It is said that the reason the Asterleeds Defense Corps launched a large-scale operation to eradicate the pirates was due to an offense committed against a certain noble family. However, based on my investigation, these are mere unfounded rumors-widely circulated, but not true.
Now, allow me to explain the real story.

According to my findings, the noble family allegedly plundered was the Springfields family. But it wasn't the entire family that was targeted, rather, their youngest daughter, Ereka, who mysteriously disappeared after a boat trip. Regrettably, the Springfields family refused my request for an interview. Nevertheless, I managed to access the family records through other channels, and this is where it gets even stranger-the name Ereka is entirely absent from the Springfields family's genealogy.

As for the Asterleeds Defense Corps, after interviewing both retired and current personnel, I found some individuals who participated in the operation to eliminate the pirates. It is now almost certain that, during a concentrated period, the Asterleeds Defense Corps conducted a sweeping and meticulous operation against the pirates. However, the term "eradication" may not be entirely accurate-it was more of a "search", in a sense.

According to an anonymous veteran, the Corps' high command, desperate and frantic at the time, attempted to search nearly every pirate ship and hidden cave for stolen goods. The scale of their operation raises a curious question: What could the pirates have taken that prompted such efforts?

From this, it seems the reason the pirates scattered was not to seek a noble family, but because they were searching for something. That "something" might have had some mysterious connection to the pirates, and it eventually caused their abrupt disappearance.

Thus, although we still do not know Ereka's fate-or even whether she truly existed- At least we can conclude this: the reason the pirates were eradicated was not the alleged plundering of the noble family, as is commonly believed.

Finally, one lingering question remains: Did the Asterleeds Defense Corps ever find what they were searching for?
Based on later records, it seems likely that they did not. After all, such a major operation should have yielded results, but the senior officer overseeing it were ultimately dismissed...