1
A male voice could be heard from the gridded crevices on the right side of the operator’s console.
“Inbound ship, you have strayed off the set course to the island’s harbour. Urgent, return to your course.”
“The rudder is not working!”
Responded Katalina with a shriek.
A few hours ago―
The color of the clouds behind the ship started to change from orange to violet, starting from the east.
I could see wondrous things as we traveled through the skies surrounded by clouds, sights that would be impossible to see on the island.
Just as the sun sank through the clouds in front, the clouds above took on the glow of sunset while a tinge of indigo dyed the clouds below. The delicate rays of the setting sun didn't shine through the thick clouds. Only through the edges of the thin ones could the sunshine beyond it pass through and appear a bright grey.
Nevertheless, the sky gradually darkened overall. The curtains of night rose up from behind, making its way up and dyeing the orange skies purple, and then indigo.
After taking off from my hometown of Zanktinzelle, our small ship kept flying west without stopping, chasing after the setting sun.
“Look, you can see it now.”
Katalina let go of the yoke and pointed to the front for a moment.
Lyria and I suspended our conversation and hurriedly looked to the front. In the reddish sky, beyond the waves of clouds, a small tawny tinge came in sight.
“So that is…”
“Port Breeze archipelago. Islands of various sizes are gathered over there. However, the one people reside on is just that big one in the centre.”
Katalina gave an explanation.
The distances between the Phatagrande islands were such that you could, perhaps, barely see the other one with naked eyes ― such was what the elders had said. Even from my island, someone with good eyesight could probably see the islands in the distance if they climbed on the crater’s rim.
Although , unless one has a ship that flies in the sky, they’ll naturally be unable to get there.
“Ms. Katalina, you came aboard a small airship from the empire, right?”
“Right. A ship, the battleship referred to as a mothership had several small-sized airships docked. I secretly borrowed one of them.”
“Borrowed? Hehe, not like you plan to return it!”
Vyrn retorted.
“You could put it that way. In any case, since I’ve set free the empire’s highly classified Lyria, I’ll be court-martialed.”
“Katalina…I’m sorry. You did this for me.”
“Don’t apologise, Lyria. I decided this myself.”
Saying that without hesitation, the former imperial military first lieutenant revealed a slight smile on the edge of her mouth.
“Well aren’t you a surprisingly cool person!”
“Thank you, Vyrn. You’re adorable too.”
“Stop saying that!”
Vyrn huffily pouted but Katalina smiled in enjoyment. Looking only at her smiling face, she’s nothing but a kind, older lady. But kindness wasn’t her only trait; she was an adult knight who possessed the resolve to go through with things she decided upon.
The view of Port Breeze archipelago slowly got bigger.
“So many islands…”
Lyria said.
Although it looked like a lump of brown from a distance, we could now see that it was actually made up of one main island with smaller ones surrounding it.
“The central island is Eingana Island, which is also said to be ‘an island loved by the winds’. With the gentle, ever blowing breeze in the surroundings of that island, it is also appreciated by skyfarers. The island’s inhabitants live in―not sure if you can see it―the central town enclosed by walls. The place is also the prominent hub of commerce in the Phatagrande skydom.”
Although it was under the empire’s sphere of control, their prosperous trade made them an influential voice in Phatagrande skydom, thus even the empire could not make a move on the island so easily. It was the ideal place for us who were being pursued by them to take refuge in.
“Let's set our sights on that island for now.”
Said Katalina, which was answered with two nods from us.
After that, we spent time gazing at the sky and the clouds. Lyria and I had trifling conversations at the back seat, acting carefree and relaxed. Lyria had placed utmost trust in Katalina, while I had yet to grasp things like airships.
I was watching Katalina with admiration as she easily piloted the flying ship. Flying an airship was said to be difficult, and for that reason, there were people called helmsmen among skyfarers. But at this point, I had yet to learn of that fact.
Night had overtaken the glow of sunset, and around the time it got dark, the sight of the archipelago’s main island, Eingana, which was probably twice the size of my birthplace, expanded in my view.
We were approaching from above, but almost the entire bottom half of the windshield was taken up by Eingana Island. Even the central town of the island was already in our sights. We could see light coming from some of its buildings.
At that moment, the island in my sight slightly shook.
“What’s wrong, Katalina?”
Seeing the calm-looking Katalina becoming serious, Lyria worriedly asked.
“The rudder is…”
Her hand grasping the yoke was trembling.
Noises like dry coughs were mixed into the sound of the driving force.
“H-hey. Doesn’t something smell weird?”
Vyrn said.
“Ah, Gran, look over there!”
Lyria who was restlessly looking around turned behind and pointed towards the tail.
“There’s smoke…!”
Black smoke was rising from around the joint of the tail at the airship’s stern.
The entirety of the ship was shuddering like it was wrapped in tremors.
Then suddenly, the ship banked, almost on the verge of turning over. Katalina, with a pale face, frantically yanked the yoke. Although she somehow straightened the ship, this time it started to gradually lose altitude.
Rasping static sounds could be heard from the gridded crevices on the right side of the operator’s console. And then a man’s sharp voice followed.
It appeared that the wire mesh-looking device was transmitting the voice from the other side.
“Inbound ship, you have strayed off the set course to the island’s harbour. Urgent, return to your course.”
“The rudder is not working!”
Katalina responded with a loud shriek.
“Come again!?”
The man responded in panic.
“Not good. This…won’t hold.”
“H-hey, what happened!?”
“No time to explain!”
After returning a shout, Katalina violently pushed down the knob next to the grid where the voice came from.
The man’s voice abruptly ceased, and more and more of the ship’s strange noises reached my ears.
The island’s surface rapidly drew near.
“I can’t reach the harbour! We’ll descend around here!”
Katalina said.
“H-hey! This is―”
Vyrn screamed.
“Brace yourselves!”
“―Not what you call descending! It’s bloody crashi―”
On the verge of scraping the ground, Katalina just barely managed to raise the bow and our ship narrowly avoided crashing headfirst into the ground.
“Gran!”
“Lyria, hold on!”
I covered Lyria who was next to me along with Vyrn. Following that, a thunderous roar struck my ears and the impact jolted my body. My insides were churning. I think the ship itself had bounced several times.
And my consciousness sunk into the darkness once again.
2
“Gran! Umf. H-hey, Gran, hello!?”
I could hear Vyrn’s voice from under my stomach.
“Ughh…”
“Gran, are you okay!?”
That was Lyria’s voice.
I raised my body and somehow pried open my eyelids. There was the face of a worried Lyria in front of me ― so close! Since her face was much too close, my heartbeat gradually started accelerating. I shifted my panicked face away. And then, I inspected the surroundings.
The small airship we rode on had seen better days. The windshield had been smashed and scattered everywhere, which was natural given the landing; it was difficult to believe that the cockpit remained unharmed.
“Is everyone in good shape? Better move, since we don’t know when this thing will blow up.”
As Katalina said that, we hurriedly unfastened the belt restraining our bodies and hastily broke out of the airship.
The outside were grasslands. But since it was night time right now, it looked more like a dark open field. Even so, as someone who often went to the dense forest with restricted view, I saw that extensive, open land to be a place of safety.
The illumination of the town could be seen ahead of the gently descending grasslands. It appeared that we had crashed on the plains on the outskirts of town.
“Whoa whoa whoa, what the heck.”
I turned my head towards the unfamiliar voice.
Before I knew it, there was an unknown man standing beside the crashed airship.
The man kept an unshaven jaw, and had a cigarette in his mouth. He had an unrefined appearance and carried a large firearm on his back.
“Geez, that’s some crap handling…you let the power unit blow up? Holy crap, even the keel is wrecked. No matter how it’s repaired, this ain’t flyin no more.”
Then, the man turned in our direction and spoke.
“So, you guys flew that here?”
“That’s right and…you are?”
Katalina responded with caution.
“Which would mean… some kind of crew of greenhorns?”
He was giving us a scrutinising look as he spoke.
The ‘crew’ he mentioned referred to people that travelled from island to island with their airships, carrying out everything from mercenary work to cargo delivery. On top of that, some of them even acted as adventurers, seeking the historical ruins and such.
Vyrn reacted to the word “crew”.
“A crew!? That has a nice ring to it. We could form a crew too! Hey, Gran! Before your old man left for this island of Astrals he said that he lead a crew, right?”
“Hah, oh stop it. It’s not that easy to pilot an airship. Regardless of the crew, they would need a skillful helmsman. With someone who crashed the ship like that, don’t even bother.”
He spoke in exasperation and shrugged his shoulders, making Katalina, the culprit in question, frown.
“Guess it couldn’t be helped… This was my first proper flight.”
Wait, what!?
The bearded man was as surprised as I was.
“Whoa there. Don’t bullshit me. Seeing your numbers, I assumed that you were a novice crew… Listen here, if something had gone wrong, you’d be falling under the clouds right around now.”
“T-that’s…”
“Are you able to deny it? Heh, ain’t that just great. You’ve practically crashed your ship and lost it, haven’t you? That’s bad. Well…not my problem anyway. However.”
The man took a glance at the totalled airship.
“This ship is so pitiful. Ships that can no longer fly are hunks of junk. If you intend to call yourselves a crew, even as a joke, do so when you’ve got at least one helmsman in your ranks.”
Saying his piece, the man turned his back. He started walking, not to the town, but in the direction of the neighbouring mountains.
Katalina bit her lip in frustration.
“A helmsman, huh? That would certainly be essential personnel if we are to continue our travels but…”
“Hmph. Like hell I will listen to some guy’s talk! Just saying what he wanted to say and leaving like that. What the hell was his problem!”
Although Vyrn said that, Katalina’s expression remained gloomy. It was probably like he said. We are intending to go to the island at the end of the sky. And yet, we don’t have a helmsman to helm the ship. To start with, we don’t even have a ship now.
“Anyway, standing here will achieve nothing. Let’s hurry to the town before it completely turns to night. We should be able to make preparations for our journey there,” said Katalina, seeming to have moved on from the past dilemma.
Vyrn and I nodded as well.
“That person…he looked sad seeing the broken ship.” Lyria muttered in a small voice.
“Really?” Vyrn answered in disbelief.
“Perhaps that person saw our ship crashing and worriedly came to check up on us?”
We could not respond to Lyria’s question.
Twilight was already approaching, the sky was dyeing in an indigo blue. The vestiges of sunset only remained near the horizon of the western sky.
We began walking towards the visible town lights in the distance.
Although we encountered several small monsters en route, we reached the walls surrounding the town without troubles. Obtaining the gatekeeper’s permission, we entered the town of Port Breeze.
3
“I’m staaaaaarrrrvinnnn.”
Vyrn said so immediately after passing through the gates of the town, coincident with Lyria’s stomach making a small rumble. Her face suddenly blushed, but my stomach also made a large sound immediately following.
Katalina smiled, and suggested having a meal.
We followed the wide road stretching beyond the gate and entered the tavern located at the center of the town. Lyria and I could not drink alcohol, but there was no such place that didn’t serve alcohol with a meal in the first place, so it couldn’t be helped.
At the tavern were people of all walks of life eating, drinking, and making merry. It was exactly how I imagined the taverns to be.
All four races of Phatagrande were present inside. It wasn’t just Humans like Lyria, Katalina, and myself. There were Erune with animal-like, perky ears, Draphs with pointy horns (With muscular males and petite females), as well as Harvins who were half the size of Humans.
Within the repulsive scent of alcohol were whiffs of grilled meat.
The atmosphere inside was brimming with liveliness.
“Order’s up. Herb-grilled chicken with potato stew and rye bread, three sets. And a salad with fruits!”
The spirited waitress filled the table with the local cuisine.
“Apples!”
Seeing a pile of fruits delivered, Vyrn raised his voice in delight.
“You really love your apples, don’t you?” Lyria asked.
“Yeah!”
He was delighted, seeing his favorite apples included in the fruit assortment. Before he set his hands on other items, he carried an apple to his plate. Grasping it with both hands, he bit into the fruit, skin and all, with a big chomp. He squinted his eyes and smiled in pure bliss.
Watching Vyrn like that, we also gave a hearty laugh. I couldn’t remember the last time I had such a heartfelt laugh.
We distributed the food to our plates. The chicken meat wrapped in herbs was so soft it offered no resistance to the knife, and when I saw the meat juices dropping to the plate along the blade, my stomach ended up rumbling once again.
As steam wafted in my face, I scooped some stew and brought it to my mouth. Then I proceeded to eat the meat with a fork in bite-sized chunks and savoured its taste.
“Delicious!”
“Some fine meat was used. Even the stew was well simmered and bursting with flavour. Yeah, this shop’s the place to go.”
Katalina said while she gracefully brought the copper coloured cup filled with wine to her mouth.
Lyria and Katalina were similarly satisfied.
By the time the stew was emptied, I had also had my fill and could allow a moment to survey the surroundings.
At the neighbouring table, intoxicated men were laughing cheerfully in loud voices.
A red faced, large man ― the Draph, who were known to be heavy drinkers ― was saying that he saw an airship crash on the fields outside town. There was no need to listen to details, it was obvious that he meant our ship. After all, ships would seldom crash twice on the same day.
“Crashed, ya said?”
“Oh man. Crashing in tha fieldzz. It’sh in pieshes, man. Gon fly no mooorrrreee.”
“The winds blowin round Port Breeze are the best of Phatagrande skydom. Only total amateurs would crash one in these skies! Yeah!?”
“No shite!”
After clinking their wine cups, they downed them and burst into laughter.
“Khh…”
Katalina who followed the conversation of those men hid her face and bit her lip in frustration.
“Katalina…”
“Oh. It’s fine, Lyria. I’ll resign to this humiliation. It was certain that I did not take airship flying seriously.”Katalina muttered in a small voice.
“It wasn’t your fault. After all, you did manage to fly us here.”
“Thank you. However, there is no guarantee for any further success. Either way, a ship needs a proper helmsman. I hope we could come across one in this town but…”
“What about a ship?”
I decided to voice out what was on my mind. It was impossible to go on without asking this. Although a helmsman was also important, we don’t even have a ship to begin with.
“You have a point. We need a ship too. But, a helmsman comes first.”
“How so?”
I inquired. Even if we got a helmsman, how would we fly without a ship? The answer to my question came from an unexpected direction.
“That’s because skyfarers usually decide which ships they will ride ~.”
I turned my head in surprise towards that sudden interjection.
Female, no, a little girl was smiling before me.
I was sitting. And she could meet my gaze. To sum up, she was short.
“A Harvin…”
It was my first time seeing one up close.
The Harvins, being a sociable race, could be caught sight of anywhere throughout Phatagrande skydom. But in my village, being on a remote island it was, I practically never met one.
“Yuuuup ~. You said it, I’m Sierokarte, a Harvin, and the owner here ~. You can call me Siero ~.”
She spoke in a laxed manner, but didn't give off a boorish impression. The Harvin race, from their adorable appearance, were liked by every race, and many of them served as merchants by making full use of their inborn sociability and knack in the art of conversation.
In any case, I found fault with Sierokarte’s ― Siero’s words.
“Owner?”
“You’re male!?”[1]
Lyria was astonished at a different point than mine ― so I was surprised at her surprise.
“No, not that, Lyria. She’s unmistakably female. By owner, it means this shop’s owner.”
With Katalina pointing it out, Lyria’s face flushed red. I-I see, Lyria replied bashfully, but how did she even manage to misunderstand that? That was my question... Lyria would say the most astounding things at times. It’s as if she had not been taught a bit of what we considered common sense.
Siero’s expression never changed one bit even at Lyria’s unusual retort. She, as she was, just nonchalantly smiled and said “It seems I really don’t look the part, eh?”
“That’s not the…”
case ― she found herself in a pinch, unable to firmly state her say.
Harvins looked far younger than their actual age. From my point of view, Siero looked like a girl of around ten. Even her excessive sleeves made her seem like a child that had forcibly put on the adult’s clothes.
I took another look at the small shop owner, inspecting her carefully.
A parrot-like bird was perched on Siero’s shoulder, and a large compass ― an instrument for determining orientation by the force of a magnet ― hanging diagonally from her shoulder… I just couldn’t see her as a tavern owner.
“This shop is yours…?”
To my inquiry, Siero floated a grin like a mischievous child and replied.
“How should I put it, this shop is more of a subsidiary business ~? I can only open it once in awhile. My core business is the Knickknack Shack ~. From the preparation of travel essentials, job request intermediary, to skyfaring services! We have you covered ~.”
“Skyfaring services, you say?”
Katalina inquired, and Sierokarte readily repeated.
“That’s right. That includes the Skyfarer ― helmsman services.”
4
“What do you guys think is necessary for your journey ~?”
Siero posed a question in a loose tone.
“An airship.” I was the first to reply. You can’t get off the island without an airship. That is what I have always thought about since I was a child. To fly through the skies you needed wings.
“A helmsman that isn’t employed” Katalina followed up. Her failure to fly that small ship seemed to have frustrated her greatly.
“Why is that? You’ve said that before as well.”
The question was directed at Katalina, but it was Siero who responded.
“A helmsman rarely changes ships, that’s why ~. Every airship has its quirks, and a skilful helmsman who can manage any kind of ship is rare. In short, with the exception of newly manufactured ones, the ships are a set with a helmsman.”
Katalina continued after Siero.
“The newly constructed ships are too expensive, they do not sell it at a price that we can afford. That said, this time we can’t exactly stea-…borrow one either, right?”
I haven’t heard the whole story, but apparently, Katalina couldn’t endure how the Empire’s army treated Lyria and broke her out. At first, they snuck in the airship that was about to depart, and after they smuggled their way out, they sto-... borrowed a small ship and escaped near Zanktinzelle. . We arrived here with that ship hidden at the foot of the hill.
Because the small airship suffered serious damage due to the failed landing, a new ship was a necessity, but stealing aboard an imperial battleship again to stea-...borrow another one was out of question.
Katalina expressed her thoughts.
“Which means, we have no choice but to look for a second-hand airship, but as you were told, helmsman without their own are already eyeing them. A ship can’t fly without a helmsman. Even those who purchased a ship without an owner will look for a helmsman anyway. It’s an opportunity to market yourself to a helmsman without an employer. If the model of the ship is what you’re accustomed to, all the more, right?”
“Really?”
I was convinced. Basically, ships were accompanied by helmsmen wanting to fly them. So, conversely, if we recruited a skilled helmsman that wasn’t employed by anyone, we’d probably be able to come across a ship too, that is what was implied.
“Naturally, finding an unemployed helmsman with his own ship would be the best outcome...but that wouldn’t be so easy. No skilled helmsman would leave his ship idle.
“Yup, correct ~. A helmsman and a ship are essential as a set. However, that isn’t just it, you know ~?”
Siero threw a meaningful gaze and spoke.
“A sky map is indispensable as well. Katalina told me that before…”
“Excellent, Lyria. You remembered what I taught you.”
“Ehehe.”
“By sky map, you mean that…the Complete Sky Map?”
Katalina spoke in a tone of compliment to my words.
“Oh my, you know that?”
“Vyrn had seen it before.”
“What did you say!?”
Katalina looked at Vyrn.
Vyrn nodded his head while he stuffed his face with apples.
“Just who are you guys…”
“So it really does exist.”
“Yeah. The ‘complete sky map’ exists. They are substitutes for guideposts used by the Astrals when they travel between islands. It is said to bring whoever with it to the desired place.”
“The desired place…you mean anywhere at all!?”
“So the story goes. As it’s known, the world in the sky is divided by a foul space filled with miasma called the Grim Basin. Even the Phatagrande skydom which we inhabit is surrounded by this Grim Basin.”
“Grim Basin…”
This airspace was constantly in a whirlpool of turbulence, and is said that it’s a hotspot for aerial monsters. While there were reckless adventurers that managed to breach through it by pure luck, it was impossible to clear up a regular route, and for that reason, almost no news of the neighbouring skydoms made it here.
“You guys sure know your stuff ehh ~.”
Siero nodded in agreement.
“The route that runs to the neighbouring skydom avoiding the Grim Basin is narrow, moreover it winds through the sky like a snake, getting through it without a sky map is a little short of gambling. Furthermore, because you can move in any direction in the sky, a route to avoid the Grim Basin is impossible to map out with a piece of paper like a topographical chart.”
Katalina’s explanation was confusing, with up to half of it passing through my head.
Even so, since the end of the sky, the goal of our journey, was somewhere beyond Phatagrande, having a sky map was essential, that much I understood.
“Agreed ~. If you want to go far, the sky map is needed. But before that, you’ve got more pressing matters at hand, don’t you ~?”
“Ohh. And that would be?”
Katalina inquired.
“Basically, every daily necessity - Food, drinks, clothes and what have you. Those things don’t just fly in the sky to be found, you know~ That said, you have nothing to worry about. For this here is the all-at-your-disposal Siero’s Knickknack Shack, at your service. Please take a knick at ~ the Knickknack Shack! Just kidding! Ufufufufu!”
She laughed at her own bad pun.
“What the. So you are just shilling your goods!” Vyrn retorted but she just laughed on without minding it. Katalina laughed awkwardly at that and got back on topic.
“That’s good to hear. Well, I will get to you when the time comes. But first, what we need is a ship, and a helmsman. Do you have any clues where to look?”
“So you need an unengaged helmsman ~? Hmm. It’s unfortunate but most of them are out ~. It’s a busy period as you know.”
“Is that so. What should we do…”
Hearing Siero’s response, Lyria frowned. I was also disappointed.
“Say, Siero. How about you refer them to that guy?”
A man sitting on the neighbouring table seemed to have heard our conversation and intruded in.
“By that guy, you mean Rackam?”
The lady sitting beside the man, appearing to be his wife, spoke.
“Yeah, man. He can’t just keep on wandering aimlessly forever, don’t you think?”
“That’s…true. But didn’t Rackam say that he won’t fly a ship anymore…?”
“Maybe he has changed his mind! With capabilities that good, it’s such a waste for him to retire and wander!”
“That’s true, but hey…”
Listening to that couple’s conversation, Katalina turned to Siero to ask.
“Who is that Rackam they speak of?”
“Ehm… Well, he is a helmsman. And skilled on top of that...”
“Go on.”
“Well, Mr Rackam certainly isn’t hired by anybody at present buuuuut...”
Siero’s speech got ambiguous for some reason. Looking back, we should have noticed it at that time. Usually, skilled helmsmen would have been hired by someone. That was what Siero had been saying. In other words, there were some strings attached with this case.
“Where in town might that person be?”
“Umm. He doesn’t live in the town ~.”
“Not in town?”
According to Siero, he was living by himself outside the town. Moreover in the wilderness where monsters appear. It was unbelievable. Even though I went to the forest almost every day, I never once considered living in it. Outside of villages and towns ― nighttime in particular ― was not where people could exert their control.
“Well, exit the town via the south gate. He lives in a cave at the highlands. It’s a short walk ~. Well, it might be good to try to see him. But don’t get your hopes up ~.”
Without trying to speak further, Siero took her leave.
“Outside town, huh…?”
“What do we do?”
I asked Katalina. There were lots of things I had yet to comprehend about airships, so I had to give priority to Katakina’s opinions here.
“Errm. This is quite the troublesome development.” Katalina said while bitterly watching Siero leave.
“We are fugitives now, so I prefer we don’t overstay here. I want to get to an island out of reach of the empire’s control as soon as possible but...”
“Siero said it might be good for us to meet. Let’s go! Whatever kind of person he is, we have to first try meeting him!”
When Lyria said it decisively, Katalina narrowed her eyes and looked at Lyria as if she were dazzling and gave a big nod.
“Lyria… That’s…right. Okay, let's search for him tomorrow!”
“Living outside of town, gotta be a hell of a strong dude. I’m looking forward to it!” Vyrn spoke in a laid-back tone.
“I hope he is a good person,” Lyria added, followed with a nod from me.
A helmsman and a ship.
We had to find those two things as fast as we could.
Katalina's words made me realise once again that we were now fugitives running from the empire’s clutches.
Reaching the end of the skies was all my past self thought about...
That imperial captain that was chasing Lyria was willing to erase my village as long as he managed to catch her.
I won’t ever hand Lyria over to those bunch ― no way in hell!
5
Rising early and setting out from our lodging, we returned the way we came from and headed for the gate.
The stone paved roads illuminated by the sunlight stretched from the centre of town all the way to gates. The roads were already full of people. At this time of day, a multitude of shops were lined on both sides of the road, giving the feel that Port Breeze was a town that was developed by commerce.
The voices of peddlers attracting customers were overlapped by the haggling of customers.
“Hey, look here! It’s frayed! It’s a defective product. Come on, drop the price some more!”
“Whoa. Don’t find fault with me. These are nothing short of the finest quality with no equal.”
“Finding fault, who’s finding fault here! Look here, mister. If you give them to me for half off, I’ll take three sets of those finest clothes off you. So just drop it already!”
“Lizzie, your mother made these clothes, right? I mean, your mum’s health has improved, hasn’t it?”
“...If I can buy these half off, the rest could go to mom’s medication…”
“Uh. Th-that’s playing dirty. Hey.”
“Ahh...it seems we’ll be having potato soup today too.”
“Fine, fine! Agh, and I’m in the red today too!”
The child who was barely ten was seen dropping the price of a hemp cloth to half.
The little girl who successfully knocked down the price to half turned her back to the merchant and stuck out her tongue. The merchant being a merchant, brought out a new hemp cloth from inside which to all appearances was of higher quality than what he had sold until then. So much for boasting about how those previous clothes had no equal. He then increased prices on the price tags by 20% and stuck them on those clothes.
The residents of Port Breeze seemed to be quite fond of business. They looked to enjoy the act of buying and selling itself. It was extremely robust.
“Fueeeeh ~ I feel kinda dizzy ~.”
Lyria was dragged around by the crowd with a pale expression on her face. Since she looked like she might reel off and get lost, I held her hand in a hurry. Lyria’s hand was cool, and just holding it lighty excited my heart.
“Heeeey. Gran! Lyria!”
That was Vyrn’s voice. He emerged with Katalina from what appeared to be a secondhand store.
“I’ve asked about that helmsman from before. It seems we’ll understand it if you go past the gate to this place called Angad Highlands.”
“We’ll understand it?”
“Yeah. We’ll get to the details along the way. For now, we are heading west.”
We walked along the main road running through the centre of town and arrived at the gates. Before leaving, I took a look back at the town.
I could perceive the appearance of the town which I could not at night.
The town of Port Breeze grew taller as one advanced from the gates to the center as it was built on a hill. An antiquated castle soared at its peak. Contrary to the island I lived on, the tallest on this island was that certain hill in the town, and the highest point was the top of that castle.
There was a long bridge stretching from the towering castle to the west.
“What’s that…?”
Following my gaze, Katalina responded.
“That is the pier. It appears to be Port Breeze’s official place for arrival and departure. Legally speaking, it is a regulation for ships coming in to dock there. Since trade between islands requires various legal processes.”
“In such a…narrow place?!”
“It may look like that from afar, but it is big enough to dock large-scale carrier ships. That said, however, doing that wouldn’t be so simple in practice.”
The facility which guided the ships to arrival and departure was apparently constructed in that antiquated castle by the side of the pier. The voice that suddenly came to our airship belonged to a working official in the castle. According to Katalina, it was called a radio.
But then, we crashed a ways off before the pier.
We left the gates.
Again, we followed the route we traversed yesterday.
We walked along a gently ascending path towards Angad Highlands.
The skies above were clear. A clear blue in all respects.
The grassy plains were caressed by the winds foretelling the advent of the early summer.
The location Katalina heard was a little down south from where we crashed.
“I was told that there was a large airship so you can’t miss it, though…”
Katalina had gotten word of it from the secondhand store.
That said, we have been walking until it was almost midday, but we had yet to see it.
“Since they say the airship is together with them, would that ship be the helmsman’s?”
Supposing he was a helmsman with his own ship, it would be a hit. By all means, I would want to hire them both.
“But, it’s strange.”
“Strange?” Lyria asked.
“Airships are normally moored at the outer edges of the island or the elevated piers. Being in the middle of an open highland is weird.”
“Though, I think our ship is still left as is at the meadows too.”
“Left as is? You mean wrecked as is!” Vyrn bantered at Lyria.
“Gh, th-that…that wasn’t a descent, it crashed…”
“There doesn’t seem to be anything resembling an airship around here.” I said after turning circles to view the surroundings.
“Shall I look from above?”
“Sure, please do.”
Vyrn flapped his wings and soared high up. He rose high enough that he became a point in the sky, then descended and said “over there! I saw something!”.
It was southwest of the gently rising highlands. It took us less than thirty minutes of walking to get there.
“That’s it! There! Look, it’s a hell of a big ship!”
Vyrn who was floating in the sky could see it from afar and shouted. Little by little coming into sight, “its” form astonished us enough to lose our voices.
“That’s…”
It was a large, blue airship stretched out above the green grass.
“That’s a medium-sized shp.” Katalina explained.
Its size was apparently enough to fit a typical crew on it.
The whole body seemed to have an upper lower double decker structure. A pair of wings extended from the left and right sides of the midsection, the decoration covering the bow reminded me of a lizard’s head; somehow, the whole exterior gave the impression of a dragon.
That said, though, Proto Bahamut was the only dragon I have seen.
The upper section was mostly occupied by a blue clothed balloon-like part which likely contained hot air. If I remembered correctly, a vehicle called a “blimp” floated using that principle. But all that did was to make it float, so the driving power of the airship probably came from something else.
The upper part made of blue lustered fabric reflected the sun’s rays quite like the shine of a dragon’s scales. I could see something like a pilothouse on the upper part. Because the propellers ― no, wings, tail, as well as rotors were installed at the upper part, all the faculties for flight were probably situated above.
Whereas the lower section was a waterborne vessel in itself. I couldn’t tell about the deck since I was looking up from below, but the shape on the whole was thin from the front and like a slightly swelling teardrop from the back. I suppose that part was the residential quarters
“This vessel…is a lovely blue. Like a colour reflecting the sky.”
I also agreed with Lyria. Katalina turned and spoke after inspecting it thoroughly.
“But Lyria, rather than it being placed here…”
“Yeah. It feels like it crashed and hasn’t moved since…”
While it wasn’t in pieces like our ship, it didn’t look like a properly landed ship either.
“Is this that Rackam’s beloved ship…? Besides, where is Rackam… Uffh!”
Katalina who was looking around suddenly looked surprised.
“This is bad… Look, Gran.”
What Katalina pointed at was at the lower parts of the highlands to the south. They were still the size of wheat grains, but a group of armoured figures were ascending this way.
“Imperial soldiers!”
Lyria gulped at the words Katalina let out. I also fixed my eyes in surprise. I had yet to get a proper look as it was too far, but I had certainly recognized the color of their armor.
“But it doesn’t feel like they’ve noticed.” Vyrn said.
“Let’s hide.”
“Wh-where?”
Lyria said. Naturally, she was frightened. We were on a slightly elevated place on the highlands with an open view.
Katalina who was surveying the surroundings discovered a forest stretching on the opposite side below.
“If only we could make it there…It might be a bit too far.”
“We might be discovered before we get there.”
“It can’t be helped. We’ll hide here and let them pass for the time being.”
Here, which Katalina pointed at, was the silent airship in front of our eyes.
6
A platoon of over thirty imperial soldiers came ascending the gently sloping hill in files.
They stopped beside the fallen airship. They did not seem interested in the unmoving ship, nor notice the people who were hiding, and broke their formation.
What seemed like a patrol unit scattered on four sides, and some soldiers stood guard without gaps in between.
They mostly consisted of brawny soldiers clad in full-plate armour. Only one of them, a boy barely reaching up to half their height, wore a blue military uniform adorned with golden ornaments.
When one of the soldiers lined up to the sides placed a simple stool down, that child proudly took a seat on it ― and began to throw a tantrum.
“Aaaaarrrrgh, what a pain in the arse. This is such a pain! Am I really needed here?”
He glanced up at the soldier beside him.
“With all due respect,” the soldier started to explain, “General, Your Excellency, this island had always been unfaltering to our dominion, as such someone with appropriate status is needed to pressure them into…” but then, he suddenly held his tongue.
It was because that child scowled at him like a demon.
The eyes behind the glasses let loose a freezing glare.
No ― he was not a child.
It was clear from the bushy ears poking out from the sides of his face, he was a Harvin, one who was already an adult. As proof to that, he was addressed as “General, Your Excellency” by the soldier beside him. Although he appeared to be nothing but a child of at most ten years old, he was a Major General of the Erste imperial forces.
His name was Furias.
Contrary to appearances, he was haughty and known for his callous personality.
“I know that. You take me for a fool? Tch…”
With a click of his tongue, his facial expression vanished.
“Someone take him to an interrogation room already.”
At Furias’s words, the attending soldier by his side went pale and let out a small shriek.
“Yo-your Excellency. I humbly apologise for my earlier insolence―”
“Silence. Don’t open your mouth, you incompetent fool. Your incompetence was proven the moment you started apologizing!”
It was in a shrill voice like those of children.
It was hard to believe how his expression could momentarily switch from rage to calmness over and over.
“Get it?”
Furias spoke in a voice supressed of his emotions.
The General’s remarks were exceedingly unreasonable, but that soldier had enough wisdom not to argue against it ― just that he was too slow.
“Maybe I should drop that head of yours here? Carrying an empty head like that is nothing but a waste, don’t you think? You don’t need it anymore, do you?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Alright. Time for excuses is up!”
A pair in black armour came from both sides, firmly seized both arms of the talking soldier, and dragged him off.
“Your Excellency! Your Excellencyyyyyyyyy―!”
When he was satisfied with the dragged off soldier’s fluster, Furias had already erased the existence of that incompetent subordinate from his mind.
He asked another soldier.
“So, what is our next arrangement?”
“Sir. We have already stationed our troops at various places in Port Breeze, preparations are in order.”
“Hmm. Good good. A good subordinate doesn’t say needless things. Your head seems to be packed with sawdust at least. Or maybe curd too.”
“I am honoured!”
“Well then, shall I head to town soon? Time to inform them that this island belongs to the empire now.”
“Yes, sir.”
The soldier returned an imperial salute and Furias rose from the stool.
“Well, it would be amusing if they put up an opposition though.”
“With one shout from Your Excellency, we’ll be ready to erase the town along with the island.”
The soldier indifferently replied, and Furias gave an inhumane smile.
“Sinking an island or two wouldn’t be so bad. If we do that, there won’t be another country foolish enough to dare oppose us.. I hate fools. Besides, fear is an effective form of ruling. You think so too, don’t you? Fufu.”
“As you will.”
The soldier nodded with a serious face. For opposing Furias was like asking to be beheaded.
“Fufufu. When those townsfolk get wind that this island is gonna fall, I wonder what kind of scene my eyes would feast upon. I can’t wait to see.”
Furias chuckled, however, a voice of challenge resounded.
“This is madness!”
Furias turned towards the shout.
A female knight appeared from the fallen ship’s cover and stood before Furias’ group, her face dyed with anger. It was a beauty clad in imperial armor. However, she was not to Furias’ liking. She was too tall for him.
From the rear, a sword wielding lad came out and stood as if to protect her.
Aah, Furias thought. So there were still fools lying around.
7
We peeked out, concealing ourselves in the shadow of the airship.
The imperial soldiers who turned up didn’t appear to take an interest in the ship and broke their formation, commencing their break.
“I see. This place is indeed the highest point around here.” Katalina spoke in whispers so they wouldn’t overhear.
So in other words, this seemed to be a good place for a break during the march. I interpreted Katalina’s words as such. Makes sense.
“Let’s move in a little bit.”
As Katalina said that, we moved as much as possible into the gap between the airship and the ground.
“This ship… Seems to have traces of repairs.” Katalina made a short comment.
“I wonder if it will move.” Lyria tilted her head.
“Well… At least, I don’t see anything terribly broken at a glance...”
“Where do we even get on this thing?” Vyrn pointed at the ship and spoke.
“Wasn’t there a ladder set against it?” .
A ladder was indeed hung from the ship’s midsection. Apparently, it would lead us to the ship’s deck. Beside the ladder, some logs and equipment were also piled up.
“What do we do?”
I posed a question at Katalina. We couldn’t exactly go back to the ladder now, as that would have gotten us discovered. We just couldn’t hide inside the ship. If we were discovered, our escape would be cut, too.
“If they are not interested in the ship, we may be safe if we hide behind it”
As Katalina suggested, we were about to head deeper to hide, but then...
“Gran! Hey. They’re making some kind of fuss!”
Some kind of turmoil has occurred among the imperial soldiers. After hearing some noise, it suddenly went into an eerie silence.
“You guys keep yourselves hidden. I’ll check out what’s going on.” Said Katalina and pushed us further in.
“Katalina…”
I reassured the worried Lyria with a smile, saying I would follow Katalina. I entrusted Lyria to Vyrn, and followed behind Katalina.
She pushed half of her body out of the cover and inspected the situation outside.
“Gran. You came too? It’s dangerous.”
“Lyria was quite worried.”
“I got it. Hmm…that man.”
There was a man sitting clad in blue military uniform sitting on a chair in the distance, but I couldn’t see him as anything but a child.
“Who’s that?”
“A General of the empire. But I can’t tell his rank from here. Judging from the composition, I guess it’s probably Major General. A Harvin commissioned officer, huh…”
Katalina’s words made me realise that the boy in military uniform was an adult. A Harvin. Just like the Knickknack Shack’s Siero.
Speaking of military ranks Katalina was the First Lieutenant. Above that there was supposed to be Colonel, and General further above. From Katalina as a reference, First Lieutenant - Captain - Major - Lieutenant Colonel - Colonel, and Major General is on top of that. Given how far apart their ranks were, she wasn’t expected to know him unless he was someone famous. However, Katalina seemed to have a clue and was searching through her memories.
The conversation between the soldier and General carried by the winds could be indistinctly heard. I could see Katalina’s expression growing grim by every second. Even I was clenching my fists in anger.
Of all things, they spoke of dropping Port Breeze below the sky to strengthen the empire’s control! I’ve never heard of islands falling from the sky, but when I heard him speaking so full of confidence, I quickly grew uneasy.
The imperial General was speaking as though their plan was entirely out of amusement or something. Moreover, when I heard him say he was looking forward to the panic it would cause, even I was about to blow fuse and――
“This is madness!”
Someone screamed ― Huh? For a moment, I wondered whether I ended up yelling by instinct, but the next moment, I realised that the figure of Katalina who should have been near me was no longer there.
“I kept quiet and listened to you for a while, but you...you fiend, how dare you!”
Katalina emerged from the shadow of the ship and shouted at the General.
“On the pretext of opposition towards the empire’s control you will destroy the town, there is no way it will be tolerated!”
At that moment, my hand also reached for the short sword at my waist, pulling it out with a quick shink. I chased after Katalina in a flash, overtook her and got out in front of the General in an attempt to protect her.
“Who are you people?”
The General, however, didn’t even flinch at the pointed sword, and asked indifferently.
“Ah, the imperial knight guard who led the ‘highly classified girl’ to escape.”
Instead of us who didn’t respond, the one who spoke in a non-serious tone was a youth who clearly appeared different from the other soldiers. It was an Erune with dull blue hair. A large potion flask hung from his waist and a pair of big spheres were held in his hand.
That Erune showed up unexpectedly from within the soldiers and lined up beside the General.
“If I’m not mistaken, her image on the wanted posters matches her quite a bit. Ahh, but she looks far beautiful in the flesh.”
“Oh? By ‘highly classified girl’ you mean that Lyria?”
“Oh, yes yes. Indeed. I’m talking about that little Lyria and First Lieutenant Katalina who are wanted by the empire. Though I don’t see little Lyria anywhere, and I don’t know who the John Doe over there is either.”
He spoke without erasing his flippant smile.
By John Doe, did he mean me!?
“Hmm, turning traitor to the empire, is it? Are you a fool? I dislike fools, you know?”
“Wha-! You bastard!”
Katalina was enraged. Looking at that expression, the General clapped his hands together and broke into a smile.
“Yes, that’s a nice angry look you have! It suits you!”
As the General laughed, the expressions of the surrounding soldiers grew stiff.
“Oh my, great General, you’re in such a good mood. That’s great, I don’t hate seeing that side of you.”
The blue haired Erune gave a flattery, but he referred to the General as.
Just who in the world was he? Although the surrounding soldiers were encircling us, they didn’t seem intent on reproaching that youth for it. Even the General just clicked his tongue and didn’t comment any further.
“― Drang. Bear in mind your position here.”
With those words, yet another person showed up from the wall of soldiers.
8
“Be quiet for a while.”
The one who spoke those icy words was a red haired young lady. It was clear from the curved horns sprouting from the sides of her head that she was a Draph. It appeared that she was an acquaintance of the youth who called me a John Doe. By change, the four races existing in the Phatagrande skydom ― Human, Erune, Draph, Harvin ― were all gathered in this place now.
“We were hired by the empire. Drop your casual tone.”
“You are so uptight, Miss Sturm.”
“You are just loose.”
“I told you. My name is Drang. We are already partners, so I wish you started calling me by name already.”
“I don’t feel the need.”
“S-so mean, if you say things like that…I’ll, cry, you know?”
“Go cry by yourself.” She responded without hesitation and looked in our direction. She casually brought her hand to her hip. Surprisingly, she carried three swords at the back of her hips. Could she really use them all?.
Katalina also simultaneously reached for her sword.
In front of the two who were glaring at each other, the imperial General did not show any hint of tension and spoke while smirking.
“I see. Well well, could you possibly be trying to escape on this ship?”
He gazed at the nearby fallen airship and started laughing.
“Hyahahahahaha! There’s no way this hunk of junk could possibly fly!!”
We had only just stumbled on this ship, so he completely misunderstood our intentions. Even so, Katalina bit her lip. The airship was a valuable vehicle. Maybe like the General said, she had considered escaping with this ship.
He asserted that this hunk of junk “couldn’t fly”.
“On this? This piece of junk!? Aah, but wait. It wouldn’t hurt to make doubly sure that it won't. Hey, someone go and blow this ship up.”
He called out to the surrounding soldiers.
“Stop it!” Being unable to tolerate the General’s rash remarks, Lyria came out from behind us.
“This poor ship doesn’t seem to be that damaged, so I’m sure it can fly again. It would be so pitiful to destroy it...”
I bit my lip. I was hardly the one to talk, but that action had completely backfired on us. Vyrn floated behind her with a look of dismay.
“It’ll be troubling if it flies.”
“Huh?”
“Your Excellency. That girl.”
The soldier whispered into his ear ― they couldn’t be deceived after all…
“That ‘highly classified girl’? Really? She came out so nonchalantly, what a fool.”
“Oh my, she’s cuter than the wanted posters! A bit too young to hit on, though. I’m more into bit older ones.”
The happy-go-lucky Erune spoke, but the Draph girl told him to shut it.
“Lyria…”
I moved so that Lyria was behind my back as much as possible. Lyria got close and murmured.
“Gran. I'm sorry. I couldn’t stay silent…”
It couldn’t be helped. Even I could not tolerate it.
“It’s okay. I feel the same too.”
“Lyria, be at ease. I’ll make sure that at least you escape.”
Although Katalina had said that, we were still in a predicament with no escape. Our backs were towards a fallen airship, running that way would only lead to a dead end. Even if we tried to rush inside it, we would be taken out while climbing up the ladder. Besides, since he was ready to blow the airship, doing that would not lead us to our escape.
The number of imperial soldiers surrounding us was over thirty. More than the number, it was Erune and Draph duo that made me feel uneasy.
We didn’t know anything about their skill. At a glance, even the blue haired Erune who spoke nothing but flippant remarks had not shown a single opening for a while now.
“So, what do we do? O’ great General Furias. Arrest them?”
The Erune man ― Drang, if i’m not mistaken ― said.
“Aah, right, we can’t really kill them, huh??”
Furias’s expression became one of disappointment. Hell of a guy.
“It didn’t say they were wanted ‘dead or alive’. Even I didn’t want to see a cute kid die. Yup, that’s what I thought. ”
“I told you, cut the chatter.”
The Draph girl next to him finally lost her patience and elbowed him in the gut. Drang squatted down while leaking weird groans―Ouch, she really didn’t hold back on that one, did she?
“S-So cruel…”
“You’re annoying. Shut up.”
“Are we bringing them alive? What a pain.”
Even as I listened to their conversation, I kept my eye on the surroundings. The mountain on our right was a forest. It was where Katalina had considered running away to initially. If we could somehow confuse the soldiers here, we may be able to run over there.
However, I wonder if confusing all thirty over surrounding us was possible. Moreover, the troops couldn't surely be limited to this. We didn’t know when reinforcements would show up. The more time spent, the more disadvantaged it would get.
What should we do?
No, wait. I’ve got an idea. There’s a way.
“Lyria…”
I lowered my voice and called out to Lyria.
“Y-yes?”
“The black dragon that helped us out on Zanktinzelle, can you summon it?”
The black dragon ― Proto Bahamut.
It seemed that she understood what I meant.
Lyria shut her eyes for only a moment. She looked like she was searching for something.
“If it’s awake...it might answer… I’ll try.”
When she adjusted her breath, she held out both hands to her front, closed her eyes and faced toward a ‘place away from here’.
“Far… It seems to be very far away. It seems that it can’t hear my voice…”
Lyria’s face distorted in pain. I examined her state without taking my eyes off General Furias’ bunch. However, her expression looked so painful it made me uneasy.
“Gran…” Lyria called out to me in a desperate voice, making me look her way on reflex. “I need your help.”
The moment she said that, that feeling had once again spread within me. The feeling of some sort of vast power completely leaving my body. Since Lyria and I were connected, I could also feel that beyond that fine thread lay an existence with enormous power.
“Ahh, I’ve had enough. What a pain. All of you should just die once.”
“Your, Your Excellency. Then the nation’s ―”
“Oh, shut up. We could just say it was an accident. Besides, this ‘highly classified girl’ is just a monster, in the end, isn’t she? Things like that should be killed.”
General Furias’s voice struck my ears. My senses came back to reality.
“What…did you say?”
I didn’t notice that the voice came out from my throat at first.
“Huh? What is it?”
“What did you say…about Lyria?”
“You mean that monster? Hmph. What, you angry? Your angry face is boring.”
The sword I was grasping trembled in my hand.
I was angry for sure.
That man ― Captain Pommern, even he said the same “Monster”. “Highly classified girl” or whatever she was, why are they calling Lyria like that? Calling her a monster, and not treating her as a person…
“What is it. What’s making you angry. You are human and yet side with monsters? Are you that stupid, after all?”
“Enough…”
Before I knew it, the quivering of my sword had stopped. My body grew hot, but my mind was surprisingly calm. As if I was led by my sword, I broke my still posture and charged at him with all I had.
“Enough of that!”
My sword drew a precise arc, and rushed towards General Furias from overhead.
However ―
A silhouette passed before my eyes.
With the sound of two metals meeting, my sword was blocked by another.
“This ― I cannot allow.”
The owner of that sword looked back at me with calm eyes.
The red haired Draph girl ― Sturm, had cut her way between me and the General.
“Khh!”
Even as I tried to push in, she did not yield. She seemed to be more delicate than me, but in the end―she was no ordinary person.
“Gran!”
One more silhouette leapt in from the side.
It was Katalina.
When she swung her slender blade at Sturm, she was forced to disengage from our clash. There were no more obstacles from the front. However, by that time, Furias had also put some distance away already. Damn it!
“You bastards, how dare you target His Excellency!”
One of the soldiers came forward to protect the General. The surrounding soldiers also slowly tightened their encirclement. As they all had already set up their swords, they could slash at us at any time.
“You, get to work too.”
Sturm said to the Erune man.
“Must I? No way, man. I wanna be nice to girls.”
“GET-TO-WORK!”
Being told that a subdued voice, the nice Erune man shrugged his shoulders.
“Fine fine.”
As he said that, Drang hoisted out the two spheres he held in his hand.
What’s he ― planning to do with those?
But we were not able to observe his true strength.
“Gran!”
I heard Lyria’s voice.
Simultaneously with her voice, the soldiers suddenly shook all at once, and they all looked up in the air.
It's finally here!
I also followed their gazes and looked up to the sky.
In the blue, early summer sky, there were clumps of overlapping white clouds. A roar rose as if to tear those clouds apart.
“What is that scream!?”
The soldiers had voices of bewilderment. Another roar was heard covering their voices.
Grrrrooooooaaah!
The overlapping clouds swept by the winds moved little by little at varying speeds. From between the clouds, black wings, a head dyed in the color of darkness, and thin limbs came in sight.
“Th…that’s…!”
Overcome by fear, the soldiers yelled the name of the thing in groans.
“Dragon…! It’s a dragon!”
Looks of horror appeared on their faces.
The primordial dragon ― Proto Bahamut revealed itself from the clouds!
“Bahamut, please!”
As though responding to Lyria’s voice, the dragon opened its jaws.
A great power gathered in front of Bahamut’s opened jaws.
And the next moment, the dragon’s breath released the collected magical energy.
The soldiers sensing what was going to happen raised screams.
Catastrophe.
This was my second time seeing it. The stream of bluish-white light rained down as if to separate us and the soldiers. Boring into the earth, it sent dirt flying, and the rising dust clouds plundered the vision of everyone present ― now was the time!
Quickly exchanging eye signals with Katalina, we took Lyria and escaped. Vyrn naturally followed too.
To the forest while we can!
Some of the surrounding soldiers were curled up on their backsides shielding their heads, some abandoned their swords and laid down. Screams of terror and voices of prayer filled the ranks of the soldiers. They were trying to beg for forgiveness by prostrating before the black dragon that appeared so suddenly. It was understandable. To most people, Primal Beasts were objects of folklore. The beings from myths.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing! They’re getting away!”
Only Furias did not seem to be perturbed, but even the angry voice of a commander was but a ripple before the roar of the primordial dragon.
“Even if you say that, I can’t even see anythin’.”
“Don’t look. Feel.”
“And again, Miss Sturm is saying some crazy stuff…”
We broke through the encirclement, dashed down the gentle hill, and arrived at the edge of the forest.
Then, from the groves, a voice called out to us.
“Hey! You guys, this way!”
The man who came in sight said that as he pointed into the forest.
“This way is a cave that’s my hidey hole! Follow me!”
“You…”
We were surprised. After all, we remembered this man’s face.
A black-haired man with an unshaven jaw, carrying a large firearm on his back.
“This guy…isn’t he the guy from yesterday who just said his piece and went off somewhere?” Vyrn vacantly said.
It was the man who came to see our crashed airship.
“If you’re not coming, I’m leaving you behind!”
“That guy! He’s gonna leave again, Gran!”
“What do we do?” Lyria posed a question.
“Let’s follow him!” I replied to her.
It looked like he was trying to help us, and he didn’t seem to be a bad person.
“Okay!” Lyria agreed.
That’s our only choice, Katalina said while observing the situation behind.
Either way, just taking refuge in an unknown forest was already a gamble.
We chased after that man as he rushed deeper into the forest. Catching up with him, we proceeded even deeper into the forest, and arrived at the cave that man used as a hideout.
This man was that very helmsman, said to possess remarkable skill ― Rackam.
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1 The word used for Owner , 主人 (shujin) can mean various things, including store owner and the head of the household, or in simpler terms, the husband. Generally, you wouldn't mistake these two meanings especially in this context, which makes Lyria's misunderstanding very odd to say the least. ↩
Thank you, has been waiting for this
ReplyDeleteFaster updates please. Granblue fantasy works so much better as a novel. It could be the one piece of video games if the narrative was better structured.
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