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Chapter 171: Voyage (2)

“We’re setting sail!”

With all preparations complete, the ship set out to sea.

Accompanied by the lord’s worried send-off, they left the territory.

Baker watched the waves parting with fascination, following the ship’s movement.

Aquaz, who was also on a large ship for the first time, seemed a bit amazed.

Ketal enjoyed the sea breeze with a pleasant expression.

He was heading towards the fantasy sea.

The very fact brought him immense satisfaction.

“How long will it take?”

“The wind is just right… and the sea is calm. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of a storm. Calculating the distance to the mermaid city, it should take about a week.”

“A week, huh. We’ll arrive soon.”

“But the sea is a place where you never know what might happen.”

Since ancient times, sailors had always had a very luxurious meal before setting out to sea. This was because each voyage could mean risking their lives.

“Since you never know what might happen, it’s best to calculate double the time.”

Ketal nodded.

“Fair winds!”

“The sea is calm!”

“Good! Unfurl the second sail!”

“Aye!”

The sailors moved quickly, maneuvering the ship.

Ketal watched them with a smile.

It felt like stepping into a movie screen.

The current situation brought him nothing but joy.

And so the ship moved forward.

At some point, however, the ship’s speed gradually slowed.

Baker, who had been fascinated by the rocking floor with the waves, looked puzzled.

“Huh? Why are we slowing down?”

“It’s a headwind.”

Valkran frowned.

The wind was blowing in the opposite direction of their course.

In this situation, the sails were of no use.

He quickly gave orders.

“Furl the sails! Go below deck and start rowing!”

“Oh?”

Ketal’s eyes sparkled.

He promptly spoke up.

“Can I try rowing?”

“…You want to row?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you can if you want… but you don’t have to.”

Valkran looked reluctant.

Rowing was extremely hard work.

Even if a ship was floating on water, it still weighed several hundred tons, and moving it with human strength was tough.

There was a reason why slaves were historically tasked with rowing.

Valkran couldn’t understand why a barbarian would want to do such a thing.

Ketal laughed heartily.

“You’ve worked hard repairing the ship, haven’t you? You started sailing without getting a proper rest. It’s better if you get some rest. You’re risking your lives to help us, so this much I can do.”

At those words, the sailors showed expressions of gratitude.

The fact that this barbarian was willing to take on the hard labor everyone else avoided for their sake was a commendable act.

Even Aquaz admired him.

“So, that’s how you view the world… Sacrificing yourself for others. Amazing.”

‘No, that’s not it.’

But Ketal had no particular thoughts on the matter.

In the modern era, many people paid good money to experience tough jobs that were once avoided.

To Ketal, rowing was just that kind of experience.

However, if he expressed it that way, people might think he was weird, so he just dressed it up a bit.

Regardless of his intentions, others saw it as a self-sacrificial act, so the sailors cautiously came up to thank him.

Ketal accepted their thanks with a smile and went below deck to row.

Although Aquaz and the sailors offered to help, Ketal declined, so he was alone.

Aquaz asked with a puzzled expression.

“Can you row by yourself? I thought you needed to row both sides.”

“There’s a mechanism in place, so it’s not impossible. But… rowing this ship alone?”

Valkran found it hard to believe.

But soon enough, the ship began to move forward at a fast pace, making Valkran’s doubts seem unfounded.

“…It’s faster than with a tailwind.”

Even though Ketal was rowing alone, the ship moved faster than when the wind was pushing it. It seemed unbelievable.

“Well.”

Upon reflection, Ketal had once lifted the entire ship.

So, moving the ship by rowing wasn’t impossible.

It was just so far outside the realm of common sense that they hadn’t thought of it.

Several hours passed until the tailwind returned, and during that time, Ketal rowed alone.

When the wind finally picked up and Ketal came back up, the sailors looked at him with awe.

“Rowing alone for hours…?”

“Is that possible for a human?”

They were all rugged seamen.

They had the strength and prided themselves on their masculinity.

To those sailors, Ketal was nothing short of a giant.

They looked at him with eyes full of admiration.

Ketal didn’t stop there.

He took on trivial tasks like unfurling the sails and loosening ropes himself.

To him, these were enjoyable experiences, but to those around him, he appeared to be a considerate barbarian.

And Aquaz was following Ketal around like a chick follows its mother.

A barbarian who took the initiative to help others.

And a heretic inquisitor of the sun god following such a barbarian like a baby bird.

The sailors watched this peculiar sight with awkward expressions.

“…What’s that all about?”

“Don’t ask.”

Valkran dismissed the sailor’s curious question.

They continued forward.

No particular issues arose.

At first, Baker marveled at the ocean scenery, but as the view became repetitive, he got bored and retreated to his cabin, not coming out.

Then, two days later.

A pirate appeared before them.

* * *

Ding. Ding. Ding.

A bell rang.

The lookout atop the mast shouted loudly.

“Pirates! Pirates have appeared!”

“Pirates?”

Ketal’s eyes gleamed.

Looking behind their ship, one ship was following them.

Valkran clicked his tongue.

“Those bastards. They’ve finally shown up.”

“I heard travel was blocked due to the presence of the Forbidden Land.”

“They’re staying within a certain area around the mermaid city.”

The fishing area in Vulkan’s territory happened to be within that range, causing significant damage.

As long as they avoided that area, sailing was possible.

Of course, the Forbidden Land could expand at any time, making it very dangerous, so most ships stayed off the sea.

But pirates lived on the sea, taking such risks.

There were still many pirates roaming the ocean.

Valkran frowned as he saw the flag waving from the enemy ship.

“It’s the Kakan Pirates. Troublesome bastards.”

They were a rival pirate gang that had been clashing with Valkran’s crew for a long time. Their territories overlapped, and their forces were similar in size, making them mortal enemies.

If they clashed, a battle would likely ensue.

Valkran shouted.

“Unfurl the sails! They’re still a good distance away! Shake them off!”

“Aye!”

The pirates moved quickly, trying to widen the gap.

But no matter how much time passed, the distance didn’t increase.

“They’re getting closer.”

“…Damn it!”

Valkran realized too late.

Their ship was enormous.

It was a large sailing ship weighing several hundred tons.

It was sturdy and stable, but slow.

In contrast, the enemy pirate ship was small and light.

In a speed race, they were bound to lose.

“What a stupid mistake!”

In the excitement of their first voyage in a while, he had forgotten something so basic.

“Everyone! Open the gun ports!”

The pirates hurriedly prepared for battle.

Meanwhile, Ketal’s chest swelled with excitement.

‘A naval battle!’

A fight between ships on the sea.

It was a chance to see it firsthand.

He was very excited.

The approaching ships soon got close enough to see each other’s faces.

The man who seemed to be the enemy captain shouted loudly.

“Valkran! You coward who reeks of dirt! I don’t know why you’ve come out to sea, but today is your death day! We’ll make fish food out of you!”

“That’s my line! You vile Kakan!”

With the captains’ shouts, the battle began.

Boom!

Gun ports opened, and cannonballs flew.

The pirates scrambled.

Since they weren’t on a warship, they had fewer cannons and were slow, making them easy targets.

The situation wasn’t favorable for them.

It was a very dangerous situation.

But there were some who showed no change in expression.

“Master. May I take care of this?”

“I told you to stop calling me master.”

“Master is master… but if you insist, I’ll call you Mr. Ketal as before.”

“Please do.”

Aquaz stepped forward.

Kakan sneered as he saw this.

“Valkran! You’ve got a woman on board! You’re disgracing pirates! Fire all at once!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Cannonballs flew.

Until now, they had luckily avoided them, but this time they were on a direct collision course. The sailors’ faces turned white.

Aquaz quietly murmured.

“O sun god. Grant your servant a radiant shield of protection.”

Whirr.

A shield of light surrounded the ship.

Crash! Crash!

Cannonballs struck the shield and bounced off harmlessly.

“…Huh?”

“What?”

Both sides of the pirates widened their eyes in astonishment.

Kakan, dumbfounded, shouted in a panic.

“R-Reload! Fire again!”

Boom!

Cannonballs flew, but nothing changed.

The shield around the ship remained unscathed.

The sailors cheered in amazement.

“Ooooh!”

“This is the power of the gods!”

“Mr. Baker, if you please.”

“Got it.”

Baker stepped forward.

“Wretched pirates.”

He muttered disdainfully as he lightly waved his fingers.

“Pierce.”

Then a hole appeared above the enemy ship.

A massive ice pillar fell from it, piercing through the ship.

The enemy’s ship began to sink slowly.

The sailors looked at Baker in shock.

They knew he was an extraordinary magician, but they had never seen his power in action.

Being pirates, they had never encountered a proper magician, so they couldn’t gauge his true strength.

They had always half-dismissed him as a lazy bum who did nothing but laze around the ship.

But now, he had sunk a ship with a single powerful spell.

The pirates looked at Baker with awe and fear.

Baker accepted their gazes with satisfaction.

“You must pay the price for acting without knowing your opponent.”

“Oh wow, a spell that summons ice pillars?”

“H-Huh?”

Baker, who had been acting confidently, stammered nervously at Ketal’s question.

“W-Well, technically, it’s a part of a glacier stored in a subspace that I summoned onto the enemy ship.”

“Oh, so it’s that type of magic. Efficient. Impressive.”

Ketal marveled sincerely.

Baker shuddered.

“…R-Really? Impressive?”

“You summoned an ice pillar in the air and used the falling energy due to its weight to attack without consuming mana, right? It’s an efficient spell.”

Baker’s eyes widened.

“You, you know it well.”

“Remarkable.”

Ketal praised him sincerely.

Baker’s face took on a complex expression.

This incredibly terrifying barbarian, who could kill someone as easily as snapping a child’s wrist, was praising his magic.

It gave Baker a strange feeling.

It was similar to the feeling he had when his master praised his magic in his childhood.

A peculiar emotion began to settle in Baker’s gaze as he looked at Ketal.

The enemy’s ship, pierced by the ice pillar, slowly began to sink.

The sailors cheered in victory.

Thinking it was over, Aquaz withdrew the shield of light.

At that moment, Kakan made one last desperate move.

“I won’t die alone!”

Thump!

A harpoon was fired from the sinking ship.

Aquaz, not too concerned, erected a barrier.

A mere harpoon couldn’t penetrate her defense.

But something was off.

The force contained in the harpoon was unusual.

Baker’s eyes widened.

“…A magic weapon? Why would pirates have something like that?”

“Damn!”

Aquaz hurriedly tried to set up a proper barrier, but the harpoon was already too close.

It shattered her initial defense and shot towards the ship.

Ketal calmly watched the harpoon.

Crash!

A huge shockwave followed.

The ship rocked violently.

Sailors screamed as they lost their balance and fell.

Some were pushed to the edge of the ship.

Valkran, barely clinging to the railing, staggered and stood up.

Then he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Ketal was standing there, holding the massive harpoon with one hand.

“N-No way.”

Could someone hold such a massive harpoon, enough to rock this large sailing ship, with one hand?

“Is it possible for a superhuman to do that?”

Valkran stammered in amazement at the strength.

But even the superhumans Aquaz and Baker were shocked.

“What in the world….”

“What is this?”

The harpoon was a magic weapon.

Its mass was enormous, and its speed was incredibly fast.

Even for superhumans, it was a difficult attack to handle without preparation.

But Ketal had caught it with his bare hands.

‘…Why didn’t his body get thrown back?’

Given the harpoon’s weight, even if he caught it, physics dictated that his body should be pushed back.

Yet Ketal hadn’t moved an inch.

It was an incomprehensible sight.

“We don’t need this, so I’ll return it to you.”

Ketal pulled back his arm and threw the harpoon.

Thump!

The ship rocked again from the force.

Sailors, barely standing, screamed and fell.

The harpoon, flying back several times faster than it came, pierced straight through the enemy ship.

Boom!

With a thunderous noise, the ship exploded.

The sea erupted as if a volcano had erupted. Seawater rained down on them.

When the sea calmed down, there was nothing left of what could be called a ship.

Only debris scattered everywhere.

To an unknowing observer, it would look like sea trash.

Thus, the Kakan pirates, who had clashed with the Valkran pirates over territory for a long time, were annihilated.

Ketal dusted off his hands with a satisfied expression.

Everyone stared at Ketal in astonishment.

Leaving the scattered debris behind, they continued towards their destination.

The sailors looked at Ketal with eyes as if they were seeing something non-human.

“He caught a flying harpoon….”

“And threw it back….”

“What kind of strength is that….”

Even the superhumans Aquaz and Baker were astonished, so the ordinary human sailors were even more shocked.

Valkran laughed incredulously.

“Can the strong of this world wield such power? I’ve lived in too small a world. The world is vast, indeed.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Aquaz cut in firmly.