WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 103: Where the Storm Calls (3)

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The sailor atop the mast shouted again. Tension spread across the deck as rain and wind battered it.

"They're already here..."

"I thought they might stay away because of the autumn storms, but those bastards are persistent."

"What are those ships even made of? How do they keep sailing through storms like that without a problem?"

Voices rose from all around them. Kyle stared at the three ships beyond the bow. The sea churned irregularly in every direction, as if the storm had not even truly begun yet. In the middle of it all, the three fast ships closing the distance looked distinctly unnatural.

They were not galleys. They were very different from sailboats as well.

Even at the entrance to the strait, where the storm was weaker, sailing around with their sails fully raised was absurd. The wind and rain should have torn those sails apart. Their course should have been thrown into chaos as well.

Were they flaunting the Skaldir Family's crest? Or did they have some special secret that ordinary people did not know about?

"Those are no ordinary ships. Are all pirate ships from the Corsa Archipelago like that?"

Kyle asked Jorde without looking away. Rain falling from the sky and wind blowing in slipped through the roof jutting out from the captain's cabin. Unlike the Black Crow Merchant Company's trade ship, which had lowered its sails, the pirate ships drew closer by the moment.

"Even we do not know for certain, but I heard they use Magic Stones like warships. They are far faster than ordinary ships, and sturdy enough to withstand storms."

"No wonder they rule these waters."

"That is right. The Kingdom of Sarmaren has tried relentlessly to uncover the secret of those ships, but they failed. They are that thorough. They are called pirates, but they are no different from kings ruling the archipelago. They are also famous for drawing a sharp line between favors and grudges."

"Are those three ships all they have?"

Kyle asked again. Jorde's eyes narrowed as he watched the pirate ships.

"Probably. There are usually a few more than this, but the weather is what it is today, so there seem to be fewer."

"So this is only part of their force."

"The ports of the Corsa Archipelago are no smaller than Cadis. The island where the Skaldir Family is based is as large as a major city in any decent kingdom. Its size is no joke."

"Are you nervous?"

Jorde could not answer right away. He might have experienced this several times already, but that did not change the fact that they were pirates. Their lives were in the other side's hands. It would have been stranger if he were calm.

"I have been through this many times already."

"......"

"They will not attack without warning. They must want something too. I will handle it, so do not step in until I give the signal."

Kyle nodded. When he turned around, Elysia, who had been staring out at the sea, looked up at him.

What will we do?

She asked with her eyes. The pirates had appeared sooner than expected. On top of that, these were fast ships bearing the crest of the Skaldir Family, rulers of the Corsa Archipelago. If things went wrong, a fight could break out.

Do as the captain says.

Kyle answered silently.

What about you?

We need to watch the situation. He said paying the toll was usually enough to let ships pass.

I see. All right.

They exchanged a few short words with their lips. Their quiet voices would have been swallowed by the wind and rain anyway.

"Everyone, hold your positions!"

"Do not do anything stupid. Stand still! Do it like before, just like before!"

Jorde, the boatswain, and several others shouted orders.

The massive trade ship tilted slightly under the rolling waves, then righted itself. By then, the pirate ships that had been faint dots in the distance had come close enough to hit them with arrows.

Clack.

From the front and both sides, hooked ropes flew from the three pirate ships surrounding the trade vessel. The hooks dug into the deck railings, and a wooden plank was raised from the ship blocking the front.

Figures crossed over it. Pirates from the Corsa Archipelago.

They kept their balance with ease on the constantly swaying ships, then stepped onto the deck in an instant. The moment the last man boarded the trade ship, the voices around them vanished.

The man stood out even among the more than ten pirates. He had a solid, muscular build and dark bronze skin covered in countless scars. Two cutlasses hung at his waist.

"Who is that?"

Kyle asked the nearby helmsman. Jorde, the captain, was already walking toward the pirates as though he had come to greet them. The helmsman, who had been holding their breath while watching the pirates, glanced at Kyle and widened their eyes in surprise.

"Mage...?"

"Considering he openly uses the Skaldir Family crest, he seems to hold a high position among the pirates. Do you know him?"

"Ah, yes. He is one of the Skaldir Family's most prominent knights. They say he has never lost a battle at sea..."

"A knight who has never been defeated..."

Kyle's lips twitched. He could not help it as he held back a laugh.

A pirate acting like a knight.

Still, when he thought about it, it was not especially strange. The Corsa Archipelago, including all its islands and the nearby waters, was as large as a small kingdom. They had no noble titles, but they were no different from kings in practice. This was separate land, beyond the influence of the southern kingdoms and the Federation. Receiving a title in the first place meant serving under someone.

"I expected this the moment I saw the Black Crow Merchant Company's mark. It has been a while, Captain Jorde."

Near the bow, the man who seemed to command the three ships greeted Jorde as he approached. With everyone's eyes on him, Jorde took a small breath and slowly opened his mouth.

"...It has been three years."

"Yes, three years. More importantly, it looks like there are a few unfamiliar faces aboard."

The pirate leisurely looked over the ship as he spoke. Among the veteran sailors accustomed to this sort of voyage, two faces stood out. At the stern, beneath the roof jutting out from the captain's cabin, a man in a black cloak and a woman in a white robe were looking down at them.

Kyle's eyes met the man's for a moment. Kyle did not look away. After their brief exchange of gazes, the man gave a faint amused smile and looked at Jorde.

"Guards?"

"...Yes. That is how it turned out."

"Merchant Head Enrico is doing something pointless. There would be no problem if you followed the rules. Yet he wasted money hiring mercenaries."

The man glanced at Kyle again. It lasted only a moment before he lost interest.

"You came out despite the storm."

Jorde spoke, and the man answered without hesitation.

"Normally, there is no reason for me to move personally."

"......"

"Whenever autumn storms roll in, money-crazed bastards like the Black Crow Merchant Company always put their ships out to sea. Well, do not worry too much. Just..."

Jorde silently pressed his lips together. The man smiled and gave an order to the subordinates who had boarded with him.

"Search every inch of the ship."

"Yes."

The pirates moved below deck in perfect order. Some of them passed Kyle and Elysia and boldly entered the captain's cabin.

They rummaged through the captain's belongings and searched the room. The pirates who went below deck were no different. By now, they would be tearing through the huge cargo hold beneath the cabins as if hunting rats. Looking for anything suspicious. More accurately, looking for an excuse to pick a fight.

"Hm..."

Quite some time passed, but nothing notable turned up. As the man frowned and let out a low sound, Jorde gave a servile smile and spoke.

"Would five hundred Gold be enough for the toll, as before?"

"Five hundred Gold?"

"Yes. Three years ago, we also paid that amount for a trade ship."

Five hundred Gold was an enormous sum, but for a massive merchant vessel over fifty meters long, it was not an amount they could not afford. This was especially true when crossing autumn storms, since sea routes were blocked and the price of goods rose.

"That was three years ago."

The man sounded indifferent. Jorde's expression stiffened, and he continued.

"Then we can add another hundred Gold..."

"No."

The moment the man cut him off, a pirate cried out.

"We found it! Here! There is something strange in the captain's cabin...!"

The pirates who had entered the captain's cabin came out with confident strides. At the same time, the pirates who had gone to inspect the cargo hold were coming back up from below deck.

"Wait, how did you...?"

Jorde's face turned pale. The boatswain and several senior sailors looked the same. The man examined each of their reactions and smiled deeply.

"Bring it here."

"P-Please wait! That is...!"

Jorde's shout was useless. The pirates remaining on deck took a threatening step forward.

By then, the pirates who had searched the ship had returned to their places. Those who had gone to the cargo hold came back empty-handed, but those who had entered the captain's cabin were different. They carried a rough, old wooden box more than a meter long. The man accepted the box, checked inside, and spoke briefly.

"A sword."

Rain poured down. The wind howled.

"Stellarium..."

The man carefully drew the sword and muttered in a trembling voice.

The others were no different. From the pirate's subordinates to the sailors aboard the trade ship, everyone reacted the same way. Only a few senior sailors, the boatswain, and the captain looked troubled. Most of the sailors seemed not to know about the secret.

So that sword was what they had been hiding.

Kyle stood with Elysia at the stern, looking down at the scene. The helmsman also seemed to have heard nothing about it beforehand and stared in shock.

A sword made from star iron. A treasured sword made entirely of stellarium.

The sword was slightly larger than Kyle's bastard sword. It looked like an old-fashioned longsword on the surface, but the rippling light reflected on its blade was different. The late-afternoon strait was covered in dark clouds, yet the glow emitted by the star iron sword shone brilliantly through them. Even someone with no eye for such things could tell that light was extraordinary.

"That changes things."

Gasps could be heard everywhere. Not only the sailors, but even the boatswain and captain could not meet the man's eyes.

"Only ordinary trade goods are permitted to pass through the Pargon Strait. A treasure like this... especially a star iron sword, falls into a different category."

"That is..."

"To think you hid such a treasured sword. Merchant Head Enrico must take the Skaldir Family for fools. We received no advance notice. Did you fail to declare it because you wanted to lower the toll? Or is there another reason you needed to transport a star iron sword in secret?"

Star iron swords were extremely rare. A sword made of pure star iron, rather than an alloy, was something even a great family would possess only one of. They almost never appeared on the black market or at auctions.

"Is it stolen property?"

The man slid the sword he had partially drawn back into its sheath and looked at Jorde.

"That would explain it. A family wealthy enough to pass down a star iron sword for generations would be no ordinary noble house. They would not simply let such a treasured sword go after losing it. You must have needed to get rid of it quickly. That also explains why you put a ship out to sea during the autumn storms."

"N-No, you misunderstand! We..."

"Enough."

The man raised a hand, silencing Jorde.

"Whether it is stolen property, or something you acquired legally through the black market or an auction, I do not care. You broke the rules of the strait, so we have no choice but to take appropriate action. If you do not want bloodshed, come quietly."

"Come with you? Surely you do not mean..."

"From now on, everyone aboard this trade ship will go to the Corsa Archipelago."

Murmurs swept across the entire deck.

"There will be no exceptions. There will be an interrogation, so for the future of the Black Crow Merchant Company, it would be best to listen quietly. For the sake of our future relationship, you should return to the archipelago and explain this matter in detail. Any objections?"

Footnotes:

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