North x Northwest

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“Are…”

“..?!”

But it wasn’t Lil…

“Are you leaving tonight? If you have the documents, please give them to me, Sir.”

Instead, it was the port manager, holding out his hand to Ed. As Ed looked around, he realised that he had already walked quite a long way from the dock. The sailors gathered on and around the Bell Rock were still busy with their work. Ed stood with his back to the ship, pretending to hand over the documents while whispering to the manager.

“…Go to the mansion at once and inform Sir Lindhardt. Tell him to reassign the guards from Gualtiero to the port, and then instruct him to also come over here…”

“Pardon? Residence? Whose residence are you talking about?”

Ed reached into his shirt and took out the signet ring that was around his neck. The manager’s face, which had been brightly smiling because he thought he was getting a bribe, soon turned pale. At first, he couldn’t take his gaze away from the ring but looked up at Ed when he suddenly realised something. He then stammered, fumbling with his fingers.

“Ad… Admiral Retiro…”

“Here, take it and go. Right now.”

“Yes… Yes!”

After the manager mounted a horse that had been tied up in front of the management office and disappeared into the distance, Ed’s mind ran through all the possible reasons for what might’ve happened.

‘There must’ve been another factor that prompted Liloa to order Alain to remain silent. Liloa wanted me to stay here until the end to keep an eye on the port… that’s a plausible possibility… Otherwise, if nothing had happened she would’ve arrived by now…’

Time passed…

Now enough time had passed to make the trip to and from Gualtiero two or three more times, making it already past midnight.

‘Was she chased by the guards? No. A gunshot would’ve been heard or a bullet would’ve struck the wagon in such a case. Besides, normal guards have no reason to move quietly, whereas her opponent clearly did… The Duke of Mireille? But his villa and company are under strict surveillance. How on earth…’

“…Doctor…”

“…”

‘…How did they escape our surveillance?’

“Doctor!”

“..!”

Alain, who had been calling Ed from behind, came around and stood in front of him.

“We’re ready to set sail. Now all we have to do is untie the rope from the dock.”

“Then go on, set sail.”

“But, I’m worried because…”

While dragging his words, Alain looked in the same direction as Ed. Not even a single rat was seen in the alley. Ed, who endured his irritation, took a half-hearted guess at the cause of Alain’s concerns.

“You don’t have to worry that I won’t be watching until the Bell Rock is completely out of the coastal waters.”

“No, that’s not it…”

“..?”

Ed finally faced Alain, whose anxious eyes were blinking rapidly and whose hands and feet couldn’t stay still. His speculation slowly turned into conviction. Fortunately for Ed, Alain appeared to be willing to tell him something, so he waited for Alain’s next words with bated breath.

“Now that I think about it, isn’t it strange that he was worried about me telling you that he bribed some nearby guards?”

“Guards? What are you…”

“No, if you knew that the Captain was able to call on the guards he had bribed in advance, why did he think you would leave the port? Don’t you also find it suspicious? Why did he bother to ask me not to tell you? Now that I think about it, the fact that he bought off some guards could be a lie altogether…”

“Don’t tell me what?”

“…”

After Alain remained silent, Ed violently shook the shoulder he had unconsciously grabbed.

“…Alain!”

“Four men on horseback followed us. We managed to take down two of them, but the remaining two continued to chase us, so the Captain stayed back.”

“Why are you only telling me this now?!”

“…”

Ed, who was about to push Alain for an answer, soon shut his mouth.

‘Seeing his stiff face, it’s clear to me that he faithfully believed Liloa’s lie. It’s of no use getting angry at Alain this way.’

“What did they look like?”

“Masks… Yes, they were wearing masks. The Captain said there were no insignia or markings, and that their identities were unknown….”

“Set sail.”

“What?”contemporary romance

“Hurry!”

Ed turned Alain around and pushed his back. Alain, however, kept looking back at Ed while resisting stubbornly.

“But what about the Captain? We need to check on the Captain first…”

“I’ll take care of that. If you all don’t set sail right now, you’ll be stranded here too.”

Despite Ed’s warning, the old man shook off both of Ed’s hands and turned towards him.

“So, you’re telling us to just go? Is that what you’re saying? Are you sure about that, Doctor?”

“Didn’t the Captain leave you with that very message?”

“But…”

Alain’s shoulders sank as Ed gestured to the railing behind Alain. He hadn’t realised it till now, but all the other sailors were standing near the railing and staring down at them. Ed never noticed them before, because he was preoccupied with his debate with Alain about whether they should wait any longer.

“The Captain had been in a coma for over a month. And the only thing he thought about since the moment he woke up, were you guys. He planned and executed all of this with a body that before long couldn’t even walk… So, the sooner you get on board and sail away, the sooner we can declare his mission a success. Can you even afford to waste his efforts?”

Julio came down the crossing and grabbed Alain’s arm.

‘Come to think of it, Julio, who’s supposed to be making the most noise of all at this point, has been unusually quiet…’

Even though he realised this now, Ed didn’t have the time to worry about his unusual behaviour. With Jericho following suit and wrapping his arms around Alain’s shoulders, Alain, who appeared to be frozen in place, finally stepped onto the crossing. As he climbed toward the Bell Rock, the sailors that had clung to the railing began to return to their positions one by one. The crossing was removed once Alain was fully aboard the Bell Rock, and the ship, which started to set sail, cruised forward the moment the last rope was released.

Ed turned around and hastened his steps. Still, he didn’t forget to turn his head occasionally to check on the Bell Rock.

‘As long as I can see the Bell Rock’s movements with the naked eye, I’m heeding Liloa’s wishes. But if Linhardt doesn’t arrive in time, I can’t be confident about further staying to watch over the ship…’

Although he knew what Lil wanted most, thinking that she might be gone for good intensified his internal conflict. But just when Ed began to run along the harbour at full speed, the sound of horses’ hooves could be heard not far away.

Ed hastily turned his head.

‘Please… please…’

The leading man was followed by several guards. Identifying the man’s face, Ed’s conflict was resolved instantly.

“…Linhardt!”

Linhardt got off the horse and scolded Ed as soon as he saw the latter.

“You crazy bastard, did you really just give some random guy your seal?! And why are your clothes like that…”

Ed didn’t bother slowing down and simply snatched his signet ring from Linhardt. Thinking that Linhardt wouldn’t say anything else worth listening to, Ed had already mounted his cousin’s horse and taken the reins before Linhardt even realised what was going on.

“Please watch over that ship and make sure it sets out safely.”

“What?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Ed kicked the stirrup. Linhardt’s beloved courser cleverly turned and galloped through the harbour as Linhardt’s shout quickly grew distant.

“…Edgar! What on earth are you doing? You damn bastard!…”

As soon as Ed got on the horse, the alley he had been looking at so anxiously disappeared in an instant. He quickly entered the road, retracing Lil’s exact path. After midnight, the road was vacant without even the noise of any drunkards. They deliberately chose a quiet residential area for fear of attracting attention.

“…Liloa!..”

Ed shouted her name left and right, but there was no answer. Only his voice calling for Lil rang out on the dreary road.

After wandering around fruitlessly, Ed returned to the main road. A little further ahead, he came across a fallen horse. He dismounted his own and examined the animal’s carcass but found nothing unusual.

‘As Alain said, the masked men wore no signs that identified themselves.’

In the end, Ed felt that he was left without any clues and decided to knock on the door of the nearest building. Because of his persistent banging noise, someone from the building eventually opened his window and cursed out loud. Then another man from the building next door came out and attempted to swing his fist towards Ed. Quickly blocking the man’s incoming fist with one hand, Ed held up his seal with the other…

done.co