Volume 3 - CH 4

Chapter 4 – I Tried To Get Information About The Pirates

Soon after, the branch manager of the Adventurers’ Guild arrived.

His name was Jess White, and he a slender, tall, middle-aged man.

He wore silver-rimmed glasses and had an air of a “capable man” about him.

When Jess heard what had happened from the female staff member, he turned to me and bowed deeply.

“Kou Kousaka-san, this is an important matter for our branch. Thank you very much for protecting our valued employees. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

With this, it was as if negotiations with the pirates had broken down, but there was no word of censure from Branch Manager Jess.

In fact, he even seemed pleased.

“I think of the staff of this branch as my own children. I can’t be so rude as to yell at Kou-san, my benefactor, after you saved my child. …Besides, we were going to terminate our negotiations with the pirates sooner or later.”

“What do you mean?”

“The pirates’ ship is an ancient weapon and it possesses fearsome power. Even if the adventurers of the Fort Port Branch were to join together in resistance, the entire town would be burned to the ground. However, if the “Dragon Slayer” Kou-san is here, it is a different story. I had heard from the guards that you would arrive in town before noon today, so I was waiting for your arrival while pretending to negotiate with them.”

I see.

So Branch Manager Jess had no intention of complying with the pirates’ demands but was buying time to protect the people of the town.

The female staff member I had helped earlier said with an awkward smile.

“If Kou-san comes, we will manage somehow. …I believed so.”

“I know all about your past activities. Will you please use your power to get rid of the pirates and save Fort Port?”

Jess bowed deeply.

“…I understand.”

I nodded.

I was not comfortable being treated as if I were a savior, but I wanted to respond to the feelings of Jess and the guild staff, who had been desperately trying to stall for time.

“Let me hear the details.”

We then moved to the branch manager’s office to learn more about the pirates.

We all sat down on the big sofa across from each other, and the branch manager, Jess, began to speak.

“This is what the messenger ─ Zeed, told me. The pirates originally belonged to the Mercenary Guild.”

“The Mercenary Guild?”

That’s another name I’ve forgotten.

When the great flood happened in Aunen before, the guys from the mercenary guild threw away the defense of the city and ran away somewhere. Moreover, after all was said and done, they were driven away by the Destroyer Golem when they tried to loot the city of Aunen in the absence of the residents.

As a result, the guys who belonged to the Mercenary Guild in Aunen are wanted as criminals, but did they turn themselves into pirates?

When I told Branch Manager Jess about my guess, he replied, “It seems so.”

“It is not rare for those who have lost their way on land to become pirates. I would add that mercenaries from Toue have also joined the pirates.”

According to Branch Manager Jess, there were only two Mercenary Guild branches in the area, one in Aunen and the other in Toue, and when Devil Treant appeared, the mercenaries in Toue disappeared from the city and have not been seen since.

Aren’t mercenaries just irresponsible rogues?

I asked Jess about the scale of the pirates.

It seemed that only one ship had attacked Fort Port, but that doesn’t mean this was the entire force.

How did they get their hands on an ancient warship in the first place?

I wonder, but unfortunately, the Adventurers’ Guild doesn’t seem to have a good grasp of the pirate’s forces.

“I apologize. We’ve been shorthanded with firefighting work at the bombarded dock…”

Well, it couldn’t be helped.

They were suddenly bombarded early this morning, after all.

As for detailed information on the pirates, I would just have to get it from the messenger I had knocked out earlier.

I turn my gaze to the corner of the branch manager’s office.

There is a large houseplant there, and a pirate man with his arms and legs wrapped in ropes is lying nearby.

I wonder what his name is.

I think it was something like Doji…

It’s Zeed.

Oh yeah, that’s it.

So [Full Assist] can support the forgetfulness, too, I guess.

If I were to turn 70 or 80 years old, it seems I wouldn’t be bothered by memory loss.

But that aside…

Bastard Gauntlet’s《White Scorpion Thunderbolt EX》not only stuns the opponent but can also wake him up with an electric shock.

With this, I’ll zap Zeed awake to begin the interrogation.

I was just about to move up from the sofa when Leticia said.

“Kou-sama, please wait.”

“What is it?”

“If you want to get information out of that man, I have an idea.”

With that, Laeticia got up from the sofa and walked gracefully to the corner of the room.

She reached out with her left hand and touched Zeed’s forehead, then said in a solemn tone.

“──I command you in my name. From now on, you will obey the words of Kou-sama.”

Zeed’s body jerked and bounced.

I see.

Needless to say, Leticia is a calamity and has several special powers.

One of them is [Domination]. By infiltrating her factor, she can manipulate people and things and turn them into puppets.

Leticia used it against Zeed.

“Then, Kou-sama, please take care of the rest.”

“I understand. I’ll take care of it.”

I left the sofa and walked past Leticia, who was pinching the hem of her skirt and bowing reverently to me.

Let’s get him up first.

I grab Zeed by the neck and activate《White Scorpion Thunderbolt EX》.

“Aagh! Agaaahhhh!”

A bolt of lightning gushed out from the gauntlet on my right arm, and Zeed woke up from the shock of it.

“Nn…? W-what the hell is going on?”

Zeed realized that his limbs were bound with ropes, and he tried to wriggle out of his restraints.

His movements were like those of a fish fresh out of the water.

As he bounced around on the floor, the shin of his right leg struck a flower pot in the corner of the room.

“Ouch!”

Zeed exclaimed with a look of anguish on his face.

The pain must have been quite intense since his shin was hit unexpectedly. Just imagining it sends shivers down my spine.

“Damn, why is there a flower pot in a place like this… Eh, Uwaaaaaa!”

The flower pot had a large houseplant in it, but the impact of the collision knocked it off balance, and it fell toward Zeed.

“Ugh…”

Zeed was pinned under the plant as it was.

It was like a scene straight out of a comedy.

The phrase “The screw-up Zeed” came to mind.

“…Are you okay?”

I called out to him, and he glared at me.

“Shut up! I’m the messenger of the pirates. You think you can get away with this for free… you are Kou Kousaka, aren’t you? I haven’t forgotten what you did to me at that time!”

At that time? What is he talking about?

I have no idea at all… but as I tilted my head, Zeed continued to speak.

“If you hadn’t helped the old man Chrome, we wouldn’t have been exposed for throwing away the escort quest. Damn, now I’m getting annoyed remembering that.”

Ah, so that’s how it is.

Now that he mentioned it, I finally understood.

When I first came to this different world, I saved a merchant, Chrome-san, who was being attacked by an Armored Bear. Chrome-san had originally asked three mercenaries to escort him, but they ran away as soon as they saw the Armored Bear.

One of the mercenaries at that time must be this pirate guy… Zeed, who is in front of me now.

When I think about it, his face looked somewhat familiar.

“It seems you’ve remembered.”

Zeed’s mouth twisted into a grin.

“I’ll tell you; our leader is a former B-rank mercenary named Dox. Do you remember him? You remember him, don’t you?”

“…Well, I guess.”

I had completely forgotten about it until just now, so my memory is a little hazy, but I seem to recall that there was a mercenary by that name. I believe he was called ‘Scum Dox’ by the residents of Aunen.

“When he found out that you were in Fort Port, he would drop the negotiations and start attacking you. Hahahahahahaha! This city will be destroyed because of you.”

“There’s no way I’m going to let that happen.”

I said in a strong tone.

“I will destroy all the pirates. Tell me everything you know.”

“Huh? Don’t think you can threaten me. Who would answer ── Yes, understood. I will follow Kou-sama’s orders. I will tell you everything I know, so please listen to me ── Shit, what’s going on? My mouth is moving on its own!”

This was probably due to Leticia’s [Domination].

The man who had abused his position as a messenger to make anyone do his will is now at the mercy of others through the power of [Domination].

How can I say… it’s just cause and effect.

Anyway, this seems like an easy way to get information out of him.

* * *

The information obtained from Zeed was very useful.

Three of the most important ones were as follows.

First, the pirates had a total of five ships from an ancient civilization.

However, only one of them is manned, and the other four are automated unmanned vessels.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

Iris put her right hand over her mouth and said with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“I wonder where they learned how to operate them. The mechanisms of these ships must be completely different from those of today.”

“Iris-oneesan! Ancient ships are very efficient, you know!”

Surara was a little proud of it.

“They have learning devices that will teach you how to operate them in about half a day, and they have artificial intelligence on board to assist you! If one wanted to, even a three-year-old could become a captain!”

“It’s a very convenient system, isn’t it? As one would expect from an ancient civilization.”

Leticia said with a small smile.

“But this time, that convenience backfired.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I nodded and continued speaking.

“Because anyone can handle it, of course, if it gets into the wrong hands, it can be a big problem. This situation is a prime example.”

“A tool is only as good as how you use it…”

Lily is exactly right.

If it had not been the pirates who acquired the ship, it would have been a much better turn of events.

The second piece of information was that a separate pirate force was waiting on the west road.

“What…!”

Branch Manager Jess exclaimed in surprise.

“The pirates are very well prepared. I didn’t think they had a force on land as well…”

If negotiations broke down and the pirates’ ships launched an attack on Fort Port, the people of the town would flee with their possessions.

In order to capture such people and strip them of their possessions, the pirates seem to have sent a detachment to the western road.

“Arere?”

Surara wondered.

“We came from Surier to Fort Port via the highway. But we didn’t see any pirates.”

“We took the direct route, the eastern road.”

There are two routes from Surier to Fort Port.

One is the straight east route, and the other is a detour route to the west.

Although the eastern road is a shortcut, it cuts through hilly terrain, mountain roads, and deep forests, and it is highly likely to encounter dangerous monsters.

On the other hand, the western road is a longer path, but it is flat and safe.

“If the people of Fort Port were to flee the town, they would take the west road to Surier, right?”

“Oh. In the normal course of events, anyone would choose the safer route.”

That was why the pirates would have placed a detachment on the western road.

The third piece of information was the size of the pirate group.

According to Zeed’s story, the pirates are a large group of more than 200 people, and there are about 120 people on board the ship as the main group.

“…In other words, there are about eighty people in the detached group.”

Lily seemed to have done the math in her head and answered immediately.

“The main group is 120 people, and the detachment is 80 people… neither of which is a number that can be ignored.”

I nodded at Leticia’s words.

“For the future, it would be better to thoroughly crush the pirates here.”

“You are right. If even one person is missed, it could lead to new trouble. I’d like to catch them all together.”

Well, what should we do?

Considering the number of people we’re up against, it seems our party won’t be able to handle them all.

We’re going to need the help of some adventurers from Fort Port… Wait a minute.

The item I just made this morning with [Creation] might be useful.

──Sacred Gjallarhorn.

The granted effect is《Spirit Warrior Summon EX》. You can summon the undead who are imbued with sacred power by blowing this horn.

…Yeah, it looks pretty useful.

Do you need help planning a strategy?

The voice was inorganic as usual, but the tone was somewhat personable.

I wonder if [Full Assist] is a skill that grows as you use it for longer periods.

Anyway, I would appreciate it if you could help me.

If I think about it on my own, there might be something I missed.

As for the pirates’ detachment, how about letting the Spirit Warriors deal with them?

This is considered the best solution among the current options.

However, Kou Kousaka or at least one person from the party should accompany the army of Spirit Warriors.

Well, that’s certainly true.

You never know what might happen in battle, and it is better to have one person in command.

The most suitable person would be Iris or Leticia.

We do not have enough information on the selection of the accompanying person.

How about actually summoning the Spirit Warriors and then making a decision?

Okay, I’ll do that.

It seems that the Spirit Warriors are sacred beings, so perhaps it might work better if we let Lily, a priest of the God of War religion, take the lead.

Or, perhaps, Surara?

Well, we can decide this on the spot.

As for other concerns… even if we are going to crush the main group of pirates, they are on the sea, so we need a means of transportation, right?

Nevertheless, the pirates destroyed all the ships in Fort Port.

Is it possible to create a new ship with [Creation]?

It is impossible for [Creation] to create a ship with the items currently stored in the [Item Box].

As I thought.

I had expected that conclusion.

If I could create a new ship, I would have the recipe in my head by now.

But what if I use something outside the [Item Box]?

Currently, I can include “things that I touch” as materials for [Creation].

For example, in the past, when I used [Creation] to rebuild the Zard Bridge, which collapsed after an earthquake, I used not only the items I had on hand but also the remaining parts of the bridge as materials.

In this case, could I reuse the wreckage of the ship?

One appropriate recipe exists.

Good.

It makes me feel good when the results come back as expected.

As we continued to discuss the matter further, the plan to defeat the pirates gradually took shape.

All that remained was to put it into action.

I took a deep breath to get myself back in the swing of things and said to the pirate messenger… Zeed.

“Thanks for all the help you’ve given me. I have one last favor to ask of you.”

“Huh, no thanks. Nobody is going to do what you say… I’ll gladly do anything you say, Kou-sama. Please do not hesitate to command this dog, woof woof.”

Hmm.

However much the effect of [Domination] may be, it’s not very cute when a blonde, skinny guy like Zeed imitates a dog’s bark…

“Woof woof! I’m a better imitator than you! Woof Woof! Hehe!”

When I looked at Surara, I saw that he had transformed his round body and had grown dog ears on his head and a tail on the underside of his back. The tail was wagging from side to side.

Was he trying to compete with Zeed’s behavior?

It was quite a funny sight.

I tightened my loose cheeks and called out to Zeed.

“Answer me honestly. Where is the magic tool for communicating with the main group?”

“It’s in the right pocket of my pants.”

“…Is it this one?”

The communication device was shaped like a foldable cell phone.

It resembles a so-called “Japanese feature phone.”

The device’s official name is “Type Zero prototype magic communication device.”

It’s so cool for nothing.

Is it just me, or do phrases like “Type Zero” and “prototype” make your heart flutter?

Oh, no, I think Leticia would sympathize with me. We share the same disease*, after all.

Thinking about this, I tell Zeed.

“I’m going to use the communicator. This concludes our business, so get some rest.”

“O-oh. Then, I’ll take a rest without any hesitation… Eh, Gghh-gaaaaaahh!”

I activated《White Scorpion Thunderbolt EX》and took away Zeed’s consciousness.

I put the communication device in the pocket of my Fenrir Coat and returned to Iris and the others.

“We’ve got all the information we need. We’re going to strike out ourselves.”

“That’s good. My arm’s buzzing.”

“It’s my turn! I’m going to beat the evil ones to a pulp!”

Leticia rolled up her sleeves and clenched her right fist.

“Lily-oneechan, let’s do our best!”

“…Yes!”

“I’ll do my best as the branch manager. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

Jess pushed up the center of her glasses with her right hand.

The lenses of the glasses reflected the light and shone brightly.

It seems that everyone is fully motivated.

* * *

I asked Jess to call out to the adventurers, and we left the guild building.

Our destination was not the sea where the pirates were… but the town gate.

First, let’s take care of the pirate detachment on the western road.

At the gate, we saw the guard who had guided us to the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Kou-sama, is there something wrong?”

“Yes, actually──”

When I told him about the detachment, he looked surprised.

“Oh my goodness…! So, are you going to take out the detachment first?”

“No, we are going to split up and deal with them.”

I opened my [Item Box] and took out the sacred Gjallarhorn as I answered.

The horn was quite large and heavy.

A golden flag hung from the center to the tip, on which was a coat of arms combining a sword, a spear, and a bow.

“Kou-san. The emblem on the flag is the same as mine.”

When I looked at Lily’s priest’s robe, I found a coat of arms combining a sword, a spear, and a bow on her right shoulder. It is a perfect match to the one on the banner.

“This is the symbol of the God of War, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It is a coat of arms that shows the main god, the God of War, Warden-sama. …According to the lore of the God of War religion, the God of War gathers the souls of brave warriors in his castle in the divine world and prepares them for the great battle that will eventually come.”

Hmm? I remember hearing that somewhere.

Although this might be knowledge I acquired from anime and video games, there must have been a similar story in Norse mythology.

The main god Odin gathered the fallen warriors to Valhalla in preparation for Ragnarok, or something like that…

This world is a bit like Norse mythology in some places, isn’t it?

While I was thinking about this, Lily continued the story further.

“It is said that the God of War hands over an army of valiant warriors when his successor appears. …I think that Kou-san might not just be a [Transmigrator], but a successor to the God of War.”