“You confirmed it?” Aquaz asked, looking at Ketal. “Yes.” Ketal nodded in response to her question. “The pirates have indeed settled down and are living within the territory.” The buildings across the main road from where they'd stood earlier had felt out of place. They were dirtier than the surrounding structures, and the people there seemed rougher. It made perfect sense now. The residents weren't ordinary citizens; they were pirates. “Judging by the fact they’ve even constructed buildings, they must have been here for more than a year or two. Hardly living up to the name pirate anymore.” “Is that so...” Aquaz ground her teeth, her conviction solidifying. This estate was unquestionably colluding with pirates. Her face etched with dismay, she spoke, her voice trembling slightly. “How could you, Lord Bulkan? You are charged with protecting this city and upholding its laws but instead, you welcome pirates and engage in dealings with them... This is utterly unacceptable.” She delivered her judgement sharply. “I will expose your sins completely. I will summon the adjudicator of the Sun God. You will receive punishment befitting your crimes.” “No!” Lord Bulkan cried out, his face a mask of desperation and perceived injustice. “His Majesty the King permitted this! It’s all been approved! Just as you said earlier, it’s not really a problem!” “The king permitted it?! That’s impossible!” Aquaz vehemently dismissed the lord’s excuse. Just then, Ketal’s voice interjected calmly, “Is it? I think it’s quite possible.” “W-what?” Aquaz’s expression faltered at the unexpected remark. The lord’s eyes widened as well, clearly not having anticipated the barbarian seemingly coming to his defense. “What do you mean by that?” Aquaz asked Ketal. “I don’t think it’s an impossible scenario,” Ketal stated leisurely, turning his gaze to the Lord. “Dorban Bulkan, was it? Let me ask you this: among the estates situated along the coast, how many engage in dealings with pirates?” “Quite a few. It’s rare to find a coastal city that doesn’t,” the lord answered quickly. Ketal smiled. “Just as I thought.” “That’s nonsense!” Aquaz sharply refuted. “How could estates possibly collude with pirates?! Ketal, do you actually believe this excuse?” “I don’t see any particular reason not to believe it.” Aquaz’s eyes narrowed. Ketal was siding with the lord. He was defending an undeniable pact with evil. “Ketal, are you defending evil?” Her gaze turned icy, pinning him, and the atmosphere chilled instantly. The look Aquaz gave Ketal was that of an inquisitor judging heresy. What is happening?! Baker screamed internally, caught in the crossfire. He thought this would just be about scolding the lord, but Ketal had suddenly jumped in and twisted the situation entirely. He anxiously prayed Ketal would back down. “Now that’s the face of an inquisitor. First time it’s been directed at me,” Ketal remarked, appearing genuinely amused rather than intimidated by Aquaz’s reaction. “I’m not defending the lord. I’m merely stating facts. If you doubt it so much, why not use the power of the Sun God to ask him directly?” “Very well. Lord Bulkan, I ask you now. Beneath the light of the Great Sun, all shadows are banished, and only truth remains. Are your words true?” It was the law of the Sun God. He could not lie; only truth could pass his lips. Aquaz fully expected his answer to contradict everything he had claimed so far. However, when the lord opened his mouth, her conviction shattered. “Yes, it’s true. Most coastal cities trade with pirates. The estates that don’t are extremely few.” “Huh...?” Aquaz said, confused. The tense atmosphere broke abruptly. Bewilderment flooded her face. “Estates trade with pirates?” Baker echoed incredulously, looking equally confused. “N-no. That can’t be right,” Aquaz denied, but her voice lacked its earlier force. Having invoked the Sun God’s law, the lord could not lie. His words were the truth. “But... why?” Just as Lord Bulkan opened his mouth to answer, Ketal spoke first. “The reason is simple. The sea is vast, and within that vastness exist countless pirates. Nations try to control them, naturally, but it’s incredibly difficult.” It wasn't like land, where soldiers could be readily deployed. Policing the sea required assembling a navy first, but finding crews willing to spend months at sea was challenging. Resupplying at sea was difficult, necessitating large initial stores of food and water, which inevitably degraded in quality. Unpredictable environmental factors like rough waves and the sheer emptiness of the open ocean were countless. Furthermore, if pirates crossed into another nation’s waters, they couldn’t be touched. Effectively, perfect control of the seas was nearly impossible for any single nation. “Conversely, it’s not so difficult for the pirates,” Ketal continued. Living their lives at sea, pirates were expert navigators. While they didn't benefit from the law's protection, they also weren't bound by its restrictions. They resupplied through plunder and could simply flee into foreign waters if pursued. Even modern nations back on Earth struggled with piracy; it was practically a given in a medieval setting of this fantasy world. “However, simply not using the sea isn’t an option either,” Ketal continued. Sea routes were the most cost-effective means of transport. The benefits far outweighed the risks of piracy, even if those risks couldn't be ignored entirely, creating a major headache for coastal nations. Aquaz, who had been about to object, fell silent, listening quietly to Ketal’s explanation. “Well, that’s not to say pirates live entirely peaceful lives either,” Ketal added. Their existence was fundamentally precarious. A failed raid could mean starving to death at sea. Even successful plunder, like gold or jewels, couldn't easily be spent while aboard a ship. Therefore, they needed a way to offload their stolen cargo. “So, who do you think they sell it to?” “...Coastal cities,” Aquaz murmured. Ketal nodded. “Exactly. Pirates sell the cargo plundered from merchant ships to merchants in the nearest cities.” From the merchant’s perspective, there was little reason to refuse. They could acquire large quantities of goods at drastically reduced prices. Refusing such a deal would practically disqualify them as merchants. Aquaz wanted to argue that if she were in the merchants’ shoes, she would decline—that she would capture the pirates on the spot and see them punished. However, she wasn’t naive; she knew most merchants would turn a blind eye and accept the deal. “But... those are stolen goods,” Aquaz protested, though her voice had lost its earlier conviction. Ketal replied calmly, “The moment they enter a merchant’s hands, they become goods he has legitimately purchased.” It was a form of laundering. And those goods, in turn, brought vitality to the city’s economy. This strange, symbiotic relationship was likely ancient, probably dating back to the very dawn of piracy. Ketal turned to the lord. “Is that correct?” “Just as I thought.” Ketal chuckled, thoroughly enjoying himself. He possessed knowledge of Earth’s history, including the fact that pirates frequently colluded with coastal cities and engaged in extensive trade in the past. For him, deducing this was relatively simple. For the lord, however, it was anything but. H-how does a barbarian know all this so perfectly? Lord Bulkan thought. The current relationship between pirates and estates was the result of numerous conflicts and evolving dynamics. It wasn't ancient history; it was an ongoing reality. Being relatively recent, it certainly wasn't documented in any publicly available books. Even if such records existed, they wouldn't be accessible to the average person. In essence, unless one lived in a coastal city, understanding why this relationship existed was impossible. Indeed, both the Mage Tower mage and the inquisitor of the Sun God only seemed to grasp the situation after hearing Ketal’s explanation. It wasn't that they were foolish, but rather that the local circumstances were hard to comprehend without knowing the full context. Yet, this barbarian understood it perfectly—perhaps even better than the lord himself, who governed this coastal city. What in the world is this man? The lord stared at Ketal in disbelief. After a long silence, Aquaz finally spoke. “I understand.” She grasped the logic: merchants in estates trading with pirates for goods, which then circulated locally. It was difficult to accept, but she understood now that such practices were widespread. “However, even so, this estate is a separate issue,” Aquaz continued. In Bulkan territory, the pirates hadn’t just traded; they had built structures and established a permanent base. This went far beyond simple commerce. “That’s not particularly surprising either. It’s a continuation of mutual interests,” Ketal countered. Pirates likely had established territories or routes, meaning cities would repeatedly encounter the same crews. Continuous dealings would inevitably lead to familiarity, perhaps even friendships. Pirates might occasionally spare a merchant’s ship simply because they recognized the owner. As such incidents repeated, both pirates and merchants might arrive at the same idea: strike a deal. The pirates would agree not to attack the merchant’s ships, perhaps even offer protection, and in return, would sell their plundered goods exclusively to that merchant. A perfect symbiotic relationship would be formed. Once that would happen, the estate itself has little reason not to condone it. With the pirates effectively on their side, providing them shelter, housing, and supplies would become logical. “Is that really possible?” Baker looked bewildered. The logic seemed plausible, yet the idea of an estate and pirates colluding so openly was still difficult to grasp. “It’s not that difficult. There are probably pirates who have received titles from the kingdom.” Baker’s eyes widened. “P-pirates receive titles?” “Yes. That’s correct,” the lord quickly confirmed. “Not here, but in the kingdom across the sea, it’s said they granted a title to a pirate who made significant donations, even giving him governorship of the city he frequented. I believe he still rules there today.” “Oh? Is that so?” Ketal looked intrigued. He knew that during Earth's history, particularly the age of the British Empire, pirates had received titles, often as privateers. He’d wondered if something similar existed here, and apparently, it did. People are the same everywhere, aren't they? Ketal mused. He felt a surge of enjoyment. He loved fantasy, but he also loved Earth's history. It felt like standing right in the middle of a historical parallel. Meanwhile, Lord Bulkan was simply dumbstruck. How did he know that too?Is this guy really a barbarian? Could he actually be a kingdom official disguised as a barbarian, conducting an inspection tour? Ketal possessed an unbelievable amount of information. “Well... it seems this estate is in a similar situation,” Ketal concluded. “Since you mentioned the kingdom was involved, it sounds like the state itself permitted it.” “Y-yes, that’s right,” the lord replied, looking utterly drained. Aquaz had remained silent. After a long pause, she spoke, her voice trembling, “The nation itself... conspired with pirates?” “It’s not particularly special. It’s a kind of gray area. Such situations exist even outside of piracy,” Ketal said. Employing criminals with useful skills to handle dirty work, or recruiting capable war criminals and sending them to fight on dangerous frontiers—countless examples existed. Ketal's words struck Aquaz with fresh shock. “H-how can such things be...?” “What? You didn’t know any of this?” “N-No, I didn’t know about things like that,” Aquaz replied. Until now, she had only ever acted according to her church’s commands. And the Church of the Sun God had never exposed her to such gray areas. As a highly anticipated rising star, the church had judged it unnecessary to burden her with the world’s moral complexities and risk causing confusion. “I see.” Realizing this, Ketal gave a strange, knowing smile. So, the religious orders here also control the information given to their followers, Ketal noted. That, too, wasn’t so different from Earth. Ketal felt increasingly entertained. Aquaz remained silent, seemingly reeling from the shock. After a moment, she finally managed to speak. “But... it is evil.” “Ambiguous evil,” Ketal corrected. “It is not ambiguous. Even if most cities do it, even if the nation permits it, evil is still evil.” She was an inquisitor of the Sun God. Her duty was to erase the domains of darkness where the sun did not reach. “Nothing has changed about what I must do.” The lord’s face, which had begun to relax with relief, slowly hardened again. “I... will not back down,” Aquaz declared, steeling herself. “Evil is simply evil.” This conviction was the culmination of her entire upbringing, her values, the education she received, her deeds as an inquisitor—the answer derived from everything she was. She firmly armed her heart with resolve. “I see,” Ketal nodded. “Then that means you are prepared to accept the destruction of this estate.” And just like that, Ketal’s words shattered her newly fortified resolve. “What? The destruction of the estate? Why are you suddenly saying such a thing?” “Didn’t I say I went to check?” Ketal remarked. Her reaction is exactly as expected. Aquaz’s response was precisely what Ketal had anticipated. It felt somewhat amusing, like being a character in a novel. What Ketal had gone to confirm wasn't why the lord and the pirates colluded; he had already deduced that without needing specific investigation. What he had investigated was the history of this particular estate.