Chapter 155: When a Teammate Suddenly Appears
"Well, I really got lucky this time. I thought for sure I was going to sink into the sea for good."
Himiko said this with a smile.
While the ship was making its way back, Ethan had discovered Himiko unconscious, drifting on the surface of the sea, and promptly rescued her.
"Many thanks to all you noble benefactors for lending a hand. I narrowly escaped disaster this time—I'm truly, truly grateful!!!"
Xu Fu repeatedly bowed in thanks to Himiko and Draco, who stood in front of her, then scooted over to stand closer to Ethan.
"I must say, it was all thanks to the Envoy. If I ever get the chance to meet King Qin Shi Huang in the future, I'll be sure to speak highly of you before His Majesty."
"Oh?"
Ethan laughed.
"So you're planning to return to the Qin Kingdom to meet Qin Shi Huang?"
"…Ahaha… Envoy, you're quite the joker. I haven't even found the Elixir of Immortality yet. How could I give up halfway?"
Xu Fu laughed awkwardly, trying to dodge the question.
"Right, that brawny fellow isn't around, is he?"
"You mean Heracles? He's watching over Caster."
Ethan pointed toward the staircase leading down to the lower deck, which had now become a large hole.
"Uh… if possible… Envoy… could you please treat this ship with a bit more care…"
Xu Fu looked on the verge of tears.
"It's already half-ruined. What does it matter now? Are you certain just returning to that village will be enough to repair this ship?"
"Of course! This ship carries the most elite craftsmen of Qin and countless veteran shipbuilders. If this were an ordinary ship, it would've been shattered long ago."
Xu Fu regained some confidence, her tone now a bit smug.
"Really now? Then how come you still haven't found the Elixir, huh."
"————?!"
Ethan's jab made Xu Fu look like she was about to cry again.
"Envoy, p-please… don't bring that up again..."
...
...
"And yet you still wanted to spare that weak magus's life—what the hell were you thinking?!"
Draco crossed her arms, her expression full of displeasure as she looked at Ethan.
She had now completely reverted from her dragon form, returning to her petite frame.
"She can't resist anymore anyway, right? Besides, we hardly have any intel on this era, we've lost contact with Chaldea, and we don't even know where Mash and the others are."
"Fine. I don't care about such trivial matters, but you—how dare you summon that demi-god Heroic Spirit!!!"
Draco stepped closer, staring straight into Ethan's eyes, her face completely devoid of a smile.
"Care to explain yourself, Master of mine?!"
"Ah, about that…"
Ethan scratched his head.
"Let me defend—no wait, explain myself. What really happened back then was…"
Before he could finish, Draco suddenly sensed something and turned sharply to look toward the sea on the starboard side.
In the distance, a ship appeared to be approaching.
"Hey, are those your subordinates?" Draco asked Xu Fu immediately.
"Subordinates? My subordinates were all eaten by sea monsters ages ago. What subordinates?! W-wait! That ship's getting closer… Don't tell me—it's those legendary pirates?!"
"————?!"
Hearing Xu Fu say that, Ethan also turned his eyes toward the sea.
A massive three-masted sailing ship was charging toward them at high speed?!
Damn it, don't tell me it really is pirates?
...
Below deck, what used to be Xu Fu's private room was now being used to detain Medea.
"Hmph, I can't believe you responded to the summoning. It's because I summoned Hydra, isn't it?"
Wounded, Medea sat on the floor, looking up at the towering Heracles.
"Don't tell me you bought into that boy's nonsense too? He's the one who made a pact with a Beast! Why are you still obeying his orders?!"
She tried to reason with the towering man standing before her.
"I once, in madness, killed my own children with my own hands… So at the very least, I want to see everything with my own eyes. I want to confirm it all."
Faced with Medea, Heracles spoke those words.
"I see… so you and I are both wretched souls… ever since we boarded that man's ship."
Medea's face suddenly turned furious.
"That 'man'—I will never allow him to live in peace. No matter what era, I will never forgive him!!! Cough cough!!!"
Grievously wounded and now agitated, Medea coughed up a large amount of blood.
"Do you need treatment?"
Heracles asked upon seeing her condition.
"Don't insult me!!! Heracles, I'm not so weak that I need handouts from an enemy. 'Shared interests'—what does that brat know about my pain!!! Cough cough cough!!!"
Medea clung to the wall, coughing relentlessly.
"Cough cough… But it won't be long before this world collapses too… because the 'me' over there exists as well. Still, it's a shame… that I won't be the one to kill him myself."
Just as Heracles was about to respond, he suddenly sensed something speeding toward them at breakneck velocity!!!
"BOOM——————————!!!"
A deafening explosion rocked the ship—something had slammed into its side!
A massive iron hook tore through the hull, embedding deep into the ship's inner walls.
The craftsmen sheltering on the second and third decks screamed in terror.
The ship's planks groaned with haunting creaks, dragged by an uncontrollable force.
Even with all their might, the shipwrights couldn't free the vessel from the grip of the hook.
Realizing something was wrong, Heracles immediately looked toward Medea beside him.
"Are those your allies?!"
"Allies?"
Medea gave a faint smile.
"If mere verbal alliances count, then… sure, let's call them that."
At that moment, a voice rang out from afar:
"Listen up, you lot over there! This is the Golden Hind! Hand over all your treasure now! As long as you do that, we won't hurt you!!!"
The booming voice came from the three-masted ship.
"P-p-p-pirates!!!"
Xu Fu turned pale with fear and immediately hid behind Ethan.
"Envoy, q-quick, do something!!!"
"You're a Servant, aren't you? Why is it always me who has to come up with something…"
Ethan was at a loss and turned to Draco.
"…Another bunch of boring idiots crawling out of nowhere."
Draco muttered in annoyance, raising her right hand, ready to use her harpoon gun to forcibly drag the enemy ship toward them.
But before she could act, an arrow suddenly shot out from their own ship's hold, cleanly severing the rope that had connected the two vessels!!!
Their ship, now free, surged forward at full speed and began to escape!!!
"Don't let the prey get away! You lot!!!"
Immediately afterward, the cannons aboard the Golden Hind aimed at them.
"We just need to scare them a bit—open fire!!!"
"Boom, boom, boom——————————!!"
A barrage of cannonballs struck the waters around their ship, causing the already-rocking vessel to sway even more violently from the shockwaves.
At that moment, a towering figure appeared on the deck, once again gripping a massive bow.
"Heracles?! Why are you here?!"
Ethan called out immediately.
"Where's Medea?!"
"If she dares flee, I won't forgive her."
Heracles then drew his great bow taut, placing upon it an arrow made from the tail feathers of the Stymphalian birds.
The muscles in his arms rippled, surging with intense magical energy.
"Whoosh————————————!!!"
The arrow screamed through the air toward the Golden Hind!!!
It initially flew straight, but at the precise moment it reached the broadside of the enemy ship, it veered sharply—nearly a 90-degree turn—piercing straight through six cannons that had just fired!!!
The struck cannons malfunctioned, causing their shots to detonate inside the barrels!!!
"Boom, boom, boom————!!!"
Explosions erupted across the Golden Hind.
Heracles nocked another arrow, this time aiming straight at the main cannon at the ship's prow.
"Whoosh————————!!"
The sharp arrow hurtled straight toward the enemy's main weapon without the slightest deviation!
It was clear: Heracles intended to destroy their primary firepower first.
Just as the arrow was about to hit the cannon—a familiar shield suddenly appeared at the ship's bow?!
"CLANG————————————!!!"
The shield blocked Heracles's arrow.
But the power behind it was monstrous—it drove the shield back inch by inch.
Just as it seemed about to give way, a sudden burst of black flame erupted in front of it, as if from nowhere!!!
Thanks to the combined defense of the shield and the black flame, the arrow was finally stopped.
Seeing his attack blocked, Heracles raised his bow again, preparing to fire a third shot.
"Wait!!!"
Ethan immediately shouted to stop Heracles.
"Why?"
The giant Heracles bent down to look at Ethan, asking in confusion.
"Our allies are on that ship!"
"Allies…"
Heracles repeated the word, deep in thought, then slowly lowered his bow.
"Listen carefully, you no longer have the capability to attack. Our ship carries countless experts from every field."
Due to the stark difference in speed between the two ships, the Golden Hind was rapidly closing in, and the people on board gradually came into clear view.
At the bow, a woman dressed extravagantly with a pirate hat shouted provocatively toward them.
"I'll say it again: as long as you hand over anything valuable, we won't hurt anyone! We're only here to rob your treasure!!!"
"Drake-san! I really think this is wrong!!!"
Suddenly, a pink-haired girl appeared in sight, trying to stop the woman in the pirate hat.
"Ha! You're still saying that at this point? Pillaging is a pirate's instinct! We've already said we only want the treasure. If we return to Pirate Island empty-handed, we'll be a laughingstock!"
"Even so, this is still wrong!!!"
The pink-haired girl kept trying to stop her.
"Fine, fine, I get it. Rookies need more time to adapt. So then—hey, you in the black armor, it's your turn!"
"Huh?! Why me?!"
A girl in black armor responded irritably.
"We clearly said we just wanted to hitch a ride to find someone, and I even blocked an attack for you just now, didn't I? Without me, this ship would've been sunk already!"
"The Golden Hind isn't that easy to sink! But seriously, every damn rookie's useless… In the end, I always have to do everything myself! All of you!!! Prepare for pillaging!!!"
As her shout ended, the pirate-clad sailors on the deck raised a cheer in response.
"Seize the spoils~~~?"
"Drink to our heart's content~~~?"
Watching the opposing sailors cheer while preparing to lay planks to board their ship—
Mash was still trying her best to stop them from acting rashly when suddenly a familiar voice called out from afar.
"Mash?!"
Mash instantly reacted and turned around—there was Ethan, waving at her from the rocking ship.
"Sen… Senpai!!!"
Mash was so overwhelmed she could barely believe her eyes, nearly rendered speechless.
"Jeanne Alter-san! Senpai is on the other ship!!!"
Mash immediately shared the good news with Jeanne Alter standing beside her.
"————————?!"
Jeanne Alter instantly widened her eyes, looking toward that side—sure enough, she saw Ethan waving at her.
"You…!!!"
At that moment, she smiled brightly—but the moment she saw Draco standing next to Ethan, that smile instantly vanished, replaced by a terrifying expression.
"So that's how it is… While we were looking for you… you were with that Beast…!!!"
Jeanne Alter's entire body instantly erupted in a powerful black surge of magical energy.
"Jeanne Alter…-san?!"
Mash cautiously called out.
"Hehehe… Seems like you're just begging to be set on fire, huh? Just seeing your face pisses me off!!!"
The evil dragon flag in Jeanne Alter's hand ignited with black flames, which swept across the deck. In an instant, the entire front half of the Golden Hind was engulfed in thick black smoke!!!
"Help, fire!!!"
"Put out the flames first!!!"
Several sailors panicked, scooping seawater to extinguish the black fire—only to find that the more they poured, the stronger the flames burned!
"Ahhh, it's too hot!!!"
"Big sis! This fire can't be extinguished!!!"
"This is bad! The fire's too big!!!"
The pirate-hatted woman immediately shouted:
"What are you all panicking for?! Think of another way, quick!!!"
Right then, a figure leaped high from the battered ship and landed directly on the Golden Hind.
"So you're the one trying to hurt everyone?"
Himiko, with twin-tied hair, clenched her fists tightly, standing firm on the deck of the Golden Hind.
"So what if I am?"
The woman in the pirate hat drew two flintlock pistols.
"Then allow me to show you the power of the First Queen!!!"