Chapter 30

Having received permission from Captain Leandro, the man in charge of the ship, I, with nothing more to hold me back, went to the Kobold pirate captain.

The location of the pirate den is a random encounter.

The location changes with each playthrough, so the only way to find it is through interrogation or by searching the entire archipelago.

The Kobold pirate captain still had some pride left and bared his teeth, but he immediately quieted down after a flick on the forehead from Theo.

It certainly had that kind of power.

If it were me, I would have died instantly.

The pirate captain who endured that was no ordinary fellow either.

He wasn't even intimidated by being hit.

“What is it, krr-k?”

“You want to live, don't you?”

“K, huh?”

The direct question flustered the pirate captain.

I didn't miss that opening and dug in.

“I asked if you want to live. At this rate, people will make you fish food in that sea, aren't you afraid?”

“Krr-k, do you think you'll be safe if you do that? Do you think our leader will just stand by?”

The pirate captain had a lot of guts.

To think of threatening us in reverse while being held captive says it all.

Of course, even that was within my expectations.

“I know, your leader is Tospol. He's a wicked ogre who likes to kill people.”

“Krr-k, if you know that, don't you think you should release me immediately?”

“But do you really think Tospol will let you live if you go back alive?”

“Kuk.”

The pirate captain groaned and fell silent, unable to say anything.

Just as a strong denial is an affirmation, silence is also an affirmation.

Good, good.

It's going well.

Since he has admitted that there's no way Tospol would let a subordinate who was captured live, the persuasion is already halfway successful.

If you think that sounds strange, you're normal.

Tospol is just that reckless.

It's not for nothing that he's the tyrant of the Golden Sea.

“You're lucky you met me. Fortunately for you, I'm not a bad guy who likes to kill people. So, I'd like to make a proposal.”

I held out my hand first to the guy who was looking at me with suspicious eyes.

A purple flame flickered before my eyes.

“You, let's do one thing together.”

***

An island in the Kresven Archipelago.

The sea, colored by the sunset glow, was peaceful.

The notorious pirate den that disturbed the maritime trade routes was just sleeping in silence.

In front of that pirate den, a fleet consisting of the Fasa merchant ship and three speedboats appeared.

“My, to actually find the location of the pirate den! Mr. Gryph, you are truly amazing.”

“Haha, it was nothing.”

It really was nothing.

Persuading the Kobold pirate captain to find out the location of the pirate den was very easy.

When Theo and I played the roles of bad cop and worse cop to persuade him, he reluctantly revealed the location of their base.

I think the promise that I would make sure he would never meet Tospol for the rest of his life was effective.

After persuading the Kobold pirate captain, the way the crew looked at me changed as if they were looking at a demon, but let's just overlook that.

My trait name does have 'demon' in it, but I'm just a person.

“But, I'm not sure if this is really a good idea. We're just merchant ship sailors. I wonder if the raid will be successful with just this many people.”

Captain Leandro himself had a dazed expression.

He seemed to be getting scared now that he was actually in front of the pirate base.

But what can you do?

If you make an oath, you have to keep it.

“Don't worry too much. According to the pirate captain, Tospol is away at the trade market in Halifa, so it won't be difficult to wipe out the pirate den.”

“Still.”

“Captain, think about the wealth you'll get there. How much treasure must those pirates have accumulated while plundering the trade routes? Even after sharing it with the crew, you'll be able to retire and not have to worry about your pension.”

「Trait Activated: Descendant of a Demon When you talk about the benefits they will gain, people get excited. Without even thinking about what they will have to sacrifice.」

As I reminded him of the existence of gold and persuaded him, Captain Leandro's eyes became hazy.

Captain Leandro's lips curled up as he grinned.

He seemed to be imagining himself as a rich man.

Of course, if Captain Leandro had no desire for wealth, the Descendant of a Demon trait would not have activated in the first place.

Phew, I'm getting used to using my traits.

After persuading Captain Leandro, it was much easier to persuade the crew.

The crew was in a poorer state than the captain, and this is a world without employment insurance.

Of course, there's no industrial accident compensation either.

So the crew was always desperate to accumulate wealth, and they had no intention of missing this opportunity.

As soon as I brought up the topic of plunder, the crew began to calculate their share.

“If there are 10,000 gross on the island, how much will we get?”

“20% to the shipowner, 30% to the captain, and if we divide what's left among ourselves……”

“My goodness. Then I'll be able to buy a house in the city.”

With the atmosphere like this, the execution of the Kobold prisoners was also postponed.

Because someone had to row.

You can't carry out a raid when you're exhausted.

Instead of bringing up the human rowers and increasing the number of people for the raid, Captain Leandro made the prisoners do the labor of rowing.

“Let's approach the island.”

“Understood. Helmsman, full speed to the island!”

As the captain gave the order, the fleet approached the island with the sunset at their backs.

Then the coast became chaotic.

The Kresven pirates, thinking their comrades had captured the merchant ship, lit torches and flocked to the pier.

“Fortunately, the disguise seems to be successful. Seeing them all flocking over.”

“Indeed. It's a good thing they're so blind.”

“Good. Let's keep going like this.”

The pirates were completely off guard, and the fleet smoothly docked at the pier without any resistance.

When no one appeared on the deck even after arriving at the pier, the Kobold pirates chattered in an incomprehensible language.

“Now! Fire the crossbows!”

At that moment, the crew hiding on the deck all stood up and poured a rain of arrows on the pirates gathered in front of the pier.

The pirates, who were completely unprepared, fell like scarecrows.

“Alright! Drop anchor and land! Kill everything you see!”

“Waaaah!”

The crew jumped onto the sandy beach with their weapons.

The pirates, who belatedly realized what had happened, began to run away.

After the crew had cleared the coast, I got off the ship.

“Let's go, Young Master.”

“Alright.”

As I walked across the sandy beach where my feet sank, I looked around the coast.

The terrain of the pirate den almost matched the game terrain in my memory.

Then the structure should be no different.

It was as I expected.

***

Tospol's pirate den was largely divided into a residential area, a treasure vault, and a prison.

I calmed down the crew who were about to set fire to the residential area out of anger and made them head to the treasure vault.

Fireworks are usually for the finale.

Right now, the treasure is more urgent.

What if the pirates run away with it?

“Everyone, this way.”

“But, Mr. Gryph, you seem to have been here before.”

As I familiarly guided the way, Captain Leandro was puzzled.

I made a rough excuse.

“I heard it from someone who was kidnapped before. I never thought I'd actually come here then.”

“Ah, I see. That is truly regrettable.”

Although it was a half-hearted explanation, Captain Leandro was easily convinced.

He looked like he understood why I suggested we plunder the pirate den.

Below the mountain, a naturally formed cave appeared.

The entrance was covered with bushes, but that was all.

It was the vault where the pirates stored their plundered treasures and the prison where they kept the kidnapped people.

Seeing that they kept important things in one place, it was clear that the pirates were not very interested in hiding their treasures.

Or maybe they never thought their base would be attacked.

“There are two paths?”

“One is the vault, and the other is the prison. Let's split the personnel in two.”

“Understood. Boatswain, take half to the left. We will search the right.”

“Understood.”

After walking through a short passage with no traps, we came face to face with the treasure vault.

The treasures piled up there were enough to take people's breath away.

Open chests were filled with silver coins.

There was also a lot of cargo that the pirates had plundered and had not yet disposed of.

“Wow, with this much, you could buy a castle.”

“How much did they plunder to have gathered this much?”

The crew was mesmerized as they looked at the silver coins reflecting the light.

Theo also smiled from ear to ear.

“Hehe, Young Master. Look at this. We're rich now.”

“Did you go crazy from seeing so much money all of a sudden?”

“When else in my life would I see this much money? With this much, couldn't we start the business you're planning right away?”

But I, who had dealt with much larger sums than this, shook my head.

“It may look like a lot, but it's not enough to start a mercenary company.”

“What? This isn't enough?”

“Yes. Besides, we have to share the spoils with the shipowners, so after settling the accounts, it won't be that much. To give you an easy example, with that amount, you can't even hire the Emperor's Royal Guard for a month.”

Of course, that's just an expression.

Since the Emperor's Royal Guard is not for sale, it's impossible for someone else to actually hire them.

Anyway, hiring people is a very expensive business.

No matter how much you pile up gold coins, they disappear like melting snow.

The plundered treasure is not enough to start a business, so what should I do?

Just then, the crew who had gone down the other passage appeared.

“Captain, are you here?”

“I'm here. Why? Did you find something?”

“We found the prison. But you'll have to go see for yourself.”

Captain Leandro, who had been admiring the treasure with a wide grin, frowned at being interrupted.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“There is a person who claims to be the youngest son of the Signori family who went missing recently. But we don't know his face. You know his face, don't you, Captain?”

Captain Leandro's expression changed in a flash, as if he had never been angry.

Captain Leandro beamed.

“Is that really true? God has protected us! Alright. I'll go there. You guys over there. Don't just stand around, call the sailors outside and load the treasure onto the ship.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“I will distribute it fairly, so don't try to secretly pocket anything! If you're caught, I'll hang you on the mast all day! Mr. Gryph, let's go meet Mr. Randolfo Signori together.”

Captain Leandro also invited me.

For a person of the captain's stature to personally go and take care of him, the youngest son of the Signori family must be an important person.

However, in my long memory of playing the game, although the Signori family might exist, there was no memory of a person named Randolfo.

I followed Captain Leandro and asked a question.

“Who is Randolfo?”

“You don't know? The Signori family is the top merchant family in Fasa.”

His gaze seemed to say, 'You're a merchant too, so why don't you know?'

I made a rough excuse.

“I was originally only in charge of the Schwarzwald area, so I'm not familiar with the Fasa side.”

“Ah, I see. Mr. Randolfo is the youngest son of that family. He set sail a while ago and we lost contact, it seems he was kidnapped by pirates.”

Perhaps because he was in a good mood after seizing the treasure, Captain Leandro answered without any particular suspicion.

It seems that while raiding the pirate den, the course of history has been changed.

My guess is that originally, Randolfo either died on the pirate island or was taken to the slave market.

At that moment, a calculator started working in my head.

Since the people who couldn't pay the ransom Tospol demanded would have been sold to the slave market, the remaining people must have sufficient wealth.

Maybe I'll meet a good investor?

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