The passenger ship's destination was the edge of the Sahara; from there, the adventure would truly begin.
"We are going for archaeology, archaeology!"
The gentlemen were gathered around the tables in the card room playing poker, with stacks of red, green, blue, and yellow circular chips piled high.
Evelyn was in the lounge with Mori Tsukisa, drinking tea and reading—before actually seeing that legendary pyramid, she was still unsatisfactorily checking if she had missed anything.
Nagini held a book she couldn't get into at all, feeling very troubled. This woman, who was gentle on the surface but strange and actually quite awkward inside, was now also a bit blurred about what she truly thought.
What... should I do?
Mori Tsukisa.
She felt both longing and fear, desire yet cowardice. She could only wrap herself tightly in a shell of standard respect to barely withstand the girl's sincere and passionate gaze, and to resist... her own heart's desire to leave with her... forever, together.
Nagini was very curious about the 'leaving this World' she had mentioned, but the topic had been diverted by the blood curse just as they started talking about it.
Should she secretly go ask Arrietty?
—At this moment, Nagini, who was sitting in a chair reading (a romance novel), would occasionally cast her gaze toward Mori Tsukisa's face, only to quickly look away whenever the other looked back.
After a few times, Mori Tsukisa started making funny faces at Nagini.
"Archaeology?" Mori Tsukisa closed her book, which appeared to be a fairy tale from the cover. "Eve, I'm not trying to bring you down, but we really can't be considered archaeologists."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "You're half-British and half-Egyptian, so you have an excuse. O'Connell... aha. And what about those Americans on the same ship? They're also aiming for Hamunaptra, aren't they?"
"This kind of destructive looting cannot be called archaeology."
Mori Tsukisa, who had only woken up in the evening, had just learned that there was another group of people on the same ship—O'Connell's former adjutant, a man named 'Benny', was leading an 'archaeological team' from the United States, promising to lead them to Hamunaptra.
'They'll find it; Benny and I saw that place together.'
O'Connell spoke with certainty, which was the source of Evelyn's complaints to Mori Tsukisa in the lounge.
"I don't care how many people go there! I just want to find the sun golden scripture!" Evelyn slapped the table angrily; she had been frustrated all afternoon. "That's right! Fine, we're not archaeologists, but even if it's looting, at least leave that book for me!"
"My mother was Egyptian, I have Egyptian blood, and I want to study that book!"
Mori Tsukisa smiled teasingly. "None of those three are reasons for you to get that book—you don't represent the country. In other words, if you reported to the authorities at this time that a group of 'British' people were preparing to steal Egypt's national treasures, you might have a tiny chance of getting them hanged."
"Assuming the Egyptian officials who receive the report believe in the existence of the legendary land—Hamunaptra."
Even while sitting, Nagini meticulously added tea for Mori Tsukisa and handed it to the chatting girl.
Gurgle.
"So, it's first come, first served, Evelyn. Everyone is a villain, so why do you think villains will listen to reason?" Mori Tsukisa licked her lips; this cup of black tea was even better than the ones she brewed herself, with the milky flavor and tea aroma perfectly balanced.
"Villains don't listen to reason," Mori Tsukisa told Evelyn with instructive depth. "Villains don't stand on the moral high ground... to criticize others."
"A villain has to recognize that they are a villain, sister."
Evelyn clutched her chest, not angry at Mori Tsukisa's words, but instead focusing on another part. "You rarely call me sister, Little Forest. What's wrong today?"
"I'd rather you 'educate' me a few more times..." She brushed back her hair. "And by the way, include'sister' every time, okay?"
"Sister! Sister! Sister!" Mori Tsukisa made a face. "Since you like it, I'll help you snatch it when the time comes."
"We are civilized people, Little Forest."
"Civilized people don't go grave robbing, Miss Evelyn, daughter of Great Egypt. Civilized people wait until the sun golden scripture is unearthed, then dress up beautifully to go see it in a museum."
Evelyn rolled her eyes and teased in a rough voice, "Fine, I'm a villain! Mighty warrior Mori Tsukisa, please help me snatch back my treasure—the sun golden scripture!"
"As you wish."
The two girls teased each other back and forth while Nagini watched from the side, her eyes filled with deep thought... Meanwhile, on the other side of the ferry, not far across the sea.
A few small boats rocked and approached silently.
The waves slapped against the hulls, creating an eerie sound like bones clashing; amidst the surging and receding tides, the group of men in black crouching in the small boats stared intently at the ferry.
"Kill them."
That was the only instruction.
But on the boat further back, two figures were hidden that were completely out of place with the group in black.
"Sir, are we... are we really following them?"
If Mori Tsukisa were present, she would surely recognize these two—well, perhaps she would forget them in the blink of an eye, but... Nagini would definitely recognize them.
Mr. Skender and his unpaid head employee of the freak show.
The man who blew the small trumpet outside the tent, his face covered in thick powder.
"He messed up my show and stole my pet." The voice coming from Skender's fat neck was powerful, and the hatred was so thick it made the man beside him shiver.
"Don't you think I should leash that damn Muggle as my new pet?"
Perhaps due to long-standing intimidation, the employee was terrified of him, his voice trembling as he replied.
"I... I'm not, I'm not quite sure, Mr. Skender. No...! I'm sure! You should!" He held onto the edge of the boat incoherently; this magic-driven small boat was not much faster than the ones the men in black were on.
"How are you... going to treat her?"
Skender didn't care who this 'her' was and waved his arm: "My new pet, how about it? That girl has no magic, but she's covered in jewels. Do you know how much that necklace pendant that fell in the beast pen is worth?"
The middle-aged man held up five fingers: "Converted to Galleons, it's enough for three... no! Five! It's enough for five times our performance income! And that's at the best, most crowded venues!"
He continued through gritted teeth: "I'm going to slaughter Nagini, use her skin for shoe uppers, and her bones to make a wand!"
"As for the other little girl... as you know, I'm very good at the Imperius Curse."
"I want her wealth! Everything from her family... and her body, hahahahaha!"
"Mr. Skender's grand show needs more Galleons for support!"
White foam rose from the waves; the ferry was close at hand.
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