183-Episode 183: A Merchant and a Flying Ship

No, you've been very helpful.

An exhausted-looking man on a battered ship thanks me.

If you hadn't come by, we would have sunk the ship in front of the harbor.

Yes, we were almost to the eastern harbor, and by chance we just happened to find a ship that was about to sink.

There are dozens of demons swimming around the ship, and there is no way to escape from the ship.

If I found myself in such a situation, I couldn't help myself.

I put the captain at the helm of the ship and wiped out the demons with magic. Then I hurriedly lifted the ship into the air with my magic.

Fortunately, the flying device was completed, so the pirate ship was able to move without my presence.

'No, please don't worry about it. If someone is in trouble, it's only natural to help them.

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.　It was God's will that I met you!

Ha-ha, you're overreacting.

The word "God" makes me chuckle as I remember that the pirates had mistaken me for a sea god.

'My name is Seibei, and I do business in the port town of Hatoba, near here.

'My name is Lex. I came to this country on a job.

Oh, you're a foreigner after all. I'm lucky to have such a man to save my life.

Seibei-san, who seemed to have guessed that I wasn't from this country from my outfit, nodded in agreement.

''The port is just a stone's throw away, so I'll just carry it in,''

Well, we can't stay on the water talking forever, so let's go to the harbor.

Fortunately, at this distance from the harbor, we can carry the ship as it is.

'Oh!　Thank you, Mr. Lex!

Stream control!

Float control reduces gravity and moves the ship from floating to floating with airflow manipulation magic.

Float control isn't a moveable magic, but it can be used in conjunction with wind magic to move the ship a short distance.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing.

When I use my magic to move the ship, the pirate ship controlled by the captain follows.

And within a few minutes, we arrived at the port city.

''!　~~?

As the harbor approached, a large number of people could be seen making some kind of noise.

Probably, a commotion is caused by the shipwreck that has been brought in.

It's a common sight in the past life to see people involved in the investigation and rescue operations gathering together.

'But we can't bring the ship down with that one.

In this kind of situation, it's common sense to leave land in the harbor for the ship to land.

'Excuse me!　I'd like to unload the boat, please everyone step aside!'

When you call out to the people on the ground with wind magic, the buzz on the ground becomes even louder.

Then, when the ship reaches the harbor, all the people who had gathered around the harbor are moving to the edge of the harbor.

''Okay, we're landing!''

As the ship gets close to the ground, I activate my ice magic to hold it in place.

"Frozen Pillar!

Two large, thick pillars of ice grow out, two on each side of the ship, to support each side of the ship.

And as the ship lands in the harbor, it tilts slightly and leans against the ice pillars.

'We have arrived. Please unload your cargo before the pillar of ice melts.

'Oh!　I didn't know you cared that much!　Thank you!　Hey, guys!　Hurry up and unload that load!

""Hey!"

The sailors immediately began to work to unload the cargo.

Then I looked at the pirate ship and saw that the ship had landed at sea and was now docking in the harbor.

I'm glad to see that they got off properly over there too.

I showed them how to get it going and gave them a crash course, but I'm glad they were able to get off the ship properly.

"Hey!　Who's in charge of this ship?

As I was confirming that the pirate ship had landed safely on the water, a group of strangers suddenly boarded the ship, saying such things.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I am the owner of this ship.

And Seibei stepped forward.

Oh, are you?　What is the meaning of this?　Why did the ship fly through the air and... well, no, no, I mean, why did you put it on top of the harbor?

The official who had asked the question in a stout manner at first, but as soon as he saw Seibei-san's face, his attitude changed.

Looking at this reaction, is Seibei-san quite the owner of a large store?

You were unlucky enough to be caught in that storm.

At the word "storm" as usual, the official's expression changes.

''Huh?　Is it that storm!　But why?　You knew you'd be caught in that storm if you went out to sea, didn't you?

'It was bad luck. I shifted my course to avoid the swarm of demons I happened to encounter, but while I was concentrating on dealing with the demons, I seemed to have gone with the tide, and by the time I realized I couldn't escape, I couldn't get away.

So it was a demon.　

It nearly sank our ship, but fortunately a very good wizard saved us and got us back to port.

Magically created ships? 　Is that even possible?

I don't believe there's any such thing as magic in the world.

What? Who in the world did it?

Hearing those words, Seibei-san and the sailors' eyes turned to me at once.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. I did it with wind magic.

What?

The official asked Mr. Seibei if it was true?　I turned my gaze to him and Seibei nodded with a serious expression.

''You ... ah, no, you're the one with this ship?''

Yes, sir. I used my levitation magic to float this ship that was sinking.

So you've been magically floating the other ship, too?

Oh, you mean the pirate ship.

No, no, that's not me.

Yeah, right. You're right. That's what I'm talking about, moving two ships by magic!

No wonder the officials are nodding their heads in agreement.

It's a bit dangerous to accurately tether them to the harbor with wind magic, which is not suitable for precision operation, partly because of their size. And that's even more so when it's two ships.

You can't afford to accidentally break it if it's out of alignment and makes contact with the docks.

Yes, that ship is equipped with a magic item that gives it the ability to fly.

I see, that's the magic item...

""What a magic item..."

For some reason, not only the officials but even Seibei-san raised a surprised voice.

Oh, were there any magic items on that ship?

'Oh yes. I was caught in a storm and the ship was riddled with holes, so I quickly made a flying device and attached it to the ship to evacuate it to safety.

""Suddenly, the magic item is gone!"

Well, it's a makeshift device made for emergency evacuation, so it's really just a makeshift device that can only float and move.

""No, no, no, no, no, it's not like that at all..."

'Oh, but the ship over there is pretty battered by the storm too, so if we don't do some serious repairs, it will flood again and we won't be able to sail...'

'Wow!　Water's coming in!

Quick, get her in the air!

Just to prove my point, a pirate ship that had been hit by another flood surfaced in a hurry.

'And well, it looks like that.'

"...hah...

Hmm, maybe we should dismantle that ship now.

I wonder if it's too dangerous to head out into the open ocean to the continent, even if it's a short sea.

"And I thought I was going to die...

When they had finished loading and unloading their cargo and disembarked the ship, the captains of the pirate ships also lowered their ships onto the land in the harbor and crawled away from the overturned ship.

'Good work, Captain.'

Oh, that's the sea Mr. Lex.

When the captains see my face, they line up in front of me, straightening up.

'It's a shame about the ship, isn't it?

Hey!　I'm just saying that I believe in life!　Because if it wasn't for Lex's husband, we'd all be seaweed!

""That's right!"

'I'm glad to hear that. Then it's all right if I can't get on the ship.

Hey, but, well, I'll be getting a new ship soon and heading out to sea!

The captain and his crew did not show any signs of being disappointed by the loss of their ship, but answered emphatically that they would definitely return to the sea.

'Good luck with that. But first we have some things to do, don't we?

You mean...?

The captains nodded their heads at my words.

"Officials, these men are pirates. They tried to kidnap me and my friends.

""What?"

Is that so?

I tell the officials that the captains are the pirates who tried to kidnap us.

Yes, sir. "Yes, sir, so catch him.

All right, all right. Hey, hey, guys, come and get them!

""Ha!"

Soon, the guards in the harbor tie up the scowling pirates.

"huh, Kaijin-sama?　What's going on here?

The captain comes to his senses and asks why he is doing this.

You are all pirates. You have to atone for your sins before you return to the sea.

Oh, no...

The captain turned blue and slumped into a henna.

'Oh, don't run away. If you run away and get caught, you'll be punished more heavily.

""Hi!"

As the captains imagined this scene, their bodies trembled as they turned blue in the face.

Once a criminal is caught and escapes, the crime becomes much more serious, you know.

Besides, when a criminal is caught, a magic item is attached to him or her with a tracking spell, so the chances of success in escaping are very low.

If you are caught in this state, you are forced to work against your will until you are cursed and atone for your sins.　

It's better to atone for your sins than to have to do that.

You know what I mean.

""Hehehe!　I will pay for it with my life!

The pirates straighten their backs and are led away by the guards with serious faces.

'Yes, if you admit your sins and sincerely atone for them, you will be rehabilitated one day, I'm sure.

Hang in there, pirates!

'Hey, that doesn't look like such an impressive sight...'

Shh, some things are better left alone in this world.

Huh....