Baron Nicola

That fellow definitely didn't want to reveal anything about the Demoness Sect or her Witch Family... Was she afraid I'd sell the whole lot of them out to the official Beyonders and leave her family devastated?

Angel rose without a word and picked up the letter Wensa had delivered from beside the sofa. She opened it and found it was from Helene.

It could only have been her. Of the others who knew Wensa's Summoning Charm, Klein had sent his "disciplinary decision" concerning Fors the Magician through Messenger Miss that morning, and it hadn't been long since Angel last saw Trissy. That left Helene. She should have prepared the "channel" Angel had asked her for...

Angel read the letter. Sure enough, Helene had provided the location of a smuggler and the password for contacting him. The Sauron Family had cultivated this smuggler while deliberately keeping him separate from the family, so trouble on his end would not implicate them. Before Tracy captured Helene, much of the maritime trade Helene conducted through her Sauron connections had gone through him as well.

That would tie the goods to Intis and Helene while satisfying the Loen Military's requirements... Angel considered it for a moment and decided the smuggler was worth meeting. Then she read the rest of the letter.

"...Also, I've heard this year's Pirate Conference will likely take place in early June. The exact date is still unknown. If you plan to attend, you may want to prepare in advance."

This was the second time Helene had mentioned the annual Pirate Conference, whose location stayed secret until the last moment to keep the navies of various countries from surrounding its attendees. She really seemed eager to take the opportunity to go. After all, the Red Haired Woman was only a smuggling ship