Chapter 76
As I stepped out of the carriage, Elly was waiting for outside. She gave a slight nod and spoke.
"You're out, Your Highness."
"Yes. Where is the pirate representative?"
"I've guided the pirate to Your Highness' tent. You said to treat him as a 'guest'... I apologize if this has displeased you."
"Displeased? Why?"
"...Because I put a pirate in Your Highness' tent?"
I shrugged lightly and smiled at Elly, who was asking in return.
"It's fine. As you said, that pirate is my 'guest'."
"...Yes."
Even though I said it was fine, Elly hesitated.
‘Is the existence of a ‘pirate’ that unwelco?’
If Elly was reacting this way, the knights and soldiers would be even more so, if not less.
Perhaps the existence of a 'pirate' was more unwelco than I had thought.
I followed Elly. Soon, we reached a large tent set up in the shade of a tree on the sandy beach.
Swoosh—.
Before entering the tent, I first peeked inside from the outside to get a sense of the atmosphere.
—...
—...
—...
—...
—...
—...
All the knights and soldiers had their eyes wide open, fiercely watching the pirate in the center of the tent.
The atmosphere inside the silent tent was deadly. It was just as described in the .
‘That pirate's na... was ‘Ronak,’ if the diary is correct.’
Ronak, the pirate who had accepted my invitation as the representative of the Ingrid Island Pirates.
He was a man as large as Jereuth. His rough hair, which ca down to his shoulders, was like a dark black wave, and his sun-kissed, coppery skin, befitting a man of the sea, was like a brown beach.
Not only that, but Ronak's body was covered in lumps of muscle. On top of those muscles, all sorts of scars were drawn like tattoos.
Those nurous rough scars were like a map showing what kind of life Ronak had lived until now.
The knights and soldiers were treating such a man as a criminal, though they hadn't tied him up with ropes.
It was the sa for Walter, the lord. His glaring gaze was filled with murderous intent.
Only Jereuth was looking at Ronak with a relatively neutral gaze. Jereuth was standing next to my chair, which was prepared inside the tent.
‘By the way, that pirate nad Ronak has an incredible presence. He's not intimidated at all even though so many knights and soldiers are glaring at him.’
After observing the situation inside for a mont longer, I pushed the tent flap wide open and entered.
Fwip—!
As I entered the tent, the knights and soldiers all straightened their backs at once. It was a sign of respect for .
However, they were still glaring at the pirate as if monitoring his actions.
I had felt it from the outside, but the atmosphere was even more serious inside. The murderous intent of the knights and soldiers filled the air heavily.
‘Hmm... the atmosphere wasn't this bad even when I said I would purge the nobles or crack down on the thugs. Did 'future ' really take in the pirates as subordinates without a second thought in this kind of atmosphere?’
If that was the case, it was only natural for the knights and soldiers' complaints to explode.
To be honest, the current atmosphere was also on the verge of erupting.
Perhaps the future was a real idiot.
Anyway.
‘The problem is that even after coming to the tent, I still don't know why the knights and soldiers hate the pirates... maybe it would be better to just ask them directly why they hate pirates. If I make a judgnt and that reason is wrong, it could beco even more troubleso.’
While pondering inwardly, I walked to my chair with my usual gait.
"You have arrived, Your Highness."
"Yes."
As I approached the chair, Jereuth, who was standing next to it, greeted .
I slowly sat down and looked straight ahead. I had felt it when I saw his back, but... his front was truly manly.
‘He looks like a Viking.’
The Vikings who had terrified Europeans in the Middle Ages.
Looking at Ronak, they were exactly who ca to mind. The thick scar that ran from the corner of his mouth to his ear also caught my eye.
However, contrary to his fearso appearance, Ronak's eyes were clear. Since the eyes are the windows to the soul, the clarity of his eyes might be proof that although he had lived through many hardships, his heart was pure.
‘Okay, focus. What I need to do now is to stop the knights, soldiers, and pirates from fighting to the point of bloodshed. They need to work together as allies and comrades in the future, so they can't be fighting from the start.’
“Lord Walter.”
At my words, Walter, who had been glaring at Ronak, relaxed his eyes and answered .
"Yes, Your Highness."
"What is the problem?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you correctly."
"I asked what the problem is. I'm curious why you are glaring at the guest I invited."
“...!”
At my words, Walter's eyes darted around.
Like a sinner caught in the act.
It was the sa for the other knights and soldiers. They all avoided my gaze. This was because showing hostility to the ‘guest’ I invited ant the sa as showing hostility to .
“...Your Highness, first of all, I am truly sorry for showing hostility to your ‘guest.’ I ask for your forgiveness.”
“I forgive you. So, why were you glaring at that pirate?”
“That is...”
After a long mont of contemplation, Walter spoke with a heavy heart.
“To be honest, I do not understand why Your Highness has invited a pirate as a ‘guest.’ Pirates are the most vicious of all bandits. They are vile trash who attack the weak in the middle of the vast ocean, where there is nowhere to escape.”
Walter's voice was subtly filled with anger. Of course, it was not anger directed at , but at the pirate.
“I was born and raised in a small village as a child. And... my village was plundered by bandits, and I lost my sister. Perhaps all of us in the 3rd Knight Order, being of commoner origin, have had similar experiences.”
“...”
“Your Highness, with your special senses, you predicted the storm that struck the territory a few days ago. Not only that, but you also foresaw the appearance of that pirate on the coast. As such a person, I believe you have a reason for ‘inviting’ that pirate that I cannot comprehend.”
"Even so, you're still displeased that I invited a pirate?"
"Y-Your Highness. It is not that I am displeased... it is just that I do not understand why you are respectfully welcoming a vicious bandit. Those bandits are more resentful demons than the demons themselves. Does Your Highness not also intend to subjugate the bandits?"
At Walter's words, the knights and soldiers nodded in agreent. So even trembled with their fists clenched tightly. It was as if they were recalling the nightmare of being victimized by bandits when they were weak.
‘So that's what it was.’
I didn't know that the knights and soldiers had a past of suffering terrible things from bandits.
In such a situation, I had invited a pirate (bandit) as a guest, so it was no wonder everyone was in such a bad mood.
Of course, Ronak and his pirate crew standing there blankly were ‘righteous bandits.’ But that was a fact that only I knew. The knights and soldiers did not know such a fact. To them, all bandits were the sa, and they were their enemies.
Without clearing up that misunderstanding, the future had welcod and recruited the Ingrid Island Pirates with laughter and politeness, so how would the knights and soldiers have felt? It would have been X-like.
I would have been angry too. Even if I didn't fight because it was the Crown Prince's order, I would have kept them in check and picked on them at every turn.
‘So that's why they were fighting at the banquet.’
I had found out the reason why the knights and soldiers were displeased with the pirates.
However, a problem still remained.
‘...How do I explain to the knights and soldiers that the Ingrid Island Pirates are not bad bandits?’
If I were to say without any evidence, 「”Those pirates are people who fled from the tyranny of nobles in the past and beca pirates, and they only plundered the ships of nobles and vicious rchants. They are different from the bandits who are your enemies. So, get along with them.”」 — it could only backfire.
They might think that I was indiscriminately taking Ronak and the pirates' side.
As if having a pirate here wasn't annoying enough, doing that could make things worse.
So, I had to prove that Ronak and the pirates were good people by providing clear evidence... wait.
‘Do I really need to prove my words with evidence?’
An ordinary person would have to provide evidence for their claims. I, too, emphasize to officials like Heinshtangl and Olivia that they should be thorough with the evidence when they bring any data.
But I am not an ordinary person. I am the Crown Prince. I am the person at the pinnacle of power in this kingdom.
‘I shouldn't say sothing too absurd, but for a plausible claim, I just need to provide a plausible reason. A ‘plausible reason.’’
Why? Because my word is law.
‘Let's create a plausible reason with the information I have gathered so far. What could it be...’
After thinking for a mont, I ca up with a pretty good reason—an ‘explanation.’
I looked around at Walter, the knights, and the soldiers and said.
"Lord Walter, and all the knights and soldiers. First of all, I apologize for inviting a pirate without knowing your past and without a proper explanation."
—...Y-Your Highness!
—Not at all!
—For Your Highness to apologize... you don't have to!
Leaving the flustered knights and soldiers behind, I continued to say what I had to say.
***
At the Crown Prince's sudden apology, not only Walter, whose na had been ntioned, but also the knights, soldiers, and even Jereuth were taken aback.
Because of that, their hostility towards the pirate was unknowingly disrupted, and Leonardo, seizing that mont, continued to speak.
“I may not hate them as much as you do, but I too despise bandits. I haven't experienced their atrocities firsthand, but I have experienced them indirectly through books and docunts.”
“Books and docunts, you say?”
“Yes. In the past, when I was cooped up in the royal library, I read all sorts of books and docunts. Among them were collections of the nobles' eting logs. They were about what kind of people bandits were and what they were doing to the kingdom.”
“Yes.”
“According to those docunts, the nobles also seed to have a hard ti dealing with the bandits. In the end, they gave up on subjugating the bandits. Instead, the nobles decided to join hands with the bandits and extort the people of the kingdom together.”
The knights and soldiers nodded their heads. As Leonardo said, it was a public secret that the nobles had joined hands with thugs and bandits. That's how trashy the nobles were.
When Leonardo paused for a mont, Walter asked cautiously.
“Your Highness. If you know what kind of people bandits are, why did you invite that pirate as a ‘guest’?”
“Because there was a ntion of that pirate in the books and docunts I read.”
“A ntion of that pirate...?”
“Yes.”
As if he had been waiting for this question, Leonardo answered imdiately. Then he looked at Ronak and continued.
“Your na is ‘Ronak,’ right? And your pirate crew's na is the ‘Ingrid Island Pirates.’”
“...H-how does Your Highness know my na?”
“I told you. It was in the nobles' eting logs.”
Like Ronak, the knights and soldiers were also surprised. How could they not be surprised that the Crown Prince knew the na of a re pirate?
Also, as Leonardo casually said the pirate's na, the knights and soldiers had no choice but to believe that Leonardo already knew about that pirate.
Leonardo continued to speak.
“It was in the nobles' eting records. 「The pirates who rule the southern seas of Misty Port are called the ‘Ingrid Island Pirates,’ and they are a real nuisance. They selectively plunder the ships of nobles and the rchants who transport our luxury goods.」 — was the content. It also said, 「Those guys, for pirates, they don't plunder ordinary villages. It's a real nuisance.」”
“...”
“That eting record also described your appearance. Rough hair like a black wave, ochre-colored skin like a sandy beach, a scar running from your mouth to your ear—exactly that appearance.”
As Leonardo was speaking at length, Walter cautiously interjected.
"Your Highness. May I ask just one thing?"
"Yes."
"How did you know that the ship on the sea from afar was that pirate? It was a pirate ship without a flag."
“That is...”
At the unexpected question, Leonardo hesitated for a mont before using his wits.
“I told you earlier. It was in the nobles' records that the Ingrid Island Pirates were ‘the pirates who rule the southern seas of Misty Port.’ There couldn't be many large-scale fleets of over twenty ships, so I naturally thought that the pirate who appeared here was the Ingrid Island Pirates.”
“I-I see. As expected of Your Highness.”
Walter swallowed dryly and nodded. Leonardo's words were quite plausible.
Then, a mory suddenly ca to Walter's mind.
‘Wait... and there was a similar content in the previous lord's work records. It said that among the pirates, there was a pirate crew that kept selectively plundering his ships, and it was a headache.’
Walter had only recently beco the lord of Misty Port, but the previous work records remained, so he could see them. After becoming the lord, Walter had read those records to grasp the work himself.
‘According to those records, the previous lord of Misty Port wanted to get rid of the pirate crew that kept attacking his ships. So, it was written that he attacked them by mobilizing his allied pirates and the territory's ships.’
That's right. The previous lord of Misty Port had mobilized pirates and the territorial army to attack the Ingrid Island Pirates.
However, the result was a crushing defeat. The lord's ships and pirates were all sunk or had their ships taken away.
—was what was left in the previous lord's records.
‘So, in the end, it was written that he lost control of the southern seas to the pirates... is that this pirate?’
After thinking for a mont, Walter asked Ronak in a loud voice.
"You said your na was Ronak?"
"Yes, Sir Knight."
"I am the lord of Misty Port."
“Ah… my apologies. I only knew the previous lord.”
"You know the previous lord?"
"I know Count Dorapuk. It wasn't a very good relationship, though."
Count Dorapuk.
He was indeed the forr lord.
"Yes, Count Dorapuk was the forr lord. But what do you an it wasn't a very good relationship?"
Although Walter asked aggressively, Ronak answered without being too bothered.
“The previous lord of Misty Port mobilized other pirates to attack our Ingrid Island Pirates.”
"The forr lord of Misty Port gathered pirates to attack you?"
“That's right. Do you know about it?”
“I know. It was in the previous lord's records. The previous lord described your pirate crew as a ‘troubleso pirate crew.’ Just as His Highness said he read about you in the nobles' eting records, I also read about you in the previous work records of the lord of Misty Port.”
—Oh...!
At Walter's words, the eyes of the knights and soldiers lit up. If Walter also knew Ronak's identity, it ant that Leonardo's words were that much more credible.
"Continue. Tell what happened in the battle between the previous lord of Misty Port and you."
“To put it briefly, we captured most of the ships. The rest were sunk.”
Ronak's words matched the work records that Walter had read.
However, Walter still had a question.
"I have a question, why did other pirates attack you at that ti? Don't pirates usually not attack each other?"
“You know well. That's right. Pirates usually don't attack other pirates. But we were the ones who started the war with other pirates.”
"You started it? Why?"
"Because what they were doing was so vicious that we could not tolerate it."
"...You couldn't tolerate it because other pirates were too vicious?"
Couldn't tolerate it because pirates were vicious?
That was not sothing a pirate would say. It was sothing the knights and soldiers who protect the kingdom would say.
At Walter's question, as if he couldn't understand, Ronak answered calmly.
“The existing pirates, with the backing of the nobles, plundered any rchant or village as they pleased. They took n and children as slaves, and won as their toys. But the lord, who was supposed to protect the people, took bribes from the pirates and pretended not to see, and even enjoyed it with them.”
“...”
“Our Ingrid Island Pirates were enraged by that. Because all of our Ingrid Island Pirates are people who left their hotowns because of such nobles and bandits, crossed the sea, and settled on Ingrid Island.”
Hooo—.
Ronak, who had been speaking for a long ti, let out a deep sigh through his nose and looked straight at Walter.
“Earlier, Sir Knight, you said that your sister was killed by bandits when you were young. It's the sa for the vice admiral of our Ingrid Island Pirates, 'Rollo.' He also had his sister killed by bandits, and Rollo escaped from the bandits alone and crossed the sea. Not only Rollo, but many of the other guys are in a similar situation.”
“...I see. Are you the sa?”
Walter, who had been calling Ronak ‘you scoundrel,’ now started calling him ‘you.’
He had figured out that his story was true, and after hearing his story, his heart began to open up to Ronak a little.
"No. Because I couldn't pay my taxes, the noble had his soldiers rape and kill my wife and daughter in front of my eyes. I watched my wife and daughter die in such a state, and yet I cowardly crossed the sea to live alone and beca a pirate. Since then, I have vowed to take revenge on the nobles. But all I could do was plunder their ships."
"...I'm sorry for making you talk about sothing difficult."
"No. It's alright. I've told this story so many tis to my other comrades that I've gotten used to telling it."
Ronak took his eyes off Walter and looked at Leonardo, continuing to speak.
“Then, by chance, I heard a rumor about Your Highness from a rchant of the ‘Abraham rchant Guild,’ with whom we frequently interact. The rumor that Your Highness is purging the nobles and implenting policies for the people.”
At those words, Jereuth asked back.
“The Abraham rchant Guild, you an the rchant guild whose head is Abraham Mansal?”
“That's right. We don't trade directly with Abraham Mansal because our trade volu is small, but we do trade with his rchant guild. It's mainly for daily necessities.”
"I see. Continue."
“Yes. After hearing the rumor about Your Highness from the Abraham rchant Guild, our pirate crew had hope. The hope that we too could now return to our hotowns and live like ordinary people. So… we ca back to the mainland believing in that one hope.”
“...”
“Your Highness is the benefactor who avenged my wife and daughter. You are also the benefactor of most of my comrades.”
Leonardo asked Ronak, who was bowing his head and speaking to him.
"What was that noble's na? The one who killed your wife and daughter."
"It was Baron Nilo."
"Baron Nilo, you say..."
Leonardo thought for a mont and then nodded.
"That man was certainly purged. He was a mber of the Panshin Ducal Faction."
"...Thank you."
Unfitting for his rough appearance, Ronak expressed his gratitude with a tearful voice.
Leonardo looked at him for a mont and then smiled lightly and said to Walter.
"How about it, Lord Walter? Does Lord Ronak not deserve to be my guest?"
"Y-Your Highness. No matter what, using honorifics is—."
"He is soone who protected the people on my behalf, so of course I should use honorifics."
At the absolute ruler's words, the knights and soldiers bowed their heads.
No one told them to, but they couldn't help it.
On the other hand, the knights and soldiers were also ashad. Of themselves, who had been dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's judgnt.
***
After Walter's conversation with Ronak, the atmosphere in the tent had improved greatly.
That aside.
‘It was a coincidence that there was a record of Ronak in Misty Port and that Walter read it. Thanks to that, it was easily proven that Ronak was a ‘righteous bandit.’’
That's right. This was literally a ‘coincidence.’ It was luck.
‘There's no guarantee that there will be such a coincidence next ti... so I'll have to prepare everything more thoroughly from now on.’
After briefly giving myself feedback, I decided it was ti to get to the main point.
The real reason I had invited Ronak.
I stood up and said.
"Now that you all know what kind of person that pirate is, I will also tell you the reason I invited him."
—Yes, Your Highness.
“As I briefly ntioned earlier, I have long known what a great evil the bandits are to this kingdom. Then, on this journey, I saw the atrocities committed by the bandits in the Ateras Gorge, and I was convinced that I could no longer leave them alone.”
—...
"So, I intend to completely exterminate the bandits from this kingdom."
—...!
At my words, the eyes of the knights and soldiers widened.
Jereuth just nodded calmly. As if he had known I would say that.
“However, among the bandits, there are certainly ‘righteous bandits’ like Pirate Ronak. Those who were forced to beco bandits because the kingdom could not protect them, but who still kept their conscience and did not attack the weak commoners.”
—...
“I do not want to eradicate them. Rather, I want to accept them into my army and receive their help in eradicating the trash-like bandits.”
In the silent tent, Walter carefully asked .
"Your Highness. Does that an... you will first find and recruit 'righteous bandits' like Ronak?"
As expected of a knight recomnded by Jereuth to be a lord, he was quick on the uptake.
A quick-witted adult is excellent.
"That's right. And I intend to entrust that role to Ronak."
As his na was suddenly ntioned, Ronak asked back in surprise.
“M-, you say?”
“Yes. Since you were a pirate who could rule the southern seas of the kingdom, I believe you have sufficient ability. Also, since you were a bandit—a ‘pirate’—until now, I think you would be advantageous in persuading and recruiting other righteous bandits.”
“...”
Ronak was in thought. But his expression showed ambition. Not an ambition mixed with malice, but an ambition to help and accomplish great things.
Since that was an ambition I was grateful for, I said with a smile in my voice and extended my hand.
"How about it, Ronak. Will you fight for the kingdom?"
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