North x Northwest

Chapter 164

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{ By any chance Do you love me? }

Suddenly, the storm hit the Bell Rock on the cheek, causing the hull to heave from left to right. Mother Ocean held the ship in her grasp and shook it wildly. All kinds of bottles poured down, cracked open on top furniture and scattered across the floor. The sculpture, still caught between the cracks in the wood, shook its head madly. While laughing, it pointed its finger at her when the flashes of lighting beamed.

{ Your heart knows the truth so well that it shows you everything. So why cant you say it out loud? Are you afraid that it will all disappear once you open your mouth?.. }

Lil struggled to twist her body. Despite the ropes scuffing on her sore skin, she wanted to get away from the sculptures gaze somehow

{ You want me to see you for your true self }

Glass bottles clattered sharply, and the wooden boards squeaked

{ Whats this if not deception?.. }

The entire world seems to be shaking

{ Ill ask you one last time, dont you feel like youre overlooking something really, really important?.. }

Kung!

Eds leather bag crashed into the window frame and spewed out its contents. Amidst various medicines and tools pouring out, one object caught Lils eye. That one white bead. Somehow, it looked a bit strange like it didnt belong there, like a child who innocently wandered onto a battlefield.

Lil stared blankly at it.

Peloris cor.*

In her memory, the voice of Bellus, who was holding up the pearl, rang vividly, as well as Eds voice and face shining brightly in Bellus blue light.

{ Shes decorating your hair }

Lightning broke her out of her flashback. Startled by the thunder, Lils eyes widened before she anxiously looked back at the lingering pearl. All alone in this lightning-striking hell, that innocent little grain appeared lost. She wanted to pick it up, but she couldnt even stretch her arms, let alone move her feet.

I know it all too well

When the floor bounced like it was at the verge of breaking and all sorts of things sprang up in front of her, a world-like shock hit Lil.

I wont be able to find a little treasure like that ever again and Ill never meet someone like Ed ever again

In his eyes, she became a completely different person. Those beautifully sparkling green ores of his not only reflected wonder and respect, but also Liloa Lil had never faced someone as full of life as him.

Im sorry

The frustration and emptiness of losing Ed were suddenly hard to overcome.

Im so sorry

Again, that deserted road

A terrible sense of loneliness grabbed Lil. It bit and tore her entire body apart with its sharp teeth. Like an endless stream of piranhas enjoying their prey all at once. And her audience, who survived the storm that turned the cabin into chaos, booed the fool who killed the only person who understood her.

Dont pretend to be all pitiful. The guy you feel so guilty about is already dead anyway

She felt like she was going to be chewed on until there was nothing of her left. In the agony of her body being crushed, Lil let her consciousness die too

***

Feeling dulled, Lil slowly opened her eyes. As the sun had already risen, it was bright in the cabin. However, the light wasnt the reason for her to open her eyes. It was the sounds of several voices and footsteps drawing closer. Lil held her breath while wondering if something major might have happened.

The door of the cabin slammed open.

Fucking bastards. They are determined to die, I tell you

Im just a watchman, I cant just take over all their tasks at once

Are you complaining? They didnt manage to do anything about it anyway

Well, in the end we did stop sailing, didnt we? Is it their plan to make us run out of food here?..

Let them try, it doesnt matter anyway. Since it rained, theres enough water. So its all good for now

Lil tried to turn her head, but her vision didnt go beyond her shoulder. Whimpering, she tried hard to turn her face either left or right, till someone grabbed her chin.

Captain.

Who

Lil recognized the face that popped in front of her. Joe, the helmsman, pushed a cup against her jaw that he was still holding. Lil managed to swallow half of the water that was suddenly pouring into her mouth, however the rest of it trickled down her chin. As Lil started to cough, Joe pretended to tap her on the back while whispering.

Four sailors died in the storm last night, so the rest of the crew refuses to set sail. Its becoming a bit of a nuisance now that theyre starting to beat people up I even saw some getting dragged away But dont worry too much. Those who remained on the Bell Rock are much tougher than those who retired, and Julio cant do anything to Alain anyway

Get off!

..!

A sailor jumped out from the side and kicked Joe.

I told you to give him water, but it seems youre feeding him something else instead.

Joe tried to stand up but hesitated when his opponents gun stabbed him in the stomach. Julios subordinate laughed and poked Joe again.

Seeing the sailor threaten Joe with his gun, gives me a pretty good impression of the situation on deck apparently fighting with mere fists isnt enough anymore.

Lils eyes rolled back, writhing unseemly.

Hey! What are you doing!

Once more, Lil was reminded of the fact that being tied up was a ridiculous hindrance. So instead, she spat on the sailors approaching face, however he retaliated quickly by swinging his gun at Lil. When the gun hit the pit of her stomach, her eyes flashed white, and the water she had just drank came back up again. As Lil bent over, the sailor dragged Joe out.

Come on, tie him up

Another voice was heard.

Even when she was about to lose her mind, questions kept filling it.

Who are they tying up? Are they leaving me like this? What are they going to do with Joe?

I never liked this guys pale skin either. Its like these two imperial bastards got bored on land and tried out their luck on water

Get your hands off. I walk

Lil immediately recognized the answering voice.

Those bastards

The clear sound of fists hitting someones face was heard.

Unbelievably. Theyre even beating Cesar.

Lil tightened her grip anxiously. A shard of glass she got during yesterdays mess sharply stung her palm, nonetheless she had been holding on to it just in case she got a use for it.

Getting tied up myself was kinda expected, but I cant believe Cesar got caught too.

Lil shouted to stop the fists from beating Cesar up.

Stop it, you crazy bastards! Do you think a navigator who was treated like this will cooperate with you guys?

If not, well just cut off his ears. Just like you did to us.

Imbeciles. You cant make people move like that.

You think we cant? My brother crawled like a dog because he didnt want his ears to be cut off With an imperial on his back.

Cesar was tied to the other side of the pillar to which Lil was tied. When they were done, the sound of spitting was heard. Lil, having a hunch about what just happened, twisted her head to the side.

Dont tell me they just spit Cesar in the face

Lil didnt know what to do and waited for them to disappear from the cabin. As soon as the room became quiet, Lil took out the piece of glass.

If I want to do anything, I first have to loosen the ropes on my wrists.

It was a very slow task compared to how easily her finger was cut, but Lil was determined to do it. Not long after, it suddenly hit her that Cesar remained too quiet. Lil tried to look back at Cesar. Of course, in reality, she only twisted her neck a bit.

Cesar?

Cesar, its you, right?

Feeling the warmth behind her back, she heard the man sigh. Lil confirmed that the sound of breath was without a doubt Cesars. Relieved, Lil scratched the glass blade again and muttered.

Im sorry. Wait a minute. Ill untie you soon

I was detained for refusing to change my testimony.

Her fingers stopped abruptly. Cesars voice alone already gave an awful lot of information. Lil chewed over the sentence. She felt a combination of remorse, resignation, and resentment even though she didnt want to acknowledge it.

Because, in the end, it felt like everything had failed

Footnote:

Peloris cor. = Clams heart. Or in other words; pearl.

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