Genuma's [Fighting Spirit Enchantment] instantly transformed the previously frightened pirates into deadly warriors.
This is a pretty powerful skill and would have been welcomed with open arms in the army or in the knighthood.
Yet Genuma became a mercenary and eventually reduced himself to a pirate who terrorized the people of Fort Port. Maybe he had a personality problem, but it was a waste.
At times like this, I think of Chrome-san's words.
──There is a big difference between "drawing a good hand" and "making good use of a good hand." There are plenty of people who are blessed with good skills but cannot use them or who can only use them in a way that makes those around them miserable.
Genuma is a person who is blessed with skill but cannot make good use of it, and he can only use it in a way that makes those around him miserable.
I was thinking about this when I used"White Scorpion Thunderbolt EX", taking the pirates' consciousness away from them.
The pirates were initially fired up with fighting spirit by the [Fighting Spirit Enchantment], but as they were overwhelmed, the effect of the skill seemed to fade, and their faces began to show signs of fear again.
"D-damn it! Is he a monster! Aaaaaagghh!"
"T-t-there's no way we can win! He's too strong… Aaaaghhh!"
"Genuma-aniki, help me… gegegegege!"
There were about 30 pirates in the command center, all of whom were stunned ─ only Genuma remained.
"…T-they're useless."
Genuma spat and kicked the head of a pirate who was lying at his feet as if he were poking it with the tip of his toe.
"But, Kou. You must be getting tired too, right? Hahaha, don't hide it. I can tell."
No, I'm not too tired at all.
I think I can afford to deal with another 200 people.
But I don't have to tell Genuma that.
"When I kill you, I will be the Dragon Slayer! Prepare yourself!"
The "Dragon Slayer" is a phrase that Genuma's subordinate mentioned earlier.
Maybe he liked it?
In any case, I have no intention of letting him kill me.
Genuma readied his axe and came at me, swinging it from side to side.
"Hyahahahahaha. I have the [Axe Technique], and I will cut you in half!"
The sound of the wind blowing in the air echoed.
Now, what should I do?
In this case, I guess an axe for an axe.
I took out a wooden hikino axe from my [Item Box].
Seeing this, Genuma gives me a mocking look.
"What are you going to do with a wooden toy? This axe is made of Orichalcum!"
"Orichalcum? Is that from an ancient civilization?"
"You know it so well, huh? I found this in the ruins too, uooooooohh!"
Genuma raised his axe and tried to smash it at me.
Now.
I twisted my body and threw the hikino wooden axe at him with a side throw.
The axe spun like a boomerang and slammed into Genuma's axe.
Clank!
A high-pitched sound rang out.
Hikino's wooden axe and the Orichalcum metal axe.
The winner of the clash between the two was the hikino wooden axe.
The Orichalcum metal axe was shattered at the blade and was thrown out of Genuma's hand.
This would normally be an impossible scene, but the hikino wooden axe was granted"Throwing Critical A+". As a result, it was powerful enough to shatter the Orichalcum.
"Wha-..!"
Genuma's eyes widened in astonishment.
How could he expose such a gap in the middle of a battle?
I had already begun my next move. I closed the distance with Genuma and grabbed him by the throat.
"Sorry, but this is the end."
"N-no way! Gugagagagagahh!"
A bolt of lightning gushed from my Bastard Gauntlet.
Genuma's entire body trembled, and he eventually lost consciousness.
At least I've taken control of the command center now.
Next, let's go get that Dox guy.
It's inefficient to search around in the dark, and I'd like to save myself this trouble if possible.
"…I know a good way to do it."
I suddenly thought of something and activated [Auto Mapping].
A blue-white window appeared in front of me, displaying a map of the Orichalcum Rox.
[Auto Mapping] is a skill like a smartphone map application, but its function is a higher-level version of a map application.
In addition to providing route guidance by specifying a destination, it can also search for and locate people.
"Search for Dox's whereabouts. Can you do that?"
I asked, and the blue-white window flashed on and off.
After only three seconds, a red light spot appeared on the map.
Apparently, Dox was hiding in a hidden room at the rear of the ship.
Now, let's go.
* * *
Inside the Orichalcum Rox, an alarm was blaring, alerting everyone of an intruder.
I ran through the long, narrow corridors, and every time I encountered a pirate on the way, I used"White Scorpion Thunderbolt EX"to knock them unconscious.
"Damn! I didn't hear the Dragon Slayer coming! Aaaaagghh!"
"Damn it! I shouldn't have followed that Dox guy! Igigigigigi!"
"Hyiiiiiii! I can't win! I can't win against him! ugugugugugu!"
The number of pirates I had defeated, including those at Genuma's place, was now over fifty.
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion in the distance.
Leticia was probably rampaging elsewhere.
It's hard for the pirates to make an enemy of the [Transmigrator] and a calamity together at once, isn't it…?
As I was thinking about this as if it were someone else's problem, the communicator in my pocket vibrated.
When I picked it up, it was Dox.
"Kou…! You seem to be doing whatever you want, don't you?"
"Yeah, I did. I've defeated Genuma. And Dox, you're next."
"Hyahahahaha! You can be happy now, while you still can! The one who's being cornered isn't me. It's you. Kou!"
Dox was being very stubborn.
A desperate attempt to find a way forward… It doesn't seem to be like that, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
"The room I'm in also serves as a backup command center, from which I can control the ship's main weapon. I've just set my sights on Fort Port. Now it's up to you. …What are you going to do now? If you give up, I may consider recalling the attack."
By ship's main weapon, I assume he means the super high-powered magic laser cannon.
If such a thing were to hit the city, it would cause a tremendous number of deaths.
That must be avoided at all costs.
"You're being very cowardly, huh, Dox?"
"Shut up! There are no rules in battle. Hyahahaha!"
Dox spoke confidently as if he was sure he would win.
"What are you going to do now? If you're going to decide, decide quickly. Otherwise, you won't make it in time."
"If I give up, you'll reconsider your attack, won't you?"
"Oh. I'm a man of my word."
"On second thought, you're still going to attack, right?"
"Wha-…!"
Dox was absolutely astonished by my response.
"How did you know that…?"
"I knew you'd think of something like that."
I sighed.
"I can tell what a scoundrel like you is thinking. …I'm sorry, but I won't let you lay a finger on the city."
I hung up the call on the magic communicator, put it in my pocket, and took a hikino mallet from my [Item Box].
The effect is"Wall Destruction S+".
According to the map in the [Auto Mapping], there is a hidden room just a wall away from where I am, and that is where Dox is hiding.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
I raised the mallet and slammed it into the wall with all my might.
Boom! The wall shattered with a sound like a bomb blast.
Beyond that, I saw Dox.
He was suddenly thrown back and slumped to the floor.
"W-w-w-what the hell is going on here…! It doesn't make any sense to break through a wall made of Orichalcum… That's a dirty trick…!"
"You're the one who said there are no rules in battle, Dox."
I stored the hikino mallet in my [Item Box], grabbed Dox's face, which was still slumped over, and activated"White Scorpion's Thunderbolt EX".
"Aah… agagagagahh!"
Dox's entire body was enveloped in a blue-white bolt of lightning, and he lost consciousness, with his white eyes rolling back.
* * *
After putting Dox out of his consciousness, I activated [Auto Mapping] and displayed all the remaining pirates' whereabouts. I walk around the ship and subdue them one by one.
The last one seemed to be at the very back of the deck.
I headed that way and saw that Leticia was just about to fight.
"This is the end! Haaaaah!"
"Gah!"
An uppercut like a meteor struck the pirate's lower jaw, knocking him unconscious. Around them, several unconscious pirates were lying in a heap.
Looking at Leticia, her face and body were unscathed, and her clothes were almost undisturbed.
There was no doubt that she was quite capable.
"…Fuh."
Leticia took a breath, then turned to me and smiled.
"Ara, Kou-sama, were you watching?"
"You've done a great job. How many people did you beat?"
"I would say about forty, at a rough count. How about you, Kou-sama?"
"About 80. I also defeated Dox. Now everything is under control."
"It was quite a hard battle, wasn't it?"
Leticia raised her right fist with a mischievous look on her face as she said that. I raised my right fist as well, and we bumped fists together.
"I'm glad you helped out with the pirate subjugation. I appreciate it."
"I am the one who should thank you. Thanks to you, Kou-sama, I have been able to do it with ease. Shall we go back to Fort Port?"
"Yes, let's do that."
We can take this ship back to Fort Port.
It would be killing two birds with one stone since we could carry all the unconscious pirates with us.
We decided to head to the command center to get the Orichalcum Rox moving.
We were walking side by side through the ship's corridors when I felt a gaze.
I feel like I'm being watched.
Leticia is walking right beside me, but she has been glancing at me since a few minutes ago, with a thoughtful expression on her face. I wonder what is going on.
"Leticia. Is there something you want to say?"
When I asked her that, she looked as if she had come to her senses. After blinking several times, she slowly opened her mouth.
"I apologize for this. I was just thinking about my brother."
"Your brother, you say? Um…"
"I'm talking about my calamity of a younger brother ─ the Gleaming Greedy Dragon. I wonder where he is now…"
"Do you have any clues?"
"No, nothing solid at the moment. But he is the type of person who can't leave someone in need, and I'm sure he's helping people somewhere in the world. ──If there is a village targeted by bandits, he will protect all the villagers to make sure they are unharmed and capture every single bandit. As the name "Greed" implies, he will achieve a perfectly happy ending."
"Is that considered greed…?"
It would bring evil to justice exactly, with no casualties. I don't see anything wrong with that at all. In fact, I sympathize with it.
"I understand exactly how you feel."
Leticia looked at me with her deep blue eyes and nodded.
"Let me tell you one thing. The name given to a calamity brought in from outside the world has two sides of the same coin. My brother has a strong sense of responsibility, he never cuts corners when he decides to do something, and he always tries to do it perfectly until the end. …But that can be turned around to mean 'Greed' for the best possible outcome, can't it?"
"…Well, yes."
I understand what she means, although it is a bit confusing at times. In short, it's a matter of saying what matters.
"What about you, Leticia? I don't feel that you are arrogant."
"Fufu, I'm glad you think so, Kou-sama."
Leticia giggled and continued to speak.
"I have decided to use my power to protect people. I am determined to strike with my iron fist of justice against those who take away someone's life or property unreasonably. …But that's only justifying my own violence in the name of justice, isn't it?"
"So you call it 'arrogance.'"
Leticia nodded in agreement with my words.
"I also think that the terms "arrogance" and "greed" are too biased and only focus on the negative aspects of the word. The entity that brought the calamity into this world and gave it a name must have a twisted nature. I'd like to punch him in the face, though."
"Who exactly is the entity that brought the calamity into this world?"
"Unfortunately, that part is missing from my memory… It is also possible that the memory was intentionally erased."
While we were talking like this, we arrived at the command center.
When I touched the suspicious-looking machine by the wall, [Dexterity] was activated, and the operating instructions flowed into my mind.
I ran my fingers over the buttons and keyboard here and there and set it to move to Fort Port.
This way, I wouldn't have to carry the unconscious pirates, killing two birds with one stone.
Leticia sighed in admiration as she watched me set the course of the Orichalcum Rox.
"You can handle the machines of ancient civilizations so well, can't you, Kou-sama? I was truly astonished."
"I have the [Dexterity] skill, you know. It's thanks to that."
"It's a handy skill, isn't it…? I wonder if you could share it with me?"
"That would be difficult indeed."
"Fufu, I'm just kidding."
Leticia let out a small smile.
"By the way, Kou-sama, I agree that we should use this ship to carry the pirates back to Fort Port, but I think it might surprise the people of the city."
"I agree with you."
I nodded at Leticia's words.
If we let the Orichalcum Rox approach Fort Port, the city might be mistaken for the start of the pirate attack, and the city could be plunged into a panic.
We should explain this to them well in advance.
"It would be better if Leticia or I reported the pirate subjugation to the city in advance, wouldn't it?"
"If so, I think Kou-sama would be more suitable for the job. The words of the famous "Dragon Slayer" are much more persuasive."
"…Well, you're right."
It is a little embarrassing to admit this up front, but the name "Dragon Slayer" is well known in Fort Port.
It cannot be undone now, and if that is the case, I should reconsider how I am using it and take advantage of it.
"I understand. Then, I'll go back to the city first. I've set the ship to automatically head for the port of Fort Port, so Leticia is free to do as you please until then."
"Understood. However, it would be a shame to make only Kou-sama work, so I think I should put [Domination] on the pirates. We don't want them to escape after arriving in the city, do we?"
"Indeed, it would be better to eliminate the seeds of trouble."
"I am glad you understand. Then, let's do what we both have to do."
I was about to fly back to the Exceed Cruiser, but it was past the 30-minute duration of the Flying Potion.
Okay, let's open the second bottle.
I took out an additional bottle of Flying Potion from my [Item Box] and gulped it down.
Then I floated in the air and slowly left the command center of Orichalcum Rox.
With the battle over and my mind at ease, I took a walk in the air to take in the surrounding scenery.
Turning my eyes to the south, I could faintly make out the outline of a city in the distance.
Perhaps that is the cityscape of Fort Port.
Looking north… on the opposite side, the shimmering azure sea stretches out endlessly.
Beyond this should be the royal capital, but as expected, it does not seem to be visible from here.
To the east and west, small islands dot the landscape.
Come to think of it, where did Dox and the others get their ancient weapons?
Maybe there are ruins on one of the islands.
Well, that would be something we could investigate carefully after the case was over.
While I was thinking about this, the Exceed Cruiser came into view.
I lowered my altitude and approached the deck of the ship.
Then Iris noticed me and waved her right hand.
Dest, still docked with the hull of the ship, also welcomed me with a cheerful wave of both hands.
"Welcome back, Master."
"Kou, good job! Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. The pirates are all defeated, and all we have to do now is to return to the city."
After I told her that, I gave her a brief explanation of what had happened since we left the Exceed Cruiser and what we were going to do next.
While I was talking, both Iris and Dest nodded their heads with serious expressions on their faces.
As usual, they seemed to be listening carefully.
"…So that's why we're returning to Fort Port in advance. Dest, would you mind turning around and heading back to the city?"
"As you command!"
Dest saluted with a broad gesture of his right arm.
Both of his eyes flashed with a fierce twinkle.
"Accelerate! Turning around! Full speed ahead!"
The Exceed Cruiser's engines roared wildly.
The ship made a U-turn, turning sharply to the right, and began to sail toward Fort Port.
I rested my weight on the deck railing for a while, staring blankly at the sky.
The sun's rays felt nice and warm.
While I was resting in a relaxed mood, Iris came up next to me on my left.
"Hey, Kou, do you mind if I join you now?"
"What's up?"
"I was thinking about Leticia. She looked like Kou, didn't she?"
"Is that so?"
I tilted my head.
There is nothing about her that matches me.
Our gender and age are different, and I think it's more difficult to find something in common between us.
"Leticia is like the hero of the story, isn't she?"
"Well, yes."
I can agree with her on that point. She doesn't tolerate evil and doesn't miss the call for help.
The word "ally of justice" fits her well.
"…I mean, there's a big difference between her and me, don't you think?"
"Eh?"
Iris raised her voice as if puzzled.
Did I say something strange?
"Kou is no different. I think you're a great hero. You fought to protect the people of Fort Port this time, and you've saved a lot of people before, haven't you?"
"It just turns out the way it happens. Just a coincidence."
"But you could have run away like the people in the Mercenary Guild, right?"
"…Well, I guess."
I suddenly recalled the battle with the Gluttonous Dragon.
Up until the middle of the battle, I was totally at a disadvantage, and I even considered abandoning the defense of the city and retreat.
However, in the end, I chose to face the dragon and managed to defeat it.
In retrospect, it was like that from the time I first came to the other world.
When Chrome-san was attacked by the Armored Bear, I had the option of pretending I didn't see it and walking away from the scene.
At the time, Chrome-san was nothing more than a stranger to me.
What's more, I myself didn't realize how much skill I was blessed with, and I was terrified to the point of cowering when I saw the terrifying-looking Armored Bear.
So why did I try to fight it?
To be honest, I don't really know myself.
If I were to venture a guess, I would say that when I was little, I had always wanted to be a firefighter.
To be more precise, I wanted to be a hero who could reach out to people in crisis.
However, that was a child's dream who did not know the reality.
As I grew older, I came to understand how the world works and concluded that heroes do not exist in reality, so I gave up on my dream and chose another career.
However, I guess the feeling I had when I longed to be a hero remained with me.
Maybe that's what drives me.
…Yes.
Maybe this guess is not wrong.
I want to be a hero who can save someone.
In this world, I have once again reached for the dream I once gave up on.
The result of these efforts is the connection with Iris, Chrome-san, and many others, as well as the Dragon Slayer title, I suppose.
…I've become the person I wanted to be without even realizing it.