I CHOSE to be a VILLAIN, not a THIRD-RATE EXTRA!!-Chapter 49: The Start of the Hunt

"CASSIUS!" shouted the Duchess.

COUGH!

COUGH!

Cassius coughed up blood, his vision blurring as he looked down. The shaft of a trident, held by the dirty hand of the Pirate King, was embedded right below his heart, piercing through his stomach.

"Hehe! Don’t worry, insect," the Pirate King whispered with a cruel grin, his voice laced with dark amusement. "You won’t die anytime soon. I’ll make sure you survive—just long enough to deliver a message to that rich Duke. You’ll tell him exactly what I’m about to do to his wife."

The Pirate King tightened his grip on the base of the trident with his other hand, a cruel grin spreading across his face as he lifted the weapon along with Cassius’s body.

The shaft drove deeper, the agony intensifying with every inch, and blood sputtered from his mouth, splattering across the Pirate King’s face.

Cassius’s vision blurred as he gasped for air, but his strength was fading fast.

The Pirate King didn’t flinch. Instead, he bared his filthy teeth in a twisted, mocking grin.

With a brutal jerk, he spun the trident with terrifying force, sending Cassius’s body soaring high into the air as if it were nothing more than a discarded ragdoll.

As Cassius soared through the air, the world spinning in a haze of pain, he could faintly hear the Pirate King’s excited shout cutting through the chaos.

"I AM COMING, MY SLAVE!" the Pirate King bellowed, his voice brimming with twisted anticipation.

The words echoed in Cassius’s ears, but they felt distant, fading. His vision blurred as the world below him darkened. The last thing he saw, before everything slipped away, was the Pirate King lunging at the Duchess, his spear raised high, the deadly intent in his eyes clear. Pirates around them erupted into frenzied cheers, their shouts blending into a maddening roar.

SPLASH!

Cassius’s body plummeted into the dark sea.

…

"Hey ther… take… Duke… carefully"

Cassius’ eyes barely opened, his vision hazy. He could feel the rough grip of four unknown hands lifting him, their movement unsteady as they carried him. The world around him seemed distant, his senses clouded by blood loss and exhaustion.

"Miss..." Cassius mumbled weakly, his breath shallow, his voice barely audible, before his eyelids fluttered shut, and he lost consciousness.

…

"Wake him up," a cold voice commanded.

SLAP!

The sting of the blow against his cheek jolted him awake, his vision flashing to clarity. His body screamed in protest, but the force of the slap snapped him into full awareness. His heart raced as he gasped for breath, blinking to clear the haze from his eyes.

"Mis-" Cassius muttered, his mind racing with a mix of confusion and instinct. His first thought was to find the Duchess. However, what filled his vision was the sole of a boot, coming straight for his face.

Cassius rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the brutal impact, the rush of air from the boot grazing his cheek. In a swift motion, he sprang to his feet, his heart hammering in his chest.

Cassius’s eyes quickly scanned the room, processing the scene around him. The Duke stood before him, his eyes narrowing with cold disdain as his boot had just narrowly missed its target. Beside him stood the Head Butler, his face stoic, yet his hands trembled ever so slightly as he held the empty vial of a Healing Potion.

There was also a woman with a grotesque scar etched across her face sitting on a sofa.

"I will ask only once, where is my wife?" The Duke’s voice was low, but the weight of his words hung in the air like a looming storm. His gaze was sharp, filled with hostility, as though every second Cassius delayed his answer would only deepen the wrath behind those cold eyes.

"It was the Pirate King, he—" Cassius began, the name slipping from his lips before he could even process it.

But the Duke didn’t allow him to finish. Without a second thought, he turned toward the woman on the sofa, "I want my wife back, and that man dead." His words were precise, like a death sentence, delivered with the ease of someone used to getting what they wanted.

"Pirate King? Hmm! He is someone who likes to hide within the vast sea," the woman muttered.

The Duke’s eyes narrowed even further, the hostile edge of his gaze sharpening. "Can you do it or not?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm, though the fury simmering beneath was undeniable.

The woman tilted her head slightly, her scar stretching as her grin widened, a flash of something almost predatory in her eyes. "It will cost a lot," she said, her voice low and laced with a greedy undertone. "And there are two working conditions."

"Name the price and conditions," the Duke demanded.

The woman’s grin grew wider, the scar on her face stretching further as she leaned forward slightly, enjoying the moment of power she held.

"One billion gold," she said simply.

Cassius’s mind buzzed with a thousand questions. ’Who was the woman? How could she demand such an absurd amount? Can she guarantee the safety of the Duchess?’ His thoughts were spinning, but before he could gather his words, the Duke’s voice rang out.

"Granted," the Duke uttered the words without a second thought, as though the billion gold was no more than a trivial sum.

"Exact location of your wife," the woman demanded as her first condition.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Duke took out a shimmering orb from a storage ring and tossed it. It glinted in the dim light, before landing gently in the woman’s outstretched hand.

"Bring the rat out of his hole," the woman said. The second condition was now laid out.

The Duke’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of calculation passing through his gaze as he processed the woman’s demand. "I can bring him out," he said, his tone measured, "but what if he runs back into the sea?"

"The rat won’t get a chance." Said the woman letting out a bloodthirsty grin.

The woman stood up, her movements fluid and confident, the deal sealed with the weight of her words. She was about to leave, no doubt to make preparations for what was to come.

"We will be going on my ship, and I am also coming along," the Duke declared, his tone unwavering, as if he had already made the decision and no further discussion was needed.

The woman halted, turning back toward him with a raised eyebrow, the faintest hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. "Your safety will cost extra,"

"I never asked for your protection," the Duke warned

The woman shrugged her shoulders as if the Duke’s words meant little to her. "I will be waiting at the harbor,". In the next instant, with a swift movement almost too fast to follow, she vanished, leaving only the faintest ripple in the air where she had stood.

’An Ascended’ thought Cassius.

The Duke turned his attention to the Head Butler, his command crisp and unwavering. "Contact me to the Merfolk," he ordered, "And while I speak with them, prepare the ship."

The Head Butler vanished the moment the Duke gave his command, leaving the Duke and Cassius alone in the room. The Duke started to walk toward the gate, his steps resolute, the urgency of his mission clear. But before he could reach the door, Cassius spoke, his voice hesitant. "Sir, I am—"

Without even listening to Cassius or sparing a glare, the Duke left the room. The door swung shut behind him with a soft thud, leaving Cassius alone in the silence.

Cassius stood alone in the empty room, a cold emptiness settling around him. His hands trembled slightly as drops of tears fell from his eyes, each one a painful reminder of the weight he carried. His body, though healed from every wound, still felt the sting of something deeper—a bleeding wound on his heart that no healing potion or magic could mend.

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, Electric currents crackled around his body, sparking to life with an intensity that matched the storm brewing inside him. With the sound of the thunder echoing in the empty room, he left for the harbor.

…

At, the Harbor

A massive crowd had gathered along the entire length of the harbor, their hushed voices a constant murmur, but all their attention was drawn to one thing.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.

The warship’s hull was dark and sleek, its design both elegant and fearsome, crafted for both speed and dominance. Its sails, tall and mighty, fluttered in the breeze. The symbol of the Ducal House stood proudly on its sails, catching the light in a way.

"Isn’t that the Duke Ship? Is he heading for a war"

"Haven’t you heard? The mysterious wife of the Duke got kidnapped. They say she’s been taken by the Pirate King himself."

"There was a man wearing the servant uniform of the Southern Duchy. He was found dead on the shore this morning by a fisherman. His entire body was covered in wounds. I heard that he was running away with the Duke’s wife… but was caught by the Pirate King. The Pirate King killed him and took the Duke’s wife for himself."