Let’s Behave Ourselves
The three of us, including Grandmother, borrowed a salon room to talk.
“I see, so you need a ship to reach the old volcanic island. With pirates roaming the seas, it’s best you don’t go there on your own… what to do…” Grandmother mused.
“Wouldn’t the best option be to ask the Adventurers’ Guild if they can provide a ship and guide?” Brother Jera suggested.
“You’re right, Gerald. That’s probably the best course. If anything happens to me, at least Cherry would have a place to return to, and I think deep down she’s worried about her companions,” Grandmother said.
Cherry was currently having snacks with Atre and the others, so she wasn’t with Grandmother.
“Grandmother, if we ask the guild, won’t rumors spread if they see the Fire Fairy? Even if we tell them to keep quiet, word will get out.”
Fairy wings are essential ingredients in high-grade recovery potions for lost limbs, making them highly valuable in trade.
“You’re right, we wouldn’t want rumors of fairies drawing adventurers there.”
“Then how about making it an observation trip alongside the navy’s pirate suppression mission, with a brief stop at the island?”
“Gerald… if you suggest something like that, Southcourt will treat you more and more like their son-in-law.”
“I have no plans to die early, so it’s fine. Besides, we don’t have a navy back home, so I’d like to see how they operate.”
“This man here is Captain Bernard. The navy folks can be foul-mouthed, but they’re good guys, so go easy on them,” we were introduced to Bernard, who, with his solid build and deeply tanned skin, looked more like a pirate king than a navy admiral.
“Lord Bernard, I am Gerald Westland, and this is my younger brother, Reinhardt Westland. We’ll be in your care for the day.”
“Ah, so you’re the famous son-in-law candidate. Heard you’re a skilled knight and quite the looker too,” Bernard said.
“Bernard, Young Master Gerald isn’t my fiancé. That’s rude,” Miss Diana scolded.
“Come now, Missy, it’s obvious you’re smitten,” Bernard teased, and Miss Diana shot multiple water balls at him, which he dodged easily.
Today, Miss Diana had her hair in a ponytail and was dressed in male attire—quite a different impression. Turns out she was a bit of a tomboy.
“If you’d only seen her acting all refined, you’d be shocked. This is her real self. She’s the next heir, after all, and has been on ships since she was little. She has to keep a rough crew in line, so she’s quite good with both sword and magic,” Bernard said proudly, having known Diana since childhood.
The ship patrolled waters where pirates had been sighted recently. Normally, these patrols would last a few days, but for our sake, they planned to patrol for half a day before taking us to the volcanic island.
“Miss Diana, have pirate sightings increased recently?”
“Yes, with the rise in trade for magic tools and stationeries developed in our kingdom, there’s been a big uptick in foreign ships.”
“Magic tools and stationeries… I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Hehe, yes. It’s those irons, hair dryers, and glass pens developed in Westland. They’ve been patented and are spreading rapidly across the kingdom. Foreign visitors who used them in our territory take them back and come back to buy more. Tea bags are also popular, and I’m sure curry powder will catch on soon.”
According to Miss Diana, with trade thriving, pirates had also increased, so the navy was tightening security to avoid disruptions to Southcourt’s trade.
She thanked us for the tea bag idea. Apparently, the growing demand for cotton sacks had created popular home-based jobs for women unable to work outside. Southcourt was known for its cotton cultivation too.
As we were chatting, the crew suddenly began moving frantically.
“Missy, a ship suspected to be pirates is headed this way.”
This navy ship was disguised as a merchant vessel, and the crew wore merchant uniforms instead of navy ones.
“Got it. Everyone, act like normal merchants until they approach.”
“Young Master Gerald, Young Master Reinhardt, please head inside the ship,” the crew advised.
“I’ll fight too. Hardt, you don’t have combat experience against people, so go inside.”
“I’ll fight too!”
“… Fine. But if things get bad, retreat inside with Meyer and the others. Meyer, I’m counting on you.”
“Understood.”
In this world, because of magic, they didn’t use cannons. Pirates targeted people on deck since sinking the ship would make it impossible to loot goods.
We also couldn’t sink pirate ships since stolen goods were usually onboard. The priority was to recover as much as possible.
Maybe scalding hot water would be effective?
As I pondered, Mayer, standing behind me, said firmly,
“Young Master Reinhardt, please focus on defense and quietly observe rather than joining the fray.”
“Mayer, that’s so harsh…”
What do you think about this chapter?
