Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Betrayal on the High Seas
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*Whoooosh!!*
Drake's fleet cut through the sea, approaching rapidly.
The enemy’s reaction was immediate.
“Drake! What is the meaning of this!!”
It was Edward, who shared control of the seas off Les Port with Drake, shouting in fury.
“Have you suddenly gone mad!? What do we possibly gain from fighting each other now!”
“The winner will take all.”
“…Nonsense. If our forces are weakened by fighting, we'll just end up being crushed by the territorial army! No one can be the winner!”
“…Shut up!”
Edward spoke nothing but the plain, hard truth.
Inwardly, Drake knew he was right.
But even knowing that, he had no choice.
He was in too great a state of mental shock to make a rational decision, and besides, he already had no future.
By the time he could normally recover his base, the gap between his forces and his rival's would be as wide as the heavens and the earth.
In that case, the outcome—being driven from these waters—wouldn't change.
All things considered, Drake had no choice but to roll the dice on a war, hoping for some unforeseen variable to turn the tide!
“Don’t stop!”
Drake's fleet didn't slow down, ramming straight into Edward's fleet.
*CRASH!*
The ship rocked violently.
Drake shouted.
“Attack! Attack!”
“Waaaaaah!!”
The pirates let out monstrous cries and charged onto the enemy ships.
Unlike naval vessels, pirate ships weren't well-equipped with cannons, so fights between pirates usually devolved into melee combat like this.
*Clang! Clang!*
The loud clang of metal rang out from all directions.
Drake's pirates were desperate.
They knew full well that if they lost this war, they truly had no future.
If they failed to plunder, they had no base to return to!
So they had to win, no matter what!
“Ugh-aaaaah!”
“…W-what’s with these guys!?!”
Faced with their opponents' incredible motivation, Edward's pirates couldn't hide their bewilderment.
What the…
Are they all on drugs or something!?
In response, Drake's pirates shouted through tears of blood.
“Shut up! We have nowhere to go back to!”
“What kind of bullshit is that!”
“*Sob*! Our island burned down and disappeared!!!”
“…!?!?”
In this chaotic battlefield, the one moving most actively was, of course, Lee Shin.
*Stab! Stab, stab!*
[Fatal Blow!]
[You have defeated an enemy.]
[An enemy…]
[……]
[…Kill Streak! You have acquired a large amount of experience!]
‘Hmph.’
Lee Shin was like a fish in water, rampaging through the battlefield, slaughtering pirates.
However, that didn't necessarily mean only the enemy forces.
Lee Shin was targeting both friend and foe.
He had to keep the fight evenly balanced.
While diligently attacking the enemy, Lee Shin subtly hindered his allies.
*Trip.*
*Thud!!*
“What the, be careful! Why'd you suddenly fall on your own!??”
“N-no, someone just tripped me…”
“……”
Slipping a foot out to trip someone in the chaos of battle.
*Stab!*
“Ugh!?”
Pretending to stumble back from an enemy's attack, only to naturally stab an ally in the rear with his sword.
Or throwing a shuriken at an ally when no one was looking…
A full course meal of team kills!
Lee Shin's sabotage proved as significant a factor as the high motivation of Drake's forces.
Thanks to this, the battle proceeded in a very tense stalemate.
“Ugh, hmm…”
Drake bit his lower lip.
He had started this hoping for a variable of war, but things were proceeding too predictably.
It seemed like they might narrowly win, perhaps due to the difference in motivation, but…
‘…No.’
That's not enough.
Even if they won by such a slim margin, they wouldn't have the strength to face the territorial army afterward.
To have any hope for the future, they needed to win while preserving as much of their strength as possible.
*Grip!*
Unable to stand by and watch, Drake drew his sword and musket.
Then, casting aside his dignity as a captain, he jumped directly into the messy fray.
*Slash! Bang!!*
“C-Captain?!”
“Fight! We must win!”
“……!”
A leader setting an example!
At this, a venomous glint entered the eyes of the weary crewmen.
And this immediately manifested as a strengthened buff.
[Buff effect has been greatly enhanced!]
[The morale of Drake's forces rises significantly!]
“…Waaaaah!”
With renewed determination, the crewmen threw themselves back into the fight.
Lee Shin hurriedly shouted to restore the balance, but.
“Captain! It's dangerous! Wouldn't it be better if you just focused on commanding?!”
“Ooh, First Mate! Thank you, but there's no need to worry about me!”
“…?”
Drake heard what he wanted to hear.
Thanks to that, he looked even more motivated.
Lee Shin said in a fluster.
“No, it's not that I'm worried…”
“Haha, I'm really fine! Hmph!!”
*KRAKOOM!!!*
Drake began to rampage.
The situation had deviated slightly from his expectations, and Lee Shin furrowed his brow.
At this rate, the opposing leader would have to step up.
But.
‘Why is he just standing there?’
Unlike Drake, Edward wasn't moving a muscle.
Even as he watched his own men die.
It probably wasn't because he was weak.
Pirates fundamentally follow the strong.
If he were weak, he wouldn't have been able to build a force in the first place.
So, it was safe to assume he was waiting for a clear opportunity.
For when Drake was exhausted and low on health, to finish him off for certain!
‘He thinks he just needs to kill the leader?’
It wasn't an unreasonable thought.
In fact, if he somehow managed to kill Drake, there was a high chance he could absorb the remaining leaderless remnants.
Since they were pirates at heart, they were likely to surrender without a second thought once Drake was dead.
But.
*Slash! Shink!*
*Rat-a-tat-tat!!*
“Kuaaaack!!”
“B-block him!”
He couldn't stop his men from dying in droves right now.
And this, in turn, boosted the morale of Drake's forces once more.
[Morale increases!]
[The buff's effect is maximized…]
“Waaaaaaah!!”
“Kill them!”
‘Damn it.’
A troubled look appeared on Lee Shin's face.
At this rate, it seemed highly likely that Drake's men would survive while Drake himself would die, leading to Edward ultimately absorbing his forces.
This was not what Lee Shin wanted.
‘…….’
Lee Shin was lost in thought.
‘How do I solve this?’
The best thing would be for Drake to stop now… but seeing him in action, that seemed unlikely.
‘Should I disguise Arthur as Drake to cause confusion? No, that's too risky…’
Lee Shin continued to ponder.
But while he did, the battle was racing toward its climax.
Soon, Drake's health would hit rock bottom, and Edward would make his move.
There wasn't much time left to make a decision.
‘What should I do…’
*Bwooooooo!*
‘…Hm?’
Just then, the sound of a horn came from somewhere.
Everyone, including Lee Shin, turned their heads toward the sound.
And there, in the distance, they could see the approaching fleet of the territorial army.
“!”
“…Th-that's?!”
“Damn it! It's the territorial army!”
The pirates panicked and scrambled!
The two captains were no different.
“…W-what!?”
There were only about ten ships, but one of them was a large warship.
Also, warships were a different class from pirate ships, so even that number was an extremely dangerous force.
*WHOOOOOSH!!!!*
The ships cut through the sea, drawing closer!
The pirates fell into a panic.
“U-ugh…”
“Captain!”
The crewmen looked to Drake, not knowing what to do, and Drake looked for Lee Shin.
“First Mate! Think of a way!”
In such a chaotic situation, the most reliable person had always been Lee Shin, so he thought he might come up with something this time as well.
Burning trust!
But…
“Hm?”
But Lee Shin was nowhere to be seen!
It was only natural.
The moment he saw the allied ships approaching, Lee Shin had used Stealth and moved behind Drake!
*Pat-pat-pat!*
Lee Shin quickly closed the distance to Drake.
“First Mate! Where are you!”
“……”
Drake was completely defenseless.
He clearly never expected an attack from behind!
Thanks to that, the back of his head was perfectly exposed.
“Hmph!”
Lee Shin swung his dagger.
Various attack skills were naturally imbued into the strike as it extended.
On top of that, he added the new secret technique he had just acquired.
‘Righteous Murder!’
[Designate the villain.]
‘Drake.’
[Designating Drake as the villain.]
[All stats will be greatly increased when facing Drake!]
As the message appeared, Lee Shin's blade sliced across the back of Drake's head.
Thanks to the effect of the secret blade, it made no sound.
[Attack from stealth successful!]
[A powerful critical hit has occurred.]
[Incarnation of Malice additional damage…]
[Drake's health is below 30%...]
[……]
[This is an attack imbued with dense killing intent!]
[The target is afflicted with severe bleeding.]
[The target is afflicted with delirium.]
[The target is afflicted with confusion…]
[……]
[Critical Hit Explosion!]
[You have dealt fatal damage to the target…]
[…The target collapses!]
“…Keo-heok!??!?”
Drake coughed up blood and collapsed from the murderous damage!
Lee Shin didn't miss the opening, mounting him and savagely striking with his elbows and dagger.
*Thwack! Stab! Thwack!*
“Kuaak!? W-who…!”
“……”
“Kuaaaaack!!”
Perhaps due to the delirium effect, Drake didn't even know who was attacking him!
Before he could recover from the status effects.
And before the surrounding pirates could come to their senses, Lee Shin finished him in an instant.
*Stab!*
“Keo-heuk…”
[You have defeated the enemy.]
[The pirate captain Drake, who once ruled the seas off Les Port, enters eternal rest.]
[Temporary peace comes to the seas off Les Port.]
[You have acquired the title, 'Outlaw of the Sea'.]
[Your fame increases due to the effect of Righteous Murder.]
[The Killing Intent stat increases.]
[You have acquired 6 items.]
[You have acquired gold.]
[You have acquired experience.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[……]
An endless stream of windows popped up.
Lee Shin pushed them to one side for now.
He approached the allied ships that had drawn near and shouted boisterously.
“Commander Mapen!”
“You? Where have you been all this time, showing up now…”
It was a statement that would end this quest and confirm who had the top contribution.
“I have taken down the enemy leader!!”
“……!!”
“……!”
“…I knew I could trust you!”
* * *
After the allied fleet wiped out the exhausted pirate remnants.
Lee Shin explained what had happened to Commander Mapen of the punitive force (the knight he had bribed).
Of course, he conveniently left out the part about capturing an allied ship.
“…And that's what happened.”
After hearing the full explanation, Mapen wore an expression of disbelief.
“Heh, so you're saying.”
“Yes.”
“You intentionally infiltrated Drake's forces, won his favor to become his first mate.”
“Yes.”
“You used his forces to wipe out smaller pirate crews, and when you couldn't find any more, you secretly burned down his island to eliminate his base, thereby inducing a war of mutual destruction with Edward's forces?”
“That's exactly right.”
“……”
“It may be hard to believe, but in the end, aren't both Drake and Edward dead?”
“That… is true.”
Mapen turned his head.
There were several pirates who had been taken captive.
“Ah, ahhh…”
“……”
“…Aaaaaah!!!”
The pirates were convulsing as they stared at Lee Shin with indescribable expressions!
Seeing them, it was clear that what Lee Shin said wasn't a lie.
That was a reaction you could only have after being so completely and utterly betrayed.
Mapen shook his head and replied.
“Hah, I believe you. A remarkable achievement. I will be sure to report this to the Lord.”
“Thank you.”
“Don't thank me…”
Mapen paused and shook his head.
Then he immediately asked.
“Is there any particular reward you desire?”
“There is one thing.”
“What is it?”
“After we finish clearing out the enemy's base, please allow me to have first pick of the spoils.”
This was to secure the second quest item.
It wasn't a difficult request, as Mapen readily nodded.
“That's simple enough. Understood. I'll let them know.”