Northern Conquest Sea, Navaha.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Navaha was gradually enveloped by nightfall. Thanks to the sudden arrival of the Church’s escort fleet, this otherwise quiet seaside town had experienced a rather unusual day.
Though Navaha wasn’t far from major sea routes, its awkward location and lack of favorable conditions meant it had long been overshadowed by other, better-situated port cities along Cassatia’s southern coast. As such, it rarely attracted much outside attention or traffic.
But today, with an entire fleet of warships suddenly docked in its harbor—and an influx of foreign passengers disembarking—the town was thrown into an unexpected stir. Merchants welcomed the guests with smiles, while the townsfolk excitedly discussed the strange event. By dinnertime, most dinner tables across the city were buzzing about the massive Radiance Church ships moored at the port and the crowd of foreigners who had poured out of them. Everyone speculated wildly about what had brought such a scene to their doorstep.
Later that evening, aboard one of the large cruisers anchored at Navaha Harbor, Jord—the commander of the escort fleet—sat in his captain’s quarters, dressed in his uniform. Before him stood a slightly stout, middle-aged man in a suit, wearing a sycophantic expression. The man stood at Jord’s desk, reporting in not-so-fluent Ivengardian.
“Respected Knight, the supplies you requested are already being arranged. Everything should arrive by tomorrow afternoon. Also, I’ve had staff find lodging for those passengers who couldn’t get a room—no one will be sleeping on the streets tonight.”
“You have my thanks, Mayor. These resupplies weren’t supposed to come from your town—our sudden arrival must have caused some trouble.”
Jord responded flatly. The man before him was none other than Navaha’s mayor. Upon learning that an entire Church fleet had docked without warning, nearly filling the harbor, the mayor had rushed over with a team of city officials, eager to assist and gather information.
“No trouble at all! It’s an honor, really—supporting you in spreading the Holy Mother’s grace and salvation is my privilege, not a burden.”
Jord gave a dry chuckle at the man’s flattery.“I see. It seems you’re a faithful man, Mayor. That’s rare. I’ll remember your cooperation today. You’ve been working all day—go ahead and get some rest.”
“Ah… of course. But before I leave, may I ask one question, Sir Knight? When will your fleet be setting sail again?”
The mayor asked cautiously. Jord glanced at him, then replied slowly.
“Concerned about our stay, are you? No need to worry—we’ve already reported our status to the Holy Mount. The Cassatian government is aware of our temporary docking. As for the cost of supplies and any compensation for disrupting harbor operations, someone will settle that with you later. There’s no need for concern.”
To Jord, it was only natural that the presence of a full war fleet in a small port town might cause anxiety, so he offered this brief reassurance. The mayor, however, quickly shook his head.
“No, no, Sir Knight! I have absolutely no concerns about your presence! I simply wanted to confirm how long you intend to remain, so I can arrange some municipal matters accordingly.”
“I see… Our original plan was only a brief stop—drop off personnel, take on supplies, and depart. But due to some unexpected developments, we may be delayed for a day or two. It won’t be long.”
Jord’s tone was even, but the mayor pressed just a little further.
“Unexpected developments? I… noticed there were some loud disturbances this afternoon near the harbor. When I arrived, I saw signs of heavy damage in several areas. Did something happen?”
“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with, Mayor. All you need to know is that we’ll be gone within a day or two at most.”
Jord’s voice carried a touch of sternness. The mayor, sensing the shift, took two uneasy steps back and spoke quickly.
“Understood, Sir Knight. I won’t ask further. I’ll take my leave now.”
With a respectful bow, the mayor turned and left the captain’s quarters. Once he was gone, Jord returned to reviewing the stack of reports on his desk.
He hadn’t been at it for long when there was a knock at the door. Jord answered with a quick “Come in,” and a deputy entered, offering a report.
“Sir, we’ve scoured the coastline surrounding Navaha, but found nothing unusual. I’m sorry—we weren’t able to locate the cultist who escaped.”
“Nothing, huh? Pity… though not unexpected. Once a Tide Path Beyonder gets into the sea, capturing them becomes nearly impossible. I only ordered the search because he’d been badly injured—figured he might not make it far. Looks like I underestimated him.”
“Even if we didn’t find him, there’s no need for you all to blame yourselves. Investigation isn’t exactly our specialty—it was just something we were doing on the side.”
After hearing the deputy’s report, Jord spoke calmly. The deputy nodded in response.
“Thank you for your understanding, Sir. The whole situation just happened too suddenly. No one could’ve expected those two were cultists worshiping the Abyssal Serpent. We weren’t prepared at all—and that’s why it ended up like this, one dead and one escaped. If we’d noticed sooner, we could’ve caught both!”
Regret tinged the deputy’s voice. Jord put down the pen he was using to review documents and sighed.
“Yes… Who would’ve thought those two had been hiding so well, only to suddenly manifest mystical traces and blow their cover? That whole situation this afternoon… we weren’t the only ones unprepared—they weren’t ready either. All the passengers had already disembarked, and then the two of them suddenly got exposed? The timing was far too convenient. If you ask me, it’s possible that guy didn’t just escape—he might’ve been silenced by someone else.”
Noticing the shift in Jord’s tone, the deputy paused, then cautiously continued.
“You mean… someone deliberately set those two up to be exposed? And the one who fled… might already be dead?”
“What else could it be? They’d been hiding fine all along—why blow their cover now? It’s not like they forgot to reinforce their Shadow sigils. No, this reeked of orchestration. They were being watched—by someone tied to the mysticism world, and someone clearly opposed to the Abyssal Church. I wouldn’t be surprised if that someone was among the Shimmering Pearl’s passengers. Maybe even connected to this so-called Thief K. Either way… we were just used as pawns this time.”
Jord’s voice held visible irritation. After seeing Costa and Massimo’s sudden exposure, he’d realized that something deeper was going on aboard the Shimmering Pearl. Likely, two hidden forces within the mysticism world had been in conflict on that ship. The theft incident and the ship’s strange sinking were probably also tied to this hidden struggle. Jord couldn’t help but blame himself for not noticing the signs sooner.
“You’re saying… among the passengers from the Shimmering Pearl, there might be dangerous cult-affiliated individuals as well? Sir, should we begin a search?”
The deputy asked uneasily, but Jord immediately replied.
“It’s too late. By now, everyone from the Shimmering Pearl has already scattered into Navaha—some even left the city overnight. We don’t have the manpower to track each of them down. And like I said, investigating isn’t our primary duty.”
As he spoke, Jord stood up from his seat and walked over to the cabin window. Through the glass, he gazed out at the peaceful night over Navaha Harbor.
“I’ve already reported the situation to our superiors. Specialists are on their way from Telva. We just need to stay here for a day or two, hand over the leads we have, and let the professionals handle the rest. This isn’t our job—we’re here to provide escort, nothing more.”
“Still… before those people from Telva arrive, we should preserve what evidence and leads we’ve gathered so far. In the meantime, everyone can take this chance to get some rest.”
Jord wasn’t planning to get deeply involved in the matter. But he also wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to let himself and his sailors enjoy a brief shore leave. After all, this involved two White Ash-rank Beyonder cultists—a matter serious enough that extending their stay under the guise of caution was entirely justified. Life at sea was exhausting and monotonous. For both sailors and officers, any time spent on land was precious—and a legitimate excuse to slack off was one not to be wasted.
The deputy, catching on to Jord’s intentions, scratched his chin and smiled knowingly. He turned to look out the window as well and chuckled.
“Right, early prep and evidence preservation will make things easier once the specialists arrive. Looks like we’ll be reaching Ivengard a couple days later than planned—but that’s fine. The pilgrimage schedule is pretty flexible this time around.”
…
Time passed quickly. Soon, night gave way to morning, and Navaha awoke once more to a new day. Seagulls circled in the sky, their cries marking the city’s slow emergence from slumber.
Dorothy was woken early by the incessant squawking of seabirds outside her window. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she tried to fall back asleep—but the noise made it impossible. With a deadpan stare, she summoned an eagle corpse marionette from her magic box and flung it outside, sending the flocks into a panicked frenzy. After a satisfying bout of revenge against her noisy offenders, Dorothy got out of bed, sleep now abandoned.
She washed up at her usual pace, then dressed in a pair of black leather boots and a soft, gray-toned outfit. Heading downstairs, she stepped out of the inn and had a few potato cakes for breakfast. Then, she began her slow stroll through Navaha.
Her goal today was to see if this city had a branch of the White Craftsmen’s Guild—she wanted to pick up a few supplies. With that in mind, Dorothy dispatched several corpse marionettes to spread out and scout key areas like banks and workshops. Meanwhile, she herself wandered the streets with her guardian corpse marionette, genuinely enjoying the exotic atmosphere like a tourist.
As she walked, Dorothy sampled street snacks and took in the sights. She even spotted a number of other Shimmering Pearl passengers doing the same—some had evidently decided to treat this impromptu stop as a vacation. In the crowd, she also saw Nephthys, who was touring the city with her classmates and mentor. According to Nephthys, they had decided to explore Navaha a bit before figuring out how to continue their journey to Ivengard.
Since we’re already here, might as well enjoy it before moving on—that was the mindset shared by many of the Shimmering Pearl’s former passengers.
Also in the mood to explore, Dorothy continued her leisurely stroll through the city. After more than two hours of walking and occasional resting, she found herself slowly drifting away from the city center, eventually arriving in the northern outskirts of Navaha.
From a hilltop in the area, Dorothy took in a full view of the entire city. To her surprise, Navaha was much smaller than she had imagined. It didn’t even come close to the size of Igwynt—it was, without a doubt, a true small town. Seeing the city’s scale made her doubt whether a White Craftsmen’s Guild branch could exist here at all.
“No, forget the White Craftsmen’s Guild… it’s questionable whether this place has any official mystical institutions at all.”
“At least Igwent is a provincial capital—that’s why it has a Serenity Bureau presence. But this place? It’s even smaller than Igwynt. It really doesn’t look like it has anything mystical…”
Gazing out from the hilltop over the entire town, Dorothy concluded that Navaha likely had no branch of the White Craftsmen’s Guild.
After finishing her survey, she prepared to descend and head back toward the city. On the way down, she passed by an enclosed compound nestled at the foot of the hill. The compound was surrounded by unusually tall courtyard walls.
As she walked past the high walls, Dorothy couldn’t help but glance curiously toward the entrance. There, atop the locked iron gate, stood an empty arched iron frame. The structure caught her attention instantly.
“That kind of frame… it’s meant for hanging signage, isn’t it? Which means there was a sign here. So where is it? Why is only the frame left? Did they just forget to hang it up?”
Staring at the bare frame, Dorothy grew more curious.
Under her command, a bird corpse marionette that had been circling above swooped down and landed on the slightly rusted iron frame. It began inspecting the surface in detail—and what it found was interesting.
There were screw holes—many of them—pre-drilled to fasten signage or nameplates in place. Dorothy noted through the bird’s eyes that while most of the iron frame was covered in dust, rust, and grime, the insides of those screw holes were remarkably clean. Not only were they free of dirt and dust—they barely showed any rust at all.
In other words, screws had been in place there until quite recently. The screws had shielded the holes, keeping them clean.
And if those screws had only just been removed, it meant a sign had very recently been taken down. For whatever reason, it had been removed quickly and recently—so recently that the screw holes hadn’t even had time to gather grime.
“A sign taken down just recently? Interesting… Are they putting up a new one? Or was it removed for some other reason?”
Curiosity piqued, Dorothy directed the bird corpse to fly deeper into the compound to see what this place actually was.
The marionette glided into one of the buildings inside and spotted a column with lettering posted on it.
“North Hill Psychiatric Hospital”
Dorothy blinked for a moment, then thought to herself.
“Another psychiatric hospital? In such a small town? There are two of them?”