I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 85

The Red Shark Pirates.

This notorious pirate crew, which dominated the West Sea of the Plank Kingdom, was spending another leisurely day at sea. Not only were there no pirates of a scale to challenge them in these waters, but the sky was also particularly clear and the sea calm, making it peaceful.

Still, the Red Shark Pirates kept a lookout on the sea from time to time so they could plunder other ships at any moment. That bothersome role, as always, fell to the youngest member.

It was then.

“Uh…… uh? Huh?!”

The youngest pirate, who was surveying the surroundings with a telescope from the highest point of the ship, the crow's nest on the mast, shouted urgently.

“So, south! An unidentified vessel is approaching from the south!!”

“Ah, damn it, why are you yelling like that over something so trivial!”

A senior pirate, who was lying on the deck chewing on beef jerky, grumbled in annoyance, and the youngest pirate continued his report in a thoroughly intimidated voice.

“W, well…… there are quite a few ships! At least ten!”

“Ten ships?”

“At least!”

Ten ships was a considerable force. The only ones with that much power around here were their own ‘Red Shark Pirates’.

‘Wait. Coming from the south? Could it be the Ingrid Island Pirates from the south?’

The Red Shark Pirates, who primarily operated in the West Sea, and the Ingrid Island Pirates, who primarily operated in the South Sea, had not had any significant clashes until now. Their territories were different, so there was no reason to collide.

However, it was a different story if they trespassed on their territory. Especially if more than ten ships were trespassing.

“Damn it……!”

The senior pirate ran towards the captain's cabin, feeling anxious yet cursing. He knocked on the firmly closed cabin door.

“Captain! Captain! Captain Morgan!!”

—Ah, what is it! It was just getting good!

—Kyaak!!

—Shut up, you fucking bitch! You want to die too?!

From inside the captain's cabin, the voices of Captain Morgan and a pitiful abducted woman could be heard.

‘……Of all the times, I have to be on duty now, shit.’

The senior pirate regretted knocking on the captain's cabin door when the captain was ‘having fun’, but he decided to deliver the message he had to.

“Captain! More than ten ships are coming from the south!”

—What?!

“More than ten ships from the south—!”

As the senior pirate was speaking, Morgan burst out, opening the captain's cabin door as if to break it. Since he wasn't wearing any clothes, Morgan's body made of muscle and fat was fully visible.

Morgan's body was a monstrous combination of unsightly fat and muscle, but it was clear that it held undeniable strength within.

“Hey, you think I didn't hear that?! What I meant was, what the hell is that supposed to mean!

Why are ships suddenly popping up from the south!”

Behind the roughly shouting Morgan, the inside of the captain's cabin was visible. Inside the cabin, several women were lying collapsed in grotesque positions with their arms and legs bent, and the women who were still conscious were trembling and covering their bodies with scraps of cloth. The smell of blood, bodily fluids, and the sea, fitting for the scene, pierced the senior pirate's nose.

However, as this was a familiar sight to the Red Shark Pirates, the senior pirate paid it no mind and continued his report.

“I don't know either! The lookout said so!”

“Ah, damn, just when it was getting good……. Hey, give me the telescope—.”

Just as Morgan was speaking, the voice of the youngest pirate was heard again from the ship.

—A, a single ship from the south is approaching at high speed! It appears to be the flagship! The flag is white! It's white!

Flying a white flag was an expression of surrender or a desire for peaceful dialogue.

Listening to the youngest pirate's report, Morgan snatched the telescope from the senior pirate and looked south. Just as the youngest had said, a single ship was indeed approaching quite quickly.

‘It's really flying a white flag? They brought over ten ships and are flying a white flag…… Are they just trying to talk? Or are they trying to make some kind of deal?’

While Morgan was carefully observing the approaching unidentified vessel, the senior pirate spoke.

“Captain. Could that be the Ingrid Island Pirates?”

“Ingrid Island Pirates? Those kids from the south?”

“Yes. Other than that pirate crew, there are no others with a fleet of that size in the south.”

Now that he mentioned it, it was true. And Morgan knew a little about the Ingrid Island Pirates as well.

‘I don't really like those bastards.’

Until now, the Red Shark Pirates and the Ingrid Island Pirates had not had any particular problems. Nevertheless, the reason Morgan didn't like the Ingrid Island Pirates was simple. It was because the Ingrid Island Pirates often plundered the ships of ‘nobles’, who were the Red Shark Pirates' main customers, in the South Sea.

Because of that, the nobles had even requested that Morgan attack the Ingrid Island Pirates.

Morgan had refused because he didn't want to go to an unfamiliar sea and suffer a defeat.

Unlike the West Sea, the South Sea has many reefs and unpredictable currents, so it's not a place to venture into carelessly.

‘Wait, now that I think about it, I haven't seen any noble ships lately. Haven't seen any merchant ships I used to trade with often either. Hasn't it been quite a while?’

A question about the nobles and merchants he used to trade with suddenly arose, but Morgan decided to focus on the unidentified vessel in front of him for now.

Morgan was still unaware that the nobles and wicked merchants had all been purged.

‘But is that really the Ingrid Island Pirates? Why is there no flag other than the white flag?! You disrespectful bastards!’

An unidentified fleet with a white flag that suddenly appeared from the south. Morgan, who had been frowning at it, finally made a decision.

“Hey, we're going out to meet them too!”

“To meet them…… how many ships should go?”

“How many ships, hey, of course, they all have to go. Is the flagship going to go alone, you moron?!”

“B, but they're coming alone with a white flag, if we bring all our ships, they might misunderstand it as an attack—.”

“Hey! What if they suddenly launch a surprise attack! Are you going to die in my place?!”

“……”

“No back talk, just tell them all to follow! If any bastard talks back, I'll slit his throat and throw him into the sea!”

At Morgan's outburst, the senior pirate fled. He was going to signal the other ships to follow.

There was nothing to be gained by staying here and further displeasing Morgan.

***

Ronak.

He smiled lightly as he watched all the ships of the Red Shark Pirates slowly approach.

However, even that light smile looked frightening because of the kraken scar deeply etched near his mouth.

‘They're all coming, how thoughtful. I won't have to chase them down one by one to capture them.’

Thinking this, Ronak subtly shifted his gaze and looked behind him.

Below the sea, which the tail of the ship was cutting through.

Swish—.

Human figures were faintly visible under the sea, shaded by the ship's shadow. Figures of people, all with daggers in their mouths.

That's right. They were the Ingrid Island Pirates. All the crew members of the nine ships floating idly on the sea were swimming.

Some of them had tools like ropes wrapped around their bodies to secretly board the ships.

The Ingrid Island Pirates were formidable enough to be able to swim in the sea while holding a dagger in their mouth and carrying heavy tools like ropes.

‘Well then, shall I act a little, as always.’

Grin-.

***

Morgan.

He shouted at the man on the ship flying the white flag.

“I am Morgan, captain of the ‘Red Shark Pirates’! Who are you!”

—I am Ronak, captain of the Ingrid Island Pirates!

“Ronak…… are you the one who they say hunted a kraken?!”

—Hahahaha! The rumors are exaggerated! I survived being dragged away by a kraken, I didn't hunt it!!

Upon learning his opponent's identity, Morgan's mouth went dry. He had a faint idea that the opponent might be the Ingrid Island Pirates, but he became tense now that it was confirmed.

No matter how much of a ruler of the West Sea Morgan was, he couldn't help but be tense as his opponent was also the ruler of the South Sea.

And to be frank, it was a well-known fact that the pirates of the South Sea were much rougher and stronger than those of the West Sea. They were on a different level, so to speak.

However, he couldn't show his crew that he was nervous, so Morgan shouted in a rough voice without showing it.

“So why are you here!”

—I came to talk!

“So what kind of talk, you bastard!”

—Talk is talk, what else!

“Is this bastard playing with words?! We have nothing to talk about!”

Morgan was subtly hoping they would just go back.

—Don't be like that, let me come over there! I have a good business proposition, let's do it together!

“A good business? What is it!!”

—I'll tell you when I get there!

“So what is it!!”

Morgan got annoyed at Ronak, who kept being vague. He somehow felt like he was stalling for time, but Morgan was too filled with annoyance to notice that.

Ronak, after a moment's pause, shouted loudly.

—It's about a deal with the Jerpan Archipelago beyond the South Sea!

At Ronak's words, ‘Jerpan Archipelago’, Morgan's ears perked up.

‘……Jerpan Archipelago, isn't that the place where they say the island of gold is? Good liquor, delicious food, beautiful women!’

Morgan decided to listen to Ronak's story in detail first. Being greedy and extremely lustful, Morgan couldn't refuse Ronak's words about a story concerning a fantastical island nation.

“I-is that true?!”

—Ah, of course it's true! Do you think I came all this way to joke around!!

Now that he mentioned it, it was true.

—If you don't believe me, I'll show you the liquor I received as a gift from the Jerpan Archipelago merchants!

“Liquor? From the Jerpan Archipelago?”

—Yes!

“……Alright! Come over! But, you have to come over alone!”

—Got it!

At Morgan's permission, Ronak placed a long, sturdy wooden plank against Morgan's ship. It was a plank used to cross between ships.

And then, he really did cross over to Morgan's ship alone.

Watching Ronak cross over to the ship alone, Morgan relaxed his guard.

‘Seeing him come alone, he's probably not planning a surprise attack. Is he really here to talk about the Jerpan Archipelago!’

Morgan licked his lips, imagining a foreign woman he had never seen before. Then, still maintaining his dignity as the ruler of the West Sea, he was about to raise his hand to greet Ronak.

But at that moment.

Swoosh—!

Something dark and large flew towards Morgan's hand. Morgan didn't know what it was until he felt an immense, cold, and chilling pain from his wrist and belatedly realized its identity.

“……K-kuaaaargh! M-my hand!!”

That's right. What had sliced through Morgan's wrist was a handaxe thrown by Ronak.

Ronak's axe throw, which had been ineffective against Jereuth, had worked perfectly on Morgan.

‘Th-this fucking son of a bitch……! A surprise attack?!’

“Hey, kill all those bastards!!”

Even with his wrist severed, Morgan, true to his name as the ruler of the West Sea, composed himself while stopping the bleeding. A truly rugged pirate.

—Ye-yes!

At Morgan's command, four of his nearby subordinates rushed at Ronak. Despite multiple people rushing at him, Ronak stood leisurely and took out another axe.

Ronak's composure, as if to say they were no match for him.

Morgan, who was thoroughly enraged by that composed appearance, whipped his head back and shouted.

“Hey! What are the other bastards doing?! Why aren't you attacking……!”

—…….

“W-what?!”

Morgan, who was yelling, was taken aback.

Because when he turned around, all his subordinates were down.

The subordinates were all dead with daggers stuck in their necks and hearts.

Instead, pirates he had never seen before had taken over the ship.

They were at ease, as if the ship were already theirs, as if it were their own home.

Morgan immediately recognized the identity of the pirates who had attacked the ship.

“Y-you fucking bastards…… are you the Ingrid Island Pirates?!”

Thud—.

Someone placed an arm on the shoulder of the trembling and shouting Morgan. Morgan, startled, looked at him; it was a pirate wearing a bandana on his head and carrying twin swords on his back.

That pirate smiled and said.

“What are you so surprised about?”

“W-what! Who are you—!”

“Your grim reaper.”

“……”

“Just kidding, I'm the first mate of the Ingrid Island Pirates— ah, not a pirate anymore. I am the kingdom's junior knight, Rollo.”

“J-junior knight? A knight? A pirate?”

“It just happened. Find out the details after you're dead.”

At Rollo's incomprehensible words, Morgan hastily backed away and shouted.

“Y-you cowardly bastard! A so-called pirate attacks after flying a white flag?!”

“‘Cowardly’? Did you just say a pirate launching a surprise attack is cowardly?”

Rollo tilted his head, then smiled, revealing all his gums, and asked Ronak.

“Ronak! This bastard says our surprise attack was cowardly, got anything to say?”

“It's the highest praise.”

“Our captain says it's the highest praise?! What do you think?! Hahahahahaha!!”

Rollo burst out laughing, mocking Morgan. At that, Morgan ground his teeth until his gums bled and glared at Ronak.

“You son of a bitch……!”

Ronak had faced four Red Shark Pirates and had not suffered a single scratch. The blood on his body was all from his enemies.

Moreover, his atmosphere had changed considerably from when he was talking to him earlier. Before, he seemed like a rather lighthearted person, but now, he exuded a very serious atmosphere.

‘……Perhaps that heavy atmosphere is Ronak's true self. Before, he was just acting to create time for their surprise attack.’

While Morgan continued to tremble, Rollo asked Ronak.

“Ronak. What should we do with this one?”

Ronak said as he casually wiped the blood from his axe.

“Do to him what he has done. Make him bleed moderately and put him in the sea alive to attract sharks. Tie a rope around his neck so he can breathe and lift him moderately above the sea.”

“……Y-you crazy bastard!!”

“He's noisy, so it would be good to gag him. Or just pull out his tongue. Anyway, just keep him quiet.”

Having said his piece, Ronak commanded the other crew members.

“Capture the usable ships and burn the rest. After that……”

Ronak thought for a moment, then looked east, where the mainland would be, and finished his words.

“First, we find and eliminate all the pirates of the West Sea, then land on the mainland to find the other bandits. Just as His Highness commanded us, we'll start by cleaning up the bandits in the west.”

—Yes, sir!

—It's a hunt! A pirate hunt!

—Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Ronak and the other leaders of the Ingrid Island Pirates were soundly defeated by Jereuth.

But that was because their opponent was Jereuth.

Most bandits couldn't even stand as their opponents.

***

Clatter— Clatter—.

On the way back to the royal capital from Misty Port.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard through the open carriage window.

The walls of the royal capital were visible in the distance. It was my home, which I had been away from for a long time.

‘It felt like it took a long time to get to Misty Port from the royal capital, but it feels like we got back to the royal capital in no time.’

More importantly—

‘I still have no idea. Why on earth did the Giants in the <Future Diary> give my future self the cold shoulder?’

That's right. During the entire trip back to the royal capital from Misty Port, I had been pondering, ‘Why on earth did the Giants reject my future self?’

‘My future self said that before going to meet the Giants, he prepared gifts in the royal capital. Things like cloth and food that are hard to get in the Wasteland of Ruin. And it was written in the <Future Diary> that he went to the Giant settlement in person to ask for help but was given the cold shoulder.’

No matter how many times I read the <Future Diary>, there was nothing wrong with my future self's actions. What could be wrong with the crown prince himself traveling that long road with gifts to ask for help?

‘I even subtly asked Jereuth, but he said he didn't know either.’

Jereuth said he had adventured with a Giant for a long time in his youth. Because of that, I thought he might know how to befriend a Giant.

However, Jereuth had said, 「“Although I adventured with a Giant for a long time when I was young, I didn't make any special effort to get close. We just became close after adventuring together for a long time. And Giants are fundamentally straightforward, so using tricks to get close might not be good. Hmm…… come to think of it, Barut seemed to really like it when I took the lead courageously.”」.

Jereuth had answered with sincerity, but it wasn't really helpful.

‘Just became close after being together for a long time……. There's no better way to become friends than that. But I don't have that kind of time.’

Although the <Future Diary> didn't say when the Minotaur's seal would be broken, since it was a clearly foretold future, I had to seal the Minotaur as soon as possible.

‘The kingdom was originally supposed to fall due to bandits in about 5 years, so the Minotaur won't appear before then. But that's not a reason to be complacent.’

Hoo—. Newest update provıded by novᴇlfire.net

‘I really don't know.’

Out of frustration, I exhaled a sigh out the window as if blowing out cigarette smoke.

……I craved a cigarette for the first time in a while.

Just then, Jereuth approached the carriage and spoke to the open window.

“Your Highness, I apologize for disturbing your rest. A message has arrived from the officials in the royal capital.”

“A message?”

“Yes. They say they have prepared a banquet to welcome your return after being away from the royal capital for a long time. So they asked whether Your Highness would attend the banquet immediately, or after resting for a while.”

They prepared a welcoming ceremony to welcome me.

The officials must have tried their best to treat me well and get on my good side. There must have been some intention to flatter me, the absolute ruler.

But I wasn't pleased.

‘……They prepared a banquet while I was suffering in Misty Port? Do they have so little to do? And where did the money for the banquet come from? Don't tell me they took it from the budget?’

This kingdom still has a mountain of problems to solve. Putting aside the entire kingdom, even just thinking about the royal capital, there is too much to do. Money is short, and time is short.

But the officials, instead of doing the work they're supposed to do, wasted time preparing a useless banquet and even spent money on it.

‘I understand they want to get on my good side, but their method is wrong. Why did they do something I don't even need? I don't like such empty formalities…… wait a minute.’

As my nerves became frayed by the officials' useless act, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘……Didn't my future self do the exact same useless thing to the Giants?’

It was written in the <Future Diary>. My future self prepared gifts to ‘forge a friendship’ with the Giants and went to see them.

However, it was written that my future self was given the cold shoulder by the guard before he could even explain what gifts he had brought.

‘Come to think of it, when the Giant village guard chased me away, he also emphasized the ‘gift’.’

The content of the <Future D>iary where the Giant guard chased me away was something I had read dozens of times, so I remembered it vividly.

The content was as follows.

…….

“A gift? A human like you will never be welcomed by the Giants. If you don't want to make an enemy of the Giants, get lost immediately.”

After saying that, the Giant guard aimed a giant spear, well over 5 meters long, at me.

A clear and merciless order to leave.

……It seemed impossible to forge a friendship with the Giants.

As expected, there was a hint in the <Future Diary>. A hint about the reason why I failed to forge a friendship with the Giants.

Come to think of it, Jereuth had said it too. 「“And Giants are fundamentally straightforward, so using tricks to get close might not be good.”」.

‘So the conclusion is……. To get close to the Giants, the only way is to face them honestly. Instead of fawning over them with gifts, I approach them with sincerity.’

Then what is my sincerity?

My sincerity is simple.

I want to seal the Minotaur and protect the future of this kingdom.

Why? Because that's how I live. For that, I desperately need the help of the Giants.

‘……That's my sincerity.’

The moment I thought that.

Vrooooom……!

As if a fish was caught on a fishing rod, or like a smartphone vibrating, the <Future Diary> in my bag vibrated.

There could only be one reason for the <Future Diary> to vibrate at this timing.

‘It must be because I realized my future self's mistake.’

It seemed I would be able to correct another mistake my future self would have committed.

To think it would be this simple.