I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~ - Chapter 62: The Rebellious Young Lady Won't Stop ④

“Yo! Come! Heave! There, yo, come, heave!”

Boatman Lesse shouted rhythmically while operating the small boat. Magnificent oar handling.

“A night of tryst passes like swift rapids, a night of longing like slow currents.”

He even started singing some unknown boat song. Good voice, old man.

That was fine, but you haven’t forgotten you’re carrying an escaped prisoner, right?

I clung to the rope securing cargo while blankly gazing at the jet-black water surface. The black water surface, like spilled ink, looked somewhat terrifying.

I was currently escaping through waterways in Second Lieutenant Crimine’s exclusive boatman Lesse’s boat. The land routes were completely sealed, but apparently we could reach the outer canal through waterways.

It was still the season for swimming escapes, but swimming through this dark waterway maze would be impossible. It was like a labyrinth—I couldn’t even tell which direction to go.

However, pursuers didn’t overlook this either.

“Hey wait, that boat there!”

Another boat approached—a somewhat larger boat carrying guards. The guards had muskets.

The moment they called out, Lesse stopped the boat.

“What is it when a man’s singing so pleasantly!”

His voice was loud. Just loud.

Then the guards also raised their voices:

“You’re Lady Gabadeli’s boatman, right! What are you doing in a place like this!”

“Are you idiots! Since my lady went to the army, I’ve been doing cargo work! I’m carrying this to the canal, so don’t interfere!”

Wooden boxes were loaded on the small boat—boxes just the right size for hiding a person.

Seeing this, the guards brought their boat closer.

“We’ll inspect by guard authority.”

“Hey hey, what’s going on?”

When Lesse showed reluctance, the guards apparently found it suspicious.

“That wooden box—let us see what’s inside.”

“That’s impossible—I can’t open it without removing the securing ropes. Besides, I was told absolutely not to open it en route.”

When Lesse firmly refused, the guards raised their guns.

“Sorry, but we absolutely have to open that. Old man, move aside a bit.”

“No choice then…”

Looking reluctant, Lesse moved to the boat’s edge, and one guard boarded the empty space. He drew a knife from his waist and cut the securing rope.

“Opening it.”

“Yeah.”

Under the gaze of gun-wielding guards, the box was opened.

At that moment, a strange odor spread around.

“Ugh, what’s that?”

“It’s too dark to see well, but there’s sawdust spread. Pickles or something?”

Lesse answered:

“Aged cheese. My lady apparently took a liking to it and ordered it loaded on a trading ship bound for the capital. Aw man, you opened it when it was sealed.”

“This much!?”

“Not all of it—the rest is brandy and wine.”

The guards exchanged glances, but reluctantly the guard from earlier plunged his hand into the sawdust.

“Hey, is anyone there?”

“No, I only feel bottle textures. Doesn’t seem like there’s a place for a person to hide.”

Of course not. I wasn’t hiding there.

“Could it have a false bottom?”

“It’s not tall enough to make it double-layered…”

The guard examined the box for a while but eventually looked up as if giving up.

“No one here.”

Lesse said exasperatedly:

“No idiot would get in such a cheese-stinking box. What about the packing?”

“Ah, sorry… no wait, who’s this guy?”

When the guard looked at me, I answered in sailor-specific slang:

“You land lubbers ‘ave no manners. We ‘aven’t ‘dropped anchor’ yet. You ‘raise the flag’ first.”

Just from this, the guards seemed to understand who they were dealing with.

“Ah, a trading ship sailor?”

“So what? Is that bad?”

“No no, that’s not what we mean. Sorry for the interference.”

There were various types of sailors, but the rough ones would casually kill people. They strictly followed ship rules decided by captains but disregarded land laws. They’d commit piracy like fishing.

I was acting out such lawless sailor speech patterns. What I’d learned frequenting taverns during Admiral Telzen’s assassination had come in handy.

Finding it troublesome, the guard hurriedly returned to his own boat.

“Come to think of it, he wouldn’t be singing while transporting that guy.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Even so, we had to check just in case.”

They were arguing about something.

Lesse raised his voice:

“Hey, put the box back! Pack it up!”

“Sorry old man, we’re in a hurry so do it yourself!”

“Don’t mess with me!”

The guards’ boat moved away as if fleeing from the shouting Lesse.

When quiet returned to the surroundings, Lesse chuckled.

“I see. Deliberately getting suspected, having them inspect once, then passing through. That’s a good method. Officers are smart.”

“They wouldn’t think that someone whose public face is ‘internal medicine doctor’ and whose hidden face is ‘army officer’ would disguise as a sailor.”

Both internal medicine doctors and army officers were elites to us commoners. Humans liked arbitrarily labeling others and discriminating by occupation.

So they assumed “Lieutenant Fonkt couldn’t disguise as a sailor.”

Assumptions were frightening things that dulled judgment. And this darkness plus the frustration of “the inspection was fruitless” brought further judgment errors.

Individually, none were strong enough to be decisive, but accumulating them could induce major mistakes.

This was how serious incidents occurred. I’d learned that in previous life training.

While sliding the boat again, Lesse smiled at me:

“You’d make a good pirate.”

“Then I’ll make her the captain. Maybe I’ll have you be the navigator, Lesse-san.”

“Hahaha, I’d gladly serve on my lady’s pirate ship.”

Laughing, we proceeded through the waterway leading outside.