Chapter 28

The first to spot the pirates was the lookout perched on the mast.

As soon as he saw the pirates, he screamed like a madman.

“Pirates! Attack! Captain, a ship is coming up from the south!”

“You idiot, why did you only spot it now!”

“Sorry!”

“How many?”

“Three!”

Captain Leandro quickly took out his telescope and looked to the south.

But even without it, I could already see black dots approaching on the horizon.

It was three pirate speedboats.

They were small, but fast enough to catch up with the slow merchant ship.

When it became impossible to avoid a fight, Captain Leandro burst out in frustration.

“Damn it. Just a few more days and Fasa's patrol boats would be around, why did they have to show up now! Don't change course to port, maintain course at full speed!”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Everyone to battle stations! Move, move, move!”

As Captain Leandro shouted after confirming the presence of the pirate ships, the boatswain hurriedly rang the alarm bell.

The crew ran around the deck, pulling out long pikes and cutlasses from somewhere.

The lookout screamed.

“They're catching up!”

Captain Leandro used his seamanship to try and shake off the pirates as much as possible, but the Kobold pirates' seamanship was no ordinary thing either.

The pirate ships quickly caught up with the merchant ship.

Looking at the swarming Kobolds on the deck, I immediately realized whose subordinates they were.

There is only one pirate in the Kresven Archipelago with such a strange taste as to have Kobolds as subordinates and who runs rampant.

“They're the pirates of Tospol.”

Theo asked from the side.

“Who's that?”

“The most dangerous man-eater in the Golden Sea.”

“Man-eater? An ogre?”

“Yes. Those guys must be Tospol's detachment. Fortunately, Tospol is nowhere to be seen. He must have gone to the market in Halifa.”

When it became inevitable to fight, Captain Leandro looked at me with desperate eyes.

“Guest, the situation has taken a turn for the worse. We will do our best to ensure your safety, but we still need your help.”

“Of course, we will do as we promised. The safety of this ship is our safety.”

“I am truly grateful to hear you say that.”

Captain Leandro's face hardened as he looked back at the pirate ship that had come close enough to exchange arrows.

The Kobolds lined up on the deck raised their weapons and shouted in an incomprehensible language.

In response, the crew aimed their crossbows, and Captain Leandro bellowed.

“It's still out of crossbow range! Don't shoot recklessly!”

On the bow of the pirate ship, a Kobold with a megaphone appeared.

Unexpectedly, he shouted in fluent Imperial Common.

“Krrr, the merchant ship ahead, stop and follow our instructions! If you want to pass through here, you have to pay a toll!”

“You damn pirates! What great work do you do to dare to collect taxes!”

“We are responsible for the peace of this sea. And you are breaking that peace. Surrender when we're being nice! If you don't pay the toll, we will seize your ship!”

“Don't be ridiculous! If you come any closer, we'll turn you into a pincushion.”

As harsh words were exchanged, the pirate captain shouted at his men in the Kobold language.

Then the speedboats charged towards the cargo ship.

“Fire!”

The crew, who had been waiting for the order, fired their arrows in unison.

But the accuracy was terrible.

A rain of arrows poured down on the pirate ship, but most of the arrows just grazed over the Kobold pirates' heads.

“You shot too high!”

Captain Leandro complained, but it couldn't be helped.

Since Kobolds are smaller than humans, it's not easy to hit them.

While the merchant ship was pouring out arrows, the pirates brought out grappling hooks, poles, and planks and prepared for boarding.

“They're trying to come over! Everyone to the deck and block them! Tell the rowers to come up too!”

“But Captain, the ship won't be able to move forward then.”

“Can't you see! It's already too late! Everyone grab a pike and block them!”

At Captain Leandro's roar, even the sailors who were rowing came up to the deck.

They held long pikes and prepared to face the pirates' boarding.

Tension filled the gunwale.

It was clear that a bloody fight was about to break out.

Theo, who had taken out his axe, did not run wild with excitement, but like a seasoned warrior, he calmly surveyed his surroundings and remained vigilant.

“Young Master. Come behind me. Don't go out and lose your life for nothing.”

“Alright. But I bet the pirates won't even come this way because they're scared of you.”

“Haha. Do you have the leisure to joke in this situation?”

“I know, right. I'm not nervous at all.”

Even without the Heart of Iron and Blood trait activating, I didn't feel afraid or scared of the current situation.

Compared to Isak, the pirates' menace was child's play.

Perhaps my mind has grown after the big fight with Isak in the Imperial Capital.

“Well, that's good. It's better to have confidence than to be discouraged. Just be careful not to confuse where you should step up.”

“Don't worry. I'll be watching your back.”

I drew the longsword I had at my waist.

The blade shone with a moderately dark light.

I had no intention of actively participating in the fight, but I had no intention of avoiding those who came at me either.

In , where fighting is a daily routine, not being able to fight means you have no intention of surviving.

To be good at fighting, you need a martial trait.

With my current low stamina, I'll never survive in the future.

And the fastest way to evolve a trait is, of course, to participate in battle.

My goal this time is to at least take care of myself and gain some experience points.

“Collision! Everyone be careful!”

Thump!

Just then, a pirate ship rammed into the side, and the ship lurched.

The merchant ship, hit by the ram, staggered, and the crew couldn't respond properly, and in the meantime, the pirates crossed over the gunwale on ropes with grappling hooks.

“They're coming over! Prepare for hand-to-hand combat!”

“Kyahah!”

A Kobold with a sun-tanned face crossed the gunwale and shouted.

But the guy who came over with such vigor soon became Theo's first victim.

Crack!

The axe Theo swung wide split the guy's head in two in a single blow.

“Before the eternal winter comes, your life belongs to Tyr! Fight!”

The unknown always brings extreme effects.

When Theo shouted the Snow Elf's battle cry in the northern language, the Kobold pirates were startled and flinched.

But that was only for a moment.

As the wave of Kobold pirates who boarded next rushed in, the fear disappeared like the tide.

“Sultana! Kresven Sultana!”

“For Fasa!”

The Kobold pirates and the human crew became entangled, screaming and shouting.

The blood flowing from those who were stabbed and cut stained the deck red.

The fight was quite fierce.

Because if you were caught by the pirates, the only outcomes were death or being sold to the slave market in Halifa.

To avoid the fate of dying as a slave in a foreign land for the rest of their lives, the crew was also desperate, and accordingly, the pirates became more brutal.

Everywhere you stepped, the undrained, pooled blood splashed.

Through the terrible smell of blood, the bright sunlight of the cloudless sea poured down.

As I was watching this scene, a Kobold pirate from the side came at me, swinging his axe.

“Kraaah!”

It's a real fight, all of a sudden!

My body froze reflexively.

At that moment, as if it had been waiting, the trait activated.

「Trait Activated: Heart of Iron and Blood. ─ Calmness. That is the most useful way to survive a fight.」

My mind, which had become a blank slate due to confusion and panic, instantly calmed down.

Then, I was freed from the tension that had come over my body.

“Hup.”

The Kobold pirate reached me in an instant and swung his axe wide.

The thought of parrying that heavy attack head-on seemed crazy.

I quickly twisted my body.

Just then, a strong wave hit the ship, and the Kobold who was rushing at me lost his balance and fell to the side.

I didn't miss that moment and moved.

My swordsmanship was still clumsy, but it unfolded much more naturally than when I was training.

I felt the sensation of the attack hitting its mark at my fingertips.

“Kuk!”

A single scream.

And a spray of blood into the air.

The guy who had charged in vigorously collapsed in front of me, and at the same time, a shiver ran through my body and my hair stood on end.

Just because it was a Kobold didn't mean its blood was green.

Like me, it was also a living creature.

In the Imperial Capital, I had never directly gotten my hands bloody.

At that time, other people did it for me.

So, although many people might have died because of me, this was my first murder in my entire life.

However, I was not as shocked as I thought I would be.

It wasn't because I was a psychopath or because the trait that makes me calm in any situation had activated.

It was simply because I had naturally accepted that fact.

Yes.

There was no need for self-justification to accept the current situation.

This is the middle of the sea where a battle is taking place.

There's nowhere to run like on land.

Now is the time to fight.

I fight to not die.

Fight!

I readjusted my grip on the hilt of my sword.

In front of me were a lot of Kobold pirates.

They must have brought their families, friends, and all the people from their neighborhood on that small boat.

A laugh escaped me.

“What are you looking at. You want to die too?”

Then the pirates looked frightened.

Are they scared of me?

To test it, I took a step forward, and the pirates all backed away.

This is fun.

One step.

Another step.

“What, why are you running away? Are you scared?”

Before I knew it, the pirates were pushed to the edge of the deck.

The pirates looked back and forth between the blue sea with its gaping maw right behind them and me, and finally, as if they had made a decision, they came running at me, screaming.

They prepared to swing their swords forward.

At that very moment, a shadow fell over me along with a gust of hot air.

At the same time, a familiar axe swept away the Kobolds in a single blow.

“Kieek!”

“Kuak!”

It was Theo.

It seems they were scared of Theo's appearance, not mine.

I feel a bit disappointed.

In fact, it was understandable.

Theo was beyond bloodstained; he was drenched in blood.

And yet, he himself was not injured at all, and his breathing was even, showing no signs of fatigue.

It was certainly proven that ordinary pirates are no match for an official knight.

Theo, who had annihilated the pirates in one blow, scolded me.

“I told you not to do anything dangerous.”

“It wasn't that dangerous.”

“What do you mean, not. I saw you enjoying it. What if you disappear the moment I look away. So, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Thanks to you. I even took down one pirate.”

“Just one? It seems you need more training.”

“What? How many did you catch?”

“Didn't you see me catch them just now? Of course, I caught more than ten.”

“You're something else.”

We bickered as we joined the other fights on the deck.

Actually, Theo did almost everything, and I just hid behind him and finished off the ones that were left.

It can't be helped.

Knocking down that one Kobold earlier was just luck.

Honestly, I'm frustrated with myself too.

I wish my trait would evolve quickly.

When I had cut down a few guys who were showing their backs in the confusion, a loud scream erupted from over there.

It was Captain Leandro's scream.

“All humans, stop! Your leader has fallen!”

The Kobold who had been demanding surrender with a megaphone at the bow earlier was now holding a knife to the throat of Captain Leandro, who was lying on the floor.

It was a rather ridiculous sight due to the height difference, but he was serious.

“Krr-k, humans! All of you, stop! If you don't surrender, I will kill your leader! All of you, drop your weapons and surrender!”

Captain Leandro struggled.

“Don't listen to him! These guys will sell you to the slave market!”

“Shut up, loser, krr-k!”

When the pirate captain kicked him, Captain Leandro clutched his face and rolled on the floor.

“Damn it. Things are not looking good.”

I haven't even reached Fasa, and I have to give up my ambitions on the sea?

Do I have to see the slave market ending like this?

Absolutely not.

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