“My name is Max. I’m responsible for this hunt.”
A man dressed in leather armor reinforced with metal bent his head.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Viscount.”
Grace, the Guild Master, pointed at the opponent with her fan.
“I won’t be participating in the battle. If you have any requests after our journey, just speak to Max.”
Pastel nodded.
“Nice to meet you!”
“Likewise.”
They shook hands.
“He’ll also be in charge of the Craft Guild’s escort forces in the future.”
Oh?
Is this person the key part of the automatic smuggling?
Having sent my entire fortune in smuggled goods, if I lose them to pirates along with the vessel, I’ll be left starving.
Not being able to restore the Student Council’s books in time and getting caught for embezzlement would be a bonus.
This Max is a really important person!
“Let’s work well together!”
Pastel shook the hand she held vigorously.
A hundred times better cooperation!
Then she shook it even more vigorously.
A million times better cooperation!
Her hand was going swish swish swish.
The wind from her hand!
Max was bewildered as his hand was shaken vigorously.
“Y-yes.”
Pastel was startled and her eyes widened.
Oh, right.
“This isn’t the time! Just shaking hands with someone I’ve just met is such a waste of time! Max! Isn’t the metal plate in your leather armor heavy?! Should I hold the plate for you?!”
‘Why is that question coming up at this time? What kind of accident should I expect?’
Does the demon not know about icebreaking? The atmosphere should be warmed up first for relationships to improve. No wonder he was in such a drab suit. He looked like he had no friends.
Max was flustered. He patted his leather armor. The metal plates on the armor stood out.
“It is heavy, but it’s alright. It’s my lifeline. Without it, I’d be too vulnerable to gunfire.”
Wow.
Totally professional!
He is qualified to double the wealth of a starving child through righteous means!
Pastel’s cheeks flushed.
“The Craft Guild will operate on a performance basis, so let’s get rich together!”
Hooray~!
Wealthy, wealthy!
Pastel spun around with her arms raised.
You’re wealthy.
I’m wealthy.
We’re all wealthy.
Whoa.
Could it be that everyone is involved in smuggling?
Oh no.
Max and Grace whispered to each other, watching the girl who was amazed by herself.
“Is this how she normally is?”
“I saw her for the first time today, so I can’t say for sure. She seems similar to Craft but also different in some ways, and in other ways, they are the same. But she looks like she is similar to how she appears.”
“Is this the Craft your lady is referring to?”
“I think not yet. Perhaps it’s Lady Pastel.”
“What’s that?”
Pastel turned around with a smile.
Grace, the Guild Master, shook her head.
“No, I apologize. Max, please introduce our forces to her.”
“Yes.”
Pastel followed Max’s guidance as she looked at the guild’s escort forces.
“This is the guild’s escort force. You can think of them as protecting the trade under normal circumstances. We occasionally hire mercenaries additionally, but at the core, it’s us.”
Soldiers dressed in neat leather armor stood in a line. When Max gestured, they saluted Pastel in unison.
Wow.
Professional!
Pastel couldn’t match their expertise!
Oh wow.
‘Wow, these aren’t your typical mercenaries. They’re good enough to handle a semi-knight level through collaborative attacks. Quite impressive.’
“Everyone, let’s work well together! The Craft Guild will operate on a performance basis, so let’s all get rich together!”
Wow, wow.
“Yes?”
Max was taken aback.
“Only some members will be drafted into the Craft Guild. We need to operate our own guild too.”
Pastel paused while cheering.
Huh.
That’s true.
She felt the soldiers’ gazes.
Oh no.
I just said something peculiar in front of everyone.
This is totally, totally…
Funny!
Pastel burst out laughing by herself.
Ahahaha.
“A shameful mistake! Oh, how embarrassing! It’s unfortunate that everyone here cannot join our guild! Then let’s at least let some become rich! I hope many participate!”
Oh yeah.
After being introduced to the soldiers, she went to meet the mercenaries.
“I’ve warned them, but they’re rough around the edges, so there may be some rude remarks. I’ll deal with it immediately, so please bear with it, Your Ladyship.”
“Oh, it’s alright! There are all kinds of people out there! I don’t take those kinds of words to heart!”
An expert at ignoring.
A genius who can brush off even the whispers of demons.
The mercenaries gathered in the clearing. Unlike the soldiers, their attire and equipment levels varied greatly. Some seemed really annoyed to be gathered in the clearing.
Of course, they’re mercenaries.
A disheveled mercenary scratched his neck, his face looking like he hadn’t fully recovered from a hangover.
“That girl is the Viscount? She looks like just a girl to me. Did she come out from the greenhouse all puffed up after learning a little swordplay?”
Oh.
What a hungover remark.
Max was startled and bowed his head to Pastel.
“I apologize. They’re a rude bunch.”
The mercenary raised an eyebrow.
“Rude? Isn’t that a bit of an extreme assessment?”
Max made a sudden gesture. The soldiers rushed over and kicked the mercenary, trampling him.
Wow.
What a waking-up violence!
Screams erupted.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
No, that’s violence that could kill someone!
“Wait! While the rude remark was indeed right, it’s hard to instill trust from my appearance!”
“I see you found it rude.”
The soldiers, who were coming to a stop, stomped even harder on the mercenary.
The screaming grew louder.
Ah!
I misspoke!
I feel like an evil manager pouring oil on the flames!
Evil manager Pastel…!
Pastel flailed her arms.
“Stop it, stop!”
Evil manager Pastel had managed.
The Viscount’s firm order quickly settled the situation.
The mercenary was carried away on a stretcher. His limp arm hung over the stretcher, swaying.
Ugh.
“Is he alright?”
Max flinched and whispered, as if ready to deal with Craft.
“Should we make sure he’s not alright?”
Oh my.
That’s an unprecedented statement!
Max is totally wicked…!
#
The airships of the trading alliance came to mind.
Seeing the airship modeled after the skywhale swimming through the sky reminded one of a school of whales gliding through the ocean.
Just as whales swallow plankton and help the natural cycle, so do these airships swallow goods and help the flow of wealth, indicating they may not be fundamentally different.
Especially at this moment.
The trading alliance moves in the true spirit of nature by mimicking the whales. They cut off the lifeline of the pirates and throw them to the fish as part of their environmentally friendly actions.
“Wow.”
Pastel leaned against the rail of the airship, her eyes wide.
“It’s a whale! A super giant whale!”
The giant airship flew ahead.
‘It’s a warship. It would normally be decommissioned, but it seems they bought it somehow. Is the empire so corrupted even militarily?’
Pastel let the grim statements waft past her.
“It’s a super giant whale!”
Wow.
She was awestruck.
They flew for quite some time. The group of airships divided and took to different skies.
“We’ll be waiting in the corridor instead of hunting the lairs and will crush any group of pirate ships that runs away from the main force.”
That’s totally serious.
Swallowing hard.
As Pastel arrived at a sky she barely understood, the airships suddenly stopped.
‘Is this a narrow skyway stuck in the middle of the sky mackerel territory? It would be difficult for many airships to ambush here. Quite a few pirate ships might come running here.’
Sky mackerel?
A fish bigger than the person with that pointed snout?
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Are the mackerels flying around in the habitat to the left and right? For no particular reason?”
“Yes. If you encounter them, it won’t turn out well for you. You might even witness an airship being pierced through.”
Whoa.
Given that the body thickness of a sky mackerel is about the size of Pastel’s head, how big could a mackerel be?
It would definitely be big enough to turn her into a Pastel skewer.
Pastel skewer.
Shivering.
I just want to eat a chicken skewer.
The soldiers and mercenaries readied their weapons atop the deck, tense.
With the command transferred, Pastel, who had wandered alone by the railing, pulled out her magic sword and began to wipe it with a handkerchief.
Swish swish swish swish.
She examined the blade.
Shiny, shiny.
Oh my, it was like a mirror.
Footsteps approached.
“Are you really going to fight?”
Turning around, the mercenary who had made a rude remark and was carried away slightly limped toward her.
Having prepared for battle, he was fully armed in his leather armor. A large axe lay draped over his shoulder.
Oh.
“Is your body alright?”
The ankle?
The mercenary raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll take care of my body myself.”
Ugh.
He seems totally displeased.
Pastel looked sad.
“It’s a pirate ship!”
The scout called out while looking through his telescope.
All eyes turned toward the sky. Several pirate ships flew toward them at full speed. The guild’s airships reacted immediately and went out to meet the pirate ships.
Wow.
It’s a battle!
Pastel’s hands trembled.
Shivering.
Though I’ve come to eliminate the wicked pirates for my own selfish gains in automatic smuggling, the moment has come and Pastel is fidgeting…!
Fidgeting.
Flailing about.
The pirate ship approached rapidly. The mercenary adjusted his axe, glancing between the pirate ship and Pastel, frowning.
“Hold onto the railing tightly.”
“What?”
“Hold tight to the railing!”
Well-behaved Pastel grasped the railing firmly.
Following an unspoken agreement, the airship reduced speed and gracefully turned away, narrowly avoiding a collision with the pirate ship. The whale-like constructs collided one after another with loud booms.
“Uwahh!”
The pink-toned girl floated up, gripping the railing.
“Save me, Pastel!”
Ugh.
After a moment, the shock subsided.
A plank lay across the pirate ship’s railing. The guild’s soldiers drew their weapons.
“Let’s plunder the pirate ship! Hahaha!”
Cheers erupted from the trading alliance.
Huh?
Pastel sat dazed with her disheveled hair, watching the situation in bewilderment.
Evil Max pointed at the pirate ship.
“Plunder to your heart’s content!”
With cheers, the guild’s soldiers jumped aboard the pirate ship as if they were pirates. The pirates screamed like pathetic victims. A battle broke out.
Huh?
Wasn’t the situation just reversed?
I don’t even know what’s going on, but whatever it is.
Pastel jumped up, blade in hand.
“Wow! Charge!”
Charge! Charge!
She crawled (afraid of falling) across the plank to board the pirate ship.
The clashing of weapons echoed everywhere. Occasionally, gunshots could be heard. People died and blood flowed.
Yikes.
Pastel turned her head this way and that. Each view revealed a scene of about ten people fighting, and she clutched her sword tightly.
This is too real.
I feel like I’ve come to the wrong place.
Footsteps approached. Turning her head, a pirate came charging. The pirate’s sword was raised.
Ahhh.
The mercenary blocked Pastel’s path.
“I don’t know what honor you think you’ll earn as a tender flower on a greenhouse, coming out here.”
The axe swung. It clashed with the pirate’s sword, crushing the resistance, cleaving the pirate in half.
The mercenary turned, resting the axe on his shoulder.
“If you’re a viscount, you ought to stay back and slip out once we win without anyone saying a word, so don’t put yourself at risk.”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
He looked rough, but at heart, he was a good person.
A new pirate charged forward.
“Hey! I’m talking here!”
The mercenary grimaced, turning his body. The axe was raised, and his foot stomped the ground.
At that moment, a strong blow twisted his ankle, and the mercenary lost his stance.
“Uh.”
The axe swung through empty air. The pirate’s sword was aimed at the mercenary.
Pastel’s pink hair flew.
For a divine knight’s honor.
Swords clashed.
Hormones surged.
The pink eyes became dreamy.
One hand of the girl moved carelessly.
From within her coat, a magic stone knife emerged.
This is the manifestation of despising the weak.
The place to strike is omnidirectional.
The silver trajectory ruthlessly surged.
