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Chapter 169: Pirates (4)

“This is the first time I’ve seen a reception room like this.”

Every reception room he had visited until now was neat and luxurious.

But this place was just a makeshift reception room.

It couldn’t be in good condition since it was a pirate’s building.

Even so, it was something new for Ketal.

He smiled brightly.

And Ketal was the only one enjoying the situation.

Aquaz kept her mouth shut.

Baker had a look that said he didn’t know why he was there.

And the captain couldn’t understand the situation at all.

‘W-what on earth is going on?’

He had been prepared for the arrival of the Inquisitor, but why was a barbarian here?

And who was the man next to him?

He couldn’t make sense of it.

Ketal, as if reading the captain’s mind, spoke up.

“Let’s start with introductions.”

Ketal smiled faintly.

The captain involuntarily shuddered.

It was an instinctive fear.

“I am Ketal, a barbarian. This is Aquaz, an Inquisitor of the Sun God. And this is Baker, a magician from the Tower of Magic. Nice to meet you.”

The captain’s eyes widened at those words.

Magicians from the Tower of Magic were treated with great respect in any kingdom.

They held authority equivalent to that of nobles.

An Inquisitor of the Sun God and a magician from the Tower of Magic together in one party.

And the barbarian spoke as if he were the leader of such a party.

‘What kind of party is this?’

Why such a party was formed was beyond his understanding.

‘…No.’

The captain hastily organized his confused thoughts.

He struggled to appear calm as he spoke.

“I am Valkran, captain of the Valkran Pirate Crew. Welcome to our territory.”

“Oh.”

Ketal made a small exclamation.

It was a very confident attitude.

Of course, Valkran was trembling inside, but he forced his dry tongue to move.

“So… what brings such distinguished guests to this humble place?”

“For a simple reason,”

Ketal said leisurely.

“We are here to deal with the pirates that have settled in the territory.”

‘…As expected!’

The moment he heard those words, Valkran moved.

He kicked back his chair and lunged across the table, gripping the handle of the sword at his waist to draw it.

His speed was astonishing, even slightly surprising Aquaz.

‘Strike first, win first!’

Take the barbarian hostage!

The aura of mystery he felt from this barbarian was very weak.

It was something he could handle.

He planned to capture the barbarian and negotiate somehow.

“Oh.”

Ketal, the target of Valkran’s attack, purely admired.

“Fast.”

Ketal extended his finger.

He pressed the tip of the sword handle that Valkran was gripping to draw.

Clang!

The half-drawn sword was shoved back into its sheath.

Valkran’s body couldn’t withstand the force and was thrust back into his chair.

The chair screeched as it slid back with a loud crash.

“Ugh!”

“Quick judgment and matching action. Excellent!”

Ketal admired the movement that was truly befitting a pirate.

And Valkran looked at Ketal in disbelief.

‘W-wait.’

This barbarian had pressed the sword handle back into its sheath and made his body sit back in the chair.

This incredible feat of strength was achieved with just one finger.

‘What!’

This barbarian was no ordinary person either.

As Valkran’s mind raced, Ketal spoke leisurely.

“It was a joke. We have no intention of harming you.”

Valkran, who had been preparing for the next move, paused.

“…No intention of harming us?”

“If we did, we wouldn’t have sat here.”

Valkran belatedly collected his thoughts and assessed the situation.

Despite facing a pirate, the Inquisitor, who should have responded, had only shown a surprised expression at the sudden attack but made no other move.

She just watched with calm eyes.

“We came to talk to you. Please, have a seat first.”

“…”

Valkran hesitated before sitting properly in his chair.

Ketal began to explain.

“We came here to help the territory. We’ve heard that an alien presence has settled in the sea in front of the territory.”

“…You know about that, huh? Yes, that’s true.”

“We came here to resolve that issue.”

Valkran had a rough idea.

It seemed the Inquisitor of the Sun God had heard the news and come to help.

‘…I still don’t understand why they’re in this party.’

It wasn’t uncommon for believers to go on pilgrimages to quell unrest, so it wasn’t particularly special.

But there was something puzzling.

‘But why do they want to talk to me, a pirate?’

Seeing Valkran’s expression, Ketal seemed to guess his thoughts and spoke.

“But upon arriving, we found ourselves in a difficult situation. To resolve it, we need to go out to sea, but none of us know how to sail. Moreover, there’s no suitable ship in the territory.”

The help of others was indispensable.

“However, since it’s an extremely dangerous task, we can’t force good people to do it.”

Valkran’s eyes widened.

He finally understood why they had come to him.

Ketal smiled faintly.

“So, we need your cooperation. You are pirates. You must know how to handle a ship. You probably have pirate ships ready. So, when we go to deal with the anomaly at sea, we would like you to assist us.”

This barbarian intended to use them, the pirates, as guides.

“You are pirates. Criminals, after all. Even though you have a contract with the territory and are staying here… it doesn’t mean your crimes are forgiven. The Inquisitor here could punish you right now, and there would be no problem.”

“….”

Valkran couldn’t deny it.

Even though the kingdom permitted it and they had a contract with the territory, it was still a gray area.

If the Sun God’s Inquisitor decided to deal with them, the kingdom would surely stay silent and turn a blind eye.

“So, you’re saying, if we want to live, we should bow our heads?”

Valkran gritted his teeth.

His eyes sharpened.

He would rather die than become a hunting dog to achieve their goal.

Valkran was about to firmly refuse when Ketal’s next words stopped him.

“It seems there’s a misunderstanding. We have no intention of doing that.”

Ketal’s following words made him pause.

“Trying to resolve this through threats would be too barbaric.”

Ketal spoke slyly.

For a moment, everyone’s eyes turned to him.

Baker muttered awkwardly.

“No… you are a barbarian…”

“We need your help, but we have no intention of threatening your lives.”

Ketal ignored Baker’s words.

“Besides, if we did, we wouldn’t be able to trust you.”

They were heading to the sea to confront the anomaly.

Many ships had gone, but only one person barely returned alive.

It was practically a suicide mission.

If the pirates decided to take them out to the open sea and die together, those who didn’t know the sea would have no way to stop them.

“We need to build mutual trust.”

Valkran’s face showed confusion.

He couldn’t understand what Ketal wanted.

Ketal spoke leisurely.

“So, it’s a deal.”

“…A deal?”

“I’ll ask you, Valkran, captain of the Valkran Pirate Crew.”

Ketal smiled as he asked.

“Do you have any intention of quitting piracy?”

* * *

“…That’s such a sudden question. What kind of deal is that?”

Asking a pirate if he wants to quit being a pirate?

It seemed like a meaningless question.

Instead of answering, Ketal looked around the reception room.

“The buildings are well-built.”

The pirate crew’s size seemed quite large, as there were many buildings.

And none of them were built carelessly.

It was close to a planned city, constructed with systematic design.

“No matter how you look at it, these buildings aren’t just temporary lodgings for pirates staying briefly before heading out to sea. They seem built for long-term residence. And most importantly, they show signs of everyday life.”

Traces that appear only when someone has lived and stayed for a long time.

Those traces were in the pirate buildings.

“From what I know, the anomaly at sea has only been around for about a month. But judging by the signs of daily life, it’s been at least over a year. It seems you haven’t been sailing much during that long period.”

“….”

Valkran remained silent.

Ketal smiled faintly.

“Valkran, when was the last time you set sail?”

“…You’re quite observant.”

It was as Ketal said.

Valkran didn’t want to live as a pirate anymore.

His parents were pirates, so he naturally ended up living as a pirate too, but he was tired of life at sea.

He wanted to settle down and live a stable life on land.

So, he persuaded his crew to make a contract with the lord and settle in the territory.

Although they occasionally sailed for plundering, they spent most of their time in the territory.

“You are still a pirate. Even if you want to quit, it’s not easy because of your crimes. So, we will help you with that.”

Helping Valkran to live legally on land.

That was what Valkran had always wanted.

If that were true, he would happily set sail with them.

However, Valkran’s expression was not bright.

“It sounds appealing, but I don’t think you can make it happen.”

For Ketal’s offer to come true, he needed to have significant influence.

No matter how he looked at it, Ketal, a barbarian, didn’t seem capable of that.

“I could manage it, though….”

But Ketal was capable too.

He had done a great favor for the Kingdom of Denian.

If Ketal asked, King Barbosa would accept the pirates.

Or he could do it through the Church of Kalosia.

His influence on the ground was not insignificant.

“But, this time, I’ll give the opportunity to someone else. Aquaz.”

Ketal looked at Aquaz.

“Is that alright?”

“…Yes. That was the agreement.”

Aquaz nodded.

She looked at Valkran.

“Valkran, captain of the Valkran pirate crew. Aquaz, the Inquisitor of the Sun God, swears in the name of the Sun God.”

It was a declaration made in the name of a god.

Breaking it would result in excommunication.

It was a statement with significant weight.

“If you help us, I swear in my name to absolve you of your crimes.”

“What!”

Valkran’s eyes widened.

It was the most surprised he had been so far.

And for good reason.

An Inquisitor punishes heretics.

Naturally, they also have the authority to forgive and convert them.

If Aquaz’s words were true, they could be pardoned for their crimes as pirates and live legitimately on land.

Aquaz confirmed this thought.

“If you wish, you can receive the baptism of the Sun God’s Church. Once recognized by the church, you can also obtain citizenship in the kingdom. Of course, you will need to pass the appropriate qualifications and tests, but if you truly intend to live on land, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Uh, uh.”

Valkran stammered at the unexpected words.

Ketal shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, in the end, it’s a gamble. You might be killed by the anomaly at sea. But so what? Pirates ultimately gamble their lives for a big fortune, don’t they?”

Ketal whispered softly.

“It’s a profession that balances life and treasure. And right now, the weight of that treasure has become heavy enough. Don’t you think it’s worth risking your life for?”

It was like a devil’s temptation.

Poisonous, but too sweet to refuse.

Valkran had no choice but to ask.

“…Are you really a barbarian?”

Ketal laughed.

“So, what will you do?”

“….”

Valkran remained silent.

But his hesitation was brief.

The goal he had pursued all his life was right before him.

As the barbarian said, the weight on the scales was heavy enough.

There was no reason to refuse.

“Alright. I’ll accept.”

Aquaz’s eyes widened at his response.

Ketal murmured happily.

“Good.”

“But there’s a problem.”

“A problem? Convincing your crew?”

“That’s also an issue, but there’s a bigger problem. We don’t have a ship.”

“Hmm? You don’t have a ship?”

“To be precise, we don’t have a ship suitable for deep sea travel.”

The pirate ships were built for speed, so they were lightly armored and small.

The place blocked by the anomaly was in quite deep waters.

Their ships were inadequate for the task.

“We’ll do our best to reinforce the ships, but it will take time.”

“Hmm. Is there no other way?”

“No. Well… there is one.”

“What is it?”

“Follow me.”

With an ambiguous expression, Valkran got up from his seat.

They followed Valkran outside.

After walking for several minutes beyond the territory, they encountered a strange sight.

Baker was astonished.

“Why is there a ship on the plain?”

A huge sailing ship lay sprawled in the middle of the plain.

Valkran explained.

“A year ago, a hurricane hit the territory. It passed with minimal damage, but one sailing ship was blown away and thrown onto the plain.”

“Is that even possible?”

The ship was enormous.

It was big enough to hold hundreds of people.

The idea that such a ship could be blown onto a plain by a hurricane was hard to believe for Baker, who knew nothing about the sea.

Valkran nodded.

“It actually happened. There’s no significant damage to the ship itself, but there’s no way to get it back to the sea, so it’s been left here.”

The ship was so large and heavy that even dozens of strong men couldn’t move it.

In the end, they had no choice but to abandon it in tears.

“You guys are stronger than us. Can you take that ship back to the sea? If so, we can start preparations immediately.”

“Hmm…”

“Well…”

Aquaz and Baker both wore ambiguous expressions at Valkran’s words.

Both of them were superhumanly strong, possessing powers beyond ordinary humans.

But the ship was huge, capable of holding hundreds of people.

No matter how strong they were, moving such a weight was beyond their abilities.

To do so would require someone far stronger than them.

“I thought so.”

Valkran didn’t look too disappointed.

Just as he was about to say they’d have to wait, Ketal spoke up.

“What? We just need to move that ship? That’s not too difficult.”

“Huh, huh?”

Ketal walked over to the ship with long strides.

He grabbed the ship.

“Hup.”

With a short grunt, the onlookers’ eyes widened.

Rumble….

Dust scattered.

The ground, pressed down by the weight, revealed its shape.

“Huh, huh huh.”

Valkran stuttered.

He could hardly believe what he was seeing.

The ship was enormous.

It was the only large sailing ship in the territory, and its construction had taken several years.

Its weight easily exceeded three hundred tons.

The people of the territory had both revered and feared the hurricane that had moved such a massive ship onto the plain.

And now, that ship was being held by a single person.

“…Huh?”

Thud!

Ketal took a step.

The ground trembled under the weight, but Ketal moved with a calm expression.

And several tens of minutes later.

Thud!

The ship was back where it belonged, in the sea.

“Now you can prepare, right?”

Ketal said, lightly dusting off his hands.

Valkran was too shocked to respond.