North x Northwest
Chapter 144

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“Yes!”

The captain then neatly shut his mouth.

Meanwhile, Ed swallowed the curses formed in his mouth. Not only was he light in the head, but his body felt as heavy and dirty as ever. Even after having taken multiple painkillers, the heaviness remained the same. Moreover, he had just woken up and he couldn’t walk well, so he had to leave the tent with the captain’s support.

Lukewarm wind ruffled his hair and the air coming through his nose was salty. He wondered how long it had been since he died in the waves and came back to life.

‘It’s almost funny how quickly I adapt to the land despite having lived on the sea for so long.’

Ed suddenly raised his head and looked around. He expected a pleasant military camp, but the immediate surroundings were just too quiet for that. He soon realised why. Honour guards* were lined up on the left side of the tent. The brisk coastal breeze fluttered the golden tassels and epaulettes on their red uniforms brilliantly.

Clutching his chin, Ed leaned over and whispered to the captain.

“…Are you guys trying to mock me with the honour guards even after seeing me like that?..”

The captain moved his head towards Ed and whispered back.

“…No. Certainly not, Admiral. I actually tried to stop him, but in the end, Sir Viktor insisted…”

‘I had no idea Sagastar was this thrilled by my survival.’

Ed decided to close his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

‘However, he’s the one who was relentless in his search and rescued me. Assuming that I could have survived somehow even if the fleet hadn’t found me, is nothing more than arrogant…’

While Ed was laying in the tent, his hearing came back from time to time.

‘If I remember correctly, the search for me had been intense. It can’t be helped then…’

Rendered speechless, Ed tried to ignore the different flags fluttering behind the honour guards, including the imperial flag and the Mondovi naval flag.

The honour guards began to divide solemnly as Ed unintentionally passed by. At some point, the captain began steering him in a specific direction and Ed could roughly guess their destination.

As they walked a little further, he noticed the majesty of a long table, which made him wonder how it even got there. In the middle of the sandy beach stood a table decorated with a luxurious tablecloth spread with various fruits and bread baskets centred around a large flower bowl, looking absolutely delicious. In one corner of such a perfect scene, was a cadet sweating profusely, trying to relight a candle that was constantly blown out by the wind. Ed’s eyes then fell on the large grill next to the table.

‘It looks like they caught some birds… I can’t imagine how hard Sagastar made everyone work to catch birds flying somewhere in the back of the forest…’

In line with the Admiral’s preferences, the Mondovi Fleet has grown to be more pragmatic over the years. And because their admiral didn’t enjoy the rich ambiance, the officers who adhered to traditional practices could no longer rush into extravagance. In that way, Ed’s preferences ran counter to popular opinion.

Ed gave up on figuring out how they had moved that thing that appeared to be the table from the admiral’s office.

‘If I see this, I start to highly doubt that Sagastar has ever learned anything about me… After all this time, he still engaged in such futile exploits…’

Ed stood by the table, staring at Sagastar, whose delighted face suddenly twitched. The admiral was unsure whether to put up with all of it or lose his cool. In the end he closed his eyes for the second time today.

‘But even if that’s the case, I shouldn’t forget that he’s the one who saved me…’

After a short sigh, Ed stumbled along the table.

“Sagastar. I didn’t order you to do this, did I? First, you treated me like a dead man, and now you make it seem like everything I ever said was just bullshit to you.”

“Sir Edgar! What a terrible thing to say!”

“Don’t forget that the only one feeling terrible here is me.”

“Because this is our second life, I’ve decided to dedicate myself to my original intention of serving you, Sir Edgar. This is the first step, albeit lacking, but I did my best…”

“It’s scary to know that this grotesque display is only the first step.”

Sagastar looked hurt by Ed’s bitterness.

Finally, after walking with great effort and the help of the captain, Ed sat down.

‘This chair… is also from the Admiral’s office…’

As he leaned back languidly, Ed could clearly see the scene of the honour guards divided into 2 single-file rows on either side. He took the sweetened wine pleasantly in his mouth as soon as the aperitif was served. Although his torn mouth was still sore, it didn’t interfere with the almost joyful satisfaction. The bitter but fresh flavour lingered in his mouth. Ed’s eyes narrowed and he smiled a long-forgotten smile.

“How is it? Is it all right?”

Ed nodded as he grabbed a stem full of green grapes and ate them one by one. Every time he worked his jaw muscles, their sweet and delicious juice burst out. When he leaned back even more, the night sky descended into his view and he heard the soft chamber music playing next to the table. Surprisingly, this wasn’t even considered a luxury as the officer playing the instrument showed his skills during mealtime onboard too. Ed fumbled with his feet before lifting his ankles onto the footrest.

“Sagastar.”

“Yes.”

Ed motioned casually to the seat next to him.

“Sit down.”

“I can’t, Sir.”

“Does it sound like I’m talking bullshit again?”

“No, Sir.”

Hesitantly, Sagastar sat down in the chair next to him and an officer hurriedly prepared his tableware. Ed raised his torso and poured Sagasatar a glass of wine. The commodore didn’t really know what to do or say, so he just grabbed the glass silently.

“Who knew there would come a time when I would complement that meticulously suspicious side of yours.”

“..!”

Despite his awkwardness, Sagastar smiled broadly. Seeing that Sagastar’s eyes were getting wet again, Ed suddenly reconsidered his praises.

‘It will become a problem in the future if I boost Sagastar’s morals too much. I’m not sure what kind of bizarre things this guy will do next when he gets too comfortable.’

But Ed was genuinely happy and had no intention of hiding it. Rather, he desired the entire world would experience his overwhelming joy.

‘I got to open my eyes after burying myself in the sand. If there hadn’t been anyone around, I would probably have cried out in relief. With a tearing scream, I would’ve let mother ocean know that the life she was trying to take was still very much alive…’

“You did a good job, I’ll give you Maynier; please stop by the mansion as soon as you return to Mondovi.”

“…What?”

“Don’t you know about that resort island? I thought it was pretty well-known…”

“Of course, I know it, but…”

“Is it too cheap? It’s the price for my life after all.”

Ed focused on his meal, thereby not seeing the sweating and restless Sagastar nor the captain who was drooling from his wide open mouth. When Ed took a bite from his freshly prepared salad, the leaves crumbled in his mouth. The unspeakable pleasure of chewing and crushing the freshness took his breath away and filled his stomach with vitality. After that hellish night, he couldn’t believe he was experiencing that yet again.

“…Wait, what kind of absurd remark is that? Too cheap? No, I didn’t do it for a reward to begin with. Furthermore, it’s an island that has been granted…”

“I’m not the one who received it.”

“Isn’t it the island bestowed upon the late Lord Glock by the Emperor?”

“Lord Glock would have been overjoyed if the new owner of the island was the one who saved me. My grandfather was very fond of me when he was still alive.”

Sagastar smiled with a face that looked as if his throat was being blocked, his complexion darkened beyond red, and he barely managed to squeeze his voice out.

“…I can’t accept…”

“I guess you really think I’m talking bullshit.”

“…”

“How did you get here?”

Sagastar, who had been bewildered for a while, soon came to. He then wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, lifted his finger and beckoned the captain.

“Let me show you. Captain.”

“Certainly, Commodore.”

The captain approached Ed and handed him a small piece of paper.

“Fortunately, the fleet was nearby, so we were able to get here quickly; these coordinates were originally written in Mandus.”

Ed understood what those ‘coordinates’ represented a little later. A situation he hadn’t thought of before, entered his mind. His hands which had long forgotten the cold trembled and a sneer escaped through his clenched teeth.

“…That rat… did something useful for a chance…”

– Thump –

The hatred that he had been focused solely on Lil tenaciously spread to Cesar.

– Thump –

Like the pounding beat of a drum an ominous sound signalled that this was only the beginning.

– Thump –

Ed extended his hand. The blood flowing through his forearm rushed to his fingertips, and his heart felt like it was about to burst from the rapid increase in pulse. With the movement of his hand, the sleeve of the gown moved and exposed his wrist. As a result, the dark red traces left by the rope became visible.

– Thump –

Ed muttered as he looked down.

“…I suppose he didn’t want me to die.”

– – – – –

Footnote:

A guard of honour (GB), honor guard (US), or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or to attend state ceremonials, especially funerals. In principle, any military unit could act as a guard of honour. [Wiki]