Chapter 66

It was common sense that there were many pirates in the Golden Sea.

It was a kind of natural law, like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.

Even now that Tospol was dead, that proposition remained unchanged.

Tospol was just one of the five famous pirates of the Golden Sea.

But that one's presence was too great.

No pirates liked that guy when Tospol was alive, but when Tospol really kicked the bucket, the pirates felt anxious.

“Tospol is dead. What kind of foolish talk is that.”

“To think that's really true.”

It was for that reason that Orman and Yoken, of the five pirates, held a secret meeting.

The two of them acknowledged each other’s abilities more than the rest of the pirates.

Therefore, they took this matter seriously.

Tospol's death was that symbolic of an event.

It might have been a sign that the times were changing.

Of course, it was hard for a good idea to come out even if the two put their heads together.

“It seems we're screwed, doesn't it?”

“We are screwed. Tospol is really dead. Who can stop the Black Legion when they’ve so easily taken out a guy we couldn't handle even when we all gathered?”

“Tospol, that damn bastard. To think he’d die so emptily after being so confident as if he had a plan.”

The pirate captains cursed Tospol.

If he had at least dealt a fatal blow to the combined fleet when he went, it would be a different story, but that ogre couldn't even do that properly.

There was even an element of surprise in Tospol's death.

Because after acting as selfishly as he pleased, he ended up becoming food for a deep-sea monster.

The pirate captains were speechless, thinking of that absurd end.

Who would have imagined that a pirate would be eaten by a deep-sea monster and die?

No, in the first place, did monsters really exist?

“You've heard that rumor, right?”

“Yes. The one about that sea monster.”

“Tospol, that guy was a real crazy bastard too. What kind of guts did he have to set up camp there when a monster was living in his front yard? Did he just not know there was a monster?”

“Who would have thought that such a creature really lived there?”

“What kind of foolish talk is that? In a world with dragons and giants, where is the law that says there can't be monsters in the sea?”

“Well. That's true.”

The two, who had been silent for a moment, came up with an ominous imagination.

“Could it be that that mercenary captain really has the ability to command deep-sea monsters, just like the rumors say?”

“No, what are you talking about? There’s no way a person can do something like that.”

“But according to the rumors I've heard……”

Orman brought up a rumor he had recently started to hear.

It was a bizarre rumor that Leon had summoned a deep-sea monster to make it eat Tospol.

It was so absurd that it was hard to believe, but it was also hard to deny as there were many witnesses.

The pirates who had fled from the naval battle at the Kresven Archipelago were spouting such words right now.

Just as sailors believed in many superstitions, so did pirates.

The rumors spread by the survivors were too frightening to be ignored and passed over.

But Yoken, who was more rational, cut off Orman's words.

“Let's stop the small talk and get to the point. We didn't gather to talk about such things. So what are we going to do now?”

The reason they gathered was not to chat, but to come up with countermeasures for this incident.

There was no need for idle talk.

“Orman, you speak first. Do you have any thoughts?”

“I have no thoughts. I came to ask you, old man, if you had any good ideas.”

“As I said before, I'm going to leave the Golden Sea. I don't want to be hanged on the gallows at this age.”

“If you're going to do that, why not just retire?”

“Are you trying to provoke me? I'd retire if someone gave me a pardon.”

The nations of Apennia sometimes issued pardons to pirates.

It was intended to appease and block the pirates, but whenever there was a system, a group that abused it always appeared.

Most pirates, upon receiving a pardon, would take a good long rest for a few years with the money they had saved up, and then come back out to sea.

As a result of the various governments being backstabbed by pirates countless times like this, it was now like plucking stars from the sky to receive a pardon.

“Still, I heard that Leon has quite a few former pirates as his subordinates. Maybe we can cling to that guy in exchange for a pardon……”

“Make sense. Are we some ordinary pirates? If I were Leon, I'd arrest them immediately and send them to the gallows.”

“Groan.”

Orman, who knew how much the people of Apennia hated him, could not deny it.

Because he would have done the same.

It might be different for a moderately notorious pirate, but they were too big.

But there was no other way.

There was no telling how excitedly the Fasa-Levona combined fleet that had defeated Tospol would go on a rampage in the future.

It was the same whether they died this way or that way.

“Ha, the way of the pirate has truly fallen to the ground. How on earth did things get like this?”

“I don't know. I'm going to the Black Sea.”

The Black Sea was a sea that was like a lake of the Siberia Empire.

It was smaller than the Golden Sea, but pirates were still active there.

“Why are you going there?”

“You know about the Imperial Civil War, right? They say the situation there is chaotic, so it's worth a shot.”

“That's tempting, can I go with you?”

“Don't follow me. I don't have enough for myself.”

“How heartless. Then shall I go to the Red Sea?”

Reality was just as unpredictable for the pirates.

As the situation was hopeless, it was natural that the conversation was listless.

The pirate captains were silent for a long time before leaving in different directions.

***

So, just because Tospol was defeated, did that mean everyone became happy? Not quite.

When we went on the next pirate hunt, the sea was empty.

It was a strange sight where not even a single small boat, let alone pirates, could be found in any of the four cardinal directions, and I was just dumbfounded.

“There aren't many pirates these days.”

“I know. Are they all hiding?”

“How could that be? How vicious are those pirates. They must be hiding somewhere. Hey, lookout! Don't doze off and keep a good watch!”

A sleepy voice came back from the crow's nest.

“Yawn, Captain. There's really nothing on the horizon.”

“No, does it make sense that there hasn't been a single pirate for three days? Ishmael, what do you think this means? Speak as a former pirate.”

“Kruk, why do you keep bringing up old stories? This is workplace harassment.”

“Haha, that was a pretty funny joke.”

“……”

The scene on the deck was so idle that all we could do was trade jokes.

It was a sight that would have been unimaginable in the past.

This can't be happening, really.

Where did the pirates really go?

I didn't like pirates, but I didn't want them to go extinct so rapidly either.

It's not like a plague that only affects pirates was going around.

Rhom, who was lounging on the side, spoke.

“It's a problem if there's no battle.”

“Rhom, what's with you worrying about the mercenary company all of a sudden?”

“What are you talking about? It's because I don't get paid if there's no battle.”

“...Give me back my emotional moment, you bastard.”

Yes, that must be it.

I'm the one who's wrong for expecting something from you.

But the sudden disappearance of the pirates was a bigger deal than I thought.

Pirates were an important source of income for Fasa.

That important source of income had disappeared.

Given what we've done so far, we wouldn't immediately fall into a deficit and the mercenary company wouldn't collapse.

Still, we might have to tighten our belts until trade normalizes.

As we returned to the port empty-handed like that, this time we had to meet a bunch of disappointed government officials.

The officials were anxious as there had been no results for several days.

“No, Sir Gryph! What are we going to do if there's nothing like this? There has been no cargo coming into the port for several days. People are in an uproar because there's no work.”

“Are the other ships the same?”

“Everyone's the same. At this rate, there's going to be a hole in the government's financial expenditure next month!”

Humans are such contradictory creatures.

When there was a lot of work, they complained that it was hard, and now they're complaining that there's no work.

“Yes, please calm down. I have an urgent matter right now, so I will visit you later.”

“Sir Gryph!”

“I'm very tired, you know? Let's see each other next time.”

“No……”

I escaped from the clamor of the clinging middle-aged men, using an urgent errand as an excuse.

I'm sorry, everyone.

But I'm also trying to find an alternative, so please wait a little longer.

“Call a meeting of the officers at once!”

I called for a meeting as I returned to the headquarters.

At the sudden emergency summons, the high-ranking officers of the Black Company gathered at the mercenary company headquarters.

But one person was missing.

“Where's Rhom?”

“I don't know.”

“Didn't you contact him?”

“No, sir. I sent it to everyone.”

“No, in the first place, he came on the same boat as me. He can't be late.”

As if on cue, the door opened, and the Troll Knight Rhom entered, looking sheepish.

His hesitant movements to hide his tardiness drew everyone's attention instead.

“I'm sorry for being late. I was in the bathroom.”

“No. We were just about to start. Hurry up and sit down.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, since everyone's here, let's start the meeting. The topic, as everyone knows, is ‘where did the pirates go’.”

Everyone's face became serious upon hearing the topic.

The ostensible purpose of the mercenary company was to exterminate pirates.

But everyone knew that wasn't the truth.

Just as the origin of the mercenary company was the plunder of treasures gathered in pirate lairs, the real purpose of the mercenary company was to pirate from the pirates.

To put it more plainly, it was the process of us re-capturing what pirates had pirated from the merchant ships of other nations to legally acquire the cargo.

The mercenary company used that to cover its operating funds and brought prosperity and wealth to Fasa.

Therefore, the existence of pirates was essential for the maintenance of the mercenary company.

But there were no pirates in the sea.

“In short, the business has become unsustainable with the current situation.”

“It's a bit much to call it a business, but yes. That's about right.”

“No, does it make sense for pirates to disappear from the sea?”

“I can't believe it either, but that's what happened. But I don't know if they've just taken refuge somewhere because it's hot, or if they've left the Golden Sea for good.”

The others all looked at someone in unison.

Following their gaze, it was Ishmael.

“Kruk, why? Why are you looking at me?”

“You're a former pirate. As a pirate psychology expert and a former pirate, don't you have any advice? Like a place where pirates go for a summer vacation around this time.”

“Kruk, how would I know? Kruk, and stop asking me every time something comes up. It's been a long time since I quit being a pirate, why do you keep bringing it up? This is definitely workplace harassment.”

Then Randolfo raised his hand and spoke.

“Come to think of it, I heard a strange rumor is going around among the people these days.”

“A rumor? What kind of rumor? Hurry up and tell me.”

“That you, Captain, summoned deep-sea monsters to make them eat the pirates. So maybe the pirates got scared and ran away from the sea?”

I laughed, finding it absurd.

“What kind of nonsense is that? You all don't really believe that, do you? You saw it that day. If I could really command monsters, why would I have fought so hard?”

There was a class in that tamed and fought with beasts, but I didn't have that ability.

In the first place, if I had that ability, I would have immediately run to the Imperial Capital, thrown Duke Isak as monster feed, and ended the civil war first.

“That's true, but the pirates might think differently. Sailors are originally superstitious, aren't they?”

“Ah.”

In any case, knowing the cause didn't mean a solution would come out.

After putting our heads together and exchanging opinions for a long time, no clear conclusion was reached.

As everyone was exhausted and sprawled on the table, I spoke.

“If this is the case, there are only two ways.”

“What are they?”

“One is for us to start piracy in earnest.”

“Pardon?”

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