Isekai GM

We got 2 new friends joining the Pirates of the Round Table.

The first one is a vampire knight. Adelhide Bernstein.
She is a True Vampire.

She could fly in the sky like a vampire, compress mana, throw it like a lance, and change it’s shape into a sword to fight. It’s more like a skill. Although she had little magical talent, it seemed that she had great perception ability.

She had silver hair and golden eyes. Her style is great, and her breast are relatively large. Her slender legs are attractive. Her skin didn’t look like vampire’s, she looked like any ordinary people under the sunlight. She is indeed a beauty.

The other one is Claudia Fyura, who fell in love with my idiot sofa and the other furniture in the 『Room』. I think she took interest in me. It’s scary to imagine that she might dissect me for the sake of it.
(TL: previously, I translate dame sofa as sofa. I think that this sofa will be a recurring villain who strips people from their productivity, so I will start translate it as idiot sofa. The softness turns people into idiots)

She is good at using magic with tags.
When I asked her about it, she put a note with a pattern on the ground and a small earth golem emerged from the ground. She said that the golem can change depending on the material.
She could make a lot of small sized golems, but only a few person-sized golems. It seemed that the ability was limited by mana.
Instead, she could make 50 smaller ones.
Her power seemed to be useful for human-wave tactics.

Regarding other magic, she can use every common magic except light and dark attribute.
Her 【Water Magic】 can heal but not as much as my 【Healing Magic】, but it can recover to some extent.

It’s nice to have a healer with ability to summon golems in the group.
She was also familiar with magic artifact, so I’ll ask her to identify them if I managed to procure one.
She had blond hair and regular sized chest. When she looked beautiful when she was calm, but her image was ruined by the idiot sofa which brought the ugliness in her heart. But overall, she’s a friendly person.

We couldn’t force the other slaves to join us. There were also small children, so we can’t invite them aggressively.
They didn’t seem to be from the Kingdom so I’ll ask the guards in the Satellite City near here. And let’s hand over these slave ship as well.
The idea of slavery isn’t really that bad, but there are a lot of cases where orphans are kidnapped and turned into slaves. It was illegal in many countries.
The only exception is the Empire.

(The slaves themselves are not bad. People sell themselves to support their family. Besides, criminal slaves are also a form of punishment)

Families who are too poor and can’t live without selling themselves are common in ancient Japan. If slavery was forbidden, the entire family will starve to death or worked to the bone with low wages.

I’d rather be a slave. At least I have something to eat.

There are a few people who thinks like that.
The issue also leads to employment problems. There will be an influx of cheap workers.
In modern times, there are many companies who worked their employees 24 hours 365 days with low wages and no holiday breaks.
As a result, there were some cases where simple slavery would be better.

***

We changed our route to satellite city Schutzwald at once. To help the slaves and turn in the slave ship crews. And since our food stock were dwindling at amazing pace, I wanted to refill it before we arrived to the Kingdom.

On the other hand, what do I do until we arrive?………studying.

「Well then Masaki-dono, let’s start the test」

「Please do」

「Let’s begin the first test. Good luck, Masaki」

「Don’t say it while sinking in the idiot sofa……」

Claudia is giving me a test while enjoying herself on the sofa. She had coffee on one hand.
It’s my first test in years. The school days are so far away, in term of years and dimensions.
The reason why I studied is simple. I never buy anything in this world yet.

I never had the chance.
Being summoned to another world, sent into a prison, arranging a prison break.
Destroying war vessels and became a leader of pirates.
Party hard and capturing a random slave ship.
And now, returning former slaves and turning in slave ship crews.

In other words, I need to be able to read and write in the city.
Initially, I was thinking about asking the pirates to teach me but they are useless.
Roxas can barely read numbers. He said that he remembered everything in order to not getting scammed when trading.

But now we have Claudia and Adelle. Even though they were one of demon-kin, both of them had education because they’re acting as a scholar and a knight.
(TL: someone help pls… 魔が付くが学者という事や騎士っぽい振る舞いをしているから教養があると思い頼んでみたのだ。)
Both of them happily gave me an OK.

Education is power.
Students need to study hard.
But remember to play.
As a GM I just want to say that you need to study hard and play harder.

This world’s character is similar to katakana so it’s hard to see but relatively easy to remember.
With this I do not understand Cyrillic letters or translations If it is a stylist it should be a lot hard to memorize.
(TL: I’m at loss with this one. これでキリル文字とか訳が分からん文体だったら覚えるのに相当苦労するはず。)
The numbers were Roman numerals. It was easy so I didn’t have any trouble about it since the first day.
At first, I had trouble with the complicated letters and get a lot of wrong answers, this went on for days, and it ends today on the graduation exam.

「………Yosh, I finished reviewing. Please grade it」

The listening test is over, I handed the thin wooden board that substitute exam paper to Adelle.
Adelle couldn’t stop staring at the board as she received it.
Next to her, Claudia fell from to the sofa.
Her coffee was spilt.
Oy don’t waste the coffee!

「……It’s perfect score. It’s amazing, Masaki-dono. Have you been educated somewhere?」
(TL: She was asking if Masaki was ever gone some kind of education somewhere, but I was struggling to form the question in English)

「In my previous world, my country gave aids for education so every children can read and write. The numbers are same so I don’t have any trouble with it. The letter were also similar to the ones in the previous world so if I can understand them if I put some effort」

Then I proceed to tell them that I was summoned from another world.
I was the leader of these pirates and I don’t want to keep my past as a secret among them. But my abilities were a different matter.
I haven’t told anyone about 【Invicibility】 yet. It’s too dangerous to disclose this information.

「I-I see… So that’s why you can get perfect score on the numerical test」

Claudia managed to rise from the sofa.
Has the sofa prison’s effect weakened?

「Is this enough to shop around the city?」

「It should be alright. This is enough to be employed as a staff in the castle. Your writing is beautiful and easy to read」

The literacy rate of the people in this world is low. People like Roxas, farmers, and general public couldn’t even read and write letters.
Although there are educational facilities to study, they are expensive so only nobles and aristocrats can afford them.
On the other hand, I was taught by the beautiful Adelle-sensei for free.

「The writings should be beautiful. Writing speed is important but it’s useless if no one can read it」

「I heard the same thing from civil workers. Even if it’s not an important document, you should write it as beautiful as possible」

It seems that this world is quite similar. In my workplace, there was a guy who placed too much importance on speed and we were overwhelmed by unreadable documents.
No one can decipher his “encryption”, that includes colleagues and seniors.

I savor a cookie after the test.
The two women enjoyed their cookie in relaxed manner.
Using a culinary skill 【Taste Essence】, I can make a very delicious meal. This tastes great. However, if I do this too many times I would get stuck in the kitchen, so I only applied it to simple dishes.

We were having an elegant break time in the 『Room』 when someone shouts from the outside.

「Big Boss. We can see the city! It’s Schutzwald!」

A voice came from an underling who was watching.

「Schutzwald? What kind of city is it?」

「Well, it’s a city under Kingdom’s protection, it’s main commodity is fishery and commerce. There are soldiers from the Kingdom assigned there so the security is good」

「Are they fine with pirates?」

Since I had never anchored at a harbor, I don’t know if they accept pirates.
I’m going to leave this to Barbarossa. They made me into Big Boss without my permission, so I think they shouldn’t complain about me giving orders.

「Soldiers won’t take a move unless a crazy situation occurs」

「On the other hand, if there are anyone running rampage, pirates will help the soldier? Pirates are important customers」

Claudia stretched her hand to reach the last cookie, but Adelle snatch it away in a heartbeat.

「Aaa!」

「First come first serve!」

The knight has no mercy.

「Anyway, please don’t worry about it. Let them handle the slave children and the slave ship crews」

「That would be better. Even if we do a good deed. If you turn in the slave ship crews on them, there will be bounties」

「It’s nice to have gold, but it’s not nice to be targeted」

「Masaki would turn the tables on them, though. As far as I can see, that sword has more power than an artifact」

So Claudia could understand just by looking at it. Obviously, this is a good sword.
It’s basically a boss weapon. The idea is to make players grind all day long for this weapon.
It’s sad to think about a boss monster trying to stay alive from the hunters.
I’m the kind of person who would hunt them for days.

「If you understand, then don’t spread the news about it」

「I know. Usually it’s taboo to spread information about legendary smith or craftsman. In the worst case, we might get some bounties instead」

「Then I can rest easy」

Being targeted for a weapon is troublesome. I’m fine with it, but it’s better not to cause any problem.

***

We got out of the 『Room』 and went out to the deck to look at the city.
There are a lot of ships anchored, proving the richness of the trading port city.
There was a big ship that was different from the Empire’s in the distance.

(Is that… a galleon?)

A dragon was drawn on the mast.
There are several of them. As far as I can see, there were no less than 10 ships.
But the Empire is still specialized in abnormal naval strength.

(If their ships came here, this city will fall as well)

Suddenly a small boat was headed to us. A soldier could be seen on board.
Roxas noticed it first, so he approached him and started talking.

「What are they talking about?」

「He asked if why we were carrying Empire’s slave ship behind us」

Roxas helped the soldier to turn the ship around and Paddle used his wind magic to assist.
Separating the slave ship and brought it to the military.

As we wait for the slave ship to be released, we docked to a vacant berth and several soldiers came to us.

「Are you the pirates that rescued these slaves?」

A red soldier cried out.
His plate armor and shield had the same dragon emblem as the galleon mast.

「Yes. That’s right. I hope that you will take care of them from here… is that okay?」

「Of course. Those we can identify will be returned to their hometown. Those who became orphans are protected here under the name of the Kingdom」

The protection here includes the search for foster parents and simple work at some facilities, just like the previous world.
Most of maids and manservant comes from these facilities.
There are some underdeveloped areas in the kingdom and they might get sent there, at least they got wage and won’t starve to death. These were what I heard from the soldier.
If they feel like it, they are allowed to go as adventurers.
But doing so will remove any protection provided by the Kingdom. The Kingdom doesn’t protect adventurers.

「I understand. Please wait for them to get off」

「Do you have injured or sick people?」

「Everyone is healthy. We had healed their minor injuries」

「Really? I really appreciate it」

I didn’t say how I healed them. I’d like to keep 【Healing Magic】 as confidential as possible.

We gave a small pouch to each slaves that leaving the ship.
The contents were freshly baked cookies and their recipe.
I also drawn the cooking method in case they couldn’t read the letters.
Just think of them as souvenirs.

「Thank you very much! Big Boss-san!」

「Open the contents later. Don’t sell them or get robbed」

「Un!!」

The children answered in cheerful tone and the adults lowered their head as they told us their appreciation.

I never thought that this will be one of the town specialties in the future.

***

As everyone got off the ship, Roxas and Paddle came back with soldier wearing a fine armor.
Is he one of the higher-ups?
The soldiers salutes him.
I felt a bit nervous, but let’s keep it for ourselves.
Don’t get intimidated.

「Are you the leader of this pirates, Masaki?」(TL: he ends with Masaki kane, I don’t know if it’s a honorifics or not)

「Yes, I am. I am Masaki, the Big Boss. And you are?」

「I am the leader of St. Gran Kingdom’s Chivalric Order, Mark Alan. I’d like to thank you for releasing the slaves and capturing the slave ship」

The leader came. He may be quite a big-shot.

「Don’t worry about it. I did this is because I dislike the Empire」

「But still, I heard that you are a pirate, but you really don’t look like one. If I had to say, you have a very unusual air」

You can discover if someone is a pirate just by talking to them?
This guy is pretty sharp.

「You are right. Masaki is the one who rescued me who was caught by the Empire, Count Alan」(TL: 伯爵 means either count or earl. I go with count unless someone disagrees)

Adelle said it braggingly while descending from the ship.

「Adelhide!? You are safe… thank god… We thought that all hope is lost when the Valentine Kingdom was taken down by the Empire…」

So he really is a big-shot.
And my colleague got acquainted with this great man.