Rattle.
The two men rushed to the deck, forcing passengers who were unaware of the situation to hastily duck away. If a battle occurred, it made no difference if they hid inside or outside. However, Randolph and Theo couldn’t understand their unconcerned attitudes.
The black sails of the pirate ships were fast approaching.
“What, did they come as a group?” Randolph looked around in puzzlement.
… Rather, the atmosphere is strange.?
In contrast, Theo doubted the whole situation. His danger sense was still silent, and the surrounding passengers didn’t seem to be reacting at all. The ships were close enough to be clearly visible, but the passengers were still chatting, snacking and drinking. It seemed like only the two of them were even a little concerned.
The pirate ships were now within bowshot. If the pirates loosed a volley right then, the deck would be awash with blood.
However, there were no arrows. Then Theo heard a voice calling, “Hey, young man!”
He half turned to catch a middle-aged man smiling strangely at him.
Theo kept an eye on the pirates while cautiously asking the middle-aged man, “… Did you call me?”
“You seem too tense, young man. I’m guessing that this is the first time you and your companion have been on this ship.”
“That’s right.”
“Hahaha! I knew it. People on this ship for the first time are always a little confused. Pirates appear, and no one’s worried; of course people would be confused!”
The man chuckled lazily, however Theo and Randolph’s expressions remained as cold as ever.
Thinking the two people were angry at him, the middle-aged man exclaimed hurriedly, “Oh, I don’t mean that you are stupid!”
Theo ignored his excuses and asked, “Then this is related to the secret of this ship?”
“T-That’s right. I guess I’ll explain.”
The middle-aged man couldn’t bear the pressure anymore. It wasn’t intentional, but Theo was a 6th Circle magician and Randolph was a hair away from master level, and their combined attention was more than ordinary people could endure. It was a testament to the middle-aged man that he could even tell the story coherently.
“Simply put, this isn’t a passenger ship but a cruise ship.”
“Cruise ship?”
“That’s right. While it’s true that the final destination is the Soldun Kingdom, it has a special stopover at the Pirate Archipelago. ”
The middle-aged man regained some of his poise when he mentioned the Pirate Archipelago. The group of islands off the east coast of Kargas Kingdom and a few days northwest of Soldun Kingdom had gained its name after pirates made their home on its once nameless shores. It wasn’t a place that law abiding people often knew about.
Randolph frowned. “Pirate Archipelago? In the end, it’s just another pirate base.”
The middle-aged man shook his head. “If that was the case, there would be no reason for the ship to visit it.”
The middle-aged man, who identified himself as a merchant of the Rommel Company, explained the reason. Perhaps it was his hobby to add some atmosphere or because he was shaken by the pressure of the two men, but his voice had a foreboding tone as he told the story.
Hrmm, I got involved in something more complicated than I imagined.
If the man’s explanation was correct, the Pirate Archipelago only started this tourism business fifty years ago.
The islands, which had originally been uninhabited, had quickly gathered refugees and outlaws from various countries. Once promising swordsmen and criminals known for their superior dexterity flocked to its shores. As they lived together in one place, they formed a large force and turned to piracy to make up for the barren soil and scarce animal husbandry. They were villains who raided private houses on the coast, fishing boats, and merchant ships in order to feed their families on the island.
However, the Pirate Archipelago faced an unexpected demand. As a haven for those who skirted the law, it had a certain rakish charm to some people. Those who dealt with prohibited goods and those who weren’t satisfied by money alone started to change the Pirate Archipelago.
“It was the birth of a whole new form of entertainment.” The middle-aged man clapped his hands together. “ You can enjoy all types of luxuries and forbidden pleasures, such as slaves from foreign countries. It is literally the island of pleasure.”
“Yes, so…”
Was this why the atmosphere was so weird? Theo glanced over the passengers and sighed. So the pirates weren’t enemies, but guides who had come to lead tourists. That was why his danger sense had stayed silent. Theo’s eyes narrowed as he grasped the situation.
Should we turn this upside down?’
Randolph was having the same thought.
[Young Master, should we do something?]
Randolph’s Hidden Voice sounded like a low growl, clearing Theo’s head. Theo glanced at the middle-aged man who had gone to join the others and shook his head.
[That isn’t possible. According to him, this ship and the pirates are in cahoots. There aren’t many people who don’t know the situation, and there is no guarantee any of them will join us. Not to mention…]
[Not to mention?]
[There is no way to survive if the ship sinks from the fighting.]
The two of them weren’t worried about losing. It might be arrogant, but the two of them were confident in their abilities. If they didn’t worry about collateral damage, it would only be the work of a few minutes to sink all the pirate ships.
However, they probably wouldn’t be received kindly by the passenger ship’s crew if they still wanted a ride to Soldun Kingdom. So Theo chose to avoid the battle. Randolph’s eyes cleared of their momentary passion.
[Just endure it for now. There is a proverb from the East that is used in situations like this.]
[What is it?]
Theo stared at the captain of the passenger ship toasting the pirate captain in the distance. His keen hearing picked up all the words they spoke, despite the distance in between and his lips curled in disgust as they laughed together.
[Go into the tiger’s den to catch the tiger.]
***
After the captain and pirates greeted each other, they returned to their respective ships. The pirates threw some chains across and connected their ships together. Then the five pirate ships turned and started to pull the passenger ship in one direction!
What the hell is this? .𝙘𝒐𝒎
Even Theo, who didn’t know much about ships or navigation, thought it was ridiculous.
There were five pirate ships, but the weight of the enormous passenger ship far exceeded the sum of all five. It was said that the burden was reduced by buoyancy, but then it would be better for the ship to move on its own.
But contrary to all common sense, the pirate fleet was pulling the passenger ship along.
Chwack… Chwack…
The wind filled the sails of the pirate ships, and they gradually began to speed up. Five knots, ten knots, fifteen knots, it didn’t take long for the pirate ships to reach full speed even with the passenger ship in tow.
Theo was flabbergasted by this phenomenon. “T-This is ridiculous!”
Theo walked up to examine the chains. Randolph followed behind, but Theo forgot about him.
Perhaps there’s some weight reduction magic on the chains?
Gluttony’s tongue slipped out to touch the chains, but no information popped up. In other words, this was just an ordinary chain. However, Theo wasn’t satisfied. If these chains were ordinary, something else might be the cause. A magician’s curiosity blazed in his eyes.
Perhaps?
It took a bit, but Theo’s sharp eyes eventually found the incongruency. The pirate ships pulling the large passenger ship with the chains looked like galleys, and they were setting an uncanny pace.
Gluttony.
.
– … Bothering me to work as soon as I wake up.
Stop complaining. If you stretch out your tongue, can you reach that place?
– Hmm?
Gluttony glanced at the pirate ship and replied drowsily.
– It is a little dicey, but I can just reach it.
Theo discreetly raised his left hand.
Appraisal!
The red tongue shot out of the hole in his left palm, reaching across the divide between the two ships. It was a bold move, but between the choppy waves left in the ships’ wake, Theo was confident he could get away with it. The tongue stretched to its limit and succeeded in touching one of the pirate ships.
The information window Theo had been waiting for popped up.
[Pirate Ship No. 17 (Ship)]
[This is a galley built six years ago. It was made by excellent craftsmen from materials which hold a high resistance to sea breeze and salt, giving it a long life and high durability. Due to the weight reduction and strength enhancement spells engraved on its surface, it is 30% faster than normal galleys. However, the majority of this ship’s worth comes from the divine protection on it.
* This ship is rated Rare.
* It can’t be consumed. If the user intends to consume it, it would be advisable to separate the areas where magic is engraved.
* When consumed, the digestion time is fifty-five minutes and seventeen seconds.
* When consumed, the proficiency of weight reduction spells will increase.
* When consumed, knowledge of navigation will be acquired.
* It is imbued with the blessing of an unknown existence. The ship will gain additional acceleration, and the wind and waves will always be favorable toward it.]
… An unknown existence!
Theo didn’t care about the other information as he gazed closely at the final line. Weight reduction or strength enhancement magic wouldn’t have these incredible effects. The secret of the ship’s speed lay in this mysterious blessing.
Indeed, we are going somewhere strange.
Though there would always be some kind of haven for the lawless, a large-scale lawless zone like the Pirate Archipelago was bound to experience some pressure from this tourism business. Regardless of what benefits they could gain, the masterminds always needed to be wary of nearby kingdoms getting too interested. But Theo had finally grasped a clue as to how the Pirate Archipelago had survived for fifty years.
This was a deterrent that even the central continent couldn’t touch easily. Just who had blessed the pirate ships?
I was avoiding trouble and then this appeared.
Maybe the person they were heading toward was more dangerous than the warlocks of the Orcus Company.
