.jpg)
LOS 91
For a while, there was no sign of anything in the water. Meanwhile, the ship continued to sink. Because it was tilting to the side, Anna almost lost her grip on the structure.
She looked toward where Giles had disappeared with an anxious gaze.
It felt as though several minutes had already passed; why wasn't he appearing?
Then, Giles emerged on the surface, drenched. He could be seen gasping for air. Seeing this, a momentary look of relief crossed Anna's lips.
Giles tried to crawl back onto the deck, clutching a flare gun in one hand while using the other to pull himself up. However, perhaps because he was soaked, he kept slipping.
The middle of the ocean without the sun was bitterly cold. This was especially true for someone who had just come out of the sea.
He felt his body shivering violently. It seemed he would have to give up on climbing onto the deck.
Of course, it didn't matter. As long as he fired the flare, there was a chance someone would find them.
“Giles! Are you okay?”
Anna shouted to him.
“I’m fine!”
But he realized his own answer didn't sound very convincing. His voice trembled at the end due to the cold.
“Don’t come down, Anna! Just hold on a little longer! I’m going to fire the flare, so you must hold on until someone comes!”
He gripped the launcher, which looked similar to a pistol, and aimed it toward the sky. Please, let this work. If even this failed, they were all finished.
Giles wanted to ensure Anna survived, even if it meant sacrificing himself. That was why he had run all this way. Anna had endured and survived brutal tortures just to live.
He couldn't let it end so futilely here.
He pulled the trigger. A bright red flare illuminated the night sky, slowly tracing a parabola. Giles watched the flare he had launched drift away and thought.
Now, they had no choice but to rely on luck.
If someone discovered the signal he had sent up, they would live; if no one did... they would likely have to find another way.
-
Soldiers from Arnatol were flying through the dark sky in a helicopter. The lights installed on the helicopter were constantly scanning the sea.
They had set out on this night mission to monitor for any vessels encroaching on their territorial waters.
Occasionally, foreign fishing boats that had strayed from simple ports would roam the territorial waters without permission. Catching such intruders was the role of the soldiers on reconnaissance missions. The system was designed so that if they spotted intruders while flying, a radio message would be sent to the coast guard vessels.
In short, it wasn't a particularly serious mission. The targets were usually civilians, and they tended to retreat on their own if intimidated slightly.
For that reason, the soldiers in the back seats of the helicopter were giggling and exchanging trivial stories.
“...So I handed the guy the marinara sauce. And do you know what he said? He said that wasn't what he was looking for. He wanted something a bit sweeter than marinara, but moderately salty, with a good savory flavor...”
“You crazy bastard, you really go through everything.”
“So I just squirted ketchup all over his plate. His reaction was the highlight. It was as if I'd committed some kind of blasphemy...”
“Geez, shut up, Julia! You're interfering with the communications!”
“Don't just vent your anger when there's nothing to communicate. We just need to look at the sea and go back. Look, there's nobody down there.”
“Still, you're noisy, so shut your mouth. There's truly not a single day we go back in peace.”
“Hey, look at that.”
Maria, who had been giggling along, tried to get their attention, but the other soldiers were preoccupied with their bickering.
“If you have a problem, ask to be moved to another team or do whatever you want. Why do you have so many complaints? Just like those Beldam bastards.”
“What did you say?”
“Come to think of it, I remember when I was stationed in Beldam. When I stepped on their land, what happened was...”
“You idiots! Stop chatting and look at that!”
Only then did the other comrades' gazes turn toward where Maria was pointing. They were silent for a moment. That was definitely a flare. A red-glowing projectile was tracing a parabola and falling toward the sea.
“What is that...”
“A ship has started sinking. Definitely. We need to approach that area.”
Alessa grabbed the controls and turned the helicopter toward the direction the flare had been fired. Bright white lights busily scanned the sea here and there.
Before long, they discovered a vessel that was more than half submerged.
A woman was clinging to the ship, waving her hand vigorously toward the helicopter.
-
I snapped my head up at the faint sound of a motor. A light so bright it hurt my eyes was shining toward me. That was a helicopter. I was sure of it.
The moment I realized someone had come to rescue me, I began to wave my hand frantically.
“Over here! I'm over here!”
Could this be a helicopter sent by Beldam? The thought flashed through my mind for a moment, but it would be better than sinking into the sea along with the ship.
As Giles had said, there was no rule saying one couldn't escape twice.
The helicopter approached us closely. There were soldiers inside. At least the uniforms they wore didn't seem to be those of the Beldam Army, so I watched with relief.
“What happened?”
A soldier shouted.
“Did a passenger ship sink?”
“Beldam tried to kill us!”
I shouted whatever came to mind. Because of the cold, I couldn't even think straight. Shivering, I continued to scream whatever came out of my mouth.
“They sent a transport ship... but actually, they had planned to sink it all along! We didn't have lifeboats, so we couldn't get out!”
Even as I spoke, I blamed myself. I could have explained it much better than this. However, even after hearing my pathetic explanation, the soldiers looked as if they understood what had happened.
“Are you from Beldam?”
“No, I... I am.”
What should I say? Strictly speaking, it was true that I carried the bloodline of Beldam. But I had never once thought of myself as a Beldam person. Even now, I didn't think so at all.
I was not a Beldam person.
I was...
“My name is Anna Keating.”
That was my identity. Only that name could describe me. Not the daughter of a Beldam count, nor the unfortunate woman loved by Giles Hessen... but the pianist, Anna Keating.
However, surprisingly, contrary to my expectation that no one would recognize me, the soldiers questioned me as soon as they heard my name.
“Anna Keating?”
I could only stare blankly at the words that followed.
“The pianist?”
Ah. Right.
Only then did I remember that I had applied to the Glubihne magazine and let my story be known abroad. I didn't know where they were from, but they must have read my story.
That was why they knew I was a pianist.
“Yes. That's me. I am that pianist.”
“Can you come up?”
The helicopter approached as closely as possible. The soldier reached out to me, but I hesitated for a moment. I was not alone. There was someone below who needed to be rescued as well.
I looked down toward Giles.
“Over there... that person over there needs to come too. Can you take him as well?”
“It's not impossible, but he is too low for the helicopter to approach. He must come up this way to be taken.”
“I can't leave him behind!”
Giles was looking up at me. However, Giles seemed far from someone anxious about not being rescued. Rather, he looked happy. Why? How could he make such a face while submerged in the cold seawater?
“Giles, come up! We have to get on the helicopter together!”
“Go first, Anna.”
“What?”
Giles gestured to me.
“I'll be able to hold out a bit longer. But you're already sick. If there's someone who needs rescue urgently, it's you. Don't worry about me and take care of yourself first.”
“Do you even know what you're saying right now?”
He didn't answer. I was angry at Giles. I was angry that he thought I could leave him behind, and I was angry that Giles was not considering his own safety at all.
“No matter how strong you are, you can't hold out long here! The ship is sinking! It might completely disappear into the sea in a few minutes!”
“Anna, I'm fine.”
“...”
He wasn't smiling anymore. He spoke with such sincerity that I could no longer scold him.
His black eyes were looking solely at me.
“I'll be fine, Anna. So go. Before it's too late.”
“But if I go first...”
“I promise I'll hold out until the end.”
“Miss Keating, you must board now. We will send another rescue vessel for the gentleman over there.”
I felt an overwhelming urge to burst into tears.
I had made selfish choices my entire life and had never once felt ashamed of my choices. But this time, it was simply too hard to act selfishly. I hated myself to the point of loathing for having to leave Giles behind.
“...Giles. I'm sorry.”
“It's okay, so hurry and go.”
“You must hold on!”
The soldiers grabbed my hand and pushed me into the helicopter. Now I was floating in the air. Looking down while aboard with the soldiers who had come to save me, I saw Giles, drenched, looking toward me.
He waved his hand at me. I knew what that meant. May your path be peaceful. I couldn't bring myself to wave back.
In the end, I burst into tears. He had saved my life several times, but all I gave back to him was leaving him alone in the cold sea.
As I shed tears, the soldiers comforted me, saying they would send a rescue ship as quickly as possible. I couldn't take my eyes off the receding Giles. He continued to drift away. He grew smaller and smaller, until finally, he became a tiny dot...
When the lights vanished, only darkness remained.
I was flying toward a foreign land through a night sky studded with stars.
Would there be a paradise for us there?
I don't know. But one thing I knew for sure.
In the end, I survived and escaped from that hell.
In the end, the one who laughed last was me.
And yet, I wasn't happy at all. I knew the reason. Because now, something more important than surviving had come into my life.
I had left my paradise behind in the sea.
.jpg)