Lynn's voice rose and fell with perfect rhythm, his pacing measured and controlled. Combined with the dim, silent surroundings, his words carried an oddly immersive quality. The captain found himself unconsciously drawn in, following the story to its conclusion, and at the final question, his instinctive response was almost, "There's definitely something wrong."
But precisely because it felt so real, the captain snapped back to his senses in the next instant.
It was too absurd—like a fabricated tale.
No… it wasn't fabricated at all.
It was a real story.
With that realization, his expression darkened even further. He suddenly stepped forward, as if about to storm inside and settle the matter, but just as he crossed the threshold, he abruptly stopped. Gritting his teeth, he spat out three words, one by one.
"You… played… me?"
Lynn's expression remained unchanged, but the sword in his hand had already been unsheathed. The blade pointed downward, hovering steadily above the stacked cargo beside him.
That was precisely why the captain had stopped.
He was confident he could subdue Lynn and Aveline, but those crates—and the bottles of Les inside—could not withstand the sharpness of a blade. One misstep, and at least thirty percent of the cargo would be lost.
In the captain's eyes, this ship was his domain—his absolute home ground. Meanwhile, the two of them were like trapped beasts in a cage. In this enclosed hold, even jumping overboard to gamble on survival was impossible. Naturally, he didn't want to incur unnecessary losses and figured dragging things out a bit wouldn't hurt.
Lynn understood the captain's thoughts just as well. But whether it was the situation or the calculations behind it, he had no interest in pointing out the flaws in the captain's reasoning.
As for stalling for time…
What a coincidence. He had the exact same idea.
"I played you?"
Half-shrouded in darkness, Lynn lowered his gaze slightly.
"Alright, alright."
"Actually, I have a special perception ability. Ever since we boarded, I've known every word exchanged between you and your subordinates. How does that explanation sound?"
The captain's expression shifted.
That explanation sounded far more plausible, but after the earlier "nonsense," he didn't take it seriously.
"Is that so?"
He responded noncommittally.
"Then you should also know why I set my sights on you, right?"
If he had believed it, this question would have been a probe. But since he didn't, it was nothing more than casual conversation.
However…
"Of course. Aveline."
Lynn casually revealed information the captain was certain he couldn't possibly know, his tone laced with ridicule.
"I didn't expect that a random group of scum smuggling Les would also be connected to that serial missing girls case from years ago."
Crack—
It was the lantern in the captain's hand.
He hadn't expected Lynn to be telling the truth—or to know this much. For a moment, his composure slipped, and the noise betrayed him.
But someone else reacted even more strongly.
"The serial missing girls case?!"
Behind Lynn, Aveline's heart jolted in shock.
This case was widely known across Fontaine and had caused a huge uproar. Though there had been no updates for years and it was now only occasionally mentioned in passing, she never expected to encounter a suspect here.
And worse… they had even marked her as a new target.
"Lynn, are you saying he's one of the perpetrators of the serial missing girls case?"
Maintaining her composure with the help of her Cryo element, Aveline didn't act rashly. Instead, she immediately sought confirmation.
"Mm…"
Lynn thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Not exactly a perpetrator. At most, an accomplice."
"As for the one pulling the strings, I doubt he even knows."
Aveline fell into thought.
Thanks to their tacit understanding, she sensed that his words carried more meaning than they appeared to.
"I doubt he knows" didn't mean "I don't know."
But since Lynn didn't elaborate, she didn't press further. Instead, she silently continued gathering Cryo energy, ready to unleash a freezing strike at any moment.
Meanwhile, the captain felt a wave of relief wash over him, followed by a faint sense of ridicule toward himself.
All he had done was instruct his subordinates in the captain's cabin that Aveline was on the "priority list" from above—someone who had to be captured intact and delivered.
He must have said a bit too much, allowing Lynn to piece together the connection to the "serial missing girls case" based on certain details. But as for the mastermind behind it?
Even he didn't know. How could Lynn possibly know?
However, once he calmed down, his patience vanished.
Given how seriously the higher-ups treated secrecy, this counted as a leak no matter the cause. If he didn't handle it properly, the punishment awaiting him would be unimaginably cruel.
So to avoid further complications, he couldn't afford to delay any longer. He had to take them down quickly.
"Mr. Lynn, in many cases, knowing too much is not a good thing…"
His voice dropped, and he took another slow step forward, resolve settling in.
Lynn, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed. His sword hand remained steady, his tone as relaxed as ever.
"Thanks for the warning, but I already know it all, and it's not like I can forget it."
"Fortunately, I'm a cautious person. I keep a tight mouth. I know what should be said and what shouldn't."
The captain sneered.
"Oh? That's not how it looks to me."
A trace of faint regret crept into Lynn's voice.
"That's because you're on too low a level, perhaps? Like what we were just talking about—honestly, it's not even that significant of a secret. Saying it doesn't really matter…"
"What, you don't believe me? Well, nothing I can do about that. If your name were Zandik or Dottore or something, I wouldn't mind reciting something interesting on the spot to prove it."
"But unfortunately, there's no 'if.' Though for me, that's something worth being grateful for. Maybe for you too? Oh, and don't ask who Zandik or Dottore are. Trust me—you wouldn't want to know."
The captain didn't respond immediately.
He was waiting.
His subordinates had already arrived and were making their final preparations.
After more than ten seconds, everything was ready. Only then did the captain speak again.
"Since you know so much, you should also know what's going to happen to you next, right?"
"One last piece of advice—drop your weapon and come out obediently. I might consider letting you and Miss Aveline suffer a little less. Otherwise…"
Lynn let out a soft sigh.
"Otherwise what?"
The captain's tone didn't change.
"Then it seems you've chosen to reject a toast only to drink a forfeit."
"Wait—"
Just before the captain could give the order to attack, Lynn suddenly lowered the sword in his hand and raised his other hand.
"Oh? Changed your mind?"
Seeing what appeared to be surrender, a cruel smile curled on the captain's lips.
"We'll get to that in a moment."
Lynn showed no concern for his supposed fate. He sheathed his sword again and continued calmly.
"Just like I know you were stalling for time, waiting for your men to get ready… you've probably realized it too, haven't you? I've been stalling as well."
"Care to guess what I've been stalling for?"