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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The ship lurched violently.
Eve stumbled, about to fall among the scattered debris, but I caught her.
“Th-thank you.”
“They’re firing on their own allies without hesitation.”
Even though there might be other pirates still alive on the ship, they just kept firing.
Eve and I emerged from the captain’s quarters onto the deck. Sen and Jane were already outside, assessing the situation.
Sen quickly reported.
“The shelling isn’t too serious. It seems they don’t intend to sink us completely.”
As she said, we were surrounded by other pirate ships, but only a few were firing.
“They probably figured there’s more to gain since it’s another pirate ship. They’re not even targeting the magazine.”
Not just the plundered goods, but weapons, ammunition, food, and more. Being another pirate ship, they saw more to loot.
“So, we just need to withstand the shelling for now?”
Even I couldn’t deflect every incoming cannonball. Enduring seemed to be the priority, so I moved towards the center of the deck with the three of them.
“B-but what if we sink before then?”
Perhaps because we were at sea, Jane’s usual composure was gone. She anxiously scanned her surroundings.
But Eve took her hand reassuringly.
“It’s okay. Ships don’t sink easily because of buoyancy. It would be dangerous if the keel, which keeps the ship balanced, broke, or if they targeted the magazine where the gunpowder is stored, but…”
“Then they would return empty-handed.”
Firing the cannons was already a loss for the pirates.
Cannonballs weren’t cheap.
That was why some of them hesitated to fire, hoping another pirate ship would do it instead.
In the end, a stalemate ensued where no one fired.
After a brief standoff, the situation boiled down to who could seize the ship first. Pirate ships approached the already riddled and sinking vessel.
“Looks like they’re going for close combat.”
“I’m ready.”
After sending Eve and Jane towards the crew quarters, Sen and I prepared for the upcoming battle.
“Stay close to me if you can.”
I needed to be ready to stop time if things got dangerous. Sen, holding daggers in reverse grip in both hands, nodded and took a deep breath, whispering,
“It’s like a ghost ship.”
“Hmm?”
“Everyone’s dead.”
Indeed.
Looking at the pirates turned into cold corpses, I wondered if this ship would become a ghost ship if it sank like this.
“Well, the others will probably end up the same way.”
Honestly, even though dozens of pirate ships were attacking, I wasn’t afraid or scared.
Protecting the others while fighting was a bit of a constraint, but…
‘It’s nothing.’
This wasn’t arrogance or overconfidence.
Frankly, I could confidently say that no one on the continent could defeat me in a fight.
Perhaps the Dragon God Shakarim, whom we were about to meet?
Even that, I’d have to see.
My specialty wasn’t fighting humans, but monsters.
Grappling hooks and ropes flew towards us.
There was no dramatic collision of ships, but wooden planks were laid down as bridges, and pirates began pouring onto our deck.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
“The advance of seafarers never stops!”
“It’s a hunt! Capture the women and kill the men!”
The pirates surged forward, humming, as if they were stepping onto a crumbling wreck.
Humans were the majority among the pirates, but there were also dragon-kin, beast-kin, and even a few dwarves and elves scattered among them.
Sen and I raised our swords simultaneously and charged forward.
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There is a phenomenon at sea called a whirlpool.
In some regions, it’s called a maelstrom. Sailors and pirates call it a wave cliff or sea hole because the sea seems to cave in.
Once caught in the current, it’s difficult to escape, and the entire ship could be swallowed whole.
Seafarers consider it far more terrifying than deep-sea monsters or schools of sharks.
Now, Bethany, considered the coldest and most ruthless among the ten pirate executives, felt like she was looking at a whirlpool as she watched the boy.
Having spent more time at sea than on land, she had seen countless whirlpools.
“This is the smallest whirlpool I’ve ever seen.”
But its destructive power was undoubtedly the greatest.
The black-haired boy, a disaster that devoured sailors, used other pirate ships as stepping stones, advancing towards Bethany.
“Ha.”
The blue-haired girl at the boy’s side, the white-haired girl who seemed to be from the Chokugen Faction following behind, and the Dragon Priestess.
The sight of him rampaging alone while protecting his companions felt like a scene from a fairy tale.
Bethany took a deep breath and looked around.
The spots where the Chokugen Faction reinforcements sent by the Pirate Lord had been standing were now empty.
The ten Chokugen Faction members, who had boasted they would infiltrate the other ships and assassinate the crew, had become a feast for the sharks.
“Haa…”
How much effort had she put in to become one of the ten pirate executives?
And how much money had she poured into acquiring the Deep Royen?
If she had known it would end like this, she would have rather spent it all on alcohol, meat, and women, Bethany thought with a hollow laugh.
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“Wow.”
Sen gripped the ship’s wheel, turning it this way and that as if playing with a toy.
The ship didn’t turn as sharply as a carriage, but there was a slight lurch.
“This is really fun.”
“Hey, stop it.”
When I cautioned her, Sen reluctantly hopped off and ran towards the deck, seemingly wanting to look at the sea.
“Such an innocent girl, and yet a moment ago…”
Jane, sitting down due to seasickness, paled even further, recalling Sen’s ruthless rampage, effortlessly stabbing pirates with her daggers.
“Maybe not all dragon-kin are weak at sea. We saw some dragon-kin among the pirates.”
I tried to encourage her, but Jane seemed to find my words rather unpleasant.
“Those dragon-kin…”
She placed her right arm across her opposite shoulder, as if comforting herself.
“Why did they become pirates?”
It was a truly ironic question.
Each would have their own circumstances and reasons, but I could explain the general reasons.
“Most pirates would be commoners. It’s rare for nobles to abandon their family businesses and go to sea.”
There was a fundamental class difference.
Naturally, there would be more commoners than nobles.
“Money would be the main reason. Farming and fishing weren’t enough to survive, so they turned to the sea. It’s harder to be caught as a pirate than a bandit, and they’re less likely to be put on wanted posters.”
Bandits, as their numbers grew, were easily dealt with by knights.
But pirates were different.
Unless their ship was docked, it was difficult to catch them with ships of similar technological capabilities.
“The fact that it’s hard for the kingdom to catch them would be another reason. Or maybe some of them genuinely enjoy the taste of blood and the smell of the sea.”
“……”
“In the end, they kill others to survive because they can’t die themselves.”
Did my answer help her somewhat?
Jane let out a heavy sigh and leaned forward.
She looked like someone burdened by a heavy load, taking a moment to rest.
“Whether human or dragon-kin, the reasons wouldn’t be that different, would they?”
“That’s right. It might be even harder for the dragon-kin. They naturally hate the sea, and yet they’re on a ship.”
“…I still have a lot to learn.”
Left like this, Jane looked like she might crumble under the weight of her thoughts. I couldn’t just leave her like that.
“You’re not a god. You carried the title of Dragon Priestess, but in the end, you’re just one of the officials, a cog in the machine that runs the country.”
A rather large cog, but still.
“It’s arrogant to try to shoulder all the responsibility yourself.”
“I know.”
My words didn’t seem to help much. Jane slowly stood up.
“I need some fresh air to clear my head.”
Saying that, she left.
Her empty seat seemed strangely shadowed.
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A heavy silence fell over the round table.
The elders, having just received the report from the Royen Sea region, remained silent.
No one spoke a word.
However, some couldn’t contain their trembling shoulders amidst the heavy silence.
“Ahem, Dragon Priestess Jane has been kidnapped.”
The elder leading the oracle murmured, stroking his chin. He struggled to suppress the corners of his mouth from turning upwards.
“Truly a regrettable event.”
“The Dragon God must be grieving as well.”
The other elders chimed in, their words devoid of sincerity.
“Cardinal Theosander must be heartbroken.”
“He was in love with the Dragon Priestess, after all. Honestly, his taste is hard to understand.”
“Ahem, as for women…”
The conversation suddenly shifted. Words unimaginable coming from the elders who had just been maintaining a somber atmosphere.
After a round of vulgar boasting about their preferences and conquests, a male display of dominance.
The presiding elder opened his mouth with a satisfied smile.
“Then, while mourning the Dragon Priestess, we must choose the next one.”
“Ah, yes. We have already prepared candidates.”
As if waiting for this moment, papers with numerous profiles were handed out. Having already held the oracle to dismiss Jane, they had their replacements ready.
“Then, let us entrust the subjugation of the pirates to the cardinal. Now, in accordance with the solemn will of the Dragon God Shakarim, we, the twelve elders, will convene the 730th oracle to select the new Dragon Priestess.”
Bang, bang, bang.
The session commenced.
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[Your Text Here]
Disgusting geezer