Chapter 141 – Pangaea (7)

Only now did I come to understand.

Why the pirates in Pangaea were so notorious.

They weren’t just thugs who used the strength of their weapons to target passenger ships or merchant vessels.

‘Their swordsmanship is quite impressive.’

This completely shattered the image I previously had of pirates.

Their swordsmanship was not far behind that of a mercenary company, and with the pirates holding a numerical advantage, it was only natural that our side was being pushed back.

The leader fighting Ramas was particularly surprising.

At a glance, his swordsmanship was on par with Ramas’s.

Moreover, the Dukerein Pirates who attacked us today had only come with a single ship; they hadn’t even brought their full force.

‘Just what are the pirates of this world….’

Once again, I was reminded of how diverse the world was.

It was like the shock I received when I first came to Earth.

My plan was to quickly turn the tide of the battle and then board the pirate ship on the other side.

The leader of the pirate crew would surely be over there.

Swaaaak!

Swaaaaak!!

I swiftly cut down the pirates.

With each splash of blood on the Holy Sword, the balance slowly tilted in our favor.

Once I evened out the numerical disadvantage, I planned to leave the rest to the mercenary company.

Individually, their swordsmanship wouldn’t fall behind.

‘That Ramas fellow over there is a bit of a gray area, though.’

The fight between the two of them didn’t seem like it would end anytime soon.

Right now, the pirate leader was slightly pressing the attack.

He forcefully brought down his scimitar-like sword, and Ramas hastily raised his own to block.

Kwakang!!

Sparks flew as sword met sword.

And once more.

Kwakang!!

Ramas struggled against the force, gritting his teeth.

But I wasn’t too worried.

That guy seemed like the type to survive until the very end, driven by his singular loyalty to the Count.

I considered helping Ramas but turned in another direction instead.

The ones who needed help more urgently were the grunts struggling with their numerical disadvantage.

Swaaaak!!!

Swaaaaaak!!

Blood poured onto the deck where the Holy Sword had flashed.

Once the first blood was shed, the pirates rushed at me like moths to a flame.

It was actually for the better.

I didn’t have to move.

Like a demon starved for blood, I cut and cut again.

“Wipe out the pirates!!”

And from somewhere, a rough voice echoed.

It was Ramas’s short cry.

It was a shout of encouragement to himself as he struggled.

“Waaaaaaah!!”

But this time, the cry perfectly coincided with the turning tide of the battle, boosting the morale of the mercenary company.

The atmosphere shifted rapidly, and soon, I was not the only one cutting down pirates.

The mercenaries had begun to pull their own weight.

And the number of pirates was visibly decreasing.

This change in the current seemed to have been detected on the pirate ship as well.

Two pirates came up on deck to cut the ladder connecting the two ships.

I immediately sent a signal to Yoon Joo-hee, who had been lying in wait.

She gave a short nod and immediately carried out the order.

Swaaaak!

The head of a pirate, whose neck was sliced by her sword, fell into the sea below.

Without hesitation, I ran towards the pirate ship.

Yoon Joo-hee lunged, extending her sword toward the remaining pirate.

Chaeng!

But the man hastily blocked Yoon Joo-hee’s sword and barely managed to place his hand on the ladder’s locking pin.

If he pushed the pin, the connection between the two ships would be severed.

Fortunately, the dagger I threw was a little faster.

“Aaargh!”

A dagger was embedded in the back of his hand, and Yoon Joo-hee immediately cut his throat.

I quickly crossed the ladder and boarded the pirate ship.

“Good work.”

“Thank goodness, Unit Leader!”

Then I immediately had to readjust my grip on Bastian.

The remaining men on the pirate ship had all come up on deck.

I quickly scanned the area.

I needed to figure out who the leader was.

With Mana Eyes, it wasn’t too difficult.

One man’s mana stood out particularly.

‘He’s quite strong.’

He was clearly a higher rank than the one fighting Ramas.

There was no way Count Berwood would have set up this whole affair just to take down one pirate ship.

And since it was unlikely he was after the pirates’ treasure, the conclusion was that I should capture this man and bring him before the Count.

The pirates drew their swords and slowly began to surround us.

“To come with only two people, you two must have some nerve!”

For saying such a line, this man was clearly fated to die first.

***

The atmosphere immediately after the battle ended was very chaotic.

The crew moved busily to salvage the captured pirate ship, someone cleared the bodies, and someone else was making temporary repairs to the messed-up deck.

The mercenary company was taking time to mourn their fallen members.

It was impressive to see Count Berwood participating with them, observing a moment of silence.

It was proof that this was not merely a business contract.

The pirates captured from the ship were bound and kneeling.

“Prepare a space to interrogate these men.”

“Yes!”

At the Count’s command, the mercenary company moved briskly.

In fact, the real work started now.

This was the purpose of the Count’s journey on this ship.

The Dukerein Pirates. The Count wanted to find out something from them.

‘What on earth could it be.’

But as I approached, the Count drew a line with a serious voice.

“You should go back and rest now. You must be very tired.”

“It doesn’t seem like everything is finished yet.”

“You mean the captured pirates. We’ll take care of these men ourselves.”

It meant my contract with him was now terminated.

He placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I know your contribution was great. I will reward you separately for that.”

“I won’t refuse.”

“Then, you may go.”

The other world, Pangaea. Here, I was a stranger, and I had no reason to be interested in the Count’s affairs.

My sole purpose for coming here was to find clues about dragons.

But despite that, I couldn’t help but be curious.

“If the interrogation doesn’t go as well as you hope, you can call for me.”

“You?”

“I’m also an expert in this field.”

I left the possibility open.

It would be good if he really sought me out, and if not, so be it.

***

The remaining time to our destination, Sherman Port, was now about three hours.

The schedule had been delayed by the major incident with the pirates last night, but we were still scheduled to arrive within the day.

Perhaps because of the interrogation of the pirates, the Count and the Red Scorpion Mercenary Company did not show themselves today either.

‘It seems our connection ends here.’

And my excessive nosiness ends here too. That was what I thought.

Knock, knock!

A knocking sound at the cabin door.

One of the grunts from the mercenary company had come to see me.

“The Count wishes to see you urgently.”

“What for?”

“You will know when you follow me.”

Following him, I arrived at a warehouse located on the lowest level of the ship.

The air was pungent, and with only a few old light bulbs lit, the atmosphere was grim.

I could hear the groans of the dying, and I could also see the terrible state of the bound pirates.

Their faces, battered and bruised, were swollen, and it was unlikely the rest of their bodies were in any better shape.

I could roughly guess what was going on.

“It seems things aren’t going smoothly.”

“These bastards just won’t open their mouths.”

The Count’s eyes looked tired.

The mercenaries were the same.

Even after the major battle last night, they had been up all night wrestling with the pirates.

“I think I know why you called for me. What is it that I need to find out from these men?”

“Before that, make me a promise.”

“Please, speak.”

“Whether you make these men talk or not, you will keep everything that happened with us on this ship a secret.”

“That’s not difficult.”

I raised the corner of my mouth slightly.

“Did you say you were an expert in this field as well?”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

“Then, by any means necessary, make these bastards talk.”

And the Count’s next words were truly astonishing.

“What you need to find out is the location of the passage to a new world.”

“A new world?”

The Count nodded.

“An unknown place that exists somewhere in the vast sea. This is all I can tell you.”

“A new world, that’s too abstract of an expression.”

That was my reply, but a very specific picture was drawn in my mind.

A passage to a new world.

Because such a place also existed on Earth.

‘Abyss.’

My head began to spin.

I hadn’t heard anything from the pirates yet, but several possibilities came to mind.

Was it the same place as Earth’s Abyss, or did Pangaea have its own different Abyss?

In any case, the fact that a portal that hadn’t existed before had been discovered by pirates was a great surprise to me as well.

“Then I’ll try to make them talk.”

“I’ll permit any method as long as you don’t kill them.”

“For the record, I don’t use violence.”

The pirates were already beaten to a pulp.

Applying more violence here would change nothing.

I approached the bound pirates.

A few of them flinched just from me walking toward them.

To think they kept their mouths shut with such weak mental fortitude meant they really didn’t know.

So there was no reason to interrogate all of them.

If not everyone knew, I just needed to check the leader among them.

“You.”

I pointed a finger at one of them.

He was the one I had taken the most care to capture alive last night.

This man, with the most prominent mana and eyes that were still alive, was the leader of this group.

“I don’t know.”

“I haven’t even asked yet, and you’re already jumping the gun.”

“Because I really don’t know. That’s something only Captain Dukerein knows.”

“I heard it was discovered at sea. Surely Dukerein wasn’t the only one on the ship, was he?”

Despite my question, the man shook his head.

“Just kill me instead. I really don’t know.”

“Whether you know or not is something I can find out.”

I lowered my posture with a sinister smile.

Then, I placed my hand on his dantian.

Making someone talk by beating them was too one-dimensional of a method.

There were people in the world who could endure physical pain well, and it was highly likely this man was one of them.

So, I planned to inflict a pain far greater than mere beating.

If he could endure even this, then I would have no other means, but I had never seen anyone endure this before.

Sreureureu.

I began to slowly infuse power into the place where his mana was located.

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