I'm back again. Sorry for the wait. I've finally taken care of all the things that were holding me up IRL. I've dotted all the t's and crossed all the i's and all that stuff.

Chapter 58: That time when pirates came just as things were going well

TL: kizen
ED: Filip/Gecko

「Listen up you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! There are rumors that a new Demon Lord is staying on that island! Not only that, it's a stupidly kind Demon Lord too. He freed his slaves, lets them rest, and gives them proper meals after all. He's also nice to children and doesn't use women the way they're supposed to be used. The new Demon Lord is that much of a kind idiot! Any you know what that means? This will be a quick victory for us, boys! Alright, kill the Demon Lord and the men! Do whatever you like with the women!」
「「「「「Ouーーーー!!!」」」」」

「Looks like they're getting fired up about something, doesn't it?」
「He's probably giving his subordinates some encouragement, right? He's probably saying something like "kill the men, do whatever you want with the women"」
「No way! I don't want to lose our current stable lifestyle here! Please kill them!」
「Hmm, then, I guess I should prepare to retaliate for when they start attacking」
「Eh? Does that mean you won't attack them before they get here?」
「Hm? Ah, it's so we can claim that all we did was legitimate self-defense. If we attack first, they could just say that they were attacked all of a sudden when they got close to the island after all」
「I don't think that matters you know? They're just pirates, right?」
「Well, let's just do it my way just in case. Please step back, everyone. They'll probably attack with arrows first before they disembark after all. The bay is pretty shallow though so they might not attack from this area. They could use boats but there's a chance they might not dock at all. Well, at any rate, they're coming here so please fall back now since it'll get dangerous. Also, please make sure that the children don't watch」

「Ou! That must be the Demon Lord. He's dark so you can tell immediately」
「Captain! Everyone except the Demon Lord is retreating to the center of the island」
「They're former slaves so they probably can't fight」
「Three more appeared. They're probably beastmen」
「Their numbers increasing by three means jack s.h.i.+t! Our arrows will reach them soon. I'll leave the timing to you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!」

「Caam, we've armed ourselves for now. How's it going?」
「Just like I said, the people are gathering on the s.h.i.+p to shoot arrows at us as they approach the beach. I think they'll probably use that opportunity to reach the beach in one full sweep. Should we wait until the arrows reach us?」
「What are you going to do? Talking about the accurate distance of arrows, it's more or less 200 paces right!? If that's the case, they'll get here quickly at their current speed won't they?」
「Well, we'll manage somehow」
「Being nonchalant about it as usual」
「Haa, the way he's acting makes it seem like the fact that he's going to kill a lot of people from here on out seem to be a lie…… They're coming」

Several arrows. .h.i.t the sh.o.r.e but most of them sank into the water. However, that's more than enough for me to make the call.

「It's confirmed. They're attacking. We can now conclude that that s.h.i.+p is an enemy. Commence the attack!」

After saying that, I shot out a pretty large stone bullet to the s.h.i.+p's mainmast to break their propulsion system. Even though their speed dropped, they're still didn't stop due to the momentum they had so I produced a stone wall from the seabed to make a large hole in the keel. It also caused the s.h.i.+p to come to a complete stop so several people went overboard.

You're asking what kind of s.h.i.+p it is? How would I know! I'm just sure that it's not a yacht.

I just used a stone bullet instead of just setting the sails on fire since I thought we might be able to salvage the cloth and use it for something. Since it's already here, might as well make use of it.

It must have been because of the large amounts of seawater flowing into the hole at the keel but their s.h.i.+p started sinking. It finally came to a full stop once the waterline had already sunk about two meters deep.

「It looks like they're still about a hundred paces away from us. Oooh, they're swimming towards us. How persistent」
「Caam, you're still as ridiculous as usual, huh」
「Hm?」
「It's nothing」

There was a loud sound and when I turned to look, the mainmast looked like it was scratched by a dragon's claw. Then, after hearing a cracking sound, it slowly fell. I haven't seen a dragon before but I'm sure this would probably the kind of damage it would deal if it were to attack us. If I'm being honest, I still didn't know what happened.

After that, we felt an impact coming from the hull that was like we were pushed upward which caused us to fall forward. Some of them even fell to the sea. We would only receive an impact like this when we're being rammed by an enemy s.h.i.+p from the sides.

「We're being flooded by a large hole on the bottom of the s.h.i.+p!」
「What? Why!」

I asked the guys from inboard.

「We don't know! A huge stone slab suddenly popped out of the floor! Then, after a while, it disappeared and let water into the s.h.i.+p!」
「Oi oi oi oi oi oi! What's with that! We're going to sink!」
「It's fine since we're over shallow waters!」
「That's not what I mean you idiot! What are we going to do with this!?」
「It's fine if we just swim there and surround them with a bunch of guys, right?」
「That's it! Jump in the water you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! We can reach land if you just swim a little!」

『What a worthless captain I am right nowー.』
While thinking that, I also jumped into the sea.

「What should we do now?」
「Let's give them a warning for now. 『If you can hear me, if you don't try to cause harm to any of us then we won't treat you roughly okay~?』」
「Shut upー! I'm going to kill you s.h.i.+tty b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Just you wait!」
He said as he splashed around.
「I don't think they care about your warning……」
「Okay then. I guess that means the negotiations failed~」

Even though it's only a short distance, it's amazing how they can swim with all of their equipment on them.

「You were even threatened. What now?」
「Haa… Well, just leave it to me」
「They might listen to you if kill one as a warning. Granted, you'll have to kill one of them but I think that it can't be helped」
「We'll see」

I took a deep breath then shouted as loudly as I could.

「Listen up you guys! Anyone who takes even a step on this island with their weapon drawn will be killed! If you don't want that, come out of the water with your hands above your head then lie down on the sand! Got that?」
「Hou……」
「That's the best I can do」
「Well, considering that it's coming from Caam who's pretty naïve, that's good enough. Anyway, here they come」

「Uoooーーー! I won't be beaten by a weak Demon Lord! Die you s.h.i.+tty b.a.s.t.a.r.d!」

He was holding a short, single-edged sword which was probably made with battles on the s.h.i.+p's deck in mind. It looks like a cutla.s.s so I'll just call it that.

Since he was drenched, his clothes were slowing down his movements. That and the fact that sand isn't a stable surface to walk on meant that his sword slashes were easy to dodge. Because of that, I threw the crowbar at his feet to make him fall then hit the side of his head with the shovel. He stopped moving after that so hopefully, he's still alive.

「Okay! That just now was a 1 on 1 fight so I defeated him normally but if it turns into a free for all, I'll also use my magic. And if you decide to ignore me and start attacking the islanders, do know that I'm going to shoot a pretty devastating magic attack on your backs」

Well, it's just hot water or obsidian axes though.

「Who cares! Surround him!」

Were my threats and slightly forceful persuasion not enough? It won't be effective unless I actually show them, will it……? I really don't want to but I probably have to sacrifice one of them.

Because of that, I shot out a wind cutter at the left foot of the one who yelled the order and started charging at me. His leg flew off which caused him to fall onto the sand in pain.

「GIYAAAAー! IT HURTS! s.h.i.+t! What was that?!」
「My bad. I didn't intend to kill you but I had to use magic. I was just going to kill you at first, but it would be troublesome if it caused the others to fight recklessly to avenge you instead of being afraid so I decided to change my plans a bit」

Since they lost the merry atmosphere they previously had, I tried to say that in as low of a voice as I could to threaten them even more. I don't think I'll get used to this.

The guy who was shouting in pain in front of me noticed that his leg was missing so he frantically tore off his s.h.i.+rt and tied it around his thigh to stop the bleeding. He was also spreading around his blood on the sand so he pressed the extra cloth on the wound's opening.

「I didn't know what would be effective against those who don't fear death you see. That's why I decided to try instilling fear on to you guys first. How will you deal with fear I wonder? Well, you might die from bleeding out first though. Sorry about that, I guess I should rephrase my intentions. I want to show you guys the fear of the possibility that you might die」

After saying that, I shot out stone bullets at the guy's left arm so that the entire left side of his body would be useless. He was screaming and writhing in pain but n.o.body came to save him. I'm not really sure if the reason they can't move is actually fear, but now that he can't do anything about his wounds, he might really die. I was starting to feel a bit bad about what I'm doing but by doing this, the lives of the 50 islanders and the other pirates will be spared. I'd like to save the guy rolling around if we can as well though.

I guess I should try to negotiate with them first.

「Now then, let's talk. Your s.h.i.+p is now broken so you can't escape from here.
The palm trees and red flowers growing all over this island are like children to the demonkin I know so it doesn't matter if you run to the forest this since we can easily find you. If you run away, we'll make sure to find you and kill you. And even if we don't do that, bears, hornets and other ferocious monsters will. I've heard there are goblins here and you'll probably be able to find slimes around the swamps. However, we will spare you if you just behave and do as you're told. What do you think?」

「Please let us talk about it first」
「……I guess that's fine」

I really can't get used to doing something like this. I could still hear the guy who was rolling around by my feet l groaning so it seems like he's still alive but he had already fainted when I turned him over. It looks like the amount of blood coming from his wounds was starting to lessen but he might really die if we don't do something about that soon.

「s.h.i.+t. He was totally different from what we heard. What kind of fool would believe rumors of a kind Demon Lord! We're a bunch of idiots for trusting the stories of the people who came to this island」
「Even if he was kind, a Demon Lord is still a Demon Lord I guess」
「Right…… What are we going to do now?」
「Shut up. You guys were also excited about it, weren't you?」
「We thought it would be easy since the captain was saying all of that you know? And yet, something like that happened……」
「Are you saying it's my fault!?」
「Weren't you listening at all!? We just didn't say anything since we would get thrown to the sea if we oppose the captain!」
「You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!」
「Captain, what are we going to do now? Tony, who was the first one to get knocked out, was still moving a bit so he's still alive. As for Tom, it's already too late for his foot but he still can be saved so we should decide quickly」
「That's right!」
「Shut up! Just let those guys die! Or rather, we're still alive thanks to those guys so you should thank them for their sacrifice」
「Even if we run away, they'll eventually find us. Either that or we run into a bear or monsters and get killed anyway so I'm fine with listening to was the Demon Lord says so that we can live. We can also save those two if we do that. Nothing we can do about Tom's leg though」
「……I agree」

The people behind them also agreed.

「You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! You've got to be kidding me! Don't tell me you'll listen to me when things are good but turn on me when things go south!」
「Are you saying you can save all of us then? Our life is important for us after all. If you can then I'll follow you. If the captain wants to run away and kill himself though, please do it by yourself」
「You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! Don't f.u.c.k with me!」

Just as he was about to pull out his sword out of anger, he felt a force hit his hand causing his sword to go flying. They didn't know what happened but if they had to guess, they would probably say that it was magic.

「Hey, stop fighting. If you kill each other, the number of potential islanders that will become our precious labor force might decrease after all」

A few moments earlier

「Hmー. So they're discussing right now huh? We can hear what they're talking about with how loud they're talking though. Haa, I might have no choice but to kill them if they do decide to run away. What I should doー?」
「It would be better if they thought things out a bit, wouldn't it?」
「Yeah」
「Rightー. But I'm not that smart so I probably won't be able to convey my intentions properly」
「It did seem like you were forcing yourself to threaten then」
「That's true. Well, don't worry about it since you're probably the smartest one of us here」
「Understood. I just won't mind it! Also, I haven't really used that kind of voice before so my throat hurts. Ah, I really want to stop his bleeding soon or else that guy is going to die」
「Didn't we talk about killing one to set an example to the others……?」
「Well, that may be true but it just wouldn't sit right with me you know? If we can save them then we should」
「You're just a kind guy in a Demon Lord's body, aren't you?」
「I can't say I disagree」

「Don't f.u.c.k with me!」At that moment, we heard someone shout and when we turned to look, one of them was about to draw his sword so I shot a stone bullet at it.

c.r.a.p, that was close. Our potential precious workforce might diminish if they started killing each other, wouldn't it?

「That was close. Geezー」

What was that? This is starting to get really bothersome. It seems like they had a falling out since the captain was the only one who wanted to resist until the end while his subordinates, whose morale was already low, wanted to surrender. It's possible they would kill the captain then beg for their lives at this rate.

Oh, the captain collapsed from being hit. It would be bad for my potential laborers if he dies, wouldn't it?

「Oi! Stop! I still have some use for him alive. That guy will die if you try to do more than that you know?」
「But, we may get stabbed in the back if we don't kill the captain here」
「That's right. We'll be killed eventually if we don't kill here 」
「I see…… I have an idea so just leave that guy to me. For the guys who want to surrender, drop your weapons to the ground then form a line」

After saying that, everyone started putting their weapons down in succession.

「Everyone except for the captain, huh. It's good that you guys are unexpectedly reasonable. Well, you did make your captain faint first though」
「Our lives are more important after all!」
「I see. Can you guys look towards the ocean for a bit?」

After saying that, everyone looked towards the sea without complaining. It seems like they are more or less willing to follow my instructions.

While they weren't looking, I began was.h.i.+ng the Tom guy's wounds with a 【Water Ball】 then cured his foot by reattaching the bone, reconnecting the nerves, and regenerating the skin and flesh using 【Recovery Magic】. I also applied some 【Recovery Magic】 to the other guy's head just in case. I'm not really sure whether it was effective or not though.

「You can turn around now」
「Tom's leg is……!」
「I reattached his foot so you guys should explain the situation to him once he wakes up. I think he's going to have difficulty walking for a while though. Now then, I'm going to explain what will happen from now on so listen」

I told them about the current state of the island and what we're going to do from now on. I also told them about how we weren't able to build new houses until now since we had an overwhelming lack of craftsmen and skilled labor.

「Because of that, I want to ask if you have cooks or people who could repair your s.h.i.+p on board. If there are then I was thinking of having them build the houses and decrease the burden of the women in charge of cooking」
「We have people who can do that. I don't know if they can do anything other than simple maintenance and repairs though. Oi!」
「I am the one in charge of the repairs on the s.h.i.+p. My father was a carpenter and I was always at his workplace watching him as he worked when I was a child. I didn't get taught properly but if you're fine with that then I can do it」
「Alright. Having a bit of knowledge is better than none. I'll have you properly learn your job later though」
「Yes sir」
「Now, how about the cook?」
「They are civilians so they are waiting on the s.h.i.+p」
「I see. For the time being, let's retrieve the food and goods left on the s.h.i.+p. If the storehouse isn't anywhere near the submerged area then we don't have to hurry. However, if it is close to the flooded area then we should recover those immediately since it would be bad if those got wet, especially the foodstuff」
「The food storage is right next to the kitchen so it's probably fine. It's just that our loot is at the lowest part of the s.h.i.+p to help keep the s.h.i.+p's balance so it would be hard to recover those」
「You have that much treasure allocated that you need to worry about the s.h.i.+p's balance!? Well, that's fine. We'll be able to survive for a while as long as we recover the food. Let's just deal with the other stuff later. I'm sorry about this but we don't have a place for you to sleep so you'll have to go back to that half-sunken s.h.i.+p. Your s.h.i.+p has smaller boats right? You can just use that to ferry yourselves to and fro for now」
「「「Roger」」」
「Hmmー, I wonder if there's anything else I should say…… Ahー, you must be pretty good at fighting since you guys are pirates, right? If so then since you're going to be staying here, I'll leave it to you guys to defend this place when enemies appear. I'll also have you fight the monsters if they come out. That's why you should pick up the swords you threw away earlier and make sure you maintain them. Iron doesn't pair well with salt.w.a.ter right?

So, about the captain. I'm going to keep this guy in my custody so could you two please carry him and follow me?」
「「Roger!」」

We tied his hands up with a rope, put a cloth in his mouth, and covered his face with a bag then tied him to a palm tree that was far away from the children's playing area.

「Now, let's go back」
「Eh? Are we leaving him in this heat?」
「He'll die you know?」
「What are you saying when you guys were trying to kill him earlier? Are you feeling sympathy for him? Well, I guess that's understandable. He's your former captain after all. Anyway, let me know if you're interested in how I'm going to "reform" him. I'll show you exactly what I'll do」
「「Eh?」」
「If I don't break him like this, he may try to act like he has changed on the outside but we won't know what he's thinking on the inside after all. Well then, shall we go? Ahー, please tell the others to not let the children get too close to this place okay?」

「Welcome back」
「Ou. How was it?」
「We tied him to a palm tree with his head covered up. Palmsan will let me know when he wakes up. Okay, let's go and start the meeting with everyone then」

After saying that, I gathered everyone and explained to them what happened.

「Because of that, they've turned over a new leaf so I gave back these former pirates their weapons. Let me know immediately if they do anything bad since I'm going to punish them」
「Please introduce us as well」
「Ahー, I forgot. The one who just spoke is Palmsan who is a dryad in the form of a palm tree. The red flower next to her is Fleur-san who is an alraune. The palm trees and red flowers on this island are their family or something…… I'm not really sure about how that works but it seems like they can transfer their consciousness to similar-looking plants so if you think someone's watching you, it's probably them」
「Please treat us well okay?」「Nice to meet you」
「Hey, Caam-kun. That captain is awake now and he's going wild you know?」
「I've just been informed of the captain's current situation so I'll be going over there for a bit. The pirates still have to fetch their cook from their s.h.i.+p but I hope you get along with them. As for you guys, I hope you didn't forget what we talked about earlier…… 」

I said that of the former pirates with an intimidating smile.

「Y-yes sir!」

It's nice that they're being obedient.

「MMMー! MMMMNーーーー!」
「He sure is lively, isn't he?」
「Yeah」
「Hey, captain. You can hear me right?」
「MMMー!」
「It seems like you can. I guess I should remove the bag on your head so we can talk」

Once I untied the cloth by his neck that was holding the bag, I was greeted with a terrifying glare.

「Well then, for the time being, I'm going to remove the cloth on your mouth so please pay attention to your att.i.tude and how you talk okay?」

The moment I took the cloth out of his mouth, he spat at my face.

「I see that you don't want to talk. Shall we go back then? I have to cover him with the cloth again so please hold him down」

After saying that, I showed him how I poured the water I brought to the sand, put the cloth back in his mouth, and once again covered his head with the cloth bag.

「I'll see you again tomorrow」
「Are you not going to talk to him?」
「It would be impossible to do that while he's like this after all. It's sad how I just wasted the water I went through all the trouble to bring, isn't it?」

I let him hear me saying that on purpose before going back.

Three days later

There haven't been any particular troubles between the villagers and the pirates so far. I've been visiting the pirates' captain every day to try to talk with him but he just keeps shouting foul words at me so I continued to show him me dumping the water into the sand going back.

I was actually thinking of making him drink seawater but the former pirates begged me not to. Well, I guess I can understand. It would be risky to do that since he'll have to drink 3~4 times the more freshwater compared to the amount of seawater he drank.

However, I think he's reaching his limit soon. It's his third day without an adequate water intake after all.

「He looks completely exhausted, doesn't he?」
「Well, he hasn't drunk or ate anything for a while now after all. It's also a bit hotter today. He would probably be able to survive for 30 days without food if he just had water though. Without water, I'd give him 3 days at best」

While saying that, I took off the cloth bag on his head. He was just staring at us blankly, his lips were dry, and he doesn't look like he could even recognize his former subordinates.

「Water……」
「I don't mind giving you some but do you promise not to cause trouble for me and the other islanders?」
「Water……」
「Ahー I don't think he can understand what's happening right now. Anyway, do you swear?」

I once again showed him the water I brought.

「Ah…… aaa……」

It was a dull reaction so I dumped it again to the ground.

「………aa」

Seeing me do that, he just hung his head down and looked like he had given up on life.

「Hmmー was that too much?」

I felt bad for him so I made him drink water with sugar and salt mixed into it then had him carried away to a shaded area. After that, I made ice with magic and applied it on his neck, on the soles of his feet, under his armpits, and between his legs by his crotch.

After a while, he had regained his consciousness so I silently approached, and sat in front of him.

「Can you understand what I'm saying?」

He feebly nodded his head.

「This is your final chance. Choose, do what I say and live or die like this. Nod your head twice if you want to live or you can shake your head if you prefer to die」

He nodded two times after I said that.

「I see. For the time being, you'll constantly be monitored and will be working beneath everybody else so make sure you remember that. You should also be prepared to die a painful death if you cause any kind of problem. I'm going to get you some food now so stay here and wait」

I brought him some coconut juice and bread soaked in hot water with a bit of salt.

「You might hurt your stomach since haven't eaten anything for several days so just bear it for now if you think it's not enough」

After saying that, I removed the rope on his hands and moved them slowly to loosen the stiffened joints. Then, I took a spoon and slowly brought the food to his mouth. Once I confirmed that he had swallowed it, I repeated that until he finished all of it.

Well, I do think we'll be able to use him somehow. He can be the negotiator if pirates come to bother us again for example.

I'll let him rest for tomorrow so that he can regain his strength. Since he's weak, we should just feed him softer food for now. We should also make sure that he doesn't have any hidden weapons.

~Idle Talk~
The sailor's conversation

「That Demon Lord was pretty nasty, wasn't he?」
「How come?」
「It's about how he dealt with the captain. The Demon Lord would visit him daily to talk but the captain just continued to resist and say all sorts of things to him. Because of that, the Demon Lord would just show the captain how he sprinkled the water all over the sand, put back the cloth bag over his head, then left him there till the next day without contact with anybody. He only gave him a chance to talk once」
「Ou」
「Yeah. The captain slowly got weaker because of that but the Demon Lord just kept pouring the water he had brought in front of the captain's eyes」
「How cruel」
「Then today, when the captain was at his limit and was desperately begging for water, the Demon Lord murmured how the captain's reaction was kinda dull then started showing him how he poured the water to the ground again」
「What happened after that?」
「The captain fainted because of shock. I thought that he wasn't going to make it until morning you know? Seeing that, the Demon Lord forcibly made the captain drink and started nursing him. In the end, I've already gotten used to following the captain's orders, but not sure how I should treat him from now on」
「Why? We weren't treated badly and we still have our weapons so wouldn't it be fine?」
「He's going to be constantly monitored and will be in a lower standing than us after all」
「Really? He's going to be in a lower position than us? I'm kinda interested about that so let's start working in places where we can see how the captain is doing」
「Yeah」

「And since he'll have a lower status than you guys, it's natural that he won't be allowed to have weapons. Even so, don't overwork, ignore, bully, and try to kill him! Also, since he's still weak, I'm going to let him rest for today. That's all. Go ahead, apologize to everyone」
「Everyone, please forgive me for my inexcusable behavior」

「He's treating him a lot better than I expected. Also, that's the first time I've heard him talk like that」
「Ah, that's right. It's also kinda true that the Demon Lord is kind. I guess naïve would probably be the better word to describe him」
「That's true」