16-16. To the Country of Sun
Satou here. I think the cause of internal squabbles is rooted on piled-up disgruntlements. Even if it looks a meaningless venting from ordinary citizens' point of view, it might be a policy to prevent the subversion of state from the leaderships' perspective.
◇
"Master, I wonder what is that?"
"It looks like both black cloud and haze so I report."
Liza and Nana asked me when I was gazing at the Small Sand Sea from the deck.
I could see black haze-like thing on the far horizon of the Small Sand Sea.
"A sandstorm maybe?"
I opened the map and checked it out.
This place is located to the west of the Great Desert where Labyrinth City Selbira is, beyond the southern central mountains, it's a desert where the sand is smooth like water.
It's called Small Sand Sea, but its total area is as vast as three Japanese islands bundled together.
It seems there's a dead dungeon called Sandstorm Labyrinth at the place where the black haze the two found is located.
Looking with space magic [Distant View], there are several tornadoes, with the dead dungeon in the center, as if they're protecting it.
This must be the reason it looks like black haze.
I'm a bit intrigued, let's get the airship near it.
"Looks like it could get dangerous if we got too close to it."
When the airship came to a certain distance, several of the tornadoes approached like they were watchdogs.
"Tornado typhoo~n?"
Tama was already looking at the tornadoes on top of the deck's handrail before anyone noticed.
She probably crossed through shadows with ninjutsu.
"Tama, you shouldn't cut class."
"It's okay~?"
Tama laughed nihehe and continued, "I'm not playing hooky~?"
Confirming with space magic, I could see Tama's figure taking the class in the royal capital's childhood school.
"Shadow clone~?"
Shadow clone isn't for that kind of ninjutsu.
"You're not allowed to use ninjutsu during classes."
I punished Tama with the [Cheek Squash] while saying that.
Tama burst into laughter, "Nyahahahahaha~"
This is fun.
"Master, a sand ship is being attacked by bandits."
Quite a bit beyond the dead dungeon, a medium sized ship is being attacked by more than 10 yacht-like small ships.
"Emergency~?"
I catch Tama who was going to investigate there and put her down the shadow.
"Nyu?"
"Nevermind here, go back and take the classes."
"Aye~"
Tama sunk into the shadow while saying "Nin nin" even though she looked disappointed.
Now then, shall we go and do some ally of justice-like stuff?
◇
"--I guess there was no need to help them?"
We were going to save the medium ship that was being attacked by a group of yacht-like small airships, but huge fireballs shot from the medium ship had begun to annihilate the small ships one after another.
Doesn't seem like they need help, so I tell the brownie in the cockpit to circle around it from a distance.
"Master, are the small ships seafaring pirates? So I ask."
"No, looks like they're called sand pirates."
There's no doubt that those guys are outlaws, so I don't intend to stop the one destroying them.
"Oh looks like they don't have it easy either?"
The medium ship has been sinking one small ship with each shot, but it seems that's not from the ship's armaments, they're relying on one magician on board.
Judging from the information on the AR reading, the magician is fast losing their mana.
The sand pirates seem to be aware of that too as they don't seem to be fleeing even though several of their allies have been sunk.
"Master, should we go and dispose of the sand pirates?"
"Right--"
I gave an affirmative to Liza.
For some reason, Liza and Nana are looking at me with eyes full of expectation about something.
"Go and punish them a bit."
"Acknowledged."
"Launching catapult so I inform."
One part of the deck split and a catapult rail stretched out of it.
Four stacks of Acceleration Gate magic circles appear above the rail.
Liza and Nana take out surfboard-shaped float boards and head to the catapult.
Those float boards are playing tools I made for the Acceleration Gate experiment in the Great Desert back then.
The medium ship had sunk half of the sand pirate ships right before our eyes, but the magician seemingly had exhausted their mana, as the remaining six pirate ships approached the medium ship to raid it.
"Here I go."
"Master, I'll be going so I gallantly announce."
Liza and Nana took off from the catapult, glided with the float boards and landed on the last pirate ship on the line.
Liza's magic spear neutralized the sand pirates one after another, Nana's sword and great shield infringed upon both the pirates and the ships.
"Have the airship pass over the medium sand ship."
"Yes sir~"
I gave an instruction to the brownie pilot and checked the ship from above.
One of the sand pirate ships has successfully gotten next to the medium ship, and a battle has already started on board the medium ship.
Among the sand pirates, three of them including the captain are unusually strong.
"I'll be going for a bit."
"Good luck!"
I jumped off onto the medium ship right when the airship passed above it.
"●●●"
>[Sania National Language] Skill Acquired.
It's a language of a country I'm visiting.
Might as well allocate skill points and activate it now.
I do have force magic [Translate] but the skill for a particular language is better at deciphering subtle nuances.
"The hell are you!"
"Just a meddling tourist."
The striking sand pirate captain with an eye-patch asked for my identity.
"Allies of the Clan of Wand are our enemy."
"Receive the special move of the Clan of Sword with your body."
It's two of the three unusually strong sand pirates I saw from above.
There's lots of unfamiliar terms, but it appears they're no mere sand pirates.
"Special Move--<>"
"Special Move--<>"
The moves seem to make use of Physical Reinforcement as the two charge at me with weird aura covering them.
I'd like to see what kind of techniques they are, so I stand by with the fairy sword covered in magic edge in position to parry them.
The eyepatch captain earlier will bring about bloodshed on the deck if I'm occupied by these two, so I use [Magic Hand] to get in the way of the eyepatch captain and other pirates.
The [Pierce] swordsman on the left is unusually fast and sharp.
He's only level 30, but he's not inferior to Shiga Eight Swords if we're only talking about the speed of his sword.
But--.
"--It's too straightforward."
I thought it was a feint, but it really was a single blow finisher, so I parried it just like that.
There might be other techniques chained from this, so I let him off without countering.
"NUOOOOOOOOOO"
The [Breaker] swordsman on the right swung down his sword while screaming out loud.
Whirling wind is coiling about the sword, like it's been enhanced by magic.
Getting hit by that looks like it'll hurt, but avoiding it might break the deck.
But well--.
"--Too slow."
I jumped to his bosom, caught the hand with the sword and threw him down.
I thought of a technique that could break the wrist bone while doing the throw, but since even thinking about that sounded painful, I refrained from doing so.
I turned toward the swordsmen anticipating for their next move, but they don't seem like they're coming.
"This cannot be, he evaded the certain-hit 『Hair-splitting Pierce』 that absolutely can't be evaded?"
"This guy evaded the 『Whirlpool』 of 『Shell Breaker』 in his first try."
They began to leave comments like in some kind of battle manga somehow.
They're a bit too relaxed.
"Belbe, we're goint to use that."
"However, the Secret Special Moves are to never be shown outside. Doing that in a place like this--."
"That thing is a monster. We cannot accomplish our secret order without using it."
Ah hey, do that kind of confidential talk elsewhere.
"Can I say one thing?"
The swordsmen turned their exasperated gazes at me.
"If you're too relaxed--"
I was going to say it'll be dangerous, but SQUASH and THUD sounds reverberated on the deck before I could finish.
Needless to say, Liza and Nana who jumped on from other ships knocked down the two swordsmen.
"Master, pardon us for our tardiness."
"Master, we have suppressed the other ships so I report."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Half of the sand pirate ships have their sails destroyed, while the remaining half have the crews knocked out so they've all begun to drift away.
"Throw away your weapons!"
That cliche line roared on the deck.
Looking there, the sand pirate captain is holding a magician girl wearing a luxurious-looking robe.
Most people in the countries around here have tanned skin with black hair, yet the girl has white skin almost like she's an albino and golden hair.
"I said throw them away now!"
The sand pirate captain points his curved sword on the girl's neck.
I see, looks like he's saying that he won't guarantee the hostage's life if we don't throw away our weapons.
I put the fairy sword into its sheath.
The sand pirate captain grinned when he saw that.
"Liza."
"--Acknowledged."
Liza lowers her magic spear.
During the interval Liza swung down her magic spear, a red light ball--Magic Edge Cannon shot out of its tip.
The light ball shot out so fast it couldn't be chased by eyes, pierced through the sand pirate captain's shoulder, and blew him to the deck with the after-wave.
I've constrained the sand pirate captain's curved sword with [Magic Hand] to prevent it from injuring the girl.
"Haifa-sama, are you injured anywhere?"
"No I'm fine, these people have saved me."
A woman who seems to be her lady attendant went out of the inboard and helped the girl called Haifa.
Coincidentally enough, the girl called Haifa seems to be one of the ruling classes of the country we're heading to, Sania Kingdom.
She belongs to [Clan of Wand], and apparently, she's the daughter of the clan's head.
"Young master! Five warships are coming from southwest."
The brownie in the sky above us reported with a loudspeaker.
"--Ha-Haifa-sama."
"Looks like they're our pursuers."
Haifa and her lady attendant exchanged words of unrest.
"This damaged ship can't hope to outrun them--"
The flustered lady attendant caught sight of the airship standing by in the air.
"--You!"
The lady attendant appealed while pressing her voluptuous breasts on me.
It feels great, but I just can smell trouble.
"You appear to be a visitor from another country. Please save Haifa-sama from the rebel's clutch."
I peel off the seducing lady attendant, and look at Haifa.
I could see black warships on the sand dune behind Haifa.
Those warships are furnished with organic looking armor. Wonder if they're using materials from monsters.
Saving Haifa is trivial, but that's not the problem here.
It's the fact that those ships belong to Sania Kingdom, our destination.
Now then, what to do here.
This can't be one of the imposed trials by the gods, can it?