Count Howell stood rooted to the spot, believing he was experiencing an illusion.
But the "reflection in the water" spoke again:
"There is no one else above, is there?"
Count Howell shook his head dumbly.
Then, the "reflection in the water" rolled out of the water like a fish, lodged itself onto the body of the ship with ease and agilely landed on the deck.
Only then did Count Howell come back to his senses, realizing that the person standing in front of him was indeed Marquis Vincent!
"Marq... Marquis! You are still alive!"
At that moment, Count Howell was like a traveler about to die from thirst in the desert who suddenly saw an oasis. His only hope was that what he saw right now wasn't just a mirage.
"Of course, I'm alive." Marquis Vincent replied cheerfully.
Seeing Count Howell still standing there dazed, he pointed to his wet clothes and said, "Do you have any dry clothes? The nights are quite chilly this late in the fall."
"Yes, yes, of course, we do!"