North x Northwest

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[ Sesbron Newspaper, February Issue No. 9.

Last month, Archduke Joseph I of Obernyu passed away. Regent Venua Obernyu took the throne as Archduke while his sister, Liloa Obernyu, declared her abdication of her right to succession. As a result, Constance Obernyu now holds the highest right of succession. With great interest in her marriage, countless royals and nobles vying for the title of Archduke rushed to propose to her. However, as marriage proposals poured in, Liloa Obernyu devised a strategy to protect her younger sister. Liloa requested that Constance not marry before the age of eighteen unless she wanted to and that the Emperor considers Constance’s wishes when marrying her off. This request was reportedly made just last week, but the Emperor has already willingly accepted this request today, out of consideration of the merits of Liloa Obernyu, who had recently reported large-scale treason. ]

***

After Joseph’s death, Lil and Ed immediately returned to Roahn. Ed resigned from his position as admiral, and the Emperor released Ed by edict, as promised years before. During the two months of winter, they busily prepared for their upcoming journey. Levi also briefly returned to Roahn to help Lil with preparations.

***

The bow of the Visha, which came around the Mondovi Peninsula, rose along the western coastline of the empire.

The waves rose and fell with rapturous excitement, while the horizon was clear without a layer of fog. In the cool early spring weather, Lil wore a thick justaucorps. Her flowing hair was tied up and pinned under her hat. The sea breeze that hit her for the first time in a long time was enough to overwhelm her.

After a while, the Visha reached the Saint-Viève Canal, the only canal on the continent connecting the Anatole Sea with the Gering Sea. It was dug out and expanded over several centuries, and one half was opened thanks to the enormous resources of the Retiro family. Now, it has been functioning as a complete canal for about 100 years.

Ed, who wasn’t only the owner of the canal but also acted as the pilot, positioned the Visha in the first gate of the boat lock they needed to use. The heavy floodgates in the front and back of the ship closed and water began to rise. While looking at the canal that she had never seen before, Lil suddenly came to her senses and walked up next to Ed.

“…Wait, wait!”

“Why?”

“I just belatedly realised that we’ll have to cross the Monferrand Strait.”

“Yes.”

Lil said something that was expected from any imperial citizen.

“What if we die?”

“What’s there to worry about when you have me?”

Deeming that not a very trustworthy statement, Lil glanced at him with squinted eyes.

“So, is it true that the Strait of Monferrand only opens to Retiro’s descendants? You should tell me if that’s how it works before we cross.”

“That’s not completely wrong.”

“What does that mean?”

“This is what that means.”

Ed put his hand into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out something. When Lil tried to grab the back of his hand, he didn’t let her. He fooled around a bit more without stopping.

Eventually, Lil stamped her foot and complained.

“Oh, come on!”

Now that Lil threw a fit, Ed stopped moving. He slowly reached out his hand and spread it in front of her eyes. Lil looked with curious eyes at what he held in his hand, but the curiosity was soon replaced with disappointment.

“That’s it? It’s just a compass.”

“This isn’t just any compass.”

Lil frowned at him in disbelief, so Ed came closer and lowered his torso. He then whispered softly in her ear.

“…It’s Monferrand’s compass…”

“…What?”

The secret of the Retiro family flowed into her ears.

“…Strictly speaking, the Retiro bloodline alone cannot cross the Monferrand Strait…”

After saying that, Ed glanced around. But all the sailors were busily working on the upper deck and bow. Lil lowered her voice to a whisper as well.

“…This compass will allow us to cross?…”

“…That’s right. This artifact remembers the route of Monferrand, the fisherman who crossed the strait in ancient times…*”

Lil cried out at Ed’s revelation.

“Really?!”

Ed put his index finger to her lips. He found Lil’s astonished eyes more than amusing.

“…I told you, I also have an artifact…”

Lil scanned through her distant memories.

‘He did tell me about an artifact he owns when we were in Roahn. But after that, we became so caught up in a series of incidents that I had no time to think about anything else.’

“So about the story of ‘Monferrand, the Foolish Fisherman’, didn’t he cross the sea in search of his departed lover?”

“That’s right. His lover’s name was Alvenis, the goddess of defence.”

“Alvenis as in the Alvenis Triangle?”

Ed nodded his head and Lil gaped.

“As you know, the Alvenis Triangle shines brightest in the northern sky. Monferrand sailed to reach that star, but his body washed ashore, in the land that modern people now call the Northern Continent.”

“He died?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Food was scarce and the sea was rough. But it wasn’t for nothing as he became a constellation before he finished his voyage. You know the one. The constellation that Monferrand ascended to was the Mariner’s Star.”

“The Mariner’s Star?”

Lil looked north to find the Mariner’s Star, which wasn’t visible in broad daylight.

“A man named Eichendorff, a local from the Northern Continent found a half-wrecked ship containing his body and buried him in an oak forest. It’s believed that because of that, oak trees began to grow wider in that area. Even in the fierce cold of the Northern Continent, the oak trees remain green all year round.”

“Oak tree? Eichendorff? Are you talking about your ancestors?”

Ed closed and reopened the lid on the relic. A blue light shone at the tip needle of the otherwise ordinary-looking compass. The small light, shining brightly like a firefly, remained floating in the air no matter how much Lil tried to touch or sweep it.

“This is the divine power of Alvenis, the goddess of defence. She gave this to Monferrand as a sign of her love and the compass would always show her location. No matter how many men and women she met and shared the same sign with, only the light in Monferrand’s compass never went out.”

“So it’s been…”

“It continues to shine to this day, allowing us to travel back and forth to the Northern Continent.”

“In that case, you don’t know the exact route either?”

Ed nodded in response to Lil’s astonished question.

“Just as you unconditionally believed in Forma’s divine power, so did I. I tried to figure out the route myself, but in the end, I acknowledged that this wasn’t an area that humans should delve into.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Nevertheless, it’s all because of this ancient mystery that the adventurous Retiro bloodline lived on. Moreover, aurora falls in the sky at night.”

Aurora was something Lil had never heard before.

“Aurora?”

“In the Northern Continent, people call it the hem of Alvenis’ dress. A curtain that falls from the sky.”

“How is that even possible?”

The more the explanation went beyond the realm of human understanding, the more Lil’s eyebrows furrowed. It was the first time she heard Ed say anything about it, so it was far passed the limits of her imagination. After being lost in such thoughts for a while, Ed, who smiled broadly at her, straightened her eyebrows.

“We’ll get to see the aurora in about four days. In the Monferrand Strait the aurora will get so thick that we won’t be able to read the stars. The waves will get stronger as well as if we’re caught in a storm, once you get caught up in them, it’s not unlikely to lose course.”

“…”

After his lengthy explanation, Ed hugged her and pressed his lips on her forehead. Because Lil became annoyed by his action, she smoothed out her frown.

‘Three days… If I wait another three days, I can see with my own eyes if this aurora Ed speaks of really resembles the hem of a dress…’

“Anyway, as no one can read the sky, it isn’t uncalled for to name it the Sea of Death.”

‘We won’t be able to tell our location by looking at the sky… And that isn’t even all. Only thinking about those high waves during our voyage is terrifying…’

While Lil was caught up in the fear of the unknown, the water level in the canal rose and the floodgates opened again. Ed, faithful to his position as pilot, grabbed the wheel…

***

It took them a full day to pass through the canal. Then, it took two more days to get out of the long Gering Sea. To the west of the Gering Sea was the northern part of the Empire, and to the east was the territory of the White Federal League*. Both lands were surrounded by rugged mountain ranges, and the sight of the separate mountains crossed by the sea was spectacular. In the Empire, spring was born, buds were sprouting, and the mountains were turning green, while in the White League’s territories, grey rocks supporting the ice caps rose sharply.

Finally, the dark blue Monferrand Sea unfolded before Lil’s eyes. A sea that was indeterminable whether it was an ocean or a strait. Even though the white sun brightly illuminated the water, the water remained so dark that it was impossible to guess its depth. A wind as heavy as that colour blew onto the deck. Lil leaned against the railing on the left side of the ship, oblivious to the redness of the tip of her nose, as she gazed endlessly at the horizon.

The boundary between sky and water seemed as distant as a mirage.

There was only one ship dividing the sea, the Visha. The white foam was abundant as if it were a tail attached to the stern.

Lil asked Ed, assessing the direction.

“So, where should we go from here?”

Ed held Lil from behind and lowered his head to whisper.

“…Where did you say you wanted to go?..”

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“First of all, to the Eichendorff territory on the Northern Continent.”

Having declared the first destination she had decided on, Lil felt refreshed and smiled brightly in the cold wind. Ed mirrored her smile and took out his compass.

Where the blue light points.

Lil, who crossed the deck and made her way onto the stern deck, caught the wheel. The stiff wooden handles fit comfortably in her hands. The wood had been worn down to a smooth surface after being touched by countless human hands for over a long time.

The refreshing tailwind swept past her.

‘All three masts are fully swollen, and the Visha’s moving at a tremendous speed. I have a very good feeling about this voyage.’

Lil turned the wheel in the direction indicated by the goddess of defence.

The sailor who was hanging from the bow, the sailor watching through a telescope at the watchtower, and the sailor who was descending from the mast, all looked back at Lil. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Her heart was as full as if this were her first voyage. Lil shouted the destination that had been filling her throat.

“North-northwest!”

As a full and whole human being, Liloa’s journey was just beginning.

She cried out as her whole body felt the cool Northern Sea breeze.

“Turn the course to north-northwest!”

– – – – –

References:

“…That’s right. This artifact remembers the route of Monferrand, the fisherman who crossed the strait in ancient times…” = Chapter 161-162.

Footnote:

White Federal League: the opponents from the Pontenbach war.

– – – – –

END OF VOLUME 9

– – – – –

END OF MAIN STORY

– – – – –

TN:

Hi guys!

With chapter 358 we not only wrap up Volume 9, but also the main story!

To us this was a great and amazing volume to conclude the story with. Whereas the other volumes were full of physical battles, the battles happening in this one were of the mental kind. Lil finally dealt with not only Venua but also Mireille, and with the help of Annette and the other noble ladies Lil learned that she wasn’t alone and that the road that she walks on wasn’t a lonely one. She finally defeats Mortu and makes plans for her future.

Thankfully, Lil’s and Ed’s story is not done yet as we still have a few side stories in store for you! ??

As always, we like to express our gratitude toward you readers, for following us and enjoying the novel as much as we do!

Happy reading and see you in the side stories! ??

Pru and Formidable

PS: Coincidentally, we found some images of the hardcopy book (sadly not in our possession) and the pastedown/fly leaf contained a map of the central continent (main land)!

Source: Willow – Naver Blog – 02/09/2018

We tried to recreate the map as best as possibly (we had some trouble with the fold) and wanted to share that below. Keen eyes will see some differences in names. We decided to use the names used in our translation so that it would align with what you have read in the story. We figure that normal rivers aren’t mentioned on the map, thus the fact there is no river going to Sesbron.

Some of the names on the map are new and some might ring a bell:

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