North x Northwest

Her screams fell on death’s ears. She considered it would perhaps be better to shoot him herself, but the deck was already in a state of chaos. Even though the navies were easily distinguishable due to their uniforms, it still wasn’t easy for her to fix her aim as the officers were tangled up with the sailors as if they had become one body. 

Lil chased after Julio towards the bow and had to slide down as a sail blocked her way. In the midst of it, she continued screaming until she had run out of voice.

“Stop! Stop it!”

While running, a bullet grazed the side of her ear and a blade passed over her head, but Lil merely shrugged her shoulders and pushed through the muscled men ahead of her. She then separated a navy officer and a sailor who were at each other’s throats right in front of her. With the sailor falling towards her, she yelled again.

“Stop! Lower your sword!”

“What the hell?!”

The man, belonging to Jarles’ crew, roughly shook Lil off. She almost tripped, but managed to keep her balance and proceeded to chase after Julio. All kinds of blades jabbed and slashed within the distance between Lil and Julio. Eventually, Julio jerked back, drew his gun, and aimed it toward her. But Lil instinctively knew that she wasn’t his target. 

Lil screamed as she unhesitatingly moved forward.

“Don’t shoot! Put the gun…”

– Bang! –

A navy officer with pierced temples collapsed in front of her eyes. And just like that, Lil became covered in blood and flesh that splattered all over. The navy, with half his face blown off, plummeted to the floor. His indistinguishable coloured uniform became stained with the blood that poured out of his head.

“Shit!”

Lil held the fallen petty officer in her arms. She was sure he died without the need of checking his pulse. 

Her hands trembled. 

‘Julio… no matter how much he suffered and no matter how experienced he is, he was never truly a member of the League. If he thought about the sailors that would be left behind after this for even a moment, he could’ve never acted out like this… How big a massacre will this conflict lead to? The League is yet to establish a defence strategy. We should’ve never committed the first offence against the Navy For this reason alone and only observed their movements. But now that it has come to this, the Navy will retaliate harshly, and hundreds or thousands of Julios can be born…’

Lil closed the officer’s eyes and gritted her teeth. 

‘Julio and his followers have to be separated from the Bell Rock’s crew. Otherwise, the Navy will overturn the whole ship by force, including the innocent members of the League… To do so, I have to meet Admiral Retiro. Or at least find and talk with Commodore Sagastar. They have to be informed that there are both rioters and hostages on this ship, that these two factions have nothing to do with each other, and that the hostages are under my protection.’ 

Lil blindly ran toward the railing where the crossing was positioned.

The only flaw in her plan was that she didn’t know what Admiral Retire looked like.

‘If I jump in front of a random Navy officer and ask him to take me to the Admiral, who will be willing to do so?’ 

Lil belatedly tried to recall her vague memories.

‘I can’t think of anything other than the fact that he was very tall and slim…’

Without further delay, she raised her head. There was no time to lament her poor clues. 

Battles occurred everywhere around her, but Lil’s focus was on the Visha’s stern. 

‘I don’t see anyone on the stern who towers over his escorts and commands his people below. It seems he fled and possibly came down after Courant’s attack.’

With a glimmer of hope, Lil’s gaze skimmed the main deck starting from the Visha’s stern. 

‘Surely, a man who’s one head taller than the rest will definitely be visible. The Admiral’s height should stand out here as well.’ 

The fact that it wasn’t the case made Lil move forward. 

‘If I manage to get on board the Visha, I’m able to confirm one’s rank by looking at their uniforms. And if luck is by my side I may even meet an officer who recognizes ‘Liloa’ and is willing to help me.’

Lil anxiously observed the dense cluster and counted the heads that protruded above the crowd. 

‘One, two, three, … Damn it!’ 

However, it was difficult to remain secure with a group that was constantly moving. Lil didn’t give up though and checked on the fourth officer…

Her feet came to a standstill. 

Nailed to her spot, Lil looked up at the Visha’s deck. The fourth officer she had her eyes on was rapidly crossing the main deck. He was clearly an ‘officer’ but one in a crimson red uniform. His face flickered over the railing. 

Lil, who had been standing there dumbfounded, came to her senses when her shoulder was hit by someone’s bouncing elbow.

Meanwhile, the officer had disappeared from her view, making her run in the same direction as him. She soon regained the face she had lost due to the difference in their angle and saw the officer turning his body toward her. Looking at his face, her whole body became weak and her floundering hand had to clutch the rigging.

Lil muttered as she looked up at the face that was stepping on the crossing…

“…Ed?..”

***

Earlier.

Sagastar drew his gun and fired a shot into the air.

“Take the Captain alive!”

The advance party passed Sagastar and descended the crossing. After the second round of gunfire died down, Sagastar himself made his way to the enemy ship with his officers. The angle was steep due to the difference in height between the Visha and the Bell Rock’s upper decks, leaving his body completely exposed. The commodore pulled out a dagger from his waist with his left hand. The dagger the size of his forearm functioned both as a weapon and a shield.

As soon as he set his foot on the deck of an enemy ship, Sagastar asked.

“Where’s the Captain?”

“It looks like it’s him, Commodore!”

Captain Long pointed his finger at a man jumping off the stern railing.

“Who? The one from the stern?”

“Yes!”

Sagastar was about to move without delay but suddenly hesitated.

“Why does he look like that? From what I’ve heard, the Captain of this merchant ship looked like an Imperial.”

“I don’t know!”

After his answer, the captain grabbed the collar of a nearby sailor and pushed his blade against the man’s throat.

“Is that your Captain?”

“I, I don’t know…”

“Answer me.”

“Heuk!”

As the sailor closed his eyes and didn’t budge, Captain Long thrusted the dagger into the sailor’s shoulder. After twisting at once, the sailor twitched and screamed.

“Next, I’ll pierce your chest.”

“That’s right! He’s… our Captain! We voted and elected…”

 – Bang! –

The captain let go of the sailor who had a hole in his forehead. After a moment of thought, he turned to Sagastar.

“The owner of this ship is also a citizen of the Empire. I’ll try to secure his whereabouts and look for him.”

However, Captain Long noticed that Sagastar’s attention wasn’t focused on him. So, he followed the commodore’s gaze and rolled his eyes over the fallen mast. The moment he was about to ask what was going on, Sagastar inserted the gun back into his holster. His then empty right hand drew his longsword.

“I’ll leave the capturing to you. It seems like I have something else to check.”

Like a thorough soldier, the captain saluted before leaving.

“Yes, Commodore!”

After being left alone, Sagastar looked along the Visha’s upper deck. 

‘He’s moving beside the railing following Sir Edgar…’

His gaze then flowed to the sailor standing tall between the masts of the merchant ship. 

‘…As if he’s trying to make a connection.’

Sagastar couldn’t see a face as the sailor wore a hat obscuring it. 

‘Sir Edgar is about to step onto the crossing, while that madman has his eyes fixed on him.’ 

Sagastar quietly approached him. The grip on both of his hands was tight. The closer he got, the clearer this sailor’s voice became.

‘This man keeps calling the Admiral’s name. Over and over again…’

***

“Ed!”

Lil called Ed with all her might.

“Ed!”

But Ed didn’t seem to see nor hear Lil, though. It was no wonder as the smoke still hung like a veil over the Bell Rock’s deck, and Lil stood near the collapsed mast. His view was easily blocked by the sails surrounding her. 

Lil thought of further approaching Ed over the towering pole.

‘I don’t know how Ed is still alive, but it’s a huge relief…. I’m glad he seems to be safe. Such a relief…’

However, her feelings soon became complicated. She thought it was a great chance to meet an officer she knew, but Ed was the one to show up out of nowhere. It reminded her of how terribly cruel she was to him. 

‘Will Ed even want to help me?’ 

Amid her worries, a sharp voice cut in.

“Who are you? And why are you targeting Sir Edgar?”