There was something wrong with the fishman's corpse?
Chloe blinked and looked at the fishman. Its bloated, pale body was covered in fine scales, its torso swollen while its limbs were disproportionately thin.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember the details Erwin described? The fishman saw their bows and arrows and moved aside to dodge, but the arrows were too fast, and it was an ambush, so it was hit."
Chloe tilted her head, unable to see anything strange about that. Wasn't it normal to dodge when faced with danger?
"But fishmen live in the sea. I specifically asked the Banshees—there are no bows and arrows underwater."
Chloe's eyes slowly widened. "You mean they've dealt with humans before?"
"Yes. It's difficult to associate the design of a bow and arrow with a ranged weapon the first time you see one. The fishmen must have encountered these things somewhere. Pirates generally wouldn't use bows either; they're difficult to preserve at sea, and are usually only found on land."
Theus unfolded a nautical chart.
"The Empire has never had any intelligence about contact with fishmen. The northern White Crow Duchy's sea outlet is also under the Empire's control. For the fishmen to have encountered bows and arrows, they must at least have engaged in a proper battle on land. If we rule out the Empire..."
Chloe's gaze slowly moved across the map with Theus's finger, finally settling on the lower-right section.
"The Masha Archipelago—Gem Bay. There are quite a few large islands there, and bows are in use. Perhaps the connection between the fishmen and the pirates runs deeper than we imagined."
"You mean they might be working with the pirates?"
"That is one explanation. But why would the pirates attack us? We can provide them with valuable explosives production. As