Chapter 54
“You accepted the vanguard position? General, are you out of your mind?”
“Haa…”
A young female officer spoke, wearing an utterly dumbfounded expression.
Admiral Gardin, who had joined this operation from Marenseu Port, let out a heavy sigh.
“Even I, who belong to the army, know this. To lead the vanguard against the Pirate King—that’s basically suicide or serving as cannon fodder.”
“That may be true… but what can we do? The Commander-in-Chief made the decision unilaterally. Besides, the matter was already discussed with the others and settled— It’s too late to change it now.”
“Tch…”
If it had been a purely individual decision, they could’ve tried to pressure the inexperienced Commander-in-Chief into reconsidering.
However, they were now part of a coalition. And within such a system, changing a finalized decision was all the more difficult.
“What on earth was he thinking? Why do something so completely absurd…”
“He clearly wasn’t thinking. That kind of man is exactly the sort Duke Oaklean would favor…
Not that I should be saying much myself.”
Gardin gave a bitter smile as he recalled past dealings with Magellan’s group.
He then looked at the young woman in front of him and continued.
“That aside, you’re having a hard time too. Even if it’s under orders from Grand Marshal Raphael, It must be tough for someone in the army to be dragged into a naval battle.”
A voice filled with bitterness.
In response, the woman—
In her early twenties, with near-black blonde hair and green eyes— gave a faint smile.
“There’s nothing to be done… it’s just part of the job.”
***
The three remaining leaders, who had privately met to express their “gratitude” to General Pierre for volunteering as vanguard,
Unlike the one who was sincerely elated,
They had a full grasp of the situation and began to seriously discuss the coming war.
“Since General Pierre has taken the vanguard,
We can plan our strategy more comfortably.”
“Agreed. How gracious of him to sacrifice himself for us.”
“But it is strange… How could such a naive fool become a Commander-in-Chief?”
Pierre, the Commander-in-Chief, didn’t even have a basic understanding of enemy strength, let alone an eye for assessing force balance or threats.
Even if the Franz Kingdom’s navy was lacking, How could someone so clueless lead a large fleet all the way here?
“I don’t care about the Franz Kingdom’s internal politics. As long as we can use him.”
“My thoughts exactly. Let’s focus on how we’ll take down the Pirate King.”
The three lightly nodded at Arcroyal’s words.
And then—
“We from Bennessa will take the left flank.”
“That’s fine. We’ll take the left. You go deal with the First Mate on the right flank.”
“As pirates, shouldn’t you charge in bravely? I have business on the left, so you privateers take care of the right flank.”
“Ha ha…”
The expected bickering had begun.
This was the pre-battle maneuvering to secure minimal losses and maximum rewards.
***
The “strategy meeting” continued well into the night.
Since deployment was planned for the day after tomorrow at the earliest,
The gathered navies and pirates were currently docked at Sicily Island,
Resting and preparing for battle.
Particularly, the White Shark Pirates led by Alice—
Who had come from the farthest region—
Were extremely exhausted.
Some stayed aboard and fell asleep in their cabins,
But most were resting at inns in the port city.
“Come on, drink up!”
“Man, how long has it been since we had meat? We’ve been choking down fish for ages.”
“Higuma, you call yourself a pirate and you’re whining about meat again? Why don’t you just switch professions and become a bandit instead?”
“Haha, maybe I will. If things go well this time, I might seriously consider it.”
The pirates, having disembarked from their ships, enjoyed drinks and meat as they rested.
Even for those who had spent half their lives at sea, Solid ground was still more comfortable than a rocking deck.
And among those resting on land—
‘It’ was there too.
‘…Is Mother not done yet?’
Silently wandering the city, ‘it’ kept moving.
It wanted nothing more than to stay by Mother’s side, as always, but doing so now was impossible.
Because there was a strict order that no one but the direct participants was allowed to enter during the meeting.
So, in obedience to Mother’s instructions to “look around the area” while she was busy, ‘It’ wandered the streets with a strange feeling of “longing.”
For something that had never left Mother’s side, this situation was extremely rare.
And now, not knowing where to go or what to do, ‘It’ simply kept walking without destination.
Hoping, above all else, that Mother would emerge soon.
And then—
“Yeah non facile! Mundus qui permisit me
Facile appropinquare!
Hoc non est comfortable et dulce spatium~!”
“!…”
A voice could be heard from somewhere.
It was so faint that it could barely be heard by human ears— And that’s precisely why it was so quiet. Just barely audible…
Yet at the same time, it was incredibly beautiful— So much so that, for the first time since its birth, ‘It’ felt as if something was resonating from deep within its body.
“…”
Drawn by that voice, ‘It’ began to walk slowly.
Warm, peaceful… And at the same time, it carried a sensation that seemed to awaken something within.
And so, led by that enchantment, ‘It’ arrived at the place.
A wide clearing on the outskirts of the city— There, ‘It’ finally discovered the source of the sound.
“Sed adhuc Volant!
In parva LACINA pone somnia tua alas
Nunc exspecta modo~
O amica mea!”
“…”
Under the shining moonlight, stood the one who was creating the “sound.”
A woman with silver hair and blue eyes, dressed in a black robe.
With a voice as beautiful as an angel in the sky,
And an appearance just as fitting.
And so, ‘It’…
Could do nothing but stare blankly at her figure for a while.
Then—
“Huh…?”
“…”
The woman, who belatedly noticed this presence,
Turned her gaze this way with a slightly startled expression.
With a cautious voice, she asked,
“Who… are you?”
A reaction laced with wariness.
In response, ‘It’ felt a faint sensation of “awkwardness.”
Then, following the proper etiquette, it bowed its head and replied.
“My apologies. My name is Cheshire Jabberwock. I am a being that serves the great Mother, Alice Wonder Land.”
“Alice…?”
At the mention of that name, the woman flinched for a brief moment.
But soon after, she smiled gently and looked at ‘It’— At Cheshire— And spoke.
“So you’re one of the pirates who arrived recently. May I ask what brings you here?”
“I heard a sound. A sound that echoed in my mind.”
“Ah… I… I see. I’m sorry. It must’ve been quite loud.”
As if grasping the situation somewhat,
The woman asked with a now more relaxed tone—
But at Cheshire’s completely honest reply,
She began to feel awkward once again.
Depending on how one heard it, It sounded like a complaint about noise pollution.
However—
“It is a sound I wish to keep hearing.”
“…Pardon?”
“If it’s alright with you, could you let me hear more?”
“Ah… yes. Well… of course…”
A reaction different from what she expected. Still, relieved that the guest wasn’t here to complain,
The woman once again began to let the sound flow.
“Egone ut papilio volem.
Elatus a vento.
Semperne hoc modo sentio.”
The sound resonated once more.
This time, from a much closer distance— And louder than before.
As Cheshire listened to it, they began to feel as though something within them was fully blooming.
Something they had never felt before—
A feeling of pure joy.
***
The woman singing with a sweet voice—
Auriel Stardust.
She carefully observed the person standing before her.
A woman with short black hair and black eyes— With a cold, sharp impression.
She already knew who this woman was, thanks to the polite self-introduction earlier.
One of the forces gathered on Sicily Island—
A subordinate of Alice Wonder Land, a privateer of the Britannian Empire.
And based on her unusual aura,
She likely held a fairly high position.
In other words—
Someone who could be considered Auriel’s enemy.
Singing before someone like that could be considered quite dangerous.
However, rather than fear,
Auriel felt a peculiar sense of excitement in her chest.
‘It’s a little earlier than expected… But I suppose this could count as “first contact.” In other words, the mission has begun.’
After all, in order to fulfill the Pirate King’s orders, These kinds of chance encounters—disguised as coincidence—were actually very useful.
Even if the process unfolded a bit differently, the result wasn’t bad.
With that thought in mind, Auriel calmly brought her song to a close.
“How was it?”
“It was beautiful. Just like Mother.”
“…? Ah… yes. Thank you… very much.”
A rather peculiar way of expressing praise,
But Auriel accepted it sincerely nonetheless.
Facing her, The woman once again gave a polite bow and spoke.
“Thank you for sharing such a beautiful sound. Then, I’ll be on my way…”
“W-Wait!”
“?”
As Cheshire turned to leave after her farewell, Auriel’s eyes lit up slightly and she called out.
“If… if it’s alright with you…”
—
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