Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 85 (Part 1)
The peaceful atmosphere was shattered by a booming voice that echoed across the deck.
The sailors began running around frantically, checking the sails and the anchor. The mercenaries hired for combat grabbed their weapons and positioned themselves on the deck, while some of the sailors ushered the passengers into the cabins.
“Larry! Take Bianca and head to the cabin.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll move after I assess the situation.”
“Alright. Be careful.”
Larry took Bianca’s hand and led her down into the cabin.
Unlike the chaotic moments before departure, today the passengers moved in perfect coordination. They knew that this ship had three formidable 5th tier knights aboard.
“Hmm. Pirates, huh… Would you care to join me?”
“Am I allowed to?”
“You’re the best magic user on this ship, aren’t you? I should be the one asking for your help.”
“I’m curious as well.”
Captain Krondel ascended to the captain’s quarters, with Rodin following behind, observing the orderly movement of the sailors.
‘They’re well-trained. This isn’t their first time handling something like this.’
Following Captain Krondel, Rodin entered the captain’s quarters. One of the sailors standing watch hurried over.
“Is it a pirate ship?”
“Yes. We don’t seem to be their target. They appear to be aiming for a merchant ship ahead.”
“How many?”
“The merchant ship is about an 80-scale vessel, with armed forces on deck. The pirate fleet consists of one ship sized between 70 and 80, and four others between 60 and 70.”
Rodin, overhearing the report, roughly grasped the situation. However, he didn’t fully understand the numbers being thrown around.
“That’s quite a number. Ah, Rodin, the numbers refer to the ship’s size. Our merchant ship is a 91-scale.”
“I see.”
After hearing the scale of their own ship, he could roughly estimate the others.
“Has the battle started yet?”
“No, they’re still preparing for combat on deck.”
“What about the ballistae?”
“None visible on either side.”
A ship ballista was a massive crossbow mounted on ships, capable of firing bolts large enough to cause significant damage if they hit their mark. However, most ships avoided mounting such ballistae due to their size and weight, which limited cargo and personnel capacity.
‘No magic cannons, I see.’
In the ancient stories he had read, magic cannons often made an appearance. They were just as large as ship ballistae but required no giant bolts, thus saving space.
Moreover, their power was incomparable to that of the ballistae. Some tales spoke of a single shot from a top-grade magic cannon splitting a ship in two.
“So it’ll be a melee battle in the end. They’re closing in.”
“Are you planning to get involved?”
“I intend to ask Darren, Jefferson, and Sylvia for help.”
“Ah! If it’s them, then…”
On the western continent, because of the large-scale wars, 5th tier knights and 5th-circle magicians might seem commonplace. In reality, however, both were incredibly rare and powerful assets.
In the central continent, even seeing a single 5th tier knight was uncommon. Mid-to-high-ranking nobles might have one or two, but it was rare for them to personally engage in combat.
Their mere presence acted as a deterrent in territorial wars. That’s how valuable a 5th-tier knight or a 5th-circle magician was.
“Slowly move the ship closer. I’ll check the reception room.”
“Understood, Captain.”
“I’ll go take a look around.”
Rodin left the captain’s quarters and immediately used the Fly spell. Rising high into the sky, he surveyed the surroundings.
He could have sent Jito, but there were too many eyes around.
Rodin didn’t want anyone to see his clothes transform into a Familiar.
‘Hmm?’
Once up high, he spotted pirate ships closing in on a merchant ship ahead. He also noticed storm clouds far off in the opposite direction.
‘Are they getting closer?’
He stared at the clouds and could see that the distance was indeed slowly shrinking.
‘So the good weather’s coming to an end.’
After briefly considering his options, Rodin flew in the direction of the pirate ships. As he got closer, arrows began flying toward him from the pirate ship.
Rodin easily blocked them with a simple magic shield.
Ting! Ting!
The distance was still too great. Though the arrows reached him, they lacked strength. Even a second-circle spell was more than enough to block them.
‘There’s no need for me to get involved.’
Rodin hadn’t come to fight. In fact, he disliked getting involved in others’ battles.
Back in Lanse before departure, he had only intervened to prevent damage to the ship, which could have delayed their journey. If the fight had been elsewhere, he would have ignored it.
Today, the ship wasn’t in any real danger. With Darren, Jefferson, and Sylvia aboard, the ship’s safety was all but guaranteed.
There was little chance that his involvement would be necessary.
“Could they be there? Eagle Eye.”
Rodin had come out of curiosity, wondering if Hedler or Lant might be aboard the ship under attack. He also considered dealing with Commissioner Kser or Commissioner Habinon if he happened to see them.
“No, they’re not.”
None of the faces on the merchant ship’s deck were familiar to him. The crew consisted mostly of young men in their twenties, and the person who appeared to be the captain wasn’t very old either.
‘An artifact, maybe?’
Rodin sensed a strong magical presence from the merchant ship. It was likely a high-level artifact, given the intensity of the magic.
However, he quickly lost interest. No matter what artifact it was, it didn’t belong to him.
“The ship’s in pretty bad shape, though.”
Having gathered enough information, Rodin returned to the Capleton. Just in time, the three 5th-tier knights, Darren, Jefferson, and Sylvia, were stepping onto the deck.
“Rodin, did you finish scouting?”
“Yes. I took a look at their forces. But since they’re all knights, I didn’t really understand much.”
He gave them a hint that there were no magicians aboard the enemy ship. That was enough of a contribution.
“Hahaha, leave it to us. You can just sit back and watch.”
“I’ll do that.”
The Capleton steadily approached the pirate ships.
In the meantime, the five pirate ships had already reached the merchant ship they had surrounded.
Wooden bridges were placed between the ships, and pirates began rushing across, storming the merchant ship.
‘They’ve started fighting.’
The battle cries hadn’t reached his ears yet due to the distance.
But with his Eagle Eye spell still active, Rodin could tell that screams and shouts were filling the air.
‘Are they not even paying attention to us?’