Chapter 93

"Carry out the ship's inspection now!"

Under Captain Moratti's orders, the inspection was carried out and confirmed to be without any abnormalities.

Meanwhile, the distance between the pirate ship and the small armored fast boats was closing. Ricardo, who was on one of the small armored fast boats, was instructed to engage the larger pirate ship, while another small armored fast boat was directed to fight the other pirate ship.

On the pirate ship, there was a bit of confusion.

Just as they thought the two strange small boats were approaching, their companion pirate ship was attacked and set ablaze. Bigodi, the leader of the Bigodi Pirate Gang, glared at the burning pirate ship.

"Did they get taken down by such a puny boat?"

"Boss, there must be a highly skilled magician on board."

"Maybe. But it's just a puny boat. There can only be one or two magicians. Let's sink them first before going after the prey!"

Bigodi, looking at the approaching small boats, couldn't figure out how they were moving. They had no sails, and no one seemed to be rowing.

"Send fire arrows at those small boats."

Following Bigodi's orders, fire arrows were launched from the pirate ship. The fire arrows drew a mountain-like curve and rained down on the two small boats. However, to Bigodi's disappointment, the fire arrows hit the armor and fell into the sea, extinguishing.

"What the hell is going on?"

The pirates opened their eyes wide in shock and froze.

"Boss, those small boats must be made of iron like a Hol."

"Don't be ridiculous. Such a boat would capsize with a slight wave. Magicians, cast your magic at those small boats."

There were nine magicians on the two pirate ships, including Bigodi. Only Bigodi and two others could use advanced magic, but he thought it was enough to sink the two small boats.

After all, they had the firepower to sink a large passenger ship.

Nine flashes of light extended towards the two small armored fast boats, and six spells hit.

Those inside the small armored fast boats endured the violent shaking and loud explosions. When the shaking subsided, Ricardo felt relieved, and the tension in his body eased.

"I thought it was over. I underestimated the sea battle."

Ricardo had sensed a large mass of magic approaching the small armored fast boat through his magic detection. Just waiting for the enemy's attack magic to come was nerve-wracking.

Captain Moratti seemed to feel the same way.

"Speed up. Get closer and attack them!"

The trumpet sounded, and the small armored fast boats increased their speed, approaching the pirate ship as if to collide. As they passed by, a simultaneous volley of flame steel magic wands was fired.

Three flames bloomed on the side of the pirate ship. When the flames died down, dark holes appeared. One of them was near the waterline, and seawater began to flow in.

"Damn, there's a hole. Someone, bring a board to plug it."

The pirates hurriedly began repairing the ship.

On the deck of the pirate ship, Bigodi, his face red with anger, was preparing a spell. The spell he chose was the advanced magic [Earth Burst Scatter Bomb], which Ricardo didn't know about. It was a spell developed in the neighboring kingdom of Claire to the east.

With a furious expression, Bigodi glared at the small armored fast boat Ricardo was on and cast his strongest magic. A large rock appeared in the sky and began to fall towards the small armored fast boat.

Ricardo felt a huge mass of magic appear above his head and instructed the helmsman to flee.

"What's wrong?"

Captain Moratti asked.

"It's advanced magic. Something is coming from above."

The helmsman pushed the throttle to the max and started to flee. Immediately after, a large rock, traveling faster than the speed of sound, hit the water and exploded. The impact threw the small armored fast boat into the air, and it spun around before landing tail-first, barely staying afloat.

Those inside, including Ricardo, were thrown against the supports and the sides of the boat, creating bruises all over their bodies. As Ricardo lay on the ground groaning, he heard the helmsman's voice.

"The outboard motor isn't working."

It seemed to have been damaged by the impact.

"Trouble. If this continues, we'll be beaten by the pirates."

Captain Moratti's voice was also heard.

On the pirate ship, Bigodi was laughing loudly. He confirmed that the small boat had stopped moving and assumed it was either broken or the people inside couldn't move.

"Ha ha ha... Now, get close and finish off that small boat!"

The pirates responded with enthusiastic voices and began to maneuver the sails.

On the small armored fast boat, Ricardo, despite the pain, got up, went out the door, and climbed onto the armor.

"What are you planning to do?"

Captain Moratti's voice followed Ricardo.

"We can't lose to such people. I'll retaliate."

Standing on the armor, Ricardo aimed his Death Prod at the pirate ship. However, his body was wobbling, and he couldn't aim properly. Deciding that this wouldn't work, Ricardo began to meditate to calm his mind.

The anger deep in his heart urged him to cast the spell quickly. He suppressed this anger with his mental strength and directed his consciousness deeper into his mind. Approaching the Source Gate, he sought power. The power that flowed from the Source Gate seemed to have no distinction between good and evil. Despite Ricardo's intention to kill people, even pirates, the power flowed into him as usual.

He converted the flowing power into magic and stored it throughout his body. In the process, his injured body healed, and the pain disappeared.

Stopping his meditation, he squeezed out all the magic from his body and poured it into the rod. The catalyzed and attribute-activated magic turned into a ball of scorching light. There was no way to miss it. Ricardo infused it with a strong will to hit the target. Whether this would be effective or not, he couldn't tell, but he couldn't help but do it.

The moment he cast the spell, the Sun Flame Bullet began to fly towards the pirate ship.

Ricardo watched with a prayer-like feeling. At that moment, the Sun Flame Bullet seemed to correct its course. It hit the center of the pirate ship, penetrated the side, and released the heat it had stored inside.

A belt of flame burst out of the hole like a flare. The flame spread to the sails, and the entire pirate ship was engulfed in flames.

In the burning pirate ship, Bigodi was barking.

"Why? I was about to become a noble!"

Ricardo could see the pirates on the deck jumping into the sea to escape the flames. However, there was no one nearby to help them, and it would be impossible to swim to the land, which was far away.

"Excellent."

Captain Moratti climbed onto the armor and spoke to Ricardo.

"What about the other one?"

When Ricardo asked, Captain Moratti pointed. In that direction, there was a pirate ship with a large hole in its side, and seawater was flooding in.

"We've completed our mission."

"Good."

Ricardo slumped on the armor. The images of the children he had treated in Kilmon and the residents buried in the catacombs flashed through his mind. The anger that had been stored deep in his heart gradually faded away.

Later, while tending to the injured members, another small armored fast boat approached. The outboard motor of Ricardo's small armored fast boat needed to be repaired at the shipyard.

Towed by the other boat, Ricardo and his team returned to the capital's port. The passenger ship that had been attacked by pirates managed to escape to a nearby port.

Ricardo handed over the broken small armored fast boat to Master Carbon and returned home. He hadn't told his family that he was going to fight pirates, only that he was staying at the Magician's Guild due to his busy research.

While his family worried about his tired face, he said he was fine and went to his room, where he fell asleep. He seemed to be quite exhausted.

The next day, when Ricardo woke up, the sun was high in the sky.

Feeling hungry, Ricardo went to the dining room to see if there was any food. Pamela was sitting in a chair, eating breakfast.

"Pamela, are you alone?"

"Yeah, I overslept, so I'm alone."

Serge had finished breakfast and was playing in the yard with Monta.

In the kitchen, Julia was cleaning up.

"You must have slept well. Are you hungry?"

Julia prepared breakfast for Ricardo. He ate it slowly, enjoying the meal.

"Did anything unusual happen?"

"Unusual? Well, the customers at the store were talking about something happening at the castle. Merchants are not allowed to enter or leave."

"Hmm."

Ricardo was a bit curious.

After getting ready, he went to the Magician's Guild. On the way, he saw the guards patrolling with serious faces.

He went to Isarco's room and reported that he had returned from the pirate hunt. He had told the truth only to Isarco, as not doing so would mean taking unauthorized leave from the Magician's Guild.

"That's good. You returned safely."

"Yes, we sank the pirate ship."

"Typical of you, Ricardo. I'm frustrated that I can't announce it loudly to others."

"It's a promise to the Crown Prince, so I can't reveal the secret."

Ricardo asked if he knew what had happened at the castle.

"No, I don't know. Something definitely happened, but..."

If Isarco couldn't get the information, Ricardo thought he should ask General Samuele. On his way back from the Magician's Guild, he wrote a letter to the general's mansion, asking if he could meet.

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Next to the Boniperti territory, which is governed by Greta's father, the Duke of Boniperti, lies the Kingdom of Claire.

In the capital, Pecia, at the center of Claire Castle, King Memmet was receiving a report from Chancellor Zelmar.

"Your Majesty, the regular communication from the Bigodi Pirate Gang has been cut off."

"Is it just delayed?"

"No, we have also received a report from our agent in the Kingdom of Romana that a passenger ship attacked by pirates was saved by strange small boats."

"Are you saying that the Bigodi Pirate Gang was sunk by those strange small boats?"

"At this stage, it is a possibility."

"Who are they?"

"Some speculate that it might be a hidden force of the Romana royal family."

"I see... But we were so close. The question is whether we should cancel the operation."

"Currently, there are only about 500 soldiers at Aldo Fort in the Kingdom of Romana. At this timing, we can seize the Ileb Silver Mine in the Boniperti territory."

The Ileb Silver Mine is the largest silver mine in the Kingdom of Romana. The Kingdom of Claire had been eyeing the Ileb Silver Mine and was looking for an opportunity to seize it.

"However, if the report that the Bigodi Pirate Gang was sunk reaches King Alchibald, he will order the soldiers stationed in the coastal towns to return to Aldo Fort."

Aldo Fort is the closest royal garrison to the Boniperti territory. If the Boniperti territory, which is allied with the royal family, is attacked by the Kingdom of Claire, the royal garrison at Aldo Fort would normally send troops to cooperate with the Boniperti forces to eliminate the enemy.

However, there are only 500 soldiers at Aldo Fort now.

"Although the number of troops gathered near the border is less than originally planned, it is sufficient to repel the Boniperti forces near the Ileb Silver Mine."

King Memmet nodded at Chancellor Zelmar's words.

"There is a chance... I thought we could gain the entire Boniperti territory, but this time, I will be satisfied with the Ileb Silver Mine."

With King Memmet's decision, the 8,000 troops gathered near the border of the Kingdom of Claire began preparing to attack the Boniperti territory.

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Two days after giving the letter to the butler of General Samuele, Ricardo received a message from the general. They agreed to meet at night, and Ricardo visited the mansion on his way back from the Magician's Guild.

The general's face, waiting at the mansion, was marked with deep fatigue.

"I received the report about the pirates. It seems you did a great job."

"I'm glad we could defeat the pirates, but I realized that fighting in a naval battle with small boats, where magic attacks are flying around, is difficult. If the enemy had known about the small armored fast boats in advance, the result might have been different."

"What do you mean?"

Ricardo explained how the small armored fast boat was lifted by the pirate's advanced magic and the outboard motor was damaged. This meant that the battle could be decided by simply hitting the small armored fast boat with powerful advanced magic nearby.

"I see. I had thought about mass-producing small armored fast boats and rebuilding the navy, but it seems impossible."

"Is that what you were thinking? There's also the issue of where to get the armor. Mass-producing small armored fast boats is difficult."

"Regarding the armor, the Crown Prince said he would procure it from the Magic Realm. However, if there is a weakness in the small armored fast boats, we need to reconsider."

Ricardo and General Samuele discussed the necessary equipment for rebuilding the navy.

After that, Ricardo asked what had happened at Vizer Castle. A shadow crossed the general's face.

"Should I not have asked?"

"No, it's fine to tell you, Ricardo."

The general told Ricardo about the events of the day King Alchibald summoned General Udolpho.

"Listening to that, I didn't want to get close to the castle."

"I understand. I think you could become the Chief Court Magician."

Ricardo shuddered. He didn't want to belong to a world where even a general could be trampled on if he failed.

"Is the King all right?"

At Ricardo's question, the general's face turned bitter.

"The King is running a fever and is bedridden from the shock of the attack."

In reality, the King was so terrified that he had retreated deep into the castle. This was something the general couldn't tell Ricardo.

"Does that mean the Crown Prince will return to the capital?"

"Temporarily, yes."

Ricardo saw this as an opportunity. With the Crown Prince temporarily taking control of the royal authority, he thought it was a good time to advance the Serrato Prophecy countermeasures.

"The Crown Prince will return to the capital tomorrow."

Ricardo consulted with the general about purchasing the vast land along the coast, which he had discussed with Bernardo before.

"That should be easily approved."

The general's words were true. On the day the Crown Prince returned, the land sale was approved, and Ricardo acquired the vast land at a low price. While it would be a big issue in Japan, the land was owned by the royal family, not the citizens, so no one raised any objections.

However, even at a low price, it was a vast area, and most of the funds Ricardo had saved were spent.

Ricardo counted the remaining gold coins and sighed. Considering the research of magic and the development of the newly purchased land, he needed to increase his funds.

While he was spacing out in the Magician's Guild laboratory, Greta burst in with a changed expression.