Honestly, That's Kinda Impressive

Karina-chan here. After rampaging on Gomez's pirate ship, I requisitioned the entire ship — artifact and all!

I also found a boat that looks perfect to convert 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 teasing Gomez, I hoisted the sailors who begged for their lives with spatial magic.

 

 

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

"Being able to say that at this point is honestly kinda impressive, you know."

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

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

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

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

I hauled the sea serpent that swallowed Gomez up into the air with spatial magic and… splash.

Snap. I severed its brain to finish it cleanly.

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

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

"Getting swallowed that cleanly by a sea serpent… Gomez might be premium fishing bait. 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 confused. 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 along to the ship they were targeting; a pretty big merchant vessel that was 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 all tight and marched them over. Up on deck, the crew were on full alert.

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

"Hellooo, just a nondescript mage passing by. These guys are some pirates who tried to attack this 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 the help. Er, one question… We saw with our own eyes the ship split cleanly in two and then appear to vanish. What in the world…?"

"Please 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 wield 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 didn't say 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. We clearly couldn't 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 to 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'll ask them to look after the three ladies I rescued from the ship too.

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

"Excuse me. There are three women I'd like you to take care of. I pulled them from the pirates. Please hear their circumstances and help them as appropriate."

"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 ladies with the merchant ship and teleported to Véraldo.

Then I briskly went and 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 a neatly cut square hole where the house had 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.