Chapter 78
I followed Ann as she proceeded in silence until we reached the door at the end of the passage.
Ann knocked on the door and announced that she had brought me. A voice from within answered, granting us permission to enter.
Ann opened the door and went in, and I followed with the masked sailor at my back.
The room they brought me to was apparently the captain's cabin, and it was larger than the others. It seemed to be at the stern, as an open window directly ahead offered a view of the blue sea. A large desk stood in the center of the room, with a single chair between it and the window. Mary-san sat in the chair, her long legs propped up on the desk as if to show them off.
A coat stand stood in the left corner, with a black tricorn hat, a long red coat, and a sword belt with a sword hanging from it. Shelves lined both sides of the room, crammed with a globe, a sextant, a compass, rolled-up maps, and logbooks. As befitted a woman's room, there was also a vanity to the left of the coat stand, with a brush, comb, bottles of perfume, lipstick, and rouge arranged before its mirror.
"Hm, you're here."
Mary-san lowered her legs from the desk and stood, sweeping back the hair draped over her shoulder with her right hand. Her unruly red hair fanned out like flames.
"Romelia, I wanted to have a little talk with you."
Mary-san looked at me. But before I could answer, Ann stepped forward.
"Sorry, but can I return to my post? I don't really want to stay near this one."
Ann glanced at me, then turned her gaze back to Mary-san.
"Yeah, sure, I don't mind."
Mary-san looked at me, then at the masked sailor behind me whose arm was wrapped in red cloth. She must have decided that one guard would be enough to protect me.
"Then I'll leave her to you."
The masked sailor, who had suddenly been assigned a task by Ann, looked surprised but quickly nodded.
Ann left the room, her shoulders squared in anger. After watching her back disappear, Mary-san spoke.
"Well, looks like you made Ann angry."
"We only talked for a little while."
"Whatever. Come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Mary."
"My name is Romelia. Your performance in the battle earlier was remarkable. You handled the ship as if it were an extension of your own body. I'd heard that the sailors of Merka Island were skilled, and your handling of the ship certainly lived up to the rumors."
"Thanks, I guess."
Mary-san replied without seeming particularly pleased.
"I have a proposal for you, Mary-san. Would you join our ranks?"
Mary-san gave me an exasperated look.
"Huh? Do you understand the situation? I captured you, you know."
"Of course I do. Our Lionel Kingdom is currently building a port. Once it is completed, the kingdom will be forced to establish 'something.' Can you guess what?"
"No. I can't, and I don't care."
"A navy."
When I supplied the answer, Mary-san's eyes, which had shown little interest until then, shifted ever so slightly.
"Our country has no coastline, so we have never had a port. Naturally, we have no navy either. But now that a port is being built, establishing one is essential."
I pictured a map of the world in my mind.
The Mebyum Inland Sea is connected to the open sea, so the port under construction will connect us to the world's oceans. We will need to protect the port, escort merchant ships, and, if necessary, fight ships from other countries. Establishing a navy could hardly be more urgent.
"However, we possess no knowledge or technology concerning the sea. We have no ships, nor do we know how to build them, sail them, or fight at sea."
I laid bare our own ignorance. The Lionel Kingdom was like a newborn baby: it knew nothing and possessed nothing.
"We need teachers. Skilled, experienced sailors—preferably sailors who have even defeated the Demon King's forces. What do you say? Will you join forces with us?"
I held out my hand to Mary-san.
"Hmph. Flattery won't get you anywhere. I won't fall for a line like my old man did."
"Why not? We will never betray you. Let us prosper together."
Mary-san snorted at my words.
"Ha! I don't trust you. Every child aboard this ship is a war orphan. They were all used up and discarded by people on land, and they lost their parents. Your people threw them away. Do you really think this prosperity of yours can heal their hearts? Then bring their parents back to life!"
Anger burned in both of Mary-san's eyes.
I lowered my outstretched hand. Further attempts to recruit her seemed pointless.
"I can't do that. All I can do is prevent any further harm."
I shook my head and met Mary-san's gaze.
"But can you really say that you are saving these children?"
"Yeah, I am. I feed those kids who have nowhere else to go and give them a place to sleep. That's something you never did."
Mary-san answered with complete confidence.
That certainly deserved credit. Whatever her methods, she had not let the children starve. But could that alone be called saving them?
I turned my eyes to the left side of the captain's cabin. A vanity stood there, with a brush lying carelessly upon it. Noticing my gaze, Mary-san looked at the vanity as well.
"Did you brush your hair this morning?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking whether you brushed your hair with a brush or a comb."
"Who knows? I don't remember. Why?"
Mary-san furrowed her brow. She truly did not seem to remember. Still, she must brush it every few days.
"You said her name was Ann, right? That girl's hair is a mess. Do you know when it was last brushed?"
"I don't know. She can do it herself."
Seeing Mary's dismissive response, I narrowed my eyes and glared at her. Then I let out a deep breath.
"What?"
"A child that age can't brush her own hair. That's something a mother does for her."
When I spoke sharply, Mary-san's eyes opened slightly. My own mother had never brushed my hair. But Granny Kairo, who served as a mother to me, ran a comb through my hair every morning. I used to wait with my legs swinging while she finished braiding my hair.
"The last time Ann had her hair brushed was probably when she parted from her mother. Her heart stopped there. Why didn't you brush her hair for her?"
I glared at Mary-san.
Ann's heart was trapped in hatred. If her hair had been brushed for her, perhaps some of that anger might have eased. And it was not only Ann. The other children were the same. They were all filthy and dressed in torn clothes. They did not go unwashed and stay in the same clothes simply because they were careless about their appearance. Their time had stopped when they were separated from their parents.
"You saved the children's lives, but you haven't saved their hearts."
"Shut up! Don't act so high and mighty when you were the one who did nothing until now!"
Mary-san shouted. I fell silent for a moment.
Certainly, it would be wrong for someone who had done nothing to condemn someone who had taken action.