Sophia arrives at Norkia to parley with Disith commander Nestor Messina and reveals to him a copy of the peace offer lost in the Grand Stream ten years earlier. As a gesture of goodwill, Disith supplies Anatoray with a map of the Grand Stream's air currents and a recording of Exile's acoustic signature. Mullin decides to rejoin the musketeer squad and meets the female Disith musketeer, who introduces herself as Dunya Scheer. They are informed that the capture attempt of battleship Claudia units will occur on the Guild's Covenant Day, when 17-year-old youths pledge their allegiance to the Maestro. Before the Silvana leaves dock, Claus, Lavie, and Alvis say goodbye to Mullin. The formal alliance between Anatoray and Disith is signed at Sophia's coronation as Empress. Claus, Tatiana, Dio, and Lucciola arrive ahead of the Silvana to send congratulations, but Delphine's ship appears from the clouds above and rains down rose petals as a declaration of war. Dio, realizing that he has been found by his sister, panics and flies his vanship erratically. When Alex sees Delphine's ship above the site of the coronation ceremony, he immediately orders that it be destroyed, but his crew refuses to comply for fear of killing Sophia.

When Claus and Dio return to the Silvana, the crew is missing. When they go to search the bridge, they find that Delphine has captured Alvis and the ship. Tatiana and Alister sneak a transport carrying Sophia back to the Urbanus. Alex comes out of hiding to attack Delphine but is defeated by Cicada. Delphine takes Dio back to the Guild along with Claus, Alvis, and Alex, and orders that Exile be secured before they leave. On the Urbanus, Vincent promises Sophia that he will recapture the Silvana. When they return to the Guild, Dio is taken to prepare for the Rite of the Covenant. Delphine indulges in the world's rarest delicacies at dinner, causing Claus to become upset about her disregard of the hardships of the people of Anatoray and Disith. Dio is reunited with Claus and Alvis, but they find that his personality has changed and he no longer recognizes them as friends.