Chapter 313
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Your 【Tree Magic】 level has increased.
You have learned a new spell: Operate Tree.
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Having joined up with the Dark Elves, I created a forest together with them. Using the saplings I had brought back from the 'Dark Forest of Temptation' and the mist-spouting ash oak saplings I had set aside, I used 【Tree Magic】 to grow them and prepare an environment in which they could live comfortably.
The new spell, Operate Tree, was useful in that endeavor. It was an unusual spell that allowed the caster to manipulate the shape of living trees, as long as they were not monsters.
Since it could only change their shape, its direct offensive power was practically nonexistent. However, it was perfect for creating a forest that would confuse intruders. The Dark Elves and I worked together to design an extraordinarily complex forest, then set traps throughout it, completing it as a fortress that would protect the capital from outside enemies. Moreover, it was not merely a maze; because fog hung over it, passing through it undetected would be difficult.
Incidentally, we decided to build the Dark Elves' residential area inside the black walls. As they had requested, it consisted of houses made from living trees, just like those in their settlement. It might seem strange to have tree houses inside a walled city, but one could think of it as being like a park in the middle of town.
"Izaam, it's almost time to leave."
"Hmm? Oh, right. I'll be there in a moment."
It was Iris who came to call me while I lounged on Cal's peacefully sleeping back. She and I were planning to take a short trip away from here. Apparently, the time had arrived while I was lost in thought. I floated gently into the air and landed beside her.
"Have you prepared enough supplies?"
"Yes! Thanks to everyone's help."
"I see. Then let's set out right away."
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After entrusting Dios with handling the pirates, Leon was completely at ease. Naturally, he did not expect the pirate crew to be wiped out the day after the request, but he was so confident that a report of their destruction would arrive before long.
This was less because he trusted Dios than because of the power of the organization Dios belonged to and the tribute Leon paid it. He had no reason to doubt an organization that had supposedly survived for more than a century while remaining shrouded in mystery, and he paid enough tribute to ensure that it would not cut corners. It was on an entirely different level from the half-baked amateurs he had hired to arrange his brother's assassination.
"You found no leads...?"
However, the information Dios brought him several days later betrayed his expectations: they had not even found traces that the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew' had gone ashore. Dios had accepted the job and was dressed as usual, but today he was sober and his face was twisted with bitterness. Leon realized that he was frustrated at having to report a failure unworthy of a member of the organization.
Leon could understand Dios's feelings, but the fact remained that he had failed the job. The large gemstones were by no means cheap. Dios knew that all too well.
"It may sound like an excuse, but we haven't been slacking off, boss. We know every place on this continent—hell, every place on every inhabited continent—where a villain might set up a lair. Of course, that includes places that can be used as ports."
"To hammer down any nails that stick out, huh?"
The organization had never spared any effort to remain at the top of the underworld. It took promising villains under its command, murdered those who refused, brought organizations rooted in every human city into its fold, and bribed people in power to keep investigations away. It never grew arrogant; it worked diligently and thoroughly to protect its position.
As part of those efforts, it had covered nearly every place that criminals might use as a base. This included not only locations inside cities inhabited by humans, but also places beyond their walls. If there were any places left out of its investigations, they would have to be secluded regions so dangerous that even exceptionally capable people could not easily reach them, or hideouts created by secretive individuals.
Incidentally, the laboratory Izaam first used belonged to the latter category. The mage who built it had been consumed by madness. Expecting them to detect a room created by a madman's obsession, rather than by people motivated by simple greed, would be asking too much.
"That's precisely why we've figured out something else."
"What is it?"
"They haven't returned to land. That means they've found a way to resupply at sea. In other words, someone's backing them from somewhere."
"You mean there's a merchant who is thinking along the same lines as us?"
"Not just a merchant. Anyone with a ship would do."
The fact that they had not gone ashore meant, conversely, that they had a way to receive supplies at sea. From this, Leon and Dios concluded that a merchant—or perhaps a noble or a nation—was supporting the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew,' just as they themselves were.
In reality, a Player merchant named Conrad was behind the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew.' Their deduction had therefore hit the mark, but they never imagined that Players who had become kings on continents untouched by human influence were involved as well.
"Well, it can't be a country. There is no way the organization would have failed to hear about anyone planning to make a move against Twentyno."
"Then could it be the 'Medil Trading Company'? No, they shouldn't have that kind of leeway... Then perhaps some other trading company. If so, which one...? Could it be that Player's trading company...?"
"We don't know who's involved yet. But it's only a matter of time. We're watching every ship in the port, after all."
Leon considered various possibilities, but Dios had already taken all of them into account and made the necessary arrangements. He was checking which ships were headed where and whether they were choosing suspicious routes. He was confident that if they kept up the surveillance, they would eventually catch them by the tail.
"When we find out who's meddling with you, boss, I'll let you know. I'll even lend a hand with the retaliation free of charge. We need to make them deeply regret making fools of us, or the organization will lose face."
"Do you need additional payment?"
"No need. It was our blunder, after all... Well, I'll be taking my leave. Look forward to a good report."
After saying that, Dios rose and left the office with a steady stride. Leon had met Dios, the organization's contact, many times, but this was the first time he had seen him sober. It seemed Dios had finally become serious, and Leon's dissatisfaction at the lack of leads was dispelled.
After Dios left, Leon returned to his usual duties. Shortly after noon, his secretary brought him a notice from the Commercial Guild telling him to attend a meeting. The Commercial Guild was an association to which every merchant, from individual traders to major establishments, was registered.
The Commercial Guild existed to protect all merchants. It was a fair and aboveboard institution where bribes never worked. Its influence was immense, and rumors claimed that it also possessed considerable military force behind the scenes. Leon could not ignore a summons to one of its meetings. He was busy, but he had no choice but to attend.
"What shall we do?"
"It'll be the same tedious meeting as always, I expect. It's a nuisance, but I suppose I have to go. Tell them I'll attend."
"Understood. I'll arrange your schedule accordingly."
"I'm counting on you."
At the time, Leon's relief had made him careless. Under normal circumstances, he would have thoroughly investigated the meeting's agenda and attendees in advance.
But today, of all days, he neglected to do so. One unexpected event after another had probably left him with too little leeway. He would regret it three days later, when he attended the meeting.
While Leon and Dios were discussing matters, someone else harbored an even greater hatred for the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew,' the source of both men's headaches. It was the 'Otis Crew,' a pirate crew allied with Leon.
"That damned Player! They're making a mess of our turf!"
On the isolated island where their hideout was located, James, the eldest of the Otis brothers and the crew's leader, was shouting and taking his frustration out on a desk. His untrimmed beard, crooked teeth riddled with cavities peeking through it, and eyes that glittered with a murky, lust-clouded light would have terrified anyone who saw him.
James's fist shattered the desk with a single blow. His thick, powerful, sun-darkened arms were befitting a man of the sea, and the countless scars carved into them were no mere decoration. He had survived one deadly encounter after another as a pirate.
The reason for his fury was, of course, that the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew,' led by Anne, kept committing acts of piracy along the Luxresia-Flama route, which had become the 'Otis Crew's' territory. This was not merely about the unpleasantness of having their territory invaded; it was also connected to their contract with Leon.
The contract between the 'Otis Crew' and Leon specified how many merchant ships they were allowed to attack each month. This number had also been set by the city's governor and represented the maximum number of attacks that could be overlooked. If the damage exceeded that number, the governor would have no choice but to order the pirates hunted down.
In other words, the more the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew' plundered, the more the 'Otis Crew' suffered. To protect themselves, they had to stand by and watch fellow pirates do whatever they pleased in their own territory. It would be difficult for anyone not to be enraged by that.
They had not simply sat idly by, either. They had patrolled the waters in search of the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew,' eager to make the insolent trespassers pay in blood. They had spotted them several times, but the orca-riding pirates were fast and could escape beneath the waves. They had never even managed to engage them in battle, and being mocked as the pirates escaped time and again only poured more oil on the flames of their anger.
"Calm down, big brother. We all feel the same way, but if we go against our employer's wishes, we won't be able to keep making easy money. Let's keep our heads down for now, all right?"
"Damn it... Yeah, you're right."
It was Richard, the second son, who calmed James down. He was a handsome man with a slender but well-toned build, and served as the crew's brains. His skill had forged their alliance with Leon and made their raids possible on a stable basis.
Richard was confident that he was the more intelligent of the two, but he always let his brother take the lead. He understood that James, rather than himself, was better suited to rallying a band of rough pirates. James understood that as well, and no matter how heated his temper became, he listened to his younger brother's advice.
"Big bro, I wanna run wild! I'm at my limit!"
The one throwing a tantrum, by contrast, was Edward, the third son. He was a giant over two meters tall with a shaved head, a man who knew nothing but brawling. The exact opposite of Richard, he was always troubling James, but both of his brothers let it slide.
The reason was not simply that their little brother was dear to them. The main reason was Edward's strength. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he had been born solely to fight. He was the crew's greatest weapon and its key asset during raids.
"Shut up, Ed! You punched one of our own yesterday! How many times do I have to tell you not to lay a hand on your comrades!?"
"Ugh... S-sorry, big brother..."
Just hold out a little longer, Ed. Apparently, our employer has gotten serious and is looking into the Player's whereabouts. Then you'll be able to go wild against them.
"Okay! Got it, big brother!"
Although violence was the only thing Edward knew, he obeyed only the orders of his two older brothers. The prospect of someone he could soon run wild against put him in high spirits.
NPC pirates hired by NPCs, and a Player pirate crew supported by Players. The day when these two pirate crews would clash was fast approaching.