North x Northwest

Lil came to her senses and caught a clue in her messy mind. 

‘Ed may not have the correct answer, but I can’t think of any other approach than to work with others. Anyway, I know Orsay isn’t well-known to others, so wouldn’t he know it better than me or Cesar?’

Lil banged her fist on the desk, jumped up, and shouted.

“Cesar!”

Cesar, who rubbed his tired eyes, asked with a sigh.

“Do we have to take it out?”

“…What?”

“You think I’m blind? From the moment you first saw the mermaid you seemed determined to free it.”

“So? You heard it. They’ll keep it in an aquarium and hold it as a pet.”

“It’s not much different than slavery.”

“That’s why it’s a problem, isn’t what I’m about to do similar to freeing a slave?”

“I don’t know why you’re so invested in doing that either.”

Cesar’s gloomy gaze shifted to Lil. His eyelids, which he had been rubbing for some time, were turning red. Lil noticed it at once. Cesar was exhausted. 

‘Who would have thought when this last expedition was mentioned, that we’d encounter such a ridiculous battle? Amid my injury, I insisted on respect for the Bell Rock until the bitter end, and we even fought over it after a long period. In addition, I held back a man’s arm in front of his eyes while telling him to leave. Given that I’m now insisting on rescuing this slave, it’s understandable that his patience has worn thin. I haven’t consoled him at all in the midst of all of this, so now it’s my turn…’

But Lil felt she was also running out of time and simply delayed the answer.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I won’t ask for your help. You should head back to the Bell Rock first.”

“Liloa. Saying that doesn’t mean I really can move back to the Bell Rock.”

Anticipating another lengthy exchange of words, Lil nervously checked the sunset outside the window.

“We’re almost there. I don’t want to fight over this till the last minute. Just let this go. Please, Cesar.”

“How can I just stay back when you’re looking like that? Have you really decided to go to the principality?”

“It’s not like that. My voyage doesn’t end today. Until Serlio, I’m still the Captain.”

“Can you even sever such a strong passion once we reach Serlio? I don’t want to force it on you.”

“You never forced it. I do it voluntarily.”

Cesar took a deep breath as his jaw muscles contracted sharply around his tightly shut mouth.

Lil knew the look on Cesar’s face was doubt. Although he doesn’t believe in the word ‘voluntarily’, this time, he didn’t ask if it was a lie. He wanted to try persuading her in a different way.

“Liloa. The Imperial Law states that nobles can mobilise their own labour force they arbitrarily acquired from inside and outside the Empire to use for the public sector, labour, and military service. For cases where there are no regulations, nobles can use ‘discretion.’ The Duke may be going too far, but the law is not entirely inapplicable because the Southern Islands aren’t within the Imperial Order.”

“Who made that law?”

“It was made by the founding Emperor and the courtiers who supported the Emperor up to the 5th generation.”

“Why do they want people who don’t even consider the founding Emperor as their ruler to obey the law? No one agreed, and probably won’t in the future.”

“If people personally choose the law arbitrarily with the means of consent, where is the order in the world?”

“It’s not an arbitrary choice.”

“Then what?”

“Cesar. I…”

“..?”

Lil pressed her suddenly overwhelmed heart. If her heart had wings, its flutter would lead it to Cesar. 

‘I hope this will make him understand me. I’ve been thinking this way for a long time, and I’ve been waiting for this moment ever since. If I could see so much of a glimmer of hope, perhaps I can happily stay by his side.’

“…I… believe that there are laws that humans cannot impose on nature. Those born with tails must be free to swim vigorously. They’re not made to become someone’s pet. It’s not right for us to defy natural forces. Even if humans specify it in their code of law, it’s not right.”

Lil squeezed her eyes shut as if she were about to hear her sentence. Her heart was pounding like it was going to burst, and she couldn’t bear looking at Cesar. She prayed earnestly, holding her shaky hands together.

‘Please… please…’

“Liloa. Those who can decide their own lives are different from those who can’t. The Empire is also an achievement of humans belonging to the former. The Emperor is the one who reigns at the apex, not the individuals. You and I also lived our lives as imperial citizens, sometimes surrendering to the law and sometimes enjoying the privileges guaranteed by the law. So many of our predecessors considered the law sacred, and this is how the Empire lasted. Those who can’t decide their own lives simply can’t do anything, so they’ll have to follow the will of the former. The law is the will of the highest ruler, who carries hundreds of millions of lives on his back. If that was wrong, how could the Empire have prospered so much?”

“The South, then, is likewise a human achievement, and what contribution did the imperial people make to it, not obeying the order they established?”

“They’ve lived their lives as they liked, and they haven’t achieved any civilization as a result of that process.”

“…”

Lil was met with Cesar’s soft eyes as if he was soothing a child, but he added with conviction.

“No matter what you say, the Southern Islands are impoverished and its inferior environment is not equal to that of an imperial civilisation.”

When Lil tried to open her mouth to respond, her tongue, which was about to move, was cut off by Mortu. With the laughter of the reaper echoing in her head, the sunset was getting darker. There was only one thing left for Lil to say.

“All right.”

“…”

Lil left the desk as it was and headed towards the door. He followed her damp gaze, but he didn’t say a single word. Lil didn’t look at Cesar as she opened the door.

“I’m going to get some fresh air.”

***

After leaving the captain’s room, Lil caught sight of the Bell Rock that looks reddish in the sun. Her long-held belief was reaffirmed.

‘Cesar will never change.’ 

She crossed the bridge and boarded the Bell Rock. 

‘I also have no intention of changing.’ 

Alain followed her while mumbling something. 

‘All right. Let’s see. You may chop off my legs and reattach them in the principality, but you can’t cut my beliefs.’

“…Captain, are you listening? We’re leaving in an hour…”

With the infirmary on the lowest deck, Lil went down the stairs. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to love Cesar. She only wanted to be loved unconditionally because she didn’t want to live a life that brought her sadness and despair. Despair, the moment she realised it, the shadow got heavy in an instant as Mortu arose over her, giggling at her fate.

“…Trying to get away from me? You’re so cute whenever you try…”

Mortu seemed to be clinging to the shadows, so Lil walked faster as chilling goosebumps ran down her spine. The piercing breath also penetrated the back of the head. Lil began to run as though being chased, squeezing herself through the sailors carrying supplies. When the bloodied operating room appeared in front of her eyes, Lil yelled upon dashing through the open door.

“Ed!”

However, someone faceless answered.

“He was done here, Captain. I think he went to rest for a while?”

Lil rushed over the deck and up the steps once again. Mortu’s searing breath was wrapped around her neck. She hurriedly shook her head till she noticed his cabin on the stern side. The hull had not yet been lit and was full of darkness. Full of Mortu. Lil simply stared in front of her, where she noticed the door. With light shining through the cracks in the door, a person seemed to be standing behind it.

– Bang! Bang! –

Lil suddenly knocked on the wooden door after realising that she had finally reached him.

– Bang! Bang! Bang! –

‘I’m going to keep knocking until you open this door…’

– Bang! Bang! Bang! –

“What…”

As her vision brightened without a single shadow, Lil almost knocked Ed on the shoulder and hurriedly pulled her fist. However, Ed looked down at Lil before momentarily moving his eyes to his shoulder. His dark green eyes were cold, something she had never seen before.

Only then did Lil recall how their previous meeting ended, and her heart sank.