Chapter 134

Chapter 134

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 134A sudden ship horn and an impact that reverberated through the vessel.

At that, the priests and sisters aboard the ship began moving busily.

The ship rocked violently once again, and a torrent of water poured down over our heads.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Everyone, grab onto the railing or something!”

We'd merely entered the waters around Jeju Island, yet they were already shelling the ship.

It was fortunate the ship sat low in the water. If it had been even a little taller or larger, it definitely would've been hit by the cannon fire.

“Sister Maria. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. I-I'm fine! More importantly, the children! We need to evacuate the children.”

“Things are fine here, so hurry and go. That's the reason I came under those conditions in the first place.”

When I pulled Tommy out of the Cube, Sister Maria's eyes widened.

“...

That is?”

“Well, I am a Calione Hitman, after all. Then I'll be going.”

“I'm counting on you, Mr. Cloud.”

After sending Sister Maria inside first, I walked toward the direction the cannon fire seemed to have come from.

Bwooooooooom─────Merely hearing the ship horn was enough to make the priests around me visibly afraid.

It wasn't a problem with the priests themselves.

The ship horn was the problem.‘If sound alone produces an effect like this, is it some kind of ghost ship?’Naturally, there were several ships with special effects in this world too, and if it used an effect related to fear like this, a ghost ship was the most likely possibility.

Indeed.

Creak── Creeeeak──The outline of the other ship gradually came into view.

“Prepare for battle!”

At Father Johann's shout, a yellow barrier began wrapping around the entire ship.

They were members of Halla Cathedral, one of the major forces on Jeju Island in their own right.

Despite the sudden attack, the priests and sisters began holding their respective positions in perfect order, raising their weapons and aiming at the slowly approaching ghost ship.

However.

“...

You guys sure live difficult lives.”

I slowly walked past them and headed straight toward the ghost ship.

Then I concentrated aura into my legs.

Bang─!

I accelerated and leaped straight onto the deck of the ghost ship.

“Huh? M-Mr. Cloud?!”

Johann seemed startled by the sight, but wasn't this far better than allowing a lot of casualties?

The moment I landed on the deck of the ghost ship, I felt dozens of gazes turn toward me at once.

“...

A priest crawled up here?”

“Huh? That bastard isn't wearing priestly robes.”

“Why is someone who isn't dressed like a priest coming out of that ship?”

Traces of mana and aura could be felt from each and every one of them.

Perhaps thanks to Kwak Chun-sik's training, my ability to sense aura had already surpassed the level of an Academy student.

Distinguishing Awakened from non-Awakened was no longer particularly difficult.

“You guys, what are you doing interfering with our operation?”

“What?”

One of the pirates frowned as though he didn't understand what I was asking.

“If you operate around Jeju Island, you should at least know whose ship that is, yet you're doing something like this anyway... do you have someone backing you?”

“What the hell is this bastard talking about? Kill that bastard and take his gun!”

They were brats who couldn't even read the opponent's level.

It was annoying to explain things to them separately, so to show them exactly what the difference in caliber meant, I extended Tommy forward and pulled the trigger.─! / ─! / ─! / ─! / ─! / ─! / ─! / ─! / ─! / ─! / ─!

“C-crazy! Dodge!”

“Return fire! Return fire!”

Maybe it was because I'd pulled the trigger toward the direction where they were gathered.

Seeing their comrades get shredded in an instant, the others quickly drew their guns and began firing toward me.

Tap. Tap tap. Tap. Tap tap tap.

Well, there was no way weapons with only a few spells embedded into ordinary guns could pierce ‘DisPater.’

“Th-the bullets aren't working.”

“You idiots! Throw magic, bombs, anything!”

Even though I was being showered with countless bullets, I remained standing unharmed, and one by one, they began to panic, with some even backing away.

I could just sweep up the rest with Tommy like this... but searching every corner of the ship would be annoying.

The continuing gunfire and explosions were interfering with my thoughts, so first I hid behind some nearby cargo that could serve as cover.

“A ghost ship at this timing. Feels like there's something behind this.”

Tap. Tap.

While they descended into panic, I absorbed the fear drifting through the air and organized my thoughts.

Were there any factions I knew of that used ghost ships?

No matter how much I thought about it, there weren't.

A ghost ship that didn't exist in my memories.

Then what that meant was obvious.

“They're mercenaries hired by someone.”

Mercenaries who had received payment from someone to attack us.

When I leaned out from behind the cargo again, the bastards flinched in surprise and slowly backed away.

“You guys, were you hired by someone to attack us?”

Even at my muttering, their bodies visibly flinched.

“What kind of bullshit──”

“...

You can't even control your expressions. You're real amateurs. Well, I already have someone in mind, so there's no need to ask.”

Tap tap.

I tapped the tip of my shoe against the deck.

I'd learned everything I needed to know, so it would be better to clean things up neatly now.

In that case, sweeping everything away at once would be easier.

I slowly began loading aura into my shoes.

They weren't my usual ordinary dress shoes, but Black Mist, the shoes I'd received from the dean.

Since they were a relic, they could contain far more aura than an ordinary object, so they could also be used like this.

“Let's finish this quickly.”

If I'd released my strength normally, it would've ended with simply punching a hole through the deck, but instead, I stomped my foot and spread the aura as widely as possible, wrapping it around the entire ghost ship.

“What are you staring at?! Kill him already!”

“Attack! Attack him!”

One of them seemed to have finally come to his senses and pointed his sword at me while ordering the others to attack.

But.

“It's already too late for that.”

Creak── Craaack───!

The ghost ship began slowly twisting with strange noises.

“A ghost ship. It's a pretty good vessel. It's immune to physical attacks, fast, and even has an automatic repair function. An excellent ship. But the problem is, it's weak against attacks using mana or aura.”

That was why most countries and guilds didn't employ ghost ships.

For every advantage, their disadvantages and weaknesses were just as clear.

“If you're pirates, you can at least swim, right?”

At that moment.

Booooooom!!

The instant I released control over the aura I'd gathered, the bastards began frantically running around the deck.

“Th-the ship!”

“Everyone get off!!!”

“Lifeboats! Where are the lifeboats!”

Then, like a gazelle letting out its final cry as a lion bit through its neck, the entire hull shook violently and collapsed outward.

“You said there wouldn't be anyone at bishop level! What the hell is that thing!”

“Grab me! Grab my hand!”

In an instant, the ghost ship became a scene of complete chaos.

It was only possible because the part I'd focused my aura attack on was the keel.

“Captain! What do we do?!”

“Calm down! You stupid bastards! Did you forget our ship is a ghost ship?! A little attack like this won't make the ship—Aaaagh?!”

At last, with a snap, the ship split cleanly in half.

The man they'd been calling captain was sucked downward and disappeared, while the other crew members clung desperately to the railings to keep from falling off the tilting ship.

“They say there are plenty of strange monsters living in the waters around Jeju Island, right? If you want to live, try swimming well all the way to land.”

At the same time, an achievement window appeared before my eyes.[Hidden Achievement Accomplished!][Achievement: 「Exorcist」 acquired!][You successfully defeated a massive undead in front of numerous religious figures!][Priests and nuns are shocked by your hostility toward the undead!][A special reward is granted!][Those with holy power will easily feel favor toward you!]

“Oh.”

I'd never sunk a ghost ship in front of religious people before, so I didn't know.

Apparently ghost ships counted as undead, so this achievement could be cleared with one.

Truly killing two birds with one stone.

In an excellent mood from the unexpected gain, I returned to the deck, where the priests and sisters greeted me with their mouths hanging open.

“...

Is there a problem?”

When I asked Father Johann, who stood at the front scattering holy power, he hurriedly shook his head and both hands.

“N-no. Nothing at all. It's just... Calione Hitmen really are strong, I suppose.”

“Ah...”...

Was that a little too much?

Well, whatever.

It's not my real face anyway.

“Just think of me as an exceptional one among them. By the way, how much farther until land?”

“Yes. With nothing blocking us now, I think we'll arrive soon.”

“Is that so?”

Then I'll wait outside for a bit.

Maybe because I got into a fight before even arriving, my stiff body felt a little looser.

“People really do need to move around a bit.”

______________

“We're almost there! Everyone, please prepare!”

At the priest's voice, the ship began glowing brightly.

Sister Maria raised her holy power to disperse the surrounding sea fog, signaling to the people on land that we had arrived.

A bright light began appearing from beyond the fog as well.

At first, I assumed it was a lighthouse, but for some reason, the closer we got, the lower its position seemed compared to what I'd expected.

And only once we'd drawn completely close to the island did I finally realize what the light actually was.

-Kieeeeeek────!

-Kiyaaaargh!

A group of clergy were being attacked by black golems riddled with holes.

The light was coming from the body of one of the nuns there.

“As expected of Jeju Island. The moment we arrive, chaos is breaking out everywhere.”

Seriously... I need to finish everything within this weekend if I want to return to the Academy.

Can't be helped.

“From now on, as soon as the ship docks, we'll help the support team sent from the cathedral. We'll unload the cargo afterward!”

Before the ship docked at the harbor.

I approached the priest, who was gathering everyone and planning what they'd do once they got off, and spoke first.

“Father.”

“B-Brother Cloud?”

“Unload the cargo first. I'll help down there.”

“Pardon? Ah, even so...”

“Three minutes.”

Click──! With a sound, I drew [Al Capone's Tommy]

from the Cube and held it in my hand.

“Three minutes will be enough.”

These were people who had just witnessed me smash a pirate ship apart with their own eyes.

“Three minutes? Aren't you exhausted from dealing with the pirates──”

“Me?”

At my words, he looked over my body once again.

Despite standing on the humid sea in a suit, not a single drop of sweat was running down my face.

“I'll go ahead and take care of that side too. Safely unload the cargo and children first.”

“Ah... yes.”

At my words, Father Johann could only nod.

The moment the gangway lowered from the ship, I charged into the midst of the golems with Tommy in hand.

Click!

“To think this kind of trash mob would rush out as a welcome greeting right from the start. Is this what Jeju Island is like?”

I suppose it has to be this much for it to deserve the name of a demonic realm.

Well, it's not like I came without expecting it, and I figured things like this would happen...

Let's clean this up as quickly as possible.