Taking it myself clearly wasn't appropriate.
Another point was that soon I wouldn't be with the team; in case Vinica and Mary were suddenly attacked by pirates or other forces, our overall combat ability would be greatly weakened.
After all, a third-level Wizard Apprentice with or without a Sorcery Scroll was a completely different level of combat power.
Relaying on this elite squad, Rein estimated that at best they could defeat forty or fifty pirates. If it was the black sail pirate vice-captain Phil leading the team, they would probably be overpowered.
Therefore, Rein shook his head and declined, "Thank you, Miss Vinica, but for a small group of pirates, I think I won't need to use this precious Sorcery Scroll. Keep it for your own protection."
"Besides, your Spirit Imprint has already been a big help to me." Rein smiled at the young girl.
"Lord Reine is right. Vinica, you should keep it for your own defense. It's something Master Annius specifically instructed you to have on hand," Mary added just in time.
"This... Alright then!" Seeing both insisted, Vinica could only nod her head and reluctantly agree.
"Then I will set off now. Major Mary, please strengthen your vigilance. I should be back in about an hour."
"Yes, Lord Reine, please be very careful." Mary nodded her head.
"Lord Reine, follow my sea gulls then. Where the sea gulls circled overhead, that is where the enemies are located."
Rein took his pack off the sturdy 'Black Pearl', placed it on the luggage rack at the back of the carriage, and with a light leap, he controlled the 'Black Pearl' to follow the direction the sea gulls were flying, quickly heading to the first location.
Near a road north of Fishing Port Town.
In a narrow, dense valley.
A dozen burly men were each wiping their weapons; they were the elite of the small pirate group—the Clark Pirate Squad.
"Hey, Blackbeard, those sea gulls in the sky are a bit strange, aren't they?" One of the men inadvertently glanced at the sun and saw several birds clearly sea gulls circling overhead.
"Hmm? What about them?" The burly man known as Blackbeard first looked up with confusion, then nodded his head soberly after a while.
"Indeed odd; we're not by the sea. Sea gulls usually circle around for food, like small fish and shrimps."
As the first mate of the Clark Pirate Squad with abundant sea navigation experience, Blackbeard easily spotted what was awry.
"Damn it, there isn't a drop of water here, what the hell are these stupid birds looking for?" said the man with the scarred face who had first spoken, spitting out a blade of grass from his mouth.
But Blackbeard was still pondering over the matter.
When things are out of the ordinary, there must be a demon at work!
He thought it would be best to tell his brothers to be on the alert.
"Scar, tell the brothers to be on the alert!"
But as soon as he spoke out, the scar-faced boatswain laughed it off without a care.
"Just over a few stupid birds, isn't that overreacting?"
"This..." Blackbeard thought about it and felt the same. After all, it was just a hunch since not even the shadow of an enemy was seen. To be on alert now seemed a bit much.
Primarily because pirates tend to be unruly, each with their own faction. Strength speaks louder, and although a dozen elite pirates, with his strength being slightly stronger, were not much stronger than Scar.
Secondly, these men were all old slickers, and the team was not easy to lead, subtly divided into three factions.
At this moment, a muffled hoofbeat suddenly came from a distance.
"Eh! We have a visitor!"
"Quick, brothers, get moving."
With that, the slickers who had been basking in the sun perked up, and they suddenly sprang into action.
A bird was one thing, but a horse was something else.
A horse meant there might be income coming in!
"Look quick! Such a tall black warhorse, it must be valuable." One old slicker pointed at Rein galloping towards them.
"That shiny silver armor looks good too, seems like high-quality knight's plate armor, should be even more valuable!"
"The guy must be a seasoned Knight, probably not easy to deal with."
"What's there to fear, it's just one person!"
"Hmm? Such a tall black warhorse? So fast! Is he coming for us?"
When Blackbeard saw Rein riding the Black Pearl, charging rapidly towards them, for some reason, the first thought that popped up in his mind was that it seemed he was specifically targeting them.
"Prepare for battle!" shouted Blackbeard.
However, Reine, with the information given by the sea gulls, had already pinpointed the group's location.
At that moment, he looked up.
Although the number of pirates was slightly smaller, they were more elite than the previous wave of pirates and seemed to have plenty of combat experience.
But in the face of absolute strength, the value of experience greatly diminished.
Reine, taking advantage of the horse's galloping momentum, leaped into the air like an arrow from a bow, shooting towards the pirates.
From the pirates' point of view, they saw a blurred figure rush instantly towards them, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of their frontline comrades.
Almost simultaneously, several blurred figures appeared!
Upon contact, three fell immediately!
This caused the remaining members of the Clark Pirate Squad, including Blackbeard and Scar, to be filled with terror!
Damn it, where did this powerhouse come from!
They feared that not even their own leader was this strong...