106.

The governor’s gaze was like that of a cunning snake. Every time he opened his mouth, it seemed as if venomous fangs glinted, and one could almost hear the hissing flick of a tongue near the ear. Rosetta remained calm, not even twitching an eyebrow, as she replied.

“I didn’t see anything.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Yes. I’m relieved I didn’t encounter the criminal last night.”

The governor stared at her silently for a while. His eyes at that moment—so sharp, as if determined to catch even the slightest hint of falsehood. Rosetta deliberately tilted her head with feigned innocence. Eventually, the governor’s lips twitched, then suddenly he slammed the table and burst into raucous laughter. The laughter spread unnaturally, making the very air feel unpleasant.

“That’s truly fortunate.”

When someone laughs for no apparent reason, people naturally grow uneasy. To keep herself steady, Rosetta lowered her eyes and began cutting the egg on her plate into pieces. Imagining it was the governor’s face. The laughter ended as abruptly as it had begun.

“Still, from now on, you must have one of my men accompany you wherever you go.”

“Must I?”

As I said, there’s a criminal on the loose.”

“……”

“And your answer?”

Rosetta strained to suppress the hostile glare rising in her eyes.

“I’ll do as you say.”

“Will you still depart as scheduled, two days from now?”

“Unless you’re giving me more time.”

The governor wore the face of a snake eyeing especially delicious prey—licking his lips, as if debating whether to chew slowly or swallow in one bite. His greedy gaze was nauseating just to meet.

“Well then, fine. Departure will proceed as planned.”

He declared with a sly smile.

“But I will personally supervise the loading of cargo onto the ship, as well as the boarding of the crew. It would be troublesome if that man sneaked aboard secretly.”

“……”

“For the sake of the young countess’s safety, you’ll surely permit this, won’t you?”

Even Rosetta, bold as she was, couldn’t remain completely composed upon hearing that. Smuggling and cargo—this was practically admitting he knew their plan. Rosetta clenched her jaw to keep from biting her lip. Damn it, where did it leak? Officially, only three people knew about this plan: her, Cardier Montrosa, and Archbishop Ganymedes. Unless someone had been eavesdropping at the door that night…

Rosetta suddenly realized the governor was waiting for her reaction. He had been observing her closely—her expression, the way she handled her utensils—ever since her silence began to stretch. Calmly, she finished her plate and wiped her lips with a napkin.

“Do as you wish.”

* * *

Rosetta had previously purchased an old karak ship cheaply, in exchange for salvaging the wreckage of the vessel she arrived on. This had been arranged immediately upon arriving on the island, so while she searched for Cardier, Melvin and the crew had devoted all their efforts to repairing the karak into usable condition. After sweeping, scrubbing, polishing, reinforcing wooden planks, and patching sails, the vessel now looked properly like a respectable sloop.

“Captain!”

Seeing Rosetta come out to the dock for the first time in a while, Melvin waved from the deck. When she waved back, Melvin swiftly leapt from the deck down to the dock. His quick dash resembled a nimble squirrel. Standing before her, Melvin proudly puffed out his chest and announced:

“Now it looks decent, doesn’t it?”

“How’s the inside?”

“Everything’s fully prepared. Though old, the structure is sound and fits the crew well. The storage is spacious too.”

“Good. How’s the departure prep?”

Most of the original supplies had been soaked by seawater, so mountains of new provisions, gunpowder, and other necessities needed to be acquired.

“Let’s see. We’ll receive 5 barts of dried meat, 3 barts of dried fruit, and 2 crates of wine this evening.”

Melvin added, ticking off his fingers one by one.

“Alcohol and gunpowder tonight as well. Medicine has been restocked, and the rest will start arriving tomorrow at dawn. We should be nearly ready by lunchtime. Will we depart then?”

“Yes. Immediately.”

Rosetta declared, gripped by anxiety and unease. Ever since the governor hinted he knew their plan, she hadn’t slept properly for days. Even when she managed to fall asleep, she’d wake from terrible nightmares. The details varied each time, but one thing remained constant—Cardier was dead.

“…C-Captain.”

“What?”

“What are you thinking about so intensely?”

“Nothing important. Why?”

Melvin quickly glanced around, confirming no one nearby was paying attention, then spoke.

“It’s about what you mentioned earlier—the thing you asked me to look into.”

Rosetta jolted and glanced behind her. The soldiers patrolling the harbor were far off, and the governor’s supervisor stood about ten paces away, yawning widely. They showed no interest at all. She grabbed Melvin’s arm and quickly slipped behind a pile of wooden crates.

“Speak.”

“It was really Nick. I saw him with my own eyes sneaking out at dawn yesterday.”

“The ship? If it were him, there would’ve been a commotion about a flagship arriving. I haven’t seen any large vessels come in recently.”

“He must’ve left his main ship hidden nearby and come ashore alone. He left in a small boat.”

Rosetta bit her lip, absorbing the sudden flood of information.

“…So it really was him?”

“The governor seemed to be covering for him. Or rather, is Nick the one covering for the governor? Either way, the governor was acting unusually submissive.”

The governor, who didn’t even fear Admiral Montrosa, acting submissive… That could only mean one thing. Nick was表面上 serving Tilsen as a pirate captain, but secretly acting under the crown prince’s covert orders. She didn’t know his purpose, but her instincts told her it involved something deeply suspicious.

Damn it, but how could she possibly capture Nick? He knew the ocean currents as intimately as she did, and was even the heir to Kirgos, enjoying the protection of pirates. Even the elite navy of Esperanda couldn’t wipe out the pirates entirely because their hideouts were scattered across the thousands of islands in the Bilvron Strait.

If Nick chose to flee, he could evade the imperial navy for a hundred years—assuming he had pirate allies. Of course, without Kirgos’s seal, he wouldn’t receive protection from all pirate groups… But as this thought occurred to her, a sudden idea flashed through her mind.

“Melvin.”

“I get nervous when you call me that.”

“Can you still contact the Net?”

“If it’s someone who gathers information, they’ll know.”

“Sell a piece of information to them.”

“What kind…?”

Melvin replied, shrinking his neck as if reluctant. And for good reason—‘the Net’ was a slang term for underground networks that collected maritime rumors and sold them for profit. On land, they’d be akin to information brokers.

But the Net was far more vicious, shadowy, and brutal than any land-based information dealer. If information sold to the Net turned out inaccurate, the seller had to pay with a part of their body—depending on the price. Sometimes, it was their entire body.

Yet the information she planned to sell now was more accurate and trustworthy than anything in the world. Rosetta tightly gripped Melvin’s arm, who watched her warily.

“A person bearing Kirgos’s seal has appeared,”

“Captain, you can’t possibly mean…”

In the dim light, Rosetta’s turquoise eyes glinted with an eerie glow.

“And he wants to sell it at an extremely high price.”

* * *

Early the next morning, crates began piling up. Dry goods, ropes, blankets, spare sails, new planks and nails, hammers, cannonballs, and barrels of rum—everything that hadn’t been fully loaded the day before.

The governor, accompanied by soldiers, lounged lazily in a shaded chair, looking bored. His eyes were half-closed, appearing drowsy. At first glance, he seemed to have no enthusiasm or sense of duty regarding capturing Cardier. But Rosetta wasn’t fooled by this feigned demeanor.

Soon, a supply wagon bearing the temple’s flag descended from afar. It was the group led personally by Archbishop Ganymedes. When the archbishop dismounted from his white donkey, the governor finally lifted his heavy backside from the folding chair. Removing his hat, he gave an exaggerated bow.

“Ah, Your Eminence. How have you been faring?”

“Comfortably, thanks to you.”

“These are the sugarcane you mentioned, I presume?”

“That’s correct.”

At the archbishop’s gesture, priests began unloading crates from the wagon. Rosetta tried not to show her anxiety, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from darting toward them.

“Young Countess.”

The archbishop gently but firmly took her arm, subtly shielding her from the governor’s gaze.

“Thank you for allowing the shipment.”

“Not at all. It’s only natural as a servant of Deus.”

At that moment, three burly priests clunked three large crates from the wagon onto a cart. The noise was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention momentarily. In that instant, Rosetta and Archbishop Ganymedes exchanged a swift, knowing glance. The size, shape, heavy weight, and the top covered only with leather for ventilation—everything matched their plan perfectly.

Soon, the cart piled high with crates began creaking toward the sloop. Then, the governor, who had been standing still the entire time, suddenly drew his sword and blocked the path of the laborers. His smug, sly smile spread across his face.

“Hold on a moment.”