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A sailing s.h.i.+p quietly anch.o.r.ed.
The s.h.i.+p was a fast s.h.i.+p which had three masts on it. Though right now all the sails were folded and the s.h.i.+p quietly waited for the captain's command.
It had an ordinary appearance. It was a western-style s.h.i.+p.
The total length of the s.h.i.+p was 30 meters. As a type, it was close to that of Galleon s.h.i.+p. It resembled the s.h.i.+ps that were being built frequently during the era of the great voyage.
The only difference between this world s.h.i.+p and the Earth s.h.i.+p was that this s.h.i.+p did not have any firearms such as cannons.
Perhaps, the existence of gunpowder was not common.
On the north side of the bay, within the gap of the forest, several sharp gazes were looking at the s.h.i.+p.
Black dyed clothes and mask covered their entire face, making them became one with the darkness.
The dwellers of darkness.
They were not afraid of anything, even the monsters within the forest.
Because they were the most dreadful monsters...
"Everyone, just like we had planned..."
After Sakuya signaled, the leaves of trees shook faintly
And the presence around Sakuya disappeared. Only the same type of humans can perceive their presence.
This time she had to bring people with good skill among her family.
The bait had been set. After that, it was just the matter of waiting for the prey to take the bait.
"Well now, where is your base, please show me as soon as possible..."
A cold smile appeared on Sakuya's face. It was the face of a hunter.
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"You... Do you think we could believe such story?"
Ten men surrounded the two men inside a dim room filled with sea smell.
Every time the lamp gently swayed to the left and right the shadows wandered the room.
All of their appearance were that of sailors, with burned red and black skins due to the sun.
However, with the smell of blood diverging from their bodies, one can predict what kind of occupation they had.
Cold voice struck the two men who were kneeling.
"But... we really saw it. With our own eyes... Right?"
The men talked to the other men who were silent on his side.
"Yes, I also saw it clearly with my own eyes. There was a town, with unbelievable scale over there. No, That is not a town I guess. It was more like a city."
Listening to those words, one man who surrounded them began to spook.
"Cih, stop playing around. You guys, then explain, how did they manage to build a city in less than two months? If you can explain it then we will consider your story!"
Toward those words, ridicule and approval rose from the surrounding.
No one believed the two men story.
"About that... We really saw it..."
However, the man who knew that their lives were on the line keep trying desperately.
If their story were judged as a lie, they would surely be ended up getting killed. And surely, they would be killed brutally and made it as a lesson for the others...
"Don't be stupid! You guys must be drunk or something!"
Someone shouted.
"We did not! We really saw it!"
"It was true... We did not have any liquor or drug with us... We only abide the captain's command."
The people who shouted grew silent but their eyes were still cold.
"Be silent for a bit..."
It was a low voice.
The voice was small enough that people might miss it if it was a normal situation. But, the words of that man clearly entered the ears of everyone present inside the room.
Everyone's eyes were directed at the place where the man sat.
He had a solid body, with a reddish-brown beard. His eyes emanated cold-blooded aura.
Hidden by the silk s.h.i.+rt, sunburned skins can be seen.
He had the style of men of the sea.
His name is Henry. It was a man who was feared by many other pirates, the one who had the nickname the 'Shark'.
Originally, he was a fisherman from a small village in the Kingdom of Ernestgora. He was a criminal who had killed a n.o.bleman due to a tax dispute, and he escaped.
He was a man that will approach its prey like a shark, and eat them without saying anything.
"Captain..."
"W-We're..."
The two men turned their eyes toward Henry.
The two men lives depended on that man's mood.
"Well, fine then... It was hard on you guys huh... You guys can go an eat some meals..."
"Eh?"
Because his words were too unexpected, the man who blamed the two men the most leaked a stupid voice.
However, the man immediately blocked his mouth.
"Go." Ignoring the surrounding gaze, Henry ordered the two men to go by waving his hand. It was almost like he told a dog to leave... "A-Aye. Pardon me for being rude..." "Pardon my intrusion. Captain." The two men dropped their head then jumped out of the room immediately. It was unknown whether it was because Henry's whim or not, but the two men did not question it since they didn't want to lose their life. "Captain, what the meaning of this? Did you believe such absurd story?" One of the man who remained inside the room asked Hendry. They were the top bra.s.s within this s.h.i.+p, along with the chief navigator. Unlike the other sailors, they were allowed to question Henry for a bit. Of course, extreme caution was in place, since they did not want to impair Henry's absolute authority. "Those guys, I cannot believe that there would be a time when they lied to me. Besides, if you want to tell a lie won't you tell something that has some truth in it? You guys should be familiar with this no?" While stroking his beard with his hand, Henry turned his sharp gaze to the man who asked him before. From the start, Henry did not think the two men lied to him. What would happen if one were to lie, no matter how stupid those subordinates were, they should've understood that well. Not only they would get killed, they would've been made into a lesson for the others as well. Which mean, even if the two men story was absurd, they should've made a more believable story if they wanted to betray him. Everyone silently nodded toward Henry's explanation. Certainly, the two men's report was very ridiculous, but if one were to consider it calmly, the risk of telling lie was too high. After all, everyone boarded this s.h.i.+p knew how cold-blooded their captain was. "Certainly... But then, what kind of magic trick did they use? Two months had not yet pa.s.sed since that young man entered the peninsula you know?" They were able to understand that the two men did not tell lies. However, new doubt came to mind. "Who knows. But, it would be possible if what they made was a fake..." "A fake?" Toward Hendry's words, the men looked puzzled. The men were accustomed to a rough situation, but they were not that good in terms of using his head. Because inside of their head was occupied by wine and women. "If the two of them looked from the distance, they can be deceived as many times as they liked right? Although the two of them said they had confirmed them up close. They only confirm it from nearby. Unexpectedly, those might just be Papier-mâché made by using the woods..." "Papier-mâché is it?" "Well, that was just one of the possibility..." "Captain... What should we do then? I a.s.sume that we have no choice but to go and confirm it ourselves... That is what I thought but..." As a matter of fact, no one was going to argue about that. If that the case then they should just go and confirm it. However, Hendry shook his head denied it. "No, that is not necessary..." "But..." "You, are you questioning my decision?" Henry interrupted the man's words with his sharp gaze. "If we go there now, we won't make it in time for the monthly meeting. Are you going to explain things to those guys?" Listening to Henry's words everyone held their breath. "...T-That is..." "See, we need to head back first. Certainly, whether or not the others would believe it is indeed a question..." In Henry's mind, two faces with the same rank as him surfaced. They were people he did not want to meet too often. However, the story this time cannot be decided by Henry's arbitrary decision. To that annoyance, Henry unintentionally clicked his tongue. "Either way, we cannot move by ourselves. Whether or not we're going to attack or negotiate with them, we need to talk about this during the meeting first..." At the present stage, everyone can only guess. However, one thing was clear. Whether or not it was a trap, it can be said that Mikos.h.i.+ba Ryouma had already known that there existed pirates that made their base within the peninsula. (This have turn troublesome indeed...) He thought that some stupid n.o.ble had been given a reclamation project on a whim but, it seemed like his thought was too naive. The man called Mikos.h.i.+ba Ryouma, he had begun to carefully and seriously reclaim the barren peninsula. "Alright, raise the anchor. We will head back to the harbor!" Under Henry's command, the anchor was rolled up and the sail was set. The s.h.i.+p began to slowly move and gradually raised its speed. They were heading toward their base... Their base was a town, located at the northern end of the Wortenia peninsula. At the place where no men should've existed. The inhabitants of the town have survived strongly. Where they came from, they didn't even understand it themselves. Most of them were descendants of the people expelled to the peninsula. Some were criminals with prize money tag on their head. The place was a paradise for them, some of them arrived via the sea, some arrived after going through the forest filled with monsters. In a sense, the place could also be called h.e.l.l on earth. Certainly, no power was able reached the place. It was a town which was not under the arrogance of n.o.bles or the power of a country. People may have called it paradise if it was only that much. But if they heard the one who governed that town, everyone would've called it h.e.l.l instead. The power who ruled that town. The strong one, that was the only rule of law within that town. Gender and age didn't matter. It was such a town. A small town surrounded by cliffs. As if it was a town that afraid of people's gaze...
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