North x Northwest

Chapter 328

“…Maxwell?”

“…”

Mireille knew the face of the Captain of Obernyu’s royal guards.

‘He was always next to the Prince Regent.’

After briefly recalling the man’s appearance, Mireille nodded his head.

“Go on.”

“The Prince Regent ordered Maxwell Farin to assassinate the Admiral, but his attempt resulted in a failure as the Admiral miraculously survived after falling from a cliff. The mercenaries, on the other hand, were simply hired without knowing the specific circumstances. Maxwell Farin died from being poisoned.”

“What is your source?”

“I personally overheard the conversation between the Prince Regent and one of his royal guards, who witnessed the death of Maxwell Farin in Kano.”

“…Haha. Hahahaha!”

“…”

Satisfied, Mireille laughed for the first time in a long while. However, as his laughter continued, his jaw became sore again, so it quieted down just as quickly.

“Even if I loathe that damned Marquess just as much, the Prince Regent actually went as far as to execute some reckless plan to assassinate him! Did he think this is Obernyu, where no one has a say if he kills someone? What a fool!”

When he finished talking to himself, Jean spoke up.

“May I express my humble thoughts?”

“What is it?”

“Judging from months of research, it is obvious that the Prince Regent of Obernyu is keen on a pure bloodline. I came to this conclusion based on the fact that he does not hastily adopt children, despite being heirless. That is why he hates the possibility of the blood of Admiral Retiro, whose lineage is rooted overseas, mixing with Miss Liloa’s.”

“Yes, that is right, that guy even looked down on the Mireille bloodline. But, in the end, he is the one who cannot even plant his seed? What a pity, how desperate he must be… Ah, this is going to be so interesting…”

Despite Mireille’s cheerful mood, Jean still reported seriously.

“Thanks to Your Grace’s guarantee of identity, the Prince Regent could move quickly.”

“If I had known that he would commit such a clown’s act, I would have sent him that guarantee of identity much sooner. What a shame. Apparently, the sooner Venua makes his move, the better it is for us. We should set up a chessboard so that the two of us can play better together. If Venua truly can get rid of the Marquess…”

Enzo smiled sinisterly next to his master.

“Then Your Grace’s long-held goal would be granted without getting our hands dirty.”

‘And if I get to snatch Liloa in the meantime, it will be a perfectly clean and victorious ending. Obernyu will fall into my hands.’

Mireille patted Jean on the shoulder and smiled contentedly.

***

A small yacht carrying six to seven people left the port of Simena. Its white sails puffed taut as the yacht moved quickly, gliding away from the shore. The water in front of the harbour wasn’t deep due to the bottom being speckled with reefs.

In the sky, a flock of cackling geese flew over. Ripples continuously washed over the yacht and broke into pieces. The farther the yacht moved from the dock, the darker the colour of the sea became. Soon, when a huge sailing ship cast a shadow over the smaller boat, thick ropes were thrown from the deck of said ship.

The yacht’s crew jumped to their feet and grabbed the ropes. When the ropes were tied to the bow and stern of the small yacht, the sound of winding pulleys was heard from the deck above until the yacht’s hull was dragged up onto the ship. Once the deck height of both the ship and yacht lined up perfectly, the pulleys stopped.

Ed stood up from the yacht and crossed over to Visha. Visha’s senior and junior officers, as well as the rest of the crew aboard the ship, gathered on the deck to salute their admiral.

The admiral’s uniform draped over his shoulders rustled in the wind. Putting on his hat, Ed faced his crew and Captain Long, standing behind him, spoke loudly.

“From now on, the Mondovi fleet will carry out ‘Operation Hideout’!”

Through the sea breeze scattering the officers’ epaulettes and gold tassels, Captain Long added as he looked around the deck.

“According to His Majesty’s long-standing edict, we are to root out the pirate groups who are stealing His Majesty’s taxes and squandering His Majesty’s resources. They will be held accountable for attempting to murder the Admiral, the symbol of Mondovi’s 40,000-strong navy. To achieve effective results, all operations will be carried out in secret, so do not plan on disembarking for the time being.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Officers and petty officers quickly dispersed. In the middle of the upper deck, where instructions and orders were exchanged, there was one person who remained still. It was Sagastar, stiffly standing there and unable to lower his hand from his salute. When the wind fell quiet, he looked even more like a stone statue.

Ed calmly approached Sagastar and placed his hand on his shoulder strap, the touch, however, was so light that his golden tassels didn’t even shake.

“Live the rest of your life in gratitude for her generosity, Sagastar.”

Sagastar let out the breath he had been holding and finally answered.

“Yes…yes, Sir.”

***

Lil smoothed over the edge of the card in her hand. She checked the picture again and lifted her eyes slightly. Her opponents, Levi and Linhardt, watched her with sharp eyes. Levi’s eyes narrowed even further the moment she met Lil’s gaze. When it was Lil’s turn, she laid down the card she had carefully chosen and slowly turned it over, causing the lovers to sigh simultaneously.

Levi’s eyes widened and shouted.

“How can this be!”

Linhardt, on the other hand, muttered and threw his remaining cards on the table.

“…This is ridiculous…”

With a big smile on her face, Lil quickly snatched up the wine bottle in the centre of the table. And it wasn’t just some wine bottle, this wine was older than herself. Lil spoke with a grin after smelling the scent around the wine’s plug for no reason.

“Let’s drink together when Edgar comes back later.”

“Including me?”

Lil nodded her head in response to Levi’s question. At that time, the floor shook violently as if the ship had hit a wave, causing the people who had gathered in the spacious cabin to play cards as well to groan in unison. From somewhere, a voice was heard grumbling harshly, complaining that their board game was completely overturned.

It seemed quiet for a moment, but not long after, the floor shook again. Linhardt opened his mouth after shuffling the cards.

“I think it’s time to head up?”

Lil and Levi opened the cabin door first and went out. The deck outside the cabin was a space used for dining or resting. It was completely different from the pirate ships and merchant ships Lil had seen so far. From the wooden walls to the floor, and to the pillars, they were all neatly finished and coated with a glossy solution. The cabin doors were also carefully carved and decorated. But above all, the people walking around the deck were dressed glamorously, as though they were attending a banquet.

The women walked up the stairs, passing chattering and drinking people at tables fixed to the floor. After going out on the upper deck, they were hit by a rush of crisp air.

A huge bell was hung above Lil’s head, spreading out its white body. Without realising it, she lifted her head and looked at the mast. A flag was raised on the central tower above the square sail.

[ Clotilde. ]

The Clotilde, which departed from Simena, was a luxury passenger ship that sailed the waterway running up the Risch River to Sesbron.

‘As for the sailing ships carrying travellers, the world has changed a lot since I disappeared into the South.’

This route was even the fastest way to get from the western part of the empire to Sesbron, especially if the wind was right. Levi decided to get off at the halfway point to head to the Imperial Clairaut, and Linhardt was to see her off. Meanwhile, the Roahn soldiers were to escort Lil to Sesbron and then to Obernyu.

Levi, with her parasol opened, was staring somewhere to the southeast.

“The Imperial Clairaut is not far. I’ll probably reach it as early as today.”

Lil followed Levi’s gaze and leaned against the railing of the deck. Next to the lower reaches of the Risch River, which was as wide as an ocean, the farmland of the fertile western plains stretched endlessly. The stream of the river flowed into various parts of the plain and she could see the walls of a lord’s castle in the distance. And contrary to what men might expect, there were almost no mountains to be found, only gentle hills forming curves.

A villager aboard a small boat spotted the large passenger ship and waved.

Lil remained still, but Levi eagerly waved her hand. Levi looked so cute that Lil smiled quietly, but then, from somewhere, she suddenly heard a voice that she had heard many times before.

“…Liloa?”

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