North x Northwest
Chapter 50

The flag of the Bell Rock was raised above the watch post of the main mast.

– Boom! –

Once again, the hull shook. Lil docked her head and grabbed the railing. Because the back side of the ship was attacked, the deck trembled heavily, but no debris was flying around. Another crack was heard on one of the decks below. Within a few minutes, the stern had been completely destroyed and there was a large hole towards the lower deck. Pirates hurriedly tried to get to their positions one after another. Lil and Ed, who were watching behind the scenes, slowly started to move to the front of the mast.

“…Load the left gun barrel!…”

“…It’s not the Navy! Where is the ship from?!…”

“…It’s likely from the Southern pirates!…”

A watchman climbed to the middle of the main mast and reported information about the Bell Rock with spite.

“Ha! It’s the Bell Rock, isn’t it?”

“…”

Ed, who grabbed the railing next to her, exclaimed with delight.

“They’re engaging at the stern⁵! Isn’t the navigator amazing?”

“…”

“This ship’s gun deck is completely filled with hammocks, so it has almost no cannons left! It will be completely helpless!”

“…”

No matter how excited he was next to her, Lil only bit her lip and stayed quiet.

‘How the hell did they get here?’

“Huh? Captain, why are you looking like that?”

Ed tried to peer through Lil’s fluttering hair to get a good look at her face. Lil turned her head away and opened her mouth.

“Go get me a telescope.”

“I knew you’d ask for that, so I already picked one up.”

Ed triumphantly presented the telescope, but Lil only looked at him with disapproval and eventually snatched it away.

The Bell Rock was coming around the stern of the ship and approached the port. With the eyepiece against her eye, Lil moved the end of the telescope in search of Alain, who she expected to be standing somewhere on the rear deck. Her lens, which was focused on the deck of the Bell Rock, eventually encountered Alain who was also holding a telescope. Lil quickly deciphered his hand signals.

[The barrel deck is blown. We’re going to hit it one more time.]

‘Good.’

Lil lowered the telescope and checked the direction of the wind and waves.

‘This ship is transformed into a fully operating pirate ship, so unlike a merchant ship, it won’t even think about surrendering. The crew from both ships will eventually engage in a hand-to-hand fight, meaning the casualties will be far greater than by only firing cannonballs… No way, a full out battle to save a Captain? This can only result in chaos… I need to think of another way.’

Ed noticed Lil anxiously shaking her head and called her quietly.

“Captain.”

Lil did not answer and only opened her mouth after thinking things through for a while.

“We jump before the battle starts.”

“…What?!”

“That way there’s no need for an unnecessary fight. Let’s just dive into the ocean and wait for the Bell Rock to come to our rescue. If we escape with this small boat, it will only be an easy target.”

Ed grabbed Lil’s shoulder.

“No. The Bell Rock is in a great tailwind right now. If we jump off here, it has to turn 360 degrees and come back against the wind. No matter how good the crew is at tacking, every 90-degree turn takes at least ten minutes. The wind is rough, so it can’t move more than 400 morts an hour, do you think you can hold out that long while kicking your feet in the water? Or will you also be grateful as they rescue your dead body? Jumping into the water right now is like jumping to our death…”

“…Fire!…”

– Kung! Kung! –

By the sudden cannon fire, Lil and Ed lowered their heads.

As the hull embracing the recoil swayed bluntly, the boatswain’s spirit turned sour due to the poor firepower.

‘I thought the gun deck was completely destroyed, but it seems there are still some cannons left.’

Lil quickly checked the results. All of the fired cannonballs hit the waves, because of their meagre range not even one reached the Bell Rock. The balls, which eventually lost their propulsion, disappeared into the water with a popping sound, leaving behind a column of water.

“…There is not enough range!…”

“…Stick close!…”

“…Damn Southern bastards! Why all of a sudden!…”

“…Port side! Turn the line!…”

‘If they try to turn the ship in the hopes to escape the coming battle, they’ll only expose the stern again. There is a high possibility that the ship will sink if it’s further bombarded by the Bell Rock. They have no other option than to participate in a hand-to-hand fight, it will be in the western pirates best interest to attach their ship to Bell Rock’s port as soon as possible.’

A few of the deckmen started twisting the bow to change direction. Lil racked her brain again, but Ed was right.

‘If I throw myself into the sea, I’ll get exhausted pretty quickly.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but this ship has already lost its Captain. The westerners are brutal, but most of its high-ranking officers were slaughtered during the rebellion on board. Even without an officer, the crew can raise the white flag.”

Lil had no choice but to choose her last alternative.

“Then let’s cross over to the Bell Rock before our mates kill us by mistake.”

“Right.”

“Hurry up and get ready…”

In the midst of her sentence, Lil bit her tongue. At the same time, she was interrupted by a pirate.

“It was you, right?”

“…”

Cold sweat ran down her spine. An officer was approaching with his gun pointed at them. Lil’s eyes fell on the gun and slowly raised both of her hands. Ed grasped the situation happening over his shoulder and also raised his hands, mouthing a question toward Lil.

‘A sword?’

Lil kept looking straight into his eyes.

‘A gun?’

This time, she lowered her gaze.

“I thought it was suspicious that your expressions were noticeably brighter.”

“…”

All of a sudden the man with the missing front teeth appeared and whispered something to the officer. Hearing this, the guy burst into laughter.

“Ha! You guys were communicating through the telescope, Huh?”

“…”

Lil glared at the rat-like bastard as he looked back at her and smiled. While Lil was grinding her teeth, the officer started shouting around.

“Hey! Look at these guys…”

As he was distracted, Lil found the gap she was waiting for. She quickly flashed a signal. In an instant, Ed turned around, grabbed the barrel of the gun and raised it.

– Bang! –

As soon as the gun was fired into the air, Ed elbowed the officer’s neck. The groaning man stumbled and fell. Naturally, Ed took over the gun and despite having no bullets left, he aggressively swung it around. It looked quite threatening, so the pirates who came running after hearing the gunshot, stepped back. Meanwhile, the dirty-faced pirate had escaped and was now shouting over the top of his lungs.

“That ship belongs to the Navy! They’re here to save them!”

“I’ll take care of these guys, Captain. You can deal with the noisy bastards over there.”

Lil pulled out her sword and nodded. At the same time she took off, the pirates rushed at them in unison. Ed blocked one of the swords coming toward Lil. Thanks to that, Lil was able to turn around and slip away. Starting her search for the guy with missing front teeth.

‘Now that things have come to this, I have to get rid of him and take my necklace back.’

“…Catch them! Catch them!…”

The guy who was yapping his mouth on the side of the main deck saw Lil and flew away by grabbing the mast line. After, he swiftly began climbing the mainmast like a monkey in a net. Lil followed him without hesitation and tried to grab the ankle of the man above her, but was constantly being kicked by his foot. After several unsuccessful attempts, Lil was finally able to snatch one of his feet, which immediately started flapping like a freshly caught fish. As he struggled to get his ankle out of her tight grip, a violent kick suddenly hit Lil’s nose and forehead. After she came back to her senses, she grabbed his leg with all her might and pulled him down.

“Ugh!”

Losing his balance, the guy missed the next step and fell. Lil felt the sensation of the guy’s legs, torso, shoulders and then his face falling past her temple. But then…

“Ack!”

Her hair was caught and pulled back sharply, causing her neck to bend backwards by the sudden force. Before she’d break her neck, Lil had no choice but to let go of the mast. From below, she could faintly hear his ridiculing laugh, but with her body flying through the air, Lil had no time to think about it. While falling, the giddy shouts and clashing blades of the deck grew closer and closer with every second. As the deck rushed into view, Lil reached her arms out over her head and when she was about to hit the deck, she pushed herself forwards, making herself roll over the floor. Rolling twice more to ease the impact, she was the first one to glance around her. For a moment Lil was completely disorientated. Not long after, Ed dragged her by her shoulder to her feet.

“Come on, Captain. Get up.”

Now, she could see the Bell Rock’s deck and mast line, which had already come a long way, were full of sailors ready for a fight. Each of them had their guns already drawn out. Lil saw the formation that looked like fish caught in a net and quickly pulled Ed, slamming his body behind the main mast.

“Ugh!”

“Look down!”

– – – – –

Footnote:

5. Engaging at the stern: A tactic in which the enemy ship placed the side of its ship against the bow or stern as (perpendicular) it cannot be counterattacked by cannons.