Chapter 312
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Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.
Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.
【Command】 level has increased.
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I logged in. Iris and the others seem to have made good progress investigating the 'Spearrock Fortune Mine.' Cal apparently managed to keep fighting until he leveled up, and seems somewhat satisfied. For now, he's in high spirits, helping me with the construction work.
"...Hey, brother. What's with that helmet?"
"Hmm? Oh, this? Pretty good, huh? Wearing it makes me feel like I'm involved in construction work."
Jigorou, whom I hadn't seen in some time, was looking at my head in bewilderment. I had removed the mask I always wore and put on a yellow helmet with the words 'Safety First' written in green. Shiitake had handed these out yesterday to everyone involved in the construction work.
Its defensive power was the same as an ordinary iron helmet. It gave the right atmosphere, but had no equipment effects beyond an iron helmet's defensive power. Even that atmosphere was a sensation only we Players could understand. However, the Scars had no preconceived notions, so they accepted that this was simply how things were and obediently put them on to work.
The distribution of these yellow helmets had an unexpected effect. A sense of solidarity developed among those working together, slightly increasing their efficiency. I was surprised by this, and after seeing the results, Iris and Cal, who had not been there yesterday, put them on as well.
Although Jigorou had not wanted to do construction work, that did not mean he was doing nothing for the capital. He had continued hunting large numbers of monsters, particularly those that dropped meat suitable for food. His efforts were helping fill the stomachs of the many people who had gathered in the capital.
"So, how are the capabilities of your evolved body? It was the Konjiki Rasetsu, wasn't it?"
"It's fantastic, brother. Right now, I could probably kill even that huge Hell Beast with ease."
Through evolution, Jigorou had become a Race called Konjiki Rasetsu. His appearance had not changed at all, but his physical capabilities had apparently increased dramatically, making them difficult to control. Field hunting must have been perfect practice for him. I'll be counting on you, brother.
"Oh, I almost forgot because of this weird helmet. Looks like the Dark Elves are calling for you, brother. They want to discuss where to plant the trees."
"Oh, is that so? That helps!"
When some of the Dark Elves moved here, I had promised to create a forest for them to inhabit. The forest was supposed to extend north of the capital, but only Iris, Shiitake, Towa, and I could specify the exact location.
The reason only those four knew this much was simply that I had not told our other companions. It would be enough for them to know that a forest would be created north of the capital and its approximate boundaries. Only those who would be directing the work on-site needed to know the details.
Iris was busy with construction, while Shiitake was researching how to make the fullest possible use of the cement Iris and the others had brought back. I had entrusted Towa with maintaining the floating battleship Shiratsuki, so I was the only one who could go.
"You saved me. Then... here."
"Huh?"
I jumped down from Cal's back, took off the helmet, and tossed it to Jigorou. He caught it reflexively, then looked at me with a troubled frown.
"I'm going to talk with the Dark Elves, so you handle things here in the meantime."
"Sure. Let's do it, little Cal."
"Gwooooh!"
Oh, Jigorou agreed surprisingly readily. The job was only to tear down buildings, so I wanted to leave it to him until my discussion was over. Now then, time to get to work creating a forest with the cheerful Dark Elves!
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"Attacked by pirates, you say?"
The one receiving the report from a subordinate in his office was Leon Phoenix, chairman of the 'Phoenix Trading Company.' Once known as Leonardo Medis, he had devoted himself body and soul to erasing the 'Medis Trading Company,' run by his father and nephew, from the world.
As part of his plan, he had contracted pirates to carry out raids at sea. The 'Medis Trading Company' was not their only target, but if he could monopolize one of the shipping routes, he could both inflict enormous damage on his hated father and nephew and increase his own fortune. Nothing could be more satisfying.
However, if he alone suffered no damage, he would certainly be suspected. Taking that into consideration, Leon had instructed the pirates under contract to attack his own ships as well. By claiming to be a victim himself and bribing the governor of Twentyno and the captain of the guards, he had escaped investigation.
"How serious is the damage?"
Since he only needed to make it appear that he had suffered damage as well, the pirates did not plunder his ships to their heart's content. Their arrangement was to keep the looting to a minimum whenever they saw the 'Phoenix Trading Company' flag.
He had assumed they would report minor damage, as always. That was precisely why the subordinate's next words threw him into violent turmoil, like a bolt from the blue.
"Th-that is... all three ships in the fleet sank."
"What!?"
Far from being minor, the damage was an unprecedented loss: three ships belonging to the 'Phoenix Trading Company' had been sunk. What was more, the cargo on the attacked ships consisted of rare ores, and the loss was large enough to affect the company's operations. Leon normally kept his emotions hidden, but the shock was so great that he could not pretend to remain calm.
"Why...? How...? Could they have betrayed me...? No, they couldn't possibly have the guts..."
"C-Chairman?"
Leon sat trembling in his chair, his face deathly pale. The secretary spoke cautiously, gauging his mood, but his words did not seem to reach Leon's ears. He muttered to himself for a while, then suddenly raised his head as if jolted awake.
"What about the escorts!? What were the escorts doing!?"
"They apparently lost to the pirates and sank into the sea."
"Damn it! How much do you think I paid those Players!?"
Leon shouted in anger for some time, but then took a deep breath and calmed himself. This was no time for a tantrum. He had to determine the cause and devise a way to compensate for the damage.
Otherwise, he would become penniless once again. Being cast out of the 'Medis Trading Company' had taught Leon the caution he had previously lacked. His fixation on money had only grown stronger, however.
"Whew... In the end, they were landlubbers. Looks like they couldn't show their true worth at sea."
"It seems they were revived through the goddess's power... What should we do about those Players?"
"There is no need to pay the remaining half. We have already suffered enormous losses. I will not pay a single coin to losers who failed to complete the job. In fact, I'm being generous by not demanding that they return the advance."
"Understood."
The matter of dealing with the Players had been settled. At that moment, a question suddenly occurred to Leon. Even if they had been on an unfamiliar ship, could Players really be so incapable of displaying their usual strength?
Invited from another world by the goddess's power, they could easily revive even if they died. That was why they threw themselves into dangerous battles with enthusiasm, gained experience points, and grew stronger. Leon had heard that the Players he hired were among the most capable of their kind. Could such strong fighters really be unable to do anything against pirates simply because their environment had changed a little?
"Wait. I want information on the pirates who attacked us. Are there any surviving sailors?"
"Yes. In fact, almost all of the sailors survived. Apparently, the lifeboats were undamaged."
"Have them gather information about the pirates from those men."
"Understood. I will arrange it at once."
Several hours after ordering his secretary to collect information, Leon read the report that came back to him and learned that the attack had been carried out by Players calling themselves the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew.' They were a different faction from the pirates Leon had contracted, who operated along the Luxresia-Flama route.
Leon understood that the damage had been caused not by betrayal but by the intervention of newcomers. That did not mean he could relax, however. It was clear that, as in this incident, the newcomers would plunder any ship they encountered, whether it belonged to him or another trading company, without distinction.
At this rate, instead of gaining supremacy over the seas, he would have to live in fear of becoming a victim of pirates himself. To avoid that, he had to choose between winning over the newcomers and bringing them to his side or eliminating them.
"Call Dios."
"Dios-sama? At this hour, I believe he should be at a tavern..."
"I don't care if he's drunk. Bring him here at once."
"Understood."
The man named Dios, whom Leon had summoned, arrived after the sun had set and night had fallen. Several hours had passed since the messenger was sent, but Leon did not become angry. He calmly welcomed Dios into his office.
The man who entered the office was a small, filthy, stooped fellow. His trademark was a hunting cap covered in patches, and this drunkard was known by the nickname 'Mud Rat.' He wore a frayed coat that appeared to be the only one he owned, and clutched a bottle of cheap liquor in one hand. With an unsteady, staggering gait, he sank into the sofa in the office, raised a trembling arm, and took a swig of the cheap liquor.
"Glug, glug... Uwee~. You called, Boss Leon?"
"Take this first."
Dios asked Leon in a hoarse voice roughened by liquor, speaking to him with undue familiarity. Leon stood from the chair he had been sitting in, took a seat opposite Dios, and placed a pouch in front of him.
Dios silently accepted it and peered inside to check its contents. The pouch was heavy with large, uncut gemstones. Though they would be difficult to convert into cash, their considerable value was obvious.
"Heh-heh, now that's a lavish fee. So, what do you want us to do?"
Dios tossed the pouch filled with gemstones into the air over and over with the hand not holding the bottle. His attitude suggested that something like this was nothing more than pocket change.
Leon, as usual, did not reprimand Dios for his attitude. He opened his mouth with an utterly serious expression.
"I have two requests to make of your organization. First, I want you to locate the Players calling themselves the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew,' the ones who attacked my company's ships."
"Glug, glug... Ahh. I see. And the other?"
"The destruction of that pirate crew. I don't care what happens to the stolen cargo. If any of it remains, you may pocket it."
Dios was a member of a massive organization with roots not only across the continent of Luxresia but on every continent except Timbrica, where no human nations existed. It was a mysterious group whose members did not even know its name, let alone its exact numbers or the locations of its hideouts; only those at the executive level knew such things. Leon had commissioned that organization to assassinate Anne and the others.
As his response to the newcomers, Leon had chosen elimination. He had analyzed Anne and the others' flashy attack as an act of publicity intended to show off their power. He had judged that people of that sort aimed to build notoriety and would not join his conspiracy.
Besides, Anne and the others were Players. Since they had no concept of death, they tended to be freewheeling, and Leon was not optimistic enough to think he could advance a conspiracy with such people. Even if Anne's side had approached him, Leon would have reached the same conclusion.
"Player pirates, huh? Since they don't die, even if you drive them off, they'll surely come back, won't they?"
"Just make it so they can't operate as pirates for a while. Please."
"Oh, if that's all, sure. The fee's plenty, too. I'll get things arranged... glug, glug..."
After accepting Leon's request, Dios left the office while drinking. Relieved that the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew' would now be finished, Leon headed to his private room beneath the trading company and slept soundly.