"Ahhhh!!!"
Before her eyes were scattered glass fragments, while the howling wind roared past her ears.
The unprecedented experience made Hina shut her eyes and scream at the top of her lungs.
With a thud, Dier landed safely while carrying both women.
Without a moment's hesitation, he sprinted toward the harbor at full speed.
During the earlier struggle, he had already discerned the true nature of these Dier copies.
Machines programmed with absolute commands.
No reason, no intelligence.
If he sailed away by ship, these people would only be able to swim after him.
Once aboard a vessel, they'd be safe!
"Dier, ahead!"
Robin whispered a warning. On the road ahead, a group of townsfolk charged toward them wielding frying pans and folding stools.
"Ahhh!!"
"Ooooh!!"
"Waaah!!"
Their faces were twisted in fury as they shouted meaningless slogans.
Dier's heart sank, his expression turning grave.
If the entire town had become like this, reaching the harbor would be impossible.
These townspeople weren't threatening, but the harbor guards were armed with guns—even cannons.
"Robin, use your ability to secure yourself and Hina."
"The next movements will be more intense."
Dier had no intention of separating from the women. After eating the fruit, his running speed far exceeded theirs—it wouldn't do to commandeer a ship only to have to wait for them.
Of course, if they truly faced certain death, he would throw them to safety.
Better one death than all three perishing.
Especially Hina—this rich girl who'd been dragged into this mess against her will.
"By the way, Hina, those guys are after me. Do you want to leave?"
He didn't bother asking Robin—he already knew what she would say.
"No, Hina wants to stay with you."
Though panic flickered across Hina's face, her eyes shone with determination:
"Robin, do what Dier says, quickly!"
Robin nodded firmly, activating her ability to adjust their positions.
The taller Hina was shifted to his back, ensuring she wouldn't block Dier's view.
The shorter Robin moved to his front.
Multiple arms secured them firmly against Dier's body, sandwiching him from both sides.
This freed Dier's own arms, allowing better mobility and coordination.
He changed direction, avoiding the crowd, and dashed toward a three-story building.
With a powerful leap, he used a protruding signboard as a stepping stone to reach the rooftop.
The town's buildings followed a clear pattern—the closer to the castle, the taller they stood, and vice versa.
These orderly structures allowed Dier to advance across rooftops, avoiding the chaotic crowds below.
"Ahhhh!!!"
The townspeople in the streets continued their relentless pursuit.
A brown-haired matron even hurled her frying pan at them.
"Have you no decency?!"
Dier dodged the projectile and couldn't help shouting down:
"Which bastard threw their underwear up here?!"
Many townsfolk followed the matron's example, though fortunately they were far from the forest—no Hunter Dier was around to shoot arrows at them.
Still, they faced a barrage of eggs, rotten cabbage, and similar projectiles.
Combined with their earlier public escort, the trio now experienced the full humiliation of a pillory procession.
Strangely, Hina—who had initially found this shameful—now seemed excited,
"Look ahead, Dier!!
Those townspeople seem normal!!"
On the street ahead, many townsfolk caught sight of the frenzied group sprinting down the road and began fleeing in panic.
"Perfect!"
Dier's face lit up with joy—this was the normal reaction he'd expected!
If these townspeople were safe, then the soldiers at the distant harbor must be safe too.
He stretched his long legs, dashing across rooftops with each leap stirring gusts of wind.
At first, Hina would scream a couple of times, but after a few jumps, she quickly got used to it.
"Hina, prepare a Black Gun. It's inconvenient to hijack a ship empty-handed."
"Mhm!"
Soon, a half-meter-long Black Gun was handed to him.
Dier took it and swung it casually a couple of times—it felt quite comfortable to wield.
It really did make a great children's toy—indestructible no matter how hard you hit things with it. No wonder the weapons shop owner wanted to buy these.
Ah, right. He'd forgotten to take back the leftover money.
And the package... seemed to have been taken to the castle...
Dier's smile suddenly froze, his white hair fluttering wildly in the wind, giving him an oddly desolate appearance.
"MY CUSTOM POCKET WATCH!!!"
Robin & Hina: "..."
...
"All troops, on alert!"
The harbor guard, Dier, wore a stern expression as he roared at the soldiers before him:
"We've received reports that some townspeople have suddenly gone mad and are currently charging toward the harbor!
Whether they plan to jump into the sea or loot the place, we absolutely cannot let them harm the nearby civilians, nor allow them to breach the restricted zone!"
He raised his right fist solemnly and declared:
"We will not fail the glorious mission bestowed upon us by His Majesty the King!!"
"We will not fail the glorious mission bestowed upon us by His Majesty the King!!"
The white-uniformed soldiers shouted in unison, their faces burning with fervor, drawing frequent glances from the foreigners within the restricted zone.
They formed ranks outside the restricted area, their Flintlock Guns ready to repel the frenzied townsfolk.
Before long, they spotted a two-meter-tall white-haired man with two little girls clinging to him.
"Hold your fire! That's a sane person seeking protection!"
The captain raised his hand, stopping his subordinates.
The man's loud shouts confirmed his assumption.
"Help! The whole town's gone mad!!"
Dier raised his hands high, pleading desperately:
"Please, at least protect my two little sisters!"
"What the hell are you saying, you bastard?!"
The captain swung his arm toward the back and bellowed:
"Do you expect me to fail the glorious mission bestowed by His Majesty the King?!"
"Take your sisters and stand behind me! I'll hold off the townspeople!!"
Whoosh—
Like a gust of wind, Dier ran past without even looking back, leaving only a single grateful phrase in the air:
"Thank you so much! You're a real hero!"
The captain wanted to stop him—the restricted zone was off-limits to townsfolk—but the frenzied mob had already caught up, forcing him to order his men to begin their defense.
As gunfire erupted behind them, Dier leisurely browsed the ships at the harbor.
First, he ruled out the red ones.
Since no passenger ships docked here (as island visits were prohibited), only cargo ships came to trade goods.
Without much hesitation, he selected a small cargo vessel.
The larger the ship, the more guards it carried.
He just needed to leave—simplicity was key.
Climbing up the rope ladder onto the deck in a few swift moves, Dier took the Black Gun handed to him by Hina and growled fiercely:
"Who's the captain here?!"
The five sailors on deck instantly fell silent, then burst into raucous laughter.
"Big bro, you bringing your two daughters along for a robbery?"
"Look at that stick he's holding - I'm dying of laughter!"
A man in striped sailor clothes wiped tears of laughter from his eyes, pulling out the Flintlock Gun tucked in his belt as he boasted:
"If you're gonna rob someone, you need at least this much. Know what this is? It's called a gun. Repeat after me..."
The man's voice trailed off as an enormous shadow slowly enveloped him.
Dier snatched the Flintlock Gun and brought it to his mouth, chewing expressionlessly.
Crunch~ Crunch~
The sound of teeth grinding steel made the man involuntarily step back, fear creeping into his eyes.
After swallowing the unpalatable Flintlock Gun, Dier opened his mouth and shot out a burst of Flame Power, giving the man before him an impromptu perm.
"Now, care to tell me who the captain is?"
BANG!
The cabin door was kicked open as a muscular woman in simple cloth garments strode out, irritation written across her face:
"I'm the damn captain here! Which blind bastard dares to...
Oh my~ What brings such a handsome young man to my ship?"