Kays Translations

Chapter 13: Windea is a place where water and wind sleep

“The destination is Windea. The magic energy flow in the air is unstable there, but is that okay?”

Windea, where the dense magic powers of wind and water sleep, could be troublesome for vehicles powered by magic energy like airships. When flying, there were times when controlling the craft became difficult.

However, it was necessary to have an airship, even in such a troublesome place.

“That’s fine! But when it comes to Windea, it’s better not to fly too high.”

“Is it because of the concentration of magic energy in the air?”

“Yeah. While Lemuria can handle it no problem, it was just repaired, so I want to fly cautiously and see how it performs. Is that alright with you?”

Ragna pondered with his arms crossed.

“Ren, what do you think?”

“It’s okay. Once we get near the rocky terrain in the middle of Windea, we can handle the rest ourselves. I’m confident in our physical stamina.”

“Alright, then. I’m fine with it.”

“But Ragna-san, are you sure you’re okay with going to a place where monsters might appear?”

“What’s with the strange question?”

With a snap of his fingers, chains emerged from spatial distortions and wrapped around Ren’s right hand. It was evident that some kind of special magic was being employed.

“…Come to think of it, a wandering traveler should have been able to fight, right?”

Ren lightly grabbed the chains with his left hand and exerted some force, causing them to shatter. The power of his refined Enchantment, honed even further than before, revealed its strength once again.

Ragna whistled cheerfully.

“These chains were meant to completely immobilize a C-rank monster, but…”

“…Please don’t use that kind of power suddenly.”

“Sorry about that. I used it as a shortcut to demonstrate that I can fight. But as usual, Sword Saints are monsters among swordsmen.”

The fact that he was so easily released was still shocking.

“As you can see, I can fight, so there’s no problem. After we park Lemuria near the rocky terrain in Windea, it’s just a matter of camping out there.”

“Alright then, Verlich-san, can you handle the controls of Lemuria?”

After that, he slapped his broad chest and coughed violently, which looked rather comical.

Then, with a loud “Leave it to me!” and a hearty slap on his broad chest, Verlich choked with a “Cough!”

The scene was so unsettling that Ren felt disheartened.

Several days later, on a morning when the academy was on holiday, Ren brought Licia and Fiona to the same dock. The three of them were not going to Windea; instead, they boarded Lemuria for the first time.

The upper part of the ship, which they had seen as a bullet, opened its wings and began to sway gracefully as it soared into the sky. After slowly emerging from the open dock and rising to a comfortable altitude, they could step out onto the deck and enjoy the surrounding scenery.

There was only one other person besides the three of them on the deck, and that was Verlich, who was in the pilot’s cabin.

Once the ascent had stabilized and they were flying more smoothly, the girls were excitedly enjoying the view.

“Wow… it’s so beautiful!”

“Hey Ren! Come here! The Imperial Capital looks so small from up here!”

Ren approached the girls, who were filled with excitement and looked at the surrounding scenery as well.

“Was it okay for just us to come?”

They had discussed the idea of having Licia and the others join in on the fun, especially since Lemuria had just been repaired. However, the adults had decided that they wanted Ren and the others to enjoy themselves without them.

“…Father and the others said it was fine this time.”

“Yeah… I was told to enjoy the trip with you, Ren.”

“…They seem to be considering our feelings, so let’s enjoy it on their behalf.”

Ren appreciated the adults’ consideration and enjoyed the journey.

White birds were flying nearby. As they passed right by Licia, her hair fluttered in the wind, and she held it down with her hand.

Fiona, standing beside Ren, held her skirt lightly with her hand and began to talk to him.

“If it’s just this height, I can stay on the deck without any problems.”

It’s not the fear of being in high places, it’s simply the strength of the wind. There are various mechanisms in place to prevent them from falling outside. The two of them, enjoying the scenery as before, start talking about Windea.

“I really wanted to go with you…”

Fiona looked apologetic.

“I have to prioritize the exam.

“That’s right.”

“Besides, I accepted this quest personally.”

“Mm.”

“Umm…huh? Why are you staring at me like that with those eyes?”

Fiona had advanced to the fourth year, so she had exams to take even on holidays. Originally, since Ren had taken on the Emblem with the crest personally, there was no need for Fiona to help.

Even so, her maiden’s heart felt that she wanted to cooperate with Ren.

“…Even if only for a little while, I wish you had felt some regret…”

A really small voice that Ren couldn’t hear.

But he couldn’t afford to skip such an important exam.

Furthermore, Licia had an important appointment at the academy to meet with Klonoa and check the status of Sacred Magic. Thanks to Estelle’s generosity in ensuring that the long weekend was spent meaningfully, there was also a discussion about having her teach swordsmanship.

The Chief doesn’t take breaks. That’s what the Knights of the Lion Sanctuary often say.

I heard that the knights of the Holy Lion’s Sanctuary had also expressed their desire to be a part of the project..

“However, I think it would have been reassuring if Fiona-sama had been there.”

“R-Really!?”

Emotions can change so drastically in just a few seconds. Ren hadn’t expected this.

Fiona visited the dock on the day Ren left. She saw off Ren along with Licia until Lemuria, the ship he was boarding, disappeared from view.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

On the first day of the long weekend, there was an airship departing from the Imperial Capital. 

It was jointly managed by the Heroic family and was a white, imposing airship called Deus.

While Lemuria, which had recently been repaired, also fell under the category of a medium-sized airship, Deus was larger and could accommodate twice as many people. Its comfortable living spaces were worth noting.

In the legend of the Seven Heroes, it was an important means of aerial transportation that played a role in many events.

Deus had just arrived at Windea, the place where water and wind slumbered. Windea consisted of rocky terrain that rose higher and higher towards the center, resembling the tip of a sword thrust upward, with layers upon layers of terrain piled on top of each other.

If you looked up, you could see that the upper layers of Windea pierced through the clouds.

Rocky terrain, or rather, terrain that could be traversed by people within a dozen miles from the top, was where the airship was anchored. Using magic tools to extend a gangway, Vane and the others disembarked onto Windea.

If you looked down, you could see water flowing from various places turning into mist along the way, and you could catch glimpses of the activities of animals and monsters living in the wilderness.

Looking up, everyone couldn’t help but wonder how far it was to the temple they were aiming for.

“Fufufu. As expected of Nemu’s driving, it’s perfect!”

Nemu called out to the backs of Vane and the others who had descended ahead of her. There was no other pilot steering the ship; it was Nemu Altia herself who was in charge.

She smiled proudly, as if emphasizing her prominent chest.

Even at her age, she could handle airship navigation perfectly.

“Hey, Nemu, is there any chance we could have parked higher?”

Kaito asked while looking up at Windea. The winding dirt roads in the vicinity were complicated and led upward, but the distance to the temple they were supposed to reach was what concerned them the most.

It would have been much better if they could have parked higher up…

“Although I’d like to do that, it might be difficult. Above this point, the concentration of wind and water attributes in the air is strong, making flight unstable.”

The operation of the airship could be irregularly affected by the magic materials of the creatures used in the airship and the magic ore laden in the terrain. This was also related to why they hadn’t been able to come to Windea until now.

“There’s also some leftover crystal ice, so it’s better to stay around here!”

Crystal ice, unique to Windea, was produced almost simultaneously every year when summer ended. The entire mountain was covered in this ice, and climbing the mountain was tantamount to suicide. Since it was ice created not from pure ice but from the magic energy of this land, it was not easy to melt with magic, and the thickly accumulated snow made climbing difficult.

Especially, the path Vane and the others were considering was almost entirely covered in crystal ice. Furthermore, the presence of strong winds couldn’t be ignored, especially during winter.

Even with thorough preparation, it would have taken until spring to depart. Even now, there was still some ice left in various places at this time of year.

“Of course, if Kaito-kun wants to be reckless and end up in an accident, I’ll help him.”

“Well, sometimes outdoor training can be tough.”

“That’s right! If you think of it as training, it’ll be a good experience for Nemu and the others too.”

Even so, thanks to Nemu’s efforts, the ship was anchored quite high.

Vane looked up at the direction where the temple was said to be at the summit and said, “Alright.”

“Everyone, please don’t push yourselves too hard. I’d feel bad if you got injured for my sake.”

He turned to his comrades and said,

“You idiot. We came here because we wanted to, so don’t worry about it.”

Upon Sarah’s words, Charlotte nodded in agreement, and Nemu and Kaito followed suit. With five of them here, they were still missing someone. The missing person appeared at the entrance of the airship, ready to descend after passing through the gangway.

It was Lizred, wielding a large staff.

“You can relax, Vane! With me here, there’s nothing to fear from any monsters that might appear!”

Vane knew just how reliable her magic could be and genuinely felt reassured. However, as Lizred was walking down the gangway:

“Huh?”

She slipped and stumbled. Vane rushed to support her in time, but her large staff slipped from her grasp and rolled down the gangway, hitting a rock on the ground with a thud. Lizred gasped, her lips trembling.

“Aaaah! My, my staff that I saved up three years and two months of allowance to buy!”

“D-Don’t worry. It should be fine, it didn’t break or anything.”

Vane released his grip on Lizred, picked up the fallen staff, and inspected it closely. There was not a single noticeable crack or bend. He assured Lizred of this, but when he pointed out a small scratch near the top of the staff, she gasped in shock and knelt down.

“Way to go, Windea.”

From Windea’s perspective, she might not be pleased with someone else’s mistake being blamed on her.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter