North x Northwest
Chapter 160

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“Shut the fuck up!”

Lil sighed at his pathetic tone.

‘Although I want to take care of this nuisance right away, nothing good will be borne out of pressing the buttons of an outside crew. It’s best to avoid situations in which they can relate to the same feelings. Anger, hatred, and determination are the kinds of emotions that will further aggravate this confrontation. The sudden hostility at the beginning of this strife is bound to wear off over time. After that, it will become a matter of determination. How far do they want to continue this confrontation and carry out their pride? It’s the determination that will determine the extent of it. Even if Julio’s anger is unavoidable, there’s a way to break the will of the sailors who agree with him. In the end, it’s the determination that may rise or fall according to the gains and losses of the situation.’

“Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? I didn’t conceal the existence of a spy. I put a person suspected of being one in isolation. I did that to safely solve this uncertain situation. After all, the existence of a Captain is to guarantee the safety of the crew and prevent danger. So, that’s why. However, I didn’t know I had to report to you guys one by one even when the investigation was still in progress.”

“…How can we be sure that he isn’t in cahoots with the doctor?…”

“…He’s so suspicious! Looking at that face already makes me feel nauseous!…”

“That’s your reasoning? I’m with Ed?”

“It’s quite the coincidence that there was a Navy spy on a ship with an Imperial bastard at the helm! Isn’t this ship’s destination also a place with a naval base? The Imperial Serlio?! You’re going to hand us all over once we get there! Otherwise, why else did Legardon let us pass the checkpoint without any problems? This is clear evidence that the Navy is on the move!”

Julio was cheered on by the men standing behind him.

“…I don’t believe these pale bastards at all!…”

“…Ugh! Such cruel bastards!…”

“…Let’s go back to Valtano!…”

“…If Jarles knew what’s going on, he’d be so shocked!…”

As she examined the spitting men one by one, Lil had already seen this coming. The majority of Valtano’s crew often mixed with Jarles’ and today was no exception. Lil was relieved to see that none of them belonged to the original crew of the Bell Rock.

She eventually glanced up at the ceiling.

‘Looks like there hasn’t been any bloodshed between them and the Bell Rock’s sailors… having no confrontation between them so far is great. Alain or Cesar, one of them must be aware of the situation and is gathering the crew on the upper deck.’

“If I indeed intended to hand you over, shouldn’t I have done that the moment Legardon crossed us? Why would I go all the way to Serlio? It was obvious that after the encounter with the Navy, the atmosphere on deck would take a turn for the worst. Have you ever thought about why I have to keep sailing despite knowing such a risk?”

“…You must be up to something!…”

“You don’t even know what I’m up to, you all just want to go home.”

“…”

“ ‘The captain is suspicious, so follow me’ or ‘The captain’s skin colour is suspicious, follow me instead’. That’s what you’ve been spreading around, right? But you know it, don’t you? That skin colour means nothing. All you feel is anger towards the futility of violence that has been committed against you.”

“Who the hell said that skin colour has anything to do with this? You hid the existence of a spy. And it doesn’t matter whether or not you were in cahoots with him. Either way, you’re suspicious enough.”

“So, you think I’m up to no good? Is that what you’re trying to say? That alone is making you want to head back? Or are you afraid of a man who might or might not have died as a spy?”

“…”

“What? You want to go home, but you don’t have a good reason, so you’re just taking it out on me? I feel sorry for the guys behind you. They clearly can’t tell what’s going on, so they’re just following your childish act.”

“…”

Julio pulled the gun from his waist and moved closer with childlike thumping steps.

“There are plenty of reasons why we simply can’t head back to Panichi. First of all, our food storage is running scarce and it’s obvious that we can’t replace a nearby island in this fog. Secondly, the weather is no good. The wind is a headwind from the southwest where Panichi is located. And thirdly, it’s faster if we try to communicate with the League once we reach our destination. There’s also not much time left. It will only take us three days at most, so why are you telling me that we must go back to Panichi immediately?”

Murmurs spread around, making Julio shout meaninglessly in order to take back control of the situation.

‘The sailors are becoming increasingly uneasy about the Bell Rock. I sympathise with Julio, as we both care about the ship. But still, being on the ship is way better than drifting in the sea. The Bell Rock isn’t a shipwreck… At least not yet. For now, it’s best to get rid of these men’s anxiety.’

“The sailors here who lick imperial ass will believe you. But not me! Even if you try to win me over like this, I won’t fall for it!”

Lil leaned against the desk behind her and folded her arms.

“Hmm? Then what, are you going to kill me?”

“…”

“If you do, my crew will never accept you.”

“…”

“You haven’t forgotten him, have you? The despicable Dato, who killed his Captain and half of the crew thereby became a captain by force. He was beheaded by Anunchio.”

“Shut up! Just shut up!”

“You want to live. Aren’t you doing all this because you want to live? And you think following me is leading you to your death? Of course, you have to guarantee your life the most. But, who will follow you if you’re guaranteed to be beheaded once you get back? Being a Captain isn’t as simple as you think now, is it?”

“…”

Lil raised her torso and placed her forehead directly on the gun. The cold iron froze her skin.

“Isn’t the upper deck really quiet right now?”

“..!”

At those words, a startled Julio looked up at the ceiling.

“There’s been such an uproar down there. But why is it so quiet up there? Huh?”

“…”

“Whatever your decision may be, never kill off those who decide to follow my lead.”

Julio’s thumb brushed against the pistol’s ball. Lil’s attention was solely on her opponent’s eyes. There was no conviction in his fluctuating eyes and his clenched jaw throbbed awkwardly. The way one expressed anger and fear could differ from person to person, but it was extra tricky with Julio. Lil hoped he wasn’t overconfident.

‘Although he’s swayed by childish emotions as he’s still young, I think he has enough conscience to not lead his comrades into a massacre…’

Gnashing his teeth, Julio spoke.

“I’ll put up a vote.”

At the same time, the muzzle broke off her forehead. Lil finally sighed down. Feigning the skill of an incumbent captain, she smiled leisurely.

“As you should.”

“I’ll definitely drive you out.”

“Let’s see what you can do. Voting is possible with the consent of more than half of the crew and half of the officers.”

“I already have the majority of the crew. Now all I need is more than half of the officers.”

“You already have the majority? What kind of bluff is that?”

“Keep him under surveillance until then.”

As he spoke, Julio hit a sailor on his shoulder. Lil realised the meaning of his words a second later. She murmured as if she had been hit on the back of her head out of nowhere.

“…What? Surveillance?..”

“Surprised, huh?”

“You’re going to detain a Captain in office?”

“Well, what else can I do about it?”

Seeing his incredible guts to do so, Lil feared for the dozens of lives on board and started to shout.

“Where will a ship sail without the Captain’s official command?! You have just decided to risk the lives of two hundred men because of your own recklessness. How are you going to turn things around with that mindset? Even if you receive punishment for this from the League, it won’t be enough!”

Julio made fun of her nagging remarks.

“It doesn’t matter because we’ll have a new captain before we reach Panichi.”

“This isn’t something you can simply decide on your own just because you don’t like my way of doing things.”

“There’s a law against killing the captain, but there’s no law against keeping him detained.”

“You crazy bastard! How are you going to get this ship out of this sea fog? We’ve already come too deep into the area!”

“Shut up! Who needs to see the sky anyway?”

At Lil’s warning, there was another buzz outside the cabin. Julio glared at the agitated sailors. Of course, there was no wonder why there were very few ships that went to and from the Serlio route, also the Bell Rock was the only one among the League’s ships who did so. With just that in mind, anyone could tell that Julio was bluffing.

In the meantime, two people around Julio pulled out a rope and a gag.

“Come on, tie him up!”

“Aye!”

The men who approached with the rope grabbed Lil’s arm. She shouted amidst the men’s struggle to hold her down.

“Only the Bell Rock has travelled to and from this route! You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into! You shouldn’t downplay the dangers of this route just because it’s calm! By this time, the fog and the reef…”

“Shut up!”

It was then that someone’s fist struck her under her chin. Amidst the shock, Lil tried her best to come back to her senses, but the second fist to the side of her head knocked her out cold…

***

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