Chapter 41

Rhom looked around with unfamiliar eyes.

‘What in the world is this place.’

Looking around, all he could see was the vast, blue, endless ocean.

For Rhom, who had lived his whole life in a valley full of greenery, it was an utterly alien sight.

‘How did I end up on a ship here.’

Rhom reflected on why he had come this far.

Rhom, the Troll Knight, was from the Aosta Valley in Vartia.

Rhom was a lord respected by his people, ruling over a small estate inherited from his ancestors.

But even the Aosta Valley, with its fine water, fresh air, and good living, had one drawback.

It was not particularly wealthy.

And within Rhom, a desire for success and an ambition to grow his poor estate burned simultaneously.

It was not that he absolutely hated the idea of farming in the countryside.

So, Rhom kicked aside the pastoral scenery of roaming goats and sheep and leaped out into the world.

However, as is often the case with the world, things did not go well for Rhom.

The world was much harsher than he had expected.

Rhom lingered around powerful figures like great lords and kings, but no one welcomed a knight from the poor countryside.

He was even on the verge of death in the Brye War but received no compensation.

Just as he was disheartened and contemplating returning home, news of Fasa’s mercenary company formation reached him.

Rhom thought of it as his last chance and went to Fasa.

And while trying to claim the position of Fasa’s mercenary commander, he had the misfortune of meeting the renowned knight, Sir Eleonor, and…….

‘Ugh, for some reason, my head is starting to ache.’

***

I looked pitifully at Rhom, who had lost his train of thought.

Rhom was the troll knight who had challenged me over the qualifications of a commander, only to be semi-forcibly enlisted by Eleonor.

As a reward for that, I had assigned Rhom as a junior officer in the mercenary company under Eleonor’s command.

Although his personality was rough, he did hold a knighthood, so I thought he might be somewhat useful, but for some reason, he often broke down like this.

Lately, I've started to wonder if he was just dead weight.

“Theo, he’s spacing out again. Go snap him out of it.”

“Understood.”

As Theo approached and kicked Rhom hard in the buttocks, Rhom jolted back to his senses.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Relay the order to increase the ship's speed. And stop spacing out. This is a crucial moment.”

“My apologies, Commander. What are you all doing! Increase the rowing speed!”

“Faster.”

“He says to go faster!”

Having come to his senses, Rhom hurriedly ran to the forecastle and shouted orders, and as the ship’s speed increased, the pirate ship drew closer.

It was about time to attack.

“Rhom, the calculation for the ballista’s range?”

“I do not know, sir.”

“Does the situation end just because you don’t know?”

“I will find out immediately!”

After I chewed him out one more time, Rhom’s steps quickened.

He went back and forth to the battery at the bow and then reported.

“The pirate ship is within range!”

“Then what are you waiting for? Give those pirate bastards a taste of what’s coming.”

“Understood.”

Since most of the ships deployed in the mercenary company were modified merchant vessels, they had less usable space than warships.

Naturally, it was impossible to place many catapults, so we had no choice but to mainly operate ballistae.

However, even though the ballistae installed on the ships were much smaller than the siege versions, they were far superior to small crossbows in both power and range.

In the context of the era, they could be considered nearly comparable to modern machine guns.

“Fire!”

Swoosh─.

The gunners released the strings of the ballistae that were aimed at the pirate ship, and a sharply carved log arrow flew, drawing a straight line in the air.

Unfortunately, the arrow narrowly missed the pirate who had been shouting curses from the stern.

Instead, it pierced the flimsy deck of the pirate ship and lodged deep inside.

From the impact, one unlucky pirate on the deck fell into the sea.

Hmm, it looked like I wouldn't need to make many ropes for the pirates today.

“Huh? That crazy bastard really shot?”

The pirate I had spoken with, who seemed not to have expected a real shot, panicked and shrieked.

Of course I’d really shoot, did he think I’d fake it?

“You wicked fiends, what in the world are you doing in this sacred sea!”

“Can’t you tell by looking? Pirate hunting, obviously.”

“What grudge do we have with you for you to do this?”

“You’re a shameless one, with no sense of remorse. Keep firing until he begs for his life.”

“Understood.”

The mercenary fleet continued to pursue the pirate ship, firing the ballistae.

With three shots flying per minute from each battery, the pirates couldn’t get their bearings.

“Hey, you sons of bitches! Stop it right now!”

The fleeing pirates hurled curses, but that couldn’t slow down our ship.

The pirates couldn’t even fight back.

On our side were five warships; on their side, one small vessel.

It was obvious they had no chance of winning.

So who told them to practice piracy in someone else’s sea?

“Krrk. Commander.”

“Navigator Ishmael, what is it?”

“Krrk, it seems the wind will start blowing again soon. They are small and light, so, krrk, it will be easy for them to escape when the wind blows.”

“Got it. Rhom, bring the catapult. Let’s give them a big one.”

“A big one! Understood!”

Rhom answered with a booming voice and personally dragged over the fleet’s only catapult.

This was the effect of a good chewing-out.

The gunners placed a large boulder onto the catapult.

A moment later, the rock flew through the air in a large arc toward the pirate ship.

Kwaang!

It was a direct hit.

The rock broke the mast, and the pirate ship, having lost its power, could no longer move forward and was merely pushed by the waves.

I praised the gunner.

“Well done, Corporal.”

“Thank you, Commander. May I look forward to a bonus?”

“Of course. You more than deserve it.”

The artilleryman, a former carpenter from Verona who had hit the mark with the catapult, received envious glances from those around him.

I encouraged the soldiers.

“Now, as you can see, our mercenary company pursues fair compensation. Everyone will be rewarded according to their achievements, so do your best.”

“Long live the Commander!”

The soldiers cheered.

The soldiers, who had witnessed their comrades being rewarded for their contributions several times, were full of motivation.

Right.

What could be more motivating than bonuses, leave, and promotions?

“The battle is not over yet. Stay vigilant until the very end! That is, if you don't want to hold a funeral at sea.”

“Understood!”

I gave Eleonor a look.

Unlike Rhom, Eleonor, who was now completely accustomed to sailing, knew what needed to be done.

“Combatants, prepare to board!”

The mercenary fleet approached the drifting pirate ship.

The pirates, too, seemed to have no intention of surrendering meekly, gathering on the deck.

A clash would lead to a great deal of bloodshed.

But an increase in casualties among my men was not something I wanted.

“Ballista, one more shot.”

“Ready, sir!”

“Fire!”

Pyushung─.

A spine-chilling sound tore through the air.

A spray of blood erupted on the deck of the pirate ship.

The custom-made arrow I had ordered pierced through three men at once.

The pirates who witnessed this sight had their morale shattered, and taking advantage of that gap, the mercenary company began to board.

“Everyone, go!”

“Waaah!”

The kobolds, former pirates themselves, were the first to leap onto the pirate ship and create chaos.

A little later, the human combatants crossed over to the ship.

Watching the scene, Eleonor remarked in admiration.

“The kobolds fight better than I thought. Who would think they were former pirates?”

“I think so too.”

The kobold soldiers always fought at the forefront of every battle.

Of course, given their past, they were probably trying not to get on my bad side.

Thanks to that, the human soldiers, spurred on by them, also participated eagerly in the fight.

It seemed they really hated being told they were worse than kobolds after every battle.

So, instead of friction, a competition for loyalty was taking place within the mercenary company.

This could not have been a better outcome for me.

“Situation report! No casualties on our side.”

“And the pirates?”

“Sixteen prisoners.”

The fight ended quickly as the pirates had already lost their morale.

After a few sporadic clashes of swords, all the pirates surrendered.

The pirate captain and his men were dragged over, bound in ropes.

The rope-bound pirate captain became frantic upon seeing me.

“You damn bastard, more vicious than a pirate! You cursed leader of the Black Company! The devil must have sent you to sea!”

“You know me?”

“Is there a pirate in the Golden Sea who doesn’t know you?”

“It seems our mercenary company’s name has become famous already.”

Well, considering we had been sinking every pirate ship in sight, it was understandable that we’d become famous among pirates.

Theo asked.

“What should we do with the prisoners? They’re quite defiant. Are you going to persuade them like you did Ishmael?”

“If it were up to me, I’d say let’s return what we got from the sea back to the sea, but we can’t do that.”

The people of Fasa are quite angry with the pirates.

It's necessary to use the gallows appropriately to vent their anger.

Besides, Mayor Rapacio had already ordered a new set of gallows without my knowledge.

“For now, lock the prisoners in the hold and check the cargo. How is it?”

Rhom, who had crossed over to the pirate ship, answered.

“It’s alum and fabrics that were being transported from Levona. It seems these bastards plundered a Levona ship before they met us.”

“So that’s why they fled instead of surrendering. It’s all valuable stuff.”

“Indeed. And there’s quite a large quantity too.”

Poor people of Levona.

But what was a misfortune for the Levona merchant ship was a great stroke of luck for us.

It wasn't easy to legitimately acquire this much captured cargo.

It wasn't the pirate treasure I had promised, but this was enough to show off to anyone.

“Then let’s move the cargo quickly before the ship sinks. It’d be a waste to lose even one piece.”

“Waaah!”

The sailors were equipped with the ability to calculate their prize money by looking at the amount of cargo.

Many of them even knew the market price for each type of cargo.

Unfortunately, that ability wasn't related to accounting, so it couldn't be used in the office.

In any case, as it became certain that they would receive a substantial sum of prize money, the sailors cheered.

Even if the higher-ups took a cut, a considerable share would fall to the soldiers.

“My word. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a navy more ruthless than pirates. Krrrk.”

Ironically, in this atmosphere of gold worship, the only one worried about the fleet's discipline was the former pirate, Ishmael.

I chuckled and replied.

“What, do navy men not eat? We all do this to make a living. And it’s good for motivation, isn’t it.”

“Krrrk, this will cause problems someday.”

“As long as there’s the certainty of continuously making money and the perception that it’s distributed fairly, you don’t have to worry about that problem. And I don’t think we’ll be short of pirates in the Golden Sea.”

“Krrrk, that’s true.”

Pirates are like cockroaches.

Meaning they don't disappear easily.

And they multiply on their own as a bonus.

“Alright, that’s enough of that. Now find a route back to Fasa. The hold is already full.”

“Understood. Krrrk. I must follow the Commander’s words.”

I leisurely watched the scene unfolding on the deck and checked the notification.

「Fame Increased. You have defeated the notorious pirates of the Golden Sea. Your name spreads among the pirates.」

It was nice to hear, but it wasn't what I wanted.

Despite consistently hunting pirates, the trait still showed no signs of growing.

For some reason, even the system felt indifferent.

Considering my current pathetic and low-level stats, obtaining a better trait was absolutely necessary.

But it seemed that for the trait to change, I had to accomplish something as great as making Duke Isak retreat from the Imperial Capital.

“Then is there only one way?”

I had no choice but to grind for achievements.

Achievement grinding.

It usually refers to collecting challenge tasks that don't affect the game.

Most challenge tasks are easy and simple, but some are so difficult that you wonder if they were made to be cleared at all.

Considering what happened last time, it was highly likely that the condition for changing a trait was to complete such a challenge task.

“What’s around Fasa right now.”

The achievement that was not so easy as to change a trait, yet could be obtained the fastest, was undoubtedly pirate extermination.

The Golden Sea was already teeming with pirates, but among them were five particularly strong individuals.

Tospol, the owner of the pirate den I raided last time, was one of them.

In , dealing with them would grant the ‘Hegemon of the Coast’ achievement.

It would be just as difficult and dangerous, but I felt I had to take that risk for my trait to change.

“This is all money, money!”

“Hee-hee, when we get back to Fasa, we’ll be rich!”

“……”

However, considering the chaotic atmosphere of the mercenary company and the poor armament of the warships, it seemed difficult to achieve the ‘Hegemon of the Coast’ achievement without heavy losses.

Well.

For now, I should enjoy this atmosphere.

Rushing things would only lead to a fall.

If I take it one step at a time, I should be able to do it quickly.

There was a time when I thought so.

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