Side Story Chapter 2.

“Damn it. All I’ve been hearing is weird noises.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“No, seriously, let’s cut to the chase. What exactly am I supposed to do now?”

“Read it yourself.”

Rosetta Toulon unfolded the rolled-up parchment with an annoyed glare. The first thing that caught her eye was the gold-foil pattern embedded on both ends. She let out a loud scoff. Must be tangled up with some filthy highborn family. Or someone with a ton of money.

She lazily scanned the sentences. At first, her face was relaxed, but as she read through the letter, it gradually shifted to confusion, then shock, moment by moment. Rosetta double-checked, then triple-checked to make sure she’d read it right, before finally crumpling the parchment in a fit of frustration.

“This half-witted…”

“Didn’t I tell you to watch your mouth?”

“No, I mean, couldn’t it just be a simple runaway?”

“There was a ransom demand sent to Admiral Montrosa.”

“How dare they?”

“Exactly, how dare they. The Admiral wants this handled as discreetly as possible. Probably to ensure his son’s safety.”

Rosetta was dumbfounded. She let out another loud scoff.

“Even so, why entrust me with such a shady job?”

“Shady? What’s wrong with this job?”

“You’re telling me to get tangled up with nobles!”

“So, are you doing it or not?”

Rosetta gritted her teeth and glared at the shadowy spot where her counterpart’s eyes might be. The room, dimly lit by a single flickering candle, was suffocatingly dark, and the old man sitting across the narrow, blood-stained desk still exuded an overwhelming presence despite the seasons that had passed. A chill ran down her spine, as if a blade were pressed against her neck. Rosetta tightly gripped her now-sweaty palms and grumbled.

“Do I even have the freedom to refuse?”

“You begged me for a chance to prove yourself, and this is it. That’s all.”

“…Damn.”

“If you don’t do it, I’ll just give it to someone else.”

Those bored words sparked something in her, like a flame igniting her senses. A chance. Truth be told, considering how she’d groveled to catch Kirgos’s eye these past few years, landing a job this big was practically a stroke of divine luck. Kirgos always had a surplus of candidates to replace her, and he loved handing out tests disguised as opportunities. Rosetta let out a deep sigh and scratched her head furiously.

“…Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Good. Where were we?”

“Up to the part where the Admiral’s dimwitted son got kidnapped.”

“Right. Looks like one of the people around that greenhorn betrayed him, and they’re organized. Seems they’ve been planning this meticulously for years.”

“…”

“Thanks to that, tracking them down has been a real pain. According to intel we got this morning, they’ve set up a hideout on one of the Shalle Archipelago’s islands.”

A large hand pointed at a worn-out nautical chart, tracing a parabola.

“There are about ten people guarding that greenhorn, working in shifts, and they’re getting supplies from here and here. Their destination is top secret. If you rule out the uninhabitable islands, you’re left with maybe five or six. Your mission is to bring the Admiral’s son safely to Barna within the next month.”

Rosetta carefully committed every detail to memory. The Shalle Archipelago, of all places. Known for its sheer rocky islands, uninhabited islets, and fierce currents, even seasoned sailors raised their hands in surrender there. Plus, the Brugesman passage was wide open, perfect for spotting approaching ships… Wait, Brugesman? That’s our territory. Rosetta grabbed the chart, nearly crumpling it.

“Are you saying our own people are involved in this?”

“Yep. Looks like Bilti’s sided with them.”

“…Is that intel reliable?”

“Came through the net.”

Damn it all. Rosetta forgot she was in front of the old man and let out a string of curses. Bilti, that filthy rat—she’d known from the moment he was groveling to get in Kirgos’s good graces that he’d end up causing a mess like this.

“Any backup?”

“None. You’re on your own.”

“…You’re kidding, right? Kirgos, are you insane?”

“Officially or unofficially, we can’t afford to be linked to this. And we definitely can’t let any information leak. If our people find out Montrosa’s son is out there on the sea, what do you think those simple-minded fools will do?”

Her eyes clouded for a moment. Older pirates might tremble at the sight of Montrosa’s flag, but the younger ones were different. Full of reckless bravado, plenty of them would love to take a swing at the Admiral. Damn it. This whole thing is one giant hassle, with danger as a bonus. Rosetta let out a sarcastic sneer, dripping with frustration.

“Our people are a problem, but that kidnapped greenhorn must be a real idiot. Or maybe just too naive.”

“Probably. Maybe both.”

Kirgos’s booming laugh soon turned into a loud coughing fit. Rosetta hurriedly filled a grimy glass with water and handed it to him. Honestly, this old man. Acting like he’s forever young without a thought for his age. No matter how great Kirgos’s name is, time doesn’t spare anyone.

“Anyway.”

Kirgos downed the water like it was liquor, wiping the droplets from his beard with a hand as he continued.

“If you pull this off and come back, I’ll officially pass my seal to you.”

Kirgos’s seal. Rosetta swallowed hard. It was a tempting offer. Even if Kirgos was now relegated to a backroom old man, he was still revered by the seventeen pirate captains, the leader who’d built the first pirate alliance. If she could get her hands on that seal, burning the Admiral’s ledger and establishing a free pirate nation might no longer be just an idealist’s fantasy.

“Fine, that’s your condition. But what about the Admiral? He’s not expecting me to clean up after his kid for free, is he?”

“He’s offering to open the trade route to Jibalter for three years.”

“Damn it. What am I supposed to do with those northern savages? They’re practically barbarians!”

“That’s for you to figure out. You’ll have to meet the Admiral face-to-face at least once to sort this out.”

“…”

“Handle it discreetly. Don’t let your people find out.”

“Don’t let your people find out,” he said, but the meaning was clear. She wasn’t to tell even her first mate, Nicholas. Rosetta opened her mouth to argue, but Kirgos waved his right hand dismissively, as if he was done with her. It was a signal to shut up and leave.

Rosetta swiftly stood up. He might just be an old man, but he was still the king of the Bilbron Strait. Cross his temper, and even her nominal status as a favored successor could plummet in an instant. Just as she reached for the door, Kirgos called out to her.

“Rosetta.”

“Yeah?”

“Secure your place within the next three years.”

His red eyes, half-buried in the darkness, gleamed with a fierce light.

“If you can’t make it work with a crew like yours, you’re not cut out for this.”

As soon as she stepped out into the filthy alley, Rosetta gathered a wad of phlegm and spat it onto the ground with a loud hack. What? Three years? If she couldn’t secure her place in that time, she wasn’t cut out for it? As if her crew was just handed to her on a silver platter. That cranky old man.

In the end, Kirgos’s words boiled down to this: “Figure it out.” Rescue the Admiral’s kidnapped son, “figure out” how to trade with the northern barbarians, “figure out” how to negotiate with the Admiral, and in return, he’d give her his seal so she could “figure out” how to conquer the Bilbron Strait. And all of this was her burden alone. The great Kirgos had decreed she couldn’t let “her people” know. Which meant,

“Rose!”

She wasn’t to tell even Nicholas, her first mate and that filthy rat. Not even the true family she shared every secret with. Rosetta stood at an angle, her mood as twisted as her posture, and barely acknowledged Nick’s greeting. When her response came off cold, Nick jogged lightly to stand in front of her.

“Already done?”

“Yeah. But you, you rat, why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be handling the cargo?”

“Lord Langde called me. Said your mood would be all twisted up and to smooth it over.”

Lord Langde? Oh, Kirgos’s half-mad first mate. Rosetta furrowed her brow and muttered under her breath. Kirgos had made such a fuss about keeping this from even her family, yet he’d apparently discussed the job in detail with his own first mate. Damn it, this is the most unfair thing I’ve dealt with in the last six months.

“What’s the deal?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Rosetta grabbed Nick’s shoulder, who was blocking her path, and pushed him aside lightly. With a grip stronger than most men’s, Nick stumbled like seaweed caught in a wave. Barely regaining his balance, he tilted his head and asked,

“What’s up with you?”