Conquest Sea, on the route to Ivengard. Out on the endless sea, the powerless cruise ship had come to a complete halt on the water. All the passengers, still shaken by the previous explosion, were nervously confined to their cabins under crew instruction, anxiously waiting for what came next. But not long after, a second explosion from the lower decks intensified that anxiety. Following this blast, several passengers were no longer willing to stay inside. One after another, they began leaving their cabins, trying to make their way to the deck—some even clashing with the crew trying to maintain order. After the second explosion, a sailor covered in grime burst up from the lower decks. After asking around on the deck in a panic, his eyes locked on the upper deck—and there, he spotted Captain Costa. “Mr. Costa! Bad news! There was another explosion below deck just now! No idea what caused it, but this one’s bad—seawater is flooding in fast! We can’t stop it!” Waving frantically, the sailor shouted up at Costa. Upon hearing the news, the crowd of passengers who had come up and even the sailors trying to manage them started to panic. The idea of the ship actually taking on water sent a fresh wave of fear through the already fragile order. Costa turned his gaze down from the upper deck. Seeing the spreading chaos below, he stood firm in his captain’s uniform, hands clasped calmly behind his back. In a steady, commanding voice, he called out. “Everyone, please remain calm! Though this vessel has unfortunately suffered a serious accident and we are in a precarious situation, the Holy Mother has not abandoned us. Look over there! Thanks to divine grace, we’ve encountered a fleet from the Radiance Church! I have already informed them of our situation and requested assistance—they have responded and are hurrying to our aid as we speak!” “My friends, salvation is close at hand. There is no need to panic. Follow the crew’s instructions and maintain order. As captain, I give you my word—every single person on this ship will be rescued!” Costa spoke reassuringly, pointing toward the approaching fleet. The panicked passengers and crew looked into the distance, and upon seeing the many ships indeed drawing near, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Order began to return to the scene. Watching the situation calm down from above, Costa turned away with a composed expression. Then, glancing back into the cabin behind him where the three corpses still lay, he barked an order to his men. “Quickly, before the zealots arrive—get these bodies taken care of! Once you’re done, prepare to dive. Head for the nearest stronghold after reaching shore.” “Yes, sir!” Several Abyssal Church cultists sprang into action, rushing to deal with the corpses. Costa, meanwhile, looked down at the scene below with a grave expression, then gave a cold snort and muttered. “A second explosion… this time they managed to blow a hole that’s letting in water. Hmph. Looks like they wanted to make sure the Radiance fleet doesn’t just patch things up and leave. Really pushing it to the edge… must’ve brought a whole stash of explosives on board.” “Hey, Costa… are we really boarding the zealots’ ship later? Isn’t that a bit too risky?” Massimo asked anxiously beside him. Costa answered coolly. “At this point, it’s our only chance to get the Deep Blue Heart back… We can use this button to track down the thief, but she’s no pushover. I can’t guarantee I’ll kill her on my own—so we have to go together.” “Thankfully, we’ve got a few Aura Suppression Sigils and Shadow spiritual storage items left. Those’ll be enough to bypass the Church’s basic detection. As long as we play our roles right—me as the captain, you as the collector—no one will suspect a thing. Even if she figures out we’re onboard, she won’t dare speak up. It would put her at risk too.” Costa explained, and though Massimo brooded in silence for a moment, he finally bit his lip and nodded. “Hmph… there’s no other way now. It’s dangerous, but if it means we find her, then once we’re off the ship… it’s her end.” “Exactly. Which means from this moment, I need to act like a proper captain again.” Costa murmured as the Radiance fleet loomed ever closer. Now, as a responsible captain, it was time to begin organizing an evacuation. … Elsewhere on the Shimmering Pearl, in a corridor of one of the ship’s cabins, Nephthys—dressed in casual clothes—was hurrying along with clear unease on her face. After a short jog, she knocked on a cabin door, only to find it unlatched. Pushing it open, she saw a silver-haired girl sitting calmly by the window, sipping coffee. “Miss Dorothy, what are you doing?! The ship’s about to sink! We have to get up to the deck—now!” “Don’t panic, Senior Nephthys. This is a vessel displacing over ten thousand tons—it’s not going to sink anytime soon. Even if we stay and have a few more cups here, we’d still be fine. Besides, rushing up to the deck now… would only make things harder for our dutiful captain and his evacuation plan.” Dorothy responded unhurriedly, sipping her coffee. Nephthys, unsettled by her calm, swallowed hard, closed the door behind her, and nervously approached the table. “Miss Dorothy, you’re really not worried? The ship’s actually sinking! I heard the lower decks are already flooding!” “Of course I know. I’m the one who blew it up. Don’t worry—I kept the damage tightly controlled. This ship won’t go under for at least four or five more hours. Look—the Church’s fleet is already right there. That’s plenty of time for everyone to evacuate safely.” “That’s why there’s no need to rush to the deck. It’s noisy and cramped up there, and if you get shoved overboard, well… that’d be a problem.” Taking another calm sip, Dorothy spoke as if none of it were a big deal. Watching her, a chill ran down Nephthys’s back. “Miss Dorothy… not only smuggled a whole batch of explosives onboard, but she’s also talking about sinking a ten-thousand-ton vessel like it’s nothing… That’s terrifying. I guess this is what it means to be a high-ranking member of the Rose Cross Order? She’s really only thirteen?” Staring at her, Nephthys couldn’t help but think back to when she was thirteen. She had a loving family—parents and a grandfather who doted on her. She had lived a carefree childhood, surrounded by affection. “Thinking back on those days… sure, I was bookish thanks to Grandpa, but at heart I was just another playful kid. I really don’t get it—what could’ve made Miss Dorothy more of an adult than most adults at her age? Has she been undergoing brutal Rose Cross Order training since she was little?” “If that’s true, then she’s actually really pitiful… Having to take part in harsh cult conflict during what should’ve been an innocent childhood… that’s kind of tragic.” “But if she’d lived a normal life, grown up like a regular girl… what would Miss Dorothy be like? She’s really pretty—if she didn’t carry herself so maturely all the time and instead acted like a normal kid, I bet she’d be adorable. She might even call me ‘big sis’.” As Nephthys lost herself in that bittersweet thought, Dorothy, sensing the strange look being cast her way, tilted her head slightly and said in her usual flat tone. “Why are you staring at me? Is there something weird on my face?” “Something weird? Ah—no, nothing weird at all! I was just spacing out for a second!” Startled, Nephthys snapped back to reality and waved her hands. No way was she going to tell Dorothy she’d been imagining what she might’ve looked like as a cute, innocent child. Dorothy glanced at her, then said nothing more. Turning to the window, where the Radiance fleet’s banners were now visible, she added. “The Church’s ships have arrived. Let’s finish this cup here first. Once things are a little calmer on deck, we’ll go up. No need to squeeze into the crowd just yet.” “Mmh… enjoying a peaceful cup of coffee on a sinking ship. That’s… certainly a unique experience.” Muttering as she sat down, Nephthys took the seat across from Dorothy, who greeted her with a warm smile and poured her a cup of coffee. … As time passed, the Church’s fleet finally drew close to the immobilized Shimmering Pearl. After positioning themselves at a safe distance, the fleet came to a stop. From the warships and passenger vessels alike, countless lifeboats were lowered into the sea. Crews aboard each began rowing toward the cruise ship. Because the Shimmering Pearl’s deck was high and the risk of hull collision was high if the larger ships got too close, the Fleet Captain, Jord, had decided not to use planks for direct boarding. Instead, lifeboats would be the main means of transfer. Aboard the Shimmering Pearl, Captain Costa was methodically organizing the evacuation. He ordered sailors to lower rope ladders, allowing people to climb down into the lifeboats in orderly batches. Once aboard, passengers were redistributed across the fleet’s various ships. The lifeboats would return repeatedly to fetch more. Thanks to clear leadership and the fleet’s reassuring presence, the passengers didn’t rush the deck in a panic. Though there were occasional scuffles or accidents, the overall evacuation was calm and orderly. Using lifeboats wasn’t fast, but with time on their side and steady coordination, the Shimmering Pearl’s passengers were gradually evacuated. Eventually, the ship began to show visible signs of sinking. Though dangerous, the reduced deck height actually improved transfer efficiency. With lifeboats shuttling back and forth, the number of people onboard quickly dwindled. After more than three hours of tense rescue work, only a few remained. On the twilight sea, Dorothy, accompanied by her guardian corpse marionette, boarded one of the last lifeboats and made her way toward the Church fleet. Looking back from the departing boat, she stared at the Shimmering Pearl, half-submerged now—a steel giant she had personally sent to the ocean floor. “Such a massive ship... it’s really going to sink just like that. That’s a pretty big loss. First time in my life I’ve managed to break something this huge. Honestly? Not a bad accomplishment…” Watching the enormous cruise ship gradually vanish beneath the waves, Dorothy found herself musing idly. Suddenly, a whimsical thought popped into her mind—if someone ever found out she was the one who sank the ship, would they blame her and demand compensation? “Probably not, right? I’m just thirteen. Just a kid messing around with explosives for fun.” With that carefree thought, Dorothy turned her head away from the sinking ship. She rowed her lifeboat into the Church fleet and eventually docked beside one of the passenger ships. With the help of those on board, she and her “guardian” successfully climbed aboard. Once on the passenger ship, Dorothy and the other rescued passengers were gathered together on the deck, where several clerics and nuns were conducting basic health checks. Just as Dorothy was glancing around the crowd, a soft voice called out behind her and her guardian corpse marionette. “Sir, in order to confirm your condition, I’ll be performing a brief checkup on you and your daughter. Please cooperate.” Hearing the familiar voice, Dorothy slowly turned her head. Standing before her was a smiling nun in white robes, glasses perched on her nose. Innocently, Dorothy smiled and responded like any ordinary young girl. “Okay, Sister~” … Night fell, and the Radiance Church fleet remained anchored at sea. All passengers from the Shimmering Pearl had been successfully rescued, and the final stages of the evacuation were underway. Aboard the fleet’s flagship, inside a captain’s cabin decorated with religious symbols, Costa—the former captain of the Shimmering Pearl—was now reporting the full story of the incident to Jord, commander of the Radiance escort fleet. According to Costa’s account, the disaster had been caused by a boiler system failure. He claimed that the ship’s boilers had shown minor issues after departure, but no one had noticed at first. By the time the ship’s speed dropped sharply, it was already too late. Costa said he had sent men to investigate, but before they could report back, a sudden and severe explosion occurred—triggering the disaster at sea. “So it really was a boiler failure… I wonder what exactly went wrong to cause this outcome…” Jord murmured as he listened to the report, then turned to gaze out the window. Off in the distance, the massive hull of the Shimmering Pearl was already two-thirds submerged. “Yes, Lord Jord,” Costa replied. “What troubles me most is that we may never learn what went wrong. Now that the Shimmering Pearl is beneath the sea, the cause may remain a mystery forever… I failed to stop the accident in time. The fault lies with me.” Costa spoke with a sigh, his expression solemn—like a man burdened with guilt and shame. “This wasn’t entirely your fault,” Jord said kindly. “At sea, disasters can strike suddenly, without warning. No one can be fully prepared. The sinking of the Shimmering Pearl is certainly a tragedy, but the blessing in the misfortune is that nearly everyone survived. People matter more than ships.” “Captain Costa, your coordination of the evacuation was commendable. In a time of crisis, you did your duty. At least in my eyes, you’ve performed adequately. If an investigation is opened, I’ll vouch for your actions.” Costa bowed slightly and replied with sincere gratitude. “Thank you so much, my lord. Honestly, had it not been for you today, I can’t imagine how bad this could’ve gotten. You saved us. On behalf of everyone aboard the Shimmering Pearl, I offer our deepest thanks.” “Haha, no need to thank me. Your thanks should go to the Holy Mother—it was She who guided us here.” “Ah… praise the Holy Mother…” As he voiced those words of praise, a trace of fury flickered deep in Costa’s eyes—but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. After a brief pause, he glanced out the window at the Shimmering Pearl, now almost fully submerged, and asked. “By the way, I had one more question for Your Excellency. Where is your fleet headed? Where will we be taken?” Jord answered without hesitation. “Our destination is Ivengard—same as yours. However, I’m afraid we can’t carry over two thousand extra passengers on a long journey due to supply constraints.” “As such, I’ve ordered the fleet to head due north at full speed. We’ll make landfall within a day. We plan to dock at the nearest port—Navaha. There, all of the Shimmering Pearl’s passengers will be safely returned to land.”