123.

The wind was growing increasingly fierce. The ‘Witch’s Veil’ was gradually lifting, but in equal measure, the sky was darkening rapidly. Night had come upon the sea as well.

The distance between the Esperanda Navy and Nick remained stubbornly unchanged. It was as if a predator had granted its prey a long reprieve. Under normal circumstances, the side outnumbered would typically raise a white flag in such a situation. After all, there was no greater tactic than subduing the enemy without bloodshed.

But if that wasn’t the case… did the Esperanda Navy have any other reason to delay their advance? Could it be that she had already been discovered? Yet at first there had been fog, and after it cleared, twilight swiftly descended, meaning visibility would still not have been fully restored. Surely, surely no one in the Esperanda Navy had spotted her yet. It was only a matter of time, though.

Her body and mind, pushed to the limit by nutritionless meals and drugs, cried out in pain. While tied up, she frequently slipped into brief unconsciousness before waking again. Her fever had risen. Whether from that, or hallucinations, or auditory delusions, strange things appeared before her eyes. They were scenes from when she was a child on the River Clan, from her time with the Kirghos, and even from moments with Melvin, Turner, and even that Nick bastard. The hallucinations were quite vivid. It felt as though someone had been calling her name and shaking her for some time now…

“Ro, Rosetta.”

Damn it. Who was it? Ro snapped awake, eyes flying open. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was a pair of wide, sunken eyes. Had she not been gagged, she would have screamed loudly. That must have shown on her face.

“Shh, shh. Quiet… quiet…”

Daisy raised a finger to her lips and then gently cradled her head. The warmth of the child’s body pressed against Ro’s own, chilled by the wind. She could feel small hands fumbling at the back of her head. Immediately, the gag in her mouth was undone. Ro frantically tried to stop Daisy.

“What are you doing here?”

Despite trembling violently, Daisy acted as if she couldn’t hear Rosetta’s voice. The child pulled a small knife from her pocket. Her tiny hands grasped the ropes tightly binding Rosetta’s body.

“I’ll, I’ll untie this too.”

“No. Don’t.”

Her mind was still hazy, but one thing was certain—should they be caught like this, neither of them would survive. Worried for Daisy, Ro pleaded desperately.

“Go back right now, Daisy. Please? What if we get caught?”

“But Rosetta… you’re a noble of Esperanda, right?”

Daisy looked at her with eyes that seemed to know everything. The dark sea, and the horizon. The navy flags, once clearly visible even through the fog, were now obscured by darkness. Yet they had not disappeared. A dense line of flickering lights stretched along the horizon. The ships of the Esperanda Navy. If she were rescued, they would surely take her back to imperial soil.

Daisy was right. No matter how she looked at it, her body belonged to a noble of Esperanda.

Ro hadn’t even opened her mouth, yet Daisy nodded as if she’d heard an answer.

“Th-then you don’t need to worry.”

A firm determination shone on the child’s small face. A kind of solidity that could neither be reversed nor broken.

“Let’s run away. I’ll set you free, my lady.”

Daisy tightly gripped the ropes binding her and smiled faintly. The image of her face, delicate like a plum blossom, burned vividly into Ro’s mind. The next moment seemed as if someone had grotesquely tampered with time. Slowly, the child’s eyes widened in shock—just as Ro had looked when she’d hidden under the blanket and been startled.

Bang!

The gunshot sounded oddly delayed. Before her mind could process it, her heart screamed. Ro desperately denied it. No, Daisy couldn’t have been shot. That couldn’t have happened. She looked perfectly fine just now…

“Ah, ugh…”

Daisy’s face remained innocent, as if unaware of what had just happened. She raised her hand and lightly touched her abdomen. Thick blood stained her small palm. The strength slowly drained from her tiny body before collapsing abruptly. The warmth of the child’s body poured heavily onto Rosetta. Ro wanted to tightly embrace Daisy with both arms. But her arms were firmly bound, completely immobile.

“Daisy? No, no… come on, open your eyes.”

The knife Daisy had been holding clattered, clattered, falling beneath the crate. Ro begged in a voice hoarse and broken.

“No, no… Daisy, no, please, please…”

She could feel the life draining from Daisy’s body leaning against her. The child’s soul slowly departing from its flesh. It looked like a faint bluish smoke. One deep breath, two shallow breaths. That was all it took for Daisy to stop breathing. That was all.

She had witnessed countless deaths under the crimson dawn, but this one was difficult to face with indifference. Ro rubbed her cheek against Daisy’s limp face. A long, animal-like wail burst from her mouth.

“Huuu, uh…”

She thrashed wildly, uncaring that her skin was being scraped raw by the ropes. The crates and wooden planks beneath her feet tumbled down in a cascade. Heavy footsteps approached. The killer cast a shadow over her. Ro abruptly jerked her head up. In the darkness, emerald-colored light glinted savagely in his eyes.

“You… how dare you…”

“I know what you care about. I regret that it’s come to this.”

The man who spoke the word “regret” didn’t look the least bit regretful. He would have reacted more strongly if his favorite teacup had shattered. He stepped on the blood flowing from Daisy and stopped. He shoved the child aside with his boot, as if clearing away something filthy. Ro groaned like a wounded beast.

“Ah, huu…”

Daisy’s body collapsed limply onto the floor. The child’s blood—Daisy’s blood—still speckled her arms and thighs. It felt as if acid were burning into her skin. So hot it was agonizing. She had thought she had no more room left to deepen her hatred for Nick, yet her feelings toward him grew darker, redder. She screamed, a cry like weeping.

“Why… why did you do it?! There was no need to kill her!”

“It’s all for us, Rose.”

He wiped her face with a handkerchief. Nick bent down and briefly kissed the trembling cheek of Rosetta. It was less an act of affection and more like branding his property with a mark. Everything was horrifying, abhorrent. Rage made her feel as if her mind would shatter. Tears streamed uncontrollably, as if some part of her had broken.

There is an old saying that God does not allow the wrathful into paradise. Rosetta was grateful that Daisy had not lived to see the face of the one who stole her breath. If you don’t know your murderer, you cannot take revenge, and a soul without purpose does not feel rage. So, Daisy. Rest peacefully. Leave your vengeance to me.

I will surely tear that man’s throat out and offer it upon your grave.

* * *

Dawn.

Rosetta stared motionlessly at the dead Daisy. The red sun seemed to rise from the east. Or else, there would be no explanation for why her vision was entirely red. Rosetta still could not tear her eyes away from the corpse of Daisy, left carelessly sprawled among the crates. As the surroundings grew brighter, the child’s face became clearly visible. Daisy had died without even closing her eyes.

She heard the sound of people rushing onto the deck. Loud, rapid alarm bells rang out. Her mind, trained by decades of hearing such sounds, instantly recognized it. Enemy approach. That is, a signal that the enemy was closing in fast.

When she looked up, she saw the Esperanda Navy sloops had drawn dangerously near. A few pirates gnashed their teeth and stomped, shouting.

“How could no one notice them getting this close? What about the lookouts? Were they asleep all night?”

“I heard the navy bastards placed lanterns on rafts to trick us.”

“Damn it, where’s the captain?”

“Can we… can we survive?”

“The witch will do something. Just like she gave us the fog.”

The noisy murmurs grew louder and louder, matching their rising anxiety.

“Do you have sea urchins instead of brains? Isn’t this disaster happening because the witch’s fog isn’t working?”

“The captain said if he spills the witch’s blood into the sea, the fog’s power will return.”

“…Even so, is it right to treat her like that? Aren’t witches all priestesses of Pontos?”

“I heard our captain found the witch’s weakness? That’s why she can’t move.”

“Ah! Look! There she is!”

“That’s… the witch from the rumors?”

The witch. Rosetta turned her gaze from the horizon to follow the pirates’ stares. An old woman, drenched in blood, was being dragged onto the deck, dangling from Nick’s hand. Despite the distance, she was instantly recognizable. Calypso. That woman. The black hood barely clung to her shoulders, and her entire body looked like tattered rags at a glance. Nick dragged the coughing Calypso all the way to Rosetta’s front and then callously threw her onto the floor. Crates and ropes tumbled down onto the fallen witch’s body.

“This time, you’ll have to make a proper potion. Whether it’s fog, wind, or that thing.”

Calypso burst into coughs and laughter. As always, her eerie voice tore through the silent air. Even as one voice choked and rattled, the others spoke clearly and distinctly.

“The potions of Calypso are always accurate, I say.”

No one dared to move in the face of that strange phenomenon—except Nick. He grabbed the limp Calypso’s hair and yanked her head upward.

“Then you’d better explain how they caught up to us. Unless you want every one of those worthless fingers torn out.”