Lunch had served as a welcome relief, the peaceful atmosphere of the Royal Navy garden allowing at least a temporary alleviation to the weighty burden of negotiations. Furthermore, while there were still a few tense moments upon the return to the negotiating table, it felt as if everyone was more willing to discuss and solidify terms to propose to their respective factions. In some ways, Apocrypha felt it was going suspiciously smoothly, but figured that was just the pessimism from the recent weeks coloring her thoughts on the situation. Both sides had been open and upfront about what they wanted, and had immediately moved to hashing out a mutually agreeable solution. Not to say that such middle grounds were reached quickly or without tension as both sides had their lines in the sand, or that both sides didn't maintain skeletons in their closet, but the topic of naval jurisdiction if the Crown were to join Azur Lane was, as a small blessing, something both sides actively desired to resolve and compromise for.
She couldn't afford to look a gift horse in the mouth when they were looking at potential new allies with firepower that could shift the tide of the war.
It didn't take long for the meeting to wrap up, the last of the tea and sandwiches finished and cleaned up by the Maid Corps. With a quick glance at the clock, Apocrypha realized that she had a couple hours for catching up on paperwork; work that had been idle ever since Apocrypha's unscheduled stop at Kure and San Diego, without mentioning what had been left waiting during Operation Crossfire. From there, it would be dinner, and then a meeting with Augusta to go over the results of the operation, as well as filling her in on the outcome of the discussion with Cervantes. As she stood up to leave, Swiftsure quickly arranged her own things and followed, likely to help explain to Apocrypha how she had arranged the paperwork built up during the last few weeks.
Maybe if their paths crossed, Apocrypha could have a moment to meet with Cervantes, and meet with a shipgirl she had only up to that point seen in stiff and unwavering professionalism for the sake of her duty to her monarch.
Caught up in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that Duquesne had stopped in the doorway, jarred back to awareness only when she bumped into her from behind. Apocrypha hurried to apologize, but Duquesne laughed it off, stepping around to move outside of the doorway and let Apocrypha through. When she did so, Apocrypha could see Vercingetorix out in the hallway, and another person behind her that Apocrypha couldn't quite see beyond the frilly edge of a maid's long dress.
Once she had stepped out of the room, though, she recognized the maid. The white hair that she had initially mistaken as Royalist or Belfast, the primary contrast being red eyes instead of purple or golden, with a posture that on the surface seemed that of a prim, well-trained maid but had an undercurrent of something else Apocrypha couldn't put quite a finger on. Whatever that "something" was, it was enough to make her wary of Scylla's presence and feel the need to exercise caution.
She felt Duquesne rest a hand on her shoulder, casting a worried glance toward her and causing the priestess to raise her other hand to hide the bubbling laughter.
"Good luck with that one, Commander. I can't say that I envy you for capturing Scylla's interest. But I think you'll be fine since Verci's with her. Oh, but I shouldn't keep you. Louis, shall we go?"
Apocrypha could only stand dumbstruck where Duquesne and Saint Louis left her while Vercingetorix and Scylla approached. A few feet away, Vercingetorix stopped, bowing deeply with an apologetic smile.
"I am… very sorry that I could not convince her to take no for an answer. Scylla insisted on properly meeting you, but… I can assure you she will be on only her best behavior. Right, Scylla?"
The last bit was clearly said through grit teeth, though Scylla seemed either to not notice or not care about the warning undertone of the words.
"Of course, Verci. Am I ever on anything less than perfect behavior befitting of a Royal Maid?"
"I think I would prefer not to answer that question," Vercingetorix responded, straightening to look Apocrypha in the eye. "As Duquesne said, and as I promised while in the Sakura Empire, no harm will befall you while I am present. Though I would not have brought Scylla to you if I sensed any sort of malicious intent in her request."
"My, my," Scylla cooed. "Being all protective of Master, are you? It makes me sad when you treat me like some kind of criminal, Verci~"
"You were quite the threat to the previous Commander, Scylla." Vercingetorix quipped. "You will have to forgive me for caution even if I know this Commander has struck your fancy. You overstepped your station then, and you arguably overstepped your station when you abducted Royalist and tried to pass yourself off as the Commander's maid for the day."
Scylla's expression became a joking pout as she poked a finger on Vercingetorix's cheek.
"Well look at you bringing up false equivalence like a little detective. Obviously me breaking in and bashing that creep's head against the wall is different from me wanting to meet Master. Royalist was just being a nuisance and I had to get her out of the way so she wouldn't call out and ruin the plan."
"And what would that difference be?" Vercingetorix pressed. "Anybody overhearing such a description would assume you were planning a murder in both scenarios."
"The difference is I wasn't intending to do anything but help the Commander get ready for the morning."
"You scared her. The Commander freezes up when confronted, and that is exactly what happened then."
"That's her fault! Nobody's ever scared around me, especially not with you nearby! Being scary is your job, not mine!"
"The Commander has never frozen up in fear around me."
"Well maybe that's your problem!"
"Precisely," Vercingetorix said with a smirk. "Now, if you are done arguing, remind me why I should be breaking the rules to let you see the Commander like this and why I should refrain from just dragging you off again."
Scylla's expression again turned into a pout, albeit more scowl-y than the previous teasing one.
"Didn't I promise you that I would be good today? I even promised you the reward afterwards, with partial payment up front."
"You did, but I fail to really see that being of much consolation to the Commander who has been standing there unspeaking the entire time, in case you have not noticed."
The first thing Apocrypha's mind could conjure as to breaking the silence Vercingetorix had just pointed out was being tempted to ask what 'reward' Scylla was referring to that convinced Vercingetorix to bring her there, despite her seeming reluctance. But a few seconds of thought pushed that aside, since it was no doubt a private matter between those two. An alternative decision of practicality and formality replaced it.
"It's nice to see you again and I appreciate you coming this far, Scylla," Apocrypha said. "But may I ask why? Can I trust that you aren't violating the restraining order that Wales mentioned?"
"Thank you for your concern, Master, but that was more of a formality," Scylla said with a curtsy, followed by a smile as she raised her head. "I don't believe there is a reason for a maid to desire to harm her master, is there?"
Next to Scylla, Apocrypha could see Vercingetorix not-so-subtly rolling her eyes as she grumbled something under her breath.
"So given Her Highness Wales has denied my repeated appeals to at some point be your representative from the Maid Corps, I would like to request if you could -"
"No."
The immediate answer didn't come from Apocrypha, but rather from Vercingetorix. She was looking at Apocrypha as she said this, and didn't respond when Scylla gave her a look.
"Verci, please stay out of this. This is a private matter between me and the Commander."
"A private matter you only get to engage in because you coerced me into dragging you here. Forgive me for thinking that this sort of change will likely cause more harm than good. As it is, are you not already seeing to Lady Barham and King George V while they are here?" Vercingetorix prodded. "I do believe that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth would be less than pleased if she heard that you neglected your duty to attend to a sister and representative sent specially by her order. Why, she could even go so far as to recall you to the Royal Isles."
"But it's always Royalist that's arranged for the Commanders!" Scylla protested. She turned back to Apocrypha again, stepping forward to take her hand as if to force a contract of some sort but was stopped by Vercingetorix intercepting her wrist. After shooting Vercingetorix an annoyed glance, she pleaded with Apocrypha, "Please, I'm only asking that you give me one chance, Master. I'll never bother you again if afterwards you still prefer my sister."
"Uh… I'm not sure -" was the only thing Apocrypha could manage.
On the one hand, Scylla didn't seem to mean any malice, and was likely just expressing her fancy to Apocrypha in her own way. The fact that she openly admitted to murdering the previous Commander would certainly have put a pause in her thoughts. But Apocrypha was quick to remember the description that Vercingetorix had given of the man, how he had tried to blackmail Duquesne in an attempt to ensure satiation of his lust towards Saint Louis. Saint Louis had no quarrel with Apocrypha, and Duquesne had just a few moments before given her apologetic encouragement when she realized that Apocrypha would be dealing with Scylla. Apocrypha didn't for a moment think that she had fully earned their trust just from the amount of time she'd tenured as Commander, of course, but the bar that the previous Commander set to have been murdered by Scylla was sure to be six feet under Apocrypha.
So why was she hesitating? Surely it would be better to arrange meetings with shipgirls she didn't know very well?
Yet there was just that slight sentiment that she couldn't shake, not out of malice or discomfort, but a strange sort of subtle disquiet.
"Sorry to interrupt, Commander, but I have just recalled some important business Scylla and I must attend to," Vercingetorix spoke up through Apocrypha's thoughts, tugging Scylla back away. "Scylla, come. We are leaving."
"I don't remember us having anything scheduled this afternoon."
"Well, I do," Vercingetorix snipped, pulling Scylla along with her down the hall.
Apocrypha gave a nervous laugh as a release, rubbing the back of her neck and glancing over at Swiftsure, who had stood next to Apocrypha the entire time, equally unsure on what or when to verbally intervene. "Has Scylla been released from her restraining order? I don't think I really got an answer about that."
Swiftsure shook her head. "She hasn't, but I would say that turning a blind eye to this incident won't harm anything, not when it's more or less always been that way from the start. She was with Vercingetorix, so I think it's safe to agree that you weren't in any danger," she assured. "It's strange to see Vercingetorix away from Richelieu during the middle of the day, though… Especially since Saint Louis was accompanying Duquesne at the meeting here…"
"Do you think something happened?"
"No. Vercingetorix wouldn't have been content to talk about unrelated matters like that if Richelieu was in any trouble," Swiftsure corrected. "Maybe she feels that the base is safer under your command."
"It doesn't feel like I've done much. Everybody seems to have long since gotten used to running things by themselves" Apocrypha admitted, starting to walk down the hall toward the exit. The paperwork inevitably waiting on her desk could wait one more day. "Come on, let's walk. I want to stretch my legs before we go spend more hours sitting in Augusta's office."
Swiftsure jogged the short distance to catch up and then fell in beside Apocrypha in her usual place just a little behind and to her right. "I know you don't think that you've done much for us," she said, bringing back up Apocrypha's earlier comment, "but you've let us keep a sense of normalcy. You haven't made us feel like we need to walk on eggshells around you and you try to engage with us on our level. It feels like you want to work with us, instead of lording above us. Right now, that's going to go a long way instead of trying to micromanage everything at the port. Whether or not you know it, you're putting your trust in us, and we all want to pay that back in some way."
Apocrypha smiled, somewhat forced but also genuinely glad to hear that it seemed like she was earning the chances given to her. Unable to find the words to express it, she settled for continuing to walk, enjoying the sea breeze that washed over the port and gently fluttered the flags raised on the ships swaying in the water. To her surprise, she found that she'd missed the base and that, even despite the mess she'd returned to, something about the place felt right. As if the weight she normally carried had been lifted from her shoulders just a little. She didn't have everyone's trust yet, but what she had was a far cry from the mix of fear, hostility, and general distrust that had greeted her when she'd first come to the base. Or the atmosphere from whence she came.
After some walking, they'd reached an area not far from the docks where a number of pop-up shop stalls had been set up, selling various foods or handmade crafts. Apocrypha spotted Zuihou at one of the stalls selling jewelry and hair ornaments, and to her surprise she could see Shoukaku and Zuikaku accompanying her. Approaching, she could see Zuihou holding up several pairs of earrings before finally setting both pairs back down on the display table with a frustrated sigh and turning to leave.
Apocrypha smiled when Zuihou spotted her, raising a hand to wave. "Having trouble picking a pair?" she asked, walking over to check out the earrings Zuihou had been looking at.
Zuihou sighed. "I wanted something new to wear to dinner since I'm taking Zuikaku and Shoukaku to check out the city, but yeah. I can't decide and they can't agree. I'll just wear something I already have."
"Can you hold them up again? Maybe I can help," Apocrypha offered.
Zuihou shrugged, not seeming like she was all that convinced how it would make any difference, but picking the pairs up again nonetheless so Apocrypha could see. Apocrypha hummed, looking between a design of sequined feathers and a set of cascading gold leaves and pearls before pointing at the latter.
"These ones. They bring out the golden hues in your eyes."
Shoukaku wore a victorious grin, snatching the chosen pair out of Zuihou's hand to pay for the earrings before she'd have the chance to be indecisive about it again. "I told you these were perfect for you."
"I know," Zuihou relented, setting the other pair of earrings back on the display. "But I was worried that they would be too much like Zuikaku said they were. I don't want something gaudy that the two of you are going to hate."
Zuikaku shook her head quickly in denial. "I didn't mean that I hate them. They're just more than I'd usually expect you to wear, that's all."
"What are the two of you doing here, anyway?" Apocrypha asked, looking between Shoukaku and Zuikaku.
Shoukaku laughed, as if the answer to Apocrypha's question should have been obvious. "I guess you haven't gotten to see Nagato's letter yet. Since our senpais seemed to be making trouble, they were recalled to the Sakura Empire. Zuikaku and I were sent to take their places as part of the Sakura Empire's diplomatic presence, and the first rotation of new shipgirls should be arriving within the next week or so."
Now that she said it, Apocrypha did recall that Tosa had mentioned something similar when they had talked, and there had been a lack of Akagi or Kaga's presence since returning to the base. She must have overlooked their absence since the arrival of Shoukaku and Zuikaku made it so that there were still two other Sakuran carriers besides Zuihou, meaning there wouldn't have been any reason for a report to reach her about Sakura Empire fleets at the base needing reorganization. That also meant that Tosa should be somewhere on the base, too, but she didn't have time to seek her out right now. It was more likely that Tosa would seek her out if she wanted to.
"Well, I'm glad to have you two here. I hope you enjoy your evening out, and don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything from me."
"We will. Thank you, Shikikan," Zuikaku replied with a small bow. "I hope that my sister and I can be of service to you and Azur Lane. But I'm sure you're busy, so we won't keep you any longer."
"She's right," Swiftsure notified Apocrypha. "It's almost time for your meeting with Augusta. We should be going so we're not late."
Apocrypha sighed, trying not to grimace at the thought. She didn't have any issue with Augusta, but she knew what was coming was going to be nothing less than an interrogation to ensure that Mackensen's explanation of the happenings in the Mirror Sea matched up to her own, and what the conclusion of the discussions with Cervantes had been. She didn't want to be the one in the line of fire if her answers weren't to Augusta's satisfaction and she could practically hear the wheels spinning in her head trying to concoct answers to every possible scenario.
Despite her reluctance, she began to make her way back toward the main building, navigating the maze of hallways until she reached the office she was looking for. A voice from inside called for her to enter when she knocked, though not Augusta's.
Apocrypha opened the door to see a woman with short dark brown hair and mismatched blue and gold eyes waiting for her on the other side. The office looked the same as she recalled except for the opaque glass wall that she guessed separated this space from another room. She could accept if Augusta had remodeled her office since Apocrypha left for Crossfire, but the woman before her most certainly wasn't Augusta. "Um… Sorry. I think I went to the wrong office," Apocrypha said, starting to shut the door until she heard Augusta's voice from the other room.
"Georgia, in here, please."
The dark-haired woman - Georgia, Apocrypha gathered - sighed and motioned for Apocrypha and Swiftsure to follow her into the second attached office. Apocrypha cast a quick glance around, raising an eyebrow at Augusta. "You've done some renovating."
Augusta shrugged, waving a hand toward the couch. "Just added a wall so Georgia and I can have our own space from each other. Go ahead and sit. Let's all talk." She caught sight of Georgia preparing to leave the room just then, adding on, "Georgia, I'd like you to stay, too. Close the door, please."
Georgia rolled her eyes at the order, shutting the door between the offices and finding a chair to sit in, although she didn't do so without casually crossing a leg over the other. "I don't have anything to do with this, Augusta, and we're expecting a munitions delivery. I was just going to -"
"Oversee the delivery?" Augusta finished for her. "How convenient you'd want to go do that now when you complain any other time about being asked to do tasks like that. This sort of thing will also be part of your job, Georgia. Get used to it."
Augusta found a seat of her own, turning her gaze onto Apocrypha now that she was done reprimanding Georgia for the moment. "Georgia is the Eagle Union's newest battleship. If I'm ever unavailable, you can trust her to handle matters in my stead. The hope is that eventually she'll prove herself enough to take over the position of Task Force 34's flagship from me. Like Saint Louis and Vercingetorix, she's a blueprint ship. Her firepower is exceptional and you'll find she's excellent in combat, but I have to admit that at this time her diplomatic skills… leave quite a bit to be desired."
"Well, she won't be the first I've worked with like that, right?" Apocrypha laughed. "It's nice to meet you, Georgia. Hopefully someday I'll get to see this impressive firepower Augusta spoke of."
Georgia smiled and nodded. "I hope I'll get to show you one of these days too. I'm one of Azur Lane's largest caliber battleships, only matched by the Sakura Empire's Yamato-class. You point to enemy armor you don't want around anymore and I'll play hole-puncher as many times as you like."
For a moment, Apocrypha thought back to the dragon battleship she had met in the Sakura Empire. Even compared to Georgia, that one had been a giant, and she found herself wondering if Georgia and the Yamato's would soon be downgraded to second-largest caliber, if not second-largest size or displacement. Not that she had known the name of the ship in the first place, or that any of the Sakura Empire shipgirls she had dared to ask had asked her to keep quiet about what they described as a national-level secret that Apocrypha had happened to stumble into.
As she'd predicted, the rest of the meeting felt more like an interrogation, rapid-fire questions from Augusta dominating the start of every topic to be followed by responses from Apocrypha and Swiftsure. Nothing was too mundane for Augusta to cross-examine, as if she was trying to look for contradictions to imply that someone else who she questioned about the same story was lying or exaggerating.
Augusta seemed to place special importance on placing blame for entering the Mirror Sea off of Crown Haven on Mackensen, with Apocrypha objecting to the contrary. Or the predictable anger when Apocrypha admitted to her run-ins with Kawakaze, Mariupol, and Tosa in the Sakura Empire, with even Georgia giving a concerned look as Apocrypha answered Augusta's questions about the nature of Mariupol's 'riggings.' Apocrypha had to spend a fair amount of time convincing Augusta not to immediately fire off diplomatic protest to Sakura Empire, detailing that Nagato herself had intervened on Apocrypha's behalf and officially enacted the changes necessary.
It was only a few hours later, after Augusta finally dismissed everyone from her office, when Apocrypha's rear finally sank into the much-missed comfort of her office chair, that a sigh of relief escaped from her lips as she leaned her head upwards to look at the ceiling. Regardless of what had actually happened in the meeting itinerary, things had gone relatively smoothly. Augusta had at least seemed satisfied with the way things had gone, barring the few hiccups.
And of course Georgia had found a way to slip out of the room when Augusta's back was turned for a mere few seconds. Although she hadn't gotten very far before Augusta stepped out of the door at lightning speed and dragged Georgia back in by the ear, then proceeded to duct tape her wrists to her chair to prevent further escape.
Apocrypha shuffled around the top of her desk as she thought about that, spreading out the folders Augusta had handed her before Apocrypha left the office - the full reports from each fleet that had participated in Operation Crossfire for her to analyze. Thinking about the Iberian shipgirl that she could still see sitting in the harbor from the window, she reached for the folder marked with the emblem of Vichya, thumbing through the papers until she found the reports from Duilio and Primauguet, tracing a finger on the printed text as she begin to pore over the details once again, one question nagging at her mind: What is the Iberian Crown trying to achieve?
"Planning to leave so soon, signorina?" a voice purred.
Cervantes quickly shut the folder in her hands, clutching it close to her chest as she turned to face the unwelcome guest aboard her ship. Her mind raced to interpret the silky tone by the newcomer, especially one expressed by a voice she did not immediately recognize that just so coincidentally appeared when Cervantes was trying to analyze the observations she had made across the day. But she quickly regained her mental footing. "Her Majesty has asked that I return home as soon as possible after the conclusion of diplomatic discussions. Is there something you need from me?"
Littorio circled her like a shark circling its prey, taking in every detail of her appearance as Cervantes reached for the helmet dangling at her belt and put it on her head. However, when she reached out to graze a hand along Cervantes's side, Cervantes gracefully stepped out of reach, prompting a laugh from the green-haired battleship. "There's no need to fear me, signorina. I only came to ask if you would join me for dinner and some entertainment before you depart. A pretty lady such as yourself has graced Azur Lane's shores and you've hardly had any company during your visit. It's a shame."
"I am not sure what you mean," Cervantes answered. "It is by my own choice that I have remained alone during my visit. Mutual trust has yet to be established. Additionally, I am here strictly on professional business by imperial decree."
She didn't flinch when this time Littorio came close and bent down slightly, their faces inches apart. Cervantes could now clearly see the lustful glint in Littorio's eyes. She raised a finger to rest against Littorio's lips when she leaned in as if to kiss her, a playful smirk of her own forming. "With that said, while I have to decline the invitation this time, that does not mean that the answer will always be no going forward. Of course, that does require you to be patient and wait for me."
Littorio took the hint, stepping back and giving her another look over. "You plan to return, then?" she asked. "Or perhaps when you have a moment of freedom, you'd prefer to visit the Sardegna Empire itself and witness the full extent of her glory?"
Cervantes let out a laugh, her mind more comfortable with being at ease as Littorio's intentions seemed more likely. "'Her' glory, hm? I suppose I really will have to give the offer some thought," she teased with a wink. "Truly, though, I would appreciate it for now if you would leave me to make my preparations for my departure. It will be a long journey as it is, and Her Majesty does not take kindly to being needlessly left waiting."
"Do you need someone to escort you on your return?" Littorio asked, a glimmer of hope creeping into her voice.
Without needing even a moment to think, Cervantes shook her head. "An escort would be more of a hindrance than helpful. I seek no further debt or burden to Azur Lane. I appreciate the concern, but put simply, it is unnecessary."
Littorio's expression instantly changed from hopeful to crestfallen, but recovered quickly. "I see… Then have a safe journey, signorina. I'll eagerly await our next meeting and hope that it will be an enlightening one."
Cervantes barely resisted the urge to snort at the lack of subtlety pointing towards what Littorio had really been hoping for. She waited until she lost sight of Littorio slinking off before once again laying out the folder she had kept close to her chest throughout the encounter. Inside were lists of notations taken from the official negotiations as talks were made back and forth, messier, more hastily scrawled notes on scrap paper written when it would have been less justifiable, and even a few official documents that she had been lucky enough to swipe or copy from Azur Lane's archives when she had a few moments alone. A few data storage chips also hid pictures, videos, and voice recordings she'd gathered from around the base.
And among all of that, there was one person that she had barely any information despite all the official and unofficial documentation she had managed to scrape together: the so-called "Apocrypha," current commander and head of the whole alliance of Azur Lane.
She shuffled through the papers again, wondering if she'd missed something somewhere, but turning up nothing new. No paperwork that she had managed to filch did more than provide passing mention of Apocrypha's responsibilities and actions. There was no mention of maintenance, resupply, solo combat operations or sailing activities, or even the context of her name. Apocrypha was not a name that a human would have like previous Azur Lane commanders, and could only realistically be imagined on a ship. Yet there was no USS Apocrypha in any naval records, no matter how early in time Cervantes was to go. It didn't even fit the naming patterns of blueprint ships observed from Eagle Union up to that point.
A few fragments of information she'd gathered from conversations after the negotiations had concluded, but those did little more than indicate that the Commander seemed on relatively good terms with a wide variety of shipgirls. She had walked with the Royal Navy's Swiftsure, and recommended jewelry for Sakura Empire's Zuihou, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku. She mentioned having to meet with Eagle Union's Augusta, and Cervantes found separate documentation indicating that the Eagle Union blueprint battleship Georgia was also present.
And yet despite these seemingly good graces the Commander had with the shipgirls of Azur Lane, not once did she seem to express any desire to physically exert her authority. The Commander had largely allowed negotiations to be conducted between Cervantes and the individual faction representatives Cervantes herself had requested, and the slight curling up of the Commander's seated posture when Algérie and Dupleix had created tension within the room and threatened to bog down the negotiations had not gone unnoticed by Cervantes. She hadn't objected in the slightest to Andrea Doria seemingly missing the third member of the Sardegna triumvirate, or questioned the absence of Prinz Eugen, which had to have merited some notice even if it wasn't physically acted on.
That left only one reasonable conclusion: the Commander was playing her cards very close to her chest, which included the "card" of herself. It was only fair to notice, as that was something Cervantes did on a daily basis. It was something Her Majesty Reina did on a regular basis. It was something the entirety of the Iberian Crown, from a certain angle, had done ever since it initially declared its neutrality in the Siren War. And what reason would a shipgirl, fresh off the design table and hitting the waves for the first time as Azur Lane's commander, have to hide about herself? Surely she would be better served announcing herself to the world, especially if she were a purpose-built shipgirl for leadership?
Cervantes certainly had a possibility in her mind, something she was mentally determined to share as conjecture with Reina. She found it hard to believe that any other conclusion would be reached, and would need to defer to her monarch on how this intelligence was to be processed.
With a sigh, Cervantes gathered the papers into a pile and closed them inside the folder once more, tucking it into a briefcase along with the data storage devices. She turned off the lights that she had been using to read the documents in the dying sunlight of the day, and instead switched on the larger searchlights to illuminate her way back to the Crown. A moment later, the Iberian knight's ship was freed from the dock and set out for the open sea.
The Iberian Crown may have kept its secrets and reservations, but it appears that Azur Lane is doing the same, Cervantes internally mused.
Which, now that she said that, included the Sardegna shipgirl that had approached her a few moments before. She'd never given Cervantes a name, and she couldn't remember off the top of her head the last member of the Sardegna triumvirate. She weighed whether to bring this up to Reina, but decided against it just for the time being.
That had certainly been somebody she had to do some more research on once she returned home. Cervantes couldn't deny that there was some level of deep-seated curiosity within her about accepting the offered invitation, but far be it from her to dirty the name of the monarch she was envoy to during this visit.
That would just have to wait and see.
