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Chapter 166: Pirates (1)

Ketal and Baker moved to the place where the commotion was happening.

People were forming a circle in fear at that location.

“May we pass through?”

“Eek!”

Ketal asked politely.

The people freaked out and pressed themselves against the wall.

Ketal whistled as he passed through the crowd.

“This is quite a strange sight.”

“I’m sorry!”

Aquaz was pinning a man to the ground.

The man was begging, with tears and snot running down his face.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s a pirate.”

Aquaz said coldly.

Baker’s eyes widened.

“What? Why is a pirate here?”

“I don’t know. He picked a fight with me.”

“Well… that’s quite an impressive suicidal act.”

A pirate picking a fight with an inquisitor.

It could only be considered a desire to commit suicide.

Ketal asked.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Since this happened in the territory, we should leave it to the guards. They should be dealt with according to the territory’s law.”

Aquaz said calmly.

They took the pirate and handed him over to the guards.

“We caught a pirate. He was brazenly walking around the city. Please take care of him.”

They had captured a criminal roaming the city.

Naturally, the guards should have been pleased and grateful.

However.

“Ah… thank you.”

The guard had a vague expression.

Despite catching a pirate who was causing trouble in the territory, the guard didn’t seem happy but rather troubled.

Aquaz found this attitude puzzling but withdrew without saying much.

Only Ketal watched the situation with a curious expression.

Having handed over the pirate, they moved to a tea house to exchange information.

When Ketal sat down, the chair creaked, causing the owner to look anxious, but there were no other issues.

Aquaz muttered as if she couldn’t understand what had just happened.

“How can a pirate walk around the territory so boldly?”

It was impossible for a pirate to roam confidently in a lawful territory.

“It is unusual.”

Ketal replied appropriately and changed the subject.

“So, did you gather any information while you were alone?”

“No. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any useful information. How about you, Ketal?”

“We didn’t either.”

Baker answered instead.

Ketal had gathered some information, but it wasn’t helpful in obtaining a ship.

Baker looked at Ketal for agreement.

However, instead of answering, Ketal made a small exclamation.

He nodded to himself and spoke.

“I think I’ve got a rough idea.”

“You think you know?”

“I’m not certain, but I might have information that could help us get a ship and crew.”

“Huh?”

Baker was dumbfounded.

He had been with Ketal the whole time but had noticed nothing.

‘What did he figure out this time?’

He was simply baffled now.

“What did you find out?”

Aquaz asked.

Just as Ketal was about to answer.

“There they are!”

A loud voice came from outside.

* * *

“So you were hiding here!”

Obvious thugs entered the tea house.

They glared menacingly at Aquaz.

“It seems they’re after you.”

“Indeed.”

Aquaz sighed.

The thugs approaching aggressively hesitated.

Their eyes widened.

“…Huh?”

They were staring at Ketal.

Ketal smiled and asked.

“It seems you have business with us, what is it?”

“Wa-wait a minute.”

They hurriedly turned around and whispered among themselves.

The funny thing was, their whispers were all audible to the superhumans present.

“What’s this? There was no mention of a Barbarian being here.”

“I-I didn’t know either.”

“Are we backing off?”

“After coming this far? It’s fine. Even if he’s a Barbarian, this is our turf. He won’t be able to act freely.”

Having reached a conclusion, they cleared their throats and approached again.

Ketal smiled.

“Finished talking?”

“…You stay out of this!”

They said forcefully to Ketal.

Despite their strong words, their voices trembled.

Ketal spoke calmly,

“Don’t be so hasty. How about we discuss this outside? The owner looks anxious that the furniture might get damaged.”

“Fine!”

They snapped and quickly went outside.

Aquaz followed them with a reluctant expression.

As they stepped outside, the thugs’ rough gazes turned towards Aquaz.

“You bullied our comrade!”

“…You’re pirates, aren’t you?”

The thugs had emblems of swords and cannons on their collars.

Aquaz’s eyes turned cold.

The pirates nodded vigorously.

“We are the Valkran Pirates! How dare you mess with our crew here? Do you have a death wish?”

“That’s my line. Why are lowlifes like you causing trouble within the territory?”

Aquaz sighed, beginning to piece things together.

The sea around the territory had been blocked by the presence of an entity from Forbidden Land, likely trapping the pirate crew who had secretly settled there.

Unable to leave, they started wreaking havoc within the territory.

‘This is convenient.’

Aquaz planned to capture them and turn them over to the guards, then find out where the rest of the pirates were hiding and eliminate them.

That seemed the best way to ensure the ongoing peace of the territory.

Just as Aquaz was about to subdue the pirates, one of them grinned wickedly.

“Hahaha! It’s simple! The lord is on our side!”

Aquaz’s face hardened.

“…What do you mean?”

“We’re all in cahoots! Outsider! The lord already agreed with us, so even the guards won’t touch us! This whole territory is our pirate den!”

“…”

Shock spread across Aquaz’s face.

The pirate continued with pride.

“Bow your head and apologize! Say you’re sorry for messing with us! Then maybe we’ll let you go!”

“Not you! Barbarian!”

“Well, thank you.”

Ketal smiled.

The pirates pressured Aquaz even more.

“Hurry! Bow your head!”

“…Right now.”

Aquaz, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“Your words must be true, then.”

Aquaz shook her head.

“No, they aren’t. Let me be the judge of that.”

Aquaz raised a hand.

“Pillars of judgment for the evils of the world.”

A brilliant golden light burst forth.

Five pillars of light descended from the sky, crushing and binding the pirates.

“Ugh!”

“What, what’s this?”

The pirates were shocked by the pillars of light that restrained them.

Even the dullest among them recognized the divine aura.

“A priest of the gods!”

“An Inquisitor of the Sun God. In the name of Aquaz, I ask you.”

“In-Inquisitor?”

Those who judge heresy and punish evil.

The pirates turned pale.

Only now did they realize they had messed with the wrong person, but it was too late.

Aquaz asked coldly,

“Under the great sun, all shadows are erased. Are your words true?”

“Y-yes. Our pirate crew made a deal with the lord.”

Bound by the divine power that compelled truth, their mouths opened automatically.

The pirates wanted to scream, but their mouths did not obey their will.

“We stay in the territory and receive benefits. In return, we supply the territory with goods we plundered as pirates.”

“…Ah.”

It was true.

Aquaz’s face twisted in agony.

Even Baker looked shocked.

Only Ketal murmured in understanding.

“So that’s why the supplies were so abundant. It makes sense, considering they were getting free goods through piracy.”

“Ah! How could this happen? The lord colluding with pirates!”

Aquaz was in utter despair.

The lord, who was supposed to protect the citizens and uphold the law, was in league with criminals, benefiting from their plunder.

It was hard to accept, and his face contorted in anguish.

“It is indeed surprising.”

“Truly. How could this happen…?”

“Hmm. I wonder how long they’ve had this arrangement. Judging by how natural it seems, it must have been a while.”

“Yes, that’s… correct?”

Noticing Ketal’s expression, Aquaz was taken aback.

Ketal looked genuinely amused.

Ketal asked,

“So, what do you plan to do?”

“…These pirates might have misunderstood something.”

Her constraint ensures only the truth is spoken.

However, if the other party believes a falsehood to be true, it has no effect.

She decided to confirm things with the lord as a last resort.

“And if their words are true?”

“…I will do what must be done as a follower of the Sun God.”

Aquaz spoke coldly.

Ketal smiled.

“I see.”

“And what do you plan to do, Ketal?”

“I have one last thing to confirm. Once I do that, I’ll return to the castle. I’ll leave meeting the lord to you.”

“Understood. I’ll have everything resolved by the time you return.”

“I-I’ll go with Aquaz.”

Thinking it was a chance to separate from Ketal, Baker quickly spoke up.

Ketal left for the interior of the territory.

Aquaz and Baker went to meet the lord.

Aquaz sharply questioned the lord, asking if what the pirates said was true.

The lord, trembling, nodded his head.

Aquaz’s face twisted in agony.

“What is this? Lord! How could someone like you be in league with pirates?”

“P-please calm down!”

The lord tried desperately to calm Aquaz, but Aquaz didn’t listen.

To her, the lord was now close to being an evil figure allied with pirates.

There was no reason to listen to him.

‘Oh no. These idiots!’

The lord screamed inwardly.

He had already contacted the pirate leader.

He told them that an Inquisitor of the Sun God, a magician from the Magic Tower, and a barbarian were coming, so they should stay quiet and not cause trouble.

But it seemed the lower-ranked members didn’t know about this order and had acted anyway.

Now he had to deal with the fallout.

“This is unforgivable! A territory colluding with pirates! How could this happen!”

Pirates.

People who plunder civilians and take lives.

They were unmistakably evil.

For the territory to be allied with such pirates was unacceptable to Aquaz.

“Please calm down! That’s not it!”

The lord desperately tried to stop Aquaz.

“You are mistaken, Aquaz! It’s not such a big problem! It’s not even a special case!”

“What are you talking about! How can a lord colluding with pirates not be a problem!”

Aquaz shouted furiously.

“I will inform the church of this! I will uncover everything the lord has done and make sure you pay for your crimes!”

The lord’s face turned extremely pale.

He reacted more severely than expected.

“No! That’s not it! We have the kingdom’s permission!”

“What nonsense! The kingdom would never permit collusion with pirates!”

“How about calming down a bit?”

A low voice echoed through the place where angry voices had been resounding.

Though the voice wasn’t loud, it was clear in their ears.

“Ketal?”

“B-barbarian?”

Ketal was there, with a smile on his face.

“There is probably no falsehood in the lord’s words. I confirmed it.”