Chapter 585: Wendy

585. Wendy (4)

“Marriage?”

“Yes.”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Oliver asked again, and Hook replied.

Though his reply was short, it held an unwavering determination.

Yet, Oliver had no idea what Hook meant.

Then, Hook spoke again.

“Despite how I may seem now, I was born into a fairly good family.”

“…?”

“An educated and wealthy family. Thanks to the wealth my ancestors accumulated, I never had to worry about money, and the people I interacted with were similar. Businessmen, bankers, lawyers, politicians. All people who had amassed considerable wealth and social prestige.”

He was being sincere.

It might have been surprising for someone from a pirate’s household, but Oliver wasn’t particularly shocked.

That’s because Hook had an aura unique to people from the upper class.

It wasn’t necessarily about the expensive uniform or jewelry he wore.

It was more about his body language, his attitude, his speech. Subtle things, but not easy to imitate.

For example, like the knowledge Paul Carver, the Minister of Internal Affairs in Randa, accumulated through effort, or the noble etiquettes and gestures of those Oliver met in Gallos.

So when Hook said he was from a noble family, Oliver wasn’t surprised. But still…

“There’s something I don’t understand. How did you end up with Fen 30 years ago? Were you kidnapped?”

It was a perfectly reasonable question.

How did someone like Hook, born into a good environment, end up with Fen?

Hook answered.

“No, I followed him willingly.”

“Did your family fall into ruin?”

“Not at all. As long as you don’t fall into gambling or drugs, it’s not easy to lose everything. I just followed Fen. I hated my family… Where does the compass point?”

As they conversed, Hook asked about the compass’s direction, and when Oliver told him, he immediately adjusted the course.

The thick fog and unpredictable currents constantly led the ship off course, so they had to make frequent adjustments.

This was something Oliver found hard to imitate.

Hook continued talking.

“The reason I followed Fen was because of my mother.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes, my mother was the epitome of a high-society woman… Full of vanity.”

“Ah…”

Oliver, who had been silently watching without understanding, finally let out a breath of realization.

“The only grace my mother showed me was giving birth to me. After that, she had no concern for me. What mattered to her were her expensive clothes and jewelry, and the opinions of others.”

“…”

“Whenever she sought me out, it was only to boast to others. Otherwise, she never showed interest. She didn’t even know I suffered from insomnia and couldn’t sleep.”

“…”

“Actually, no, she probably knew. One night, I was desperate and asked her to sing me a lullaby. But she refused, saying she had to attend a party.”

“…”

“Does this sound like a spoiled story?”

Hook suddenly looked at Oliver and asked.

After all, many dark mages were from the very bottom of society.

People worried about their next meal, their place to sleep, their safety.

So the idea that someone like Hook, who grew up in comfort and luxury, became a dark mage because of a mere lullaby might appear laughable.

But Oliver thought differently.

“No, not at all.”

“Sincerely?”

“Yes, I wasn’t born into the upper class, and I don’t have a mother, so I can’t judge you.”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I ever envied the upper class or felt sad about not having a mother.”

Oliver was sincere. He didn’t even know what the upper class was when he was at the orphanage or the mines, and since everyone around him was also an orphan, he never felt sad about not having parents.

That was the natural and expected world.

More importantly, because of that, he was noticed by Joseph and learned dark magic, so in the grand scheme of things, Oliver felt he was quite fortunate.

Blessed, one might say.

“In the end, what I’m saying is that since I don’t know Captain Hook’s circumstances well, I can’t recklessly judge. Please, feel free to speak your mind.”

Hook looked at Oliver as if he couldn’t figure him out. It seemed like he hadn’t anticipated this attitude, but Oliver checked the compass again and asked another question.

“The compass now points to the right… When did you decide to follow Fen?”

“I made a mistake in front of others because of my insomnia, and my mother, ever concerned about appearances, scolded me harshly. That day, I ran away. And that’s when I met Fen. He offered to let me follow him. He said he needed a refined subordinate.”

“Did you accept?”

“There was no reason to refuse. I had nowhere else to go, and Fen happened to be creating an island with no adults. And at the time, I was just a kid.”

Oliver nodded.

Primarily, it was about Hook’s past, but it also provided some insight into the creation of Neverland and Fen.

“And that’s when I met Wendy. At Fen’s hideout.”

“That Wendy…”

“…No, that’s not it.”

As if knowing what Oliver was going to ask, Hook interrupted.

“She was the girl who sang me lullabies, but she wasn’t the real Wendy.”

“What do you mean, the real Wendy?”

“I don’t know the details. Perhaps, she’s the girl Fen longs for. He renames the girls who catch his eye as Wendy and has them play the role.”

Oliver didn’t know what to say. Hook continued.

“The Wendy who sang me lullabies was one of those replacements.”

Hook’s face shone with nostalgia and sadness.

Belle, in Hook’s arms, looked at him with concern, and Hook gently stroked her while continuing his explanation.

“At first, it was pretty nice. It was my first time living with kids around my age, so it was awkward and difficult, but also fun. Learning dark magic from Fen was useful, and more than anything, I liked Wendy.”

Hook’s expression softened with tender affection and deep sorrow.

“When she found out I had insomnia, she sang me lullabies. It was the first time in my life I ever heard one. I could finally sleep soundly after that.”

“So, what made you run away from Fen?”

“Fen killed Wendy.”

Hook spoke calmly. It was not that it didn’t affect him; it was just that the pain had dulled over the years.

“Wendy strongly opposed Fen’s plan to create Neverland.”

“…Why did she oppose it?”

“To create an island for children, ironically, required sacrificing countless children. We had no idea what Fen really was, and by the time we found out, it was too late.”

This time, Hook’s expression held anger and hatred. But it wasn’t directed at Fen; it was aimed at his past self.

“Of course, Fen didn’t kill Wendy immediately. He quite liked her at the time. No, we all loved her. She was really… She was like a mother to us.”

Even though Oliver had never seen Wendy’s face, through Hook’s emotions, he could tell she was someone truly kind.

“However, that didn’t make her irreplaceable in Fen’s eyes. Which way is the compass pointing?”

Hook asked about the direction again.

Momentarily distracted by the story, Oliver had forgotten about the compass, but he checked it again and gave the answer.

Hook adjusted the ship’s wheel, and the Wendy once again corrected its course.

“Wendy kept trying to stop Fen from bringing in more children as supplies for Neverland. Fen gradually became annoyed by her presence. At first, we also tried to dissuade Wendy. It might sound selfish, but Wendy was more important to us than kids we’d never met.”

“…”

“But every time, Wendy insisted that we couldn’t do that. Even if they were strangers, those kids felt joy and pain like we did. It might’ve been naïve, but that’s why she was our Wendy.”

“…”

“Eventually, the inevitable happened. Wendy tried to escape with the forgotten children and us.”

“What’s a forgotten child?”

“They’re Fen’s direct followers or children who failed, used as substitutes to fill a slot or as materials to maintain Neverland. Think of them as two-legged livestock… We treated them like animals to make Neverland shine even brighter.”

“So… What happened to Wendy?”

Knowing where this story was likely headed, Oliver still asked.

Even though he didn’t know Wendy’s face, from Hook’s words, Oliver thought it was only proper to ask.

Hook answered.

“Wendy was caught by Fen and eventually killed. He put her in a sack and hanged her.”

Though Hook spoke as if it were nothing, Oliver could see the fierce emotion and clenched teeth hidden behind his words.

“Before she died, Wendy asked me for one last favor. She told me to escape with the children if anything happened to her. She said this place was a paradise built on lies and sins and that no one could stay a child forever. One day, everyone would have to grow up.”

Hook again asked Oliver about the direction of the compass as he turned the wheel. It seemed they had passed through half the fog.

“But I couldn’t even fulfill that one request. I could barely escape on my own. I tried to get revenge by fleeing with Fen’s treasure, but even that went wrong.”

Hook waved his hooked hand.

“The only reason I’m alive now is because Belle helped me.”

“…Why did Belle help you?”

Oliver asked, looking at Belle who was still in Hook’s arms. Belle was comforting Hook.

She was indeed a fascinating creature. Despite being Fen’s creature, she helped Hook.

Even considering the nature of creatures, it was an unusual case given Fen’s power.

“It was thanks to Wendy. Although Belle followed Fen more than anyone else in Neverland, he never paid her much attention, and Wendy often comforted her.”

From a dark mage’s perspective, it was quite a fresh story.

To influence another’s creature through emotions like affection and care… It was something worth studying, both academically and personally.

Despite thinking he had learned much about dark magic, Oliver felt like there was even more he didn’t know.

“So that’s how I barely escaped Neverland and have been trying to keep my promise ever since, even if it’s late.”

“That’s impressive.”

Oliver honestly admired him.

It wasn’t Hook’s dark magic or his success as a pirate, but that determination to keep searching for Neverland that seemed truly impressive.

But Hook shook his head.

“No, I’m just doing it to ease my own guilt. If I don’t do anything, I feel sorry for Wendy. It’s like opening a book without really studying it, just pretending to do something because staying still makes you feel guilty.”

“That’s-”

“-Otherwise, I wouldn’t have needed the compass.”

Hook looked at the compass in Oliver’s hand.

Oliver reflexively checked the compass and informed him of the direction again.

As soon as Hook heard the direction, he turned the wheel to adjust the Wendy’s course.

It seemed they were about to completely break free from the fog.

“A heart’s compass. A useful item that shows the direction of what you desire, but it’s extremely difficult to use. It only responds to a pure and resolute heart. If there’s any fear or hesitation, it doesn’t work properly.”

Suddenly, a strong current surged, and a horde of sea creature-like entities appeared.

Hook firmly grasped the wheel to steady the rocking Wendy and instructed the crew to deal with the creatures.

First and Second both fired sticky flames and special ammunition capable of hitting targets even underwater to assist.

Screeeech! The Wendy screamed, but Hook ignored this and managed to keep the ship on course.

“Honestly, I was scared! Even if I did find Neverland, I doubted I could do anything… I wasn’t confident I could fight Fen, or lead the children to escape, or even that I truly wanted to save them. So when the compass didn’t work, it was frustrating yet also relieving because I could make excuses… It’s a comedy.”

Hook mocked himself.

But to Oliver, Hook seemed admirable.

Even so, he hadn’t given up. He had faced his own weakness. This was truly beautiful and remarkable.

“Captain Hook.”

“Wait! We’re almost out.”

Hook adjusted the Wendy’s wheel with force and pulled a nearby lever.

When he pulled the lever, the Wendy generated its own wind, using it to accelerate forward.

With the sudden acceleration, all the creatures fell away, and the Wendy split the rough current, forging a path.

As the Wendy sailed through the rough Sea of Oblivion.

The fog began to thin, and the view became clearer.

“From here onwards, it’s uncharted territory, but I doubt there will be anything immediately threatening. Fen doesn’t leave such hideous things…”

Hook didn’t finish his sentence. That’s because as soon as they emerged from the fog, they were greeted by a giant mountain… No, a gigantic reptilian arm resembling a mountain.

Starting from the surface of the water and reaching up to the sky, it was a giant reptilian arm that created an artificial darkness.

The arm of a sea monster.

Biiiiiiiiiiiiiip!

A ringing echoed in Oliver’s ears, followed by an eerie voice.

‘Leviathan. Strike.’

Amazingly, as soon as the voice rang out, the mountain-like reptilian arm twitched as if it had been hit, just like when it first attacked Oliver, and soon the sea itself split open.