Blue Lord of the Salacia Sea
※Afterword must-read. "It's a bit different from what I expected..."
The pirates' fear of kidnappings had led to the village and docks being thoroughly isolated. The village representative would come out, confirm the needed supplies, receive the advance payment, and only then hand over the goods. That was the only way they did business.
What if someone pocketed the advance and ghosted them? Surprisingly, the captain said that wouldn't happen. Sure, there might be rogue islands, but if it did, they'd just pick a fight with the Pirate King. She poked my forehead with her finger, telling me not to underestimate a pirate's pride.
After learning that the lighthouse absorbed solar energy and fired solar beams from defensive cannons to protect the island, I was surprised at how the Pirate King actually provided safety to those who swore loyalty to him in his territory. He took a reasonable tax or, if they wanted, incorporated them into his fleet as pirates. It was properly managed.
Occasionally, merchant caravans stopped by to trade and rest, so the villagers didn't seem too inconvenienced. The monsters were all sea creatures anyway—just don't venture too deep into the ocean. Their real worries were the occasional storms... or forces hostile to the Pirate King.
"Even if support comes, it won't arrive right away, right?"
"True, but those cannons buy time to escape, don't they? No reason to chase down the island's residents and make it harder on themselves."
These folks were sea-dwellers too, the captain said. Our ship was smaller and had engines, so if it came to running without fighting, we could easily slip away to a nearby island as long as we didn't dawdle.
Come to think of it, both Mortis and the captain seemed to know quite a bit about Pirate King Hornigold, but I was pretty clueless. I could sense a bad vibe from both of them, so I didn't dare ask. From snippets I'd overheard, it sounded like they had some serious bad blood.
"Haaah... This village is a total scam! Prices are several times higher than on the mainland!!"
Riko held out her palm, asking to borrow some money. I handed over my entire fortune, telling her to buy whatever she needed. Fish or seaweed I could understand, but even the crops grown here for food cost a fortune. It was twice the price of dockside taverns and at least five times mainland rates—like getting fleeced by seasonal vacation scammers.
They were trading limited resources, and we had no choice but to buy. No room for haggling; if they didn't sell, that was that. We paid up quietly and loaded the supplies aboard.
We were running low on various sundries anyway. Of course, I could provide meat, fruit, booze, or fried chicken, which had the captain hugging me like I'd descended from the gods, calling over the crew for a celebratory jig about why we'd only met now.
Even factoring that in, buying consumables I couldn't produce had our funds getting tight.
"For now, with the sea situation being rough... should we head back to the Pantheon for resupply before setting off?"
Mortis's question got a headshake from the captain. "Times like this, when things are bad, that's the opportunity."
"The more chaotic the seas, the less the Pirate King will notice us. If needed, we link up with a sea merchant caravan and trade gold for more supplies. We should use this chaos to move fast."
"I see... a race against time, then?"
"A big war's coming soon. The Pirate King versus the three massive powers excluding the Trust Union. Real talk, it'll be more like 1:1:1:1. No cooperation between enemies, and the elves will go all-out to kill, so the Pirate King won't lose."
There was an inexplicable "certainty" in the captain's words. She spread out the sea chart, warning us to be careful around here since it was one of the Pirate King's frequent haunts. Circe glanced at it and poked at a spot. "The Witches' Island is over here."
Wait, it was this far from the continent...? Flying there, I hadn't felt the distance, but how the hell had I drifted all the way on waves?
No matter how I thought about it, it had to be the Goddess of Fate's guidance.
"Huh? What's this black area on the chart? Oh... that's the perpetual storm zone. Typhoon central—no one knows what's at the heart, but nobody can punch through. Even a Sea Triton might struggle. There were attempts to dive under with submersibles, but krakens, megalodons, and swarms of sea monsters blocked them. It's like a sea demon realm."
Mistaking Circe's curiosity for mine, the captain warned that the area was a death trap for sailors—once you entered, you never came out. Don't even approach out of curiosity. Adventure's great, but always value your life. Hearing that familiar line again from the captain as our ordered food started arriving.
"I'm feeling like mixing mint chocolate with salt in my rice."
"Please, Radamu. Have you gone mad from too long at sea?"
"No, sometimes I crave something stimulating... We've been eating bland stuff every day lately."
But ordering anchovy jelly and slurping it with a spoon? Riko squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from the abomination. Circe bravely took a bite, then immediately retched and coughed. I couldn't describe the taste, but her despairing face—like an abandoned child—her earthquake-shaking eyes, and writhing tentacles said it all.
Before long, everyone had subtly distanced themselves from me, quietly eating while ignoring the scene.
"Urk... No way you can put that in your mouth?"
"Crunch?"
"Fuck! Bring it here! Urghhh!!"
Kidd wailed in agony after one bite, flailing about regretting it. I finished my bowl without a change in expression. Even the cook who'd taken the order broke a sweat, staring like he'd seen a demon from hell devouring freakish cuisine.
It's just tasty... I wiped my mouth with a napkin and ordered cinnamon-stick coffee for dessert. Amid the bustle of waitstaff serving the horde of crew, I sipped leisurely—until my eyes met a little girl's gaze from below.
"What's up?" I asked, figuring she was just fascinated by her first human.
The fin-eared girl asked if she could touch my ears. I bowed my head, saying sure. She poked and prodded carefully.
"I've always wanted to touch them! Thank you!"
"Yeah? First time seeing a human?"
"No! A year ago, I saw a white-haired human."
"Hm...?"
It'd been ages since I'd heard of another human sighting. Empire? Holy Eagle Kingdom? Or a Pirate King crewman? I slipped her some coins, asking for more details on the white-haired man.
"They said they had business nearby. One wore a robe pulled low, and the other—a green-haired dwarf lady in a princess-like purple dress! Her teeth were all jagged like a shark's—"
About a year ago, she'd come here with pirates collecting protection money from the Pirate King's ship, the girl chattered adorably with a beaming smile.
I thanked her, patted her head, and gave her extra pocket money.
After that, Riko, Circe, and I stepped out to the alley for a talk. If I hadn't misheard, that dwarf might've been Kesera Sera Sera. And Riko too—she frowned and spoke up.
"Damn, that person was human? I glimpsed white hair... Tied to the Pirate King?"
"Dunno... Circe, any guesses?"
She shook her head, saying no. They'd probably breached that storm somehow to reach here. A Maou Skill might make it possible. Straight through the gale to assault Witches' Island and sever Circe's arm.
But if they'd allied with Hornigold, why leave a neutralized Circe behind? He'd be a greedy pirate coveting the sea witch Circe.
"Maybe they cooperated halfway, then betrayed him?"
"That's all we can figure now."
I'd unintentionally uncovered another "connection." I'd aimed to avoid them, but now I had reason to meet the Pirate King just to ask. If we were retrieving treasure, we'd cross paths inevitably. With the seas in chaos, our voyage would get dragged in too.
Like jumping into the storm ourselves...
"Hey, hero. Sorry to interrupt your rendezvous—but seen the kid? He bolted with his harpoon. Hyacinth went with him. Village side's getting rowdy..."
"...?"
The captain and Mortis suddenly appeared in the alley, asking about the two. They'd said they were stepping out for a walk, but crew witnesses said they'd charged into the village armed.
Why? Craving a fight with the Pirate King? But as Mortis added... an uneasy air was stirring in the village.
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Magical girl costume + protagonist transforming with Levitfoot Transformation Skill. So colorful, pink pink. You readers made it this way. You created the female corruption!!