North x Northwest

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Ed just nodded his head without saying anything. Lil was unfamiliar with him being so taciturn, however, Sagastar on the other hand, seemed accustomed to it. At first, Lil didn’t believe Elodie and Sagastar when they told her that Ed didn’t talk much, but she witnessed it for herself now. Ed seated Sagastar, who was in the middle of standing up, without a word of command.

“So Commodore, may I continue?”

“Ah. Please do, Miss.”

Sagastar bowed his head and appeared even more polite than when it was just the two of them.

“I’m in possession of a document guaranteeing the crew’s identities. The guarantor is Viscount Noirmont himself, as the merchant ship is originally registered under his name. I regret that there was friction between such an ordinary merchant ship and the Imperial Navy.”

“Yes. Well… Come to think of it, Captain Lemoine testified that there had been a mutiny on board. There should indeed be room for consideration.”

“…”

Lil thanked him for his willingness to exercise his authority. Since Ed wasn’t back in office yet, the person with the second highest authority would be Sagastar, and if he refused to move, things would get very difficult.

“I understand what you mean. It would truly be troublesome if this ended in another commotion. I’ll handle it quietly.”

“Thank you.”

“But there’s something I’ve always wondered about.”

Sagastar studied Ed’s reaction.

‘…What could Sagastar be curious about?’

Lil was so stung that her mouth dried up for no apparent reason. She tried using her tongue to moisten her lips, but it wasn’t enough, so she picked up the glass of beer that the waiter had left behind…

‘..?!’

Lil turned to face her intruder. Ed had taken her drink and set it down before handing her a glass of water instead.

When Lil looked up, Ed leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“…No alcohol yet, Miss.”

“..?”

The way Ed’s cold breath tickled Lil’s ears caught her by surprise, and a tingling sensation ran down her nape. Lil bit her tongue to keep her shoulders from jerking up. She was suppressing it so much that tears welled up in her eyes. Ed, who misunderstood her reaction, stood his ground and added.

“There’s nothing more to that. I’m simply acting as your doctor…”contemporary romance

Ed used honorifics while whispering, possibly to mimic Lil’s manner of addressing him.

‘Was it real or just my imagination that Ed’s lips brushed against my earlobe?’

Lil swallowed her saliva and pretended to cough.

“Ah, I… I understand.”

As Lil gulped down the water Ed gave her, Sagastar also looked the other way, cautiously avoiding any chances of possibly witnessing any informal behaviour between the two. When Lil had emptied her glass, she covered her mouth with her sleeve and moved her hips a little closer to the wall. Her attempt, of course, had little to no effect because she was already pressed up against it. Nonetheless, the movement alone made her feel a little more at ease. Lil eventually caught her breath while muttering about how pathetic her behaviour was.

‘Why, of all times, do I have to lose my senses now? If I could only slap myself right now, I would’ve done so already.’

Lil then proceeded to ask firmly, trying not to show her embarrassment.

“What were you curious about, Commodore?”

“About the ones who kidnapped you and injured Sir Edgar, weren’t they part of the crew under the command of that captain named Julio? Sir Edgar clearly said that there would be no combat, but as soon as we got close, a battle broke out. The captain, Julio, also remained openly hostile toward the Navy even after being captured. What kind of people are they?”

“Who… who said there would be no battle?”

Confused, Lil took turns looking at Ed and Sagastar.

“Sagastar. We’ll talk about this later.”

“But…”

“Commodore?”

This time, it was Sagastar’s turn to appear embarrassed while alternately looking between Ed and Lil. When Lil showed no signs of backing down, Ed couldn’t help but merely glare at Sagastar.

“The Admiral had ordered me to only bring the captain of the ship because we had no intention of engaging a merchant ship, but it turned out that the captain of that ship was… Captain Julio. I never understood this. Why did he ask me to bring such a guy? And why did he assure us that there would be no battle?”

“…”

“So, I investigated the case separately and found that the original captain of the ship was a registered imperial citizen. Sir Cesar himself testified that he was the owner as well as the captain and that Julio became the captain after initiating a mutiny on board. Meanwhile, the other sailors of the merchant ship all kept silent. And in anticipation of a dispute with the Viscount, the interrogation and trial were postponed… What on earth happened on that ship?”

“Sagastar.”

Despite Ed’s warning, Sagastar boldly continued.

“No, no matter what happened, they must take responsibility and pay for their sins.”

After estimating how high that ‘payment’ would be, Lil answered.

“Commodore, the Southerners have always maintained their initial principles well. There had been no friction with the Navy before this, and this incident was even accidental. Have you forgotten that this incident started with a regrettable cannon shot? How can foreigners prove their innocence towards the Empire if they don’t even have the right to defend themselves against the Navy? In the first place, is there even an investigation underway to determine the source of the canon shot?”

“No matter which side the first shot came from, the result remains the same. How can you defend them? Navy officers died.”

“They had casualties, too.”

“Are you comparing the life of a Navy officer to those of the Southern race?”

“So, since their lives and the officers’ lives aren’t the same in your eyes, you’re going to kill all of their blood relatives to balance the scale?”

Sagastar affirmed Lil’s words without the slightest bit of hesitation.

“Yes. That’s precisely what should be done. We must immediately conquer the South. The League of Southern Pirates is nothing but a ruse, they must’ve been hiding a plot to turn against the Empire. Let us use this incident as an example to prevent it from happening again. We need to make certain that they don’t ever consider challenging the Empire’s authority. It appears that the lessons they learned from Marchand were too insufficient to bring them to their senses. I’m not sure how many more islands those barbarians should lose before they’ll become enlightened.”

Lil managed to hold herself back from what she wanted to say and tried her best to put on a non-hostile face.

‘This is why I have to do whatever it takes to get even Julio out of prison. If Julio is accused of being a pirate and executed, the hunt against the whole Southern race will begin with his execution. The Navy clearly has no intention of holding a proper trial…’

“I can’t stand to see a tragedy like that happen again, that’s why I’m asking the Commodore about the status of the investigation process. I’m equally hoping that this can be concluded as smoothly and fairly as possible.”

“How can you be so emotional… You also served in the military…”

“There’s a difference between a war fought in compliance with war procedures and prisoner of war laws agreed between countries, and a one-sided massacre.”

“Massacre? It’s simply justifiable retribution.”

“I believe the Commodore knows what ‘justice’ means, right? If even only one officer dies, the South in turn has to sacrifice its entire race. Is that what’s just? I think that’s far too cruel.”

“What…? I don’t understand. They’re barbarians, not the people of a civilised country. They have no reason and are closer to beasts. Are you saying this out of pity for them?”

“They’re not pitiful. It’s just that the Empire’s conduct makes me feel sorry for them…”

“My lady! What in the world are you saying?!”

Ed’s voice cut off Sagastar, who had been hyped up by Lil’s outrageous remark.

“…Sagastar.”

The red-hot face immediately lowered its head.

“I… made a mistake.”

Lil shook her head and leaned back in her chair.

“No.”

“…Mercy and forgiveness are beautiful virtues. Please forgive me for being clumsy and not understanding delicate emotions.”

“Can’t we see them as human beings? They’re human beings who experience emotions and suffer just like us, they’re born as children and die of old age. Just as the massacre of the people of the Empire is unacceptable, their massacre is also an unacceptable crime that will never be washed away…”

“My lady, how many times do I have to tell you this? They’re nothing but animals. Not one of us feels guilty about slaughtering a cow or a pig.”

“Then you would rather have me…”

References:

“…It appears that the lessons they learned from Marchand were insufficient to bring them to their senses…” = Sagastar is talking about the way that Marchand was seized by the Navy. This battle ended in a one sided massacre, killing most of the native inhabitants.

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