93.

Ro sat perched on the bow, gazing at the receding coastline. The multi-storied buildings, once appearing large and imposing, had gradually shrunk to the size of fingernails. The lanterns strung along the pier and lighthouse flickered like tiny fireflies before fading completely into the distance.

The farther they sailed from coastal waters, the more fiercely the salty sea wind whipped through her hair. Ro tossed her hat aside and embraced the sensation of freedom with her entire body. With each breath she inhaled and exhaled, a strange vitality seemed to well up inside her.

“Captain!”

Melvin, who had been issuing orders to the crew, spotted her from afar and cheerfully waved. That damn rascal. Until just now, he’d always formally addressed her as “young mistress” whenever others were around—yet the moment she stepped aboard, “Captain” just naturally slipped out. Was he spreading rumors all over town on purpose? Ro clicked her tongue in annoyance and leapt down from the railing onto the deck with a hop.

“What do you want?”

“Haven’t seen your cabin yet, have you?”

She grumbled bitterly at his casual remark. Just earlier, he’d been throwing a tantrum over how nothing was ready yet if she even asked where the cabin was. Now he was acting as if it were nothing.

“You kept me from even going near it until now.”

Melvin grinned and scratched the back of his head.

“All the luggage has been moved. Let me show you. This way!”

Ro obediently followed behind Melvin. The corridor, once packed with crates and cargo, was now completely cleared, everything neatly stowed in its proper place. A few crew members who had been rushing past paused, saw her, and gave crisp salutes with bright, respectful smiles. They seemed to think she was a naval officer herself—after all, wasn’t she the wife of a vice admiral?

“Here we are!”

Melvin proudly swung open the wooden door to the cabin. Inside was quite spacious, with a window facing the deck. Despite the tight schedule, someone had clearly put thought into it—simple wooden furniture was neatly arranged in every corner. It bore a striking resemblance to Ro’s original captain’s quarters. Ro stood speechless, looking around in disbelief.

“……”

What stunned her most was the solid mahogany table placed squarely in the center. With only a few knife-carved marks on it, one might have thought it had been salvaged straight from the sunken Toulon. Ro examined the cabin with astonished eyes—even the placement of the bed beside the table confirmed this was no ordinary cabin, but a true captain’s quarters.

“When did you prepare all this?”

“Back when we started preparing for departure, I had everything custom-made in advance. When we hastily switched ships and the cabin size got smaller, I had to sell off a few pieces cheaply—but I made sure to keep this desk.”

“Wow……”

“Do you like it?”

Melvin asked cautiously, after enthusiastically explaining everything. Ro nodded.

“Very much. Thank you for going to such trouble.”

“It was nothing. Oh, and the maid assigned to attend to you will be arriving shortly. You didn’t need one before, but now having someone to handle small tasks should make things easier. And……”

Melvin unfolded the sea chart he had tucked under his arm and laid it on the table. As he had done before, he drove a dagger into the upper right corner to secure it, then placed a single chess piece onto the map.

“It’s been thirty minutes since departure, so we should be passing through here by now. For now, we’re heading toward the Sea Alliance’s location—the ‘Grave of Ships’—just as the captain instructed.”

“Do you have an exact location? Who did you get the information from?”

“I stopped by Bill’s inn. According to the intel, it should be somewhere between 45 and 55 dica northwest of Valtan Island. We got lucky—it’s close to our route toward Portmuth.”

The ‘Grave of Ships,’ where the Sea Alliance was located, was literally an artificial island woven together from wrecked vessels. Naturally, since its base was made of massive ships, it shifted and drifted in various directions. It was slightly slower than a standard frigate, but still serviceable.

Vague rumors about the Sea Alliance’s whereabouts circulated everywhere, but information purchased from Bill’s inn was nearly always accurate. That was because the inn only sold intel to genuine pirates—those bearing an official pirate insignia. Which meant, apparently, that this rascal in front of her still had his pirate insignia. Ro’s eyes narrowed instantly.

“You…… you didn’t return your pirate insignia?”

Wasn’t he supposed to have retired? At her sharp accusation, Melvin averted his gaze sheepishly.

“You rascal! Look at you, dodging your eyes. How did you sneak it through?”

“W-well, I paid a little extra……”

“And they actually let it slide? Those strict bastards?”

Melvin fidgeted, scratching his head, then rubbing his neck, making all sorts of nervous movements before finally speaking with a shrunken expression.

“I don’t know how the captain will take it…… but Deputy Captain Nick helped me.”

“What? Nick?”

“He said to keep it—if I ever changed my mind later, I could always come back. But I never, ever intended to return! How could I, after betraying the captain……?”

“Yeah, well……”

Ro replied indifferently. It was unsettling, but since it had happened before she even returned alive, there was no clear way to hold it against him now. If Melvin had been the kind to betray her after accepting Nick’s help, he wouldn’t have come this far in the first place. Of course, one reason she could feel at ease was because Turner had assigned informants to keep near-constant surveillance on him. Ro gave Melvin’s stiff shoulder a light pat.

“I trust you won’t do anything foolish.”

“O-of course. Just keep trusting me!”

Relieved by her response, Melvin quickly answered. Ro gave a small smile and took out a compass, placing it beside the sea chart.

“I should go up to the crow’s nest later, but if you’re right, we really are lucky. The wind is favorable. At this rate, it’ll take about two days to reach the Grave.”

Once they arrived at the Grave of Ships, Ro planned to visit the Sea Bank first. It was a vault managed by the Alliance, where the entire fortune of the Crimson Dawn lay dormant. Without knowing the special cipher, not even the rightful owner could claim it. Conversely, anyone who knew the cipher could retrieve the contents—regardless of identity.

In any case, there was only one thing Ro needed to retrieve from the bank: the captain’s insignia of the Crimson Kirgos. Lost in thought, Ro suddenly lifted her head.

“Are any of the crew suspicious about the route?”

“A few, yes…… but they’ve all signed confidentiality agreements and received generous pay. Besides, officially, the captain has hired me as a navigator. We haven’t particularly hidden the fact that we’re pirates. After all, the route the captain intends to take is pretty obvious.”

“……”

The ‘El Trabata’ route—managed directly by the Sea Alliance and accessible only to pirate captains commanding crews of at least forty-three men. With currents so violent they could sweep a ship away, and swarming with outlaws and pirates, it was a region even ordinary merchant vessels avoided, let alone mediocre naval forces.

And none could enter without the captain’s insignia issued by the Alliance.

As for the Crimson Dawn’s insignia—whether it had sunk into the seabed or fallen into some rogue’s hands was anyone’s guess. But the Kirgos insignia, passed down to its heir Rosetta, was safely stored in her private vault at the Sea Bank. Once she used that insignia to enter El Trabata, reaching the Portmuth Archipelago would take no more than three days.

By this point, even the meticulous Rosetta would have to admit it—Melvin’s preparations were nearly flawless, and the voyage was proceeding smoothly on all fronts. The only problem was……

“Ugh……”

The medicine Anna had given her was already beginning to wear off. Ro endured it for a while, but eventually clutched her head and collapsed onto the desk.

“Captain? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

Melvin looked at her, his face filled with concern as he saw her complexion turn deathly pale. Ro lacked even the strength to speak, merely waving her hand weakly. She desperately wanted to collapse, but pride prevented her from showing such weakness in front of Melvin. Gritting her teeth, she barely managed to form a sentence.

“You…… go…… go away.”

Melvin studied her with a mixture of suspicion and confusion, then carefully opened his mouth.

“Captain, could it be…… seasick……?”

The next moment, he turned ashen, dodged the flying acupuncture needle, and fled out the door.

* * *

In the end, Ro had to lie motionless in her cabin for two full days. The ointment Anna had given her provided temporary relief, but the moment the aftereffects faded, a nausea twice as intense rushed back. With only a small amount available, the medicine ran out completely before the next morning. Ro had no choice but to stay in bed, enduring the care of the maid Melvin had assigned to her.

Wrapped tightly in blankets, she repeatedly vomited stomach acid from having eaten nothing, then passed out from exhaustion.

Unable to keep down even a sip of water, let alone food, she felt like a snail stripped entirely of its shell. Back when she boarded ships, she had always felt invincible, confident she could go anywhere and do anything…… Yet now, a mere case of seasickness made her feel this fragile. The realization was shocking.

And then, the third morning dawned.