Chapter 111

It had been a long voyage. The crimson sky faded, giving way to a silent night.

Feeling stifled, Benny stepped outside the cabin. As the cold wind hit her face, she noticed a blue light in the distance.

“Costance, look over there.”

“…It’s a bioluminescent jellyfish.” 

He replied.

It was quite a large one. Each time it swam, the blue light spread like magic, captivating her gaze. It resembled dye dissolving into water, mesmerizing and impossible to ignore.

“Benny, Costance.”

While they were watching the light, the cardinal called out to them. Behind him, two priests were seen adjusting their guns, indicating that the matter wasn’t a light one.

“There’s another fishing boat nearby.”

So they had been followed after all. Costance picked up the gun that had been lying below deck.

“Is it the government?”

“Unless they’re here to catch jellyfish. For now, please go inside.”

Neither Alres nor Dr. Rydier had shown themselves, likely staying inside the cabin.

“Alres.”

“What’s going on?”

As Benny entered the cabin, Alres asked in a tense tone.

“It seems like the government is following us.”

“…D*mn.”

Both Benny and Costance crouched low. They held their breaths in silence, staring blankly at the dark floor.

Costance, who was in front, checked the gun in his hand and glanced out the window. The stillness of the sea had shifted ever so slightly.

“Benny.”

He called her name softly. When her gaze wavered, he placed one hand on her cheek.

“This will be the last time. I’ll make sure we reach the Papal States together.”

“…”

“I promise. This damned situation ends here.”

His resolve to stake his life was evident. Neither Benny nor Costance had anything left to fear.

They had lost count of how many times they had escaped the government’s grasp. While it wasn’t like this in the beginning, they now had reliable allies willing to help them. Everyone’s shared goal was to reach the Papal States alive.

Survival was their priority, but that didn’t mean they were willing to be captured by the government again.

Benny met his determined gray eyes.

“…Costance. Ugh!”

Suddenly, the fishing boat accelerated, causing items in the cabin to topple over. Costance shielded her head before checking the situation outside.

“D*mn it.”

Before Benny could ask what was going on, the sound of gunfire erupted.

“They’re here…!”

Dr. Rydier, trembling in a corner of the cabin, spoke with a terrified expression.

“Stay here with the doctors.” 

Costance instructed.

Before he could leave, Benny grabbed his wrist.

“…”

He paused, looking down at her with a conflicted expression.

“Please don’t get hurt. And if you’re short on fighters, make sure to call for me.”

Her words left him wide-eyed.

“You know, if you die, I have no reason to live either.”

Instead of replying, Costance kissed her cheek. As he stepped out of the cabin, there was no hesitation in his stride.

‘Don’t be afraid. Overcome this.’

As his figure disappeared, Benny clenched her fists tightly.

Costance would survive. He absolutely, absolutely would…!

“…”

But she couldn’t just sit and wait.

“Benny, where are you going?!”

Ignoring Alres’s shout, she made her way to the wheelhouse at the front of the fishing boat.

“How much longer until we reach the Papal States’ territorial waters?”

“Miss!”

The priest manning the helm was startled.

“I need to know how much time is left.”

“About ten minutes, Miss. Please hide in the cabin!”

“Is there a telegraph onboard? I think I can create some confusion on the Toramde side.”

Ten minutes wasn’t a long time. If there was even a chance to delay Toramde’s forces by a single second, she had to take it.

“…”

The helmsman hesitated briefly before pointing to the second drawer on his right.

“Thank you.”

Benny retrieved the telegraph machine, taking a deep breath as she recalled her knowledge. 

Let’s see… 

She had learned the language of the Pinse Republic before. And, of course, its codes.

‘Alright, slowly.’

Toramde would be reluctant to involve the Republic if they pursued her into its territorial waters.

Tap. Tap-tap. Tap.

Concentrating, she entered the Pinse code.

[Requesting rescue. Location 10.xxN 1xx.xxW. Urgent.]

***

Costance ducked as a bullet whizzed past. The rocking of the boat had saved him; otherwise, the bullet would have lodged deep in his head.

“Are you alright, Costance?!”

Rahie’s voice called out.

“They have a sniper rifle on their side! A skilled one.”

Costance gritted his teeth as bullets rained down from above. Judging by the sniper’s accuracy despite the rocking boat, getting hit would almost certainly mean death.

Beside him, Cardinal Rahie crossed himself before opening his eyes. His pale face was drenched in cold sweat.

“This is terrifying. And they’re not even willing to talk.”

Despite the humor in his voice, Rahie seemed genuinely frightened by his first experience of a gunfight.

“D*mn it, this gun won’t reach their boat.”

Costance inspected the firearm in his hands.

“One of the priests has a sniper rifle.”

“Unless they’re highly skilled, it won’t be easy to shoot a sniper rifle from a moving boat, Your Holiness.”

Costance crouched lower. While the priests on board were trustworthy, the agents from Toramde were undoubtedly elite.

“We don’t stand much of a chance in a direct fight! Increase the speed to maximum!”

“This is already the maximum speed! And their boat is faster than ours!”

From the wheelhouse, the priest’s voice was accompanied by the sound of a cannon firing near the fishing boat.

‘Mortars!’

Costance saw the water spout up. The mere thought of a shell hitting the boat was horrifying. Not only would there be casualties, but reaching the Papal States’ territorial waters would become impossible.

“Give me the sniper rifle!”

At his shout, a priest tossed him the weapon. Costance assumed a firing position, but the moving boat made it nearly impossible to aim accurately.

“Costance…! We don’t need to reach the Papal States’ waters. Just getting close will be enough.”

Rahie frowned.

“The Paladins guarding the Papal States will be waiting.”

“…”

“We’re almost there, Costance. Isn’t there anything we can do?”

The cardinal’s desperate tone made Costance pause.

“…Our attacks are meaningless. Everyone, get inside the wheelhouse. Quickly!”

As soon as he spoke, the hesitant priests moved swiftly to protect the cardinal and head inside. Covering their retreat with gunfire, Costance crouched low.

“Hoo.”

He exhaled deeply, confirming that the priests and the cardinal had safely entered.

After firing one last shot, he moved quickly. Once inside, he shut the door and surveyed the interior.

Crash! The wheelhouse’s window and door shattered.

“Costance!”

Seeing Benny crouched under the wheelhouse, Costance steadied his chaotic thoughts.

“Turn off all the lights so they can’t see our boat.”

“What? Then we won’t be able to see either. With shells falling around us and the waves unstable, we’d have to navigate purely by instinct.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll steer.”

He set the gun aside and quickly assessed the boat’s position and surroundings.

Despite the dire situation, Costance’s face showed no sign of fear. His firm expression inspired trust in everyone there.

“Turning off the lights now!”

With the priest’s voice, all the lights on the fishing boat went out. Darkness engulfed the area, but Costance didn’t hesitate as he adjusted the boat’s direction.

The Toramde vessel shone its lights on their boat. The number of shells falling around them increased.

In response, Costance shifted the direction again, evading the lights. Maintaining speed, the boat rocked violently.

No screams were heard. The priests and Benny held their breaths, allowing Costance to concentrate.

A massive column of water surged nearby. The boat leaped into the air before crashing back down due to the waves.

The darkness made it impossible to see the flow or direction of the waves. 

Could we even reach the Papal States’ waters? 

Doubts began to creep into the helmsman’s mind when—

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, a mysterious light enveloped the fishing boat. Benny, still holding the telegraph machine, glanced out the window at the sudden glow.

A swarm of bioluminescent jellyfish passed beneath the boat. Their countless glowing bodies resembled a galaxy, momentarily halting the frantic pace of time and drawing everyone’s gaze.

The jellyfish illuminated the surrounding sea, as if guiding the way. Their graceful movements sent stronger blue light shimmering through the water.

The light didn’t linger long. The jellyfish swam swiftly, and the fishing boat soon left their glow behind.

Darkness returned, but Costance, who had never lost focus, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“…There’s another boat ahead.”

The priest, observing the situation, spoke up, and Rahie’s expression darkened.

“Is it a Toramde vessel?”

“No, it’s different.”

Rahie and Benny followed the priest’s gaze. As he said, three boats surrounded the Toramde vessel.

Not only that, but the boats shone strong lights on the Toramde ship. However, something was different. The lights weren’t just illuminating—they were blinking, as if sending signals.

“That’s… a rescue signal.”

Benny spoke up.

“I sent a fake rescue request! The nearby Pinse fishermen must have come to help us!”