Chapter 264 – Fishman Pirates 【Oil Sh.e.l.l Miguln】
Helme came back after flying over and landing.
While she had a questioning look, “――Your Excellency, you’re not going to chase them?”
I think it’ll be fine even if I don’t pursue them.
“Well, for now, Viine, Lulu, Lala, and Robalt are doing their best, right?”
“So you’re giving them a chance to earn some credits, right?”
“You could put it like that. However, we cleaned up most of them before my bloodkin even managed to get here.”
“It’s fine. Their s.h.i.+p is still around.”
“A s.h.i.+p battle, huh? I think I’ll take a look at that s.h.i.+p next. Helme, come back into my eye.”
“Okay.”
Helme’s body fell apart, turning into a liquid, after she bowed her head. The pool of water on the ground had its middle part swell up, changing into a fist. While transforming that fist into a long and narrow stream, the liquid flew into my left eye, drawing a parabola in midair.
My left eye felt as if eye drops had been applied to it. After blinking the eye several times…I saw Yui and Kaldo jump off a warehouse’s roof.
“Looks like it’s already over as I had expected.” Yui returned Fierce G.o.d – Spirit Wind into its scabbard with a disappointed expression.
“It’s a shame that we couldn’t be of help to you, milord…” Kaldo muttered while confirming the corpses of the fishmen.
“Sorry. I did try to delay it some by negotiating at first.”
“So, was the element staff in your possession their objective, Shuuya?”
“No, probably not. They weren’t 【Sea King Hornets】. They called themselves Gazeljan Fishman Pirates 【Oil Sh.e.l.l Miguln】, I think.”
While scratching her pretty eyebrow with a slender finger, Yui replied, “Hee, different pirates? It sounds like the Sea Light City has various quarrels between fellow fishmen as well, doesn’t it?”
“Most likely.”
At that moment, “Shuuya~ Seeing this ma.s.sacre, it looks like all’s over.”
“Nn, battle finished?”
It was Rebecca and Eva.
“I think there’s still their s.h.i.+p left, but the battle around here has finished, yeah.”
“I see. Was it related to the Water Element Staff?” Rebecca asked me the same question Yui did before.
“No, it seems to not be directly related to it. They were other pirates of the Sea Light City.”
“Nn, other pirates?” Eva asked back while putting away her tonfa.
“Correct. The aftermath of the contract with 【Owl’s Fangs】 having vanished might have also triggered something in the Sea Light City on the other side of the ocean.”
“No matter what kind of enemies they might be, if they are your enemies, they’re are ours as well――”
Eva transformed her wheelchair while showing me a wonderful smile like you wouldn’t even find drawn on paintings. She jumped at me with her wheelchair having changed into its mobile version attached to her legs.
“Nyaon.”
Since Rollo meowed, I thought that she might want to return on my shoulder, but she indulged in rubbing her cheek against the wheel attached to Eva’s ankles. Is she planning to add her scent to the wheel and then expand her turf by claiming owners.h.i.+p over the traversed area?
I gently stroked Eva’s back while watching Rollo’s wholehearted rubbing.
“…You’re right. The enemies of all of you are my enemies as well.”
“Nn.” Eva lifted her angelically smiling face.
I want to hug her some more, but I grabbed Eva’s shoulders, and separated my body from hers.
“――I have Mel and the others check the port area of the Warehouse District.”
“Makes sense. Some fishman pirates might be still lurking around elsewhere――”
“Nya.”
Seemingly agreeing with Rebecca’s remark, Rollo stopped her scent marking, moved close to Rebecca, pointed the ends of her tentacles towards the door of the warehouse Rebecca was facing, and made her tail sway slowly.
“Uuuhh, Rollo-chan! Those seductive movements are addictive! Leaving aside any enemies――”
“Nyaa?”
Rollo suffered a hugging attack from behind by Rebecca. In no time, Rollo was being hugged in front of Rebecca’s chest. While rubbing her front paws, Rebecca had turned over one front paw and was kissing the soft-looking pad as if repeatedly sniffing its smell. At the end she buried her face in the fluffy inner belly of Rollo.
Rollo wasn’t all against it either. She was in her mode of fully stretching out her limbs, comfortably accepting the treatment.
“Ahahaha, Rollo is stretching her body.”
“Nn, she likes being ma.s.saged.”
“Rollo-chan being embraced by Rebecca with her beautiful, blond hair. Somehow it’s quite picturesque.” Yui praised in a whisper.
“Fufu, I heard you! Yui! I’m happy to be told by you that I’m beautiful! I’ll treat you to some sweets next time!”
Rebecca, who had been burying her face in Rollo’s belly, suddenly lifted her face up, looking at Yui. Several strands of Rollo’s black fur hung at her mouth.
“Ah, o-okay, thanks.” Yui agreed with a complicated look while being slightly overwhelmed by Rebecca’s excited face.
“Rollo-chan, thankies for giving me a fluff therapy.”
Rebecca lowered Rollo to the ground while thanking her.
“Nyaa.”
Rollo happily circled around Rebecca while meowing as if saying, 『No biggie nya』.
At that point, Viine came back.
“――Master, the fishmen have taken refuge on their s.h.i.+p. Lulu, Lala, and Robalt are leading the soldiers of 【Remains of the Moon】. They are in the process of trying to board the s.h.i.+p.”
“Okay, good job. Just now we talked about that s.h.i.+p of theirs. That means, we’re going to join in as well, I’d say?”
“Yep.” Rebecca nodded with blue flames dwelling in her eyes.
“Nn, go.” Eva demonstrated her motivation by extending the tonfa on both her arms.
“I will be in charge of the first a.s.sault, okay?”
“Leave the second attack to me.”
Yui and Kaldo announced while grasping their new katana.
“Nyaon.”
Rollo had listened to our conversation. It doesn’t feel like it’s super huge or anything, but she transformed into a horse lion that was slightly bigger than usual, resulting in an imposing appearance that made one feel that she was a divine beast all the more.
Tentacles had uniformly grown out of the bottom of her neck. She immediately entwined those tentacles around our bodies, and placed us on her own back. As usual, Eva was in her special seat, located at the back of Rollodeen’s head.
It made me think that she was straddling Rollo’s neck since she still had her mobile mode active. Since the soft black fur reached up to Eva’s back, I couldn’t see Eva’s b.u.t.t.
“――Fufu, thanks for doing this all the time, Rollo-chan.” Eva gently caressed the top of Rollo’s huge head.
“N, nyaa~ nyaon.”
It seems that Rollodeen has meowed something along the lines of 『That feels nice nyaa』
“…Milord.” Kaldo muttered gloomily as if to counter Rollo’s cute voice.
The figure of Kaldo standing all alone there was pitiable. It’s probably not that Rollodeen had forgotten him, but she didn’t extend a tentacle to him.
He’s pulling a sad face, but I’ll be relentless here.
“Kaldo, your leg power as < Servant Leader > should be more than enough. Follow us.”
“Yes, milord!”
Once I called out to him in person, his cheeks flushed red, and his mood improved visibly.
While looking at the back of Viine as she sat in front of me, “Viine, please guide Rollo.”
“Okay. It’s this way.”
Rollodeen went forward, following Viine’s direction. At once the port extending from the Warehouse District to the Heim River came in sight. The area changed into a place with planks covering the ground.
While the creaking sound at Rollodeen’s feet became louder…I could see a carrack crowded with fishmen. I could also spot Robalt how he was slaying a fishman atop the narrow gangway in his attempt to board the s.h.i.+p.
“Rollo, don’t get involved apart from boarding the s.h.i.+p with a jump. Same to you, Viine.”
“Understood.”
“Nya.”
At the moment we had advanced up to in front of the port, “――Jump, Rollo! Aim for the upper right deck.”
“Nyao――”
Rollodeen fully accepted my instructions. She jumped on the upper part of the carrack from the port’s edge.
“It’s a monsteeeeer!”
“f.u.c.k! We were boarded!”
We jumped off Rollodeen after landing on the s.h.i.+p. Rollodeen shrunk her body to the size of a black panther, and moved behind me, doing nothing just as I had instructed her.
With a slight delay, Kaldo also landed on the railing of the s.h.i.+p.
“I shall be ready when you need me.” Viine drew Cadorices while holding its scabbard in the other hand.
Standing to the left front as if to protect me while crossing sword and scabbard in front of her chest, she clad her whole body with a fire membrane, as she had apparently poured mana into Cadorices.
The fishmen ama.s.sed in the middle of the deck as they watched us, and yelled,
“s.h.i.+t! They’re planning to seize the s.h.i.+p, eh…? Captain hasn’t come back, but…”
“Boss and the vice-captain were killed.”
“Captain has been killed, you say? Ain’t it just me and Boss Rock remaining in 【Oil Sh.e.l.l Miguln】 then? Just when we had planned to start some s.h.i.+t in the Sea Light City, this. What a c.r.a.ppy luck.”
“Bueh-san, what’re we goin’ to do?”
“As if we’ve got a choice here――”
Even while being confused, the fishmen drew closer to us while holding bent cutla.s.ses, as typical for pirates, in their hands.
“We’re goin’ to show them the backbone of Miguln! We’ll get rid of the guys remaining on top. Get ’em!”
“Ayeee――”
“As if I’d let you do that――”
The one shouting with a voice as if cutting through the pirates’ yells was Yui. While drawing Fierce G.o.d – Spirit Wind, she kicked off the deck, and dashed to the front in a forward-bent posture. She was about to swing down her katana with its pretty blade pattern, which she had been shouldering, while keeping her body compact.
A dark mist coiled itself around the magic katana’s blade surface. In that state, her katana diagonally dove into the top of a fishman’s shoulder. Roughly mowing it down until his chest, she pulled back the katana, and stabbed the head of a fishman approaching from her left side, killing him by slicing sideways through his neck gills.
A blood shower poured down on Yui’s face. Going by their traces of being stabbed and cut, the two killed pirates had received another three sword cuts from somewhere. They crumbled down on the deck without saying anything.
Yui lightly jumped up on the s.h.i.+p’s railing, and while running across the narrow railing as if white, fluffy willow cotton was fluttering about, she continued to slay the fishmen that were close in succession.
『Yui’s movements have become faster.』
『Yeah, I doubt any normal person can deal with those.』
Helme praised her honestly.
“Yui, I will follow your lead.”
Seemingly influenced by his daughter’s wonderful swordsmans.h.i.+p, Kaldo drew his double-edged Illusionary Heron. Once he created another Illusionary Heron in his other hand, Kaldo started to run as if to back his daughter while pulling off a dual-wield style as he ran in a forward-bent posture just like Yui had done before. He a.s.saulted the fishmen on deck with his two swords.
“I will also join with this new Katar.”
Rebecca got stimulated by Yui’s and Kaldo’s actions. While cladding her whole body in blue flames, she swiftly advanced towards the left side of the deck.
She stabbed the torso of a fishman with the points of her new katars, which she had equipped on both hands, blowing him away in the process. The corpse collided against the fishmen in the back.
Just like falling domino stones, they tumbled down on the small deck after getting caught on barrels and ropes.
“Nn, Rebecca, amazing power…”
Eva’s voice came from above me. She made the violet mana gus.h.i.+ng out from her whole body deploy in an elliptic shape. She had her mana spread out as if covering one part of the upper deck, where we were standing, while showing her metallic legs.
But more importantly, she’s wearing white silk panties!? Magnificent!
I perceived five steel orbs floating around her in the air. Those were Sergilon’s Steel Orbs which we had obtained the other day. Eva manipulated those orbs by waving around the arm wearing the silver bracelet.
In the next moment, the orbs reacted to her mana. They started to tremble while engulfed by a golden membrane, and all swooped down at once. With a force of tearing through air and hull, they targeted the heads of the fishmen. The five orbs. .h.i.t their heads, and the instant they sunk into them, the heads exploded. A destruction surpa.s.sing watermelon splitting.
Those orbs sure pack some power…
“Eva, nice backup!”
“Nn, don’t worry about that, Rebecca, and look in front!”
“Kyaa.”
Three cutla.s.s blades approached Rebecca. She swiftly blocked them by crossing her katars above her head, but her slender arms got cut up.
“Kuuh, that hurts you a.s.sholes! Humph――”
After repelling the cutla.s.ses of three fishmen by spreading her hands with the katars, she immediately retreated. Contrary to her mighty words, she ran away from them.
“As expected, I’ve still got a long way ahead. Right now I’m more suited for this than going to the front!”
She created three blue fireb.a.l.l.s around her, and tossed those fireb.a.l.l.s at the three fishmen that had pursued her.
“Giii!”
“Gyaaa.”
“I’m buuuuurrnin’”
The fishman, who was in the lead, was. .h.i.t by the fireball from the front. With his body being gouged out, he probably died instantly. The fishmen behind him were also pierced by fireb.a.l.l.s at their waists and legs. Moreover, the blue flames spread to the nearby fishmen. They continued to scream in agony.
Rather, can’t she win against almost everyone with just this blue flame technique without any need to fuss over physical attacks?
That’s what I think, but it’s probably something she wants to do.
Robalt’s group had also gained control of the battle in the s.h.i.+p’s middle part with the gangway. It turned into a situation where the fishmen were pincered from the top and the bottom.
At that moment, all the fishmen, who had been fighting, discarded their weapons.
“――All hands, we’re escaping.”
“I’m never ever comin’ back to a city like this!”
The fishmen ran away by jumping off the s.h.i.+p.
“Can they get back by swimming?”
“…Well, they’re fishmen, so they should be good at swimming, no?”
“Nn, that fishman has b.u.mped against another boat.”
“Oh, you’re right. He has fainted…”
…They’re correct. Several fishmen were swallowed up by a s.h.i.+p that newly entered the port after b.u.mping against it. They’re floating on the ocean’s surface like corpses.
“Master, we’re not going to pursue them?”
“It’s not necessary, is it?”
At that moment, I heard Robalt yelling my way.
“――Guildmaster, it looks like there’s no fishmen left anymore. We seized the s.h.i.+p! And, below the deck we found not only magic drugs, but also human, elf, and beastman slaves.”
The people they captured, huh?
“Guildmaster～ I wanna chase after those swimming fishmen!”
“Lala, you can’t swim, can you?”
Lulu and Lala were watching the fishmen swimming away with their hands placed on the s.h.i.+p’s railing.
“Leave them alone if you can’t swim. Rather than that, Robalt, can you bring the captured people here?”
“Leave it to me.” Robalt bowed, and went beneath the deck.
A little while later, several dozens of people, who were about to be turned into slaves, had been gathered atop the deck.
“…The fishmen are gone?”
“…What’s going on?”
“Where’s this place?”
“Are we going to be sold…?”
A man wearing a uniform, an elf who seems to originally be a sailor, a woman in a disheveled, velvet, sleeveless dress, a beastman with dog ears and frayed hair, and an elf wearing a red, silken platok. All kinds of races were present.
While gazing at them as they were moving about in confusion, “You’re in the port of 【Labyrinth City Pelneet】. The fishman pirates who captured you were defeated by us, 【Remains of the Moon】. We also seized this s.h.i.+p. And, we have no intention to keep you as slaves, nor do we have an obligation to help you. That means, you can leave since you’re free.”
A deadly silent break followed, but then…
“Oooohhh.”
“This is Pelneet? We’ve really moved quite a bit inland, haven’t we…?”
“I’m free! Yaahoooooo!”
“Not the sea, but the Heim River, eh…?”
“I’ve got no place to go to though…”
“Still it’s better being free.”
Voices of joy and confusion spread among the captured people. A part of them got off the s.h.i.+p.
“Seeing how this is a port, our s.h.i.+p was sold, I guess…”
“It’s still better than being turned into slaves, right?”
“…Captain, thank you very much for your efforts during those hard days…if it’s that gentleman, who told us that we’re released, he might be willing to hire us?”
“Hmm…”
Captain? There was a guy with a burly physique, a sharp glint in his eyes, and deep eye sockets among the former sailors whose faces were covered with thick beards. There was something like a badge attached to the chest area on his outer garment.
At that point, the soldiers of 【Remains of the Moon】, including Mel and the other leaders, came back. While watching the people being released, Mel made an enemy leader, whom she had captured, walk up the gangway by nudging his back. Veronica, Benett, Paulsen, and Angie followed, too.
The soldiers of 【Remains of the Moon】 waited off the s.h.i.+p while standing in rows.
“Guildmaster, we caught a fishman who seems to be a leader of the enemy.”
That fishman’s expression turned fearful when he saw the cruel scene atop the s.h.i.+p.
“Good work.”
“Guildmaster, the people leaving the s.h.i.+p are those who had been captured by the pirates?”
“Yes. I released them. A part of the sailors has remained behind for some reason, though…”
“Guildmaster, guildmaster, I got rid of lots and lots fishmen who picked a fight with me～” Veronica informed me while gracefully dancing atop the deck.
“Guildmaster, I also got quite a few of them with my bow.” Benett followed Veronica’s lead.
“We lost out to Veronica-san, but Angie and I also fought keenly during the battle in the warehouse.”
“I killed fishmen inside the warehouse together with Papa.”
Listening to their reports, I turned my eyes towards Mel, “Was it a fierce battle?”
“No, since Veronica went berserk with her new blood swords and greatswords, it was very easy. Anyway, the name of this fishman is Rock. According to his words, he was apparently in charge of the Warehouse District.”
I glared at the Rock dude.
“Hey, fishman.”
“Y-Yes…”
“There’s no other warehouses where you deposited magic drugs, right?”
“None. That was the only place.”
I guess I’ll make sure.
“Eva, can you come over here?”
“Nn, understood. Will ask.”
“Please do.”
Eva approached Rock with her body floating slowly up and down. She extended her hand towards the fishman’s skin, and touched it with her finger.
“…Rock, do you have any other bases in this city?”
“No, just the place where I had been.”
Eva silently faced me, and nodded.
I guess he’s not lying. Then, next…I’m slightly curious about the stuff mentioned by the fishman I previously killed with Murasame.
While having Eva continue touching him…
“…Where’s the magic drug plant and the Magic Compounder?”
“Heisenberg? He got away.”
Heisenberg, he says? Going by the name, a reincarnator?
“Say, describe that guy’s look a bit. Did he resemble me?”
“Not at all. His head was bald, and he had blue eyes.”
Hmm, it’s unrelated to appearance, I think. Since the names typical of foreigners were carved on the stone we obtained in the labyrinth, he might actually be someone from a foreign country.
“…That Heisenberg, when did he run away?”
“In the Sea Light City. After we made him produce magic drugs, that a.s.shole f.u.c.kin’ caused some kind of magic explosion during our battle against the 【Sea King Hornets】, and managed to escape from our turf.”
“Explosion?”
“Correct. Since there were still some magic drugs left, we came to this city after avoiding the capital and Lalarbuin to sell it here, but that backfired on us.”
Once I looked at Eva, she nodded. There was no lie in what Rock said.
“Mel, I heard everything I wanted to know. I leave him in your care.”
“Got it. So, guildmaster, are you going to hire the sailors waiting over there?”
“Please employ us, sir!” The man with the sharp glint in his eyes yelled.
“You seem to be called captain, but are you going to work properly if I entrust this s.h.i.+p to you?”
“Please do! I won’t disappoint you.”
If I were to hire them and include them into 【Remains of the Moon】, it might be useful for the times when I want to sally forth on a relaxed s.h.i.+p journey to the Sea Light City or unknown ocean adventures.
Besides, even if I don’t put them to use, I’m pretty sure Mel will.
『That captain’s face has an edge to it.』
『You’re right, he’s kinda like Captain Cook.』
『Cook?』
『…It’s the name of a captain I know.』
『An acquaintance of Your Excellency?』
It kinda sounds like b.u.t.t love, but I won’t point that out. 1
After wrapping up the telepathic chat with Helme, “…Mel, everyone, that’s what they say, but are you fine with hiring them?”
“I don’t mind. If we can use it as an exclusive s.h.i.+p of 【Remains of the Moon】, it’ll be worthwhile.” Mel answered immediately.
“Nn, what are you going to make them do after hiring them?”
“Don’t tell me, you’re planning to sail to the Sea Light City?”
Eva and Rebecca asked.
“Shuuya, adventure on a s.h.i.+p?” Yui asked while tilting her head.
“Milord is going to leave it in the care of 【Remains of the Moon】, I’m sure.” Kaldo remarked accurately.
“I can use it for adventures with a s.h.i.+p, but for now I will entrust it to Mel. Operate it with 【Remains of the Moon】.”
“Understood. Until further instructions from you, guildmaster, we will make some profit through various means, including trade that uses the Heim River’s gold route. Please leave the management of the income and expenditures to me. Well then, everyone over there…please gather on this side right away.”
Vice-guildmaster Mel gathered the sailors, and began to talk with them.
“Okay, time for us to go home, I guess.”
“Nn, go home.”
“Yes, let’s go back.”
“Nya.”
Rollodeen transformed into her horse lion form, and then placed all of us on her back with her tentacles.
“Guildmaster～ Bye byeee”
“How nice, Lala wants to ride that fluffy black lion, too.”
Lulu and Lala said while looking up to the huge Rollodeen.
“I’m gonna be lonely～ Despite being a bloodkin as well.” Veronica looked sad while being next to Mel.
“Veronica, you’re going to help Mel with her job, correct?”
“Yep.”
“Then, see you later.”
After waving an arm at the members of 【Remains of the Moon】, I asked everyone, “Shall we drop by somewhere on the way back home?”
“No, we already did our shopping. I’m going to check out the delicious stuff after getting back.”
“Nn, Rebecca, we going to eat the new walnut bread?”
“Of course, we’ll eat it with some black tea.”
“I’d like to also try the new bread Eva mentioned.”
“Nn, we bought a share for everyone, so it’s okay.”
“I see, thanks, Eva.”
“Nn.”
Everyone was lightly chatting atop Rollodeen’s back. I turned my eyes towards Kaldo.
“Kaldo, sorry but you gotta walk again.”
“You’re kind, milord. Please don’t mind me. I don’t know about normal humans, but I’m a < Servant Leader >. I can keep up with you if I run.” Kaldo bowed his head like a butler.
“Roger. Well then, Rollo, let’s go.”
I lightly tapped Rollodeen’s flank with my feet.
“Nyaooo.” Rollodeen roared loudly, and then jumped up very high while facing the port.