Chapter 68
"Uh... By the way, have you seen Mary anywhere?"
Captain Maurice, whom Rebecca-san had scolded, scratched his head and looked around.
"The young lady hasn't returned. Apparently, she's been sleeping aboard the Silverwing."
Babo-san reported the whereabouts of Mary-san, his adoptive younger sister. The Silverwing was the other ship that had been moored in the harbor when we came to Merka Island. Like the Lazybones, it was a one-masted ship, with a statue of a falcon bearing silver wings mounted on its bow.
The ship belonged to Captain Maurice, but apparently Mary-san took it out whenever she pleased.
"That damn hellion."
Captain Maurice let out an irritated sigh.
I could not meddle in family affairs, but Mary-san seemed to dislike me.
I had been staying at the Radick mansion for five days, but I had only seen Mary-san once, when we first met. She was probably sleeping aboard the ship because she did not want to see me.
"Perhaps the young lady has her own reasons."
Babo-san tried to placate Captain Maurice. As Captain Maurice's adopted son, Babo-san probably could not criticize him too harshly.
"But that girl..."
Captain Maurice trailed off. I knew what he had been about to say.
When I personally interviewed islanders seeking work elsewhere, I happened to hear that Mary-san had been approaching them to get them to drive me out. Ever since we came to the island, children had been watching us. Mary-san was probably the one ordering them to do it.
Fortunately, few islanders seemed to support her, so she apparently had accomplished little. That was probably thanks to the good reputation of Captain Maurice, Babo-san, and Rebecca-san.
"What on earth is she doing, leading those brats around...?"
Captain Maurice let out an exasperated sigh. I had been wondering about the children too.
Zeze and the others served free meals every day, and many islanders and children came to eat. However, some of the children refused to come even for the free meals, stubbornly rejecting us.
They were war orphans who had lost their parents to the war, and Mary-san was leading them.
Mary-san was an adult, but the children worried me. In particular, I could not forget Ann, the girl with burn scars on her face, or the desolate look in her eyes.
I wanted to help heal her heart, but there was nothing I could do.
"Captain Maurice. As planned, I intend to return to the Lionel Kingdom tomorrow."
"Yes. I'll take you back."
When I confirmed the arrangements, Captain Maurice nodded. After taking me back, Captain Maurice would return to Merka Island with a full load of food. This would serve as an advance payment for his cooperation. Once he had unloaded the food, he would take the migrant workers aboard and bring them to the Lionel Kingdom.
I had to have everything ready to receive the migrant workers by then. Things were about to get busy.
As I considered the arrangements, I heard hurried footsteps again. Then the door suddenly opened without even a knock.
"It's an emergency, Captain!"
A young man came rushing in, out of breath.
"At least knock! There's a young lady in here!"
Captain Maurice thundered at him, forgetting what he himself had done moments earlier. The young man hunched his shoulders.
"So what is it?"
"Th-that is, Miss Mary has set sail."
"What?!"
At the young man's words, Captain Maurice went completely pale. He headed outside the mansion in long strides. I followed after him, with Rebecca-san and Babo-san close behind.
The Radick mansion stood halfway up the mountain, and looking down toward the foot of the mountain, I could see the entire harbor of Merka Island. When I turned my gaze to the sea, I saw that a ship had indeed left the harbor.
Squinting, I could make out a statue of a falcon with its silver wings spread wide on the bow. It was the Silverwing, the ship Mary-san had been sleeping aboard.
"Captain Maurice, do you know where she's headed?"
"No, I haven't the slightest idea."
Captain Maurice frowned and groaned in response to my question. I narrowed my eyes.
Mary-san had been acting against me. If she was setting sail now, she must have something in mind.
I imagined several things that might happen next and quietly exhaled.
A round moon shone brilliantly, illuminating the Mebyum Inland Sea. On the calm, waveless sea, two ships lay moored close together.
One ship lay in shadow, its hull and bow invisible. The other had a statue of a fire-breathing lion mounted on its bow. Moonlight illuminated it, and the pale light brushed across the name Flame Lion on its hull.
The moonlight also poured through the window of the captain's cabin at the stern of the Flame Lion.
The captain's cabin was dimly lit. Apart from the moonlight streaming through the window, the only source of light was a lamp hanging above the desk.
Two people were inside the dim captain's cabin. One sat in a chair with their legs propped on the desk, while the other stood in front of it. However, the small lamp was not bright enough to illuminate either person's face. Only the cigar box on the desk stood out clearly.
The person with their legs propped on the desk reached for the cigar box and took out a cigar and a small knife. With practiced movements, they cut the end off the cigar, put it between their lips, and raised their right index finger.
A small flame suddenly sprang from their fingertip. It was fire magic.
When the flame neared the cigar, it lit the smoker's face. The black-haired, bearded man was Borne, captain of the Flame Lion.
Borne drew deeply on his cigar. He held it between the fingers of his right hand and exhaled. Purple smoke rose from the tip and from his mouth.
"So that's the situation."
With smoke curling from his lips, Borne spoke to the person standing before him without taking his feet off the desk.
"Romelia von Graham. Capture that woman alive and hand her over. If you do, Merka Island will come under the protection of the Hameil Kingdom, just as we have."
With his left hand, Borne took an already-opened letter from the desk drawer. The wax seal, split in two, bore the image of a great eagle, the emblem of the Hameil Kingdom.
"This document guarantees that promise. Confirm its contents."
When Borne placed the letter on the desk, the figure standing before it stepped forward, took the envelope with slender, elongated fingers, and read the document inside.
The figure holding the letter moved into the light, revealing the face of the other person as well.
A mass of red hair spread like flames, and large eyes gazed ahead. A fearless smile played on her red lips.
"You can do it, Mary."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
At Borne's words, Mary smiled confidently and lowered her slender chin.