A Looming Threat and a Growing Divide

“Are you three truly alright?”

“We’re fine, Grandpa Mor, absolutely nothing happened!”

Paresha, flushing scarlet, responded loudly from her perch on the armchair, fidgeting nervously.

Across from them, at the desk, old Mor set down a voluminous tome, his expression still skeptical.

“Is that so? Yet, I distinctly heard strange babbling coming from this room just now… Am I simply too tired, hearing things?” Mor asked, covering his old teeth with a hand as he let out a wide yawn. He then rose, intending to head for his bedroom.

“Wait—”

“Hold on!”

This time, Saranya and Paresha cried out in unison, blocking Mor’s path at the doorway. They absolutely could not allow Mor to see the ‘battlefield’ within the inner room.

“First, let me tidy up the room!” Paresha slipped through a narrow gap in the door and darted into the bedroom. Before long, the sounds of a frantic, storm-like cleanup erupted from within.

Mor glanced at the tightly shut door, then turned back to look at Saranya and Kaelan in the outer room, a look of utter bewilderment on his face.

“Mr. Mor, if you have no further need of us, we shall take our leave.”

“Oh, by all means, Mrs. Novfloss. Do remember to keep in touch through letters; my book requires materials from you.” Mor’s thoughts were solely on compiling his book. Just as the old man was about to lean over his desk, he suddenly remembered something and spoke again.

“Ah, that reminds me, I have a piece of news here that I’m sure you’ll find interesting…”

“What is it?”

“The dark clouds on the horizon… rumors of the demonic plague are growing more frequent. I went to the Upper City on business a few days ago, and even the nobles there are in a panic, considering all sorts of countermeasures.”

“That’s true, but I wouldn’t quite call that ‘news’…”

“Borok, that Bloodsail lad, wants to build a massive ship to escape the demonic plague by sea. He’s currently raising funds everywhere, claiming that anyone who pays will have a chance to safely depart on his vessel.”

Kaelan’s brow furrowed, and Saranya was taken aback, feeling quite surprised by this revelation.

Most of Vero City’s maritime freight demands were controlled by their gang alliance. Thus, after the Bloodsail Alliance fractured, Borok had led a relatively powerful faction to join the gang alliance, overthrowing the former leader and calling his group the ‘New Bloodsail.’

However, due to a drastic reduction in faction size and the emergence of numerous new, smaller maritime organizations, the Bloodsail Alliance’s monopoly in the shipping industry had ceased to exist, losing its former glory. After all, ‘if you won’t do it, someone else will.’ Sailors, desperate to secure a contract, would often fiercely undercut their rivals, curry favor with clients, and serve their every whim, essentially becoming mercenaries.

So, who was Borok’s biggest client?

Indeed, it was the rapidly expanding Redwater Gang. During Vireta’s tenure as leader, she had strictly adhered to Saranya’s centralized policies, firmly controlling the gang’s resources and decision-making power, entrusting these matters only to her most trusted tavern confidantes. The current Redwater Gang, now commanding the gang alliance, possessed irreplaceable business assets. Coupled with intelligence support from the Shadowscale Gang, it had grown beyond recognition. Its personnel and financial flows were at an exceptionally high level, making the Redwater Gang the undisputed top-tier gang in both the eastern and western districts. The only other organization on par with them was the Iron Crown Guild.

Given this power dynamic, for Borok to act unilaterally, without even a word to their ‘major client,’ and declare his intention to build a great ship to flee Vero, merely increasing citizen anxiety and potentially harming their business…

‘It seems it’s time to personally teach that rash, troublesome pirate a lesson.’

Kaelan held a sheathed longsword, then rose onto her tiptoes, hanging the weapon on Saranya’s back with a motion akin to saddling a horse. Once finished, her small hand patted Saranya’s shoulder, rousing her from her contemplation.

“Mistress, is it time to leave?”

“Let’s go. First, we’ll return to the tavern and handle the gang affairs that have piled up.”

“That… are we truly not waiting for Paresha?”

“Huh?” Kaelan raised one eyebrow, staring at Saranya for a moment before suddenly letting out a soft chuckle, her eyes narrowing with amusement. “Do you want to keep her with us always? There’s no need for that. Our ‘tutoring’ of her can come to a temporary halt. These things take time; being too hasty would only ruin her, understand?”

“Yes, yes…”

“Excellent. Not just magic, but you should also learn these methods of the Mistress. For Vero’s sanctuary project, we will need to subdue even more spellcasters in the future, making them grovel before us like chattel…”

‘……’

The carriage rattled along, speeding forward. Saranya sat in the spacious compartment, repeatedly pondering the last words her Mistress had spoken.

‘Chattel.’

Paresha had spent a considerable amount of time with them. Saranya had assumed her Mistress would develop at least some measure of kindness toward Paresha, or at the very least, treat her as a complete person worthy of respect. Yet, her Mistress had not. Her Mistress didn’t even regard a companion like Paresha as a person. ‘Did her Mistress truly view everyone around her as mere two-legged livestock, to be tormented and exploited at will whenever she pleased?’

‘Kaelan… she’s truly terrifying.’

Her Mistress’s instructional tone sent shivers down Saranya’s spine, as if she, her ‘master,’ would eventually follow in her footsteps, becoming a callous black witch who regarded all companions as mere dogs. ‘That would be… utterly despairing…’

‘She didn’t want to become like that.’

Her meaning was clear: while she couldn’t leave her Mistress, that didn’t mean she wanted to be molded into a numb replica, using her Mistress as a template. Saranya Kerfen would absolutely not allow herself to be manipulated by the Mistress Black Witch.

“Little Ya, when you enter the tavern later, first select your most capable subordinates. Tell them to prepare at least half a year’s worth of supplies and move their families to the estate. You’ve had this idea before, haven’t you?”

‘……’

“It’s time to put it into action. The situation is growing increasingly chaotic, conflicts could erupt at any moment, and the Truth Assembly is stirring in the shadows. We must preemptively develop the estate into a self-sufficient refuge, securing our fallback.”

‘……’

Seeing Saranya’s face darken and her silence for two consecutive times, Kaelan’s expression tightened slightly, her previously gentle tone growing sharper.

“Then go find Borok. I’ll go with you. The curse Lenix placed on you hasn’t been lifted, so from now on, you must remain by my side at all times to prevent any unforeseen incidents, understand?”

‘……’

Saranya remained silent. Kaelan was instantly provoked, slamming her hand against the carriage wall with a bang.

“Answer me, Saranya, my s*ave!”

“I need to go see Vireta. She’s injured, and as her captain, her nominal mother, I must visit her first before dealing with anything else.”

“You said… what…?”