Side Story, Chapter 5.

The third inn and the first word written in the letter.It wasn’t the first or second time the network had twisted their words into something infuriating, so deciphering this level of riddle wasn’t particularly difficult anymore.It likely meant the first person to speak to her upon entering the inn.

“…….”

As she expected, the innkeeper’s gaze shifted in an instant.However, the reaction wasn’t what Rosetta had anticipated.The innkeeper openly sized Rosetta up from head to toe, then nodded to himself as if he’d come to some realization.

“Ah, so you’re the one? The woman looking for a big spender.”

This time, it was Rosetta who was taken aback.The innkeeper’s voice had been loud enough that the subtle, curious glances of the men in the inn gathered on her before dispersing.She let out a wry chuckle under her breath.

She hadn’t anticipated this situation.

Come to think of it, this was a tiny island.Without some kind of smokescreen about looking for a big spender, it wouldn’t take half a day for all sorts of rumors about her to spread.Making a snap judgment, Rosetta responded brazenly.

“Yeah. Not just any riffraff, but guys who spend big, got it?”

“You might have to wait a bit for that.”

“Know something?”

“I heard a ship that left a while ago will be back in about ten days.”

Ten days.For the island’s residents to periodically resupply food, that was far too long.Rosetta shook her head.

“Thanks for the info, but I’m in a bit of a hurry for cash. No one I can deal with right now?”

“Nope… Oh, wait, now that I think about it.”

The innkeeper’s eyes clouded as if recalling something.

“There’ve been some guys coming by every three or four days. Seems they’re buying for a woman, too. They don’t board the ships that come and go.”

“Hmm.”

Rosetta pursed her lips, her expression unenthused.She listened as if indifferent, but her instincts were sharp.

“Every three or four days? Do they seem to have money?”

“Well… they look like pirates, but even for pirates, they spend pretty freely.”

“Really?”

“Every time they come, they spend without holding back, whether it’s food or whatever else.”

This was it.Rosetta’s eyes gleamed as she pressed further.

“Tell me more.”

To put it bluntly, the information obtained through the network wasn’t much different from what she’d heard from Kirgos.No, to be precise, the quality of the information was worse.There wasn’t even a shred of detail about the personnel guarding the young duke or the placement of sentries on the island.This showed just how much effort Vigo had put into this job.

“And Kirgos, that fox of an old man, being so deeply involved in this—I get it all too well.What’s there to learn through the network? Keep the nonsense in check.”

Rosetta snorted and pulled her eyes away from the cracked telescope.Hiding in the crevice of the rocks for five hours straight was starting to make her body itch.There was still no sign of those guys.

Not knowing how much longer she’d have to stay put was the worst part.If luck was on her side, it might be a few hours, but it could take days.According to the innkeeper, those guys had been here just two days ago.

Sipping rum-mixed water sparingly and chewing on dried jerky, she spotted a ship approaching rapidly from the distance.At first, it was just a dot on the horizon, but it quickly grew larger.

Rosetta made a visor with her free hand and pressed it to her forehead.A white sail, a red hull—a medium-sized galleon that could easily carry about twenty people.It matched the innkeeper’s description, but it wasn’t Vigo’s “Balrog.”

“Those network guys didn’t mix up the ships, did they?”

Rosetta eyed the ship suspiciously.It was now close enough to observe with the naked eye.She noticed a few of Vigo’s men mingled among the people bustling on the deck.

“They’re worth their price.”

Rosetta gave a half-hearted assessment of the network’s intel and flattened herself into the dense bushes below the cliff.The galleon docked at the pier with a few creaks.A plank connected the deck to the cliff, and three or four men noisily disembarked.It was obvious why they used the makeshift dock by the cliff instead of the sandy bay up front.

“Something shady’s going on, huh.”

Rosetta cautiously observed the situation on the deck.Two pairs on the upper deck, one at the stern, one in the crow’s nest…None of them seemed particularly alert.It was clear at a glance that their discipline had slackened after ten days of routine.Damn, it’d be hard to find a better opportunity than this.

“I was just planning to scout from a distance today, but they’re practically wagging their tails at me.Should I let this slip, or not?”

Her deliberation didn’t last long.Rosetta hurriedly removed her hood, stashing it in the rock crevice, and stood in her shirt and corsair attire.She secured a leather bag with the bare essentials to her waist.Only one preparation remained.

Rosetta bit the cork off a glass bottle.She stuffed half of the “Breath” bought from Calypso into her mouth and dove into the sea.The splash was drowned out by the sound of the waves.

Bubbles burst chaotically, clouding her vision.The biting cold of the water surged into her clothes.She put strength into her thighs and dove deeper.Moving away from the crashing waves, she secured a calmer view.

Checking the seafloor, Rosetta nearly wasted all her precious Breath.Sharp coral reefs, ready to pierce skin, stretched from the cliff to the dock.

“One wrong move, and I’m done for.”

The Bruges Bay wasn’t far from a great white shark haunt, and bleeding in the sea was always a death wish.Rosetta moved her limbs calmly.The submerged hull was as massive as a whale, unmoved by the strong currents.

She waited underwater until the guards’ vigilance waned.After biding her time in silence, the shadow cast on the surface finally vanished.Rosetta hurriedly swam upward.

“Hoo, hoo.”

Her pent-up breath burst out as she gasped for air.Without Calypso’s “Breath,” she wouldn’t have lasted three minutes underwater.After catching her breath, Rosetta listened closely to the activity.It seemed a small drinking party was happening on the deck.Typical of pirates who couldn’t go thirty minutes without pouring rum down their throats.

“Now’s the time.”

Rosetta took a dagger from her thigh, held it in her mouth, and nimbly climbed the rope ladder.The moss-covered hull was slippery as hell.

After a few fumbles, she managed to drive the dagger into the side of the lowest deck.Resting her weight on her left hand gripping the dagger, she wedged her right foot into a protruding gap by the ram.With her right arm, she yanked down the hatch cover.The moment the cover clattered open—

“Wait a second.”

“What? What’s up?”

“Didn’t you hear something?”

Voices drew closer.Damn, was she too careless?Rosetta tensed, ready to dive back into the sea if needed.A slurred voice responded to the cautious one.

“Probably just the waves you heard.”

“Sounded pretty close for that.”

“Then it makes even less sense.If someone got close, the lookout would’ve seen them.”

Rosetta gave a bitter smile.Whoever that was, they were dumb but helpful.Soon, a light sigh came from above.

“Maybe I’m just on edge.”

“It’s that kind of time.Come on, quit worrying and let’s keep drinking.”

Rosetta waited until the footsteps faded, then slipped through the open hatch.She didn’t forget to retrieve the dagger she’d driven into the hull.Closing the hatch, she was hit by darkness and a foul stench.It was a storage hold reeking of moldy grain and rat droppings.

“Feels like it’s been neglected for months.”

Rosetta wrung the water from her hair.The wet clothes clinging to her were bad enough, but the long, damp hair was even more annoying.Damn side effects.The price of the curse was a pain in the ass.After roughly shaking off the water and removing her boots, water poured out.

She could feel her body heat rising like steam from her soaked body.Rosetta quickly stripped off her shirt and corsair, wrapping herself in coarse grain sacks and tattered blankets scattered on the floor.Even in late spring, enduring the rough seawater for dozens of minutes was no joke.Hypothermia could strike anytime.She opened her bag, took out a flat canteen, and sipped some rum.

Warmth returned to her lips, which had turned blue.

“What the—?”

Rosetta, dozing under a blanket, snapped awake at an unusual movement.A heavy clinking of chains being pulled up from the depths of the sea echoed dully.The hull lurched with a jolt, followed by the sound of flapping sails.She quickly grasped the situation.

The ship was moving.