North x Northwest

Chapter 118

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Ed was so startled that he almost removed his hand.

Come to think of it, the blanket covering her mouth is being pressed down by my hand Those intense eyes conveyed only one meaning Let go.

But Ed spoke to her calmly.

From what Ive seen, you have a very bad cold right now. You must have heard what I just said to the gunner. In fact, Im actually a warrior trying to save all of the Bell Rock from the clutches of the flu. Its hard for me to fight it alone. So for the time being, stay still and keep quiet, understand?

Let go!

Well, do you understand or not?

LET GO!

Her bright blue eyes remained fierce without even a moment of flinching. Ed, on the other hand, eventually faltered. Without realising it, he lowered his voice and asked cautiously.

Are you getting angry?

With Lil nodding slowly within a limited angle, Ed bit his lip in response.

It was great hearing her compliments moments ago, but now everything is messed up again. What a shame. But this is nothing compared to the disaster that would ensue if Liloa is discovered Shit. I cant think of anything to do. Marenzio will eventually stop thinking and try to come to the bedside again. Its only a matter of time before shes identified as a woman I cant let that brute see her in this state

Ed shook his head to get back to his senses. Meanwhile, Marenzio complained, ending his confusion earlier than expected.

The artillery deck is destroyed and the bow side is in pieces. If we continue like this, you dont have to worry about the cold anymore as we all will be thrown overboard by the wind coming through the ships holes. And given the amount of water we scooped out today alone, the Bell Rock could even sink before that

Ed hurriedly turned his head to Marenzio, who was approaching once again.

Dont come any closer!

Not wanting to pass this opportunity, Lil twisted her face from under Eds hand. When he confirmed she was getting angry, his resolve softened unknowingly. Lil freed herself by pushing Eds back, which was lying on top of her, away.

Ed, focused on Marenzio, lost his sense of support and slid from the bed to the floor. Lil then quickly pushed off the pile of blankets that had wrapped her. They all landed on Ed, who was still on the floor, rendering him unable to get up immediately and he ended up crawling on the floor for a while.

Didnt you say that same thing yesterday, Marenzio?

Hearing her voice, Eds breath got caught in his throat. It was a gentle voice, one that made you feel like you were walking on clouds. Her voice wasnt thick even when she was Lil Schweiz, but this was on a completely different level of thinness. His heart sank heavily in frustration as he tried to raise his upper body.

I need to shut her mouth No, I should cover her face first!

Huh? You seem to be fine, Captain.

Dont mind the crazy doctor. He already started acting weird before you came in.

Marenzio muttered something incoherent and sat down on the chair next to the bed. Ed opened his mouth wide, unable to hide his astonishment.

No, its Marenzio who is the insane one. He cant possibly keep a straight face after seeing her like this. How can he remain calm when he sees a woman wrapped in only some thin fabric with her long wet hair hanging down?

Marenzio calmy crossed his legs and wiped the dirt off his boot with his fingertips. Ed stood there, speechless at the incomprehensible sight.

Of course, neither of them cared about Ed.

I first left it like that because I didnt expect the rain. I initially thought that we could just repair the holes while we were sailing. But Jericho predicted the reaction of the borrowed crew and that was no feast. He figured that one complaint becomes two and two becomes three Thats normally how mutiny starts, isnt it? Anyway, Jericho is a smart guy. The moment the rain started, the complaints indeed came flying in. Then I havent even talked about the wind Its a mess.

All right.

Anyway, its fine to just hang on for now, but the rain has caused part of the hull to fall off, so well have to do some maintenance.

The schedule will be significantly delayed Well, it cant be helped.

end of flashback

Eds blank expression now wasnt much different from back then. He blinked after staring at the sky for a while.

After observing for the past ten days, it appears that everyone is still seeing her as Lil Schweiz and not as Liloa. Nobody treats her any different too. Also the way she conducts herself didnt change. The Captain is still respected as the Captain, and she treats her sailors in the same manner.

Ed glanced at Cesar, who was talking to the helmsman next to the wheel.

Then what about his gaze towards Liloa? Well, I dont know, but it shouldnt be difficult to predict.

Ed recalled the moment when the relics effect disappeared.

No, it was never clear to me what kind of effect it had on people, so I can only say that whatever it does, is still effective on themLiloas appearance changed the moment I told her that I would accept her as a human regardless of her gender. But whats unclear to me is what exactly triggered it, whether it was the whims of the necklace, the influence of the mermaid, or the will of a deity

Ed thought about a clue that didnt even seemed like a clue at first.

Ecce tibi benedictio Formae*. The mermaid conveyed Orsays protection on Liloa and prayed for the blessing of Forma, the goddess of beauty. That would mean that the power of her necklace belongs to the latter. But Im not sure if I can find anything about this if I rummage through the legends related to Forma

As a result, Ed had been lost in such myths for several days. But today, as he wandered through the endless history of the past, a voice brought him back to the present.

That instrument looks strange.

It was the only soft voice on this ship. Ed lifted the hat he had draped over his face.

Its an instrument from the Western Continent.

The Western Continent? Really? Whats it called?

Without a hat, Ed had to squint his eyes against the sun.

Liloa still has the same appearance today. Shes convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that she appears as a man, so she pays little attention to her clothes

Therefore, Ed saw a woman wearing only a shirt with no corset covering her torso every day. It was, even after ten days, still difficult for him to get used to the sight of her walking in front of him in her sleep or outerwear clothes.

It was an experience that was more difficult than it was pleasant. As it was never pleasant to be struggling against an urge. Because of that, Ed had to impose upon himself strict discipline.

Liloas outfit is particularly thin today as well

He swallowed his saliva before answering.

Surihe.

Ed pushed the Surihe aside. Lil leaned against the railing and looked down at the instrument. As she moved her head, the baby hairs by her nape fluttered. She has tied her hair up high these days, perhaps because of the hot weather. Her exposed shoulder line was incredibly thin. Even though she wore mens shirts, she was unable to completely hide it. Ed couldnt help but be drawn to her every time she came in his line of sight. It became so bad that he eventually started to understand Cesars dislike for her injuries.

Its difficult to imagine bones similar to mine existing in that slender frame of hers.

Lil tilted her head as her focus remained on the Surihe. She had never been curious about the instrument, but now she couldnt take her gaze away from it and even wanted to get a closer look.

Have you been to the Western Continent?

I just happened to obtain it.

Really? You carry a unique musical instrument Ive never seen before, so I wonder if this could be related to ancient times.

Ed cleared his throat to calm himself down.

The ancient times were thousands of years ago, so can any such instrument still be intact? Anyway, whats going on? The Captain talked to me first.

I have a question.

What?

Are you familiar with ancient artefacts?

It was an unexpected question. Ed tried to figure out her intentions but soon gave up.

Dont tell me you want to ask about the necklace?

An artefact? Are you asking if I know one or two artefacts?

No, thats not what I meant. Havent you heard many old stories while coming and going? Then you might have heard about strange artefacts roaming the world

What do you mean by strange artefacts? Its not like we havent encountered one or two strange occurrences on this voyage either But youre talking about artefacts? Hm, there probably are still many which havent even been identified yet.

No that, magi an artefact that uses magic.

Her voice shrank inaudibly like crumpled paper. Leading Ed to almost ask, You mean the one around your neck?. But, he tightened his jaw muscles to prevent it.

Its a subject that shouldnt be brought up even as a joke.

Eds strongest defence would be pretending to be unaware of the artefacts existence. Meanwhile, Lil sharpened her doubts like knives and stabbed Ed whenever she could. However, it was the almost invincible shield that neutralised Lils daggers in the end. Confessing what he knew here was equivalent to attempting to break the shield on his own.

Were making great progress. I cant let her suspicions become reality.

*Footnote:

Ecce tibi benedictio Formae.= Here is the blessing of forma for you.

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