I could somewhat understand what pirates meant by “comfortable.” It was truly convenient when it came to dealing with corpses.
Just toss them to the fish, and it’s done.
Thanks to that, sharks were swarming around our pirate ship.
“So that big ship just moves through mana, huh?”
“Y-Yes! That’s correct!”
Looking at the already corpsed crew members scattered around, the captain was trembling and exaggeratedly nodded his head.
“It’s the ‘Magic Ship’ known as Deep Roenho, commanded by Pirate Officer Bethany!”
“I guess they made a lot of money from pirating. After all, Jesant and Zavalanco seemed to have plenty of cash.”
Thanks to that, I never had to worry about money while attending the Academy.
But maybe because my name was unexpected, the captain inadvertently strengthened his gaze on me.
“C-Could it be that you killed Jesant in Bairn…?”
He couldn’t say anything more.
My sword had pierced his neck, after all.
“That’s brutal.”
Eve, who followed behind, approached quickly, stepping gingerly over the scattered corpses. I was annoyed that I told her to stay still, yet she insisted on witnessing this scene.
However, she brought urgent news.
“Daniel, it seems the disturbance from this ship has reached the surrounding pirate ships. The outside condition is…”
Boom!
The hull shook violently.
In that moment, I caught Eve, who almost fell over the pile of bodies.
“T-Thank you.”
“They fire without hesitation at their own allied ship.”
There might be other pirates alive, yet they just shoot.
Eve and I stepped out of the captain’s cabin onto the deck. Sen and Zane were already outside, observing the situation.
Sen quickly reported.
“The cannon fire isn’t that severe. It seems they don’t plan to sink us completely.”
As she said, we were surrounded by other pirate ships, but only a few were firing cannons at us.
“They probably judged that there’s more to gain from us since we’re fellow pirates. They’re not targeting the ammunition hold.”
They believed there was plenty to loot—including not only the spoils stacked on the pirate ship but also weapons, ammunition, and food. Since we were of the same kind, they figured there was much more to take.
“So we just need to endure the immediate cannon fire.”
No matter how good I was, I couldn’t slice through incoming cannonballs. So it looked like the top priority was to hold on, and I moved the three of us towards the center of the deck.
“B-But what if we sink?”
Maybe because we were on the ocean, her previously shown calmness vanished, and she nervously scanned around.
However, Eve squeezed her hand tight and reassured her.
“It’s alright. A ship doesn’t sink that easily due to buoyancy. It would be dangerous if the keel breaks or if they target the powder magazine…”
“Then they’d return empty-handed.”
By starting to fire cannonballs, the pirates were already at a loss.
The cost of cannonballs wouldn’t be cheap either.
So maybe they were intentionally refraining from shooting too often, or being cautious.
Ultimately, everyone hesitated, and a situation unfolded where no one fired cannonballs.
After a brief game of chicken, the situation boiled down to who could seize the pirate ship faster. The enemy pirate ships were approaching, with holes already starting to sink.
“Looks like they’ll engage in close combat.”
“I’m confident.”
After sending Eve and Zane towards the crew quarters, Sen and I prepared for the forthcoming battle.
“Try not to stray too far from me if possible.”
If things got dangerous, I would need to stop time. Sen, holding daggers in reverse grip with both hands, responded and took a slow breath while whispering softly.
“It feels just like a ghost ship.”
“Hmm?”
“Everyone’s dead.”
Indeed.
Looking at the cold corpses of pirates, I wondered if they sank like this, wouldn’t they turn into a ghost ship?
“Well, others will probably end up the same way.”
Honestly, although dozens of pirate ships were rushing towards us, I wasn’t scared at all. Even though needing to protect the others added some chains,
‘That’s about it.’
It wasn’t arrogance or pride.
To be honest, I could assert that no one in the continent could defeat me right now.
If I had to pinpoint, maybe the Dragon God Shakallim we were about to visit?
But we’d have to see about that.
Originally, my specialty was not fighting humans but battling monsters.
Ropes with hooks were flying through the air.
There weren’t any dramatic situations of ships colliding, but wooden bridges were put in place, allowing pirates to pour in.
“Let’s go, go, go!”
“The sea men’s charge does not stop!”
“It’s a hunt! Capture the women and kill the men!”
Perhaps because their ship was sinking, the pirates charged in while humming tunes.
Most of them were humans, but I could also see Dragonkin, Beastmen, and even rare glimpses of Dwarves and Elves among them.
Together, Sen and I raised our swords and rushed forward.
*
In the sea, there exists a phenomenon known as a whirlpool.
Some regions call it a maelstrom, while pirates or sailors refer to it as wave cliffs or sea holes due to the ocean sinking.
If you carelessly dip your feet into the current, it isn’t easy to get out, and if you’re not careful, the whole ship could get swallowed.
Sailors claim they’re much scarier than the deep-sea magical beasts or schools of sharks, which don’t appear often.
Now, among the ten pirate officers, the most cold and cruel, Bethany, watched a boy as if he were viewing a whirlpool.
Though it might sound like a joke to say he’s lived longer at sea than on land, he’d seen countless whirlpools; however,
“This is the smallest whirlpool I’ve ever seen.”
Still, its destructive power was unrivaled.
That black-haired boy was a calamity, a whirlpool that devoured sailors. Using other pirate ships as stepping stones, he quickly approached Bethany.
“Hah.”
Beside the boy was a blue-haired girl, and trailing behind them was a white-haired girl who seemed like a member of the Chokugen Faction, along with the Dragoness.
His comrades shielded him while he rampaged alone, creating a scene reminiscent of a tale from a storybook.
Bethany took a deep breath and surveyed his surroundings.
The support crew from the Chokugen Faction he had received from the Pirate Lord had already vacated that position.
The ten Chokugen members who bravely claimed they would go and assassinate while hiding among other pirates had become the shark’s special meal.
“Huh.”
He had worked so hard to enter the ranks of the ten pirate officers.
Moreover, he had poured countless riches into acquiring the Deep Roenho.
If he had known it would end like this, he might as well have splurged on alcohol, meat, and women, he thought, shedding tears of despair.
*
“Wow.”
Sen was steering the ship as if playing with a toy, spinning it in various directions.
The ship didn’t turn as abruptly as a carriage, but I felt a slight wobble.
“This is so much fun.”
“Hey, stop it.”
When I warned her, Sen, disappointed, leaped towards the deck. It seemed like she wanted to enjoy the view of the sea.
“That innocent girl was just…”
Recalling how Sen had effortlessly plunged daggers into pirates while dashing around, Jane’s face turned even paler due to seasickness.
“Not all Dragonkin are weak at sea. There were Dragonkin among the pirates, too.”
I was trying to give some encouragement, but it looked like it was something Jane didn’t want to hear at all.
“That Dragonkin…”
She rested her right arm on her opposite shoulder. It looked like she was trying to comfort herself.
“Why did they become pirates?”
It was a truly ironic question.
There would be various circumstances and reasons, but I could provide an explanation of the common reason.
“Most pirates are probably commoners. It’s rare for nobles to abandon their family business and venture into the sea.”
There was a basic class difference.
Of course, there would be more commoners than nobles.
“Primarily, it’s likely that money is the main reason. It’s tough to survive on agriculture or fishing alone, so they jumped to the sea. Pirates are caught less easily than bandits, and usually don’t make it onto the wanted lists.”
If bandits started to grow in number, they could easily be swept away by a knight order.
However, it was different for pirates.
Unless their ship was docked, it was difficult for ships with similar capabilities to catch up.
“It could also be that it’s hard to catch them for kingdoms, or perhaps there are some who genuinely enjoy the taste of blood and the salty sea air.”
“……”
“In any case, in the end, they survive by killing others because they can’t die.”
Did my answer provide any help?
Jane took a deep breath again, leaning forward as she sat, looking as if the burden she bore was heavy, taking a moment to catch her breath.
“Whether human or Dragonkin, the differences in reasons are likely minimal.”
“True. Perhaps the Dragonkin had it a bit harder. They generally dislike the sea, yet they’re enduring and boarding the ships.”
“……I was still lacking.”
Seeing Jane as if she might get crushed if left alone made me unable to just stand by.
“You’re not a god. Though you bear the title of Dragoness, ultimately, you’re just a cog in the wheel that moves the nation, one of the officials.”
She was one of the bigger cogs, though.
“Thinking you must bear it all alone is arrogance.”
“I know that.”
It seemed my words didn’t help much. Jane slowly stood up.
“I need to cool my head with the wind.”
As she said that, her vacant spot oddly seemed to cast a shadow.
