CH 29

A blanket of white covered the island.

The inn’s floorboards were slightly raised above ground. It’s probably normal for this island to receive a few feet of snow every winter.

Although the snowing stopped today, the temperature is still pretty low.

On days like these, it makes me want to eat a hot pot.

[Unbehーー]

Ain: “Hm? That’s Boss’ voice. I wonder what’s wrong.”

Sia: “Fluff-fluffー”

I look through the window, and I see a giant ball of white fluff buried halfway in white snow. Behind that fluffy giant, I see a clear path that Boss carved as he made his way here.

Ain: “Boss, is it another emergency?” I asked, but these last couple of days, the Sheepoos have been going in and out of the town.

They come here looking for carrots.

They determined for themselves that none of the Magic Stone Lanterns are lit ーー and now they come to the town to get carrots.

[Unbeh. Beh-Behー]

Ain: “Ms. Sia, please translate.”

Sia: “Yea. Boss, sawー”

……….saw what?

[Behー. Unbehー. Unbeh-beh-behー. Beh]

Sia: “Shipー”

Ain: “A ship? Well, yeah. If you go down to the beach, you’ll see the small ship we came in.”

Sia: “Nooー Biggerー People, ridingー”

A big ship? People riding it?

……...wait…….he saw a ship with people riding in itー?!

Ain: “BーBoss, when did you see it?”

[Beh]

Sia: “Just now”

Ain: “WHOOOOAAA!! Let’s goーー!!”

I don’t know why they would come to this island. They could just be stopping here until the seas calm down or maybe to stop and repair their ship.

But if we can meet those people, we might be able to get a ride to a Port Town!

To come back here, we could charter another ship or something. We have a lot of jewels. I’m sure that that’s possible.

I put on the warm wool sweater and wool jacket. I put on the boots made from boar leather and lined on the inside with wool and head out!

I thought we would be heading to the eastern shores, but Boss suddenly changed direction to the north and start heading into the forest.

We were riding on Boss’ back and let him take us to the destination.

Ain: “Boss, aren’t we going to the beach?”

[Behー]

Sia: “Yea”

We were heading North East, so are we heading towards the bridge we saw near the mountain?

Looks like I was spot on.

It’s a little small to call it a full out mountain, but Boss hooves beat against the hard rock while he scaled the giant piece of stone.

The angle of the slope was no joke. We clung on tightly to Boss’ woolly fur and did our best to not slip and fall off of him.

And finally, we reached the summit, and I immediately saw the ship.

Ain: “Whoa, it’s a pretty good sized sailing ship. Oh, and I can see people too from here.”

The mountain was about 100 meters high.

From the mountain, the majority of it is circular, but the shape looks like someone carved out a slice of cake.

And within this triangular opening, the ship was docked. Because the mountain naturally surrounds this area, the waves are much calmer too.

Sia: “UUUuu, UUUAAA!! UーK. UーK. Emerーgency”

Ain: “Hm? What’s wrong, Sia?” Sia: “That. That bad human.”

Bad human?

Sia was pointing a very overweight man on top of the ship and…….hm?

That fatty……...I guess he survived that storm.

Ain: “Slave Traders…...I see……”

Sia: “GRRRRRRR!!!”

Looking closely, I see a lot of familiar faces. The only people I don’t recognize are the ones hauling the cargo.

Ain: “But what’s going on? That ship is different from……...Ack.”

“Ack?” [Beh?]

I look across the vessel and my eyes land on one particular part.

On the mast, a black flag is raised, and with white paint, a symbol was drawn.

Undoubtedly…….it’s the Skull and Crossbones trademark.

I guess…….no matter where you go, the Skull and Crossbones would be…….pirates, right?”

When I was little, one of the books I read had a story about a Hero who defeated pirates who held the Skull and Crossbones flag on their ship.

“Hurry up and get those packages unloadedー”

Because the entire area is surrounded by rocks, the voices below echo off the walls and can be heard from here.

“If you don’t hurry up, I’ll tie you down to a rock and throw you overboard!”

“EEEK!!”

<CRACK!>

A sound of a whip rings through the air.

Aren’t they all working together?

“I didn’t know what would happen to us, but I’m glad we were saved by this ship.”

“Right you are, Cap’n. Look at this shipー It’s faster than our previous one, and best of all, it was free.”

“GEHYA, GEHYA!! (sfx laugh) And they were carrying goods for selling to Nobles. If we sell it off in the southern continent, they won’t be able to trace it back to us. Hey, weren’t there some really gaudy, ugly necklaces and rings? Keep those for bribing the Lonneberg’s Lady White Pig and keep’em separate.”

“Understood, boss.”

The Lonneberg’s Lady White Pig……...they brought up a name I really didn’t want to think of here.

The Lady White Pig. Yeah, there’s no way they’re not talking about my step-mother.

But why would my step-mother’s name all of a sudden come up in a pirate’s conversation?

If I remember correctly, my step-mother’s father was the country, the Andestan Kingdom’s, Navy Admiral that guards the Southwest Coast.

So she should have ties to the merchant ships too.

And that man, he’s not just a merchant. He had his hands in slave trading and now in the pirate business.

Wait…….

Maybe he was bribing my step-mother to allow him to remain a pirate and in exchange, received the goods they stole……..?

My step-mother always had on really awful looking jewelry that was only good for calling attention to her. And she managed to always get her hands on new ones before anyone knew how. But did the Lonneberg Family have that kind of wealth?

Now, she is a Marquess, but before she married into my father’s family, I believe she was a Viscount. This was something one of the maids told me.

Her family’s territory isn’t that big either.

I thought it was strange since there’s no way they could have accumulated that kind of wealth.

I see now.

They were receiving bribes from the pirates.

Ain: “EEEERRGGHH!! I would love to let them have it but…..”

Sia: “GUUUUuuuu. Sia, hate!”

Ain: “I don’t like them either. I was only with them for a few days, but they have ties to the Marquis Family, and I can’t forgive them for all their evil deeds!”

[Beh?]

Ain: “Beat'em-up? Boss said.”

Beat them up…..? Well….

If those people carrying the cargo are unrelated to the pirates, then we can’t just straight up attack them blindly.

From what we heard, that ship is a merchant’s vessel, and they probably saved the crew without knowing that they were pirates. And they were robbed of their ship and now worked as slaves on board.

Oh yeah.

When it’s meal time, the slaves will be all sent to a different location and supervised. It was like that on the ship.

Thenーー

Ain: “We’re going after them during their meal time.”

Sia: “Yea”

[BEH-HEH-HEH-HEHー]

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Hot Pot, (na-be) (なべ) (鍋)