Chapter 118: Death Penalty!
ㅤ”Pirates!?”
ㅤ
ㅤWhen I asked,
ㅤ
ㅤ”Y-yes. A little while ago, a pirate ship drifted into the Navel of the World… and they started to build a hideout a little ways from here. Hope Village has been on alert, mainly with the Adventurer’s Guild taking the lead…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Come to think of it, I heard the pirates disappeared from the Kielhen Islands.”
ㅤ
ㅤI thought for sure they were done in by the Oceanus・Kraken seafood combo, but I guess the survivors washed up here.
ㅤIf Celesta sailors washed up, it was only natural that pirates would too.
ㅤ
ㅤ”What’s Hope Village’s fighting strength?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Five or six adventurers. One of them was injured in the recent fight with the monsters and shouldn’t be able to move properly.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s bad. I’ll go too.”
ㅤ
ㅤI got out of bed, slung the Abyss Worm’s Infinite Stomach that was beside the bed over my shoulder, and took the Wand of Regret that was also there.
ㅤI couldn’t find the Black Steel Sword, so I took a spare one out of the Infinite Stomach. I have more than a dozen Black Steel Swords in stock.
ㅤ
ㅤ”But, you’re just getting over your illness…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”If they’re just pirates and not demons or anything, I can handle it.”
ㅤ
ㅤI put on the drop item mantle and left the room.
ㅤ
ㅤAfter leaving, I poked my head back into the room,
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Which way?”
ㅤ
ㅤI asked Marianne.
ㅤ
ㅤIt was incredibly thoughtless of me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Understood, I’ll show you the way.”
ㅤ
ㅤI left the house with Marianne as my guide.
ㅤMarianne’s house was on top of a small mound.
ㅤThough I say mound, it wasn’t made of earth, but stone.
ㅤHuge, block-like stones were piled up, creating a slightly elevated position compared to the surroundings.
ㅤ
ㅤHandmade rope ladders and what seemed to be stairs made of driftwood were attached to the blocks, and I descended several of them to reach the ground.
ㅤ
ㅤThe ground here was also paved with stone.
ㅤ
ㅤThe place where I descended formed a gently curving corridor.
ㅤIt seemed the commotion was happening far ahead along the curve.
ㅤ
ㅤI observed Hope Village as I followed Marianne, who was walking briskly.
ㅤ
ㅤThere was a wall on the inner side of the curved corridor we were currently walking along.
ㅤBeyond it, a particularly tall, tower-like structure rose up.
ㅤIt seemed quite far from here and was faintly shrouded in mist.
ㅤCould that be the Demon King’s Museum of All Creation, Arsh’s destination?
ㅤI had imagined something like a prefectural museum, but its appearance was closer to a tall tower like the Skytree.
ㅤ
ㅤ（Well, before that, it’s the pirates, isn’t it?）
ㅤ
ㅤIn less than five minutes, Marianne and I reached a tall stone wall with a watchtower, which seemed to be the outer edge of Hope Village.
ㅤThe stone wall had a gate made of driftwood, but it was currently tightly closed.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Marianne!”
ㅤ
ㅤA middle-aged man who was near the gate said.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Otou-san! What’s the situation?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”The pirates are demanding we open the gate, taking a village girl hostage.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”A girl… you mean…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Evy… poor thing…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”N-no way…!”
ㅤ
ㅤMarianne’s face turned pale.
ㅤ
ㅤThe middle-aged man – Marianne’s father – looked at me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You’re awake. Your friend’s daughter was making a fuss, saying she wanted you to help her.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s fine. That’s the kind of village this is. Everyone drifted here and arrived. It’s only natural to help each other out.
ㅤOf course, there are some who don’t think that way.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”The pirates, right? How many enemies are there?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Apparently, there are about thirty of them. And to think we helped those half-dead bastards when they were out of water and food…”
ㅤ
ㅤMarianne’s father said with frustration.
ㅤ
ㅤ”If they’re that kind of people, there’s no need to hold back, is there?”
ㅤ
ㅤWhen I said that,
ㅤ
ㅤ”H-hey. Were you listening to the conversation? You look like an adventurer from your attire, but are you saying you can handle that many?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha… well, just watch. I’ll repay the favor of being helped. It’s not right for kind people to get the short end of the stick.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I-is that so… but don’t push yourself. You’re a young girl. If you get caught by the pirates…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I understand.”
ㅤ
ㅤI used levitation magic to float in the air and landed on the watchtower above the stone wall.
ㅤThe adventurer who was watching the pirates was startled by my sudden appearance.
ㅤ
ㅤ”So those are… the pirates, huh?”
ㅤ
ㅤBeyond the wall, about a hundred meters away, a group of people dressed in pirate gear – eyepatches, bandanas, leather armor, scimitars – were hanging around.
ㅤIn the center of them was a young woman, her clothes torn, her body covered in bruises, crying.
ㅤMy head went cold.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Death penalty – that’s fine, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤI activated the Gatling Turret spell, creating dozens of Ether Shot launchers in the air.
ㅤThe invisible launchers fired simultaneously, and the needle-like Ether Shots blew away the pirates’ heads, necks, shoulders, arms, chests, and stomachs.
ㅤOf course, they didn’t hit the hostage girl.
ㅤ
ㅤIt seems some pirates survived because they were “lucky” with where they were hit, but I’ll leave their punishment to the people of Hope Village.
ㅤ
ㅤ”T-this is…!”
ㅤ
ㅤMarianne’s father, who had climbed up to the watchtower breathlessly, was astonished.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha… that’s about it, I guess.”
ㅤ
ㅤI said, scratching my cheek.