Paikon turned to Kinto.

"Kinto! What is going on here? Why are you celebrating? The northern part of the island was literally overrun by pirates! Why haven't you dealt with it?"

"We were only recently attacked by them. Their attack would have almost been successful if Kawao and Koru hadn't been here!"

He pointed to the two of them.

"During the attack, our wall was damaged! We had to repair it first before we could continue dealing with the pirates!"

"Don't worry about the pirates! On my way here, I destroyed them all and brought the northern part of the island back under control!"

A murmur of astonishment rippled through the crowd, and Paikon felt proud for a moment.

Then he turned to Kawao and Koru.

"So, you two have protected this place? For that, you deserve my respect, as well as the recognition of the army. If there is anything I can do for you, as long as it is within my power, I will do it for you!"

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Kawao spoke first.

"If you say so, then I would ask you to take me back to the mainland with you."

"That can be arranged. You can board the ship! And you? What do you want?"

Koru looked him in the eyes and said, "I want you to arrest me!"

"What?"

"My brother and I helped the leader of the pirates launch the attack on the harbor. Even though I decided to fight against them during the battle, I am still guilty. After my brother's death, I want to start a new life, far from crime. But first, I must atone for my past crimes. So I ask you to arrest me and judge me!"

Paikon thought for a moment.

"Alright. So be it! MEN! Arrest him and take him below deck! We'll deal with him later!"

Immediately, some soldiers came from the ship and put Koru in handcuffs.

"I still have to thank you for turning yourself in voluntarily! Hardly anyone would do the same as you!"

"Thank you."

While Koru was taken below deck, Kawao spoke with the soldiers on board for a moment.

However, they did not really feel the need to talk to him.

He wondered why they were arresting Koru, but he did not want to cause a commotion at the moment.

About an hour later, Paikon returned to the ship.

He turned to Kawao again.

"You will sail with us as our guest. It will take three days to reach Kurani! It is the largest port of Kasaka."

Kawao only nodded and hoped that his journey would go smoothly.