In the Middle Ages, when it came to gathering information, the go-to spot was always the tavern.

You’d walk into an inn or pub, buy a round of drinks, ask if anyone knew anything, and from there, start collecting information in a way that would make dominoes jealous.

Especially in harbor cities, where pirates openly drank and reveled, such places were hotspots for whispers and rumors.

So naturally, I headed to one of the taverns frequented by the local pirate crew.

To catch a tiger, you’ve got to venture into the tiger’s den, after all…

Besides, pirates generally know better than to cause trouble in the city.

“Does anyone here know about the brave souls who gave those Al-Sini bastards a taste of their own medicine?” I asked, loud enough for everyone in the tavern to hear, but no one replied.

I went through the trouble of coming to a bar known to host pirates, only to be greeted with such apathy.

Maybe a little grease for their tongues would do the trick.

“Bartender, how about a plate of roasted pork for each of these courageous sea warriors gathered here?”

I handed over three silver coins as I said this.

The bartender, showing an admirable lack of curiosity, didn’t even bother asking why I’d want to mingle with a bunch of pirates.

He probably figured out I was here to gather intel from them.

If he didn’t have that level of awareness, he wouldn’t last long in this continent—no, in the Toscana Empire.

“Make sure they know the drinks are on me, too. Give them all the beer and wine they want.”

When it comes to spending money, it’s best to do so boldly if you want to grab people’s attention.

Not long after, a man wearing a pistol approached me.

Judging by his flashy attire, somewhere between nouveau riche and thug, he seemed like a lieutenant in one of the local pirate crews.

“Captain Andre of the Blue Flag Pirates. If you don’t mind, may I regale you with a tale or two as thanks?”

He began rubbing his thumb and forefinger together with impressive fervor, his eyes fixed on me as if he were staring at a naked beauty.

A money-hungry fiend, huh?

He probably had to be like that to stay aboard a ship and make a living raiding merchant vessels.

“I’d be honored. Hey, bartender, bring us a bottle of 17-year-old whiskey, along with some salami and cheese.”

In Korea, you can buy cheap wine or beer to drink your fill, but whiskey, with its lengthy distillation and aging process, remains costly.

And the Toscana Empire isn’t much different in that regard.

With the food laid out and a glass of whiskey poured, Andre finally spoke up.

“What kind of story would you like to hear?”
“I heard you’ve been enlightening Al-Sini merchant ships with the teachings of Deus.”

Though such words are not found in the holy scriptures of Deus, the Pope has made it clear in his own decree:

‘Heathens are not the same as us; they are followers of Satan and therefore unworthy of salvation.’

In other words, they’re Satan-worshipping demons, and it’s perfectly fine to take them down.

Of course, no matter how wild the Pope gets or how many kings on the Albanian continent wish to exterminate heretics, they stand no chance against the vast Sultanate lands of the Medina Continent.

So, while open warfare is rare and most interactions are handled diplomatically…

The sentiment that ‘it’s legal to kill heathens’ is pervasive across all countries on the Albanian continent.

“Isn’t it only legal to kill them all if they’re defiling our waters? Those scoundrels even sell our coastal villagers into slavery,” he said, entirely correct.

The Al-Sini family’s merchant fleet isn’t known for piracy.

However, the Sultanate they belong to is notorious for despicable acts.

They raid merchant and fishing vessels that sail peacefully, sell the goods, and enslave the people.

The Al-Sini fleet is no exception, guilty by association in this ancient world where no one is truly innocent.

“Can’t argue with that.”
“Some other nobles grumble about how piracy isn’t exactly honorable.”

It’s not as if I endorse killing and enslaving people.

But even the spice trade is essentially a non-military form of war, with smuggling (openly disguised as legitimate trade) as a significant part of it.

Both sides kill each other and trade slaves, so there’s no need to assign moral values here.

“As they say, evil should be repaid with evil. If the Sultan doesn’t want his pirates dealt with, he should keep them on a tighter leash.”
“Those heathens made the first move, after all.”
“Still, Al-Sini’s on my side. I’d prefer you not meddle with them. Could you cooperate?”
“That’d be hard to do for free.”

Pirates don’t attack the Sultanate solely for religious zeal or loyalty to their country; they do it because they’re broke.

So, with enough gold, I could likely change their minds.

If I pay them well enough, there’s no need for them to risk their lives.

Besides, these pirates aren’t the worst of their kind.

They only target those the Pope has branded as heathens, leaving civilians alone unless provoked.

‘You can still be hailed a hero as long as you kill the right enemies.’

It’s hardly exemplary for non-soldiers to kill heretics out of greed, but…

“I mean what I say.”

I placed a heavy pouch of gold coins on the table.

At the same time, my guards placed their hands on their swords, not to provoke a fight, but as a subtle warning.

“Open it.”

Andre’s eyes lit up when he saw the gold.

He practically started drooling.

“They’re all real gold coins.”
“Gold coins aren’t counterfeit, are they?”

One gold coin could buy a serf’s most prized possession—a cow.

So it’s no wonder he was skeptical.

“How much to buy your pirate crew?”

Contrary to the romanticized image of pirates in certain comics, the reality is much grimmer.

Pirates are often disgruntled merchant sailors who mutinied against their captains.

Their lives may be democratically organized, but it’s still a miserable existence.

They wait for ships to rob, only to die meaningless deaths mid-raid.

Afterward, they blow their loot on booze and women.

It might seem fun at first, but imagining it as a lifelong career must be bleak.

“I’m building a new harbor village. I need sailors and captains to escort trade ships. How about it?”
“You’d hire us instead of someone else?”

Well, it doesn’t have to be them specifically.

But these pirates have plenty of experience with heretic raiding, so they’d be useful allies. If I could dissolve the pirate crew and bring them to my side…

Then I could report back to the Al-Sini family that the pirate threat has been dealt with.

“The Al-Sini family asked me to get rid of you. But they’re heretics, so why bother hunting down ‘good’ pirates who only raid heretics?”

If I’d had enough forces to eliminate them, I would’ve enslaved them by now.

But I don’t, so here we are.

“You’re only pirates because you’re in a tough spot. Yet, you still target ‘heathens’ because you’re not entirely without morals.”

In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, European Christians rarely enslaved each other.

After all, enslaving a fellow Catholic was seen as unethical.

Of course, they didn’t call it slavery, but it was effectively the same.

“I happen to have many unmarried maidens on my estate. They’d make fine wives and provide you with homes. You could live like decent men.”

Andre accepted my proposal immediately.

“We don’t enjoy being pirates. What should we do?”
“First, surrender your pirate flag to me. I’ll tell Al-Sini that you’ve been completely eradicated.”

The next day, I set sail to meet with the Al-Sini representatives.

“Here’s the Blue Flag Pirates’ emblem and the captain’s sword. We’ll take the prisoners, as per custom.”

I now had the Blue Flag Pirates under my command.

And I’d extract my reward from Al-Sini in exchange for their “defeat.”

Isn’t that the proper way to negotiate?