357. Vanishing of Escort Ship Part 1

​Alice took a deep, steadying breath and delivered the report. “Shortly after you collapsed into the coma, something truly unfortunate occurred.”

​Straightening her posture and adjusting her spectacles with one hand, she looked directly into Ravenna's eyes. “The escort vessel that Vice-Captain John was assigned to, the one transporting the new wave of Otto immigrants, has vanished!”

A Few Hours Earlier. The Docks, Dearshore City. Kim Dukedom, Kim Island, Ancorna Empire.

“Aneg,” Rafael gulped, adjusting his collar as he looked out at the ship slowly appearing on the horizon line. A nervous expression was fully visible on his face, and his old Solious faith identifier handband was noticeably absent from his wrist. He took a deep breath to steady his racing thoughts.

“I am Dori. So, you are the new higher management employee?”

A woman with dark hair around his own age called out to him, speaking with a slight smirk. She was wearing a tiny bralet and a white, open-front skirt that sat low on her hips. The fabric of the skirt was so incredibly fine that it moved before she did, pooling at her feet in a sweep of pale silk that trailed behind her like a bridal ghost. Beneath the skirt's open drape, the clean lines of her figure were entirely unambiguous; a simple bikini cut ensured nothing was concealed that the eye didn't already suspect.

“I heard you even converted to the Herptian Faith just to be able to take the qualification exam, and you passed with the highest marks?” she asked, tilting her head.

“That part was already baffling enough for me,” Rafael commented. His eyes wandered over her for a split second before he quickly diverted his gaze, clearing his throat. “But to be assigned to welcome a high delegation of Archbishops from the Herptian Headquarters on the Western Continent as my very first task is just absurd.”

“It’s really not that absurd when you think about how desperately we are trying to get new immigrants to fill open roles,” she countered smoothly as the sun’s heavy, bright light continued to hit them. “Dearshore City is so new that it's still very short-staffed at the higher management level.”

Stretching her arms over her head, her figure looked effortlessly sensual as the shadow of the arriving vessel began to spread over the two of them. “Take me, for example. I just graduated with an indulgence artisan degree from the academy last month, yet I was accepted straight into a higher management position.”

Rafael suddenly recognized the woman from the very first posters he had seen after arriving in the Kim Dukedom. “Wait... you are that Dori, right? One of the two women featured in the first photograph ever taken!”

Dori smiled at that, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I thought you were just pretending not to recognize me to be polite, but you actually are just that bad with faces, huh...”

As the massive ship docked right that second, both of them immediately shifted into serious, professional expressions to properly welcome the Herptian Faith delegation from across the sea.

A vanguard of elite Herptian Paladins spread out along the gangplank as the three Archbishops of the delegation finally walked out onto the docks. Leading the front was a silver-haired woman who was casually sucking on a lollipop. She wore a sheer, gossamer two-piece outfit in a pale silver-lavender hue. The top consisted of a cropped, structured bodice adorned with intricate lace detailing, finished with a wide, scalloped collar that draped softly over her shoulders like frosted petals.

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The bottom part of her outfit was a translucent, barely-there skirt-brief with faint floral embroidery visible through the delicate fabric, giving the striking impression of flowers floating beneath a sheet of ice. The revealing cut proudly showcased her dark Herptian mark, etched onto her skin just under her stomach right before her private region. Behind her walked the other two Archbishops, both of them male and wearing ornate, revealing religious clothes themselves.

“Welcome to Dearshore City, Kim Dukedom of the Ancorna Empire, Your Divinities!” Rafael and Dori said in perfect unison.

The female Archbishop seemed thoroughly distracted, her eyes scanning the busy docks as if she were searching for a different vessel. “Thanks for the warm welcome, cuties!” she chirped.

Without warning, she stepped forward and pulled both of them into a tight, simultaneous hug. Rafael’s entire face instantly turned as red as a tomato, while Dori calmly reciprocated the embrace, subtly feeling the woman's figure up.

“My, my... did you just recently convert to the Goddess's grace, handsome?” the Archbishop whispered, pulling back just enough to plant a playful kiss directly onto Rafael’s burning cheek while still keeping her arms around him.

“H-how do you know that, Your Divinity...?” Rafael stammered, completely flustered.

She let out an amused giggle, still refusing to separate herself from him while Dori politely greeted the two male Archbishops. “You see, I possess a blessing that allows me to vividly see the divine energy residing within people. Yours is currently just a very minuscule, faint amount of the Goddess’s lust.”

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, looking back out toward the ocean. “In fact, it's far less than that newly converted cute vice-captain knight who was escorting a batch of immigrants. We happened to cross paths with his ship mid-route while we were sailing here.” She mused out loud, “That’s odd, though... I thought their ship was moving faster and should have arrived well before ours...”

“Wait... are you talking about Vice-Captain John’s Otto immigrants escort ship?!” Rafael asked urgently, his panic forcing him to gently push her back to gain some distance. “We have been worried sick since this morning because their crew completely cut off all contact!”

Last Night, Route to Kim Dukedom, Luminous Sea, Eastern Continent

Under the cover of darkness, two massive vessels came to a temporary halt in the open ocean, gently rocking side-by-side as their crews began exchanging standard maritime signals. One was a sleek, magic ship originating from the Western Continent, proudly flying the grand flag of the Holy Empire of Giniva. The other was a heavy, iron-clad steam engine ship bearing the flags of the Ancorna Empire and Otto City.

“Hey, cutie! Are you newly converted?” the silver-haired Archbishop called across the water. She was leaning over the mahogany railing of the Ginivan ship, holding a glowing Jasmine flower close to her lips to amplify her voice so the neighboring vessel could hear her effortlessly. “Why don’t you come aboard my vessel for a few hours? I would be more than happy to personally bless you tonight in the Goddess’s grace!”

Standing on the bridge of the steamship, John smiled warmly. He picked up his own enchanted Jasmine flower to return the broadcast. “I am deeply honored by your generous offer, Your Divinity! I definitely am not against a bit of intimacy, given that I have fully embraced the faith, but I am afraid I will have to politely decline tonight.”

He paused, a soft, affectionate glint entering his eyes as he added, “Flirting in the open is perfectly fine, but if I am to sleep with anyone other than my wife, I need to secure her permission first.”

Before the Archbishop could begin playfully reciting the Herptian holy words of temptation to reprimand him for offending her offer, John smoothly continued over the channel. “Of course, as a married couple, we have both fully adopted the Herptian’s promiscuous ways. But I still wish to respect her. Perhaps you can bless the two of us together once we land? She is currently pregnant, you see.”

“Fine, fineee!” The Archbishop laughed, her smirk visible even across the distance under the moonlight. “Then we shall officially arrange a meeting once both of our ships arrive at the docks! May the Goddess desire you, Vice-Captain.”

“May the Goddess embrace you as well, Your Divinity,” John replied respectfully.

With the formal pleasantries concluded, the heavy steam engines of John’s ship roared back to life, churning the dark ocean water into a white froth as the vessel pulled away into the night, charting its course toward the Kim Dukedom.