seems we have one more little secret between us now."
Elysia's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled brightly, clearly delighted.
Sensing the subtle change in atmosphere between the three of them, Moros also revealed a heartfelt smile.
After receiving the necromancer's permission, the mercenary commander had an exceptionally smooth retreat from the Ocean Miracle.
Even though he encountered several combat squads made up of undead soldiers while heading toward the lower deck, Moros's orders caused those undead to ignore him completely and continue carrying out their tasks.
However, when he finally reached the lower deck, the mercenaries who had originally been stationed there had already become cold corpses.
Moros needed the mercenary commander alive to report the reason for the mission's failure to their employer—Moth to Fire.
But he had no need for too many mercenaries to leave the Ocean Miracle alive.
Moros never turned away souls delivered right to his door.
After searching the entire landing craft and confirming that there were no survivors, the mercenary commander could only pilot it alone toward the small transport ship still lingering near the Ocean Miracle.
"Boss, what's going on?"
Watching the mercenary commander board alone, the mercenaries left behind on the small transport ship exchanged looks, an inexplicable fear rising in their hearts.
How could they not understand what this meant?
Those had been more than a hundred elite mercenaries!
Even in war, wiping them all out would not have been an easy task.
Yet now their boss had returned alone, making the mercenaries aboard the transport ship feel a chill crawl down their spines.
If we hadn't stayed on the transport ship...
One mercenary swallowed and asked in a trembling voice.
"Boss, where are the others?"
"There are no others. They're all dead!"
The mercenary commander's cold, resolute voice instantly shattered the last shred of hope in the mercenaries' hearts.
"The mission failed. Retreat!"
At that moment, one mercenary hesitantly pointed at the torpedo launcher aboard the ship.
"Boss, there's still one torpedo on board. Should we..."
He glanced at the Ocean Miracle, faintly visible in the storm in the distance, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes.
"We're lucky enough to be leaving alive. Don't cause any more trouble!"
However, the mercenary commander cut him off without hesitation.
"But Rock and the others' deaths..."
"Shut up! You have no idea what happened on that ship. If you don't want to die, listen to me!"
Dealing with the Aftermath
Just as the mercenary commander rebuked the mercenary who intended to use the torpedo to attack the Ocean Miracle, a cold voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"You made a wise choice."
Upon hearing that voice, the mercenary commander's pupils constricted instantly. Without hesitation, he threw himself forward, trying to evade whatever danger might come.
"Who's there?!"
"What... what is that..."
"A ghost!"
"..."
The other mercenaries' cries echoed through the night sky, and an ominous premonition rose in the mercenary commander as he lay prone on the ground.
He struggled to suppress the fear in his heart and turned his head, only to see several translucent humanoid figures flickering in and out of sight amid the storm.
If they had merely flickered in and out of view, perhaps the other mercenaries would not have been so terrified.
But when those figures floated in midair and the storm's rain passed through their bodies without obstruction, everything became entirely different.
"He promised me! He promised he'd let me leave!"
The mercenary commander recognized the identities of those translucent figures at a glance. Before he could even rise to his feet, he began screaming madly.
His voice drifted through the storm, carrying endless despair and helplessness.
Before you continue