After half a day of sailing, we arrived at Monta Island near Marshal Harbor.
The area was riddled with reefs, making navigation difficult, so it wasn’t an official route.
However, since it was centrally located, allowing access to various frontier areas, it had become a haven for skilled pirates.
The sun was now barely touching the horizon.
As soon as we arrived on the island, Oshalo quietly pulled out a mace.
Wait, I didn’t see that before?
Perhaps misunderstanding my gaze, Oshalo grinned.
“I tried learning swordsmanship, but it wasn’t for me. I kept cutting myself while swinging it. I just prefer this simple club. Hehe.”
Well, the past two months had been long. If I, a former slave, could become a mage, then perhaps the once-gentle Oshalo could have become a warrior.
I followed Count Furst alongside him as we disembarked.
Monta Island seemed like Marshal Harbor with all the beauty stripped away. In other words, it was nothing short of a hellhole.
The ground was covered in filth, most of the people seemed out of their minds, and the air was so polluted it made me want to vomit, as if someone had released poison into it.
“Wow. What’s that? The boy looks pretty, doesn’t he? But he’s holding a staff. Could he be a mage?”
“Hehehe. No way. Don’t you see him sticking close to that noble? It’s obvious what he is, you know? The tastes of the upper class are quite something.”
The man laughing unpleasantly showed his pinky finger covered in filth.
What’s that supposed to mean?
I should shove a fireball down his throat.
“You’ve changed a bit.”
“Pardon?”
I looked up at Count Furst. He continued walking without turning his head and said,
“As far as I knew, you were a child who didn’t react to such things. Now that you have power, is it hard to endure insults?”
“I did endure it. If I hadn’t, those two would be ashes by now.”
“I wasn’t looking at you, but I could tell you were angry. It was that obvious. Being isolated from the world and learning only magic, you’ve forgotten a bit about reality.”
I think I understand what the Count is pointing out.
In short, he’s telling me to manage my expressions.
“No, it’s not like that. It won’t happen again.”
“The more power you gain, the more self-control is required. If the remarkable patience you showed as a slave was merely due to a lack of power, then my investment in you was meaningless.”
Oshalo met my eyes and shook his head, indicating the count was nitpicking over nothing.
But this man is clearly speaking with good intentions. He’s just a bit strict.
“I understand. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
The count glanced at me briefly before looking ahead again.
He really doesn’t waste a single word.
Soon after, we arrived at what seemed to be a large square. There was something like a stage set up in the square, though calling it a stage might be generous – it was just a few rotting wooden planks placed on top of wooden barrels.
The Count climbed up there and suddenly began shouting to the pirates in a loud voice.
“Listen! I am Count Furst of Baritone. On behalf of the New Continent Company, I’m here to offer you work. First, each person will receive a basic wage of Baritone gold coins…”
His pronunciation was clear, and his voice carried power. Even mundane words seemed to have a strange charm that drew people’s attention.
Pirates who were drinking, pirates engaged in private conversations, and pirates going about their own business – all of them, without exception, began to focus on Count Furst’s words.
As a result, people started to gather in the area that was barely worthy of being called a square.
Count Furst repeated the same story, and the pirates who heard it began to ask questions one by one.
“How long is the job?”
“Is the money paid upfront?”
“Will the New Continent take responsibility for any aftermath?”
As Count Furst answered each question, some pirates left while others gathered. He maintained the same tone throughout, neither disappointed nor excited.
Just as the sun was about to set, about a hundred pirates had gathered to take on his job and signed the contracts he had prepared.
The captain who had brought him here spat on the ground as he watched the scene.
“He’s quite something. To make those scoundrels follow him.”
After finishing the contracts with all the pirates, Count Furst approached the captain again and said,
“As promised, I’ve gathered over a hundred men. Set sail.”
“It’s impressive that you actually gathered them. They don’t even listen to me anymore.”
“The captain simply lacks sufficient money.”
The captain spat again and said,
“With over a hundred men, we could definitely take on a Frenche warship. They’ll be tired from over a month of sailing, so we should win easily. The problem is the mage…”
Count Furst put his hand on my shoulder.
“I vouch for this kid’s skills.”
The captain looked at me with suspicious eyes before turning away.
Seems he’s not convinced even with the Count’s guarantee.
When we arrived at the dock away from the city, it had become so dark that we could barely see a step ahead.
Count Furst looked up at the sky and asked,
“It’s barely a crescent moon. Will this be alright?”
The captain smirked.
“We plunder relying only on the enemy ship’s torches even during a new moon. A crescent moon is no problem at all. Besides, I know these waters well.”
Count Furst fiddled with his necklace.
“I’ll be counting on you.”
Right. I had tried using psychokinesis on that necklace before.
If I had known it was valuable, I wouldn’t have done that. I feel a bit guilty now.
The Count and I boarded the ship, relying on the faint moonlight
As we stood on the deck at the bow of the ship, the sound of waves rolled in from the pitch-black distance.
Soon after, sounds of preparation for departure could be heard from various places.
The sound of footsteps on the deck. The sound of raising the anchor. The sound of checking ropes. The sound of sharpening swords.
The pirates were doing all of this without a single light.
Count Furst spoke in a low voice.
“Ran. Can you perhaps see? With a mage’s eyes?”
I shook my head.
“I’m still an apprentice, so my senses are the same as before.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Is he worried?
Well, I guess he would be worried, being alone in enemy territory.
He was still fiddling with his necklace.
“Is that necklace precious to you?”
Count Furst suddenly startled and looked down at me.
This is a first.
Such an intense reaction from the Count.
He quickly took his hand off the necklace and then looked down at his hand.
“……”
Seeing him say nothing, he’s clearly flustered. As if he made a big mistake.
Strangely, I felt a bit better. The Count is human too.
“I can just pretend I didn’t notice, right?”
The Count said nothing.
I put my hand in my pocket. And took out the remaining water herb. As I put it in my mouth to chew, the Count looked around cautiously.
Then, judging that no one was around, he opened his mouth.
“It’s a treasure.”
Is he going to tell me?
I asked back.
“A treasure?”
Count Furst nodded and muttered,
“It contains powerful magic. It will provide a way out.”
Judging by him saying it will provide a way out, it must be a defensive treasure.
“Ah. Is that why you came out personally?”
“Yes.”
The Count had said he didn’t need to win this battle.
Anyone could easily understand that if the pirates and Frenche soldiers clash and both suffer damage, it would be a great benefit to the New Continent Company.
The problem is that the pirates know this too. That’s why the Count threw himself in to gain their trust.
But if there’s a treasure with powerful magic?
The Count’s plan is simple.
He’ll pit them against each other and then slip away.
“Then what about me and Oshalo?”
“This is a family heirloom passed down through generations. Although Oshalo is quite large, it should be able to handle the three of us sufficiently.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s why I have a request. You must always stay by my side. When you’re away from me, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And one more thing.”
“Yes.”
“The reason I told you all of this is because I want you to understand exactly that we don’t need to win this battle. In other words, you just need to prevent one side from losing overwhelmingly.”
“I understand what you mean. With my current level, I can’t do things like sink ships anyway.”
“Right. I see you understand.”
Count Furst took a deep breath of the cold night air and exhaled.
Time passed.
When the scouting boat returned, the ships set sail. Our ship took the lead, with the others following in a V formation behind us.
Soon, the lights illuminating the Frenche kingdom’s ship began to appear in the distance. There seemed to be about thirty torches.
Indeed, being a national-level army, their resources alone made such numbers possible.
At that moment, the captain approached and said,
“The fight will start soon. Please go inside, Count. The bow is dangerous.”
Count Furst shook his head.
“No. I can take care of myself, don’t worry. Start your work. I’ll retreat when necessary.”
At those words, the captain licked his lips once and said,
“As you wish.”
The captain raised his hand high. Suddenly, the ship accelerated, and I almost lost my balance.
A pirate ship this agile?
It’s beyond my understanding as someone who was once a galley slave.
“He was an officer of the now-extinct Netherite in the past. He became a pirate after losing his country to Frence twenty years ago.”
Count Furst answered my curiosity as if he had read my thoughts.
Well, no matter how much money you offer, what pirate would engage in battle against the army of the Frenche kingdom?
“Is it revenge?”
“That’s the biggest part of it.”
He must have really racked his brains to mobilize pirates and make them clash with the Frenche kingdom’s army.
But then, from one of the Franche kingdom’s ships, something like finely glowing red powder appeared and started rising into the sky.
I could clearly feel the energy of magic.
Count Furst must have seen it too, as he said to me,
“Ran. You get ready too.”
“Ah, yes.”
Alright.
I held my staff in my right hand. And summoned my magic book.
When I tapped the magic book with my staff, transparent pages flipped rapidly.
Then the page with water magic was opened.
I closed my eyes and focused on the magic book. The spells written there began to appear in my mind.
The effect of eating the water herbs is definitely there, as I can feel the energy of water much better.
That’s when it happened.
Pop pop pop-!
The red powder that had risen into the sky burst out in all directions, emitting an incredibly bright light. It was bright enough to temporarily push back the darkness of the night, comparable to the sun for that moment.
The light lasted for about 5 seconds before disappearing.
Wow. So fire magic can be used like that too. It feels like I’m stepping out of the box of common sense.
Looking at it, the principle seems quite simple. Why didn’t I think of it before?
“Damn it! We’ve been spotted from afar! Full speed ahead! If you don’t want to get hit by cannons, move it!”
As the captain shouted loudly, the ship’s speed increased even more.
The distant lights grew, illuminating the sea. Surprisingly, there was only one Frenche warship. Dozens of black shadow moved busily on its deck.
Is close combat the only answer?
As I narrowed my eyes, I could see red lights rising into the sky again.
Are they trying to gauge the distance between us with the same magic as before to illuminate the surroundings?
And then they’ll fire the cannons.
I started reading the necessary parts of the water magic spells written in the magic book.
The minimum spell needed to counter the light-emitting fire magic.
That’s it.
Just as the red light was about to gather and emit light again, I extended my staff forward.
Then, the energy of water gathered in that part of the sky, forming humid air.
Pop.
The fire magic emitted light for a moment. But literally just for a moment. And the intensity of that light was incomparably weaker than before.
“Well done, Ran.”
Count Furst muttered that and looked at the captain. Relief appeared on the captain’s face as he looked back at the Count.
You should have trusted me from the start.
But just because I blocked the fire magic doesn’t mean I can block the cannons too.
Bang-!
Bang bang-!
Intense flashes of light and noise spread out from countless gun ports in succession.
“Are they firing randomly? Unless they have an inexhaustible supply of cannonballs.”
The captain raised his hand.
The ship suddenly began to slow down.
