Beg and Beg Again (5)

"Hold on, that isn't what you said!"

Baramson, of course, erupted in fury. Behind him, his men—who had been listening to the same explanation—wore the faces of people who had just been thoroughly had.

"One day? How the hell are we supposed to kill a dragon under these conditions?!"

He slammed his fists down on the tavern table of the inn we had rented out in full. It was hard to blame him.

He might not have fully believed the half-day claim, but anyone that confident would have been assumed to have a proper plan already drawn up.

The problem was that our side was a complete mess.

The ships had simply arrived early; cooperation among the three factions was still crawling along at a crawl. At best, the Temple had contacted other cities and called in some usable personnel. According to the Archmage, the Magic Tower was still whining, and the lord was still in full denial, insisting the Sea Dragon couldn't possibly be involved.

"This is a breach of contract!"

"Mm. It is not a breach of contract."

"It's a scam!"

When the Archmage kindly walked him through the contract clauses, Baramson clutched his head and let out a scream.

"I never should have signed a contract with a dirty mage!"

Even I had to admit the contract was a masterpiece of bad faith on our end… but what could he do? He had already signed it.

Once the Adventurer's Guild had notarized it, canceling unilaterally would only mean a mountain of damages. And if he tried to stiff them, the Guild would come after him with knives like a debt collector.

Baramson had nowhere left to run.

"Do not take it too hard. Now that Dragon Tooth Soldiers have been sighted in Gamak Bay, our side will no longer be able to drag its feet either."

"I'm the one running out of time…"

I would have liked to clap him on the back and comfort him, but my persona would never allow it. I leaned against the wall and simply watched the conversation unfold.

"No, look. If you had any conscience, you wouldn't pull this. At the very least you should have prepared ships and troops!"

"Well. We do have one ship prepared."

"One? One?"

"Please do not be so angry. Now that the Dragon Tooth Soldiers have been confirmed, preparing more than one would serve little purpose."

To soothe the enraged Baramson, the Archmage hurriedly poured out the reasoning behind his words.

"Once we have confirmed that Dragon Tooth Soldiers are roaming free, putting ships to sea would only increase the body count. No matter how skilled the passengers, the moment a hole is punched in the hull out on the open water, the vessel simply sinks."

"So you're saying we take on a dragon with one ship?"

"There is no law that says a dragon must be fought at sea. We will lure it onto land. To do that, however, we will need to enter the Dragon Howl Gate at least once. That is why we recruited you."

For something thrown together in a hurry, it was a fairly convincing argument. Strictly speaking, it was one of the contingency plans we had drawn up earlier, dressed up to fit the situation—but from Baramson's point of view, either version was enough to make him grab the back of his neck, so it hardly mattered.

"You've got to be kidding me. You want us to drag a Sea Dragon by the tail all the way to shore? On a ship? You think that's going to work?"

"In terms of risk, it is not so different from facing the Sea Dragon at sea."

"Easy for you to say…! No—fine. It's definitely better than fighting the Sea Dragon on the water. But that ship of yours—is there any guarantee it won't get sunk by those Dragon Tooth Soldiers, or crocodile soldiers, or whatever they are?"

"The Magic Tower has judged that it can hold."

"What kind of ship is it, then?"

Perhaps because the answer had been so confident, Baramson asked with a measure of composure, and the Archmage replied with the information on the prepared vessel.

Having already heard the specs myself, I knew the ship itself was actually quite solid. The real question was whether it could hold against a dragon.

"Damn it. At least we won't get drowned by those Dragon Tooth Soldiers or crocodile soldiers. We can definitely make it to the Dragon Howl Strait."

"With your skill, I trust the return journey will be no problem either."

"Ha. Spare me the flattery."

"It is not flattery."

"Whatever… If we use the magic loaded on that thing… tch. Against a ship, maybe—but when the opponent is a dragon, I can't exactly swear we'll outrun it."

"You know the vessel?"

"I've been in a chase with one. For something that huge, the speed is ridiculous. Quite the thrill."

At those words, the Inquisitor—who had been quiet for some time—gave a slight shudder.

Fortunately, Dev, standing beside her, held her back. He seemed to take a hit to the solar plexus for his trouble, but neither of them appeared to care, so it was probably fine.

"That fast?"

"Fastest ship I've ever seen. But it's so fast that turning looks a little rough. Still, that gets fixed the moment you shut the device off, so it's not a real problem."

Baramson's expression had softened somewhat. He was still angry, but he seemed to have recognized that the ship he would be boarding was, at the very least, the best available option.

"The provocation will probably come from the artillery mounted on it."

"Correct. If we can deal actual damage to the dragon, so much the better—but even if we only succeed in getting under its skin, that should be enough to make it follow."

"Ha. Not sure that's actually a good thing."

I was hoping for the former. Games usually didn't do you that kind of favor, but honestly, without it a melee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠DPS had nothing to do.

Not that I would be the one operating the artillery either, but still.

"So then—do the original crew come with it?"

"They will not. We never promised to provide a crew."

"What? Then we can't even use the ship!"

"The devices can be operated. We have been taught how, and the Magic Tower will supply the mages to run them."

"That's something, at least—but what about people to actually pilot the ship?"

"That is…"

The Archmage trailed off, and that was answer enough. Baramson slammed the table.

"Hey, do you have any idea how big that warship is? Put a small vessel next to it and the length alone is nearly three times the difference!"

"Is that a problem?"

"This is why landlubbers—!"

Baramson clawed at his hair, then forced himself to explain as calmly as he could.

"A small ship carries twenty or thirty sailors on average. So how many crew do you think a ship three times that length needs?"

"…I see. A manpower problem."

"Even setting combat personnel aside, you need at least thirty sailors who know how to run a ship. And that's the bare minimum, accounting for the situation."

"We have secured some crew on our end."

The Archmage signaled Dev, who opened his mouth with a slight shrug.

"We've got about seven. Ordinary sailors."

"Only seven… Please tell me they're not greenhorns."

"Don't worry about that. We didn't just grab whoever was handy just because we were in a rush."

"I'll be checking that myself. Still, the numbers are a bit short."

"You didn't bring any people of your own?"

"You're including my men as a matter of course, are you?"

Dev shrugged as if he had nothing to say to that. Baramson didn't press him any further.

"Even adding my boys, that's twenty-three. We need at least ten more. The only saving grace is that all the essential posts—navigator, helmsman, and the rest—are already on our side."

But stopping the interrogation was not necessarily a good sign. The situation was still just as stuck.

"Is twenty-three not enough?"

"If we were just covering a day's distance, twenty would do it… but we're going to the Dragon Howl Strait. Even Gamak Bay had weather that was no joke—what do you think the center of a rampaging Sea Dragon is like? Until we know what we're walking into, we need sailors who can handle whatever comes."

I supposed so. Not knowing much about ships, the words didn't fully land for me—but his men, being sailors themselves, were nodding along, so I took it as given.

"Well, the decisive reason we can't find crew is religious conviction—people refuse to touch the Sea Dragon. So if we ask the Temple…"

"Are you seriously bringing up the Temple in front of someone from Yabad?"

"…I know your people hate the Temple. I've got my own history with them, and I'm not fond of them either. But we don't exactly have other options, do we?"

As Baramson's voice climbed a notch, Dev spoke in a carefully soothing tone. Not knowing what had happened between the Yabad Region and the Temple, I found the whole thing rather frustrating.

What could have made them hate it this much? And at this point, shouldn't the Inquisitor be stepping out of the room?

"Besides, the Temple is the one providing the most support on this job. I understand how you feel, but for the sake of finishing this quickly, please just bear with it a little."

"Damn it…"

Irritated at having no choice but to concede, Baramson clenched his teeth and pressed a hand to his forehead. Clink. The teardrop earring dangling from his ear rang with a clear little sound.

"Fine. Damn it. No choice. It's not like those bastards are setting foot on Zakrati soil, and I need to get my brothers back…"

A quiet sentence of acceptance and compromise slipped out. Creak. A metallic scrape sounded from the Inquisitor's crossed arms as she turned her head.

"Then, since securing crew is the priority, we should also ask them to—"

Creeeak.

The moment the door of the inn-tavern opened, the conversation cut off cold.

When the innkeeper had vacated the place in exchange for jewels, he had clearly hung a cloth marked with an X over the entrance before leaving—yet some oblivious someone had opened the door anyway.

"Um, is anyone there?"

Fortunately, the visitor only poked their head in and showed no intention of coming all the way inside.

"We're closed."

Dev stepped forward at once to handle it.

"Honestly. We even hung cloth over the windows, and they still try to walk in."

One of the pirates grumbled in the meantime. Fair enough—considering the pirates' situation, every window had been covered so no one could see in from outside.

And yet someone still decided to walk into a place like this. Either they had nerves of steel, or they were that desperate.

"Huh?"

But Dev's reaction was somehow off.

"Uh, boss."

"…?"

"I think we might be able to get crew without the Temple's help after all."

…Apparently the visitor was no ordinary customer.

"What, a crew volunteer?"

Naturally, Baramson—as the one in command—showed interest first. Dev shrugged.

"They're asking if it's still all right to sign on as crew for a ship heading to the Dragon Howl Strait."

"Skill level?"

"…I'm not from this city, so I wouldn't know that much. They also want me to ask if former pirates are acceptable."

"Pirates?"

Baramson's eyes lit up.

"Robes on, everyone… Bring them in."

At Baramson's order, the pirates scrambled to pull cloths over their heads.

And once every pirate's face was covered, Dev brought the visitors inside. One of them, as it happened, was a face I knew.

"Well. Fancy meeting you again."

It was the chatty adventurer who had guided Dev and me to the guild last time.

"So you'll take former pirates, not just former adventurers?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure trusting that blabbermouth was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the right call. Lives over money, you know."

"I'm out if there's no captain."

"There's no rule saying former pirates can't volunteer, is there?"

In short order, the area near the inn entrance was packed with solidly built sailors. Young and old, men and women—every one of them packed with muscle.

By appearance alone, they looked every bit the seasoned seafarers.

"What the—what's Baramson doing here?"

"What?! Baramson?"

"…?"

And one of them recognized Baramson on the spot. His front was unfastened, yes—but his whole face was covered, and the man still knew him.

At that point, it went well beyond a sharp eye.

"How the hell did you know?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake—I quit piracy because of you, and you think I wouldn't recognize you?"

"What? What did I do?"

"Only the ones who got hit remember, huh? Classic."

The sailor grumbled, but readily spilled the story of how he had known at a glance.

"Captain Slaveshi—your lot cut his head clean off for blocking the road."

"Slaveshi…? Ah, aah! Thornbeard!"

"Well look at that. You remember the nickname, at least."

"One of his crew put a scar across my chest—how am I supposed to forget that?!"

Baramson cackled, saying it was no wonder he had recognized him instantly. Then he slapped his knee and added:

"If you're Thornbeard's crew, you're solid enough! He was a pirate with a reputation for sailing skill. Wait—are all of you?"

"That's right. Honestly, I figured we'd never cross paths again after that—never thought I'd see Baramson here of all places. Guess you really do have to live long enough to see everything."

"But if Baramson's here… does that mean Baramson's joining the dragon hunt too?"

"What?! Baramson's joining? He's a pain in the ass, but if Baramson's the captain, it's doable!"

"At least we won't die in a riptide."

True to their sailor nature, the words came pouring out like a tide, crashing in like a tidal wave. And for all that they had once been enemies, they clearly respected each other's skill—now that they might be working together, the prospective crew looked thoroughly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠satisfied.

"Good. This might actually be workable."

Baramson felt much the same.

"First mate, what do you think?"

"Aside from thinking the whole dragon-hunting business is insane… yes. Just in terms of making the run to the Dragon Howl Strait and back, it's pretty solid."

The first mate seemed to like these crew candidates as well. He gave the OK on the spot.

Just like that, the crew shortage was solved in an instant.

The quest had finally updated.

"Wahaha! I heard people weren't signing up, so I went and talked my old colleagues into it. Glad it helped. Does this count as paying back my life debt for real?"

And the number-one contributor seemed to be none other than the chatty former adventurer.

Honestly—who would have thought that rambling career-change story of his would end up helping all the way out here. I never imagined the snowball from handing out medicine back in Tatara would roll this far.

Life really was something.

"…You're one to talk, jumping into a dragon hunt to pay off a life debt."

"Uwahaha! By that logic, I wouldn't have fought a demon in Tatara either!"

The former adventurer laughed heartily.

"More than that—if no one steps up, we all go down together. How am I supposed to just sit still? Running to save your own skin right now is nothing but putting it off. A damn stupid thing to do. Just because the damage hasn't hit you yet doesn't mean the problem goes away."

It was a rather fine maxim. The kind of worldview a hundred out of a hundred people could agree with—and the kind I would have loudly endorsed with a "sir, you get it" if not for my persona.

"Tatara, you say."

Though Baramson seemed focused on a different part entirely.

"Anyway, since you're here, talk things over with my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠boys. You need to know whose orders to follow, at least."

"Yes, sir."

"Captain's word is law."

"I'd love to call in the other sailors we hired too… but bringing them over right now would draw eyes."

Even so, Baramson focused more on his own business than on verifying anyone. The fact that they had already joined—and that hearing his record no longer meant much—probably played a large part in that judgment.

"And you lot—let's finish the discussion. Recruiting crew only meets the minimum condition. The approximate sea route, the personnel to buy us time until we can disembark once we reach Gamak Bay, a way to keep the dragon from escaping Gamak Bay—there's far too much to talk about!"

But around then, a question occurred to me.

Couldn't I just stay on land?

"Do not worry. Now that you have joined us, we finally have grounds to push forward. Ah, yes—if you are willing, would you speak at the meeting yourself? I will extract as much as I can of what you want, but as I am no sailor, there may be things I overlook."

No, if we were going to lure the dragon to Gamak Bay and kill it there anyway, couldn't I just wait at Gamak Bay? There wouldn't be anything for me to do on the ship.

"That sounds great! Let's squeeze those top brass for everything they're worth! Ah—but I'll only reveal my presence to the lord, so until then, you handle the explaining."

"Leave it to me."

But of course it wouldn't work. My persona would never let me sit it out.

Ha. Getting so buried in the role that I take on suffering I don't even need—really not my style.

"A ship is sinking in the harbor!!"

Then a scream came from the direction of the port. Whoever was shouting was running as they spoke; the voice grew steadily closer.

"A ship is sinking in the harbor!!"

The words carried a meaning that could not be ignored.

Ssshk.

I pushed off from the wall I had been leaning against.

Clench.

Right beside me, the Inquisitor snatched up her mace.

"Shall we go."

Whoever the culprit was—though I had a pretty good idea—it was time to hunt.