The Incompetent Hero and Pirate Suppression (4)
Roughly an hour had passed since we'd infiltrated the pirate island.
Figuring the timing was about right, I slipped free of the ropes.
"Huh? The ropes…"
"I'll take a look around. Don't worry. Every one of you is going to make it home safe. Just stay put and keep quiet for now."
With that, I casually smashed through the iron bars of the cell and stepped outside.
The first thing I did once I was free was, of course, wreck the ships.
Shhk.
Quietly. Discreetly.
My blade flashed, and the pirate vessels split clean down the middle, half-sinking where they floated.
That took care of any chance the pirates might flee by sea if things went sideways.
But… no matter how hard I look, there's not a single trace of beastmen. The Beastman Alliance was definitely using these pirates to smuggle Geogeonhwan…
Ugh… ahh… spare me…
I was roaming the island in search of any sign of them when a considerable racket reached my ears.
Some kind of banquet? Curious, I headed toward the noise, and the sounds grew clearer with every step.
"Aaaargh!!"
"Somebody help me!!!"
"P-poison!! I've been poisoned!! Save me~!!!!"
"…"
I didn't need to see it to know roughly what was going on.
The screams swelled as I drew closer. Pirates came bolting out as if running for their lives.
I clubbed each one across the head as they fled, then walked straight toward the source of the chaos.
"…What the hell are you two doing?"
"Doryeong. You've arrived?"
"You're late. We already took care of all of them."
At the far end of it all stood two women, calmly straightening their clothes after finishing off everyone in sight.
Looking at the women alone, you might have thought celestial maidens had descended from heaven to tidy their garments — but the pirates thrashing around them, screaming in agony, rather spoiled the image.
"…Even if there weren't any beastmen, you two went way too far. The whole plan I put together just got completely wrecked."
"We didn't have a choice. The way those bastards were looking at us was filthy. If we hadn't moved first, we'd have been thoroughly violated. Or is that what you wanted?"
"It was deeply unpleasant, Doryeong."
"…Haa. Fine. If you say so, then fine."
Still, they'd completely subdued the place, so I supposed I should count that as a blessing.
"Did you two come straight here?"
"That's right."
"Indeed."
"…They must've been that desperate for women."
I swept my gaze over the surroundings.
Half the pirates had been beaten senseless by Baekryeon.
The other half had collapsed from Seollin's poison.
A few more had fled from the two of them only to get caught and knocked out by me.
"Where's the captain?"
"Right here."
"I haven't used any poison on him yet."
"Hiiiek?!"
Already terrified out of his mind, the captain trembled violently at the mere mention of Seollin's poison and stared at me.
Hey. Don't look at me like that.
A man staring at another man that way is just creepy.
"Listen. You can see the situation clearly enough, right? One wrong word and this young lady here will put you to sleep for the rest of your life with her poison. Understood?"
"Y-yes, sir! I understand! I understand perfectly!"
"Good enough. You lot have been smuggling something, haven't you?"
"Hic…"
The way he sucked in a breath and averted his eyes the moment I said it told me everything — they had definitely been running contraband.
"Where is it?"
"W-where, you say… I really don't know anything about that…"
"Seollin."
"Can I kill him?"
"Yeah. Use the most agonizing poison you've got."
The moment the words left my mouth, Seollin drew a hidden weapon from her robes. The captain nearly jumped out of his skin, shaking his head so hard it looked ready to fly off.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll talk!! I'll really talk!!!"
"Too late. You should've spoken when I asked."
"I'll really talk! Please spare me!! Please spare me!!!"
As Seollin approached him slowly, deliberately, he started thrashing and screaming in pure desperation.
"S-smuggling! We were smuggling!! We were smuggling!! Geogeonhwan!! We were selling Geogeonhwan!!"
"Seollin."
"Got it."
"Gyaaaaaaaah!!!"
I'd fretted over this operation in all sorts of ways and prepared for just as many contingencies, but things had wrapped up so simply compared to my worries that I almost felt a twinge of emptiness. Regardless of what I thought, however, Yeogibuk — a general of the Yeom Kingdom — threw his head back and laughed heartily.
"To clean everything up so perfectly! Magnificent! As expected of the Azure Dragon!! And to think you even found every last person the pirates had captured!!…"
"…Yeah. Things worked out easier than I expected. Lucky break."
After poisoning the captain along with the rest, we'd rummaged through their warehouse, found rope, and bound every last one of them.
After that, we fired a signal flare to summon the Yeom Kingdom forces and had the lot of them taken into custody. That was how the situation ended.
"Some of the captives don't look to be in good shape. Malnourished, more precisely — there are people who need to be moved inland immediately and seen by a physician."
"Right. We should get things sorted."
Seeming as though I held the highest command authority present, I raised my voice to Yeogibuk and the assembled soldiers.
"Evidence of Geogeonhwan smuggling has been found on this island! A portion of our forces will remain to secure and investigate the site. The rest will handle the transport of the pirates and the escort of the rescued captives. Move out!"
"Move out!"
At my order, they began loading the pirates and those in need of protection onto the ships.
While that was underway, someone approached me.
"Thank you."
"…You're Jong-ui?"
"I am."
"Got any information for me?"
At that, Jong-ui hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a tremor running through his body.
"First of all, it would be best if we left this place as quickly as possible."
"Is there a reason to hurry? And there weren't any beastmen here — you said the Beastman Alliance was dealing with these pirates, didn't you? There weren't any beastmen mixed in among them."
"…About that…"
Jong-ui couldn't quite get the words out.
What the hell did he see here to make him like this?
"Talk. What exactly did you see here? Who did the Beastman Alliance send?"
"…A Demon King."
"…?"
Huh? A Demon King?
Why is a Demon King suddenly coming up? Don't tell me the Heavenly Demon came here?
No. That can't be.
We don't even know whether the Heavenly Demon has fully revived yet. And yet a Demon King, here of all places…
Intuition
In that instant, something flashed through my mind like a warning.
At the same time, the Intuition skill activated, and before I even realized it, my gaze snapped toward the far side of the sea.
Ssshhh… ahhh…
Something was coming.
I couldn't put it into clear words, but something… was approaching at high speed…
"Master Cheon-woo! Everyone is aboard!! What will you do, Master Cheon-woo?! Will you remain?? Or shall we return for now!!"
From the deck, Yeogibuk called out to me in a booming voice.
Ssshhh… ahhh… aaat…
All the while, the sound of parting waves grew steadily louder.
"…Get off the ship!!!"
"??"
"Doryeong?"
"Cheon-woo?"
Yeogibuk, Baekryeon, and Seollin all stared at me as if I were speaking gibberish.
Paying them no mind, I hastily drew my sword and strained my ears.
"E-Elder Yeogibuk. Something is approaching from the sea!"
"What? What are you talking about…"
The direction of the sound was… dead ahead.
And right in front of me was… the ship!…
"I-it's coming!! It's extremely fast!!!"
"I-it's going to hit!!!"
SSSHHHHHHHH!!! KRAAANG!!!
Something punched straight through the ship.
Everyone present reeled at the surreal sight.
I alone — I who had inherited the Sword King's memories — could coldly assess the situation and discern what our opponent was after.
"Seollin!!!"
"?!"
CLANG!!! KAAAAAANG!!!!
A spear stopped mere inches from Seollin's face.
Had I not blocked it with my sword, that spear would have driven clean through her skull.
KRRRRRUMBLE! CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!
The pierced ship began to collapse. While everyone else was still barely processing what had just happened, I locked eyes with the one who had so precisely targeted Seollin. A man roughly two meters tall, with blue hair.
"Who are you?"
"Funny. I've been wantin' to ask that myself. Who the hell are you? Ain't never seen your face 'round these parts."
A beastman…?
His pupils weren't human — they had a shape I'd never seen before.
That was a common trait among beastmen.
Status Window.
"!!"
Unobservable…?
What the hell is this…
I'd looked at plenty of people's status windows before. But this was a first.
I can't even observe him…?
"Who the hell are you?"
"Aigoo, this little punk. You ain't hearin' me, are ya? It ain't me who needs to answer — it's you who oughta be sayin' who you are, ain't it?"
"…Jang Cheon-woo."
The moment I gave my name, he seemed to mull something over, then smirked and lowered his spear.
"They call me Fukhaedaeseong 'round these parts. Name's Gyocheon. But… I been catchin' a whiff of imoogi somewhere, and lookie here — an imoogi's pup."
"!!"
"Come to think of it… they said they needed a bit of imoogi blood… reckon I'll just take ya with me."
A chill ran down my spine.
Only then did the others start to react.
Soldiers clawing their way out of the wrecked ship.
Baekryeon drawing her sword in a rush.
Seollin, realizing she'd nearly died moments ago — and that she had been the target.
Everyone began to move as if time, frozen until that instant, had finally started flowing again.
"Cough, cough!!… Master Cheon-woo!! Who the hell is that man?!…"
"Doryeong! Th-this man is!!"
Clang-clang-clang-clang!!
Even without grasping the full situation, they understood this man was an enemy and leveled their weapons — yet not one of them made a move to charge first.
Or rather, would it be more accurate to say they couldn't?
"…Everyone, board the remaining intact ships and get out of here."
Fukhaedaeseong had destroyed one vessel.
The rest were still fine. They could still escape this island.
"Hmm? That won't do. Y'all raised this much hell here — if I just let ya walk, my pride won't stand for it."
Not if the man in front of me stood in the way.
And the only person who could stop this man… was probably me.
"I'll hold him. Go. Now."
"Pwahahaha! What'd you just say? Hold me? You? Alone? Against me? Well now, been a long time since anybody looked down on me like that."
He lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his spear, then unleashed a thick wave of killing intent as he spoke.
"I may not look it, but they used to call me the Dragon Demon King, y'know. And some worthless brat thinks he can stop me alone? Don't make me laugh."
"Ugh…"
"Gah… hrrk…"
Like the Sword King's Oppression, his presence crushed everyone around him.
No choice, then. In that case…
Daehae Gargeugi — Ocean Cleaver
"?!"
CRAAANG!!!
"Baekryeon! Take Seollin and run!! Now!!!"
Leaving those words behind, I chased after Fukhaedaeseong as the Ocean Cleaver blasted him far out across the sea.