Honestly, That's Kinda Impressive

Karina-chan here. After wreaking havoc on Gomez's pirate ship, I requisitioned the whole thing — artifact and all!

I also found a boat that looks perfect for converting into a bath, so I'm taking it for a test row.

Why a boat? It's called a "tub," so of course a boat can be a bath!

Anyway, after taunting Gomez a bit, I used Spatial Magic to hoist up the sailors who'd begged for their lives.

 

 

"Who the hell needs your help, you—!!"

"The fact that you can still say that at this point is honestly kinda impressive, you know."

Gomez alone refused to beg, so I left him to tread water with his pride intact. Do your best, do your best.

Whoops, something big is shooting up from below. A sea serpent? Oh my.

Gomez got swallowed whole. Aw… Oh, right, he might have the key to Poseidon on him. I need to retrieve him.

"… Come to think of it, can you eat sea serpent?"

I used Spatial Magic to haul the sea serpent that swallowed Gomez up into the air and… splash.

Snap. I severed its brain to finish it cleanly.

Obviously I wasn't about to let it digest Gomez, so I slit open its belly and pulled him out. He was unconscious and covered in slimy fluid.

I dunked him in the sea to wash off the serpent juices and tossed everything he'd been wearing into storage… What a filthy naked old man.

"Getting swallowed that easily by a sea serpent… Gomez might make premium fishing bait. Any thoughts?"

"E-exactly what I was thinking, Boss!"

"We'll follow you for life, Boss! With you we're unstoppable!"

"Thanks for saving us, Boss! Let's go raid that ship together!"

"Hm? Someone's got the wrong idea. You're all getting handed over to that ship, so zip it."

Before they could kick up a fuss, I shut their mouths.

I stuffed the sea serpent and the boat into storage for now.

Then I took Gomez's crew over to the ship they'd been targeting — a pretty big merchant vessel floating nearby.

I did say I'd get them to the ship, but that didn't mean "let you all attack it." I bound them up tight and marched them over. Up on deck, the crew was on full alert.

Well, sure. They saw a pirate ship, watched it split in two and vanish, and now some woman flies in towing a bunch of pirates — it's nonsense. If I weren't me, I wouldn't understand it either.

"Hellooo, just a nondescript mage passing through. These guys are pirates who tried to attack your licensed merchant ship. Please arrest them. Who's in charge?"

"Huh? Uh, y-yes. I-I'm the captain."

I handed the pirates over. The captain was confused but carried out the arrests properly.

"Mage, thank you for your help. Er, one question… We saw with our own eyes that the ship split cleanly in two and then seemed to vanish. What in the world…?"

"Just go with 'We were attacked by pirates but repelled them.' The backlash sank their ship. Let's say that… You don't want your ship to disappear too, right?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

I did kind of threaten him, but I'm handing them a big win, so it's fine!

It's a feather in your cap, right? … Want the sea serpent as a bonus? No? Thought so.

"A mage of your caliber must be a person of some renown. May we have your name?"

"Hm? Mmm, let's not and say we did."

Even though traveling-merchant Karina Shounin-chan has an alibi, if word got out I can use ridiculous magic like this, that alibi would crumble. I poked my nose in for fun, but I'll pass on the trouble.

"Don't bother trying to use my face to trace me. This look belongs to a woman these pirates picked a fight with. Don't pry into my real appearance, okay?"

"What! You can use transformation magic too? If you insist on hiding your identity to that extent, very well — we won't ask your name."

"Thanks, that helps."

Uh-huh. Also, I never said this isn't my real face, so it's not a lie.

"You can say a mage was involved — you won't be able to hide that part anyway."

"Understood. By the look of them, these are the infamous Gomezti Pirates. There's clearly no way we could have handled them ourselves."

"Oh, so they were infamous? Good, good."

That's Gomez's lot handled.

… As for what happens to Gomez and the others now that they've lost Poseidon's power?

They might get released once, thanks to their ties with the lord.

But after that?

Who knows. Karina-chan's just a merchant; I can't imagine it!

If they'd lived straight, surely people would help them out.

Let's say something sunny like that.

Oh, right. I should ask them to look after the three women I rescued from the ship too.

This captain seems decent, and he looks smart enough to consider what might happen if he goes back on my request.

"Excuse me. There are three women I'd like you to take care of. I pulled them off the pirate ship. Please hear them out and help them as you see fit."

"At your service. If it's your request, Mage…"

The captain bowed deeply. Mm-hmm. Very good.

At least they won't be treated badly.

I left the women with the merchant ship and teleported to Véraldo.

Then I went and casually nabbed Gomez's land base — house and all — into storage. That day, one of the town's houses suddenly vanished.

There had been a basement, so it left behind a neatly cut square hole where the house once stood.

Unless you're a spatial mage, you'd never figure out how or where the house went.

"Que sera sera! Right, now to properly search for Dea-kun's sister."

Gomez did say she was with the lord.