Mist rose from the pitch-dark sea.

In an abandoned port not far from Applewood, a medium-sized sailboat was anchored. With the development of teleportation magic using magic stones, the use of ports in the North has significantly decreased, but ships were still often used primarily by those engaged in illegal and clandestine trade.

Ding, ding.

As the bells of the clock tower chimed, announcing midnight, Bishop Viano glanced at Oswell standing in front of him and sighed inwardly.

Oswell, a suntanned man with a sturdy build typical of the affluent southern region, was a pirate under the Duke of Horton. He adjusted the brim of his hat, partly obscuring his face, and casually flicked the ashes off his cigarette onto the ground. The corner of his mouth then raised in a sneer as he watched the last crate being loaded into the pirates’ hands.

Upon seeing the teeth discolored due to severe cigarette addiction, Bishop Viano, feeling nauseated, took a step to the side.

“It seems you don’t have enough heads.”

“Hmm. circumstances have changed.”

Wiping the smile off his face, Oswell pulled out a sharp dagger from his pocket and twirled it around in his palm as he responded.

“It’s troubling for the noble coadjutor to break his word like this.”

“Yes, are you carrying out your assigned tasks properly? Princess Lorraine visited the temple yesterday.”

“Princess Lorraine? This is the first time I’ve heard this.”

“She’s building a new orphanage by suddenly donating all kinds of donations.”

While Bishop Viano stroked his chin briefly as he recalled yesterday’s events, Oswald spoke with a smirk.

“Well, my job is just to transport slaves.”

“I’ll contact the Duke separately.”

“I’m grateful for the temple’s excessive generosity. I guess I should at least make an offering of gratitude to the gods in return.”

Chuckling, Oswell pulled out a dirty coin from his pocket and slipped it into the Bishop’s pocket.

‘Th, this vulgar lowlife!’

Though he had already received money through Viscount Maurice, the mere act of indulging with such an inferior person made him seethe with contempt. Bishop Viano turned around sharply before he climbed into the carriage.

As the Bishop fled in a black carriage, Oswell spat.

“Cunning temple b*stards.”

Just as he was heading towards the ship, he stopped in his tracks at the Bishop’s words.

‘Princess Lorraine… Isn’t she the woman rumored to be crazy since she was a child? What a princess she is. She’s just probably an errand kid for the maid Timothia.’

Still, there was a strangely unpleasant aftertaste.

‘I should inform the master.’

After finishing his thoughts, Oswell spat again and boarded the ship, greeted by a few of his subordinates. Then, as he pressed the button to operate the communication magic stone device, he flinched as a sharp sensation ran through him.

“…What? Ugh!”

His head suddenly began to spin, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious. A small needle appeared on the button of the communication device and disappeared in an instant.

Karentina smiled brightly as she watched the sailboat sail away.

“Thank you for your help, Sir Butler.”

“No, Young Lady Karentina. To think there were such vile pirates… as an imperial knight defending the empire, I’m ashamed.”

She was very grateful to Joseph for his fervor even in matters in the North, which was far from the Imperial Knights.

“What will happen to the pirates on the ship?”

“Hmm… I’ll let you know later after I’m going to give the Duke of Horton a little punch.”

A smile played on Karentina’s lips as she imagined where the ship would arrive.

“Oh, and this is a notebook I found among the pirate’s belongings. Would you like to see it?”

Karentina nodded as she handed the notebook to Joseph.

“I’ll take a look and hand it back to you again.”

She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Joseph walk away, bowing his head in a large, respectful gesture.

‘I’m so glad I was able to protect the children.’

Among the information Zion brought was a letter stating that Bishop Viano planned to send children from the slums to the South by ship. So, she quietly asked Joseph and the knights to keep an eye on the Bishop and the port while also discreetly switching the communication magic device one step ahead through Zion.

The pirates who attempted to kidnap the children were all subdued by the Imperial Knights who had infiltrated, and now the ship equipped with an automatic navigation magic device would soon arrive there like a gift.

“It’s a shame I didn’t get to see this fun with my own eyes.”

 
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