The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 605

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Eun Hae Trading Company Chapter 605

Chapter 605. An Unexpected Clue (1)

Soon, the loud clanging of a bell pierced through the air.
Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong!
So the pirates were attacking.
I turned to the Inn Owner with a question.
“How do you respond when pirates attack this place?”
“Non-combatants evacuate to shelters, while the remaining combat personnel engage the pirates immediately.”
“Who comprises the combat personnel?”
“The disciples of the Haenam Sect, the Self-Defense Corps from each village, and soldiers from the County Office and Provincial Office.”
I watched as the elderly, women, and children hurried away in an organized manner.
The way they swiftly gathered their belongings and moved in perfect coordination suggested they were well-practiced in these evacuations.
In other words, they kept their evacuation supplies prepared in advance.
“I’ve heard that Haenam Island experiences frequent pirate incursions.”
“That’s true. Though there was a lull for some time, it seems they caught wind of rumors about a large shipment of provisions being distributed recently.”
“So my generous donation became the problem.”
As I spoke with bitter irony, the Inn Owner hastily waved his hands.
“Oh no! Please don’t say such things! Thanks to the Great Hero, several people have been spared from starvation. How could you speak that way?”
I appreciated his kind words.
“The pirates were bound to come eventually. So please, evacuate to safety.”
“Evacuate? You mean I should flee?”
“Of course, I understand that the Great Hero is a formidable warrior, but how could I ask our savior—our hero—to fight on our behalf?”
“That’s not it. If I possess strength yet fail to use it, what would Heaven think of me?”
I spoke with resolve and entered the inn.
My companions were already gathered inside, waiting for me.
“I will now issue orders. Or rather, I should call them requests instead.”
I looked at each of my Guard Warriors in turn as I spoke.
“I intend to fight the pirates who have invaded Haenam Island. However, I do not wish to command you to take risks for my sake. Your lives are as precious as mine. So, if any of you wish to fight alongside me, I would be grateful. It is also acceptable to refuse. I will never speak ill of you for declining.”
My words drew sighs from the Guard Warriors, and Seo-woo Warrior stepped forward as their representative.
“Sire, the very purpose of our existence as Guard Warriors is to protect your safety. This is absolute.”
“That’s right.”
Yeo Eung-am Warrior continued.
“Do not shame us. Wherever you go, we follow—that is what it means to be your Guard Warriors.”
Myeong-jong Warrior grasped his sword and spoke.
“Moreover, even if I were not your Guard Warrior, I would not wish to be a shameful warrior as a member of the Orthodox Sect.”
I smiled and bowed respectfully to them.
“I appreciate you saying so.”
Then I turned my head to look at Seo Hyang.
“Gwak—no, Lady, please evacuate at once. And Palgap.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Protect the Lady.”
“I will guard her with my life.”
“Then, let’s go.”
With that, I led six Guard Warriors toward where the combat forces were heading.
The pirates had attacked the Southeastern Point of Haenam Island.
There, members of the Haenam Faction and soldiers who appeared to be from Haenam Island were already constructing wooden palisades.
Those who had suffered long under the pirates moved with calm, practiced efficiency.
“Ah! Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster!”
The one who recognized me and rushed over was a Cheongryu Warrior.
“Why have you come all the way here?”
“Why? Of course I came to face the pirates alongside all of you.”
“But the Great Swordmaster…”
“Is this the time to worry about such things? Isn’t this when we need every hand we can get?”
“That’s true. Then, forgive our presumption, but we ask for your aid.”
The Sect Leader of the Haenam Faction had raised his favor toward me considerably—there was no reason to diminish it by being overly cautious.
And if we overcame this crisis together, they would truly open their hearts to me.
Haenam Island is an island.
And islands, due to their extreme isolation, tend to bind their people together tightly.
Because of my generous relief funds and the Sect Leader’s praise, they treated me as a hero, but that didn’t mean they had completely opened their hearts to me.
It was similar to Sichuan Province, which was like an island within the mainland.
There were those reasons, but I also genuinely wanted to help those suffering under the pirates.
I gazed at the pirates approaching in the distance.
Archers stood at the forefront of the pirate force, followed by those wielding hooks and ropes.
It seemed their strategy was to suppress or pin us down with arrow fire, then topple the palisade.
“Shields up!”
At the commander’s order, soldiers raised their shields, and spearmen thrust their spears forward between them.
Thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk!
The sound of arrows striking shields filled the air.
We were holding back the arrow assault for now, but if the palisade fell, our casualties would be severe.
What should I do?
As I pondered, I called out to the Cheongryu Warrior.
“Cheongryu Warrior.”
“Yes!”
“I’m thinking of cutting through their ranks and creating chaos among them. Is that possible?”
“Of course.”
“Then, let’s go!”
I launched a flanking assault alongside the Guard Warriors and Cheongryu Warrior against their formation.
Given the risks involved, I selected only warriors of peak mastery and above to join the charge.
Then we began cutting through them indiscriminately.
“Ugh! What, what is this?”
“Where in the blazes did these bastards come from?”
“Gasp!”
From the pirates’ perspective, our five-man incursion was nothing short of catastrophe.
Their formation crumbled in an instant.
No matter how honed an elite unit may be, the moment their formation collapses, they become a disorganized rabble in the blink of an eye.
Conversely, even untrained soldiers can perform adequately as long as they maintain their formation.
Moreover, the darkness of night severely limited visibility.
We, being warriors of peak mastery and above, could sense and perceive our enemies’ movements, but they could not—leaving them helpless.
“Let’s withdraw now.”
“Yes!”
Having disrupted their formation, we swiftly extricated ourselves.
“They’re fleeing!”
“Damn it! Where do you think you’re going!”
I cleanly severed the throat of a pirate who moved to block my path.
To be honest, with our level of martial prowess, we could eliminate most of them.
But even peak-level warriors have finite stamina.
Furthermore, we must prepare for the worst.
Because we cannot assume that everyone we’re facing here is all there is.
The real threat lies aboard the ship.
Moreover, the Black Path aura emanating from those on the vessel resembles that of the warriors who served under Cheon Cheon-bok.
Not all Black Path auras are identical, after all.
Thanks to our disruption of the pirates’ formation, the battle’s momentum had shifted decisively in our favor.
At that moment, someone approached from behind and spoke to Cheongryu Warrior.
“Leave this place to the soldiers and the Self-Defense Corps now. We’ll move to attack the ship.”
“I’ll assist as well.”
At my words, he turned to regard me and asked.
“We’ll need to board the ship. For that, we’ll have to enter the water and swim. Will you be capable of that?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’m counting on you. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Do Jin, captain of the Assault Division.”
That meant the Haenam Faction operated its own Martial Force Division independently.
We were no longer needed here.
So I followed him toward where the ship was anchored.
For pirates, a ship is their lifeblood.
Without a ship, they cannot engage in piracy, and if danger arises, they cannot escape.
Destroying the ship is equivalent to binding their hands and feet.
That is why they defend it so desperately.
That’s why the strongest often remain on the ship.
Those who stepped forward to deal with the pirates’ vessel included Cheongryu Warrior and twenty-three Haenam Sect Warriors, along with seven of our own.
There are more Haenam Sect Warriors, but we left some behind to fight the pirates who landed ashore.
“Please change into these night clothes.”
Do Jin Captain and his men handed us the night garments.
They weren’t completely black.
A black so faded it seemed bleached by water.
Seeing that the others’ clothes were in similar condition, they hadn’t deliberately given us inferior ones.
I’d have to send some proper night clothes to the Haenam Sect later.
We moved quickly in that direction, but the pirates weren’t fools—there were guards stationed at the path leading to the ship.
“We’ll handle them.”
“We must prevent them from firing a signal flare.”
“Then let’s all go together.”
Seo-woo Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior rushed forward first and severed their necks.
They didn’t even have time to scream before they fell.
In the meantime, we dealt with the rest, and Do Jin Captain recovered the signal flares they carried.
“When you strike this hard against the ground, blue flames burst forth. The pirates on the ship see that and become alert.”
“I see.”
We approached the ship again in secret and reached the wall where it came into view.
“What is the plan?”
Do Jin Captain answered my question.
“Since there are thirty of us total, we’ll divide into three groups. Each group will board the ship within the designated time, and we’ll begin our attack simultaneously with the signal.”
“Is that the entirety of the plan?”
“It is. The situation changes too rapidly to devise an overly elaborate strategy. So each group should adapt to the circumstances as they arise. And….”
And what?
“All warriors should return safely.”
“Understood.”
The simultaneous attack was necessary because if the other ship noticed what was happening, it would spell trouble for us.
I continued speaking.
“You mentioned dividing into three groups? Then please assign just one more warrior to our side.”
“Then we’d only have eight—are you certain that’s acceptable?”
“Of course. We’re quite capable as well.”
Thus our eight warriors took responsibility for the ship in the middle and headed toward it.
In the silence, I could see figures moving about on the ship’s deck.
The designated time was half a double-hour away.
In other words, we had to board that ship within half a double-hour.
I examined the equipment Do Jin Captain had distributed.
Hooks attached to them—equipment for hanging from the ship.
The Haenam Sect Warrior who had joined our group briefly explained how to use the equipment.
We donned the equipment and quietly entered the water.
And then I swam slowly toward the boat and pressed myself against its hull.
I let out a soft chuckle when I saw the water-logged night clothes I was wearing.
I had wondered if the Haenam Faction was in such financial straits that they wore such garments, but that wasn’t it at all.
Because the moonlit sea meant that black night clothes would stand out too much.
My judgment had been lacking.
I reflected slightly and sent a telepathic message to everyone.
– Then, let’s board.
– Yes.
– We’ll circle around to the opposite side and board the ship.
– We’ll head toward the bow.
– Then the two of you take the stern, and the other two take the starboard side.
Thus, the eight of us paired off, established our positions, and began boarding the ship using equipment.
Thanks to the gear Do Jin Captain provided, boarding the ship was not difficult.
It was likely a tool created through intense deliberation and research.
Before we fully boarded, we waited briefly.
We couldn’t afford to be discovered before the signal came.
And then….
Shrill whistle!
A sudden whistle sound.
At that signal, I immediately climbed onto the deck and cut down the man before my eyes.
Slash!
“Gack!”
I immediately spread my energy to find the strongest person on this ship.
Because I had questions for him.
When multiple ships like this belonged to one pirate crew, each ship had sub-captains.
Of course, there was only one captain.
And the captain’s ship was usually in the middle.
That’s why I had taken the middle ship.
As I advanced toward the captain’s quarters, my companions began to gather.
And when I reached the captain’s quarters.
“Hahahaha! I already expected you to board the ship.”
Along with that voice, pirates suddenly surrounded us.
Looking to the side, the other ships were in the same situation as us.
In other words, they had seen through our strategy and prepared a counterattack instead.
“How… how is this possible….”
The Haenam Sect Warrior who came to support us looked flustered.
“Our strategies have never leaked until now.”
I asked him in a low voice.
“What happened to the ships you captured this way before?”
“We either burned them or sold them as merchant vessels.”
“What happened to the pirates we captured alive?”
“We executed all of them.”
Then there must be someone on Haenam Island colluding with these men.
There’s only one answer.
Cheon Cheon-bok, the Merchant Guild Leader of Chae Hong Trading Company.
The aura of the warriors he hired to protect Jinju matches that of these pirates.
And considering his relationship with the Regional Branch Leader….
Ha!
So they’re all in on it together.
I let out a quiet laugh.
That meant if I squeezed that pirate captain for information, I’d get the answers I wanted.
They’d think they could counter our operation, eliminate us, succeed in their plunder, and slip away unnoticed.
But there’s one thing they didn’t account for.
Me.
That’s when it happened.
Screeeeeech!
Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk!
In an instant, countless arrows pierced the ship’s hull.
Huh?
These arrows… they seem familiar somehow.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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