Profession, Merchant Volume 6 Chapter 8 (Patreon)

Chapter 8 – At Sea I

The journey from Venussa to Newland requires crossing the ocean to the east by ship.

Leaving the silver-rimmed glasses guy to the tedious task of hiring and managing the lives of the slaves to make them ‘workers’, the female warrior and I went ahead and were now on the ship at sea.

In case you’re wondering why I asked sir silver-rimmed for his ship when I have my own, well, his magic ship has a much, much greater capacity for transporting magical ores than this one. And since the order is enough to literally fill the walls of Andersen’s castle, there is no reason not to use a much bigger ship than a small one, is there?

Well, despite the difference in size, mine is a medium-sized magic ship that even a maritime amateur like me can operate with magic, so it is practically a must for a traveling merchant like me. And as soon as I’ve done my work in Newland and made plans for where I’m going to get the ores, which I have no idea how long it will take, I can use this ship for immediate dispatch to order the guy with the silver-rimmed glasses to come and transport them.

Today is a sunny day with small waves. There is no need to worry about maneuvering the ship.

So there I was, in a daze, puffing on a cigarette as I watched the female warrior swing her tight buttocks and ample breasts with great abandon as she trained her sword with her bare hands.

“Hey.”

After a while, the female warrior calls to me, wiping the sweat from her face. The sun’s rays illuminate the sweat on her steel body, giving her a fresh, feminine scent.

“What is that?”

The warrior points to the southwest, but all I can see is a gently curving horizon and the clouds that seem to be swallowed by it.

“I can’t see a thing.”

“What, are you blind?”

“I have 1.0 in both eyes. How about you?”

“5.0”

That’s amazing.

For reference, 1.0 is normal by human standards (20/20 vision), and the highest recorded for birds of prey is 3.0 (20/5 vision). To go even beyond the eagle-eyed species, is this girl still human?

As I thought about it, the “thing” she said she saw was getting closer and closer, and soon even my normal eyes could make it out. It seems that something like a person on an animal-like thing is coming towards this ship. I wondered what the principle was, as it seemed to be floating above the sea, but that question was soon answered.

The animal-like thing was a Pegasus. Furthermore, the rider was a woman, and she was a holy knight.

A Holy Knight is a knight who has taken a lifelong vow of virginity at the Messianic Papal Court, as evidenced by the golden eagle emblem on the pure white breastplate that was made to match the fullness of her chest. She also wore tight-fitting white breeches and boots, and with her matching mantle fluttering elegantly in the breeze, she truly had the appearance of a Holy Knight.

The holy knight lowers Pegasus onto the deck of the ship, brushes her close-cropped blonde bobbed hair with one hand, and then says on horseback.

“Where are you all going?”

“Er, yeah. Newland.”

Because it was so abrupt, I answered honestly.

“I’m sorry, sir, I can’t let you through here.”

Her tone was polite, but her words were firm and commanding.

“I believe it’s against international convention to unreasonably prevent the passage of merchant ships. What authority do you have to say such a thing?”

The holy knight already looks very strong, and I’m scared inside, but I would be disqualified as a merchant if I turned back just because they said, ‘I won’t let you through’.

“Also, I cannot give you the details, but I am acting on the orders of a nobleman. You need not worry about my authority or my actions here.”

But she continued to insist in her heroic yet demanding tone.

“And what business do you intend to conduct with this medium-sized magic ship? You must be in contact with the demons and thinking of doing something bad!”

The holy knight says threateningly, but this is a completely false accusation. There are many people who go to Newland on medium-sized magic ships to do business. If you want to control them, that’s fine, but you must at least show us the basis of the law and contracts.

“Hey, you! If you had just shut up and let us go, we would have been a long way ahead by now!”

That’s the female warrior behind me. I know very well that she is not a very patient person.

I find it ironic that she’s the same woman who was screaming “free the slaves!” a few days earlier. I just hope she understands now how it feels to be on the other side of her table.

“So what now? If I try to pass through here, will I have to pay a toll? Is that what you mean?”

“I won’t let you through. If you do, I will have to get rid of you.”

At the same time as the holy knight’s words, the female warrior slashed at her with her saber.

Well, I can’t say I didn’t expect that.

However, the holy knight easily receives the slash from the female warrior, which was almost like a flash of light.

“You have a pretty face, but you act like a brute.”

“Huh, which one of us is it? You’re the one who started the fight, aren’t you?”

The two warriors cursed each other, and on the deck of the ship, a slash-and-burn battle unfolded that could not be followed with the naked eye. The female warrior has the advantage of speed, but the Holy Knight skillfully maneuvers the Pegasus to gain a higher ground.

Predicting that this was going to be a battle that would gradually destroy the ship, I made my way to the carriage stored at the bottom of the ship.

No, I did not escape. You can’t escape once you’re on board in the first place.

By the time I ran back up to the deck, the slashing contest between the two women had intensified, and the screeching sound of swords was echoing loudly.

“This is getting us nowhere. Let’s settle this once and for all.”

Saying this, the holy knight flew high into the air with her Pegasus, going beyond the warrior’s reach.

“Hey! Come down, you coward!”

Said the female warrior in anger, but the holy knight seemed unconcerned and raised her saber in a grand gesture.

The wind from the sea gathered around her saber, and it roared with a terrifying sound, charged with magical power.

Yes, unlike warriors, holy knights can use magic.

The female warrior also tries to confront her with her saber, but even I, a merchant, know that is too reckless.

“Hey, use this.”

With these words, I hand the Blue Dragon Sword to the female warrior.

“Eh, r-really?”

“I don’t want my ship to be destroyed, and I don’t want to drown. I’m counting on you.”

Meanwhile, the holy knight’s magic seemed to have been completed, and the collected wind was compressed into a ball by the magic.

“Please die in the good company of God!”

With a roar, a ball of wind came towards us.

The female warrior immediately drew the Blue Dragon Sword and struck back at the wind ball with all her might.

“Nggh, Nhaaa, iyaaan~”

Strike back successful. Though I must say, you sound very sexy back there.

The deflected wind ball flew directly toward the holy knight. It did not hurt her, but the poor Pegasus seemed to have taken the brunt as it staggered and gradually fell to the deck.

“N-no way. My Windbreaker is…”

What kind of special technique is that, with a name like the one you wear over your tracksuit while jogging in the morning?

Anyway, that settled the matter. The holy knight, who had lost her pegasus, could not keep up with the speed of the female warrior and was soon defeated in a pure ground battle.

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