I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

Victor Shieldman silently watched the sea from the bow of the Traveling Mermaid. His gaze swept over the horizon, and behind him the sailors were busy repairing the damage, fixing the sails and the broken mast at the same time as the ship sailed, in order to make it to Naeross in time before the ship collapsed.

The captain, with his thick beard and tattered uniform, approached with slow steps and leaned down next to Victor.

"We’ll soon be able to see the island," the captain murmured. "We’ll be there at dusk, for we had to change course to avoid the risk of being attacked by a nightmare of the sea, attracted by the blood of the devourer of ships."

Victor didn’t answer immediately, and the sound of the ship’s hull breaking on the waves dominated the room for a moment.

"You mentioned earlier that Naeross Island is now overrun by pirates. I haven’t left the mainland for a long time, what happened to Naeross that got so lost?" The captain sighed.

The captain sighed. "It was a slow but devastating process. Naeross had long been a prosperous island with bustling trade and a renowned port. But things changed when a representative of the nobility was appointed to rule the island on behalf of the kingdom after the death of the previous one."

Victor frowned, trying to understand the connection between the nobility and the rise of the pirates.

"The chosen representative was ambitious and greedy. He wanted Naeross to be a more prosperous island than Edolens, even though he had only half its territory. For this reason, he began to tolerate the presence of pirates because they brought money and consumed much on the island. The gold and plunder fueled the nobleman’s greed, and he turned a blind eye to the pirates’ crimes in exchange for profit.

The lapping of the waves seemed to accompany the captain’s story.

"But greed always has a price," the captain continued. "Word spread across the seas of an island so close to the mainland that accepted the presence of pirates, and the presence of pirates on the island grew rapidly. One day, a crew led by a ruthless captain decided it was time to take control of the island, and they attacked the castle of the representative of the nobility, toppling him from his throne of gold and blood."

"And what happened next?"

"Um, of course, after the death of the representative, the island plunged even further into anarchy. Without an authority to maintain order, the Kingdom of Athina could no longer maintain itself here. They could have solved this by sending a small army to the island, but they knew that once the island belonged to the pirates, they would multiply like weeds and that would mean war, which the king didn’t approve of at that time. The pirates set up their own laws and rules and turned Naeross into the "Pirate Island" that everyone knows today.

Though it was very cold, the sun began to set over the distant horizon, and at that moment the sea was tinted an intense orange.

"Finally, get ready, Victor," the captain said, standing up and giving the hunter a few weak slaps on the back.

When the fog finally lifted, it revealed Naeross Island, and the view of the island that appeared was even darker than Victor had expected.

"Land in sight!" shouted one of the sailors, lowering his telescope, and the others followed, shouting the same.

Small, jagged peaks of black rock formed a crown around the island, rising above the water like sharp claws, and all along the coast the rough waves crashed violently against the cliffs, creating a snow-white foam that contrasted with the dark rocks. It was an island of pirates, but it was not an easy island to enter, perhaps that was why the king did not approve of a battle for control of the island, too many warships would be needed.

Old buildings that had decayed over time formed a kind of ruined city along the beach and the hills near the coast. This was but a remnant of what Naeross had once been.

Anchored near the shore, several large ships challenged anyone who dared to approach. Each of them flew black flags with ominous skull emblems. They were pirate ships.

"The lair of the North Sea pirates!" shouted the captain, his voice full of contempt. "And us with a ship that’s almost wrecked. DHAHAHAHA! " He patted the ship’s railing lightly with a hand, as if to comfort the ship.

"Captain, we’ll dock on the west coast where the rocks are flatter. From there we can make the necessary repairs without attracting too much attention."

The captain crossed his arms. "Finally someone’s got a good idea! Everyone to their positions! Let’s go to port!"

The sailors reacted immediately, running to their posts.

The "Traveling Mermaid" moved slowly toward the west shore, where the line of rocks offered relative protection from the greedy eyes of the pirates lurking in the harbor.

The ship’s makeshift mast swayed as the wind howled, but the skillful hands of the crew kept the ship on course. When the ship finally anchored, the calm waters of the bay contrasted with the chaos that awaited beyond the cliffs, and the sailors quickly began preparations to hold the ship there.

The sun had already completely disappeared over the horizon, leaving only a trail of orange and red in the sky. Night was beginning to fall over Naeross Island, bringing an even darker atmosphere to the place.

The captain approached Victor as the sailors busied themselves with preparations.

"Mr. Shieldman, I know you already know this, but we’re going to have to make a lot of repairs to the ship. I think the most urgent repairs could take at least a whole night, so we won’t be able to get back to Klento today, and I don’t even know when, to tell you the truth," the captain announced with a serious expression.

Victor understood the situation and didn’t even have the feeling that he could complain, because the ship was destroyed like this because of what he had done.

"I understand, Captain. I’ll take the opportunity to visit the merchant friend I mentioned. Perhaps he can help us in some way." Victor said.

But Victor was lying. He had no friends in Naeross and only planned to stop at any tavern in town to quench his hunger and thirst.

The captain agreed with a nod and folded his hands. "By the way, while you’re in town, could you do me a favor?"

Frowning, Victor asked: 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"What do you need?"

"Most of the repairs to the ship can be done by my crew, but there are some things that only a professional can do, otherwise the "Traveling Mermaid" might not survive a trip to Klento. Fortunately, I know a ship’s carpenter named Franky. He’s very skilled and can help us fix the mast quickly and efficiently. Could you contact him and ask for his help?"

"Franky?" Victor asked in surprise as he took a piece of paper with the carpenter’s address out of the captain’s hands.

"What? Do you know him?"

Victor quickly shook his head in the negative, but a smile appeared on his face. "I don’t know... Anyway, I’ll go to this address and tell him that the captain of the "Traveling Mermaid" needs help".