Chapter 39

It was the first departure flying the flag of the mercenary company.

The five ships of the mercenary fleet that participated in that monumental voyage sped across the sea in front of Fasa.

Watching the scene, I muttered.

“What a magnificent sight.”

Although there was only one real warship in the fleet and the rest were modified armed merchant ships, the crossbowmen and ballistae deployed on the decks were real.

Theo, who was watching the fleet with me on the deck, said.

“It's a deployment that assumes all long-range attacks.”

“Since the poorly armed pirates can only fight in close combat. We shouldn't give them any room to approach.”

The blood of a ranged dealer flows in the veins of Koreans, you know.

It was a fleet prepared after all sorts of hardships.

Just as I was about to feel moved by the sight, a mood-killing sound came to my ears.

“Ueeek.”

It was the sound of Eleonor retching while holding onto the deck railing.

Belying her reputation as a Phoenix Knight, Eleonor showed a weakness for seasickness.

Well, when would an inland person have ever been on a boat at sea?

Riding a boat on a river and riding a boat on the sea are completely different things.

Still, Eleonor wouldn't be lonely.

Because next to her were soldiers from the inland.

“Ugh, save me.”

“Gueeek.”

Currently, the deck was full of soldiers who were seasick like drunkards.

The future of our mercenary company, where everyone practices togetherness without distinction of rank, is truly bright.

However, checking what other people had for breakfast was not a pleasant experience, and therefore my appetite also hit rock bottom.

Theo, who had an innate physique and sense of balance from birth, did not understand that sight.

Come to think of it, Theo was fine when we crossed over to Apennia.

“Do we have to see that every time we set sail now?”

“They say humans are creatures of adaptation. They'll get used to it over time.”

“I don't know if I'll get used to that sight, or if those people will get used to seasickness.”

“……Whatever it is, they'll have to get used to it.”

Theo's expression turned gloomy at my answer.

In the meantime, Eleonor had returned with a completely pale face.

But her face was strangely happy.

It seemed that even though her body was tired now, she was satisfied with escaping from the hell of paperwork.

“Have some of this.”

“Thank you.”

I handed Eleonor a water bottle, and Eleonor gladly accepted it.

“But Lord Gryph, almost all the main officers of the mercenary company are participating in this voyage. Is it okay to just leave the administrative work?”

It was a valid concern.

I, as the commander, could not be absent from the first voyage.

Naturally, Theo, who was my bodyguard, would follow, and Eleonor, the commander, would also participate, and so most of the officers, except for the administrative staff, ended up participating in the expedition.

“Don't worry. I've already taken care of all the important things, and Randolfo and Leandro are in Fasa. They'll take care of everything.”

“Hmm. May the gods watch over them.”

We smiled wryly as we recalled the pandemonium we had gone through together in the past and the officers who remained in Fasa and were probably cursing us now.

***

In fact, the process of this departure was not smooth.

There was strong internal opposition over whether I should go or not.

“No! If the commander is absent, who will handle all that paperwork?”

“That is too irresponsible as the head of the organization!”

Randolfo and Captain Leandro, who would have to handle all the administrative work if I was absent, blocked my way and pleaded.

These two were recently experiencing the fact that chronic overtime increases the incidence of disease in modern people.

Moreover, if I, who handled the core tasks, was absent, the two of them would have to handle all that work.

Naturally, they tried to stop me from going.

But instead of accepting their pleas or persuading them, I gave a look to the subordinates who were waiting behind me.

Then, the subordinate office workers, who were also in a zombie-like, gaunt state, dragged the two away as if they were kidnapping them.

“Hey, what are you guys doing! This is a rebellion!”

“We are only following the commander's orders. Now, let's go. We have a lot of paperwork to deal with.”

I waved lightly at them as they were being dragged away.

“Good luck. I'll bring back a souvenir when I return.”

“Aargh, you traitor! Don't leave us behind!”

The voices of the two being dragged away gradually grew distant and slowly disappeared.

The people who had been shivering at the sight of me callously ignoring their pleas, all avoided my gaze when I looked at them.

They looked afraid that they too would be left behind in Fasa.

“Good. It seems no one wants to stay behind at the port and work overtime. Let's set sail now.”

***

That's what happened.

“Anyway, this voyage was necessary at some point. Just because you're an officer doesn't mean you can be ignorant of field work, does it? You have to understand the practical work to be respected by your subordinates and to lead them more easily.”

“That's right. Lord Gryph knows the truth of command.”

Eleonor agreed with my words and her eyes shone, but Theo had a look on his face that said, ‘Is this person serious?’

You should respect your master like that too, you cheeky bastard.

“So we've set sail, but what are you going to do?”

“First, the top priority is coastal patrol. But while patrolling, we might run into some bad guys, and if we see bad guys, we might chase them, and if we chase them, we might end up raiding their base, won't we?”

“Ah.”

“This expedition will be the first step in proving the usefulness of the mercenary company.”

To put it simply, it meant that we would be pirating the pirates.

To be honest, we didn't create a mercenary company just to do coastal patrols.

It was all for the money.

Moreover, the establishment of this mercenary company was a project that involved not only government investment but also private investment.

The council needs a result that will satisfy the citizens, and I also need a result that will satisfy the government.

The result we achieve in this first expedition will determine our future.

“I see, so Lord Gryph harbored such ambitions.”

“Of course, not all pirates are rich, so we won't hit the jackpot as easily as last time. Still, they must have saved up something, so it will be quite profitable after we clean them out.”

If not, there was also the method of privateering the merchant ships that were sailing around in between.

To be precise, it was to wait for the pirates to plunder a merchant ship, and then after the plundering was over, chase after the pirates and attack them.

It was a cheap move, but I thought it was a way to legally obtain captured cargo without causing an international dispute.

Well, if you're feeling wronged, bring your own ship.

In the meantime, Eleonor had taken out a quill and a notebook at some point and started to record my words.

“No, I haven't made any grand speech, why are you trying to record it?”

“It is the duty of a historian to pass on what happens in the field to future generations without omission.”

Eleonor preached the ethics and duties of a historian and took shorthand notes in her notebook.

Now that everything I say is being recorded, I can't speak carelessly anywhere.

Wait, but Eleonor is recording my story now, right?

Then will I get a little something out of it later?

「Publication Commemoration Event for the Recapture of the Empire. Purchase the entire collection of the Chronicles of Leon Gryph and receive an author's autograph. If you participate in the signing event, you can also shake hands.」

No.

Let's get a grip.

It seems the hot wind of the south is making me go crazy.

Now is the time to focus on the current goal.

Now that we've made our debut, we need to show some results.

Just then, Eleonor, who had finished recording, asked a question.

“But Lord Gryph, I have a question. How do you find the pirates in this vast sea? It won't be easy to just run into them by chance. Moreover, we've left Captain Leandro, who is an expert of the sea, behind in Fasa.”

“That's right.”

That question hit the nail on the head.

The sea of the Golden Sea was famous for its capricious winds.

That was why most of the ships that sailed the Golden Sea were galleys with rowers.

But because of that, the speed of the ships was also inconsistent.

No matter how diligently we patrolled the sea routes, if we chose the wrong place, there was a possibility that we wouldn't even see a single passing ship, let alone pirates.

Of course, I knew that too, so I had prepared in advance.

“Don't worry. I've prepared a way.”

“Huh? Was there something like that?”

“I will introduce the newly recruited navigator of the mercenary company. Come forward.”

I opened the door to the captain's cabin.

Then, a Kobold with a half-resigned expression walked out from inside.

The former pirate captain introduced himself in front of the surprised people.

“Krrk. Call me Ishmael.”

***

Ishmael was the leader of the Kobold pirates who had attacked Leandro's merchant ship.

He was also the number one contributor to burning down the pirate den.

After being captured then, he was destined to be dragged to Fasa and hanged on the gallows, but now he was scheduled to be employed as a navigator for the Black Company.

For the past few months, I had been visiting the prisoner of war camp in my spare time and persuading Ishmael.

Of course, Ishmael found my visits quite annoying, but as I kept knocking on the door, he eventually opened his heart.

“Krrk, a new navigator for the mercenary company?”

“Yes. You could say I saw the potential to change the relationship between you and us.”

“Krrk. No wonder you didn't hang me on the gallows. This was your plan, krrk. What a pathetic trick.”

“You have nowhere to go back to anyway, right? If you go back, you'll be killed by Tospol, won't you?”

“Krrk. That's true.”

“Wouldn't it be better to survive in a foreign land, even if you're looked down upon, than that?”

“Krrk, to survive……”

Ishmael began to think seriously.

“Or do you have some kind of loyalty to the other pirates?”

“Krrk. It's not like that. What loyalty is there among thieves?”

“Then think of it in a good way. Maybe it's like changing to a better job.”

“Kek kek, from pirate to mercenary? Both are things that will get you taken by the devil.”

Ishmael seemed to have a deeper faith than I thought.

But come to think of it, it was a bit absurd.

“Why did such a devout person become a pirate?”

“Krrk, I didn't do it because I wanted to. Krrk, I was kidnapped by pirates who attacked my hometown, so I had no choice but to join them.”

“Ah, so that's what happened. I'm sorry.”

I continued to persuade Ishmael, who was lost in thought.

“To be killed like a beast by Tospol, or to be hanged by the citizens of Fasa. Which will you choose?”

“Krrk, I don't want either.”

“I'm sure you don't. Since it's a taboo in your religion.”

The most favored method of execution by the citizens of Fasa was hanging, which was the most taboo death in the doctrine of the Eastern Dualism that the Kobolds believed in.

Hanging was the same as being butchered like a beast in an irreverent way.

For a Dualist who believed that whether you go to heaven or hell was divided by whether you die like a human or a beast, it was an unacceptable thing.

When I mentioned the doctrine of Eastern Dualism, Ishmael was surprised.

“Krrk, you know our doctrine?”

“Of course. I do.”

“That's strange. You people usually don't know.”

“That's not important. Anyway, it's not like a good fate awaits you even if you're released. Even if you go back to your hometown, Tospol will chase you until you die, right?”

“Kek krrk, that's right.”

When Tospol was mentioned, Ishmael was afraid.

Ishmael had already revealed the location of the pirate base to us.

No matter what, that fact would not change.

Now, the only fate awaiting Ishmael was to be treated as a traitor by Tospol and killed.

Moreover, given Tospol's cruel nature, he would certainly not grant a gentle death, and dying in such a way would also go against the doctrines Ishmael believed in.

After much deliberation, Ishmael decided to go with the flow.

“Krrk, young human, I have a condition for cooperating with you.”

“What condition?”

“Krr, first, save my brothers who were captured with me. It ended up like this somehow, but they are people I must take responsibility for. Krrk.”

“That much isn't difficult.”

He's more loyal than he looks.

But that wasn't even a condition for negotiation.

Because I had intended to do so from the beginning.

“Krrk, and I swear by our gods, you must protect us from Tospol and the humans.”

“Of course. I will swear by your gods.”

“Krrk, in the name of the sun and the full moon.”

“I, Leon Gryph, in the name of the sun and the full moon, guarantee the lives of Ishmael and his men.”

As I swore to the gods, Ishmael's gaze lost its suspicion.

He seemed to think I wouldn't dare lie in the name of the gods, but I'm sorry, I became a perfect atheist after being dropped into this damn world.

If there was a real god, he wouldn't have dropped me into this world.

Damn it.

“Good, welcome to the mercenary company, Ishmael.”

“Krrk, so what should I do from now on?”

“What do you mean? There's only one thing to do, right? Guide us to where the pirates appear most often.”

I said with a smile.

“We're going to rob the pirates.”

Ishmael clicked his tongue as if he was dumbfounded.

“You really are an insane human……”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.