Chapter 62

Although they had defeated Tospol and liberated the Kresven Archipelago, the combined fleet could not leave right away.

The damage to the fleet was severe.

In particular, the damage to the Levonan fleet, which had stood in the front line, was more severe than that of the Fasan fleet, which had stood in the rear.

“Four ships in the fleet are moderately damaged, six are unable to sail, and the other damages are countless. The ships that are unable to sail will have to be scrapped.”

“I don't know much about ships, but is it possible to repair them?”

“If you say so, we can try, but honestly, it's hard to be confident. It's better to dismantle them and use the parts to repair other ships.”

Ships were originally expensive things.

Scrapping them was a very heartbreaking thing.

Even the Levonan people who received the non-repairable verdict shed a few tears.

“Damn it. Every time we collide with that ignorant Tospol's ship, the keel gets all twisted.”

“That bastard is a nuisance even in death.”

That was true.

There was hardly a single ship that had fought with Tospol's floating fortress that was in good condition.

Even the sturdiest Levonan flagship, the Calcio, was judged to be moderately damaged just by colliding with it.

The captured pirate ships were almost useless small boats, and the kraken had smashed them all, so there was nothing left intact.

“It can't be helped. If they're irreparable, we have to dismantle them. Let's tow as much as we can.”

“Oh, what a waste.”

While the Levonan people were sighing, I secretly called the Fasan technicians and gave them instructions.

“When you dismantle the Levonan ships, record the designs. So that they can be applied to Fasa's ships. Understood?”

“Understood. We'll do our best.”

The technicians who received the instructions were also full of motivation.

They also knew that this was a good opportunity.

Levona's shipbuilding technology was the best in Apennia.

Fasa was far behind Levona in terms of technology.

So this was a good opportunity to acquire the latest technology.

‘Ah, this is what they call reverse engineering.’ I was the only one who smacked my lips, trying to act smart.

The officers' reactions were lukewarm.

“Isn't it a bit much to spy on an allied nation? We just fought together a moment ago.”

“Because it's not yet certain who our next opponent will be.”

“Do you mean, by any chance?”

I nodded my head instead of answering.

It meant that I was already considering Levona as an enemy.

“It's just in case, but it's better to keep it in mind.”

“Understood.”

In , where betrayal and backstabbing were rampant, a person with common sense could not survive.

One must always be prepared.

Selvi, who was in charge of intelligence, had a sad look in his eyes as his workload suddenly increased.

But since it was a matter of safety, I had no intention of letting him off.

“Then we'll have time until the fleet is repaired. What are you thinking of doing?”

“Rest, of course?”

At the mention of rest, everyone's heads shot up like meerkats that had found food.

I sighed inwardly.

Instead of thinking about managing and supervising the work, everyone was only thinking of playing around.

At this rate, who could I trust to leave the mercenary company to?

“No, there's still work to be done.”

“Aww.”

“It's really important work.”

“Boo.”

“How dare you talk back to the captain?”

Sometimes I wonder if the discipline in our mercenary company isn't too lax.

Is it because the racial composition is diverse, or is it because I've let them off too easy?

Maybe they'll listen better if I tie them all up and give them a good flogging one day.

As signs of increased workload appeared, everyone was disappointed, and the only person whose eyes shone was Eleonor.

I mentally decided to include Eleonor in this adventure.

“Come to think of it, this is something Sir Eleonor would like.”

“What is it?”

“We are going on an adventure to find treasure.”

“!”

Eleonor's face brightened up, and her cheeks flushed.

At the same time, the other officers all raised their hands and volunteered for the adventure.

“Ah, if there's something fun like that, you should have told us too.”

“Why? I thought you all wanted to rest.”

“No, we didn't know because you didn't explain! It's different from then and now.”

I had brought people treasure and honor many times, and everything I did was a huge success.

I myself was a guarantee of success.

Therefore, people were eager to join the adventure this time as well.

The only person disgusted by this situation was Theo, who was in charge of security.

Because he had to worry about my safety.

“Young Master, that's all well and good, but where are we going on this adventure? The pirates around here should all be gone by now.”

“Into the sea.”

“Pardon?”

Theo even put his hand on my forehead.

“Have you been exposed to the sea breeze too much? But you don't have a fever.”

“You didn't hear wrong, so don't worry.”

“?”

***

Just as there was a royal tomb in the Imperial Capital, there was a dungeon in the Golden Sea.

The Mermaid's Shore.

It was in the sea, but fortunately, it was not a place ruled by cosmic horror.

Originally, you had to clear a certain number of pirates in the Golden Sea to access it, but it was unlikely that the game's restrictions would follow into reality.

Having cleared out Tospol, who was a nuisance, and the pirates of the Kresven Archipelago, the way to the Mermaid's Shore was now open.

I hadn't decided what to do after entering the dungeon.

It was possible to fight and conquer the mermaids, or to interact with them peacefully.

If I built up a high enough favorability, it was also possible to become friends or form an alliance.

I didn't know which would be more beneficial this time.

It was when I was absorbed in formulating a strategy on how to act.

Rhom came to me with a troubled face.

“Captain, we have a visitor.”

“A visitor? Has a dispatch boat from Fasa already arrived? It's not time for that.”

I had sent the fastest ship as a dispatch boat to report that we had defeated Tospol and won the battle.

But no matter how well it caught the wind, it wouldn't arrive until tomorrow evening at the earliest.

“It's not that. I think you'll have to come out and see for yourself.”

I realized that something unusual had happened from the fact that Rhom was not in a position to move directly, and that his voice was full of panic.

It seemed that something had happened that could not be solved or judged by the people outside alone.

So they were calling me.

“I'll go out right now. Theo, follow me.”

“Yes.”

I went outside with my attendants.

People were gathered on the shore where the waves were rolling in.

Admiral Gian, who seemed to have heard the news first, was also out with his attendants.

“What is it?”

“Look over there.”

The direction Admiral Gian pointed.

There, the targets surrounded by soldiers with their spears and swords aimed at them stood.

A human-like form with a pale face.

Eyes that shone brightly and skin thickened to withstand the pressure of the sea.

Even gills developed to breathe in the sea.

That's—.

“Mermaids.”

“They're mermaids.”

The conclusion was simple, but the atmosphere was still not good.

It wasn't as if the others didn't know what I had recognized at a glance.

“Then what's the problem?”

“The problem is that they're mermaids. In the first place, even for sailors who go out to sea often, mermaids are not a common sight. And they even say that if you meet a mermaid, your ship will sink.”

I understood.

So that's why the atmosphere was so bad.

To sailors who believed in many superstitions, mermaids were an ominous existence that brought typhoons and sank ships, so this meeting was not a good event.

Even looking around now, I could find people with anxious faces, chanting protective spells or making gestures.

Though people from the inland like Eleonor and Rhom had bewildered faces, not knowing the reason.

“So what's the matter? Why did they come?”

“I don't know. They say they must meet the leader and deliver a message.”

“Why don't you ask them, Admiral?”

“I did. But they said I wasn't qualified.”

A hint of displeasure was mixed in Admiral Gian's voice.

“Then why didn't you just chase them away? Even with this many people?”

“They're not a race that's easy to talk to, but I'm also not keen on fighting them.”

If I ordered my subordinates to fight now, the atmosphere was such that they would rather stage a rebellion.

Besides, since mermaids were considered an ominous race, it was only natural that they were even more reluctant.

“It can't be helped. I'll go and talk to them.”

I first instructed the soldiers from the coast to step back, and then had only the soldiers from the inland step forward.

However, even the inland soldiers hesitated to approach the mermaids.

Not because the sailors' superstitions had spread among them, but because of the mermaids' physique.

Perhaps because they were a race that had to swim in the sea for a long time, all of them had the Alps mountain range settled on their shoulders.

Wow.

Look at those trapezius muscles.

If I got hit by one of those, I might really die.

Needless to say for me, who had trash stamina.

The system is really too much.

After all that hardship, couldn't it just raise my martial power stat a little?

Anyway, I can't understand the calculation standards.

I grumbled about the judgment system of for no reason and stepped forward.

Hoping that Theo would protect my life in case of an emergency.

“Me?”

“You're my bodyguard!”

“You keep giving me impossible tasks and telling me to survive, but if you keep this up, I might really show you what a rebellion of a close aide is.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I'm going to kidnap the Young Master and run away alone to a safe place where no one knows.”

“That's why I trust you.”

“Phew.”

I pretended not to hear Theo's frustrated sigh and walked forward.

Up close, the mermaids' physique was much larger.

I could feel myself being naturally intimidated.

But I had also gained a lot of experience over time.

I spoke confidently without being daunted.

“I am the person in charge of them, Leon Gryph. State your name and business.”

“You are the person in charge of this group?”

“Yes.”

I could feel the mermaids observing me carefully.

A moment later, what appeared on their faces was anger.

“This human is too small and young. Are you looking down on us and playing a joke?”

Eleonor stepped forward.

“I can vouch for him. Sir Gryph is definitely our leader.”

“You are a half-elf.”

“Yes. That's right.”

“I can believe the words of someone with elven blood.”

As the mermaid changed his attitude like flipping his palm, Admiral Gian snorted from behind.

He seemed to be very angry because he had been rejected when he first stepped forward.

“So, what on earth did you come for?”

“You guys woke up a deep-sea monster a while ago, right?”

“That's right.”

“I have come by the order of His Majesty the Dragon King to protest about it and demand compensation. Because of your silly fight, the sleeping monster was awakened, and our region was damaged! What are you going to do about this? Do you want to go to war?”

I never thought it would be connected like that.

It was something I hadn't thought of.

But it was not possible to go to war with the mermaids right after a battle had just ended.

“I'm truly sorry. If there was damage, I apologize and will compensate.”

“You should, of course.”

I first apologized to the mermaid envoy.

Then the mermaid envoy arrogantly raised his nose.

This bastard, he's a little annoying.

Of course, it was impossible to compensate for everything as they wanted.

This battle was a complete loss.

Even if we looted the pirates' treasures, it was a question of whether we could cover the minus, so if we added compensation, it was a definite deficit.

So I decided to shift all the responsibility for the problem to Tospol and try to negotiate the compensation amount.

If they're wronged, tell Tospol to come back from the afterlife.

And it's not like I'm completely lying, right?

“But it wasn't on purpose. We couldn't help it because we were trying to defeat Tospol. In fact, if you think about it, Tospol is responsible for all of this……”

“Wait a minute. What? Say that again.”

“I said we did it because we were trying to defeat Tospol.”

“You mean that tyrant of the sea is really dead?”

Suddenly, the mermaid's reaction changed to an enthusiastic one.

His expression was almost filled with elation.

“Can you prove Tospol's death?”

“I can. Though there's not much of his body left because the monster ate him.”

At my instruction, a servant brought Tospol's neck.

The mermaid envoys, who confirmed the neck, all exclaimed in admiration.

“That's real!”

“No way! How did that kid defeat Tospol?”

Who keeps calling whom a kid?

Of course, compared to a mermaid, I might look like a kid.

Anyway, thanks to showing them Tospol's neck, the hostile atmosphere changed to a much more friendly one.

The mermaid envoy even got down on one knee and spoke to me.

“You said you were Sir Leon Gryph? Forgive my rudeness. You have done what no brave warrior could do. To honor your name, I would like to invite you to our kingdom. What do you say?”

“What did you say?”

“I mean I'll let you meet His Majesty the Dragon King!”

“……”

Then the surroundings became very quiet.

A silence so profound that you could probably hear a needle drop on the sandy beach continued.

Thanks to that, I could clearly hear Admiral Gian making a dumbfounded sound from behind.

Including the sound of his aides restraining him, saying, ‘Your Excellency, you shouldn't do that.’

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