You don’t welcome me?

It took less than half an hour,and it was done.

Rolling up the blueprint and hiding it securely,

Black left the room and headed up to the deck.

Small boats regularly shuttled between the Hodyr and the Welton,transporting personnel and supplies.

All Black needed to do was board one of those boatsto reach the Welton.

On his way to the docking point,Black casually glanced upward—

and spotted several figures on the top deck of the Hodyr.

These were all prominent, well-known figures:

Duke Gran, Pascal, Lucy, several elder nobles…

and Empress Elizabeth herself.

From their posture, they seemed to be discussing battle strategies.

Today’s Dragon Tide must have caught them off guard too,necessitating an urgent reassessment of their defenses.

Black’s gaze lingered on Empress Elizabeth.

He thought to himself: counting the moment she intervened during the Dragon Tide,

Her Majesty had already made two appearances today.

If that was the case, even if she wasn’t fully recovered,her injuries must have healed significantly by now.

With her strength restored, they should be able to defeat Jörmungandr.

And if that happened, the prologue’s ending was practically secured.

Relief washed over Black at the thought,and his pace quickened instinctively.

None of the dignitaries noticed him.

Upon reaching the transfer point,

Black happened to catch a supply run heading to the Welton.

Seizing the opportunity, he stepped forward and addressed the crewmen:

“I’m Black, personal guard of Her Highness Princess Alice.

I’ve been ordered by the princess to make a trip to the Welton.”

The sailors had initially been ready to refuse—unauthorized personnel weren’t allowed to switch ships freely—but upon hearing his name and recognizing his uniform, they hesitated.

After all, following the Su Lan Three Fights,

Black’s name had become somewhat famous among the crew.

And yes, this man was indeed the Second Princess’s personal guard.

“Alright then, come aboard,” the lead sailor said.

Black hopped onto the small boat and arrived at the Welton without incident.

Using his status as the princess’s guard as cover,

he smoothly made his way to the cellblock where the pirates were imprisoned.

Black had expected them to greet him with overwhelming joy.

Instead, from a distance, he already heard them collectively cursing him—their language so vulgar it made even seasoned sailors blush.

“Damn you, Black! We’ve been played for fools!”

His “good roommate” Uriel slammed his fist hard against the cold floor,his knuckles turning white.

“What escape route? It’s been ages—we haven’t even seen his shadow!”

“This was a setup from the start!

He’s probably selling us out for his own glory,leaving us here to rot or get shipped off to imperial labor camps!”

Another pirate rasped bitterly.

A young pirate, tears welling in his eyes, whimpered:

“Even Captain Loyel hasn’t come back…

Have they both abandoned us?”

Hearing this, another young pirate slapped him hard across the face.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Sister Loyel would never leave us behind!”

At that, First Mate Hans let out a weary sigh.

He leaned silently against the corner of the cell,the brief spark of hope Black’s earlier promise had ignited now reduced to cold, lifeless ash.

He knew well—the pirates weren’t afraid of death.

Dying in battle against the imperial royal family would be honorable.

What they couldn’t bear was dying in a cage,unavenged, forgotten—a fate too humiliating to accept.

That was why, when Black first told them a viable escape route existed, they’d rejoiced.

It meant they still had a chance to break free.

Once out, they could lie low, rebuild,and someday exact their revenge on the imperial house—just as Black had said: “As long as the green hills remain, there’ll always be firewood to burn.”

Yet so much time had passed—not only had Black not returned,but even Captain Loyel had vanished without a trace.

Now, with the Dragon Tide already upon them,neither of them had shown up.

Hans couldn’t understand—why give them hope, only to abandon them?

And Loyel… knowing her as he did,she absolutely wasn’t the type to desert her crew.

She must have run into trouble outside.

But trapped in this cell, they could do nothing to help.

Clang… clang…

Like countless nights before,the sound of footsteps and clinking metal echoed down the corridor—signaling the approach of dinner time.

The pirates lifted their heads listlessly,too numb to even open their eyes fully.

The guard pushed the food cart to the bars,silently sliding in the usual fare:hard black breadand a bowl of watery, flavorless soup through the slot at the bottom of the gate.

Ever since Black left, their rations had only gotten worse.

Hans took a bite, felt no appetite at all,and was about to toss it aside—when a light, almost cheerful set of footsteps mixed into the usual rhythm.

At the same time, a familiar voice rang out:

“Yo! Dinner time?

Guess it’s better to arrive late than never!”

That voice—so smug, so infuriatingly familiar—pierced through the cell like a spark to dry tinder.

In an instant, the lifeless prison cell eruptedas if a red-hot bomb had been tossed inside.

Every pirate snapped their heads around.

Their eyes locked, unblinking,on the figure standing beyond the iron bars.

Black!

There he stood, very much alive,wearing that signature, infuriatingly lazy grin.

He even leaned forward through the bars,peering inside as if he were just a casual visitor checking in on old friends.

Time seemed to freeze for a heartbeat.

Then—

“Waaaah! Black, you damn traitor!

How dare you show your face again?!”

Uriel, so furious he lost his appetite, lunged at the bars.

“You’ve got the nerve to come back?!

You’ve got the nerve?!”

The younger pirates surged forward too,all glaring at him with burning eyes.

Even Hans shot to his feet,his usually composed, wrinkled face now stripped of all calm.

But unlike the others, he didn’t rage.

He just stared at Black with deep suspicion.

Why had he returned?

Surely not just to mock them?

“Huh? You guys don’t want me here?

Guess I’ll just leave then~”

Black feigned a hurt expression and turned as if to walk away.

But before he’d taken a single step,he suddenly stopped.

“I was actually planning to give you the escape route…

but I guess… never mind.”

As he spoke, he deliberately waved the blueprint—the one clearly marked with the escape route—right in front of their eyes.

At the sound of his words and the sight of that paper,the furious shouting in the cellwas instantly strangled mid-roar,as if gripped by an invisible hand.

One moment they were screaming;the next, they stood frozen like statues under a binding spell.

Only the sound of ragged breathing remained.

Seeing their reaction, Black smiled.

He deliberately unrolled the map and held it directly in front of Uriel—the one who’d cursed him the loudest.