Chapter 17

Sudden duel of the Pirate King.

The pirates watching this unfold on the deck began to feel a rush of excitement.

“Th-the captain is dueling?”

“Ooh… it’s been a while!”

Not just any captain of a ship, but a ruler of the sea and a powerhouse. While he always took the lead in direct combat, wiping out opponents, it was quite rare for him to engage in a duel like this.

Moreover, the two opponents he faced weren’t exactly pushovers either, considering they were up against the Pirate King.

Franklin, one of the top five strongest in the pirate crew. And even though he was just a low-ranking recruit, he was a well-known former bounty hunter, Magellan.

Anticipating the display they would put on, the pirates began to widen their distance a bit, their curiosity piqued.

Amongst the pirates, Elkana and Ambasha were present too, resembling a first-year student who returned to college after taking four years off and working, while the second-year senior devolved into treating her like a junior.

“This feels like it’s getting interesting… I wonder who will win, senpai?”

“Hmm… if it’s a no-holds-barred fight, it’s obviously father, but… I’m not so sure. After all, both Franklin and Magellan are strong, so they might get close enough to graze him, right?”

“Well… I think that would be pushing it. No matter how good they are, the gap in skill is just too wide.”

“…No mercy, huh? But they’re still my boyfriend.”

Ambasha made a slightly complicated expression, already having a vague understanding of the two’s relationship. Elkana gently patted her head.

“Heh. It’s because he’s my boyfriend that I know him so well. I understand his skill level, his weaknesses, everything, down to what makes him lose his mind if I touch certain spots.”

She licked her lips slightly with those words. However, Ambasha tilted her head slightly, not grasping the deeper meaning behind it.

At her age, she was on the verge of fully becoming a woman and learning various things, but she was still a bit young for all that.

Feeling a little regret about that and thinking it would be fun if she taught her some things later, Elkana cleared her throat lightly and continued.

“Um… um… Anyway, considering Magellan’s skill and combat style, it’s absolutely hopeless. If there’s any variable, it might be on Franklin’s side. I’ve seen him fight before, but I didn’t see all of his true capabilities.”

“Well… we’ll find out more as we watch. Ah… since it’s come to this, shall we place a bet? Whoever loses buys dinner when we go to Benessa in a few days.”

“Hmm. Should we? Alright, I bet on our cute senpai for a meal; I’ll wager two people lose.”

“Then I’ll say… at least graze him to fulfill my wish…”

In an atmosphere growing more intriguing, Elkana began to watch the unfolding situation before her. Though she said this, she secretly hoped Magellan would win.

*

-Whooosh…

The Pirate King stood quietly with a practice sword, gathering magical power.

Watching him, Franklin and Magellan began to feel tingling sensations all over their bodies.

Even though the real duel hadn’t even begun, they could clearly feel the overwhelming power pulsing against their skin.

If this were a real battle, at this point, surrendering to survive would be the norm.

But this was just a duel.

With that, the usual bloodlust was absent, and the readiness for battle was notably relaxed compared to the past.

After all, the Pirate King was known for swinging his fists unarmed.

The fact that he was holding a sword meant he was clearly letting them off easy.

Thinking of it as a valuable experience and opportunity, Magellan smirked slightly and spoke to the standing Franklin beside him.

“I’ll take the left, you take the right.”

“Ah… understood.”

This was a tactic to maximize their numerical advantage.

They figured that they could at least graze him in this way, and so Franklin and Magellan began to channel their magical power.

“Long-term battle is obviously hopeless…


Let’s finish this quickly!”

With that, Magellan and Franklin simultaneously charged forward, pushing off the ground.

Their weapons cloaked in magical energy were aimed directly at the Pirate King’s body.

At that moment…

-Whoosh!

“!”

“Hmm?”

In an instant, the Pirate King lightly swung his sword.

The released magical power transformed into a powerful shockwave that enveloped Magellan’s body.

“Kuhok!”

It felt like he slammed into a wall with nothing but his body.

Should he have not instinctively deployed a magical barrier, it would have been a very dangerous blow.

“Cough…”

After rolling on the ground once, Magellan managed to regain his posture.

It wasn’t a fatal wound, but losing a bit of blood from that strike made him frown.

On the other hand, Franklin seemed to have sensed it beforehand and, without sustaining significant damage, managed to defend herself successfully.

“H-how can you not block something like this without getting hurt?”

“…Tch… I made a slight mistake!”

Generating a shockwave by channeling magical power into the sword wasn’t particularly difficult for warriors of higher rank.

The problem was, the shockwave used by the Pirate King was so tremendous that it could blow them away effortlessly.

Even if Magellan put his heart into producing a shockwave, an advanced knight with a magical barrier could only stagger a little. Being tossed about and rolling on the floor like this was impossible.

Moreover, judging by the Pirate King’s demeanor, it didn’t seem like he had used much strength at all.

Feeling the momentum already dampened by that single blow, Magellan stood back up.

‘For now, I might have to focus on defense… After all, I don’t need to have overwhelming attack power.’

Reflecting that the goal was not to defeat the opponent but just to graze them, he calculated that they wouldn’t need much power.

Finishing his calculations, Magellan began to envelop himself in a magical barrier.

This was not a hastily assembled barrier like before; he was now completely focused on defense.

Meanwhile, Franklin, seemingly sharing the same thoughts, also concentrated on strengthening her magical barrier before delivering her next attack.

“Here I go!”

-Swish!

Upon the signal, the two charged at the Pirate King once more.

Then, the Pirate King, as if waiting for this moment, swung his sword again.

Just like before, a shockwave came flying towards them.

That strike was still as overwhelmingly powerful and shattered the barrier they had so painstakingly erected in an instant.

‘Ugh!… But I held on!’

The barrier may have shattered, but Magellan managed to stay grounded without getting flung away.

He pushed strength into his legs and began to close the distance to the Pirate King, attempting to swing his sword.

But then…

“There’s still one more!”

“!…Ah.”

“Ugh…”

-KABOOM!!!

Immediately followed by another shockwave, Magellan was sent crashing down.

The moment the magical barrier broke, he received a blow at even closer range, and it felt like his mind was about to black out from the shock.

“Cough… damn it…”

Fortunately, his limbs remained unbroken, but he had suffered significant trauma.

It seemed Franklin was in a similar situation, having taken immense damage as well.

The difference was that she appeared to be more severely affected, as one of her arms was hanging limply like it was broken.

Witnessing his makeshift partner’s battered state and feeling a throbbing pain in his chest, Magellan’s motivation dwindled significantly.

‘I thought he would at least take it easy on us… but this is just hopeless. It feels like I’m nothing more than a punching bag.’

Sighing at the bleak thought, he should have realized it from the moment he made that wish, and concluded that he should concede and wait for another chance.

But then…

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Ugh… huh?”

“Get back up, now.”

Franklin, all beaten up, managed to struggle back to her feet.

As always, her voice trembled, but she showed no signs whatsoever of wanting to give up. Magellan spoke with a hint of bitterness.

“Are you sure you can? It would just result in the same thing anyway. Let’s just quit here; I don’t want to get hurt anymore.”

“…D-do you think I’m scared?”

“!…”

“W-who would be afraid of this little amount? You said you were a famous bounty hunter, but was that all just a lie?”

“….”

Franklin’s words tossed back the taunt she had just suffered.

Although the situation was different, hearing her lodging a ‘you scared?’ struck Magellan’s pride, and surprisingly, he didn’t feel too bad about it.

With that odd thought, he got back up once more.

“But what do we do? Charging back in like before would just get us wrecked again. If he can shoot shockwaves twice in a row like that…”

“Then we’ll just have to make sure we can block them both.”

“Um? That’s not possible…”

“We can do it. If we… combine our power.”

With those words, Franklin spoke awkwardly, hesitating to say something.

Magellan considered her words for a moment before nodding his head.

“…Let’s give it a shot. After all, he wouldn’t really kill us, would he?”

“Great, then I’ll go first…”

“I’ll go first. Don’t just grab my ankle with that body of yours.”

“…Got it.”

Immediately after they reached a decision, they took their stances.

Even though they weren’t in great shape, they gathered their magical power to create a barrier once more.

*

How does one make two adversaries hold hands?

It’s simple.

All you need to do is present them with a common enemy.

It’s not just a random imitation; when the clash of titans comes, sometimes rivals must temporarily set aside their grudges to unite.

Of course, amidst that, they’d also be continuously trying to one-up each other, but those braggers have always met their downfall.

In that respect, I hoped my subordinates weren’t such fools, and I had carefully orchestrated this situation.

At this moment, I was satisfied as I watched them, thinking about it.

With Magellan and Franklin scheming after formulating a plan, the fact that the atmosphere between them had evolved from hostility to discussing cooperation was a result I found deeply satisfying.

Feeling content that they had laid the groundwork for what was to come, I began to channel my magical power into the sword as I watched them prepare for battle.