North x Northwest

pected him to look dejected, but Ed appeared rather confident. 

‘What’s he pointing at with his finger?’  

Lil followed his fingertip and lowered her eyes.

There was a silver tray in his other hand.
When Ed lifted the dome-shaped lid, thick meat, drenched in a delectable-looking sauce, revealed its majesty.
In an instant, Lil’s mouth began to water and she swallowed her breath with a gulp.
She then raised her eyes and glared at Ed, who was, predictably, looking at her triumphantly. 

Even though Lil furrowed her brows, she did unlock the latch.  

“…I heard from Levi that you’re going crazy for some meat.”

Ed came inside after answering a question that wasn’t even asked.
Lil sighed and trudged after Ed toward the table.
It was hard for her to admit that she was a human trying to fill her stomach by selling her pride.
But, the smell of the meat that was emanating from the tray was driving her crazy. 

Lil stared at the dishes Ed had set down on the table with greedy eyes.

‘If I ate all of that, I feel like I would get a surge of energy right away.’

Ed took out the tableware and muttered.

“…Actually, Levi changed your diet beginning today, so there was supposedly meat for dinner.
But the kitchen staff made a mistake and your former menu was prepared again…”

“…What?!”

“..!”

Lil slammed the table and inwardly cursed the faceless and nameless chef.
Startled by Lil’s suddenly outburst, Ed flinched his shoulders and looked her way.

“Then why did you come through the window? I thought you were trying to sneak it in.”

“I don’t want this to reach Levi’s ears.
Otherwise, it will be annoying.”

Ed took out a chair and sat Lil down.
When she received the knife and fork handed to her by him, she became extremely hungry, like a person who hasn’t eaten in days.
She then cut the meat in a hurry and placed it in her mouth.
Lil was as overjoyed as someone who had finally tasted water while on the verge of dying from dehydration, at the same time, she was reminded of having endured a multi-month journey while subsisting solely on dry bread, which elevated her mood even more.
Lil savoured the meat on her tongue and eagerly munched it in her mouth as she listened to Ed explaining it was easy to digest due to it being a finely minced meat roast.
Nevertheless, Ed didn’t miss a beat when he nagged her about chewing it thoroughly.

“Quite the nagging”

“…”

Chewing and swallowing the asparagus in her mouth, she asked.

“What are you going to do?”

“The situation isn’t easy.”

“Tell me about it.”

“So far, opinions have been divided.
Julio’s group claims that they’re from the League of Southern Pirates, so at this point, the side that wants to clear the South is the most dominant, especially with some officers dead and many injured.
However, I just found out the real motivation behind their standpoint.
It’s been hard to commission navy soldiers nowadays because there’s nothing to defeat in the Anatole Sea anymore, so officers who want to be promoted are turning their eyes to the South.”

Lil, who grabbed her forehead, let out a sigh.

“Julio, that guy… until the very end…”

“On the other hand, we have a prudent minority.
Those are the ones who think the Bell Rock is a real merchant ship that, on paper, belongs to Viscount Noirmont.
And the Viscount’s influence cannot be ignored even within the Navy.
But the problem is Julio.
He’s openly declaring that they’re part of the League.
Reasonable suspicion could arise from this and if it leads to a full-fledged investigation, the identities of all the crew members will be revealed, right?”

“But why hasn’t a trial been held yet?”

“Sagastar… is delaying it.”

Lil seemed to hear his teeth grinding when he pronounced ‘Sagastar’.
It bothered her.
She knew that Ed wouldn’t have let Sagastar get away with it.
And obviously, because she had almost died she wasn’t very pleased with him either.
But the fact he was hated by his superior because of a personal grudge involving her, was another matter.

“So, he’s intentionally procrastinating?”

“…”

Ed didn’t respond, but it was a clear affirmation. 

‘I have no clue if Sagastar told Ed of my identity or not.
Maybe Ed already knows who I am.
It doesn’t matter though.
It’s something to talk about later.
The Bell Rock crew is about to be executed at the soonest possible time, so it doesn’t matter whether Ed knows my real name or not.’ 

Lil, lost in thought, was turning the fork between her fingers. 

‘No matter how much I think about it, there’s only one solution.’  

Lil muttered as she stabbed the last piece of meat with her fork.

“…I’ll have to break them out…”

“That’s an interesting idea.”

 – – – – –

References:

…Such a clandestine view reminded him of Panichi’s night sky.
It was the time when his sympathy towards Lil overflowed like pouring stars, in the midst of the canvas of the night that glowed with his desire to understand Lil, confidence that he could understand her, and expectation that she would eventually accept his awe.

= Chapter 76, when the drunk Lil told him about her “farmer’s desire” to create a society where no abuse can thrive.
And Ed said, “That’s why you created Bell Rock”.
Saving her crew means saving the Bell Rock, so it also means saving the society she tried hard to create and maintain, and therefore preserving her ideals (or that immeasurable light within her).