"No, I mean, what's going on? Once you come back, we'll be able to wipe out the pirates and look forward to the future. Come back!" Kerry discovered that large numbers of able-bodied civilians were fleeing and anxiously tried to persuade them to stay and continue resisting the pirates.
Suddenly, Kerry spotted Frank, who had been brought over by Gandalf, and his heart leaped. There's a way!
"Everyone, look! Our greatest expert is here! As long as he's here, we're safe! Come on, let's cheer for the strongest expert on our island!" Kerry pointed toward Frank and tried to encourage everyone.
"Holy crap, guys, my grandpa suddenly appeared in my dream and told me to go home and burn some paper offerings for him. Here, you can have this. I'm leaving first." Everyone followed Kerry's pointing finger and saw that there was only Frank holding a manure fork. The other, rather unfamiliar old man looked weak as hell, with half a foot probably already in the coffin.
Had this young lord been frightened senseless by the pirates? With only Frank and a manure fork, did he think he could go on a killing spree?
This time, even more people fled. One person who reacted a little too slowly had something shoved into his hand by someone rushing home to burn paper offerings. He hadn't understood it at the time—what kind of dream could someone have in broad daylight? Was it a daydream?
He looked down at the object in his hand and shouted, "Oh no! Your flint!" "No, it's your flint." The fellow rushing home to burn paper offerings thought he was about to be dragged back. He ducked his head and vanished from sight.
"How can you go home to burn paper offerings without bringing your flint? I'll deliver it to you." Though this person had reacted a little slowly, someone had already thought of an excuse for him to escape, so he took the opportunity to slip away as well.
A cool breeze blew past. Apart from the City Guard and the laborers, the only people left at the dock who made a living off Kerry's money were Gandalf and Frank.
"Hahahaha! You ignorant commoners! You ignorant commoners!" Had Reno's otherworldly life, which had only begun today, already ended tomorrow? Maybe it would end this afternoon.
Kerry let out a demonic laugh on the dock. No—his mind raced. I still have Frank. At least I won't die. Let those ignorant commoners flee. As long as I'm with Frank, I still have a chance to survive.
When the market opens next time, I'll buy divine beasts and eat Devil Fruits. In short, I'm going to become incredibly strong. From now on, I'll be the only one bullying others, and no one will dare cause me trouble. When Kerry thought of Frank, his thoughts became active again.
This kind of adversity is exactly the moment to display my protagonist's charm. Frank, just watch.
Kerry quickly recovered from the setback and came up with a plan.
Everyone on the dock saw Kerry suddenly turn his back to them and face the sea. In a calm voice, he said, "I've prepared myself to die in battle. I don't know why you've been hiding your strength, but I've always known that you're a powerful senior. I won't ask you to do anything. As long as you're willing, for the sake of the time we've spent together, to look after my family in the castle, I'll be eternally grateful. That way, I can face death without fear."
Kerry had put a great deal of effort into those words. Whether he would win an Oscar or a Golden Raspberry would depend on this one performance. Frank, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and be moved by me, then destroy heaven and earth! Kerry roared inwardly. He really didn't want to die.
Behind Kerry, Frank picked his nose and thought, As expected of a lord, he really can be relied on at critical moments. In my heart, Maria comes first, but you can rank second.
Gandalf, however, was filled with emotion. Ever since Kerry had pointed at him in the crowd and said that an expert had arrived—Gandalf had assumed Kerry was pointing at him—he had developed a premonition that he would lose Emma's companionship.
Now that Kerry had explicitly said he had always known Gandalf was an expert, that premonition was practically confirmed. Had Emma already privately pledged herself to Kerry?
She's already become part of Kerry's family! (When Kerry said to look after his family in the castle, he was actually referring to Carson.) No wonder he even told Kerry everything about his teacher. It seems he really is going to make a move this time.
But when Gandalf imagined that he would soon be able to attend little Emma's wedding banquet, the gloom on his face vanished, replaced by a smile.
"Ah, I didn't expect to be unable to hide it for this long. Looking after family isn't suitable for an old man like me. You should do it yourself." Gandalf sighed at this point.
There's a response! I succeeded! Kerry's heart blossomed with joy. But why did Frank's voice sound a little unfamiliar? Could this be the template that comes with unlocking expert mode? Like Lelouch?
"Have you finally stopped hiding your strength? It seems I won't have to..." Kerry hadn't finished saying die this time when a massive fireball flew from behind him and slammed into the pirate ship that was nearly at the shore.
Boom! A tremendous explosion rang out. The pirate ship nearly broke in half, and the pirates who hadn't been killed outright by the fireball were ordered into the water. (Actually, the fireball wasn't that powerful. It had merely happened to break the ship's keel beam, and the pressure of the water finished snapping it.)
Amazing! Kerry shouted inwardly. He's actually a mage! The only thing that ruined the image was that his wand had turned into a manure fork. Kerry still thought Frank, who was holding the manure fork, was the expert. But when the excited Kerry turned around, he thought, Director, this isn't what we agreed on! The police turned into security guards!
What Kerry saw was Frank sitting on the ground in a panic, as if he had been scared senseless, with the manure fork tossed aside. Frank, the other City Guard, and everyone else were all looking at Gandalf with the same reverence one would show a deity.
What did I say? The first time I met you, I said your name sounded like that of a mage. I really guessed it, didn't I?
Kerry was also utterly shocked and even more surprised, but he forced himself to look as though he had known all along. Frank, who Kerry had always thought was the expert, sat on the ground with a look of astonishment. There was nothing expert-like about him.
Gandalf, meanwhile, had a sharp gaze. His robe fluttered despite the lack of wind, and faint wisps of heat rose from his body. Combined with the traces of scorching in front of him, everything indicated that Gandalf was a mage. The massive fireball from earlier had clearly been cast by him. Since no incantation had been heard, he had obviously cast it silently. His mage level was extremely high.
"Thank you very much for your help. I'll take it from here." Kerry pretended to be calm, but suddenly had no idea how to face the hidden expert who had revealed himself for real. Looking at the pirates in the water, he immediately thought of a way to dispel the awkwardness.
The pirate ship had been sunk just before reaching shore, and some of the pirates were already swimming toward land. Since Gandalf was a mage, letting them get close would be troublesome. Kerry suddenly thought of a very practical way to deal with the pirates.
He took out the Alchemy Preservation Bottle, sent his consciousness inside, and controlled the bottle to pour out huge masses of Purple Poison Jellyfish.
Soon, the entire stretch of water around the dock was packed with dense clusters of Purple Poison Jellyfish. The pirates in the sea began performing an awkward dance, their faces turning purple from the poison as their hands and feet stopped obeying them.
"City Guard unit, arrest all these damned pirates and lock them up in the southern mine!" Seeing that his plan had worked, Kerry was filled with confidence. The old man has finally appeared, after all—though he's a little different from what I expected.
Before you continue