Chapter 124: THIRD POV.
Perhaps it was because Jacob wasn’t originally from this world, hence the reason for his behavior.
Back in his old world, helping people in need and sharing food with the hungry was just a normal, decent thing to do.
He didn’t think of himself as a grand saint; he just had a modern sense of empathy that didn’t fit into the harsh realities of this medieval setting.
To him, saving the captives was just the right thing to do, but to the people of this world, it looked like a calculated chess move by a dangerous mastermind.
Or maybe it was because Flounder had been through so much intense hardship and betrayal already in his young life that such a high level of kindness from a complete stranger instantly triggered his natural defense mechanism.
He had watched his home fall into chaos, seen his fellow knights perish.
His mind was in a permanent state of war, his brain simply couldn’t process such levels of generosity without thinking it was a trick.
Jacob looked at the young guard, the annoyance in his chest completely vanishing, replaced by a sudden wave of quiet understanding.
Either way, Jacob couldn’t just let their relationship continue like this.
If they kept fighting every time they saw each other in the hallways, it would only make things harder for everyone on the ship.
More than that, Jacob needed Flounder’s cooperation if he were to get close to the princess and use her to secure himself a stable, comfortable life on land later on.
Having a stubborn, angry guard blocking the door every time he wanted to talk to the royal girl was a massive problem for his long-term plans.
He had to break down this wall of suspicion right now.
’Maybe this could work,’ he thought to myself, an idea quickly coming to mind. Though it wasn’t one he wished to recall.
Jacob let out a long, heavy sigh, his shoulders dropping as if a great weight had suddenly settled on his chest.
He looked down at the wooden table for a moment before raising his eyes to meet the young guard’s gaze.
"You really want to know why I’m doing all this?" he asked, his voice dropping into a quiet, serious tone that filled the small kitchen.
Flounder said nothing in response, but the sharp, intense look in his dark eyes was all one needed to see to know he wanted to hear about it.
He stood completely still, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting to see what kind of explanation the first mate was about to cook up.
Resembling a judge waiting for a criminal to confess.
"Alright, I’ll tell you the truth."
" But first, you have to promise me that when I do, you won’t tell the princess or anyone else on this ship," Jacob said, leaning closer and softening his voice even more, making it sound like a deeply guarded secret.
"What?" A confused look emerged on Flounder’s face. He blinked, his stubborn stance shifting slightly as he tried to figure out why a simple explanation required so much secrecy.
"Promise me," Jacob repeated, his face completely serious as he stared at the boy. "If you don’t give me your word right now, I’m not telling you a single thing."
" You can go on believing whatever you want–" he truly sounded serious about this.
"Alright, alright, I promise," Flounder muttered. While he still looked highly skeptical and unsure, his burning curiosity got the better of him, and he agreed to the terms.
He wanted to know the dark secret behind this man’s endless generosity.
Jacob nodded, a light, slightly sad smile appearing on his face to set the mood.
"Truth is, I wasn’t always on land, you know. But I’m guessing you already knew that, thanks to our very first encounter in the water," Jacob chuckled at the end, reminding Flounder of how he had saved the princess in the water days ago.
Back then, he wasn’t exactly human so his secret couldn’t be hidden.
Flounder’s complete silence was all the confirmation he needed.
It seemed the lad had the same thought on his mind for awhile now but couldn’t really figure out how to bring it up.
He was arrogant sure, but he wasn’t exactly lacking in manners, simply cautious.
"Back when I was still living in the deep sea, before I ever stepped foot on a proper ship, I happened to meet a certain someone," Jacob continued, his eyes drifting toward the small kitchen window that looked out over the dark, rolling waves of the ocean.
"Just like your little princess, she was in a very difficult bind as well. She wasn’t exactly running from danger per say, but she sure was alone, and desperately needed someone she could lean on."
Jacob couldn’t help shaking his head softly as he reminisced about the past.
"At first, our relationship was a bit complicated," he murmured, his voice full of an awkward sense of regret.
"Honestly, it was more troublesome than anything else. I was stubborn, selfish, and focused only on my own survival. Believe it or not, I ended up causing her far more harm than good in the long run, all because I didn’t take the time to properly know her or understand the heavy burden she was carrying on her shoulders."
He paused for a moment, letting the sound of the rolling waves fill the silence between them.
Flounder’s eyes softened just a fraction, his arms loosening slightly as he listened to the story.
While he wasn’t completely won over, it appeared Jacob was making some progress.
" While I hate to admit it.... Due to my own selfishness and ignorance."
"I ended up turned my back on someone in desperate need," Jacob said, a low, hollow chuckle leaving his lips as he looked down at his own palms.
"Someone who I later realized had actually saved my own life more times than I thought was humanly possible."
" The very person I’d chased away was the same one who watched over me when I was weak, yet when she needed me to stand by her side, I failed her completely."