“”What is it?””


  “I wonder?”


  All at once, the sailors became flustered and the atmosphere became swarthy.

  “It looks like an emergency. Shouldn’t you guys go?”


  “That’s the signal to assemble on deck.”


  I see. Since we are already on the deck, there’s no need for them to move. Ah, I can certainly see guard-looking people coming up.

  “”Ah, there—!””


  Allen and Elena found something and pointed their fingers.

  “That’s… a ship?”


  The ship was still far away, but it looked a little worn out.

  “So they came!”


  Evan-san cursed with a disgusted expression.

  “Is there a possibility of it being a shipwreck?”


  “In that case, they’d have given a sign for help already.”


  “Signal?”


  “Yes, smoke. I don’t see any red smoke coming from that ship.”


  “Oh!”


  Smoke signals! I remember there being something like that~ I forgot.

  “Takumi-san, I will tell you this just in case, but there are cases where they deliberately signal for help and then attack the ship approaching for rescue. Not only at sea, but on land as well. So, please be very careful and check the situation carefully in the future.”


  “Ah, okay.”


  Scott-san gave me some additional information that he thought I probably didn’t know.

  I didn’t know that bandits use smoke signals to attract their prey, so this is really helpful~

  “This time, they are coming in hot, though!”


  “They must be that confident in their strength.”


  There’s no doubt that it’s a pirate ship that’s approaching our ship.

  Ah~… I can definitely see something that looks like a pirate flag with a skull symbol on it.

  “… What is the size of the forces capable of fighting the pirates abroad our ship?”


  I ask Evan-san and Scott-san in a hushed voice.

  “We have eight specialized guards. The sailors that are not guards also know some martial arts, but… to be honest, the amount of self-defense they know cannot be counted on. Additionally, there are five adventurers, including us, who were hired as guards.”


  “I also saw some adventurers among the passengers. I’ve heard that the pirates are highly mobile, and there are quite a few of them.”


  “Fighting them head-on would honestly be tough.”


  “I thought so. In that case, wouldn’t it be better we make sure that the pirate ship couldn’t approach us in the first place,”


  “Huh?”


  “How about making a hole in the pirates’ ship when it reaches the magic attack range… or something?”


  “”……””


  When I proposed my plan(?), Evan-san and Scott-san were speechless.

  “… We may not be able to capture them, but you might have a good idea there. It wouldn’t be possible for us alone, but it seems like a plausible plan for you, Takumi-san.”


  “Yeah, it will require quite a feat of strength, but… I guess it’s a good idea.”


  I was only half joking about this strategy, but it was surprisingly well received.

  “Takumi-san, can I suggest this plan of yours?”


  “Eh? Ah, yes, sure.”


  Scott-san immediately went to the person who seemed to be the leader of the Merchant Guild’s specialized guards.

  After a short conversation, he came back to us with the leader.

  “I thought we were out of luck when I heard that a pirate ship was approaching, but with an A-ranked adventurer on board, I guess God hadn’t abandoned us yet~”


  “Erm…”


  “Oh, sorry. I’m Gaius. I’m the leader of the guards.”


  “I’m Takumi. I might not seem like it, but I’m A-rank adventurer.”


  “Hahaha~ You certainly don’t look like it. But, I’m guessing you wouldn’t joke in a situation like this, so I believe it. And so, you were talking about opening a hole in the pirates’ ship? Can you really do it?”


  After a quick introduction, we quickly got down to business.

  “Well, if the pirates’ ship is as tough as reinforced iron or Orichalcum, then please pretend I didn’t say anything.”


  “A ship build from something that heavy would sink! Ships are usually made from wood!”


  “Then, I don’t believe there will be a problem. I will ask you just in case, but if I fail, will our situation get even worse?”


  “The other side will be a little wary, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be coming at us with everything they’ve got anyway, so I honestly don’t see a problem even if you fail.”


  If there’s no problem, then I can simply give it a try.

  “Ah, can I ask one more thing?”


  “Yeah, what is it?”


  “Can’t we just get away in the first place?”


  “Not possible. This ship was built to carry a lot of weight, so it’s slow when it comes to terms of travel. On the other hand, theirs was built for speed.”


  Oh, that reminds me, when we booked the ship, they said that this ship was slow~

  So the probability of a battle taking place is higher after all.

  “Are you sure you want it sink down?”


  “Yeah, I don’t care. Capturing the pirates is secondary. The passengers’ safety comes first. Well, I’d like to hand over or at least secure the Captain’s body, but… don’t worry about it! Go as hard as you can!”


  “Roger that.”


  I got a permission from Gaius-san, so I took a position from where I could aim at the pirates, and waited for it to get closer.

  “”A little closder?””


  “Indeed.”


  Next to me, of course, were Allen and Elena.

  The guards and adventurers were whispering about whether it was okay for children to be here, but I pretended not to hear them. It’s no use telling the kids to go back to their cabins.

  “”About now?””


  “I think so. I guess it could reach now?”


  The pirate ship was now in range of my magic.

  “Are they in range already?”


  “They are.”


  “Rather than shooting at this distance, wouldn’t it be more reliable to shoot a more powerful magic to create a bigger hole from a little closer?”


  Evan-san and Scott-san were also nearby, tilting their heads to the side as they heard my muttering.

  “That’s true, but… wouldn’t that mean that pirates who fell into the ocean unharmed could swim over to our ship?”


  “If they are unharmed, there would be no problem, even if they managed to swim over and climb up the ship. It would be more convenient for us to capture him.”


  “Ah, I see.”


  Then, I will let them get even closer and then, attack——


  “”Water Jet!””


  “Ah!”


  As I was thinking this, the children released their magic first.

  As per the strategy, a big hole was made in the pirate ship with a thud… but the people over here were stunned.