Chapter 91

Umberto, having learned the location of the Bigodi pirates' hideout, wandered around the deck with a smug smile on his face. Occasionally, he would catch one of Salvatore's comrades, a gunner, and talk to them, promising to buy them drinks when they returned to the capital. In Umberto's mind, he was already being promoted for informing the king about the pirates' hideout.

Umberto currently held the rank of "Sergeant," which was given to soldiers leading a squad of about thirty men. It wasn't a particularly high rank. The ranks, from lowest to highest, were: "Private," "Corporal," "Sergeant," "Chief Sergeant," "Lieutenant," "Captain," and "General." Umberto seemed to be hoping that his efforts this time would earn him a promotion to "Lieutenant." Salvatore, however, thought it was impossible to advance two ranks just for discovering the pirates' hideout.

Salvatore doubted General Udolfo's judgment for entrusting such an important mission to a man like Umberto. But when he considered whether there was anyone else who could be entrusted with a mission that might involve naval combat, he reluctantly concluded that there was no one. After the pirate suppression force was disbanded, the military had lost its naval experts. General Udolfo might have had no choice but to select Umberto.

Umberto was breathing heavily.

"If I become a Lieutenant, I'll take care of you all from now on," he said, riding high on his own success. He seemed to have forgotten that this unit was founded by Prince Aurelio.

To cool Umberto's head, Salvatore said, "Captain Umberto, is it really okay to take the pirates' testimony at face value? We should verify it first, shouldn't we?"

"…You're right," Umberto replied, slightly calmer, and began to move to verify the hideout.

The pirates' hideout, according to the testimony, was on an island called Horsas. Salvatore and the others went near Horsas to confirm its existence. The island was covered with tall trees, making it impossible to see inside. There was a narrow inlet that led into the island, which seemed to be the only way in.

"Indeed, this looks like a place pirates would choose as a hideout. It's almost certainly the right place," Salvatore said. He suggested waiting until night to send out a small boat to verify it secretly. Umberto, however, didn't like Salvatore's suggestion.

"We can't wait that long. We'll pass in front of Horsas Island," he decided, using the Zotti to confirm if the pirates' hideout was there. But there was a risk of being noticed by the pirates.

"Wait, we might be spotted by the pirates," Salvatore warned.

"Shut up, you civilian!" Umberto shouted, and Salvatore reluctantly backed down.

Umberto gave precise orders to the crew. He had solid knowledge and experience in navigation. The Zotti passed in front of Horsas Island. Salvatore strained his eyes to look for signs of pirates. He spotted what looked like a man-made structure deep in the inlet. It seemed to be the pirates' hideout, and there was a ship that looked like a pirate ship anchored there.

The pirates had also noticed the Zotti and seemed suspicious. The pirate ship in the inlet began to prepare to set sail. Salvatore wanted to say, "I told you so," but he just glared at Umberto.

"Damn, we've been spotted by the pirates. Let's run," Umberto ordered. The Zotti turned its bow towards the port town of Jibka and unfurled all its sails.

The wind-filled sails swelled, propelling the Zotti forward, creating white waves. There was only one pirate ship, about the same size as the Zotti, with a large number of pirates on board. The pirate ship seemed slightly faster than the Zotti, gradually closing the distance. When they were close enough to see the pirates' faces, the pirates started firing arrows.

Arrows flew in a parabolic arc and stuck into the Zotti's deck. Umberto, enraged, ordered the gunners to attack the pirate ship. The gunners aimed their "Steel Arrow Scatter" magic rifles at the pirate ship and fired. The steel arrows, created by magic, sliced through the air and struck the pirates. However, the accuracy was poor. Due to the deck's movement from the waves, about half of the steel arrows missed their targets.

Despite the poor accuracy, the magic rifles, developed to defeat magical beasts, had the power to inflict fatal wounds when they hit. Five pirates were bleeding and fell to the deck.

"Good, keep it up! Keep firing!" Umberto shouted in a high-pitched voice.

One of the pirates prepared a magic rod and started casting a spell. Salvatore, noticing this, warned everyone.

"The pirates are casting a spell. Find cover somewhere!"

The crew and gunners hid behind the masts and the ship's sides. Suddenly, a fireball flew from the pirate ship, hitting the Zotti's aft deck with a tremendous explosion. The blast threw several crew members overboard.

Salvatore was shocked.

"Impossible. That was a 'Fireball,' wasn't it? If so, the range is off."

The range of a "Fireball" was about half that of a "Steel Arrow Scatter." It shouldn't have reached this distance. The pirates seemed to have modified the "Fireball" in some way. Salvatore decided to research it himself when they returned to the capital.

The exchange of attacks between the pirates and Salvatore's group continued.

The pirate ship relentlessly pursued the Zotti.

"Damn, what persistent bastards," Umberto said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and gave orders to Salvatore.

"Use your magic to do something!"

Salvatore thought that if Prince Aurelio were here, he wouldn't have given such a reckless order, but there was no one else. He followed the order and began preparing a high-level spell, choosing "Flame Lance." However, "Flame Lance" had a short range, so hitting the target would require dangerous maneuvering.

Salvorte signaled the crew to slow down the ship.

After the spell preparation was complete.

"Now!"

Several sails were furled, slowing the ship. The distance to the pirate ship closed rapidly.

"Fanar Fani Bois Merge Tajestara"

The massive flame lance Salvatore released hit the pirate ship's mainmast, spreading flames. The pirate ship, with its sails burning, slowed down and drifted away.

Salvatore and everyone else thought this was their chance to finish off the pirate ship. However, the pirates quickly extinguished the flames and the mages began preparing a counterattack. If they turned around now, they might suffer a severe counterattack, Salvatore thought, negating the opportunity.

At that moment, Umberto, with a nasty smile, said,

"Turn around. We need to finish them off!"

Salvatore panicked.

"Wait, if we turn around now, we'll be hit by their counterattack!"

"You fool, can't you see this is our chance?"

Umberto ordered the crew to turn the ship. The Zotti's speed slowed, and the bow began to turn.

The distance to the pirate ship, which had initially pulled away, closed again.

At that moment, they were hit by a coordinated magical attack from the pirate ship, and a large hole opened in the side of the ship. The impact threw Umberto and several crew members overboard.

Salvatore thought this might be the final battle with the pirates, but after this counterattack, the pirate ship pulled away. The damage to the pirate ship seemed significant.

Salvatore was relieved. The tension and strength left his body.

"Should we not rescue Captain Umberto?"

One of the gunners asked Salvatore, who approached the side and looked down. Umberto was desperately swimming, still wearing his clothes and carrying his sword.

"Drop the sword!"

Salvatore advised, but Umberto, displeased, said,

"Shut up and help me!"

This single sentence made Salvatore's heart turn cold.

The crew members who were thrown overboard with Umberto seemed to have died or lost consciousness and sank to the bottom of the sea. Only Umberto remained in the water.

The Zotti's sails, in the middle of turning, were not functioning properly, only catching the crosswind. The ship was slowly drifting away from Umberto.

"What should we do in this situation?"

Salvatore asked one of the gunners. It was a question he should have asked the crew.

"I don't know much about the sea."

"Neither do I. What should we do?"

While Salvatore and the others were talking, Umberto continued to curse and order them to help him.

When Umberto was about to run out of strength, Salvatore and the crew decided to rescue him with a small boat from the Zotti. However, while lowering the boat into the water, Umberto's figure disappeared.

"It's bad. Captain Umberto is out of sight."

Salvatore looked at the sea with a cold gaze, searching for Umberto.

"…He must have drowned."

Salvatore immediately gave up on rescuing Umberto and ordered the crew to repair the ship. After the emergency repairs were completed, they set their course for the capital.

When Salvatore returned to the capital, he reported the discovery of the pirates' hideout and informed them of Umberto's death, but it didn't cause any problems. However, Salvatore was worried. He was concerned that the pirates, knowing they had been discovered, might abandon their hideout and escape.

The king ordered the destruction of the pirates' hideout. However, when the kingdom's soldiers attacked the hideout, it was already empty. Salvatore's concerns had been justified. But he was suspicious of how easily the pirates had abandoned their hideout. He speculated that the pirates might have other hideouts.

After losing their hideout, the pirates began frequently attacking ships sailing near the capital, causing the maritime trade between the capital and other regions to come to a halt. The people of the capital began to express their unease.

Salvatore went to Prince Aurelio and said,

"I apologize. Because we let the pirates escape, we are in this situation."

"No, it's not your fault, Salvatore. It was a mistake for me to follow the king's orders and hand over command of the unit."

"What should we do about the pirates?"

"We need to be prepared for naval battles. The problem is the ships. Without military ships, we have to borrow civilian ships, but the merchants are hiding their ships in other regions due to the damage to the Zotti."

"The merchants… even though this is their problem too."

The king entrusted the pirate problem to General Udolfo. Knowing he lacked military talent, the king judged it best to leave it to an expert. This judgment was not wrong, but entrusting it to General Udolfo was a mistake. General Udolfo struggled to establish a clear strategy.

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Meanwhile, Ricardo had completed two small armored fast ships. They were small powered boats with a framework of six steel pipes, arch-shaped and covered with the hide of a blowhole dragon shark. The hardened hide was as hard as iron and confirmed to have resistance to magic.

The appearance was more like a covered wagon on a boat, far from stylish. However, the armor with gunports looked reliable. The armor was fixed with multiple bolts, allowing it to be returned to its original small powered boat form later.

While Ricardo was doing the final inspection before the test run, an unexpected person appeared: General Samuele with his subordinates.

"You built them without waiting for the prince's response."

"I thought something that could be useful against the pirates was needed. And, well, it's good to be prepared for any situation."

Ricardo almost said "insurance" but remembered that this country didn't have such a concept.

"So, how is it… Can it be used against pirates?"

"I want to say, 'Use this to defeat the pirates,' but the effectiveness depends on how it's used. With proper training, it can be a useful tool."

General Samuele carefully examined the small armored fast ships. The number of crew members had been reduced to ten due to the armor, and the armor, being made of hide, seemed unreliable.

"It's smaller than I expected."

The general, imagining a battle between these small ships and pirate ships, folded his arms, unable to picture a victory.

"Can I take a test ride?"

"Sure, we were just about to go out to sea for a test run."

Ricardo and the others, including Master Carbone, General Samuele, and four of his subordinates, set out to sea. Master Carbone was in charge of the navigation, and Ricardo planned to test the "Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet" magic rifle from the gunport.

Ricardo asked the general if the ship the prince had requested was ready. The general's face turned sour.

"Yes, I finally managed to borrow it and was about to report to the prince when that fool Udolfo seized it."

General Udolfo, using the king's orders as a shield, had requisitioned the ship Samuele had borrowed for pirate suppression. When Samuele consulted the prince, the prince contacted him, saying he wanted to see the small armored fast ships Ricardo had proposed.

"However, if we're going to fight pirate ships, these small armored fast ships might be better."

"Why is that?"

"Civilian ships don't have armor, but these do."

The general tilted his head.

"That might be true, but they seem too small to be reliable."

The small armored fast ships, with their magic furnaces warmed up, increased their speed.

"Wow, that's an incredible speed."

The general and his subordinates were surprised by the speed of the small armored fast ships.

"To dampen the general's and his subordinates' excitement, Master Carbone said to Ricardo,

"The speed doesn't seem to have improved much compared to before the armor was added."

"It can't be helped. The weight of the armor and air resistance are factors."

Still, it was much faster than a sailboat.

Ricardo and the others went to a reef point and conducted a test firing of the magic rifle at the reefs nearby. The diameter of the gunport was 25 cm, so the visibility wasn't great, but it was sufficient to aim.

Ricardo aimed at the reef and pulled the trigger. The shot from the moving ship missed, hitting the water and creating a splash.

"What's wrong? Your aim is off."

Master Carbone laughed.

"Hmm, it's more difficult than I thought."

Ricardo continued the test firing, hitting the target only twice out of five attempts. He hadn't trained to fire a magic rifle from a moving ship, so it was understandable, but he felt his own inadequacy and his face tensed.

However, the power of the magic rifle was confirmed again. It shattered part of the reef, and if it hit a ship, it would create a large hole.

"Is it that difficult?"

The general asked Ricardo.

"Would you like to try?"

Ricardo handed the magic rifle to the general. The general aimed at the reef from the gunport and pulled the trigger. The Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet flew over the reef and disappeared into the sky.

"I see, training is necessary."

With the general satisfied, Ricardo and the others returned to the shipyard.