The Technicalities of Morality

Never again! I repeat, never again, do I want to have a wound cauterised.

If I'd known how painful it would be, I never would've done it. I'd have risked the infection and bleeding instead.

The moment Bjørn was finished branding me with the poker, Túta immediately ran off. At first, I thought even she had underestimated how much it would hurt. But only a moment later, she calmly returned from her room carrying a jar filled with a green gel-like substance.

Accompanying her was a frantic Pippa, who was charging straight towards me.

“Pippa, I know you are worried, but I need you to keep calm and not go near him right away,” Túta warned her.

“Pwii!” she protested to Túta.

“I know you care about him and want to see him up close, but there are no exceptions. It could cause more infections. If that happens, we would have to take more drastic measures.”

More drastic than cauterising? Was such a thing possible?

A shiver went down my spine.

“I’m fine, Pippa,” I weakly offered.

“Pwii,” she nodded with a sad look on her face. She flapped over to where Unnr was sitting in the corner of the room, settling on an empty stool next to her.

I returned my focus to Túta, who had some of the ominous green gel between her fingers.

“This is ointment to help heal the burns and to prevent any further infection,” she paused hesitantly before adding. “I’m sorry, this may sting a little.”

Sure enough, it stung like hell. I tried to pull my arm away, but I was still restrained. All I could do was grit my teeth and endure the stinging.

“That’s it, all done.”

Thank goodness for that. I don’t think I could do with any more pain today.

“You’re pretty tough, lad. Most dwarves would have passed out from all that,” Bjørn commented with an impressed nod.

“Thanks, I think.”

“That toughness is just further proof you should mar…”

Unnr shot him a look from the other side of the room. She had already begun work on repairing the jacket. Pippa was watching on, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Bjørn cleared his throat. “Anyway, did I hear Túta call you Mr. Pirate before?”

Panic settled in. I was still restrained on the bench, and I had used all my energy trying to remain conscious. If they thought I was a notorious criminal, then I was defenceless.

Not that I had done any… wait, people thought I killed Elder Rudolf. Divert! Divert!

“It’s something we were talking about when I was getting examined.”

“So can I take it that your lack of denial means you’re a pirate?”

“Um… not really… maybe… unless that’s bad…” My words fumbled out, my mind unable to process the thoughts cohesively.

“Don’t mind Bjørn, pirate or not, we all know you are a good boy,” Unnr chimed in with a smile.

I could feel my cheeks turn peachy, but I don’t know if that was because I was embarrassed by her comments or if it was because of the warmth of the forge.

Sure, it was the forge. Let’s go with that.

“As my wife said, we can tell you’re a good lad, I was just curious.”

“Alright, I admit I liked the idea of becoming a pirate. But I haven’t done anything bad!”

“A pirate not doing something bad? Hohoho~. You are a fun lad or a foolish pirate. But perhaps I’m foolish because I want to believe in the idea of a good pirate.”

Now that he mentioned it, it did indeed sound foolish. But I didn’t see a reason to go around terrorising people. My issue was with the system and those behind it. Not anyone else. Besides, good or bad, did any of that matter? Being a pirate is about being free. Who cares about the technicalities of morality?

“Do you prefer Mr. Pirate or have you got a name?” Bjørn asked.

“My name? Did I not introduce myself? It’s Kaito.”

“So, your name is Kaito, huh?” He said, looking a little disappointed. “I expected something cooler.”

“Papa!”

“Dear, it’s rude to insult someone's name.” Unnr scolded.

“That’s alright, I don’t mind. It’s just the name my parents gave me, and I’m not that attached to it,” I honestly replied.

“You don’t like the fact that your parents gave you the name?”

I hesitated. Should I tell them about my past? I barely knew them. But I guess I had already told Túta everything. What would it matter if I told them everything else? They didn’t care that I was considering being a pirate. If they don’t judge that, I don’t think they would judge my past.

“You see, my parents don’t really care much for me.”

“I’m sure they do.” Unnr tried to reassure.

“Mama, don’t…” Túta began, but I cut her off.

“It’s okay. I know parents' love is normally unconditional, but in my case, they specifically told me that I am a failure. I just think they don’t love me.”

I then proceeded to tell them about everything. All the while, Unnr progressively looked more upset. Pippa puffed out her cheeks and seemed quite angry. Once I finished, Unnr looked like she was about to burst into tears.

“My dear boy. I’m so sorry you had to go through all that. I would hug you, but I am worried about spreading infection at the moment,” Unnr commented as she began to cry.

“That’s alright.”

It’s true that I, too, should probably feel sad, but I think by now I've got used to it. I had grown numb to the fact that my parents didn’t see anything in me.

“Then, how about we do this instead? How about we give you a name?” Unnr offered.

Give me a new name? It wasn't that I hated my old name. But I guess it did tie me to my past. And I felt more comfortable with this dwarven family I had only known for a few hours than with any other person in my life. What did it say about my life?

“Sure,” I responded.

Unnr stopped to think for a moment.

“What do you think of Lark?”

When they suggested I get a new name, I had also begun to think of names, just in case their suggestion was awful. The only one I had come up with was Plaxiv Donovan. But since they came up with Lark, I had to admit that it didn’t sound too bad.

Maybe I was just bad at naming. No, I am not the problem, I’m great at coming up with names. Others simply don’t appreciate my sense of naming.

That being said, I couldn’t deny that Lark was a much better name.

“You know. I like that. From this day forth, I am Lark.”

“Don’t you mean Captain Lark, the notorious pirate?” Túta teased.

“If we are giving you a new name, why not take our family name, Trüestrike?” Bjørn proposed.

“I couldn’t do that.”

I had barely known them for more than a few hours, and they were already offering me so much.

“Of course you can. You can always Mar…” He was cut off by a sewing needle flying past his face, barely missing him.

“Oh dear me, I must have slipped,” Unnr commented. Despite her smile, there was a murderous look in her eyes. I didn’t want to get on the wrong side of her.

“I truly am grateful, but won’t it cause issues if I end up becoming a notorious pirate?”

“We will just disown you. Hohoho~” Bjørn laughed.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Everything turned silent, and they all looked away awkwardly.

“It was a joke,” I tried to reassure them. “Thank you, if you’ll allow me to take the name Trüestrike, I will more than happily accept it.”

Without any hesitation, the three dwarfs all nodded.

“Well then, I guess from this day forward I am Lark Trüestrike.”

▪──── X ────▪

End of chapter 10