Chapter 82
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Rocky Cliff Wharf (3)
Because of the commotion at the village entrance, the pirates scouting from the nearby watchtower alerted the others to the crisis.
Stealthily passing through was out of the question now... I quickly scanned the surroundings.
Pirates were starting to emerge one by one, but not in great numbers yet.
I'd wiped out all the ones near the entrance, so hopping on the carriage and racing straight to the wharf seemed like the best option.
Having made up my mind, I looked for Coachman Bruhan.
"......?"
But Bruhan had already emerged carrying one of the jars loaded on the carriage.
What filled that jar to the brim... were magic stones stamped with red seals.
'Explosion stones...?'
Explosion stones were magic stones crafted to detonate when infused with mana.
He placed the jar right by the outpost at the entrance and swiftly slipped away.
Then.
Boom-! A massive explosion rocked the village, the blast echoing everywhere. At the same time, the pirates who grasped the situation burst out of the outpost in unison.
"Who the hell are you!"
"T-the entrance is breached! Everyone out!"
The coachman Bruhan, who had triggered the blast, had already returned to the carriage and hidden himself. The pirates began surrounding me, closing in like a noose. ...So this was the plan from the start. It seemed like they intended to create a distraction at the entrance so Beth could infiltrate the interior. If that's how they wanted to play it, fine.
"You barge in here causing trouble—what's this nonsense, sir knight?"
The pirates kept their distance, sizing up my strength as they formed ranks. To buy time, I casually picked up a sword scattered on the ground. If I swept them away now, any hidden pirates in the village might flee quickly. It'd be better to keep their attention fixed on the entrance while Beth slipped inside and finished the job.
"Iron Hog Pirates. You've crossed the line."
I opened with some suitably imposing words. At that, one pirate scoffed lightly.
"...Seems there's a misunderstanding. Us, pirates?"
The pirate smirked slyly.
"We're just the honest folk of this village. Now that you know, how about stopping the rampage? You won't have a leg to stand on if we report this to the kingdom."
"......"
I waited patiently as the pirates gathered. Seeing my reaction, the pirate thought his words were working.
"Knight. If you don't want rumors spreading about you preying on the weak, surrender quietly!"
The pirates advanced slowly toward me. I retreated step by step to match them. There were original villagers living inside the village too. Taken over by pirates, they were surely being exploited. Taking them hostage would be a hassle, but Beth would handle that part. After backing up enough, I drew a line in the dirt in front of me.
"First one to cross it loses their head."
I couldn't just keep retreating forever, so I dragged things out with a fitting line. The pirates exchanged glances but didn't press closer. By now, the number surrounding me had surpassed thirty. With about a hundred pirates occupying the village, that was nearly half lured out. Then.
"Out of the way! Move!"
Something rumbling burst through the pirate crowd. A magic cannon. A cannon that fired magic stone shells. Ripped hastily from a pirate ship, it was covered in scratches.
"You're the one who should surrender—right now—or I'll turn you into fish food!"
The pirate aiming the cannon at me loaded a shell. He raised a torch, as if ready to light the fuse.
"Surrender in three seconds! Or I won't leave enough pieces to identify!"
"...This should be enough."
I raised my staff. I'd stalled plenty by now.
"Three! Two! One! Fire!" Bang! With a thunderous roar, the shell launched from the cannon. Fired on the pirate's count, it arced gracefully through the sky. Kaboom-! But before it hit the ground, something intercepted it. The golem I'd summoned pierced the shell, detonating it midair.
"Wh-what the hell!"
"Fire again, quick!"
The cannon that fired the shell had toppled over, so two pirates grunted as they tried to right it. The other pirates started eyeing the scene warily, sensing something off. Before they could flee, I drew out my mana first. Vrrr- Centered on the cannon, a pitch-black hole materialized. The moment it appeared, it greedily sucked in everyone around it.
"Argh, aaah!"
"W-wait! Hold on!"
"Save me! Sp-" In the blink of an eye, the pirates were dragged into the black hole and vanished. I used the golem to mop up the lucky few who escaped its range. Looking toward the village interior, a few pirates who had been watching from afar bolted with eyes wide in shock. ...Well, I'd done it now. Hope it's fine. "......"
Coachman Bruhan, who had pulled the carriage up to me, gave a look urging me to hop on. I climbed aboard, and the carriage sped through the village toward the wharf.
After abandoning the carriage, Beth dashed along the mountain path to link up with her guildmates.
"You're here."
A man hidden in the underbrush spotted Beth and stood.
"Rubang. Ready?"
"We can storm the village the moment we neutralize that watchtower."
Rubang unrolled a pre-prepared map of the village.
A back route that led straight to the wharf at the village's rear.
"Where's that man?"
"The guild master plans to seize the lodge first."
Rubang pointed to the spot marked as the pirates' lodge on the map.
That was where Drake, boss of the Iron Hog Pirates, was staying.
After explaining, Rubang pocketed the map and continued.
"Did you brief the mage? He needs to hold the entrance as long as possible."
"......"
Beth just smiled at Rubang's question, saying nothing.
"...Lady Beth, don't tell me."
"Ah, it'll start soon."
Boom-! Right then, an explosion erupted from the village entrance. Startled pirates rushed toward it in disarray. That loosened surveillance on the back path considerably.
"......"
"What."
"...Nothing."
Rubang hunkered down in the brush again. The original plan was to use the explosion stones transported by carriage to stir maximum chaos at the entrance. Then, seize key points in the village and wipe out the pirates. But given Beth's personality, she probably hadn't explained it properly. Rather than meddle pointlessly, Rubang chose silence.
"Alright, head in shortly."
Beth, now cloaked in stealth, left Rubang's side. She approached the wooden watchtower without a sound, even muffling her footsteps. Silently climbing the ladder.
"...Huh? G-guhk!"
She quietly dispatched the lookout pirate. Descending the tower, she followed the hidden rear path into the village. After trekking some distance.
"......"
At the edge of the coastline, beneath a massive cliff, yawned a large cave. Inside were ragged-looking people crammed full. Villagers captured by the pirates, it seemed. They were diligently mining something within the cave. '...Salt?' Most appeared to be rock salt, the cave walls gleaming white. At the cave entrance.
"Move faster!"
A pirate overseer stood watch. Beth crept up to him silently.
"Q-quick, hurry... Mmph!"
She dispatched him in an instant and tossed the body into the sea. The sudden shift stunned the villagers inside, their faces blank.
"Rubang. Handle the rest."
"......"
Beth handed everything off to the arriving Rubang and vanished back into the underbrush. When she reached the wharf.
"Ha! Show yourself!"
One pirate ship was already afloat on the sea at the wharf. Shouting from its deck was Drake, boss of the Iron Hawk Pirates. He yelled at the shoreline, torch in hand as if ready to ignite the cannon any second. Yet the ship was steadily pulling away.
"You lot from the Shadow Union, eh? I won't forget today's work..."
Then, behind the pirate ship, a colossal whale-shaped tidal wave reared up. Mouth agape as if to swallow the vessel whole, it crashed down. The pirate ship shredded apart in the waves, crew flung into the sea before they could resist. Debris from the ship washed ashore soon after. A few pirates clung to the flotsam, bobbing in the water. Most washed up on the shoreline, unconscious after swallowing seawater.
"...That's a bit much."
From the underbrush, Beth addressed the man sitting with an open book. Diren, guild master of the Shadow Union. The myriad magic circles drawn in his book had lost their glow, the mana catalysts dimmed. Diren shoved the spent catalysts aside and closed the book.
"Where's the mage?"
"At the entrance."
"When he arrives, we'll wrap things up."
"...Hold on. Can't see the boss."
Beth pointed to the washed-up pirates. Most were knocked out by the tidal wave, but the boss Drake was nowhere in sight.
"We'll find him later if needed. Securing the village comes first."
Diren dismissed it as unimportant and headed into the village.