Chapter 7

Chapter 7 : Difficulty A Quest

“Are you saying you want me to deliver this to your wife in the royal capital...?”

―That is right. To be precise, my former wife. I am dead now, after all.

“Ah... I-I see....”

―Why? Are you disappointed because it is too simple? If you want another request, I can change it for you. A capable talent like you could be placed directly into my personal guard. Serve as an undead for about 200 years, and I will allow you to enter eternal rest.

“N-No, thank you. I must decline....”

I hurriedly bowed my head.

The reason Orgilian had called me aside was not difficult.

It was a simple mission: all I had to do was deliver a letter he had written to his former wife, who lived in the royal capital.

It was such an easy mission that all the answers I had prepared in anticipation of every possible question before facing Orgilian felt like wasted effort.

At the same time, a blue window appeared in my vision.

[Quest Triggered!]

｢The legendary knight Orgilian of the Teutonic Order became an undead after being attacked by a Lich during an expedition to subjugate the heretics of the Iberica Peninsula.｣

｢To settle the lingering regret he carries, deliver his letter to his former wife in the royal capital.｣

｢Reward: ???｣

[Difficulty A]

‘...Wait.’

I had been about to accept the quest without much thought, but I flinched when I saw the final paragraph.

This was just a mission to deliver a letter, yet the difficulty was A?

‘What in the world is he plotting...? ’

I looked at the Death Knight with suspicious eyes.

In Velheim, Difficulty A quests usually appeared only from high levels onward, and the reality was that newbies could hardly even see them.

Under normal circumstances, it would not be strange to die several times during a quest like this.

Just how many difficult obstacles were hidden inside it for the difficulty to be A?

―What is the matter, human? Surely you are not thinking of refusing my request?

“H-How could that be...? I will gladly accept it. Haha....”

The high difficulty bothered me, but refusing was not an option.

If I did not accept the quest, the Death Knight before my eyes would surely turn me into fish food with his own hands!

When I bowed deeply and accepted the mission, Orgilian stroked the gold coins piled on the table with satisfaction and spoke.

―Good. I am grateful. You truly are an interesting fellow... I have a feeling you will do well. Ah, and from what I hear, some mad human on your ship led a unit while throwing his arms around Skeletons’ shoulders. Do you know who that was?

“I-I am not sure....”

―Hmm... Is that so? I wanted to see the face of the man whose liver had crawled so far out of his belly, but that is a shame. ...In that case, leave this place at once without delay. Discontent was just about to start bursting out among my subordinates.

When I looked out the window he pointed at, I saw undead staring in this direction with greedy eyes.

I quickly bowed to Orgilian, then left his cabin.

The sky over the blackened, boundless sea was still covered with gloomy sea fog and the energy of death, but my heart felt lighter.

Before leaving the fleet, I looked around at the Ghost Ships, immersed in the lingering feeling, and from them came the eerie song of undead as they pulled ropes and resumed sailing.

‘...A song?’

When I listened closely, a solemn melody that seemed as though it should have come from a cathedral drifted over the countless sailing ships lined up in formation.

Yo-ho... Yo-ho....

All of you, raise... the sails....

We are beggars, vagrants, informers.

Listen, you corrupt nobles.

Yo-ho... Yo-ho....

All of you, pull... the ropes....

We are slaves, criminals, smugglers.

Listen, you old and ailing king.

.......

｢You have heard the undead hymn [Introduction] [Sea]!｣

｢The unity of the undead increases.｣

｢The fighting spirit of the undead rises, and their will to fight boils over!｣

｢If you unravel the mystery woven into the song, you will be able to obtain a great reward!｣

‘This... was a hymn?’

It was something I had never known, even after playing the game for ten years.

I was surprised that the song sung by the undead had a proper structure.

Until now, I had thought it was the sound of the sea breeze passing between the Skeletons’ ribs, or just mumbling that the creatures let out as they pleased.

Had I acquired the language of the undead thanks to transforming into a Skeleton once?

“Just how many Hidden Pieces does this game have...?”

Even for me, who had once risen to the position of a top-ranked player, so many things were new. How much worse must it have been for other players?

If I had discovered all these hidden details, could I have become stronger?

Perhaps I could become even stronger than I had been when I played the game, and maybe even clear this world.

When I found myself becoming excited over a fact I had never known before, I smiled self-mockingly.

It was true. I really loved the world of Velheim.

In a way, that was why I had come to this world in the first place.

“Yo-ho... Yo-ho... All of you, raise the sails....”

I hummed the undead song as I headed toward the Barba.

***

“L-Land! I see land!!”

“You see land...?! Everyone, move like your arses are on fire!! Anyone who dawdles is going to kiss the whip with his back!”

“Unfurl the sails!! We are sailing at full speed!”

Even after escaping the Ghost Ship fleet, where human lives were worth less than fish, three full days had passed.

As they pushed through the sea fog, where it was impossible to see even an inch ahead, and headed toward the nearest port, blue land began to appear in the distance.

Just as their water and food were beginning to run out, the pirates embraced one another and shared their joy at the relief of having returned alive.

“We survived, damn it!! We are alive now, hahaha!!! What are you all doing not opening the rum?!”

“Urgh...! When we ran into that Ghost Ship in the middle of the sea, I thought we were dead....”

“We may be the only humans who ever faced a Death Knight and survived. He is a high-grade undead, after all...! Well, the one who actually faced him was someone else....”

The pirates, who had been pouring out cheers and complaints on the deck, all turned in this direction at once.

The eyes of the pirates looking up at Doran, who was disguised as Captain Barbo, seethed with respect and trust.

How could he exude such presence just by standing still!

He definitely had not been like that before!

As Doran silently faced the sea breeze and turned the helm, the First Mate approached with a bottle of rum in hand, passing between the pirates who were celebrating while drinking heavily.

“...On a day like this, how about a mouthful for you as well, Captain?”

“You can drink among yourselves. To steer a ship, at least one person has to remain properly awake.”

“But... how about just one mouthful...?”

“I am fine.”

“Come now... Do not be like that. Please share in our joy! Riding the waves, the fair wind, and the mood well is also a virtue of a captain!”

“Hmm... If you insist that much, First Mate... Perhaps I will drink just one mouthful.”

Doran smiled bitterly at the pirates’ joke and accepted the bottle.

He could not trust liquor given to him by pirates, but if he refused too insistently, they might suspect his identity.

“Ha~ Our captain! Even the way he drinks is bold!”

“Barbo!! Barbo!!”

When Doran boldly raised the bottle and drank the rum straight from it, cheers burst out among the drunken sailors.

After he drank down every last drop of rum and returned the empty glass bottle, the First Mate looked up at him with a subtle expression, as if he had never imagined Doran would finish it all.

“...What, are you disappointed?”

“N-No, sir. Of course not....”

The First Mate quietly set down the empty liquor bottle with a complicated look.

Soon, he swallowed dryly and asked with cautious probing.

“Um... but... there is still something I cannot understand. May I ask you one thing...?”

“Speak.”

“W-Well... when we were surrounded by the undead... how did you come up with the idea of steering the ship between the Ghost Ships? Just what kind of nerve did you have to do that...?”

“That was....”

Doran was about to answer calmly when he realized that every eye on the deck was now looking at him.

They had kept silent, but it seemed they had all been terribly curious.

Doran gave a faint laugh and spoke the excuse he had prepared.

“I once read an ancient book in the Imperial Capital. It said that Liches and their subordinates are highly intelligent, and that there are often cases where they will not attack if you approach them first.”

“Then you made such a daring decision based on what was written in that book...?”

“That is right. It was a gamble, but at the time, I judged that it was worth trusting.”

“Th-Then what did you talk about when the Death Knight called you aside?”

“Hmm... He said he had a task to ask of me.”

“A-A request from a Death Knight...! Then that request was...?”

“I cannot tell you that much.”

“J-Just how important a secret is...! A-Amazing! We were afraid to even look at that dreadful undead...! As expected of you, Captain!!”

The pirates looked up at him with reverent eyes.

In truth, rather than a request, it had been closer to having the work forced on him, but there was no need to correct them.

In any case, once they reached the port, he would never see them again.

However, among the sailors, there was one person who reacted slightly differently upon hearing his words.

“As expected, Captain....”

“...First Mate, do you have something more to say?”

“No, it is nothing....”

The First Mate hesitated, then lowered his head.

Doran stared closely at the First Mate, but soon shrugged and headed for the cabin.

As the First Mate watched Doran’s back as he left, a young man limped over to him.

“Um... First Mate Robert, there is something I would like to discuss with you....”

“Discuss? You?”

The First Mate narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the man.

Philip, the youngest rookie, who had joined the pirate crew not long ago.

If he remembered correctly, Philip had said that some madman had stabbed him in the thigh while he was fighting the Skeletons.

When the First Mate urged him on with a look, Philip opened his mouth.

“It is about the captain... After we encounter the undead, does it not feel as if he has become a completely different person? No matter what I think about it, it is strange...!”

“...What do you mean, strange?”

“W-Well, you do not actually believe what the captain just said, do you? Our captain does not know how to read! And he is not that brave either! I know people can change after going through something shocking, but still....”

Barbo, the captain of the Barba, was not wise.

He was a coward, and he had no courage either.

Much less could he steer a ship into the middle of undead, or negotiate proudly with a high-ranking undead like a Death Knight.

Even if heaven and earth turned upside down, he was not the kind of man capable of such a bold deed.

If he had been that outstanding, he would not have caused the First Mate so much trouble in ordinary times.

As Philip rambled on diligently with that meaning, First Mate Robert spoke firmly.

“Philip.”

“Yes?”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Yes...? Why all of a sudden....”

“...It means that if you value your life, you should not question things carelessly, you fool. Like the end of Tirosh, who suddenly burned to death below deck, the mysteries of the sea may take your life.”

There were some things in the world that were better left hidden as secrets.

The First Mate cut off the words of the worldly ignorant Philip.

All while repeating one clear fact in his mind.

The “Captain Barbo” I served never drank rum.