I’m a Bastard But You’re Worse! - Volume 3

Chapter 16 – Foreboding Smoke

A blast roared in the distance.

“Hm? Gunpowder?”

“Waah! What’s going on, master!?”

The noise, not too dissimilar from distant thunder, made me frown. It was the noise of an explosion caused by gunpowder, something I had heard many times at Fort Bryden.

Taken by surprise, Sue was clinging to me. I patted her head to calm her down, while looking in the direction of the explosion.

The noise came from the port’s direction.

A column of black smoke was rising towards the clear blue sky. The sea winds carried the pungent smell of gunpowder to our nostrils.

“This is the smell of trouble…we can’t even have time for some sightseeing?”

“Trouble again, Lord Dyngir?”

As if to reply to my grumbling, a young girl in a maid outfit emerged from behind a tree.

Sakuya had apparently been following us: her glare was now directed at Sue, who was still sticking to me.

“Sakuya? Since when were you here?”

“Since the middle of your date. Is there a problem?”

“I thought I gave you work to do. The investigation of the Lion Kingdom.”

“The Fangs of Steel I called from the Maxwell province are taking care of it. In any case…”

Sakuya peered at the column of black smoke.

We could hear screams from the direction of the explosion, and they were getting progressively louder. We were rather far from the main street, but the commotion could be heard all the way here.

“The moment Lord Dyngir arrives, trouble starts brewing…”

“Enough twisting the knife in the wound, all right? I’m starting to wonder if it’s really my fault here. Anyway, I’ve decided: as soon as this matter is dealt with, I’m going to the sanctuary to order a purification.”

I really started thinking someone put a curse on me.

The moment after I stated my decision, another blast was heard from the port.

One blast.

Two blasts.

Three blasts.

Three blasts, in rapid succession. I shook my head and sighed.

“Well then…how should we move here…”

“First of all, I believe that you should distance yourself from that mosqui…ahem, from Miss Sue.”

“Waaaah!?”

Sakuya grabbed Sue’s arms and pulled her away from me, despite the latter’s shrieks.

～

Meanwhile, near the Brutos coastline…

Another explosion shook the air, blowing away nearby buildings and the ships anchored into port.

Fragments of wood, stone and bricks scattered everywhere. A pillar toppled, threatening to crush the people underneath.

“Aaaaahh!! Someone help!!”

“Gh…gah…hel…p..”

“My ship!! NOOO!!”

“What the hell is going on here!?”

Randy, captain of the Brutos security corps, cursed loudly, his face contorted in a grimace.

He forcefully moved the collapsed wood and rescued the people trapped under it.

His subordinates were also helping the wounded and leading the citizens to safety.

“Captain!! Look at this!!”

“This is…an iron ball?”

A black sphere made of iron had crashed through the side of a storehouse. It was warm to the touch, as if it had been roasted over fire.

Its origin was still unknown, but there was no doubt that the iron sphere was the cause of the destruction in the port.

“There!! Those ships did it!!”

A young security guard pointed towards the sea, towards a group of about 10 pirate ships moored in the bay, and the pillars of black smoke rising from them.

“The iron spheres were shot by those ships! That flag is…”

“The Lion King Crew!!”

Randy clenched his teeth.

On the ships’ mast flew a bright red lion, the national emblem of the infamous pirate country Lion Kingdom, as well as the flag of its own band of pirates, the Lion King crew.

“Damn pirates…! Why would they attack this town!?”

Randy knew that in recent years, the Lion King crew was expanding its influence and had razed several countries. He would have never expected, however, for them to attack the Kingdom of Sapphire, the greatest trading country of the Southern Archipelago, without even a declaration of war.

“GWAAAAHHH!!”

Another column of black smoke rose from the pirate fleet, as another side of the port was bombarded. One of Randy’s subordinates, caught in the explosion, was blown to pieces and sank into the sea, creating a puddle of red blood on the surface.

“DAMN YOUUUU!! PIRATES!!! COME DOWN AND FACE ME IN COMBAT!!!”

Randy roared towards the sea, tossing his trusted lance to the ground.

He was the most skilled lance user of the security corps, but could do little against an enemy out of his weapon’s reach.

The town where he was born and raised was being destroyed before his eyes.

The people he swore to protect were screaming in pain.

Despite all this, the young captain was powerless. His heart, tortured by anger and grief.

“Captain!! Watch out!!”

A shadow towered over the screaming Randy, as another pillar collapsed. Before he could react, the pillar slammed the ground, hiding everything in a cloud of dust.