Aftermath

In a café on Böklund Street, North Borough.

As Jane and the controlled Ludwell pushed open the door and entered, they saw Captain Cattleya sitting alone in a corner with her hood up. She was still wearing that mysterious-looking classical black robe, but her expression held an indescribable bewilderment.

Jane was somewhat surprised to see the captain reveal such an expression for the first time, and she inexplicably felt a trace of sadness.

However, she had no time to think about it. She took two or three steps to Cattleya and lowered her voice. "The lady wants us to leave Backlund as soon as possible."

Cattleya came back to herself at those words. She was not wearing her heavy glasses at the moment, and the deep purple in her eyes seemed to flow as she looked at Jane. "Has the operation ended?"

"It's over. The baron has been 'purified,' but he didn't leave behind a Beyonder Characteristic..." Jane felt a little regretful as she said this. Although the main reason she had insisted on assassinating the baron was to help Abner eliminate a threat, it would have been even better if they could have obtained his Characteristic.

Although she could temporarily control the Hell Admiral in battle, strictly speaking, Ludwell belonged to the Future, the ship's shared property. She could not simply kill him and take his Characteristic.

Cattleya nodded, then pursed her lips and asked hesitantly, "Did she... say anything else?"

"The lady said that your fate isn't with her..." Jane thought for a moment before relaying to Cattleya something Queen Mystic had said before leaving, although she had no idea what it meant.

"Those words again... My fate isn't with her? Then where could it be?" Cattleya muttered distractedly.

...This, this wasn't something a dashing Pirate Admiral should