North x Northwest

‘It’s obvious what the villagers are thinking; ‘If even the great Admiral is treated like this, then what about us?’ There would be no fool who could not infer that.’

Ed spoke, sticking his head over Linhardt’s shoulder.

“Okay then, let’s get this over with. I’m glad it all worked out well.”

“No, Admiral… Wait… Just a moment…”

At that moment, another commotion could be heard from behind the building.

“…Major! The prisoner is dead!..”

“..!?”

“…It looks like he was killed with poison!..”

Panting, an imperial soldier came out of the backyard. Gaspard, who put his hands on his waist in annoyance, let out a heavy sigh.

“Couldn’t you take care of that properly?”

Rather than being angry at the fact that his soldiers failed to properly manage the prisoners, Gaspard’s frustration stemmed from their open display of incompetence in front of a crowd of people. The same was true for the imperial sergeants who were stationed behind Gaspard.

Turning around, the Major seemed to have decided to vacate the area quickly, leaving the silent Ed and Linhardt behind.

‘Figures, the prisoners belong to the Imperial Army, so there’s nothing to complain about from our side.’

While watching the scene with interest, the men dressed as servants next to Lil craned their necks.

“…What? Captain…”

Lil punched Jericho on the back.

“I keep telling you! Lil!”

“Ah, yes.”

Sitting on the stake next to Lil, Alain squinted to look at the distance.

“What’s the use of demanding you take all the prisoners with you when they’re just letting them die like that? They won’t give up even one man, but at the same time, they also freely let one die. What do they want exactly?”

“It’s a territorial issue, a battle of pride.”

“You mean the Imperial Army is this childish and sloppy?”

“The Imperial Army is a bit different from any regular army. They’re a centrally selected security force, but that’s actually in name only. In reality, the units of the Imperial Army are dispatched throughout the vast Empire to monitor suspicious movements.”

“Suspicious movements of whom?”

“Shouldn’t someone be watching nobles with private armies, possible rebellious forces who disrespect the crown or those who are moving their armies without the emperor’s knowledge or worse, plotting treason?”

“…Oh my…”

“But since they are officially the Empire’s security force, sometimes when something big like a bandit attack breaks out, they have to at least pretend to take care of it.”

Alain gave a level-headed assessment.

“This piece of land is too big for its own good, it can’t be properly managed anymore.”

Lil agreed.

“But it’s too early for you to be disappointed, don’t you think? I bet you’ll see a lot more on our way to Simena.”

Lil jumped off the fence and looked back toward the official residence. Levi, who had received the call, hurriedly headed to the backyard. Perhaps to attempt resuscitation or to pass a verdict.

‘After all, the Imperial Army is too preoccupied with managing the overflowing number of prisoners, so instead of dealing with dead prisoners as well, they’ll simply fail to collect the bodies of the dead. It will be the responsibility of the council members and villagers to take care of the mess.’

Keeping her gaze fixed on the front, Lil tilted her head towards Alain.

“Alain. Didn’t you receive another set of clothes this morning?”

“…How do you know?”

“Take that and go through the kitchen door of the official residence now.”

“What are you planning?”

“Hurry. Levi will be waiting.”

“Are you telling me to put a shroud over the dead prisoner?”

“Well, you’re not completely wrong.”

Lil slapped Alain on his shoulder.

“Come on, get a move on it. We’ll be leaving soon.”

Jericho, who as usual didn’t balk at her commands, quickly responded first.

“Okay.”

“I understand.”

As Alain and Jericho disappeared toward the wagon where the rest of the servants were, Lil jumped over the fence and stepped on the grass in the front yard of the stable. The strong smell of hay and animal fur filled the air. When the young man working in the stable saw her, he took out a harness and placed it on Lumiere’s back.

After Gaspard left, the Roahn guards also came into the stable to take care of their horses. Lil climbed onto Lumiere and passed through the open fence gate. As she was passing in front of the official’s residence, Ed, who had approached her without her noticing it, placed his hand on Lumiere’s mane.

Lil asked, feeling somewhat ominous.

“…Why… are you coming to me?”

“Give me a ride.”

‘I knew it.’

Lil lowered her eyes and glanced at his injuries.

“It will be too painful for your wounds. Why don’t you just get on the carriage.”

“Will I be that much of a bother?”

“…”

“I also want to go and look around the Great Trade Route.”

Ed spoke fussily and leaned his cheek against her thigh. He looked like a pet wanting to be patted, so Lil also almost stroked his head naturally.

“You probably saw it more than once or twice, so why are you whining like this?”

“But it’s my first time seeing it with you.”

“…”

A moment later, Ed climbed up behind the saddle and wrapped his arm around Lil’s waist. He apparently felt so good about it that his face, placed on Lil’s shoulder, was full of smiles. Contrary, Lil just felt like something brown and fluffy suddenly was attached to her.

Lil gradually drove Lumiere toward the entrance of the village. Among their group, the only horse that had set off was Lumiere, so with the rest of the people still gathered in the square and the official’s residence, their surroundings were quiet.

Judging from the way Ed looked right now, Lil said the first thing that came to mind.

“You… look like a dog.”

“A dog? Did you really compare me to a dog?”

“You’re too big to be a puppy.”

“Well then, since you’re calling me a dog, I’ll make sure to be a loyal one.”

Out of nowhere, Ed bit Lil’s shoulder. Lil glanced at him in bewilderment, but he just rolled his eyes at her, still biting the hem of her dress.

“You claim to be a loyal dog, but here you are, biting your owner.”

“I’m urging you to play with me.”

“You’re… so unruly…”

The lips that were talking nonsense shortly touched the lips that were complaining. The arm that was wrapped around Lil’s waist squeezed her tighter. Ed bit her lip this time, causing a faint pain to spread tingly and made her body tremble. As Ed quickly pulled back again, it made Lil feel sorry somehow. Just as she was about to feel empty, Ed’s lips came in contact with her earlobe, prompting Lil to twist her shoulder for no reason and push him away without much sincerity.

“Why do you keep biting me? If you keep doing this, I won’t give you a ride.”

“That’s too much…”

Ed looked pitiful as he put his head on her shoulder again.

Even though Lil’s saddle was much higher, the way Ed was leaning on her looked so uncomfortable that when she looked down at their shadow, she saw a large mountainous figure with its back bent.

‘No, to be more accurate, my shadow, buried in his, can’t even be identified…’

Lil said in a complaint.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I think this group stands out too much.”

“…Why?”

“First of all, the people from your continent are all ridiculously tall, so even alone, they will already stand out. And then with the addition of the royal guards, you’re just a bunch of ridiculous tall people. If we cause some trouble along the way, we’ll never be able to get away with it.”

“Hm, is that so?”

“Yeah, especially you.”

“Me? Aren’t you just saying that because I always catch your eye?”

“…What? That doesn’t make any sense…”

Lil, who was about to deny it immediately, suddenly came to a realisation.

‘…He may be right. It can just be my illusion that Ed stands out to me more than his band of exotic northern continental soldiers…’

When Lil couldn’t answer, Ed lifted his chin confidently.

“You know, I can recognize you even from a mort away…”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“That’s why I’m glad you similarly think I stand out so much.”

“Come on. It’s not just me.”

Lil regained her composure.

‘From experience, Ed always attracts attention whenever he passes by. Not only is he tall, but he’s also good-looking…’

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I have no intention of avoiding it anyway.”

“…”

“The Prince Regent won’t have a second chance. Nor I’m I hiding for anyone else.”

“Okay, well…”

“Are you worried because we’re behind schedule?”

“It’s not like that, just… don’t overdo it.”

Lil couldn’t deny she felt a vague sense of uneasiness because their bad luck had been continuous so far.

‘A situation that has been hit by major misfortune becomes from there on forwards more vulnerable to even minor misfortunes and thus is likely to collapse completely. Situations like this make people think that whenever bad things happen, they happen all at once…’

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