Chapter 57

Let’s take a look at the current situation.

England has abolished slavery.

Drake is ‘liberating’ slaves.

Does that mean that England and Drake are the good guys?

‘…England, the good guys?’

It feels similar to ‘the righteous Nazis’ or ‘the benevolent Japanese Empire,’ but I suppose that’s just the butterfly effect of history. No, wait. After enjoying a luxurious camping trip with the cast iron England provided, my thoughts have softened a bit. It seems England was actually excessively maligned, and the Spanish were the bad guys.

Anyway.

I conducted simple interviews to understand the situation of the slaves Drake had newly liberated this time. But…

“Is this a good time to talk? My name is Nemo.”

“Ah, thank goodness! To think there is an Indio who can speak Spanish! Are you perhaps the chief of this region?”

“Hm? You don’t speak any other languages besides Spanish?”

“Well, I was born in a Spanish colony. Thank you so much for liberating me! However, there is a small problem.”

“…What is it?”

“You see, my relationship with my previous master wasn’t that bad, I was baptized in the Catholic church, and I had saved up a decent amount of property and was just about to be freed… but… uh.”

“…”

“The… the master who was going to liberate me and give me land…”

…is now dead?

“So, the small piece of land and property that my master was going to give me…”

…is now gone?

“O-Of course, I am very happy to have been liberated, but…”

Is this really ‘liberation’? Isn’t this basically getting kidnapped?

…Of course, they were a minority, but such cases were not unheard of.

“Here, the length of this one pipe is called ‘1 meter.’ And the area of a square with sides of 10 meters is called 1 are, and 100 ares is called a hectare. We will distribute about 2 hectares of cleared land to each household. We will increase it to 50 hectares later.”

“Th-Then, 50 hectares is… good heavens!”

Fortunately, the land and property I was planning to give were ‘of course’ more than what their masters had promised, so most cases were resolved without complaint, but, uh. Come to think of it, I heard that before the American Civil War, there were cases where slaves in the South ate better than workers in the North. And that Spanish slavery was surprisingly flexible, so there were cases around the 17th century where a slave who had fled from an English colony converted to Catholicism in a Spanish colony and was then freed.²

The issue of slavery… is complicated! Well, it’s not like being suddenly captured, dragged across the Atlantic, and forced into labor is any different, so terms like ‘lenient,’ ‘somewhat humane,’ or ‘flexible’ are relative. Still, it’s nuanced.

“Th-Th-Thank you. I am a person who lived near Congcaw, and I was suddenly captured by the Sapi people like this…”

Of course, the majority were those who were grateful to me and happy that they could communicate with me. I was walking around, soothing my confusion with that fact.

“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”

I turned around to see who it was, and it was Vicente.

“Ah… time is something I have in abundance. What is it? Is the cultivator acting up again?”

“No. It’s not that… I have something I would like to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“…”

“…”

What is it? Why is he hesitating so much?

Vicente bowed his head for a moment, as if in deep thought… and only after some time had passed did he ask me, “It’s about you using the spare aluminum to liberate the slaves this time.”

My mind is already a mess, and now what kind of oil are you trying to pour on the fire? …I didn’t show it, and instead, with the benevolent and calm smile of the ‘wise angel mode,’ I nodded at his words. “Yes, Vicente. Speak.”

“What you did, Sir Nemo… was it the will of the Lord?”

“…”

“…”

“…Of course. All people are equal before the Lord.”

Right. If I just list off a few obviously appropriate things by my standards and wrap it up…

“Then does the Lord deny slavery?”

“…Pardon?”

“But aren’t there countless passages in the Bible that tell servants to serve their masters well? I may not be a priest, but I can think of several verses right now…”¹

That’s because the Bible was written in ancient times…! Of course, I couldn’t answer like that, so I used a suitable skill I had found.

“Did I not tell you? Do not fixate on every single letter of the scripture.”

“…Ah!”

Good. That was an appropriate evasive maneuver.

I purposefully hardened my expression and fell silent, putting on a ‘I have said all there is to say’ face, and Vicente, though he tilted his head, took a step back. I quickly changed the subject with a cough. “That aside, it should be about time for Sir Drake to return…”

“Look! It’s Sir Drake!”

“…He really does arrive right on time.”

The timing was good. I could see Drake, covered in blood, running from a distance.

“Ha, hahaha! Vicente! My good man! I have good news!”

…What is it? What good news? A story about how stylishly you slit some Spaniard’s throat?

Fortunately, it really was good news. “Your family!”

“You found them?!”

“I kidnapped them from Santa Elena!”

…Is that really good news?

Anyway, excited by Drake’s words, Vicente rushed toward Drake’s ship, and I ran after him. We were soon able to witness a moving family reunion after eight years.

“Kyaaaaaaah! Th-The English are k-kidnapping us… We’re going to be sold into slavery now…!”

“W-Wife! It’s me! Get a grip!”

“I-I-I’m seeing the ghost of my husband who died in a foreign land…! I must have gone mad, but if I can just die mad like this…”

I shot a glare at Drake. Drake shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ‘What’s the problem?’ and said, “I told them clearly. That their husband was looking for them, and that he was alive and well in the Virginia colony.”

“…”

“Of course, they didn’t believe me at all, so I did cut off the head of one of the Santa Elena militiamen and wave it in front of them to scare them a bit…”

This crazy son of a bitch.

Whatever the case, Vicente’s wife soon came to her senses and began a rather moving reunion with Vicente, and Drake approached me and began to talk. “Anyway, as you requested, I have brought the families of the sailors here from Santa Elena.”

“I am grateful, Sir Drake. Then, the aluminum…”

“You can prepare exactly 2.78 kilograms.”

…Seriously, he’s as sharp as a knife when it comes to aluminum. Look at how perfectly he’s adapted to the kilogram unit. As I glanced at him, Drake, perhaps feeling awkward, cleared his throat and said, “Ahem, putting the aluminum aside… our losses were greater than expected while attacking Santa Elena. The rumor that they had expanded their colony and reinforced its defenses was true.”

“…It seems you have a request.”

“Yes. I do, Your Majesty.” Drake said with a meaningful smile. “Did you know that the Spanish are importing more slaves?”

…What? Why? If they’re being plundered this frequently, shouldn’t the imports decrease?

“It is to reinforce the northern part of the New Spain colony. In the end, it is because they fear the growth of Virginia.”

“…Then, what should be done?”

“There is nothing we can do. The sea is vast, the Spanish have many ships, and they will bring in many slaves. What can we do unless we block the sea and crush every single Spanish ship?”

“…”

That was true. As I bit my lip slightly, Drake looked at me intently and added one more thing. “However, I do know a way to deal a major blow to the Spanish bastards.” He held out a document to me. I read the lines on it. It was a plan for the voyage of a certain fleet. Not an ordinary plan. This was…

“I slipped it out through a spy. It’s on a massive scale. It seems they plan to transport slaves in the hundreds, or even thousands. Not just slaves, but also all sorts of ivory and African treasures. A treasure fleet is setting out for the New World.”

“The treasure… is not important.”

“Of course, that would be so. Since Your Majesty is wealthy. Then just know that a large-scale slave trade will take place. And here.”

Tap, tap.

Below that were detailed dates and plans. On what day they would leave Portugal, when they would reach the African colonies, how many slaves they would buy, and when they would depart for and arrive in the Caribbean. It was very detailed.

“We will ambush them when they are near the island of Trinidad.”⁴

“I see.”

“But, by any chance, could the people here also participate in the battle?”

“…What did you say?”

When I showed my surprise, Drake continued, his tone unusually cautious. “It is a trade fleet of an enormous scale. If we take them out, the power of the slave trade in this vicinity will be broken for some time.”

“Hmm…”

“However, our fleet alone seems insufficient. We have lost quite a few soldiers and ships in several battles, and as you can see from the plan, the number of enemy ships is 15. It is a difficult opponent to take on even with our fleet of 20 ships.”

“…”

“I ask you just this once. Even if we have to reduce the amount of aluminum we receive as payment…”

Aluminum, that kind of thing doesn’t matter at all. It’s a precious metal to them, but it comes out in droves for me. What I cared about was not something like aluminum. On a whim, participating in the battle didn’t seem like a bad idea. If we indebt the English navy and leave a record of having fought together as allies, the importance of this community to England would be elevated, and it wouldn’t be bad for a joint response to the Spanish threat in the future.

And the benefits of having a good relationship with England weren’t just that. Our community of just a few tens of thousands of people couldn’t be completely self-sufficient from Europe. The rope that was England had to firmly connect us to the European world for it to be better for us to bring in external goods.

But to go into battle? With the residents here?

“Huuuum… just a moment.” What if there are casualties?

Thinking so, I asked Raleigh and the others for advice.

“Piracy? How exciting!”

…Well, asking Raleigh for advice was a failure. Then again, this man had also led several privateer ships and burned down Spanish colonies. Still, I thought his behavior should have improved at least a little after being called a saint in London…

“…Isn’t that right, Eleanor?”

“Pardon? What is?”

“No, but still, people’s lives could be in danger…”

“When you go out to sea, you’re already half-dead anyway! Don’t you think the Lord will forgive us for killing a few sailors?”

“…Pardon?”

…But you’re a ‘Saintess.’ What are you doing saying things like, “Hehe… killing a few Spanish people won’t send us to hell!” with such a bright smile? Don’t you know the Ten Commandments?

Feeling a strange sense of dread, I asked the others as well. More specifically.

“…Mr. Hewitt?”

“Of course, I’m in favor!”

“Mr. White?”

“If only I were a little younger, I could have gone with you…”

“Mr. Bacon?”

“And so England’s glory is enhanced!”

“…”

“…What is it?” I had only asked the ‘Englishmen.’

These… pirates.

Anyway, the natives, who had no particular interest in whether England fought Spain or aliens, showed a reaction of ‘what’s good is good’ and agreed with the English.

And Vicente… was even more spectacular. “Excellent! Let us drive out the forces that dare to threaten this holy community!”

“…”

“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Don’t you feel any reluctance?”

“Uh… well, it’s not like I’m still a Spaniard, am I?”

…And so it was decided. We would also participate in the battle.

I took Raleigh and Vicente to a nearby hut and held a meeting. Since both of them were seamen with command experience, they were able to assist me, who knew little about ships and naval warfare. The first conclusion from the meeting.

“I’m going, too.”

“Pardon? But, your life could be in danger…”

“Vicente, do you think I would be in a situation where ‘my life would be in danger’?”

I was going, too. The fact that I was immortal was especially good at times like this. Because I could act without thinking about the danger. I had to go. In a ‘holy war’ to liberate slaves, what would the soldiers of the Virginia community think of me if an angel wasn’t involved? I had refrained from going to Europe during the plague because it was too dangerous, but this was different. Besides, if I was involved, it would be easier to demand our share from England later.

For the morale of the soldiers, for my status, and for the community, I had to go. What’s more, these English pirates… I didn’t know what they would do without me.

And the next conclusion. “Drake, we will depart separately.”

“Pardon?”

We would go separately from Drake’s fleet. There were many problems with going with Drake’s fleet. For one, when the clipper ship catches a good tailwind and current, it becomes insanely fast, but conversely, if it catches a headwind, it becomes a turtle. Besides, it was originally a transport ship, not a warship, so its combat power was low. If we chose the wrong route and position, there was a high chance that instead of showing off the majesty of a 19th-century ship, it would become a floating wooden plank.

“For now, Sir Drake, you will go against the current and wait near the island of Trinidad. We will secretly track the route of that trade ship from Africa, out of their range.

“Uh… what did you say…”

“Then, right after the battle begins, we will ambush the enemy from behind.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

At my words, Drake’s face contorted. To Drake, it would sound like nonsense. It would sound like I was being cautious, since I was saying we wouldn’t clash with the enemy head-on. And since I had planned this operation because I didn’t want to have a head-on confrontation with a ship that wasn’t designed for combat, it was about half-right that I was being cautious.

In the first place, they were weak ships, designed for cargo transport, so by the standards of this era, they were just big, equipped with around 10 cannons. In a normal case, it would be difficult for them to play an active role in a naval battle. But… at least it wasn’t nonsense.

Of course, for this plan to work, a few assumptions were needed. First, one had to be able to accurately determine one’s own position at sea. From here on, to Drake, it was a wash. To follow the enemy while maintaining a distance where they can’t see you, and then accelerate at the last moment to catch up? That was also bullshit. If I could see the enemy, the enemy could also see me; how could I possibly tail them? And to maintain an invisible distance and then accelerate at the last moment to attack from behind? Was there such a fast ship?

Drake, with a bewildered face, looked back and forth between me, Raleigh, and Vicente and said, “Uh… that’s an impossible plan, isn’t it? Baron Roanoke? Didn’t you explain it well to His Majesty?”

And Raleigh said, “It is a perfectly possible plan.”

“…What did you say?”

“It is difficult to explain the exact circumstances, but just know that it is possible.”

Drake doesn’t have a chronometer. And likewise, Drake doesn’t have a telescope. Finally, Drake doesn’t have a 19th-century ship, a clipper. From his perspective, it would be like hearing someone in a strategy meeting say, ‘We will teleport, identify the enemy with clairvoyance, and then get behind them with telekinesis. It’s possible anyway, so don’t ask questions.’

But, he saw Raleigh’s firm expression and slowly… nodded. “W-Well, just make sure it doesn’t interfere with the overall situation.”

As the meeting seemed to be wrapping up, Vicente clasped his hands and said, “Lord, permit us to be righteous pirates.”

“Amen.”

“Amen.”

Uh… it sounded familiar, but I just bowed my head deeply. “Amen.”

And so, our plan was made. Before long, two clipper ships headed for the port city of West Africa, Ndakaaru. To deliver the freed slaves, and to track the Spanish.