107-Captain Douglas, Captain of the Kaiou Pirates?




 
 Seafood barbecue, sightseeing in esports, and buying food to store in space magic. Three days went by in a blur as we spent time with such things.

 And early in the morning of the fourth day. We had come to the port where the ship was docked to head to Kagura.

 Morning is early in the port town of Esports.

 If it becomes early morning, people who are going out to fish are busy from morning and go out to sea. Some of the boats come back to replace the fishermen who may have gone out to fish in the dark, or to replace the departing fishermen.

 The market has been busy since the morning, of course, as the harvested fish from the boats are taken to the market.

 This is where the fish are sorted, processed and stored.

 I can hear the excited voices in the harbor.

Freshly caught Dosage Tuna! From six large gold coins!

"Six great gold pieces and five gold pieces!

"This is a seven-piece gold coin!

 We could hear the prices being quoted frequently, because they were bidding at the market.

 There are probably some cooks here, aiming to catch fresh fish in the early morning.

 With the hustle and bustle of the marketplace in my ears, I turn my attention to the front of the marketplace.

 In front of me, the sea filled my field of vision with the gentle sound of waves.

 The lush blue sea and the vivid sky blue extends beyond my field of vision and seems to blend together on the horizon, which is the boundary between the sky and the sea.

 The contrast between green flowers and blue sky like in the village of Koliat is beautiful, but the scene where the sea and the sky seem to blend together is not bad either.

 I think about this as I squint at the sunshine that has just risen.

 In the vast sky that seems to have no clouds, three seabirds are flying around and chirping as if they were celebrating their freedom. When I saw them, I thought about walking in the sky with my magic-free shield, but for now, I decided to enjoy the view from the ground.

 The sound of the crashing waves was pleasant to my ears.

 Some of the gentle sounds played in a constant rhythm are the irregular sounds of waves. It could be the sound of waves crashing against something, a fish bouncing, or the sound of waves crashing against each other as the tide changes.

 The sound of the waves is not noisy, but harmonious and gentle, despite the fact that there are so many different sounds mixed together.

 It's like nursing a baby.... It is such a calming sound.

 The ocean is the mother of all things. I can understand why it is said to be the source of birth for all living things.

 From then on, I continue to watch the ocean, my mind blanked out.

 As if I feel the air of esports with my whole body, I keep looking at the sea without thinking.

 I wonder how long I've been gazing at the ocean like that.

 Irvine came from the boat.

''Oi, Alfried-sama! I'm ready to go. I mean, come on! We're about to embark on a sea voyage and you're giving me dead eyes! He's got eyes like that dusky tuna I ate with yesterday!

 How rude to call someone's eyes like dead fish eyes.

 There's no way to convey that kind of heart, and Irvine looks into my face and pokes me in the cheek.

'Rude. My eyes are always like this.

'Oh, yeah. You're always looking at me like I'm dead.

 I thought I told you that these are my normal eyes, but you are severely misunderstanding me.

 My eyes are as clear as the sea of esports, and yet there is a great deal of misunderstanding.

 I'll have to say something.

 Just as I was thinking this, Irvine put a hand on my shoulder and said, "But a child's eyes don't look like that.

But don't look at me like that as a child. Master Alfried is just a boy. He says there's still a lot of fun to be had! First, you'll enjoy a boat ride with us! See, the fun future is just beginning!

 With that, Irvine got up and ran off in good spirits.

'Hey, boy! Don't take pity on me! I'm enjoying my life properly, okay?


 You're not going to be able to do that.


This is the boat we're on!

Oh, it's pretty impressive to see a ship up close.

 We headed with Irvine to the ship we were to board, and there was a large sailing ship.

 It was big enough for us to look up at. So big that we had to take the stairs to get in from where we were.

 In case you're wondering, I knew it wasn't a small ship, since it was a trade ship for Kagura and Esports, but this one is a lot bigger than I expected it to be. It has three masts.

 As I recall, the largest one is the main mast and the one behind it is the mizzen mast. And the one in front would have been the foremast. I had seen a glimpse of an oceanic adventure movie before, so I remember it, albeit only slightly. But I don't remember much else, since the ship has some finely named tools and such.

As I recall, in dramas and stories, that main mast would break off in a storm.

Hey, hey, no need to talk about your trip to the beach.

 Looking up, there were ropes everywhere, and men who looked like sailors were clambering up the ropes to the masts.

'What's that slanting rope called?

'Oh, that thing the sailors are climbing up on now? That's a rope ladder that climbs the mast and is called a shroud. That's the stay on the rope that supports the mast and the backstay is the backstay. That's the rope that supports the mast.

'I see. There's just too much going on.

 Irvine, who has been on a sea trip before, seems to know a thing or two about it, and he points his finger at me and explains it to me one by one, but I couldn't think of any names at all except for the shroud.

'Well, we ain't sailors, and it's all rope.

'Yes. We're not sailors, and the only thing we use is a shroud of rope to scramble up.

 Yeah, it's all rope. Pretty straightforward.

"Ha-ha-ha! I heard it was going to be ridden by a big nobleman's boy this time, but that's not very noble!

 As I was looking up at Irvine and the sailboat like that, I heard a voice behind me that seemed to echo in my stomach.

 I turned around and saw a huge man, as tall as a Roomba, standing there with his arms crossed.

 He was a wild man with pitch-black hair in an all-back and a thick beard around his mouth.

 He wore a green pirate coat, and underneath that he wore a white shirt with a collar.

 The skin bared from his shirt is long tanned and his body is very muscular.

 There are several knives in his waistband, and an orange cloth with embroidery on it is strikingly tucked underneath.

 Well, if I had to describe this man in one word........

''........A pirate?''

'People often mistake me for you, but I'm not! I'm still a merchant in this, you know!

 A man who laughs away my unreserved words. He's a little loud.

"My name is Douglas. I'm the captain of this sailing vessel, The Seahorse!

The captain of the Caio pirates?

'Oh yes, of course! We're Kaiju pirates with a bunch of crying babies! If you want to save your life, leave the money for the money--it's not!

I was pretty excited about it, though.

 The words and voice inflections that come out without stagnation. I can only assume that he is familiar with them.

''Well, maybe it's because of this look, I used to play around with these plays in the bar.

 I give him a somewhat jittery look, and he mutters, scratching his cheeks with a pollywheel, feeling a little embarrassed.

 The sailors are so bendy, I can't help but think they're really just a bunch of pirates when I walk into the tavern.

'What do you think, Douglas? Isn't Master Alfried a nobleman?

 As I was thinking about this, Irvine, who was next to me, spoke casually to Douglas.

 He seems to know her from the fact that she calls him Douglas.

 The members of the Silver Wind are a party that does a lot of sea escort missions. It wasn't even the first time I'd been to Esports, and I wouldn't be surprised if I was on Douglas' ship.

 I'd like to ask Irvine if he's complimenting or demeaning me at length.

'Oh, yes. I'm not stopping at a high price and I'm in a good groove. You're easy to treat, unlike other nobles.''

 The aristocrats in the Misfirito Kingdom are also very different. There were also many nobles with a lot of pride like I envisioned. It's cute when they're a noble like me and Eric, a baron or so, but it's troublesome when they're around the count, led by Bram. Especially with countesses.

 I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.

And this shameless look. .........A person with eyes like these rarely dies.

 Douglas sits back and gazes into my eyes.

 Hmmm ... is that a compliment? I'm not sure.

 Anyway, since they said their names, I'll say my name from here as well.

I'm Alfreet-Slowlett. Please take care of me for the seven days until Kagura.

 When I greeted them again, Douglas and Irvine looked at each other and laughed. What's funny, you say? It's common sense.

 Then Douglas put his big hand vigorously on my shoulder.

'Oh! I got it!

 I thought my shoulder was going to come off.