kscans

Chapter 116 - The Battle at Sea and the Second Strategy (Part 2)

As the battle raged on in the distance, our ship dismantled its siege formation and cut loose the starboard galley. We then pulled the grounded galley back into the water, attached it to our stern, and began to tow it. And with that, we started down the river.

"Are you sure we don't need to join the fight?"

the captain asked me.

"Do you want to? The crew is exhausted from fighting since this morning."

The captain wore an awkward expression. My journey by ship would end once we reached Heilon, but the captain and his crew lived their lives on this river. No matter how late the rescue was, he probably wanted to put them in his debt somehow. But being forced into a battle for such a reason was the last thing I wanted. Looking at the situation, our allies were in the process of taking control of the galley's deck. Reinforcements seemed unnecessary. The freed slaves had been moved to the galley, but our carrack's deck was overflowing with crew, and the cabins and hold were packed with prisoners. It would be better to disperse them onto the towed galley at the next settlement.

"You should discuss it with Claire and Mercedes."

I decided to leave it to them. Just then, a commotion erupted at the rear of the ship. I looked to see a pair hanging from a balloon, flying towards us. The crewmen aimed their crossbows and took aim. I hurriedly stopped them. Takamura landed on the deck. He had a woman with him, who looked a little younger than him. Her curly brown hair was tied up in twintails.

"This is my partner, Komachi."

Takamura introduced her. Komachi made a saluting gesture and smiled brightly. She had a casual air about her.

"I'm Mash. Were you the one who fired that cannonball earlier?"

"Yep. My special skill is the [32cm Canet Cannon]."

This was the woman who had shelled our ship. I felt an indescribable mix of emotions, but since no one had died, I suppressed my anger.

"...You fired a cannon that big, and it didn't damage the galley's hull?"

"It's not like I mount the turret on the deck,"

Komachi answered, laughing cheerfully. Did that mean it was designed not to affect the deck or its surroundings? I didn't understand, but I couldn't understand the logic of Laciel appearing just by chanting "[Goddess Summon]"

either, so I decided to let it go.

"So? What's your business on this ship?"

I directed the question to Takamura.

"We'd like passage to Heilon."

Just as I was about to nod, Famu stepped between me and them.

"Absolutely not. If you want to go to Heilon, please use your balloon."

I was impressed by Famu's exquisite comeback. But I wondered how far he could actually travel with that balloon. As I was pondering this, I noticed Takamura looking at me, pleading for help.

"W-Wait a minute! The people of this world just shoot arrows at me whenever I fly with my balloon!"

"That's because you're always committing acts of piracy and doing evil deeds. You reap what you sow. You're the one who gave balloons a bad name."

"Ugh, you're right, but I have no intention of stopping my pirating until I find out the truth about what you said—about only being able to live in this world for ten years."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're going to go back to being a pirate? I have no intention of cooperating with someone like that, and I can't let you on this ship. If you want money, you can just explore dungeons as an adventurer. You both have special skills. You should be able to become high-rank adventurers."

Said I, an F-rank adventurer at the very bottom of the ladder, despite having a special skill.

"...We used to be adventurers once. We explored dungeons as a team called Nekono Konekoneko. We have our deep reasons for stopping."

Takamura's expression turned grim and serious. Famu and I exchanged a look. We decided to wait for him to continue.

"Komachi's special skills are the [32cm Canet Cannon], the [28cm Howitzer], and the [Armstrong Gun]."

In our original world, they were romantic cannons that had become relics of the past. Why would he choose three cannons with such similar properties?

"Because they were all so wonderful, I couldn't choose just one."

As if she'd read my mind, Komachi muttered without a hint of remorse. Was she a history buff? She might get along with Hyakka.

"Most monsters move faster than you can aim the barrel. They can't be fired in rapid succession, and the interval between shots is bizarrely long. Plus, if you fire one in an Area Guardian's room, the sound of the blast and impact makes your ears go crazy, and there's a limit to the number of shots. Once you use them up, you can't fire again for several days. They were useless in dungeons."

It wasn't a deep reason at all; it was just plain stupid. Not that it was any of my business, but having just told them to become adventurers, I was at a loss for a response. Next to Takamura, Komachi was scratching her head and sticking out her tongue with a little "tee-hee."

It was irritating, but somehow, I couldn't bring myself to hate her. But still, on top of the firing interval restriction, there was a limit on ammunition too?

"But they were convenient for piracy. We could use them for intimidation, and if it came down to it, we could sink enemy ships."

"...And people died because of that, didn't they? Don't you feel anything?"

"It's been four years since I came to this world. That feeling is gone now."

It was an answer I didn't want to hear. Their actions made me sick. But if I abandoned them here, they would just go back to being pirates. Still, would there come a day when I, like Takamura, no longer felt anything at the sight of death?

"Fine. Just swear you'll never engage in piracy or looting again. I'll ask for passage for you as far as Heilon. After that, I don't know."

"W-Wait. You told me to cooperate, so I betrayed my comrades to come to this ship. I can't go back to being a pirate anymore. If your words are true, we want you to let us act as your companions from Heilon onward."

"Betrayed?"

"The one leading the pirates now is an Otherworlder. He calls himself Barbaros. There used to be another one named Iserk, but I haven't seen him lately."

Suddenly, the amount of information exploded. The other members of Levante gathered around Takamura and his partner. Seeing the look on our faces change, he raised his hands in a panic.

"W-What's going on?"

"Iserk caused a disturbance in the city of Nieren that could be called terrorism. We're tracking him. He should have more information about Otherworlders than we do. Have you not gotten any information from Iserk or Barbaros?"

At my words, Takamura and Komachi looked stunned. They must not have been told anything. It was the same setup as Mii and the Men in Black. Put other Otherworlders on the front lines while they pull the strings from behind. If they sense danger, they abandon them and leave. But more importantly right now was Barbaros. It was the name of a man from our original world who rose from a pirate to an admiral. If he was calling himself that, he must have been transferred to this world specifically to commit acts of piracy. If he was still on the pirate ship, there was a possibility he would use a special skill that could turn the tide of battle. I had to contact Joe and the others immediately and give them a warning.

"Do you know what Barbaros's and Iserk's special skills are?"

"The thing is, we've never seen them use their special skills."

Takamura and Komachi looked at each other.

"Barbaros is on the galley ship they're fighting now, right?"

Takamura nodded. Barbaros could potentially use a powerful special skill. I had to tell the captain about this right away. As I turned to go, Komachi latched onto my shoulder.

"Our hobby is swapping. So if you're ever in the mood, just let me know."

She whispered in my ear. What a bunch of jokers.

Time for another strategy meeting. The battle between Joe's fleet and the pirates continued to intensify. The din of clashing swords and war cries reached our ship. The fighting was taking place on the enemy galley. The situation remained unchanged, with Joe's side maintaining the upper hand. The galley seemed to be listing. It must have taken on water from the ramming attack. A pirate ship had a crew of two hundred men. In contrast, excluding my ship, our allied ships had about fifty crew members each. Four of our ships against two of their galleys. In a battle against nearly double their numbers, it was about time the ambushed enemy regained their composure. We couldn't let our guard down. The pirate ship was moving its oars vigorously, trying to break away from the carracks. If they succeeded, those who had boarded the galley would be left behind. They were trying to leverage their numerical superiority. But what could they do in an isolated situation, with a hole in their hull?

"So, you're saying there's someone on the enemy ship with a Divine Grace on par with the power Laciel-sama wielded?"

the captain said. It was just a possibility, but I nodded. He seemed perplexed by my change in attitude, from being reluctant to join the fight just a moment ago to now being eager to do so. I had my suspicions about Joe's fleet being late to the rescue, and I didn't want to join the fight. But I couldn't abandon my allies either.

"I'm against it. The crew has let their guard down. We've already achieved a sufficient victory. Even if we send them into battle as reinforcements, they won't be able to maintain their morale. Furthermore, I absolutely cannot allow Mo-sama to be exposed to any more danger."

At Wake's words, Marmi made a disgruntled face, but she didn't say anything. It seemed she trusted Wake. She must have decided to leave matters of combat to his judgment.

"I'm against it too. Mash, your job is to escort the caravan to Miglutt. Don't forget that."

Avea said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You're just an adventurer. Don't get ahead of yourself,"

she whispered in a low voice. Hearing their opinions, the captain's face soured. But the crewmen next to him looked relieved. It seemed the captain was the only one who was on board with my idea and wanted to actively go to their aid. It was true that joining the battle again in our current state would be unreasonable. I wanted to meet Barbaros and talk to him if possible, but I probably had to give up.

"In that case, how about we just convey the information via flag signals? And also confirm if they need assistance,"

the captain suggested. I couldn't imagine Joe's side asking for reinforcements when they had the upper hand. Most likely, the victory in the battle against the first three galleys would be credited to our ship, and the victory in the current battle would be credited to Joe's fleet. If we joined the latter fight, their share of the spoils would decrease. By showing our willingness to cooperate and letting them refuse, we'd have an excuse to leave the battlefield and fulfill our obligation. We could also warn them about the presence of the Otherworlder. It seemed like a good idea.

"Can you convey detailed information with flag signals?"

"Yes, but a long transmission could be deciphered by the enemy,"

the captain replied to my question. It seemed the flag signals were sent in code, not plain text. The longer the transmission, the more clues the enemy would have to break the code. This was a world without computers, so they probably couldn't use a very complex code, making it easy to decipher.

"It's information we don't mind them reading. In fact, wouldn't it put more pressure on the enemy if they knew we were aware of their internal situation?"

Wake said. The captain nodded in agreement with his words.

One of the galleys seemed to have succeeded in detaching itself from Joe's ships. However, this caused it to take on even more water. The ram had been plugging the hole. From the sinking ship, people were jumping into the river one after another, trying to be the first to escape. One of our ships was mopping up, spotting pirates from the deck and finishing them off with crossbows. Each time, the river was stained red. It was a gruesome sight I didn't want to see. The other ships had surrounded the remaining galley. They had it surrounded by three vessels. The flag signals confirmed what we expected: no assistance was needed. We no longer needed to remain in this area, but we stayed behind as a backup in case of an emergency. The crewmen kept a vigilant watch over the water's surface, crossbows at the ready, to prevent any pirates from latching on. Famu and Mizuki were beside me. Cecily, still tired from maintaining the magic barrier earlier, had decided to rest in the cabin once she knew there wouldn't be a fight. Myra and Aira were with her, taking care of her.

"Master, what do you intend to do with Takamura and Komachi?"

"What do I intend to do...?"

"Will you not punish them?"

"I have no intention of punishing them, but there might be others on this ship who do."

"That will not happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I may not be Myra, but I can tell. A messenger of the goddess has said she will shelter them. No one can defy that. Therefore, Master, you must act in a way that respects everyone's wishes."

"You can defy me, Famu."

"Muu!"

I'd teased her, but she was right. Depending on how Takamura and the others behaved, I, who had forgiven them, could end up being resented. I decided to lock them in a cabin until Heilon, just like the captured pirates. And I'll have two of the prisoners allocated to me exchanged for them. That should appease those who can't voice their opinions to me. However, it was all for show, so Famu's own feelings wouldn't be soothed.

"By the way, Mizuki, there's something I'd like to ask you."

It was rare for Famu to ask Mizuki a question instead of me.

"What is it?"

"What is 'swapping'?"

""Pfft!""

Mizuki and I both choked at the same time. She had clearly heard what Komachi said to me earlier. It was a question ill-suited for the situation unfolding before our eyes. I tried to casually move away from the spot, but Mizuki grabbed the hem of my clothes.

"You should probably ask Mash about that. Okay? And be sure to ask him secretly, when you're alone together."

"...So it was a dirty word after all. The only conversations Master has with women are dirty ones."

It was a terrible accusation. But since it was true, I couldn't say anything.

"Who was Mash talking with?"

"Komachi."

"..."

Mizuki shot me a cold glare.

"I-It wasn't me! Komachi said it to me out of the blue!"

"So who are you planning to swap with?"

Of course, I had no intention of swapping with anyone. The mere thought of Famu or Mizuki being held by someone else was enough to make my head explode. Just then, Myra joined the conversation.

"Hmph, you were trying to do something again, leaving me out of it. I'd like to volunteer!"

"...Seriously? You're into that kind of thing?!"

Not just me, Mizuki was taken aback too.

"So, what should I do?"

Myra asked innocently.

"It's swapping, isn't it?"

"What's 'swapping'?"

Please stop looking at me with those clear, round eyes. I instinctively averted my gaze.

"Mizuki, Master is trying to dodge the question. Please tell me."

Famu asked Mizuki.

"...Well, it's when two couples, um, exchange partners and do lewd things."

"Huh? I don't really understand what you're saying."

"It's exchanging lovers! Mash and Komachi, and Takamura and Myra, would do lewd things!"

Mizuki answered, sounding like she was at her wits' end.

"...Huh?"

Myra's face turned beet red.

"M-Mash, I-I can't do something like that!"

Myra flailed about, her breasts bouncing poyon poyon.

"Don't worry, Myra. I can't either."

It was a ridiculous conversation to be having on a battlefield. But to me, it felt irreplaceable. The sails were raised on the ship. There had been a flurry of flag signal exchanges, but it seemed our backup was no longer needed. We left the battle area and began to head for the next anchorage. Were Joe and the others able to capture Barbaros, the Otherworlder pirate leader?