Inside the spacious cabin, candlelight swayed in the sea breeze.

Dim flame and seeping moonlight crossed in the air, laying a hazy band of strange pale radiance across the room.

"Well?"

Roland glanced at Tracy, the Pixie standing on the table with her small body drawn in, confusion filling her eyes as she rubbed her arms. Then he poured a cup of clean water and handed it to the silver-haired woman seated in the wooden chair.

"Can we trust what this little one says?"

Teresa's slightly scattered gaze focused again.

She accepted the cup with a soft word of thanks. After sipping the cold water in small mouthfuls, she gave a light nod.

"There is no problem at all, Mr. Roland. It is exactly as Miss Tracy said..."

At this point, the silver-haired woman offered the Pixie in front of her a gentle smile.

Tracy's taut nerves loosened a little, and she tried to answer with a friendly smile of her own.

Then she caught sight of Roland beside her, still expressionless, and the corner of her mouth dropped at once.

Teresa's cool voice continued.

"She is indeed from Jade Rock Forest. Of course... that place is now part of the Misty Lands."

"She came here to ask for help in saving her homeland. Apart from that..."

As the silver-haired woman's red lips parted again, Tracy's deep-red eyes widened. Her tiny mouth opened, and the lively look on her face went blank.

"You... how do you..."

The unfamiliar woman before her was recounting her life experience point by point, without the smallest error. Tracy narrowed her eyes and studied Teresa's face.

Once she was certain this was the first time she had ever seen her, she cried out in shock and suspicion.

"Who... who exactly are you?"

"Me?"

Looking at the adorable little figure, Teresa let a faint smile touch her indifferent face and extended one slender finger.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tracy. Just call me Teresa."

"Miss Te... Teresa? Hello..."

Tracy carefully reached out with her tiny hand, tapped Teresa's fingertip, and pulled back at once.

Then she shuffled several steps behind her, closer to Roland.

To her, the handsome young man beside her did seem somewhat unapproachable, but compared with the beautiful woman who could see through everything, he was clearly the safer choice.

"In that case..."

After listening to Teresa, Roland gave a light nod. Then he bent forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Tracy's deep-red eyes.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Tracy."

"Th-thank you, Mr. Roland..."

Roland's expression seemed to have softened a little, but the sharp sword light from the deck still lingered in the tiny Pixie's mind.

Seeing how cautious she was, Roland deliberately eased the mood and changed the subject.

"Then, Miss Tracy, let us talk about the 'assistance' you mentioned. What exactly did you mean?"

"It is..."

Tracy's eyes drifted toward Roland's left wrist, and her voice thinned to a mosquito's whine.

"Mr. Roland, I sensed traces of Mana Elements moving around you. I suppose... you are a spellcaster?"

"A spellcaster?"

Teresa spoke in surprise.

In all the time she had spent with Roland, she had never seen him use any magic.

"Only a few simple cantrips."

Noticing Teresa's look, Roland gave a low explanation before turning back to Tracy and nodding.

"Your perception is very sharp."

With Roland admitting it himself, the tiny Pixie breathed out in relief.

She gave a small bow, then beat the crystalline butterfly wings on her back and rose lightly into the air.

Then she closed her eyes.

In an instant, a weak but extremely swift energy ripple spread from her tiny body.

The next moment, Roland's pupils contracted.

He could clearly sense the Mana Elements in the surrounding air, which had been stagnant dead water a moment before, suddenly come alive. The change was like a stone falling into a calm lake, sending faint ripples across the surface.

The dormant elements seemed to wake, brimming with life once more.

"Truly... wondrous."

Feeling the Mana Elements surge through the air, Roland let out a soft sigh.

With a slight turn of thought, the spell circuits on the dragonbone around his wrist lit up.

This was entirely different from the slight drag he usually felt when drawing mana.

This time, the Mana Elements seemed to melt from solid ice into a clear spring, pouring into the dragonbone without resistance or pause before flowing through his entire body.

Roland closed his eyes. When he realized guiding this power cost almost no mental energy, joy rose in his chest and would not be pressed down.

He still did not know how this little one had done it. But with her by his side, his casting speed would rise sharply, and the mental burden of spellcasting would be greatly reduced.

The fight with the pirates was close at hand. He might not need to use cantrips, but having this little one nearby still gave him another layer of assurance.

With that thought, Roland nodded.

"Very useful assistance. However..."

He opened his eyes and pointed at the butterfly wings still trembling faintly on Tracy's back.

"To avoid unnecessary trouble, you had better not let anyone else discover you while you are aboard. For now, stay in my cabin. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course. Thank you, Mr. Roland."

Tracy nodded happily and landed back on the table.

As the strange fluctuation from her body vanished, the Mana Elements around them sank back into stillness.

"Also... no pranks."

"Uh... yes."

After a few more casual words, Teresa turned and left the room. Once Tracy was settled, Roland lay back on the soft bed.

Perhaps it was only his imagination, but Tracy's presence seemed to ease the dizzy mental haze caused by the Misty Lands' high concentration of Mana Elements.

So when the sky had just begun to brighten the next day, Roland rose from bed.

He took a deep breath. The long-missed clarity in his mind lifted his spirits. After stretching his body, he was just about to look for food when a crisp knock sounded at the door.

Tracy, who had been yawning, vanished at once.

Roland raised an eyebrow, then answered calmly.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing Hobby's short figure.

"Mr. Roland."

The Halfling bowed slightly, his voice clear and concise.

"We are less than half a day's voyage from Wailing Gorge. The scouting sailors I sent have already found traces of the pirates."

"Is that so?"

At the news, Roland's eyes sharpened.

He immediately set breakfast aside, placed a hand on Hobby's shoulder, and walked out with him.

"How many pirate ships are cruising outside Wailing Gorge?"

"Three."

"Three..."

Roland rubbed his chin in thought, his gaze turning toward the sky.

"With the Seabird's current strength, taking those three pirate ships head-on would not be difficult."

"But once boarding turns into a melee, casualties will be unavoidable... We need a careful battle plan that reduces losses as much as possible."

After making up his mind, Roland moved with a thought. The Extra Buff [Sea Gazing], triggered by the resonance between the occupations [Fisherman] and [Scholar], quietly activated.

A nearly imperceptible silver gleam moved through his eyes. In the next instant, the details of the world around him became startlingly clear in his perception and recombined in a strange way.

The breeze brushing his face was no longer gentle. It carried the dull wail of high-altitude currents from far away.

The scattered cirrus clouds on the horizon lost their surface appearance in his sight, gathering and sinking in silence.

Several seabirds skimming low past the sails suddenly folded their wings and plunged toward the sea, dodging an unseen threat.

Farther away, a blurred silver flash passed through the deep water.

It was a school of fish sensing subtle turbulence in the lower layers and making its usual avoidance turn.

These tiny abnormalities...

The whispers of the wind, the hidden script of the clouds, the panic of birds and beasts, all gathered into a silent current and poured into Roland's mind.

It was like reading a sailing log carved by wind, waves, and living things. The weather for the next few days swiftly took shape in his mind.

At the same time, a heavy pressure settled over his spirit, like invisible seawater pressing against his temples.

Even so, he still clearly "read" it.

Today would be clear with few clouds, the wind steady and weak. Perfectly ordinary good weather.

Starting tomorrow afternoon, the wind would strengthen, bringing thin mist and scattered light rain from the northwest. Visibility would fall a little, but not enough to cause serious trouble.

At dawn on the third day...

The vast mass of water vapor gathering over the northwestern sea would surge in.

A dense fog would cover the outer waters of Wailing Gorge and the nearby sea, lasting at least half a day.

As Roland "watched" the weather he had observed, his eyes lit with a keen gleam. A fierce excitement shot through him like an electric current.

In waters known for their unpredictability, dense fog was one of the sailors' most familiar and most troublesome companions.

At times, it brought fatal disorientation and collisions. At others, it became an excellent natural screen.

At this moment, that common, even irritating maritime phenomenon had transformed in Roland's eyes into a perfect battle opportunity.

Using this natural curtain would be enough to minimize losses during the boarding action.

The silver gleam faded, and Roland's eyes returned to their usual sharpness, though the heaviness of mental exhaustion still throbbed faintly.

Even so, the corner of his mouth rose.

It was the surprise and certainty of a chess player who had seen the decisive move.

"Hobby."

He quickly pressed down the surge in his heart. His voice returned to steadiness and carried unquestionable resolve.

"Pass down my orders."

The Halfling immediately straightened his back and focused completely.

"First, order the scouting ship to continue hidden surveillance. Rotate at fixed intervals. They must keep track of the pirate fleet's latest movements. If anything abnormal appears, report immediately."

"Second, the Seabird will lower sail and find a suitable sheltered anchorage downwind to wait. All nonessential posts will rest in shifts and conserve strength. Combat personnel will carry out final checks and pre-battle drills according to plan, so they can enter battle at any time."

"Finally..."

Roland took a deep breath.

"At dawn the day after tomorrow, dense fog will cover this sea area. We will move under that fog's cover. The exact battle plan will be finalized after I confirm it against the scouting reports."

"Tell the sailors to rest well. Two days from now, I want the pirates to taste the Seabird's claws in the fog!"

Hobby's eyes brightened at once.

He had witnessed Roland's ability to predict the weather while training in sailing skills.

Although he did not know where Roland had learned it, Roland's predictions had always been accurate.

So after hearing these orders, the Halfling answered without hesitation.

"Aye, Mr. Roland!"

His short figure shot away like a released crossbow bolt, and loud orders quickly spread across the deck.

...

...

...

Fog thick as milk silently swallowed the waters outside Wailing Gorge and wrapped tightly around three old but tall pirate ships.

Visibility was pitifully low. The lookouts at the mast tops could barely make out the blurred outlines of nearby ships and, farther off, the shadows cast by the jagged rocks at the gorge mouth. They looked like the fangs of some enormous sea beast.

On the sterncastle deck of the Bloodclaw, two pirates wrapped in thick oilcloth cloaks leaned against the damp bulwark, trying to shake off the cold and suffocating gloom brought by the fog.

"This damned fog!"

Scarface Karl's voice was thick with a nasal rasp and full of irritation.

"Wet and cold, and you can't see a damned thing! My bones are growing mold. Wailing Gorge, Wailing Gorge... damn it, even ghosts are too lazy to wail here!"

His companion, Tom, a man lean as an iron rod, tucked his neck down and pulled his cloak tighter.

"Be grateful, Karl. At least we're keeping watch at the gorge mouth instead of rotting inside that gloomy hole. That place... tsk! Stay there too long and even your blood turns cold. I miss it, you know..."

His tone turned almost leisurely.

"The Pearl Sea was the real good life. Sun, beaches, fine wine, more gold and women than you could count... carefree days. Rob whoever you wanted..."

"True..."

The air fell briefly silent. A moment later, awe and confusion crossed Scarface Karl's face.

"Tell me... why did the chief give up good days like that and insist on taking us to pledge ourselves to that Wolf King in the Misty Lands? Why put down roots in this godforsaken Wailing Gorge?"

He rubbed his cold-reddened hands.

"The Wolf King is powerful, sure, but what do we get here? Nothing but fog and wind!"

At the complaint, Tom looked around warily.

He could see nothing through the dense fog, but he still lowered his voice by instinct.

"Who knows? How could little guys like us dare guess what the chief is thinking? Maybe... the Wolf King promised him some tremendous benefit. Or maybe..."

He paused, weighing his words.

"Maybe the chief is looking for something. Or hiding from someone. Anyway, lately..."

Tom's voice dropped even lower, nearly a whisper.

"I feel like the chief is not quite right."

"He used to be fierce, but at least he often walked the deck, cursed at people, divided loot. Everyone knew where they stood. Now? He appears and disappears like a ghost, holes up alone in the cave, and even First Mate Barton rarely sees him. His orders are also... hm. Hard to make sense of."

Scarface Karl nodded in deep agreement.

"Exactly! Take this time. The chief suddenly ordered us to stay deep in the gorge and not come out to stir up trouble."

"If First Mate Barton hadn't privately led us out for some air and caught that little broken merchant ship, the brothers would probably have started howling already! There wasn't much profit, but at least it scratched the itch."

A satisfied look came over his face as he spoke.

Tom grinned too, but worry soon replaced the smile.

"We did get something... but if the chief finds out..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Scarface Karl forced up his courage.

"In this damned weather, the chief won't come out!"

"Besides, we're near the gorge mouth. We aren't going far. If something happens, we can turn around and duck back in quickly. This fog is the best cover!"

He seemed to be convincing Tom, but even more, he was convincing himself.

Just then, a sound came from deep within the fog, so faint that the waves and wind almost swallowed it.

It sounded like wood creaking against wood, or something being dropped into the water.