episode_0059

“Although the Admiral’s face is not widely known, which could be advantageous for stealth, acting alone without a single escort is an extremely perilous gamble.”

Belzero gazed at her adjutant without a word.

“Terminus Station is a place teeming with all sorts of outlaws. If… if the Admiral’s identity were to be exposed…!”

The adjutant couldn’t continue, biting his lip.

He didn’t even want to imagine what terrible things would happen if it became known that the Admiral of the Red Veil Pirates was wandering around alone and defenseless.

“Must… the Admiral really take such a risk herself?”

“Yes. I must confirm it.”

Belzero firmly cut off her adjutant’s words.

Realizing that further persuasion was meaningless, the adjutant finally sighed deeply and bowed his head.

“Understood, Admiral. If that is your will… I will comply.”

His voice carried the weight of resignation and unavoidable obedience.

“Good.”

Belzero rose from her seat with a satisfied smile.

She slowly walked towards the massive holographic star chart in the center of the bridge and spoke.

“While I am away, all command authority of the fleet is delegated to you. Manage it flawlessly, as usual.”

She continued, warning.

“And… don’t cause any unnecessary commotion until I return. Especially, avoid friction with other pirate crews as much as possible.”

“I will bear that in mind, Admiral.”

The adjutant saluted respectfully.

There was even a sense of solemnity in his eyes.

“Yes, I trust you.”

Belzero replied briefly, then gestured for him to leave.

As the adjutant exited the Admiral’s chambers, Belzero took out a long, black cigar and put it in her mouth.

With a skilled hand, she lit it, and a bitter yet fragrant smoke gently curled from her crimson lips.

It had been a lifetime.

Inside this cold, dark ship, only the same starlight and nebulae were visible outside the window.

It was suffocating and tedious.

Although it was the vast universe, to her, it was no different from a giant prison.

Sitting in the flamboyant admiral’s seat, commanding countless subordinates, a corner of her heart was always empty.

She vaguely realized that she was gradually growing weary.

‘Sometimes… I wish I could shed this stuffy uniform and stroll through the streets like an ordinary woman.’

She chuckled and took a deep drag from her cigar.

Terminus Station, the sanctuary of free mercenaries.

Perhaps there, even for a short while, she could escape this heavy sense of responsibility and boredom.

Of course, the purpose of this visit was not merely recreation.

That unknown pilot who appeared at Titan’s Tomb.

The one who took the graviton damper.

And perhaps, the owner of the mech that ravaged the Nemesis units at the Nova Seed heist site.

An investigation into him was absolutely necessary.

There was also a vague expectation that he might bring new stimulation to her boring daily life.

“Killing two birds with one stone, not bad.” [A proverb about achieving multiple goals at once.]

Belzero extinguished her cigar in the ashtray, then stretched.

She headed to her personal quarters and opened her wardrobe.

It was filled with a wide variety of clothes, from glamorous party dresses to practical combat suits and ordinary daily wear.

She pondered for a moment, then took out a pure white off-shoulder dress hanging in the very back.

“It’s been a while… should I dress up a bit?”

After packing all her belongings, Belzero immediately headed to her personal hangar.

A small, high-speed patrol craft, ‘Black Cat,’ specially designed for discreet maneuvers despite its size, was waiting.

With a pitch-black coating and stealth capabilities to avoid radar detection, it was truly a customized mode of transport for her alone.

“It’s been a while, Black Cat.”

Belzero gently stroked the sleek surface of the patrol craft, opened the cockpit hatch, and climbed inside.

[Target coordinates set: Intermediate waypoint – Orpheus Transfer Station.] [Automatic navigation system and stealth mode activated.]

With mechanical sounds, the patrol craft silently detached from the Crimson Tide’s massive hull and glided into the vast expanse of space.

The Black Cat began interstellar travel through several warp jumps.

Belzero’s destination was the planet where Terminus Station was located, but direct routes there were heavily guarded and carried a high risk of being tracked.

She deliberately chose a somewhat cumbersome but safe route, bypassing several star systems.

After some travel, the Black Cat arrived at its first waypoint, Orpheus Transfer Station.

This was a massive space station located at the intersection of major routes connecting several star systems, where countless passenger and cargo ships constantly came and went, much like a space-age train station.

Belzero docked the Black Cat in an inconspicuous docking bay on the outskirts of the station and, disguised as an ordinary traveler, entered the station’s interior.

The station’s interior bustled with people from various planets.

The mingled sight of various languages, costumes, and bustling footsteps felt quite novel to her.

She briefly mingled with the crowd, observing the station’s interior.

Then, she purchased a ticket for the next passenger ship heading to Tartarus, the planet where Terminus Station was located.

Belzero, aboard the passenger ship, sat by the window and watched Orpheus Station rapidly receding.

It felt as if she had temporarily shed the heavy title and responsibility of Admiral and become merely an anonymous traveler.

‘This is nice and relaxing.’

Knowing it would be a long voyage, she gently closed her eyes.

After several additional transfers and a long voyage, the passenger ship finally entered the atmosphere of Tartarus.

As the passenger ship landed at Tartarus’s public spaceport, Belzero quietly slipped out, blending in with the other passengers.

****

“Is there something on my face?”

A clear and pure voice gently settled in my ears.

But my mind seemed to go completely blank, no thoughts came to mind.

The woman before me was undeniably Belzero Karmail, who had commanded the Warphound Pirates to shoot down the transport ship.

Yet now, like an innocent young lady, she was asking me for directions.

I barely managed to compose myself and, feigning ignorance of her identity with the calmest possible expression, asked in return.

“Ah, no. I was just lost in thought for a moment. Excuse me, but… why are you looking for Scarlet’s Workshop? Is it perhaps for a mech modification request?”

At my question, Belzero tilted her head and took another small bite of her ice cream.

The ice cream on her red lips stood out unusually.

“Hmm… rather than a modification request, I just wanted to meet her once.”

Her answer was ambiguous.

But prying into her true intentions in this situation would be foolish.

“Did you come here for a tour… to such a rough place? Your attire… is quite noticeable.”

I glanced at her off-shoulder dress and asked.

It was a getup completely out of place with Terminus’s rough and practical atmosphere, as if she had come to a resort.

At my words, Belzero’s eyes widened as if surprised for a moment, then she lightly smoothed the hem of her dress and smiled, looking a little embarrassed.

“Really? I picked this dress out with care, it’s been a while… so it really doesn’t suit this place? Hmm…”

She licked her ice cream and shrugged slightly.

I was confused.

In the fragmented game knowledge, Belzero Karmail was a ruthless and charismatic pirate admiral.

A person who commanded her subordinates unhesitatingly and would not flinch from cruel orders if necessary.

And now, that same woman was standing before me, smiling so brightly and worrying about her outfit.

‘Is this… her true personality? Or is it a perfect act to hide her identity?’

I couldn’t tell at all.

If this was an act, she was truly a terrifying woman.

Did she truly order her subordinates to hijack the Nova Seed and shoot down the transport ship with such an innocent face?

The ironic situation enveloped me with bewilderment and a strange sense of incongruity.

“Hmm… it seems you don’t know. Sorry for bothering you while you’re resting. I’ll have to ask someone else.”

When I didn’t say anything more, Belzero pouted slightly as if disappointed, then brightened again with a smile and bowed her head.

“Well then, have a good time!”

She said that and then, as if nothing had happened, walked out of the open area with light steps.

‘What on earth is going on.’

No malice whatsoever could be felt from her.

I stared blankly until she completely disappeared from sight.

‘Maybe… it’s just someone who looks like her?’

Yes, that possibility was certainly strong.

In this vast universe, it was possible for a woman who coincidentally looked exactly like Belzero Karmail to exist.

Perhaps I was overreacting.

But… that gaze. The face that smiled so innocently while licking ice cream looked exactly like the portrait I’d seen in the game.

And it was unlikely for someone with such perfect looks and a unique aura to be common.

‘If she really is Belzero Karmail… what on earth is her purpose for coming here to Terminus, and specifically looking for Scarlet?’

I ran through all possible scenarios in my mind.

The first possibility was, of course, something related to the Nova Seed.

Perhaps there was a problem with the Nova Seed she had stolen, or she might have come to Scarlet because she needed special technology to utilize it.

Scarlet’s technical prowess was probably already known implicitly beyond Terminus, so this was a plausible story.

The second was the graviton damper.

That very component I had acquired from Titan’s Tomb.

Belzero already knew of its existence, and perhaps she was acting to get her hands on it.

If she thought I had handed that graviton damper over to Scarlet…

Then coming to Scarlet would be a natural progression.

‘And… in the worst case.’

A shiver ran down my spine as the third possibility emerged.

That she had come specifically to track me down.

“Did she come alone? Or… did she bring a large force?”

What if she hadn’t come alone, but the Red Veil Pirate fleet was already hidden on the outskirts of Terminus?

The mere thought was horrifying.

Terminus could be reduced to ashes in an instant.

‘Should I report this to Kaien?’

But acting rashly could worsen the situation instead.

If my guess was wrong, I would just have overreacted to someone who merely resembled her.

I had a strong, ominous premonition that if I made a hasty move, this entire incident, no, the entire Terminus Station, would plunge into uncontrollable chaos.

‘For now… let’s observe.’

I collected my thoughts and made a decision.

Whatever her objective, if she tried to approach Scarlet, she would surely come into my sight once more.

At that point, it wouldn’t be too late to assess the situation and act.