Amon’s Smile

"Trident!"

As a bishop of the Church of the God of Storms, Alger naturally recognized this ancient ghost ship that had once fought for the Lord centuries ago.

Its origins were particularly fascinating.

According to legend, after the God of Death fell and the Berserk Sea formed—separating the Northern and Southern Continents—a devout follower of the Lord found himself stranded alone in the South.

He tried everything but was never able to cross the Berserk Sea.

In the end, he and his ship perished together, sinking into the ocean's depths.

Yet, in death, his soul fused with the ship, turning it into this ghost ship that could dive deep beneath the sea, aimlessly roaming the waters of the Southern Continent for centuries, leaving behind countless terrifying legends.

It wasn't until seven hundred years ago, during the post-war period of the Twenty Years' War, that the Trident suddenly emerged from the depths, appearing directly near the Holy See's headquarters on Pasu Island—returning to the embrace of the Lord.

Rumors say that the Trident originally bore a different name, one that never made it into official records. Alger had only vaguely recalled it because he had once flipped past its mention while researching the history of the Blue Avenger.

While Alger's thoughts drifted, the Trident had already docked first.

But what truly shocked him was the group of Red Gloves from the Church of Evernight disembarking from its deck.

"The Trident is usually reserved for high-priority operations across the Berserk Sea… Did something major happen in the Southern Continent that requires the elite forces of two churches to join hands?"

"I heard members of the Rose School of Thought recently experienced a brief episode of madness… Could this be related?"

Since the last Tarot Gathering, the newly joined Miss Temperance—being a Sequence 5—had barely stabilized Klein's excessive spirituality drain, but even so, they had rushed through the meeting.

As a result, Ebner and Xio hadn't been able to share their experiences regarding the Daniel Mirror Maze.

And given that less than a week had passed, it was perfectly normal for Alger not to have received any related news—not at this era's information transfer speeds.

His gaze lingered on a black-haired, emerald-eyed Red Glove, studying him for a long moment.

Sensing this, the Red Glove turned around and met his gaze directly.

Alger immediately smiled knowingly before shaking his head in self-mockery.

"Forget it. None of this concerns me anyway. No need to worry about it… I'll just ask at the next Tarot Meeting."

"Right now, my focus should be on tomorrow night's Beyonder gathering at Amyris Leaf Bar."

"According to my sources, someone will be selling Deep-Sea Gunfish Blood, but they specifically want a Pugilist's formula in exchange…"

"If someone else bids with the formula, my gold pounds won't be of any advantage."

"Normally, the Sun pathway could easily obtain this formula… but since he's under surveillance, it's best not to make any suspicious moves."

"Sacrificing my established Forsaken Land of the Gods channel just to test a potential Abraham Family connection? Not worth it."

Having reached a decision, Alger resolved to compete for the item as best he could. If things didn't go his way…

Then he'd just have to apologize to Miss Magician.

As for his own goal, the Ocean Songster's potion formula?

He never expected to find it at such a gathering in the first place.

"Lack of access is one thing, but the real issue is that the Lord's sentinels monitor these gatherings…"

"Even if the organizers have the formula, they'd never dare sell it openly."

.....

Meanwhile…

On the docks, a man in a black trench coat and crimson gloves—Leonard Mitchell—casually withdrew his gaze, simply committing the blue-haired man's features to memory.

Then, tilting his head slightly, he lowered his voice and muttered:

"Old man, do you know who that guy was? He was staring at me for quite a while."

Immediately, a hoarse, aged voice echoed in his mind:

"You're still as impolite as ever.

"It's too far, so I can't sense clearly… but judging by his hair color, he's likely a Beyonder of the Sailor pathway. His ship is clearly a ghost ship, and the fact that he's docking at a Church of Storms private port… You should be able to guess who he is, right?"

"A Privateer Captain under the Church of Storms?" Leonard pondered, recalling the knowledge he had recently crammed, and cautiously offered his guess.

Back in Tingen, he had known almost nothing about maritime affairs—he could barely name the notorious pirate generals and kings with high bounties.

"But why would a Privateer Captain be staring at me? I thought he might've noticed…" Leonard's voice trailed off, growing almost inaudible.

"Heh, I think he was just glancing around and happened to look at you… Of course, it's also possible that your fates will intertwine in the future, and this moment is merely a premonition." In his mind, Pallez Zoroast chuckled.

"So you're saying… he might also be one of the 'protagonist's' allies?" Leonard glanced at Captain Sost, who was shaking hands with the Adjudicator as a farewell, and muttered under his breath, "Honestly, I think stories like this need a female character in the squad to develop properly… I'm really not into sailors."

As he spoke, the corners of his lips gradually curved upward, as if reminiscing about his carefree days in Tingen—those times when he bore no responsibilities.

Pallez remained silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "Are you still longing for the time when you were playing the protagonist in a drama?"

Leonard's smile froze instantly. After a long moment, he firmly replied, "I miss it, but I also hate it… I was so useless back then!"

"You'd better keep your emotions in check, or else someone might take advantage of them… Like the target of the mission you'll be assigned once you return to Backlund." Pallez warned.

"A demon?" Leonard nodded thoughtfully. "I heard about the horrifying demon sacrifice incident on Sonia Island—lots of people died. That's why the Holy See is taking the demon-summoning activity in Backlund so seriously, right?"

"Heh, things aren't as simple as you think." Pallez laughed lightly.

"What do you mean?" Leonard asked, puzzled.

But Pallez didn't answer. He only said meaningfully, "The more you know, the more dangerous it gets."

Then, he added one last warning, "Don't linger in Bayam. Don't leave the Storm Church's private port. Board the airship and return to Backlund as soon as possible."

....

Meanwhile, in a villa near the military port, Prince Montbatten who had arrived with Princess Vera slowly awoke from his slumber.

He got out of bed, walked to a desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a monocle, placing it over his right eye.

"Just a decoy prince? Completely clueless about everything?

"How interesting…

"Who's the one behind this setup? They seem to know me very well…

"An old acquaintance, perhaps?"

Muttering to himself, he turned his gaze toward the Church of the Sea Waves outside the window.

A faint, unreadable smile appeared on his lips.

"The real prince is over there, huh?

"I'd love to see his face when I steal the entire church right in front of him!"

(End of Chapter)