Chapter 159: Chapter 160: The Children And The Nymph Thieves (1)

The Nymph Bandits was a band of thieves that only existed in legends or fairy tales.There were many tales about them as they were elusive like fairies, supposedly.

Shwaaaa— Shwaaaa—We were all on board a cruise travelling south in pursuit of the Nymph Bandits.

While gazing at the waves, I pondered on the Nymph Bandits. They’re supposed to be quite the famous thieves, but I honestly hadn’t heard much about them.Because they were thieves only present in ‘fairy tales’ as mentioned.

With children being the main audience of fairy tales, I hadn’t had a chance to hear such stories since I spent my childhood on earth.My life’s genre on this Pangaea continent has generally hadn’t been very bright.

“To think that Sifnoi was a member of the Nymph Bandits.”

I could only be genuinely amazed.Sifnoi had been a nymph hired to be the Demon King subjugation party’s porter as well as guide plus chores person etc.Considering how the subjugation party was a gathering of skilled veterans, Sifnoi couldn’t have been normal either, but who would have thought she was a thing of fairy tales?

“Mwehehe… Do you finally recognize this Sifnoi’s greatness…? This Sifnoi…. Will also have her hands on the Thieves’ Codex soon…!”

Sifnoi said her dream was to obtain the Thieves’ Codex and become the King of Thieves. It was a grand and majestic dream.

“The other nymph thieves…. each have a famous story of their own…. Once this Sifnoi becomes the King of Thieves, then she will doubtlessly become the most famous thief in the world…!”

I see.Sifnoi wasn’t a well-known member in the Nymph Bandits.Hence, she desired more than anyone the achievement of spreading her name.

Swoosh—Just then, Salome came up on the deck of the large cruise.

“The ones especially famous in the Nymph Bandits are Luffynoi and Koopanoi. Koopanoi targets princess especially and kidnaps them. They’re the master of princess-napping. Koopanaoi stole away over ten of them.”

… Koopanoi, was it.A thief who kidnaps princesses.I looked to Naru, Cecily, and Hina who were running around on the deck.

The princess levels of these children was an average of B, neither low nor high.However, it was sufficient for them to be called a ‘princess’.

That meant they made good targets for thieves.

“Such cute children.”“What small nation are these princesses from?”“I’d be able to live off of the ransom money until I die if I can kidnap even one of them.”“No. Molumolu dwells in their shadows.”

In actuality, the passengers on the deck watching the children play were smiling contently or scheming how to kidnap them and make big money.Of course, Salome, Cariote, and Brigitte were watching them carefully so that wouldn’t be happening.

“Oh dear. My glasses!”

In that moment, an elderly man dropped the reading glasses he was holding due to the swaying boat. As he panicked, Hina moved quickly and placed the reading glasses back into his hand.

“Thank you, child.”

“… Ung.”

“But, that face…. Where have I seen it….”

The elderly on board the ship occasionally looked at Hina’s face and scratched at their forehead or nose. Their eyes looked to be lost in reminiscing about the past long ago.As I watched with interest, the boat shook heavily with a ‘boooom’.

“Pirates!”“Pirates are here!”

“All ye onboard!”“Aye aye!”“This Sultan’s route is under the rule of us Akbar Pirates!”“Giiyeeeek!!!”

What is this commotion?

Pirates attacking a cruise heading down to a beautiful oasis city in the south?Of course, it didn’t even take 10 minutes to subdue them.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Naru Style, Hydro Pump!”“Hina Style, Surf….”“Cecily Style, Aqua Jet…!”

“Argggh! These crazy brats are spraying water cannons…!”“Guuuaaaaagh…!”

The levels of these scallywags were in 30’s.It wasn’t a level to be laughed at but they were unfortunate for having targeted the cruise we were on. In the end, we were able to bind them easily and line them up on the deck.

n

“Have mercy on us! If we had known that you, Sir Judas, were on it, we would never have targeted this ship!”“We had no intentions to hurt anyone! We only meant to take the items!”“We’re sorry!”

The pirates explained themselves desperately.No one had actually been hurt.

They hadn’t been rampaging for even 30 seconds due to being subdued before anything could happen.As I narrowed my eyes, Salome saw their pirate flag and spoke.

“These guys are the Green Beard Pirates. They were basically under the Thief Lord 「Black Beard」 who had been ruling this region. They must be running wild since that 「Black Beard」 is gone.”

I see.When the pressing stone was removed, it was common for the things underneath it to spring up.But there was something I still didn’t understand.

“This is a massive cruise. You should have known that there would be some bigshots on board, so why did you attack?”

The cruise I was on was a grand ship that could carry more than a thousand passengers. To think that a mere 20 of them would target such a large ship.A middle-aged man with a green beard who seemed to be the leader of the pirates chuckled with a nervous expression.

“That is, there are rumors that the era of thieves and robbers will come to an end. So we thought we might as well score a big one before it ended—”

I see.They thought to attempt one last hurrah and dust their hands before Sifnoi became the King of Thieves. It was my fault in a way, so I decided to forgive the pirates.

“Thank you. Thank you. It’s an honor to meet you.”“Um, I’m grateful that you’re sparing us but if I may shamelessly ask for your autograph….”

Since I was feeling great from these last few days of our family vacation on this cruise, I gave the pirates my autograph as well.They treated it like a gift from a god and tucked it away safe in their chest pockets.Then they cautiously asked me.

“So… what brings you to these southern lands? Is Sir Judas also after the pyramid’s treasure down here?”

“The southern land pyramid’s treasure?”

“That is… you know how there was a massive global disturbance as a result of the 「Disaster」 that occurred in Freesia up north? There was a giant quake in the desert and a pyramid rose above ground.”

It was my first time hearing this.However, I knew that post 「Disaster」, irregularities had occurred around the world.

I had been curious as to why the Nymph Bandits were heading south but perhaps they were targeting the pyramid?Then chances were we would encounter them if we head for the pyramid and that meant we would likely see Tywin who was with them.

“Good.”

I came down to these far southern seas in search of Tywin.And was on a cruise vacation with my family while I was at it.

“Oh, holy shh…! There’s land…! Let’s get off and plunder it…!”

Naru shouted, already wearing a pirate’s eyepatch and bandana that she had taken.

As she said, there was a port in the distance sparkling like an emerald with lots of palm trees. It was land that shined like jewels.

From the scorching heat, the skin of the half-clothed people was tanned a healthy color and the expressions of those who were carrying the luggage appeared confident and full of life.

Is this Marduk, the land filled with deserts, jewels and mysteries?From what I heard, it was one of the first civilizations on this Pangaea continent.A mystical desert could be seen further south, apparently?

“Welcome, Sir Judas.”

As soon as I got off the ship, I was greeted by an impressive procession of people.There were camels decorated with gems and dancers dressed in flowing silk poured out endlessly around us.

“Make way!”“Here comes His Majesty!”

Soon the way opened and someone walked the red carpet towards us, stepping on the flowers that had fallen on it.He wore a turban and his chest was presented confidently, showing off well-tanned muscles.He was very handsome but rather than pretty, it was more fitting to say that he had manly good looks full of zest.With red eyes shining, he spoke.

“I am the Sultan of Marduk Empire, Saladin. The son of the previous Sultan, Joseph. As the representative of Marduk Empire, I warmly welcome your visit, Sir Judas.”

It was a very respectful greeting.Soon, he looked to Salome next to me and lightly bowed his head.

“I am most delighted to be seeing you today, cousin.”

“Cousin?”

“Your mother, Princess Herodia, was the previous… that is, my father’s younger sister. Hence, you and I are cousins. I have never met my aunt personally but she was said to be very beautiful.”

As he said this, Sultan Saladin seemed to reminisce a little.

“She was like a gem of this Marduk Empire. What suffering and pain she must have went through after being kidnapped by bandits…. However, her daughter and grandchild have come to this land so it is a joyous occasion!”

Clap— Clap—As Sultan Saladin clapped after having said this, ladies of the desert appeared from somewhere and gently nudged our backs.

“Let us head to the palace. A banquet has been prepared for such esteemed guests.”

n

“Salome was a royalty of Marduk Empire. That’s amazing.”

Covered in a veil like a desert princess, Brigitte whispered in the corridor. I could only nod in agreement.

“Actually.”

“Marduk Empire is as powerful a nation as Ordor Kingdom. It has almost 5000 years of history so it’s even more established than Ordor Kingdom, too.”

Brigitte seemed to be fascinated that a princess like Salome was born from such a richly historical nation.It was the same for me.I knew Salome was called the Back Alley Princess but to think she was a real princess. That meant that Hina’s status was elevated as well.

“Look at Princess Hina.”“She’s completely pink. Do you remember how Princess Herodia used to be called Princess Peach a long time ago? That awful Koopanoi had been after our Princess Peach.”“Then that evil Judas took her in the end. Of course, it wasn’t the current Judas but the former one….”

The servant ladies in this palace squealed at the sight of Hina dressed up like a little princess in jewels, silk, and a veil.Hina was immensely cute and elaborate like a porcelain doll so everyone who saw her was busy complimenting her.

“Now the Marduk Empire can be at ease. Sultana Sara couldn’t bear a child so there hadn’t been a successor. And the Sultan is against having other consorts….”“With her highness Salome and Princess Hina here, it’s a relief for all of us.”

Hina opened up her chest and shoulders in a superior manner. She looked very confident so the palace people clapped their hands in further appreciation.Even as she walked amongst the people like a peacock with its tail feathers splayed out, Hina’s eyes were on Naru and Cecily. Did she want to boast her elevated status?

However, Naru and Cecily were too busy observing an unusual-looking ceramic.

Crack—!Crumble—

“… Naru doesn’t know….”

Bababam—Soon, the banquet began with a loud trumpet sound.It was an extravagant and dazzling banquet.Have I ever been treated this well?A person needed to succeed, indeed.

When the atmosphere began to relax a bit with the banquet having gone on some time, I asked Sultan Saladin who was sitting next to me.

“Do you know anything about the Nymph Bandits?”

“They went to the pyramid.”

I see.My course of action was /genesisforsaken