North x Northwest

The fog grew even more gloomy with trees towering at intervals within it. No matter where they went, the scenery remained the same. The environment made it even difficult for the group to determine the position of the sun. So whereas Alain took out his compass, Jericho, who had the better eyesight, walked along and scanned the trees to see if there were other sentries.

Meanwhile, Lil couldn’t keep her suspicions to herself and asked Ed.

“Why on earth are they so strict with outsiders? There’s no need to kill us when they don’t even know who we are.”

“The greater the secret, the greater the fear.”

Just from that answer, Lil already realised they’d dipped themselves into a far bigger mess than she first thought.

‘Since the horn was blown some time ago, those guys would’ve sent a tracking group by now. It’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered. Negotiation or appeasement won’t work on those who immediately open fire at the ones they deem to be outsiders. And because they’re backed by a noble like Count Lazilière, they won’t hesitate to strike. It’s only right that we give up on hiding in that cabin as we would be completely surrounded if caught…’

Lil imagined all sorts of situations in preparation for a battle, but she couldn’t think of any viable solutions other than running toward the eastern end of the forest.

“Damn it! Aren’t we headed toward a narrow pass? We’re bound to encounter the rest of them soon. Plus, I wonder how many people would get off that ship. We’ll have no way through if they attack us from all directions.”

Ed suddenly stopped, prompting Lil to similarly pause after realising her partner’s actions. As she approached him to check if he was hurting anywhere, Ed looked at Lil, who had swept his tangled hair.

“Leave me behind.”

“…What?”

“I can’t guarantee the survival of us four, but I can survive alone.”

“What bullshit…”

“You may have realised it by now, but the people smuggling here are all backed up by nobles from the Empire. This smuggling route is exclusive to huge merchants.”

“So?”

“I can talk to them well, and they’ll realise that they shouldn’t kill me…”

As if it wasn’t worth listening to, Lil immediately cut him off.

“And if you fail?”

Ed glanced down at her and answered.

“That won’t happen.”

“I can’t allow it.”

“…”

Lil moved again before adding.

“If you can’t walk anymore, call Jericho.”

Ed continued while catching up with her stride.

“I won’t be able to walk like this for another half an hour…”

“Even if we leave you behind, we probably only win an hour or so. If we run into an unavoidable battle, I’d rather have the four of us all fighting together.”

“I bet if you let me go, there won’t be a fight.”

“And what on earth are you going to negotiate about?”

‘Of course, Ed’s points of negotiation are endless, and there are tons of commercial reasons that I know nothing about. I have no intention of letting him explain all these complex commercial linkages to me now either. But I can’t willingly do as Ed says. How can I leave him behind? How can I afford to let go of the hand I didn’t let go of even when we were falling from a cliff? No, it’s not possible…’

After pondering for a moment, Lil came up with the only acceptable compromise.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Ed answered Lil straight away as if he had expected it.

“Because those two alone won’t be able to prove their identity.”

Lil unconsciously looked at Alain and Jericho.

‘Their appearance alone, shaped by living in hiding in this forest for weeks, could indeed lead to an attack rather than a proper interrogation.’

“Tell them something that only you and Linhardt know. So that when Linhardt interrogates them, they can give a proper answer.”

“What if they encounter the Imperial Army first…”

“Would you agree if you were in my shoes? Don’t force me to do something even you couldn’t have done if the roles were reversed!”

‘Ed clearly has all the answers ready, and I don’t have enough time to find his blind spots… I have nothing else to add as a reason for disallowing him to proceed with his proposal, other than the reason that my instincts tell me not to. Ed seems to have an easy way to survive, but Alain and Jericho are indeed in danger wherever they go simply because they’re in the Empire’s territory…’

For no reason, Lil walked faster and glared at him as he responded.

“I thought you would be calmer than me.”

Ed’s eyes were as sharp and confident as ever, so Lil knew he wasn’t telling a flimsy lie.

She dropped her gaze at his outfit. Blood that had flowed from his already battered upper arm mixed with mist drops and sweat, staining and damping his shirt. His pants were dark, so one couldn’t scrutinise the blood stains, but Lil knew his condition had worsened because he needed to use his muscles to walk.

‘If something goes wrong, he’ll never be able to get out of here.’

Lil replied as she turned away from him.

“Even if I think about it calmly, I still can’t allow it.”

“Why?”

“Because if you can’t convince me, who is next to you, hearing you out, how are you going to convince them, who shoot at sight?”

As Ed didn’t have an answer right away, only the sound of stepping on mud-covered leaves rang between them. Lil felt uncomfortable walking with him behind her, so she deliberately slowed herself down.

Ed, who was now walking next to her, muttered in a whisper.

“…I didn’t know you wouldn’t trust me this much…”

“Can’t you tell just by looking back on how we got into this mess in the first place?”

“I never thought I would be degraded to this level. It feels like… like you’re treating me as if I were a child…”

Feeling almost more exhausted than the face that was actually white, Lil confronted her persistent opponent, seeing him pointing an uncertain finger towards himself.

“If only you were a real child right now, then I could’ve picked you up and carried you on my back, but I can’t even do that, that’s why you’re even more troublesome.”

Ed let out a helpless laugh. Alain and Jericho glanced at each other in front of them, but Lil remained steadfast. She swore she would never let go of him again, and she really intended to keep that promise.

“Lil. Really…”

“The decision is final. No one will be left behind.”

“…”

The fog suddenly became colder, and nobody dared to open his mouth.

“Shut up and get ready for battle.”

With those words, Lil loaded her crossbow. The order was so harsh that Ed kept his mouth shut. Having to settle down quickly, Lil pointed at a fallen tree that had rotted at its base.

“Go over there.”

The four, with their backs to each other, moved cautiously as they kept their guards up in all directions.

‘We only have one cover, so we’ll be in a bind if they were to surround us from the side or back. However, the chance of victory is good as long as there’s no backup unit coming after them.’

Lil muttered after hearing some footsteps.

“…They’re coming…”

Ed nodded at her.

“…Seven of them…”

Swinging the crossbow on her back, Lil said as she planted her feet on the tree trunk next to her.

“…I’ll deal with them from the top. Cover me…”

“I take this.”

Ed quickly took the horn that was hanging from her waist. Lil then climbed up the damp tree trunk and perched on one of the sturdy branches. Her visibility improved significantly, and she was now able to see the movements beneath the mist at her feet.

‘They’re coming this exact way.’

She hid herself among the lush leaves and lay down on a branch that was thicker than her body. Her easy-to-hide body size had always been her advantage as a sniper.

‘No matter what happens, the four of us will walk out of this forest in one piece. I’ll just have to deal with at least three of these to greatly improve our chances of winning. One, two, three… seven… Seeing them walk with their guard up, they too seem to be aware of the fact that their opponents are close by.’

Lil aimed at the guy furthest among the approaching men.

‘Surprise attacks are most effective when dealt with silently. I’ll start from the tail of the pack.’

Because their opponents were walking slowly and warily, they became an easy target. Lil pulled the trigger without delay. Her body was pushed along with the sound of the arrow being shot, so she braced her legs around the branch to withstand the recoil, leaving only the leaves hanging over her body to shake.

‘One down.’

As soon as the guy at the end collapsed, the two men in front of him looked back at their fallen comrade. They were about to check on him, but Lil’s index finger reacted first. One of the two grabbed his now arrow-shot neck and let out a surprised scream. The others, realising they were within their opponent’s range, delayed their movements while looking overhead. Mere seconds go by when another scream ripped through the forest, a third arrow had struck the back of a guard’s head and the man toppled forward.

“Damn it! A sniper!”

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