North x Northwest
Chapter 162

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“The fisherman might have died and became a star, but his boat kept crossing the rough sea while carrying his body. One day the ship arrived at a place we now call the Northern Continent. A kind-hearted local who found him, buried the fisherman in the middle of an oak forest. Not long after something strange occurred, perhaps it was due to the body being from the South, but the oak trees in that region became green all year round.”

“Really?”

“From here, this tale passed on to become one of the legends of the North. However, on your continent, only the story of a foolish fisherman who fell off the edge of the world and died in the midst of sailing while looking at the Alvenis Triangle remains.”

The captain was the first to realise, suddenly made a fuss.

“Oh oh… Sir Edgar. Could he be the ‘foolish fisherman’?”

“My ancestors came to know the fisherman’s name when they landed on the then-called Southern Continent. Before that, the man was referred to as the ‘Fisherman of the South’.”

“You mean Monferrand! It’s the story about ‘Stupid Monferrand’!”

Ed truly hated his reaction. It was as if he were seeing an inferior student who suddenly became impudent because he knew a small piece of insignificant information, when in reality, his knowledge was extremely limited.

“Yeah… Anyway, the point of the story isn’t that the name of the fisherman is Monferrand…”

“…”

Recalling the story of ‘Stupid Monferrand’, Sagastar shrugged shoulders. He then cleared his throat, realising that he too had unknowingly become absorbed with the subject.

“But the fact that an enraged Monferrand sailed towards Alvenis with a huge ship full of food and water.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think he did that?”

“Perhaps it was because he was an idiot who didn’t know that humans couldn’t reach the sky?”

Ed ignored the captain’s unsolicited interruption.

“Alvenis left him something.”

“What?”

“It was said to have been a round glass inside a square box. A strange magical device with a needle on it. The needle, which could rotate a few laps, was fixed in the centre with the tip always ending up pointing toward the Alvenis Triangle… anytime, anywhere.”

“…So that must have been…”

“…A compass?..”

Sagastar and Captain Long answered in unison. Ed nodded without looking at them.

“From what I heard, it looked like our modern-day compass.”

“…a compass from those far-fetched olden days, huh…”

“…So, that’s why Monferrand didn’t forget Alvenis…”

“…What else?…”

“The fisherman wasn’t the only one who received a magical object from Alvenis. Alvenis was said to have sprinkled other tools to mankind, to men and women alike, leaving them a piece of her heart out of love and affection. However, theirs lost its light as soon as the goddess left the earth, only the fisherman’s one shone until the moment he died.”

“Then, what he got was a little different, Admiral.”

“Yes. That’s what Monferrand wanted to ask her too.”

The captain smoothened his lips in wonder.

“Then why did she abandon him…”

“…”

“And why was the piece of her heart still glowing?”

“Even though it could clearly cost him his life, all he wanted to do was ask her because he was so curious about it. Perhaps it might have been better if he could have squeezed her neck with both hands just to get an answer. I can imagine that her voice crawling out under the pressure would sound like music to his ears…”

“…What?”

“…And if she refused to answer, he could even pull out her tongue himself and rip it off.”

“What?!”

“…”

Sagastar asked back with a frown.

“Won’t that make him a madman?”

“Isn’t that how revenge is normally done? You have to go a little crazy.”

“You mean to say that he didn’t fall in love, but instead, he pursued her for revenge?”

‘Sir Edgar must be joking… right?’

Ed looked up at Sagastar with a smile on his face. However, seeing Sagastar looking extremely serious made him laugh out loud.

“You are being very naïve now too, aren’t you?”

“…”

“If all he wanted was to love, he could have simply waited for her. Believing that Alvenis herself would come to realise that she gave him a fragment from her heart that would never fade… that’s love, Sagastar. But sailing toward her is revenge. Knowing that she would never come back, the fisherman never even considered forgiveness. Alvenis deceived Monferrand and also deceived herself. And yet, she gave Monferrand some hope when his piece wasn’t the same as others… How angry must Monferrand have been? When he clenches her throat in such rage, what else is left but revenge?”

Unsurprisingly, the vision of violence cooled their surroundings. Sagastar struggled to replace the words to continue their conversation.

“He might have wanted to ask her to love him again, to give him another chance? To do that, he shouldn’t just wait quietly, right? He needed to go and catch her. Who knows. Maybe Alvenis, who might eventually realise the feelings she had overlooked, would be impressed by that?”

“I guess you could be right…”

It was the first time ever that Ed reacted positively to what others speculated, so Sagastar asked out of surprise.

“Yes?”

“That… it could be. In fact, the best ending for Monferrand was to get back to Alvenis.”

“Yes. That’s what I mean.”

“But that changes everything, right?”

“…Well, I’m not sure about that.”

“Then what did he want to do in the first place? Do you know?”

“How can I understand Monferrand’s inner feelings?”

“…”

Ed turned away from him as if he were no longer worth talking to. It left Sagastar feeling wronged to be treated like he didn’t know what love was, but he couldn’t say anything. Feelings and actions leading to obsession, fights, and pursuit must be true for love and hate, but Sagastar only had a peaceful relationship, so he was simply unfamiliar with that feeling.

‘Is it too far-fetched to admit that it’s love?’

Sagastar’s suspicions suddenly arose.

‘Can it be that what Sir Edgar is looking for is love? But come to think of it, I can’t imagine Sir Edgar giving normal affection to anyone.’

Sagastar stared down at his admiral who had taken a seat. Although the traces of his anaemia and injuries were glaring, his characteristic baby face remained the same. When he caught the impression that Ed appeared like a young man, a realisation dawned on him. Ed was still single. Looking at Ed’s face, Sagastar thought he should offer him some advice as the head of household with two young children and 10 years of marriage. He wondered whether or not he should tell Ed to put aside his thoughts on revenge or love-hate, if at all possible.

“But… but Sir Edgar…”

“..?”

“Ahem! Hmm!”

“..?”

“That’s… Love…”

***

Lightning flashed through the cracks of the hull. A roar of thunder followed. As if they were trying to break it down, the crashing waves pounded and clawed at the stern countless times. Lil watched anxiously at the foam splashing through the wooden planks. When the current became more and more violent…

– Bang! –

…the grain of wood began to crack…

– Boom! –

…and seawater seeped through the gaps…

– Dung! –

The waves broke through the wooden walls. When the baptism of water was pushed in, a gale like the breath of a giant hit her. But just as quickly as it entered, the wind was swept away again and another raging wave broke through the hole and tried to grab Lil who was tied to a pillar.

The cabin was flooded in a flash. The heavy stern sank and plunged into the sea. Lil suddenly had to hold her breath, not even given the time to fully come to her senses. Her airless mouth flitted when the foam wrapped around her. Her whole body seemed to be crushed by the huge swirling waters. Lil had to fight the urge to breathe, but her mind was desperate to suck in something, anything to live. Eventually, Lil couldn’t stand it any longer and inhaled the water that filled her mouth. When the cold stream rushed down her throat… She opened her eyes wide.

“Hwaaa!”

Lil not only struggled to breathe, but she also struggled with her body due to the shock and despair. However, she couldn’t move. Lil slowly became aware that she was in the middle of the cabin, not drowning deep below the surface.

She caught her breath like a newly resurrected man.

‘…Dream… It was just a dream… I dreamed of the Bell Rock sinking…’

As soon as the feeling of relief fell over her, lightning struck. The cabin became bright as the thunder roared.

When the tension finally left her stiff shoulders, Lil eventually lifted her head. Rainwater seeped into the hull and intermittently dripped from the ceiling. Opening her mouth a little, she tasted the salt water falling on her forehead and around the bridge of her nose.

When her mind grew clearer, Lil listened desperately to the movements on the upper deck. However, she could only hear vague noises, making it impossible for her to gather any useful information about the current situation. Becoming obsessed with the inaudible voices, she lost track of time and the more dull her reality got, the more vividly her dream came back…

People who generally held easy-going dispositions in life might be exceptions, but those who don’t, were naturally drawn to fantasise about their own catastrophes. Lil fitted the latter category perfectly. She could clearly imagine how her life would end and as a living and breathing creature, the stopping of the heart was fundamental to it. To get there, the first steps she would need to take were to land on the principality of Loti and enter the mansion where she would live with Cesar. Followed by carrying Cesar’s child in her stomach.

However, it never occurred to her that her death would entail the Bell Rock being overturned. It was more shocking than the end of any imagination she has ever could come up with.

Lil was clearly brainwashing herself.

‘…No! Alain must be trying to figure something out. Everything might still be good up there…’