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Chapter 107

No matter how amazing her business sense was, the only person who could assist her in these matters was Marianne. That was all.

Gallano and Lorelei had joined them based on past connections, Esther was more closely associated with the Magic Tower than the expedition team, and the sisters Ninian and Vivian were more loyal to Leonard than Frances. And Frances wasn’t close enough to the two of them to feel comfortable telling them about her private thoughts.

Besides, there was no one other than herself who could take all the political friction inside Bermuda and the Council into close enough consideration to perform administrative tasks without making any mistakes.

Actually, I think Leonard might be able to do it.

His genius wasn’t limited simply to martial arts. He had a talent for assessing situations and coming up with solutions as if he had many years of experience doing such things. That was how he was able to figure out Ninian’s and Gallano’s inner feelings and anguish and win them over. There were also multiple times when the two of them were having a casual conversation and he pointed out something she’d overlooked.

Frances already relied on Leonard too much when it came to problem-solving, so it would be absolutely shameless if she asked him to take care of her current business as well.

“I wonder if there’s someone we can recruit to Aquamarine who’s as capable in administrative work as Benjamin from Bermuda is...” she muttered aloud to herself. She placed her quill down on the desk and let out a long sigh as she stared at the mountain of paperwork she still had to go through.

Frances looked out the window of the wheelhouse. The peaceful sight of the dockside lifted a little bit of weight off her shoulders. Marianne was training, and the rest of the members had disembarked the Aquamarine, so it was just her on the ship.

“I have to set up a guild house too... but we’ve already spent half the money we won from the duel with Conrad. And we’re in no condition to attract any investors yet...”

She only said this out loud because there was no one to hear.

After muttering to herself and sorting her thoughts, Frances soon picked up her quill again. It was quite a short break, but it was enough for her. It was time to get back to work.

Beep beep. Beep. Beep beep beep. Beep.

The crystal ball attached to the wheelhouse’s dashboard suddenly began to flash. Frances recognized the caller based on the signal. She tilted her head as she tapped on the surface to activate the line of communication.

“Benjamin? What is it? I already took care of everything I needed Bermuda’s assistance for yesterday.”

—Captain Frances! It’s an emergency!

His voice sounded urgent.

Her face dropped. “What happened?”

Even though Benjamin had been forced to wander through trivial jobs after being unlucky enough to be caught in a war between factions, he used to be in a Rank A expedition team and had been part of Bermuda for decades.

He wasn’t the type of man to make a big deal out of nothing.

—Moby Dick’s Captain Pablo has just called an emergency meeting at Bermuda! He’s invited all the Rank A expedition teams who are currently in Atlantis City, but apparently Aquamarine is the only team whose attendance is mandatory!

Frances felt a strange sense of foreboding, and a chill went down her spine. But she didn’t let her unease show. “Benjamin. Before I respond to the summons, is there anything I should know beforehand?”

Benjamin was quiet for a moment from the other side of the crystal ball.

—Pablo came to Bermuda with only a few insignificant members of his team. We didn’t see anyone in the main force, let alone his second-in-command, Herman Melville.

“So you’re saying his main force is moving separately... Is there any way to find out their whereabouts or where they’re headed?”

—That would be difficult. Moby Dick is already hard enough to monitor on multiple fronts, but if they’re moving according to a plan, Bermuda doesn’t have the capabilities to track them.

Frances hadn’t expected much in the first place, so she only gave a single nod and moved on. “I understand. I’m heading to Bermuda now, so please gather as much information as you can until then. And I would be much obliged if you could locate my crew and send them to the Aquamarine.”

—Understood. Please be careful.

As soon as the light went out in the crystal, Frances immediately stood and left the wheelhouse. She didn’t even have the time to call Marianne to her. They would have to meet up on the way.

I have a bad feeling about this. I can’t even begin to guess what the traitor is plotting this time.

Bermuda would probably find out eventually, but by the time they uncovered Pablo’s plan, it would already be too late. The thought made her face pale.

Storm clouds were gathering around her again.

* * *

Pablo El Orlando Patterson was the captain of the Rank A expedition team Moby Dick and a big shot in the Council. He was one of the most powerful people in the Alliance.

Not only had he shown up to Bermuda unannounced, he’d even demanded an emergency meeting just as the employees were discussing what to eat for dinner. The whole place was thrown into chaos, and now they were all running around all over delivering messages as if they were being chased.

As for the explorers who’d responded to the summons, they gathered in the auditorium one by one, half annoyed and half intrigued.

Moby Dick was a powerful group, but the attendees were no average group of explorers either.

“That goddamn pig is abusing his power again.”

“He already has both hands in the Council and Bermuda, but now he’s pulling this bullshit? I’m gonna remember this.”

Pablo had always had power within both organizations, and there were people who didn’t like him because of it.

“And Aquamarine is the only one who’s actually required to attend. It wasn’t enough for him to kill Njord; now he’s targeting his daughter too?”

“I swear, he has no integrity, no, nothing. He’s just scum.”

“I can’t believe he’s already trying to quash them when the princess has just started reclaiming power again. He sure is touchy.”

There were people who were wary of him after what had happened eight years ago, but there were also those who never would have dared to speak up at the time.

The auditorium was growing more and more unruly. There were explorers who were clearly ready to rip into Pablo the moment he presented contradictions. Unlike Aquamarine, Moby Dick was always focused only on its own interests, and it was nearly the most hated group among the Rank A expedition teams.

“Ahem.” But Pablo wasn’t the least bit bothered by the atmosphere. He confidently stepped up to the podium.

After all, he was a powerful man who could overpower nearly everyone. The eyes of the audience were already as sharp as knives, and anyone would have felt intimidated, but there was also intense animosity behind their stares. And yet he met each and every explorer’s eyes and maintained his confident air.

“I see there are many more of you gathered here than I expected. I apologize for the short notice, and allow me to first thank you for sacrificing your precious time to be here.” Pablo noticed that Aquamarine hadn’t arrived yet, and he spread his arms in a grandiose gesture. “There’s no need for me to waste your time with small talk. I would presume that most of you came here because you were curious as to why I called an emergency meeting and required Aquamarine’s attendance.”

Bang!

The big, heavy door to the auditorium opened with a loud slam, and Frances and Marianne stepped inside, eyes flashing.

Frances and Pablo locked eyes from tens of meters away.

It was clear who had the upper hand.

Pablo sensed this and felt a sinister satisfaction.

“I will be straightforward.” He was in total control of the situation. The plan was flawless. “Leonard, a member of the Aquamarine Expedition Team, killed my son Lucciano. After I learned of his death, I wanted to propose an arbitration in order to minimize the consequences for the uninvolved parties. That is why I have gathered you all here.”

“You...!” As expected, Frances was sharp. As soon as Pablo finished speaking, she realized what Pablo was planning and that she’d fallen into an inescapable trap.

When Pablo saw her face go white, he cursed the father-daughter pair he’d brought down with his own hands.

You and your savior will fall.

He wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way this time.

“I will avenge my son. However, I do not wish to induce a bloodbath between our two expedition teams. So, I ask that Aquamarine stand aside so I can exact justice. This business is only between me and that boy Leonard.”

He was so disgustingly obvious. Frances yelled, “You’re worse than scum! Do you seriously expect me to believe that?!”

Pablo raised his hands. “Then would you prefer an all-out war between Aquamarine and Moby Dick? The outcome will be obvious.”

“I knew you were a barbarian, but I can’t believe you’d kill your own son to use him as an excuse!”

“Hm. Are you sure you want to make such an accusation? If you can prove it, I will stand down. I’ll even resign from my seat on the Council.”

Frances ground her teeth with a crack. She could only glare. There was no way he would have left any evidence or witnesses.

This was just like that day eight years ago.

The explorers gathered in Bermuda’s auditorium realized what was going on, but they had no reason to take Aquamarine’s side and couldn’t afford to stand in the way of Pablo’s revenge, especially because his target was Leonard, not the Aquamarine Expedition Team itself. The fact that no one could do anything even though it was such an obvious and juvenile setup was a testament to how much power Pablo had.

“—I have something to say,” a new voice said.

There was light at the end of the tunnel.

Pablo grew as cold as ice when he saw who had spoken. The man had entered the auditorium without a sound.

“Jack Russell, this is Bermuda, not the Magic Tower,” he hissed, not bothering to hide the bloodlust in his voice.

“You think I don’t know that?” Russell replied sarcastically.

“My invitation was only extended to Rank A explorers,” the councilor said through gritted teeth. “I don’t believe you fall under that category.”

“Oh dear. You must not have heard. I had no trouble coming in, as I am registered as an honorary member of Aquamarine. And I don’t know if you recall, but I was also the one who stood as the official witness to Leonard’s victorious duel. If he’s caused trouble, it’s only right that I should take some responsibility,” Russell said breezily. It wasn’t exactly a stretch. “Besides, shouldn’t it be you who should be procuring evidence, not my dear captain? Did Leonard truly kill your son?”

“I am willing to speak under a geas. Would that be proof enough for you? I would die, should I lie.”

“Oh, please. Even if Leonard did kill your son, it does not answer why, where, or how it happened. You will be thorough when you explain what happened. Or else you may cause a misunderstanding just like you did eight years ago, hm? Wouldn’t you agree?”

He was right.

Most of the explorers were skeptical of Pablo; they just didn’t have the authority to refute him. But just as Pablo had the Council behind him, Russell was a top representative of the Magic Tower, and he could stand up and object to the councilor.

Besides, most of the audience was against Pablo.

“I agree.”

“So do I.”

“I too agree with the Chief Elder’s words. If he wants to kill a little kid who isn’t even twenty yet, shouldn’t there be a thorough investigation first?”

“That way, he won’t be able to kill him and then pretend it was a mistake after he’s dead.”

Pablo’s eyes went ablaze when he realized the tables were turning against him. But the people gathered in the auditorium weren’t the type to be afraid just because he was angry. On the contrary, they had been waiting for him to stumble and were all too ready to mock him.

Of course, Pablo was aware of this as well, so he whipped around and left, looking temperamental.

He didn’t leave because he’d given up on getting revenge on Leonard. He’d left so that he could prepare to come up with a counterargument.

“Phew. Thank you, Russell,” Frances said gratefully, letting out a sigh of relief. If the Archmage hadn’t stepped forward, she would have been forced to stand down and let Leonard be killed, or wage an all-out war with Moby Dick. The power difference between Aquamarine and Moby Dick, Pablo and Frances, was still too vast.

“The issue is yet to be fully resolved. Still, we have survived the day,” Russell replied, smiling bitterly. He lowered his voice to a whisper so that no one could hear. “Let us go to my personal quarters for now. I received a message from Leonard.”

Frances’s eyes went wide.